Holy Smokes
Page 8
I pulled back so I could look at him. “Police? You were arrested? Why?”
The passion in his beautiful eyes faded to a hard glint that made me shiver…and not with excitement. “Chuan Ren.”
“Goddamn it! She had you arrested?” I grabbed the lapels on Drake’s tuxedo, realized what I was doing, and smoothed out the wrinkles. “Why is she still doing this? I thought you took care of her silly legal wranglings when you went to Budapest last week.”
“I stopped her attacks on the holdings of the sept members in Europe, yes. But somehow, she managed to manipulate a judge here and had warrants issued for the arrest of Pál, István, and myself on trumped-up charges of terrorism.”
“Terrorism? You? That bitch!” I stormed around the room, so frustrated I wanted to scream.
Why be frustrated? If you use me, you can—
“Shut up!” I bellowed as I stomped past the desk.
Drake cocked an eyebrow but knew I wasn’t addressing him.
“Sweetie, I know you’re doing everything you can, but you have to stop this war with the red dragons. If Chuan Ren has the sort of power to get you arrested on your wedding day, then who knows what else she can do! I’m sure those huli jing were sent by her today—they’re Chinese fox spirits, and I can’t think of anyone else I’ve pissed off enough lately to set demonic beings after me.”
“You were on the street?” Drake asked, frowning.
“Not for long. Nora was at the wedding—what was supposed to be the wedding—and I couldn’t let the opportunity to talk with her slip away, so I dragged her around to the back of the church, out of sight of the street. I don’t know how the huli jing found us, but that is really a moot point. We can’t continue to live our lives in perpetual fear that the red dragons are going to attack us at any moment! We’ve got to stop the war once and for all! We can’t let it go on as long as the last war you had with them—that was, what, thirty years or something?”
“Forty-three.”
I put my hands on my hips. “This last month has been hell, what with the assassination attempts, you having to fly out to Budapest every couple of days, and all the other crap Chuan Ren is throwing at us. It has to stop, Drake.”
Drake sat on the edge of his desk, his eyes distraught. Immediately, I was filled with remorse for railing at him when he was doing his best to end the war between the septs.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” I said, rushing over to stand between his legs, wrapping my arms around him. “I know you’re doing everything you can, and I’m not blaming you one little bit. You’ve worked miracles these last couple of weeks, keeping Chuan Ren from destroying the sept businesses and homes and such. And everyone is grateful for the guards you’ve sent—Tamas from Germany said earlier today that they’d caught two red dragons trying to set fire to their house, and they would have been goners if the guards weren’t there. So I’m not holding you responsible at all for the fact that Chuan Ren is a lunatic who will do anything to destroy us—it’s just…if I am pregnant…I just don’t want…”
“I know, kincsem. I do not want a child growing up in the middle of a war, either,” he said, holding me tight as I gave in to the emotions of the day and had a little cry on his shoulder. “If it is within my power to stop the war, I will do so.”
“Our power,” I said, my voice muffled against the cloth of his tux as I hiccuped the end of my tears. “We will stop it. We work together now, remember?”
He kissed the top of my head and said nothing. I smiled into his shoulder, relishing both the feeling of protection he offered and the maddening frustration that was inevitable whenever he tried to keep me from becoming involved in something dangerous.
“Oh, crap,” I said, pulling away from him. “Your suit—I just ruined it.”
Drake looked at the sodden, bloody shoulder of his tuxedo. “It does not matter. I have others.”
“I hope so. Did I tell you the wedding was rescheduled for tomorrow?”
“Yes. Kiss me.”
“You are the bossiest dragon I know,” I said, leaning into him again.
Behind me, the door clicked open. Jim’s voice said, “Nope, they’re still at it.”
Drake nibbled my lip for a moment before I pulled away and turned to glare at the demon in the doorway. “I thought I ordered you out.”
“You did. You didn’t say I couldn’t come back,” it pointed out with a waggle of its doggy eyebrows. “You guys gettin’ busy, or should I tell Stephano you’ll see him?”
“Stephano?” I asked, surprised to hear the name. “Fiat’s Stephano?”
“You know any other blue dragons named Stephano?” Jim asked, moving away from the door as I started toward it. Drake caught my arm and held me back until he could go out the door first. I whumped him on the back as I followed.
Drake stopped in the doorway, his eyes narrowed, his arms crossed. “What do you want here?”
Stephano, one of the blue wyvern’s elite guards, gave Drake a stiff nod. “Fiat sent me to notify his mate of a con clave called for Wednesday. Her attendance is mandatory.” He made a little bow to me, then turned and would have left the house if Pál and István hadn’t been standing in front of the door that led out to the street.
“Hang on a minute,” I said, pushing past Drake. He caught my arm and held me close to his body. “I was thinking about this earlier, when I read the history of the green dragons. I know Fiat set up one of the green dragons to take a fall so I’d end up being his mate instead of Drake’s—”
“You are my mate,” Drake growled. “Nothing Fiat can do will change that.”
I kissed the tip of his nose. “You’re so cute when you’re stubborn. It’s one of your many charms, and although normally it drives me up the wall, sometimes it’s just downright adorable. Where was I? Oh, the mate thing.” I turned back to Stephano. “I know that Fiat used the lusus naturae challenge on the green dragon he set up as temporary wyvern, but he didn’t follow the rules of the challenge to win. He used a gun, and that wasn’t in the terms of the challenge. Thus, he didn’t really win, which means I’m back to being the green-dragon mate, and as far as I’m concerned, Fiat can stick his conclave where the sun don’t shine.”
The passion in his beautiful eyes faded to a hard glint that made me shiver…and not with excitement. “Chuan Ren.”
“Goddamn it! She had you arrested?” I grabbed the lapels on Drake’s tuxedo, realized what I was doing, and smoothed out the wrinkles. “Why is she still doing this? I thought you took care of her silly legal wranglings when you went to Budapest last week.”
“I stopped her attacks on the holdings of the sept members in Europe, yes. But somehow, she managed to manipulate a judge here and had warrants issued for the arrest of Pál, István, and myself on trumped-up charges of terrorism.”
“Terrorism? You? That bitch!” I stormed around the room, so frustrated I wanted to scream.
Why be frustrated? If you use me, you can—
“Shut up!” I bellowed as I stomped past the desk.
Drake cocked an eyebrow but knew I wasn’t addressing him.
“Sweetie, I know you’re doing everything you can, but you have to stop this war with the red dragons. If Chuan Ren has the sort of power to get you arrested on your wedding day, then who knows what else she can do! I’m sure those huli jing were sent by her today—they’re Chinese fox spirits, and I can’t think of anyone else I’ve pissed off enough lately to set demonic beings after me.”
“You were on the street?” Drake asked, frowning.
“Not for long. Nora was at the wedding—what was supposed to be the wedding—and I couldn’t let the opportunity to talk with her slip away, so I dragged her around to the back of the church, out of sight of the street. I don’t know how the huli jing found us, but that is really a moot point. We can’t continue to live our lives in perpetual fear that the red dragons are going to attack us at any moment! We’ve got to stop the war once and for all! We can’t let it go on as long as the last war you had with them—that was, what, thirty years or something?”
“Forty-three.”
I put my hands on my hips. “This last month has been hell, what with the assassination attempts, you having to fly out to Budapest every couple of days, and all the other crap Chuan Ren is throwing at us. It has to stop, Drake.”
Drake sat on the edge of his desk, his eyes distraught. Immediately, I was filled with remorse for railing at him when he was doing his best to end the war between the septs.
“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry,” I said, rushing over to stand between his legs, wrapping my arms around him. “I know you’re doing everything you can, and I’m not blaming you one little bit. You’ve worked miracles these last couple of weeks, keeping Chuan Ren from destroying the sept businesses and homes and such. And everyone is grateful for the guards you’ve sent—Tamas from Germany said earlier today that they’d caught two red dragons trying to set fire to their house, and they would have been goners if the guards weren’t there. So I’m not holding you responsible at all for the fact that Chuan Ren is a lunatic who will do anything to destroy us—it’s just…if I am pregnant…I just don’t want…”
“I know, kincsem. I do not want a child growing up in the middle of a war, either,” he said, holding me tight as I gave in to the emotions of the day and had a little cry on his shoulder. “If it is within my power to stop the war, I will do so.”
“Our power,” I said, my voice muffled against the cloth of his tux as I hiccuped the end of my tears. “We will stop it. We work together now, remember?”
He kissed the top of my head and said nothing. I smiled into his shoulder, relishing both the feeling of protection he offered and the maddening frustration that was inevitable whenever he tried to keep me from becoming involved in something dangerous.
“Oh, crap,” I said, pulling away from him. “Your suit—I just ruined it.”
Drake looked at the sodden, bloody shoulder of his tuxedo. “It does not matter. I have others.”
“I hope so. Did I tell you the wedding was rescheduled for tomorrow?”
“Yes. Kiss me.”
“You are the bossiest dragon I know,” I said, leaning into him again.
Behind me, the door clicked open. Jim’s voice said, “Nope, they’re still at it.”
Drake nibbled my lip for a moment before I pulled away and turned to glare at the demon in the doorway. “I thought I ordered you out.”
“You did. You didn’t say I couldn’t come back,” it pointed out with a waggle of its doggy eyebrows. “You guys gettin’ busy, or should I tell Stephano you’ll see him?”
“Stephano?” I asked, surprised to hear the name. “Fiat’s Stephano?”
“You know any other blue dragons named Stephano?” Jim asked, moving away from the door as I started toward it. Drake caught my arm and held me back until he could go out the door first. I whumped him on the back as I followed.
Drake stopped in the doorway, his eyes narrowed, his arms crossed. “What do you want here?”
Stephano, one of the blue wyvern’s elite guards, gave Drake a stiff nod. “Fiat sent me to notify his mate of a con clave called for Wednesday. Her attendance is mandatory.” He made a little bow to me, then turned and would have left the house if Pál and István hadn’t been standing in front of the door that led out to the street.
“Hang on a minute,” I said, pushing past Drake. He caught my arm and held me close to his body. “I was thinking about this earlier, when I read the history of the green dragons. I know Fiat set up one of the green dragons to take a fall so I’d end up being his mate instead of Drake’s—”
“You are my mate,” Drake growled. “Nothing Fiat can do will change that.”
I kissed the tip of his nose. “You’re so cute when you’re stubborn. It’s one of your many charms, and although normally it drives me up the wall, sometimes it’s just downright adorable. Where was I? Oh, the mate thing.” I turned back to Stephano. “I know that Fiat used the lusus naturae challenge on the green dragon he set up as temporary wyvern, but he didn’t follow the rules of the challenge to win. He used a gun, and that wasn’t in the terms of the challenge. Thus, he didn’t really win, which means I’m back to being the green-dragon mate, and as far as I’m concerned, Fiat can stick his conclave where the sun don’t shine.”
