Light My Fire

  “Of course I am.” Drake’s voice was as smooth as his face was expressionless. I wondered what sort of trouble Dmitri had been stirring up to cause Drake to go so stony. “I am seeing Dmitri to the door.”

  The situation was so ludicrous, I almost laughed. I had to struggle to keep my lips in a relatively straight line. I knew Drake wasn’t being callous. He could see for himself that I wasn’t in any imminent danger of corking off. I was certain he’d had István call for medical aid, so I was quite content to stand around and act the brave, skewered Aisling.

  Dmitri stopped in front of me, eyeing the sword. “This changes nothing. I will not accept your mate as my own.”

  “You what?”

  Drake ignored my outraged squawk, keeping his eyes on Dmitri much as one would a dangerous asp poised to strike. “Such a situation would require you to be wyvern, and as you have not beaten me in a challenge, the point is moot.”

  “Yeah,” I said, moving to stand next to Drake in a wholly supportive manner. “And for the record, I do not go with the job.”

  Dmitri gave me a scornful look before turning toward the door, tossing over his shoulder, “She is ignorant, this so-called mate of yours.”

  I knew I shouldn’t do it; I knew I should let Drake handle anything related to dragon politics, but I’d had a trying day, and Dmitri seemed to be intent on insulting me. I’d had more than I could take.

  “Hey,” I snapped, grabbing his arm to stop him. He turned back to me with a surprised look on his face. “I’ve tried to be nice, but you know what? Surviving a murder attempt and a kidnapping makes me a bit testy. Now, I am the first person to admit that I don’t know all the ins and outs of dragondom, but I’m trying to learn. And it would help if people like you would share information rather than just tell me I’m ignorant.”

  “Aisling, release the challenger.” Drake moved around to my other side.

  “No. Not until he explains what he meant. I may be a tiny bit clueless, but I’m not ignorant.”

  “Mate—”

  Dmitri sneered. “You really don’t know, do you? What you said before was wrong. A wyvern’s mate, a real wyvern’s mate, does go with the job.”

  I blinked a couple of times and opened and closed my mouth twice before looking at Drake, who stood frowning at me. “Is that true?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you dare call me a liar?” Dmitri asked, anger flaring up in his mossy green eyes.

  “Does that mean if someone else gets your job—not that I believe anyone can beat you, because you’re just about unbeatable—but if someone did, does that mean I would suddenly be their mate?”

  “We can talk about this later,” Drake answered, opening the door.

  I closed my lips on the obvious comment, figuring I’d wait for Dmitri to leave before peppering Drake with questions.

  “Afraid she’ll find out too much?” Dmitri asked, his fingers flexing. His smile turned positively gleeful. “She doesn’t know the truth about you, does she?”

  “If you have nothing more to say about the terms of the challenge, you may leave.” Drake’s voice was so chilly, it sent little shivers skittering down my arms.

  “I’m not interested in hearing any of your gossip about Drake,” I said firmly. Dmitri clearly had issues with Drake. His idea of truth would no doubt be yet another groundless personal attack.

  “You will leave now.” Drake started toward Dmitri. Pál and István, who had been standing in formation behind Drake, also stepped forward, their intentions obvious.

  Dmitri wasn’t intimidated. He stood directly in front of me, his eyes filled with derision as he held my gaze. “No? It doesn’t matter to you that the man who wrongly claimed the position of wyvern to this sept isn’t even a green dragon?”

  That was the last thing in the world I expected Dmitri to say.

  “But no, why should you care when you are as false as he is?”

  “Are you insane?” I shook my head. He had to be.

  “That is enough!” Drake roared, grabbing Dmitri and literally throwing him out the door before the latter could say another word. Pál and István followed him, standing with arms folded on the stairs to the house as Dmitri got to his feet, snarling with rage.

  “Ask the man you’ve mated yourself to who his father was,” Dmitri yelled, turning quickly when Pál and István started down the stairs after him.

  I waited until he was out of sight before looking at Drake.

  He held out his hand for me. “Come. We will see to the removal of the sword.”

  “You know,” Jim said, following us up the curved staircase. Nora and Rene, both with faces filled with questions, trailed behind us. “My life used to be boring. A damnation here, a curse there, with an occasional blight or two to break routine. Now I have Aisling.”

  I glared over my shoulder at the demon.

  It grinned back. “She’s better than reality TV, Internet porn sites, and the trashloids all put together.”

  “Hmm. It doesn’t look too bad. There was some minor bleeding, but judging by the clean entrance and exit points, there should be no permanent damage.”

  Gentle fingers probed carefully around the entrance wound on my back. I tried to look over my shoulder at it, but a head was in my way. A head with long black corn-rows, smooth, latte-colored skin, and bright silver eyes. The eyes glanced up at me now, dancing with some inner merriment. “Do I want to know how this happened?”

  “It was a red dragon assassin.” Drake’s voice rumbled above me. I slumped down again on my side, resting against his warm thigh, dreading what was coming despite the fact that he was holding me.

  “Aisling, would you prefer to be knocked out for this?” Gabriel asked.

  I opened my mouth to say I’d like to be drugged from here to eternity, but once again, Drake’s voice answered for me. “Just get it over with.”

  “Hey, now!” I said, craning my neck painfully in order to glare at Drake. “The next time you get impaled, you can pick the method of healing. Until then…aiiiiii!”

  Before I could rally a really quality scream, Gabriel put his hand on my shoulder and pulled the sword out backwards. “There,” he said, his voice as warm and soothing as I’d remembered it. “All done. Now, let’s see about aiding the healing of these wounds.”

  I stayed on my side, a few tears of self-pity welling up and spilling over my lashes to splotch Drake’s nice pants. I didn’t have time to get more than a couple out, though, before Gabriel had covered the wounds with healing ointment and soft linen bandages, quickly pronouncing me almost as good as new.

  “Thank you so much,” I said afterwards, pulling down the now-damaged-beyond-repair shirt. I gave an experimental stretch but, other than a slight pulling from the bandages, didn’t feel any discomfort. “Wow. That dragon spit of yours sure is fabulous.”

  Gabriel smiled and put away the tube of ointment he had used on me. “It would have been better had I applied it directly, but…” His amused gaze flicked to Drake.

  I smothered a little smile. Gabriel had politely asked Drake for permission to apply his mouth to my wound—silver dragons having a natural healing property to their saliva—but Drake refused, pointing out that the ointment based on the saliva was just as good.

  “Well, I’m just grateful you were around to help me out. Have you been here long? The last time I saw you was in Paris.”

  “Yes, right before you fell in front of the train. I came directly to London.”

  “Ah, the train. I do not believe a satisfactory explanation has been given regarding those events. Perhaps Gabriel can shed some light on the situation?” Drake said in a mildly curious tone.

  Gabriel shrugged and began repacking his first aid kit. “I doubt it. I saw Aisling fall forward, but before I could move, Fiat snatched her up. She seemed unharmed and safe in Fiat’s care. I had pressing business in London, so I left once I saw that she was all right.”

  Hmm. Why did I feel like he was leaving someth
ing out?

  “I am unharmed and safe, so I guess all’s well that ends well,” I said with a pleasant smile. “Would you guys mind if I changed? I didn’t bleed a lot, but it’s still making me feel itchy. Are there any special instructions, Gabriel?”

  “None. The wound has closed, as you can see. It should be healed completely in the next few hours.”

  I waited until the two men left before opening the door to the bathroom that Jim had adopted as its room. “Jim, what do you know about…what on earth are you doing?”

  Jim looked up from where it was paddling around the mammoth sunken tub, filled to the rim with expensive-smelling bubbles. “I’m a Newfoundland. Water dog, remember? Besides, Pál bought me a devil ducky toy and I wanted to see if it stained the water red the way a real devil does.”

  I peeled off my shirt and, with a damp washcloth, wiped up the dried blood that had dribbled down my belly. “What on earth are you talking about? You’ve never stained the water red.”

  “That’s because I’m a demon, not a devil. Sheesh. Do you see cloven feet? Honestly, Ash, you really need to read that book Nora gave you. It gives the classifications of all beings with origins in Abaddon, devils included.”

  A few seconds passed in which I debated pointing out yet again that it was unfair to expect me to learn every thing in the short span of time I’d been in the Otherworld, but I decided there were more important things upon which I could expend energy. “What do you know about Gabriel?”

  Jim paddled to the other end of the tub, disappearing into a pyramid of bubbles. “Gabriel the silver wyvern?”

  “Yes. I want you to tell me everything you know about him. And yes, that’s an order.”

  A martyred doggie sigh emerged from a Jim-shaped bubbly figure. “He’s the wyvern of the silver dragons. He’s a healer. He makes goo-goo eyes at you when you’re not looking. He’s been wyvern since 1947 and was born in French Polynesia.”

  I sat on a marble bench and frowned. “That’s it? That’s all you know?”

  “Yes, that’s all I know,” Jim said, its black face peering out of the bubbles. “What’s with the quiz? Do I get bonus points if I tell you what color socks he’s wearing?”

  “No bonus points; they’re gray.” I sat staring at the murky shape I made in the steamed-up mirror. “Is there any reason you know of that Gabriel would want Drake dead?”

  Jim jumped out of the tub, its body going into overdrive as it shook off the water. I screamed and leaped back, snatching up a bath sheet to throw over the wet dog.

  I used another to mop up the splattered water and bubbles that dripped off me. “Thank you so much! Now I have to change my pants, as well!”

  “You said you wanted to get clean. I’m just doing my demon lord’s orders.”

  “Answer my question!”

  “No. There’s no reason I know of that would leave Gabriel wanting to off Drake.”

  “Hrmph.” I ordered Jim to remain in the bathroom until it was presentable, marching to the bedroom to change into something dry and lacking in bloodstains.

  “You going to tell me why you suddenly think Gabriel is the Terminator?” Jim asked, poking its head out of the bathroom as I ran a brush through my hair. “Last I saw, you were all happy-happy around him, sighing over his dreamy silver eyes and dimples.”

  I threw the brush at Jim. It ducked. “I just want to know why he pushed me in front of the train.”

  “Why do you think he did that? He’s your friend.”

  “Yes, he is, but he’s the only one who was standing next to me on the platform. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t try to save me once I fell. His bit about seeing me safe with Fiat is just a little too much. In fact, it pretty much points a finger right at him. And why is he in London now? Is that a coincidence? Are all the accidents I’ve had lately a coincidence? I figured it was the red dragons after me, but now I’m not so sure.”

  “What, being shish kebabbed wasn’t enough proof for you that the red dragons have a contract out on you?” Jim shook its head. “Talk about paranoid.”

  “On the contrary, if anything, it makes me more suspicious of the other accidents. Those were subtle. Shoving a sword through me was a whole different level of attack.”

  “You’re nuts, lady.”

  “So I’ve been told.” I blew Jim a kiss and went to the door, pausing to look back at my demon. “Why didn’t you say anything when we were visiting Ariton?”

  “The day you read the demon rule book is the day the world will learn what real fear is. I’m a demon, right?”

  “For the moment. I’d be happy to turn you into an ex-demon,” I warned.

  “Heh. Not as easy as you’d think. Demons are servants of demon lords. Ever hear the old adage ‘seen and not heard?’ That applies to demons as well as kids. When we’re around other demon lords, we’re all hush-hush.”

  “Ah. Don’t forget to clean up the bathtub.”

  “What do I look like, a maid? I’m a dog! I don’t clean anything but my own package!”

  “And if you want to keep that package, you’ll make sure that bathroom is as spotless as when you found it.”

  I went through the door, Jim’s exasperated, “Sheesh. No wonder Ariton wants your support. You’re downright mean,” following me down the hall.

  “Am I interrupting?” I asked a minute later, poking my head through the door to Drake’s library.

  “No,” he said, waving me to a spot on the couch next to him. “We were discussing the war. Gabriel has offered to act as mediator between Chuan Ren and myself.”

  “Oh, that’s nice of you.” Gabriel rose to his feet, taking my hand and pressing a kiss to the back of it. Say what you will about the dragon boys, they sure had the niceties down pat.

  Gabriel kept a hold of my hand, his silver eyes smiling at me. I clicked on my super-Guardian vision and gave him the once over, wondering whether I’d see any sign that he had tried to kill me by shoving me in front of a train. There was nothing other than a handsome, smiling dragon, his fingers warm on mine as he gently caressed my hand.

  I struggled with my dark thoughts. If it wasn’t Gabriel who pushed me, then who had? And why had Gabriel let Fiat rescue me?

  “Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Drake stood up to retrieve my hand, pulling me beside him as he took his seat again.

  “Jealous?” I asked Drake, rubbing my thumb across his palm.

  “I am a wyvern, mate. Wyverns do not get jealous.”

  “No, we get even.” Gabriel winked at me as he sat down.

  I made a face. “Yeah, but evidently you don’t know how to hang on to a mate once you’ve found one. What was all that business about mates going along with the job, not with the wyvern?”

  “Oh-ho,” Gabriel said, laughing. “You told her about that? You’re a braver man than I thought, Drake.”

  “He didn’t tell me. A green dragon said something about it earlier. I am having major problems believing something so sexist and archaic is actually true.”

  “Believe it; it’s true. It’s not really that big of a deal. There is lusus naturae, after all. It’s not like a mate can’t be taken away from a wyvern through a direct challenge for him or her.”

  “Yeah, but at least in that case it’s the mate who is wanted, not the job. In the first case, it’s more of an afterthought. ‘Won a wyvern’s position? Here’s your sept credit card, your key to the wyvern’s washroom, and your complimentary mate.’ Well, sorry, guys, this girl doesn’t go in for wyvern swapping.”

  “No one is asking you to,” Drake said dryly, his fingers stroking mine. “Nor am I in any danger of losing the position of wyvern.”

  “You could still be challenged for her,” Gabriel said, a mischievous look on his face.

  “Why are you doing that?” I asked him, leaning into Drake’s side. The events of the day had finally started to sink in, and I was left feeling boneless with exhaustion.

  “Doing what?”

  “Teasing Drake
like that.”

  “Who says I’m teasing?” Gabriel asked, taking a sip of the dragon’s blood Drake had evidently poured out earlier. I nudged Drake for a sip from his goblet, needing the strength the fire of the drink brought me.

  I frowned at Gabriel. “I say you are. We all know you’re not going to challenge him for me. For better or worse, I’m in love with him. I’ve accepted him as my mate. I’m committed to the sept.”

  “Nothing says you couldn’t change your mind.”

  “I’m saying.” Drake was silent while I spoke, contently sipping from a silver goblet. I transferred my frown to him. He gave a martyred little sigh and got up to get me a glass of my own.

  “Besides, you wouldn’t want a secondhand mate, would you? I thought wyverns had more pride than that.”

  The teasing smile faded from Gabriel’s eyes. Drake handed me a glass and sat down beside me, wrapping one arm around me.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t have much of a choice. My sept is cursed. Mates are not born to silver wyverns—they must be taken by some other method.”

  “Some other method being…?”

  “Lusus naturae is the most common,” he answered, his eyes flat.

  I said nothing but took a big swig of my dragon’s blood…only to find that it wasn’t dragon’s blood at all. “What is this?” I asked Drake.

  “Grapefruit juice. You like it.”

  “Yes, I do, but that doesn’t mean I want to drink it all the time. I wanted some dragon’s blood.”

  “You can’t have it,” Drake said matter-of-factly. He set down his glass and gave Gabriel a long, cool look.

  “We are agreed, then, that you will maintain a position of neutrality?”

  “What is wrong with you? Why can’t I have it?” I asked.

  Drake flashed me an impatient look. “It has alcohol in it.”

  “So? It’s not like I’m on the wag—Oh, you are not talking about that ridiculous business again.” I clenched my glass of juice and thought about how lovely it would look dripping off his head. “Drake, it’s not happening.”