Whisper Kiss

  She could do better.

  She could give him something to think about.

  "Maybe this will challenge your conclusions," she whispered, then reached up and touched her lips to Niall's.

  A spark leapt between them, searing Rox's lips and making her blood sizzle.

  But Niall inhaled sharply, then stepped back. "Let's go," he said to Thorolf, impatience in his tone. He pivoted to stride away.

  "No!" Thorolf waved his hands to intervene. "You can't do this! It's the firestorm!"

  But Niall had already marched into the street. Every line of his body was taut; every step was filled with a denial of what Rox offered.

  He was going to think about the kiss he'd had and the one he'd just evaded, though. She would have bet her last buck that he was thinking about it already.

  Some forces were impossible to deny and the attraction between the two of them was one of them.

  Maybe he needed to be reminded of that.

  Maybe she wasn't going to settle for having her kiss declined.

  Niall was on the move, putting temptation and the firestorm behind him as quickly as possible. He was compiling lists, deciding what had to be done first, and ignoring Thorolf.

  He certainly wasn't going to think about Rox. His lips tingled from that fleeting touch of her lips, and his thoughts turned predictably to the promise of satisfying the firestorm. He'd wanted that kiss with a ferocity that could only mean trouble. Rox wouldn't be shy, and that enticed him.

  It wasn't as if he didn't have enough to do. He strode even faster toward the cafe, pushing through the crowds, not caring whether Thorolf kept up or not.

  Then someone seized him by the elbow and pulled him to a halt.

  Someone with small fingers and a silver ring on her pinkie.

  Niall looked down at a punker chick with flashing eyes and enough eyeliner for a dozen women. Yellow light flared from the point of contact, feeding that languid pulse of desire in his veins. Rox propped her hands on her hips to glare at him, her gaze knowing.

  She, apparently, wasn't content to fade into the background of his life.

  "Just answer me one question," she said before Niall could speak.

  It wasn't an unreasonable thing to ask, seeing that she was his destined mate, given what they'd just experienced together. He folded his arms across his chest and waited, letting the crowds stream around them.

  "How did you do that? How many of you are there? Why don't you do it all the time?"

  "That's three questions," Niall retorted, turned on his heel, and kept walking. He wasn't surprised to hear Rox's boots as she hurried behind him. For a small woman, she could cover territory.

  And she was persistent, too. He admired that.

  "Okay, then, why don't you do it all the time?"

  Niall didn't slow down, but she kept pace with him, undaunted. "Don't you think people would notice?"

  "Maybe that would be a good thing. Shake up their preconceptions." Rox gestured with her hands as she strode beside him. They moved through the crowds with the same ease, and Niall dared to consider that this woman might be a good partner for him. Thorolf loped along behind them. "I mean, there has to be a point to your ability, right? Thorolf couldn't see it, but you seem to have your shit together a bit more than he does."

  "Thank you," Niall said, feeling himself start to smile. "I think."

  Rox didn't smile. "No, really. You can do this amazing thing. What do you plan to do about it? Or do with it?"

  It was a good question, but not one Niall often heard. It was tempting to tell her about the Pyr's mission to guard the treasures of the earth, about his own quest to eliminate the shadow dragons, but he wasn't one inclined to confide in others. He glanced her way, intrigued by her curiosity and a bit worried about it, and asked a question of his own. "Why should I tell you?"

  Rox slanted him a glittering look of such intensity that Niall caught his breath. "Because declaring your intentions is the first step to getting anything done. Once you decide your goal, it's easy to plan how to achieve it."

  Niall stared at her, struck by how determined she was. Had her kiss been a declaration of her intentions? His body responded predictably to the notion of Rox's having her way with him.

  He was trying to think of a good reply when Rox suddenly glanced past him. "Stop!" she said, putting her hand on his arm. That spark lit and sent a glow of desire surging through Niall, one that stopped any clear thinking in its tracks.

  Her command also halted him in his tracks.

  Rox stepped in front of him, hunkering down in front of a kid sitting against the wall. Niall had noticed the teenager, but he hadn't thought much of his presence--there were street kids everywhere in the city. The boy looked to be twelve or thirteen years old. Dressed in grubby clothes, he was dirty, his hair disheveled and his gaze wary.

  "You got any place to stay?" Rox asked, as direct as Niall was coming to realize she was. He knew he should move on, leave her behind, but he was curious as to what she would do.

  "What's it to you?" the kid retorted. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, his expression turning hostile.

  "A lot," Rox said flatly. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a business card, then handed it to the kid. Niall would have liked to have seen her card himself. "You change your mind about how great this corner is, you come and see me. We need someone to sweep up in the shop. You can sleep there, if you take a shower first." Rox pushed to her feet as the kid read the card.

  "It's a tattoo shop," he said, his surprise showing as he looked up at her.

  A tattoo shop?

  "That's right. And I'm one of the owners. Roxanne Kincaid." She pointed to the card. "Deal only stands if you don't break the law and don't take any drugs. Other than that, you can hang as long as you want to."

  The kid's brow furrowed, and Niall knew it had been a long time since anyone had made him such an offer. He looked up at her, wariness mixed with hope. "Why are you doing this?"

  "Because I've been on this corner, or one a whole lot like it, and I know it sucks."

  Niall blinked in astonishment at this confession.

  But Rox turned away, her defenses back in place. She continued to march in the direction she and Niall had been walking, then turned to point at the kid. "Think about it."

  "Yeah. I will," the kid said, tucking the card into his pocket.

  Rox carried on, content with what she had done, and her indifference to her own safety enraged Niall. He strode after her, and this time he was the one to seize her elbow. "What the hell are you doing?" he demanded.

  Rox was untroubled by his tone. "What do you think I'm doing? I'm trying to make a difference."

  "But you don't know anything about him!"

  Rox pivoted to confront Niall, staring him down even though he was so much taller than she. If nothing else, this woman was unafraid to challenge him. "I know he's a kid. I know he's got nowhere to live. I know he's hungry and I know he's scared." She spread her hands. "What else do I need to know?" And she kept walking.

  Her lack of concern for herself lit a fuse within Niall. This was his mate! And she was utterly careless about her own safety!

  Niall could see, though, that she wasn't inclined to listen to dissenting perspectives. "But he could trash your shop. He could have a history of violence, or of mental illness, or any one of a number of things."

  Rox laughed beneath her breath. "Let's remember that I let a dragon stay in my spare room for three years." She met Niall's gaze. "Having this kid work in the shop is a much lower risk."

  "But you can't jeopardize your safety like this!" Niall argued. "It's too risky!"

  "Risky?" Rox halted again, and one more time confronted Niall with her hands on her hips. Just how many of his expectations could this woman challenge in one day? "Okay, let's talk about risk. There are two options here. One is what I just did. I try to make a difference. I offer this kid an option, a way out of his situation
. Maybe he takes advantage of that and maybe he doesn't. I can't make his choices for him. Maybe it works out; maybe it doesn't. I can't predict the future, either."

  "Picking people up off the streets is risky," Niall said.

  "Sure, but we have to choose our risks. What if I take option number two? What if I walk on by, as if I haven't even seen him? What if I don't do anything at all, except look out for number one?" She leaned closer, her expression fierce. "What if I read in the news tomorrow that this kid got beaten up, or killed, or raped? What if I realize that I had the chance to help him but didn't do anything?" Rox held Niall's gaze unswervingly. "There is risk in reaching out, but I think there's more risk in trying to live with yourself if you don't try to change the world."

  Niall was astonished by this argument, by this determined little woman who was his mate. "But you could be hurt."

  "And I'm not saying I haven't been"--Rox shrugged--"but I have to choose the greater good. I have to try."

  "But what does your family say about this?"

  Rox rolled her eyes. "There are families of choice and families of blood. I've picked which kind I like best, and that family was formed exactly like this. We give each other chances and stick together."

  "But . . ."

  "If I'm not afraid, then why are you?" she interrupted him to issue her challenge. "You're a dragon!" She leaned closer while Niall tried to think of an answer that would satisfy her. Her eyes were bright as she put her hands on his chest. Sparks fell like fireworks where her hands landed on him, and Niall's heart nearly lurched to a stop. "Which brings us back to my question. What do you do with this power of yours? What's your plan?"

  "I can't tell you that."

  Rox smiled. " 'Cause you don't have one," she guessed. She heaved a sigh, feigning disappointment, but her eyes were sparkling when she looked up at him again. "Too bad. I thought you were the one with promise."

  While Niall sought a good answer to that, Rox reached up and touched her lips to his. When he didn't move, she deepened her kiss, sending a jolt through Niall that drove all rational thought from his mind. He reached to catch her around the waist, to pull her closer, to have more of her intoxicating touch, but Rox stepped away.

  She was flushed and smiling. "On the street?" She winked and tut-tutted. "That's not very conservative, Mr. Talbot."

  Once again, Niall was at a loss for words. He felt his neck heat.

  Rox pushed her card into his hand. "You've got a choice. Give me a call or I'll find you. I'm not going to let an opportunity like this slip away."

  Then she spun and marched in the other direction, her hips swinging beneath that plaid skirt. She cut through the crowd as if she owned the street, and Niall could only look after her in amazement.

  As he tried to still the thunder of his heart.

  "Some mate you got there," Thorolf said.

  Niall blinked. Thorolf could say that again.

  Neither Niall nor Thorolf saw the jade and gold salamander slip out of the crevasse before Niall's apartment and climb to the lip of the pavement. The cloud of dust from the falling building obscured their view of the ground, and they were both too intent on ensuring Rox's safety to look around.

  Once in the alleyway, they couldn't have seen the salamander even with their sharp Pyr vision. They couldn't have smelled the salamander, even though it was a Slayer in alternate form, because this particular Slayer had drunk of the Dragon's Blood Elixir and could thus disguise his scent. They didn't see his astonishment, either.

  Nor did they see the elderly Chinese man who darted through the crowd with surprising agility, ignoring the commands of the emergency crews, and snatched up the salamander.

  That man shoved the jade and gold creature into a plaid plastic shopping bag and zipped it closed before disappearing into the crowd once more.

  Chapter 4

  Niall couldn't forget the sizzle of Rox's kiss.

  He also couldn't forget her challenge.

  He would have liked it to be easy to ignore his

  He would have liked it to be easy to ignore his firestorm, to take a pass on the opportunity of a lifetime. He would have liked Rox to maybe have been afraid of what he was, to not challenge his assumptions, to not be so damn interesting.

  He liked how clever she was. He liked that she wasn't afraid to speak her mind or even to provoke him. He was startled that she took so much in stride, especially when it came to the realities of his nature. He admired her conviction and her fearlessness.

  He really wished she looked different than she did, even though he had to concede she was right--it was shallow to judge someone on appearances. The punk look didn't work for Niall, because of its implications.

  Funny how he found Rox attractive despite that.

  And he loved the husky sound of her voice. Her words haunted him, echoing in his thoughts, ensuring he couldn't put her out of his mind.

  Good plan. Throw back the one person who's actually trying to teach you something. Niall had been shocked to have Rox back him up in his anger with Thorolf, especially with such a scathing comment. But then, she had been there and done that, and she knew the frustration of trying to get Thorolf to pay attention.

  We sound like parents. There was a reminder of the firestorm's import that Niall hadn't needed.

  I would have thought that a Pyr with his keen senses would have seen beyond the surface. That stung. Niall wasn't like Thorolf, but he respected her criticism. He'd judged her by appearance, but he had been intrigued as soon as she started talking.

  His mother's terror of his father's Pyr ability would never be echoed in a relationship with Rox. She hadn't been shocked by his change or terrified of him. In fact, she seemed to like pushing him. She was confident he would never injure her, and her assurance was alluring.

  What was behind Rox's surface? Why did she dress the way she did? What did the firestorm know that he didn't?

  The funny thing is you don't look dead to me. Oh no, Niall wasn't dead. He was simmering and aroused, his blood hot and his breath coming quickly. His mind was filled with thoughts of sex, thoughts that hadn't needed the encouragement of Rox's kisses to distract him from the very real threats he faced. Surviving the assault on his home and office had only heightened his body's need to prove that he was alive.

  And Rox was ready to volunteer. Niall, who loved being in control, was spooked by how readily she got to him.

  Was it the firestorm?

  Or was it Rox?

  Maybe you're afraid to take a chance. Well, she'd nailed that in one. Niall knew the stakes, he knew what was at risk, and he wasn't going to bring a son into this world with so many challenges stacked against one boy.

  Maybe he was afraid to risk more.

  And maybe that was the smartest choice of all.

  That didn't mean it was easy to do.

  Niall eyed the sky, which was still dark and tumultuous with roiling clouds. The wind was cold, too cold for the month of June, and he had a feeling that whatever had started wasn't done.

  He was still in danger.

  Niall moved quickly away from the damaged area and focused on real-life details. He thought about Rox while he called his landlord and left a message for the insurance company. He replayed Rox's kisses even while he confirmed that JFK was undamaged and traffic continuing as scheduled. Niall was an expert at balancing a thousand details simultaneously, but Rox--her defiant attitude, her challenges, and her touch--tormented him throughout this round of problem solving.

  He was aware of Thorolf dogging his footsteps but didn't start a conversation. He marched into the cafe, ordered carrot juice, and claimed a table. Thorolf, predictably, took longer because he ordered more.

  Niall wasn't sure if the other Pyr was hungry or avoiding another confrontation. He tapped his toe until Thorolf came with his loaded tray, then shook his head. Two ham and cheese bagels, a large cinnamon roll, two bags of potato chips, and a Gatorade were not an ideal snack in Niall's world.

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; "Tell me what happened with Rox," he said, knowing his thoughts had betrayed him. He'd meant to ask Thorolf about his plan for the future.

  But he wanted to know more about his destined mate. Niall was hungry for details, even knowing how dangerous temptation could be.

  Thorolf shrugged. "She saw me shift, and there was trouble. Rox stood by me, and she insisted the others were too drunk, that there was no way I'd become a dragon right before their eyes." He took a big bite of bagel. "She's pretty persuasive when she wants to be."

  Niall believed it. He could almost taste her kiss; it had been short but very persuasive. "I hope you at least won the fight."

  Thorolf rolled his eyes. "Please. I kicked his ass all the way to Kentucky. That's why his buddies were so determined to discredit me. Like I cheated by shifting shape. If he could have done it, he would have." He eyed Niall. "I didn't know anything about beguiling. All I knew was that this tough-talking little punker chick knew the truth but lied for me."

  "She wasn't drunk?"

  "Rox doesn't drink. She's straight edge."

  Niall glanced up. "What's that?"

  "She doesn't drink, ever. No stimulants or mood-altering substances; she's all natural and organic." Thorolf shook his head at what he obviously saw as misguided behavior and finished the first bagel. "Like you."

  Niall found himself fascinated by this detail. Did he and Rox have a similar code in terms of respecting their bodies?

  No, Thorolf was just trying to sell him on the firestorm.

  "Right," Niall said, knowing he sounded more skeptical than he was. "Then what was she doing in this club? If it was like the one where I found you, it was operating illegally and after hours."

  "Well, yeah, but Rox goes out to look for business."

  That didn't sound promising. Niall felt his lips tighten.

  Thorolf gave him a glare. "She's a tattoo artist. People get ink when they're loaded, but Rox, she never takes advantage of them. She's the voice of reason in the middle of the night. And if someone does get a tattoo, Rox does it in the shop, all nice and clean, no nasty surprises or infections later."