Free Smoke and Fire: Part 4 by Donna Grant

Did she not want to return to her life? Had she gotten lost within her mind?
    That was out of Tristan’s control, but Ryder wasn’t above calling in a favor from the Druids at MacLeod Castle. Not when it came to Kinsey.
    And to think he’d been ready to kill her.
    His stomach twisted at the thought that he’d nearly lost her for good. The evidence against her was condemning, and he’d reacted instantaneously.
    Now that he’d had time to calm down and think things through, there wasn’t anything specifically from Kinsey. No texts, e-mails, pictures, or documents showing she was part of Kyvor’s game.
    There had been a knee-jerk reaction because of what had happened with Ulrik and his woman. Was it happenstance? Or was there much more to everything?
    Ryder was leaning toward it meaning more. There were too many coincidences for him to overlook. The correlations between Kinsey and Ulrik’s woman—damn, why couldn’t he remember her name?—was so obvious now that he was looking at it in another way.
    With all the times Ulrik went after the Kings’ mates and failed, Ulrik changed tactics. He wanted a King to kill his own mate.
    No. Ulrik wanted Con to execute a mate.
    No amount of time could make any of the Dragon Kings forget that fateful day they’d killed Ulrik’s woman and the repercussions that event caused.
    Now, with all that was going on and the enemies closing in on them, as well as Con fighting every King who found his mate, it would destroy Dreagan from the inside out if Con slaughtered a mate only to learn she was innocent.
    “What is it?” Con asked as he walked into the cavern.
    Ryder blinked, focusing his gaze on Con. “If you’d been here when I discovered the evidence against Kinsey, would you’ve killed her?”
    There was a slight pause before Con slid his hands into his pockets. “I doona make hasty decisions with a life—any life. No, Ryder, I wouldna have killed her without talking with her and learning what I could.”
    “Say you did. Say you talked to Kinsey and couldna find anything that showed she wasna guilty.”
    Con’s black gaze narrowed slightly. “Why the questions?”
    “Please. Humor me.”
    “All right. I’d need damning evidence. I’d need to see or hear her talking about betraying you before I took such drastic action.”
    Ryder let out a long sigh. That’s what he’d wanted and needed to hear. It’s the Constantine he’d known for so long. Yet Con had recently made some decisions that Ryder worried about. Not to mention the lover Con had taken. A Fae.
    There could only be trouble there.
    “I think it’s time you indulge me and tell me what that was all about,” Con said.
    Ryder knew Con deserved no less. He spent the next twenty minutes going through his thoughts and conclusions with Con about Ulrik, Kyvor, and Kinsey’s connection.
    When he finished, Con was silent. Finally Con took a deep breath and said, “That’s a lot you’ve sorted out. Did you think I’d kill Kinsey so easily?”
    “I know the safeguarding of Dreagan and our secret is the main objective.”
    “So is protecting mortals.”
    “Who are no’ out to expose us.”
    Con bowed his head in acknowledgment. “Point taken. I’ve known for a while that Ulrik is attempting to fracture us from the inside out. Every attack on us has been to that point.”
    “He nearly succeeded this time.”
    “I know. What was your plan had Kinsey no’ attacked Esther?”
    Ryder shrugged and looked at Kinsey. “I was going to talk to her, but I realize now I wouldna have believed anything she said. I was too upset.”
    “Then things worked in our favor.”
    Ryder wasn’t so sure of that. Not yet, at least. He turned his head to Con. “They wanted Kinsey and Esther to kill each other.”
    “I think they wanted Kinsey to kill Esther. This Druid, whoever she is, is a problem. If Kinsey didna alert anyone to Esther giving us a name, is there a chance someone hacked our computers?”
    Ryder gave him a