Dark Heat: The Dark Kings Stories by Donna Grant Read Free Book Online

get a chance to see how you are? Are you injured?”
    “I’m sure the bruise I got from falling in the ice when I first arrived will have matching ones, but I think I’m okay other than that.”
    “You had a sword at your throat, and you nearly went over the side of a cliff. No one would be all right after that.”
    She chuckled and looked down. “No, I’m going to go inside and fix a large glass of wine while I soak in a very hot bath and try not to think about how close I came to death.”
    Hal brushed his fingers against the cool skin of her cheek. Her dark brown eyes rose to meet his, and it was everything he could do not to lean down and kiss her.
    The longing to do just that was irresistible, overwhelming.
    Uncontrollable.
    He wanted a taste of her full lips, to feel her curves against him once more. When he held her after pulling her from the snow, he’d never felt anything so perfect in all the years of his life.
    She had clung to him, and in that moment Hal would have given her anything she wanted if he could make her forget what had occurred.
    As it was, he dared to caress her cheek, dared to get too close. It was a risk he was willing to take because not to take it was wrong.
    She placed her hand atop his and closed her eyes while she leaned her cheek into his palm. His blood heated as longing and desire pooled within him, burning his veins with the sheer need of her.
    Her touch made him ache to caress more of her, to know more of her. Because she made him feel as he’d never felt before. When it came to Cassie Hunter, he wanted all there was.
    Not once since he came into being at the beginning of time had he ever encountered such a woman. She was different in so many ways, and he wanted to tell her all that he was.
    But her knowing his secret was forbidden.
    None of the Dragon Kings took mates, or hadn’t since the war and one woman’s betrayal. It was just part of the reason they guarded the Silvers, but it was reason enough for them to keep to themselves.
    It was the first time Hal had ever thought to disregard the rules placed upon them, rules decided by the ruler of them all—Constantine.
    Cassie’s eyes opened, and for once Hal didn’t try to hide the wanting, the craving he felt for her.
    “I … feel something between us, Hal. Do you feel it?”
    He wanted to lie to her, to walk away as if she didn’t matter. But he couldn’t. “Aye.”
    With that one admission, nothing else signified. Not that he was a Dragon King and a dragon, not that he was putting himself and her at an awful risk because of the attraction between them.
    All that mattered was her.
    Cassie .
    Hal shifted his hand so that his fingers threaded with the silky strands of her long hair. Her hands came up to rest on his chest.
    Slowly, he pulled her to him as he lowered his head. He saw her eyelids flutter close a half a heartbeat before his lips touched hers.
    A current of something pure, something strong flashed through him when he kissed her. He moaned and pressed his lips to hers again.
    When her arms wound around his neck and she moved against him, Hal deepened the kiss. His tongue swept past her lips to duel with hers.
    And the desire searing his blood rose to a fever pitch.
    He was contemplating how to get her inside without breaking the kiss when his mobile rang.
    It was Cassie who ended the kiss. Her eyes were dazed and her mouth swollen, but those amazing lips were tilted up in a small smile.
    “Good night, Hal.”
    He watched, dumbstruck, as she entered the cottage, Duke at her heels.
    His phone rang again, but he didn’t need to look to know it was Rhys calling. The bastard had a keen sense of when one of them was getting in over his head.
    The problem was, Hal had dived headfirst into all that was Cassie. And for him, there was no turning back now.

 
    CHAPTER
SIX
    Hal made his way through the cave to where he knew the others would be holding the stranger. Hal rounded the corner and found the man, now clothed,