It was over already, his commitment to his kind reinforced, but Lorenzo would tell her all about it later.
He peeled off his own clothes, while Cassie removed those of Balthasar. He dressed in Balthasar’s clothes, finding the keys to the rented Ferrari in the pocket of the Slayer’s jeans. He forced Balthasar into his clothes, then hauled him down the narrow passageway to the car with Cassie’s help.
He’d hoped to command the Slayer to get into the car, but he was almost unresponsive now. There was no room for Cassie to help and besides, he thought she could do with the time in the tunnel to regain her composure.
He didn’t like leaving her behind in the tunnel, but he reasoned it would be for only a moment.
And Erik was here.
It wasn’t easy to haul the limp Balthasar through that opening in the trunk, much less to get him into the driver’s seat of the car. A man who was not a contortionist and escape artist would never have managed the feat.
Lorenzo barely did.
He fussed over the collar of the orange shirt, ensuring that it was just so. He checked his watch obsessively, knowing that he had only moments left to complete his escape. He replaced all of the panels in the car, hiding all of the accesses, then dropped down into the passageway again.
He retreated, then filled the space beneath the car with the bags of dirt stacked farther down the passageway. He worked double-time, moving at lightning speed, dragging them into place. He was sweating by the time he was done. He stood in the passageway where he had met Balthasar and detonated one last small explosive device, one that would compel the earth to settle behind him and disguise what he had done.
Lorenzo had time to think that far before he heard the old-speak.
“Nicely done,” Chen said. “And how kind of you to eliminate an outstanding annoyance for me.”
Lorenzo pivoted to find Chen in the form of a young Asian man, holding Cassie captive in front of himself. His right hand was a dragon claw, his sharp gold talon held against her throat like a knife. It astounded Lorenzo that the Slayer could hover between forms like that.
“A trade,” Chen said out loud. “Her life for my brand.”
“Don’t give it to him,” Cassie said.
Chen grabbed her more tightly and her eyes widened in pain. Lorenzo saw a trickle of blood run from her throat, where the sharp point dug into her flesh.
He wanted to destroy Chen for that injury.
Chen smiled. “I’ve always wondered how early a Pyr could turn Slayer. Maybe your son will be the youngest yet.”
Lorenzo held his ground, knowing he needed a plan and had very little time to concoct one.
Cassie couldn’t believe how fast the Slayer Chen could move. One minute she was alone, quietly hyperventilating, hearing Lorenzo get Balthasar into the car.
The next moment, she heard a soft footfall.
Then there was a dragon claw against her throat and a strong arm locking her arms to her sides. She knew she couldn’t free herself from his grip.
Because she tried.
Lorenzo came back quickly, but not quickly enough. She saw how he tried to hide his fear and wondered whether the Slayer knew how troubled he was. She trusted Lorenzo completely, and braced herself for him to do something unexpected.
He took a step closer and shrugged. “If that’s the choice, you can have her,” he said. He pulled the circle of the brand out of his pocket and tossed it in the air, catching it easily. Lorenzo had broken off the handle earlier to make it more portable, but Cassie didn’t know where he’d put it.
“I’d rather have the brand,” Lorenzo said with that breezy confidence. Cassie knew he was scamming Chen, and could only hope Chen didn’t get it.
“It is not yours!” the Slayer protested.
“Sure it is. Finders keepers.” Lorenzo tossed it again, easily snatching it out of the air. He slid it back into his pocket and grinned as Chen snarled. “So, we’re agreed then. Don’t worry about sending me pictures of the kid.” He moved as if he’d step past Chen and leave.
Cassie felt the Slayer’s surprise.
His uncertainty.
Then she saw the blue shimmer. Lorenzo suddenly leapt at Chen, shifting shape faster than she’d ever seen him do it. She drove her elbow into Chen’s ribs, simultaneously driving her heel up into his crotch.
He didn’t even flinch.
But he roared and shifted shape himself. The pair of them breathed fire in unison and Cassie smelled her hair burning. Then Lorenzo flung the circle from the brand down the tunnel.
Chen gave a cry and leapt after it, Cassie tight in his grip. Lorenzo leapt onto his back, tore his wings, and buried his talons in the Slayer’s neck. Chen screamed and stumbled. Lorenzo ripped Cassie from Chen’s grip and practically flung her toward the opening of the tunnel.
Then he blocked the passage, massive and ferocious, seething and ready to fight. Chen looked between him and the rolling brand, then dove after the brand.
Just as he might have snatched it up, the tunnel was suddenly lit with a strange blue-green light, the light of darkfire. Cassie saw the spark dance around the perimeter of the brand. She heard Chen shout in dismay; then the pieces crumbled from his claws.
“You!” he said, spinning to breathe dragonfire at Lorenzo.
“Me, actually,” another man said. Cassie found a dark-haired man standing beside her. He had a large quartz crystal in his hand, one that seemed to have a similar blue-green spark trapped inside it. He pointed it at Chen and made a blowing gesture.
A blue-green spark erupted from the point of the crystal, firing down the length of the tunnel like a shot. It hit Chen right in the chest, making a fearsome crack on impact. He fell, shifting shape as he dropped so that an attractive Asian woman landed on all fours.
She looked up at the stranger, glaring in fury. “You will not turn the darkfire against me. I loosed the darkfire. It answers to me!”
“No. It responds to your attempts to pervert it,” the man said calmly. Lorenzo shifted shape and backed toward Cassie in human form, still barricading the Slayer from her.
The stranger fired his crystal again, and this time Chen fell. Cassie backed away, glad to have Lorenzo defending her. The air shimmered blue as Chen rotated between forms, shifting from the woman to the young man who had held Cassie captive to an old man, then a dragon.
He became a red salamander.
Then he fled into the darkness of the tunnel.
Cassie exhaled, realizing there was a lot she didn’t know yet about dragons.
“Marco,” Lorenzo said as easily as if they’d met at a cocktail party. He took Cassie’s hand and led her to the other man. “Good to see you again.”
The stranger inclined his head and smiled serenely. “It’s useful to hear the thoughts of the Pyr,” he said, then walked to the back of the tunnel. “Not to mention the flashfire song.”
What was he talking about? Cassie looked between the two of them.
“Could you have reclaimed it?” Lorenzo asked.
“Of course. But you needed it.” Marco smiled. “I knew you wouldn’t use it to sever your own connections to the Pyr, but you needed to come to that conclusion yourself.” He smiled at Cassie, as if she were responsible for this change. “You did keep the other crystal safe for a long time.”
Lorenzo’s gaze brightened. “Then you know where it is?”
Marco smiled. “Of course.”
“Did you get it back?” Lorenzo asked.
Marco’s smile broadened. “It is not yet ready to come to my hand again.” He picked up the pieces of the brand, examined them, and tucked them into his pocket. “Part of the darkfire,” he said by way of explanation.
“Thus your department?” Lorenzo said.
Marco nodded.
“What about Chen? I marked him with the brand.”
“Yes.” Marco smiled, as if at a private joke.
“What does that mean?” Lorenzo asked.
Marco didn’t answer. “Have a good trip,” he said, then strolled out of the cave.
“Trip?” Cassie asked. “I thought this was more permanent.”
Lorenzo caught her hand in his. “It is permanent, if you’ll have this old dragon.”
Cassie smiled and turned her hand to grasp his, but she still had questions..”What does he mean about the flashfire?”
“Flashfire was a spell that came into my possession. It would have severed my ties to other dragons and possibly taken my powers away.” He smiled at her. “But you’re right. A dragon boy needs a dragon dad. I don’t know much about being a parent, but I intend to try.”
Cassie laughed and threw her arms around him. He caught her close, and she reveled in his embrace, fiercely glad at having found him.
But when he pulled back, there was that glint of mischief in his eyes, a light that hinted at some secret scheme.
“You have a plan,” Cassie guessed.
“Of course.” Lorenzo smiled. “But we have a stop to make on the way.” He patted his pocket where he’d put the key from Balthasar. “Feel like a vacation?”
“Where?”
“The Caymans?”
“Don’t give me that,” Cassie teased. “You’re not switching sides.”
“No. I’m giving the library to Erik, so we can learn more of Magnus’s secrets.” He held her hand tightly and led her toward the exit, tugging off his wig and shoving it into his pocket. The sight of him shaved bald still made her smile.
“And then?”
“And then, Signor L. Rossi will move into the villa he’s restoring in Venice, the one that’s on the footprint of an old courtesan’s home.” He flicked her a look and she sensed his trepidation. “He’s hoping that there will be a Signora Rossi joining him there.”
Cassie grinned. “Any particular candidates in mind?”
Lorenzo grinned right back. “I believe the lady in question will be very interested to learn that Italians make wonderful lingerie.”
Cassie laughed. “Does Signor Rossi have identification?”
Lorenzo scoffed. “Do you really imagine I’d overlook such an important detail?”
“No. And we’re in the perfect place for a quick wedding.”
“Honeymoon in the Caymans?”
“Sounds perfect to me. Let’s go.”
Lorenzo donned Balthasar’s sunglasses and pulled the keys to the rented Ferrari out of the pocket of Balthasar’s jeans. He and Cassie marched out of the tunnel, leapt down the rocks, and headed for the temporary parking lot. The black Ferrari was at the edge of the lot, presumably because Balthasar had arrived late.
The fireworks were just ending when they got into the car.
“I’m just curious,” Cassie said. “Who would you have left in the car if Balthasar hadn’t shown up?”
“Some details can’t be planned,” he admitted. “I had a feeling the perfect candidate would turn up, and I trusted my instincts. If he hadn’t, I would have thought of something.”
“I thought you liked to control every detail.”
“Sometimes, even old dragons need to learn new tricks.” He winked. “Otherwise, I’d never have won the prize offered by my firestorm. That would have been a tragedy.” He leaned over and kissed her thoroughly. They shared a smile; then Lorenzo merged the car into the departing traffic.
Their future had begun.
Epilogue
A month later, Cassie and Lorenzo had a houseful of guests and a raging party. A massive flat-screen television had been installed in the largest room of the Venetian palace Lorenzo was restoring and the room was full of dragons, their mates, and their children.
All the Pyr had come to witness Lorenzo’s big finish. As a bonus, Lorenzo and Erik had given Cassie permission to share the truth with Stacy, and Cassie’s best friend was also staying with them in Venice. Stacy was awed by the dragon shifters, and as much in pursuit of kismet as ever. Cassie was glad to have the air cleared between them and doubly glad to have her friend visiting.
The unearthing of Lorenzo’s car was scheduled for dawn, which meant the show made a good prelude to dinner in Venice.
Cassie really liked the other dragon shifters and their partners. They had arrived gradually, some staying with Cassie and Lorenzo in the palace and enduring the dust of restoration, others staying at nearby hotels. She liked that they hadn’t all descended upon Venice at once, so she’d had time to get to know them each a bit.
She wasn’t surprised by how much she liked Melissa Smith—having seen her on television made the reporter seem like an old friend. Rafferty was impossible to dislike, his calm and charm making him someone who was easy to have around. Their adopted daughter Isabelle was lovely and had explored the house with Cassie.
Cassie wasn’t surprised by how much she liked Eileen Grosvenor, either, given her admiration of that woman’s partner, Erik Sorensson. Their daughter, Zoë, was adorable and just as inquisitive as Isabelle.
Sloane, the Apothecary of the Pyr, had arrived with Marco. Cassie liked Sloane’s quiet competence, although she still found Marco quite enigmatic.
Donovan, the Warrior, was charismatic and energetic, also impossible to dislike. He and his partner, Alex, had taken daily forays into the city with their son, Nick, seemingly determined to explore every corner in their time here—and this despite the fact that Alex looked about ready to drop their second son. She was due at the beginning of August.
Quinn, the Smith of the Pyr, was watchful and protective of his family. Cassie liked the consideration he showed for his partner, Sara, who seemed to be still tired from her last pregnancy. She’d delivered her second boy in February and they’d named him Ewan. She disappeared into Lorenzo’s library with the new baby every day and had pronounced it perfect.
Delaney and Ginger had come from Ohio, leaving their organic dairy farm in the care of trusted friends and neighbors. The Pyr were teasing Delaney that their son, Liam, needed a brother and Cassie noticed that the couple had been taking regular moonlight strolls in Venice.
There was no more romantic place on earth, she was convinced. She also suspected that Stacy would be visiting a lot in the future.
Niall and Rox had come from New York with their twin sons, who were just four months old. Quinn and Sara had done some babysitting for that pair as they delved into the nightlife of the city. Cassie hadn’t even realized there was a tattoo parlor in town, but Rox had found it and befriended the artists there.
Having the Pyr visit with their partners and kids was like suddenly inheriting the enormous, affectionate, extended family that Cassie had never had. Cassie loved it, and she knew Lorenzo did, too.
Brandt had arrived last, still somewhat unhappy with Lorenzo’s deception. They had spent a day closeted with Erik, probably negotiating a truce of some kind, and he’d been thawing toward Lorenzo ever since.
He was also making a sizable dent in their inventory of brandy. Cassie saw Sara try to speak to him several times, but Brandt brushed her off. Cassie was sure she’d find out in time what the issue was.
Apparently there was one Pyr missing, a guy named Thorolf. Although Rafferty expressed concern for him, the others consistently changed the subject when his name came up.
Cassie wasn’t feeling too badly, other than the morning sickness that had her running to the bathroom. She had no doubt that she was pregnant, although she’d only gone for the blood test a few days before and had not yet received the results back from the lab.
In Venice, she’d decided that the Ansel Adams plan wasn’t for her. Nature was beautiful, but not as surprising or as revealing as she liked
. Cassie was intrigued by people and liked to capture that perfect candid shot. She recalled an image she had seen years before, of a clown backstage removing his makeup and his facade with it. She’d hunted it down on the Internet and bought a print for inspiration.
Since then, she’d been hunting glimpses behind the veil, documenting the truth behind the illusion. She had a good two dozen shots, about six of which she thought were fabulous, and a real sense of pride in what she was doing. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t quick, but Cassie was having a wonderful time.
And Lorenzo was her number one fan. He was determined to get her a show in Venice to showcase her work.
It wasn’t as if either of them had to worry about money. The shots of Lorenzo that she’d taken that morning in the desert were throwing cash beyond her highest expectation. It seemed that every publication on the planet wanted rights to print them; there were T-shirts, umbrellas, tote bags, and a touring gallery show in the works; Melissa Smith had integrated some of the shots into her own program, paying for exclusivity on a couple of very nice shots; a digital artist had used morphing software to animate the change, stringing together the shots into a seamless video display. Cassie was carefully investing the money, ensuring that their son would have a secure future.
From the look of it, the kid would be able to start his own Ferrari collection when he got his license.
Life was good.
The Pyr jostled each other for a view as the music swelled.
“Here it comes,” Quinn said.
The music rose to a crescendo and the scene unfolded in brilliant color across the huge flat-screen television. The view was stupendous with the sun rising over the desert, touching those red rocks with fire. The sky was perfectly clear.
“Fantastic resolution,” Donovan said with admiration. “We should get one of these.”
“I like having windows instead,” Alex said, and he grinned.
“Great reception,” Sloane said.
“Dish on the roof,” Lorenzo supplied.
Cassie watched Lorenzo’s eyes narrow as he scanned the image. She knew he wanted every detail to be perfect.