Free Smoke and Fire by Donna Grant

have access to everything you want, and the money to back you if you need it.”
    Disappointment quickly replaced the hope within Ryder. He should’ve known she would be completely geeked out by all that surrounded her. It was her passion, just as it was his.
    And yet, he yearned for something more.
    It could’ve been his. It had been his.
    Until he walked away.
    If only Ryder could reverse time and do it all over again. Perhaps if he’d spoken to Kinsey and told her who he really was she wouldn’t have been so scared.
    That night she saw him shift had been horrendous. It scarred her from within in ways that few would ever understand. But he did.
    â€œBesides,” she said with a smile. “I’m going to find whoever set me up and learn why.”
    â€œYou may no’ like what you uncover,” he cautioned her.
    Kinsey used her foot to swing her chair from one side to the other. “I’d rather know what I’m dealing with instead of walking with my head in the clouds as I have for years. How you must have laughed at me.”
    There was no heat to her words, but Ryder still heard the pain she couldn’t quite manage to conceal. All kinds of responses sprung in his mind at once.
    â€œI never laughed at you,” he said. “I marveled at your enthusiasm for the world. I admired your dedication to your career and your family. I was amazed at your compassion to those in need, including the animals who crossed your path.
    â€œI was astonished by your ability to laugh at adversity and no’ allow anything to get you down. And I was in awe at the way you showed me the world through your eyes.”
    â€œThose are beautiful words. Too bad they don’t mean as much if you hadn’t walked out on me.”

 
    CHAPTER NINE
    Con held the Montblanc pen by the fingers of both hands as he stared at the report on his desk. He didn’t like what had been found, and it was number one thousand and seventy-six on the list of things to do that day.
    As troubling as the report was in regards to the distilling of the whisky, it paled in comparison to the new visitor at the manor.
    Kinsey Burns.
    Tristan and Dmitri had told him everything, from her arrival to the interaction with Ryder. Con had also watched the tapes of her arrival at Dreagan and meeting Tristan to get visuals of her face.
    What he wished he’d been able to see was when she came face-to-face with Ryder.
    Con had become an expert when it came to discovering which of his Kings was in danger of finding a mate. What vexed him was that Ryder had hidden his feelings so well that Con never knew until the arrival of Kinsey.
    Oh, Con understood that there had been someone in Glasgow, but at the time, Con still thought the spell was in place. If he had known it wasn’t, he might have questioned Ryder more.
    After Cassie and Hal fell in love and mated, Con had taken a close look at all the Kings who spent time out in the world away from Dreagan.
    He had even paid special attention to Ryder. But not once had Ryder asked to return to Glasgow, nor shown any interest in the city or its occupants. Though with his access to the computers, Con realized that Ryder could have been keeping an eye on Kinsey all these years.
    Ryder couldn’t deny anything now. Con had only to look to see Ryder was completely in love with Kinsey. Kinsey, for her part, was harder to decipher. Which surprised Con. Mortals rarely did that to him.
    Kinsey wasn’t thrilled at being held at Dreagan, nor did she appreciate being used by someone at Kyvor to get her there. Yet she was more than willing to help them learn who was behind it.
    She reminded him of Elena and Denae. Both situations had turned out to the benefit of Dreagan and the Kings, but Con had a bad feeling about this time. There were too many variables that were unknown, and there were also too many players now.
    The most troubling bit was that he and the other Kings