Playing with Fire

She eyed me with a curiously flat look. ‘‘Gabriel must be one hell of a lover.’’

‘‘That is neither here nor there,’’ I said with as much dignity as I could muster, which admittedly wasn’t much.

Cyrene was silent for a few minutes before turning back to me, her voice much lower. ‘‘You slept with him. You really slept with him?’’

‘‘I didn’t intend to. I meant everything I said to you. I still do-but somehow… somehow Gabriel made me believe that there may be a way around the situation with Magoth.’’

‘‘So’’-her hands made a vague gesture-‘‘does this mean you’re a dragon?’’

‘‘I accepted him as my mate,’’ I answered warily. ‘‘I don’t believe that changes me in any way other than my life is now bound to his.’’

Another fire truck arrived. We scooted back as more refugees from the hotel were released by the medical folk. ‘‘What do you think Magoth will do?’’

‘‘Probably try to seduce me yet again, but I think…’’ I remembered the feeling of Gabriel’s body with a warm flush that started at my belly and rippled upward. ‘‘I think it will be easier to refuse him. Rather than being a weakness Magoth could exploit, I think that this relationship with Gabriel may end up giving me strength.’’

‘‘I’m still trying to get over the idea of you having sex. After all those years when I tried to find a man for you…’’

‘‘I haven’t exactly been chaste,’’ I said with a little smile. ‘‘As you should know, since you were the one to give me the Pink Bunny Tinglator.’’

She smiled fondly. ‘‘That was one of my better finds, wasn’t it? But not as good as a man.’’

‘‘No, definitely not.’’

She digested that for a moment. ‘‘Was he in man form, or dragon form?’’

‘‘Really, Cy, does it matter?’’ I draped the blanket I’d been holding tight around me onto a nearby shrub, pulling on the leather bodice that I’d grabbed, along with my pants and shirt, before Gabriel had rushed me out of the blazing room.

‘‘No, of course not, although I can’t help but be curious. I’ve never had sex with a shape-shifter before, so I wasn’t sure how they… er… did it.’’

‘‘They do it like any other human,’’ I answered, emphasizing the important point.

‘‘Yes, but dragons aren’t human, are they? They’re… well, I suppose they’re animals.’’

‘‘Gabriel is not an animal!’’ I said in a furious whisper. ‘‘He’s a dragon, yes, but they aren’t animals. They’re just… dragons. Usually human in form, sometimes appearing in another form.’’

‘‘So… did he do it in dragon form?’’

I scanned the crowd of people for the tall, gorgeous man who’d gone off to explain to the fire department why my room was ablaze. ‘‘This really isn’t anything I’m comfortable talking about.’’

‘‘No, I can’t imagine that admitting to engaging in bestiality is something that you want bandied about, but it’s fascinating nonetheless.’’

I spun around to glare at my twin, keeping my voice low. ‘‘It was not bestiality!’’

‘‘You had sex with him in dragon form-that’s certainly not plain old missionary-position sex,’’ she pointed out with cheerful disregard of anything I said.

‘‘He was not in dragon form. He said he could, but he didn’t, and frankly, I’m glad… Oh, this is silly. I’m not going to discuss this any further with you.’’

Cyrene patted me on the arm. ‘‘Don’t get me wrong-I admire you, I really do. I remember in the old days, when Zeus was always flitting around in swan form, trying to seduce the sisterhood. Have you ever had a swan hump your leg? It’s not the least bit alluring, let me tell you!’’

I gaped openmouthed at her. ‘‘You… Zeus?’’

‘‘Oh, yes, he was always after us naiads. Had some sort of a fetish about doing it in the water, so the rumor went. We won’t go into what he did with his beak.’’

There just wasn’t much I could say to that, so I closed my mouth and made a mental note to read up on Greek mythology.

‘‘There he is,’’ Cyrene said, looking intently as Gabriel emerged from the crowd. Her voice held a note I couldn’t pin down, but that made me uncomfortable.

‘‘Cy, you’re not angry that I turned out to be his mate rather than you?’’ I asked slowly.

She thought for a moment, then shook her head, her eyes unusually sober. ‘‘I was at first, but then I thought of what it would mean to you if I snatched him away, and I decided I couldn’t do that to you. You deserve a man of your own.’’

I bit my lip against replying that she wouldn’t have been able to take him from me, feeling she deserved a little face saving.

Gabriel stopped in front of me, his expression grim.

‘‘What’s wrong?’’ I asked immediately.

‘‘Have you seen Maata or Tipene?’’

I looked around, trying to find the two rather large bodyguards in the mass of people still milling around outside the hotel, but it was difficult to see over everyone. ‘‘No. Didn’t they go back to wherever you are staying?’’

He shook his head, frowning. ‘‘They took rooms here, in order to keep a watch on you.’’

‘‘Me?’’ Anger rose quick and hot, aided by a deep feeling of pain that he didn’t trust me. ‘‘You thought I was going to steal something of yours and run off?’’

‘‘You’ve already stolen something of mine, but that’s not the point.’’

He scanned the crowd, his eyes worried. I grabbed his arm, glaring up at him. ‘‘How dare you. I have not stolen anything from you. I’m not a real thief, which I thought you would have understood after I explained about my relationship to Magoth.’’

‘‘Mayling-’’

‘‘How could you possibly do the things we just did and then tell me you think I’m a low-life, common, ordinary thief-’’

He stopped my tirade by the effective method of yanking me up to his chest and kissing me with a passion that stripped the breath from my lungs.

‘‘My heart, little bird-you stole my heart.’’

I closed my mouth on the protest I was about to make, a lovely warm feeling glowing in my belly.

‘‘I would be offended that you could imagine I’d have such a low estimation of my mate,’’ he continued, ‘‘but I do not have time for that now. If Maata and Tipene are not here, they must have perceived a threat to you and followed it up. Which can only mean one thing.’’

‘‘What?’’ I asked, startled by the strength of a sudden need to fling myself upon him and kiss away his worried frown.

He said the name as if it was an oath. ‘‘Kostya.’’

‘‘Who’s Kostya?’’ Cyrene asked, yawning as she wandered over to us. ‘‘When can we go back into our rooms? I must have my morning bath, or I’m just not fit for the day.’’

‘‘He’s a black dragon who doesn’t want Gabriel to be wyvern of his sept,’’ I said absently. Something didn’t make sense. ‘‘Why Kostya?’’ I asked Gabriel. ‘‘Or rather, how Kostya?’’

‘‘How?’’ He shot me a confused look.

‘‘Yes, how. You said that your bodyguards were protecting me, but why would they need to when no one knows about me? I mean, we just met each other’’-I glanced at my watch-‘‘less than twelve hours ago. How would Kostya know who I am, let alone the fact that I am now your mate?’’

‘‘She has a point,’’ Cyrene said.

‘‘He is Drake’s brother,’’ Gabriel reminded me.

I raised an eyebrow. ‘‘I thought Drake and Aisling were your friends. They certainly seemed friendly enough. Would he rat you out to his brother like that?’’

He looked uncomfortable for a few moments. ‘‘Our relationship has been a bit… strained… of late. There were recent regrettable incidents for which, unfortunately, my part was seen only in a suspicious light.’’