Read Smoke and Fire: Part 4 for Free Online Page A

everything that could happen to Dreagan and those who called it home because he’d allowed his feelings to get in the way of precautions, and it made him ill.
    Kellan hesitated on his way toward the foyer. He eyed Ryder for a moment before he said, “Delaying the inevitable only makes things worse.”
    “I should’ve seen it.”
    Kellan put his hands on his hips and released a long breath. “Ryder, I’m going to tell you something that Con never will. All of us could’ve seen it in her, but none of us did. No’ even Con. Doona allow the blame to rest so heavily upon your shoulders. As soon as you discovered the evidence, you acted. No one was hurt, and nothing was done to Dreagan. It’s going to be all right.”
    Ryder nodded, appreciating Kellan’s words. He didn’t bother to tell Kellan that nothing would ever be fine again, because there was no point. Kellan had his mate, he’d found love. He didn’t understand what it felt like to have the woman he wanted only to lose her to treachery and deceit.
    There was only one other King who did—Ulrik.
    Not that Ryder would be calling him up anytime soon to commiserate.
    Kellan patted him on the arm as he continued toward the foyer and walked out the front door. Ryder’s feet felt like lead as he made his way to the entrance of the mountain.
    He didn’t encounter another soul until he reached the cavern where Kinsey was being held. When he saw Tristan standing at Kinsey’s head with his hands on her, Ryder halted.
    “He says he can no’ find Kinsey,” Dmitri whispered.
    Ryder frowned. What was that supposed to mean? Even unconscious, Tristan should be able to see her thoughts.
    On the other side of Dmitri, Roman shifted his feet. Ryder looked from Roman to Con who was staring back at him. Tristan could read someone’s thoughts, and Roman could control metal. It made sense to bring Tristan to Kinsey, but why Roman?
    Ryder started to walk to Con to ask him what was going on when Tristan winced, his face contorting. Ryder froze, instantly on alert.
    “Magic was used,” Tristan said. “Druid magic.”
    Druids? The last time a Druid used magic was when Darcy unbound some of Ulrik’s magic. Darcy had family on the Isle of Skye, and the Druids there weren’t enemies of the Dragon Kings.
    The next largest sect of Druids were those at MacLeod Castle married to Warriors. There were other Druids around the world, but most kept to themselves.
    “It seems we’ve yet another problem,” Con said.
    As if they didn’t already have enough.
    Tristan opened his eyes and looked at Ryder. “The magic used is a spell blocking me from getting to Kinsey.”
    “I doona understand,” Ryder said.
    Dmitri grunted behind him. “Ditto.”
    “Add me to that list,” Roman said.
    Tristan looked from Ryder to Con. “Imagine the brain is like a house with thousands of rooms. Kinsey is locked inside one of the rooms, and I’m going to have to bust through the door to get to her.”
    “Will it destroy her mind?” Con asked.
    Tristan hesitated as his dark brown gaze moved to Ryder. “There’s a possibility depending on how much of my magic I’ll have to use to get in.”
    “Do it,” Ryder said. All the while praying that Kinsey would be whole when it was over.
    If they wanted to know the full extent of what happened, they needed her awake and cognizant, not under the control of Druid magic.
    Tristan nodded and closed his eyes again.
    *   *   *
    Kinsey held out her hands in front of her. Was she blind? Why was everything black as pitch? She didn’t know where she was or how she had been taken from Ryder’s bedroom.
    “Ryder!” she shouted for the hundredth time.
    Her throat was sore from screaming. With her not being able to see, she moved at a snail’s pace, inching her feet forward so she didn’t trip on anything.
    The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in Ryder’s arms after they’d made love. Wait. No. After that there was something …
    Kinsey