Fire Me Up (38 page)

"No," he said, rolling over on top of me, his body hard and
aggressive, his mouth stripping the words from my lips. "We will not speak of
this tonight. This night belongs to us only, no one else."

Who was I to complain? I slid my hands down his back, kissing
him with just as much passion as he was sharing with me. His fire leaped between
us, and I almost laughed with the joy of it. This time it was my fingers that
trailed fire as I gently scored his back, sucking his tongue when it got bossy
with mine. He growled a low, deep growl from the depths of his chest, the sound
of which simultaneously raised goose bumps on my flesh and fanned the flames of
the fire within me. Without further ado, Drake kneed my restless legs aside,
settling himself between my thighs, his mouth a hot brand on mine. I screamed a
scream of absolute ecstasy into his mouth as he thrust into me, hard and deep,
my breath stripped not only by the fire he breathed into me but also by the feel
of him so deeply embedded in me.

Mindless to everything but the pleasure he built within me, I
wrapped my legs around his hips and gave him everything I had, matching each one
of his thrusts, claiming his breath as he claimed mine, my fingers digging into
the heavy muscle of his behind in an attempt to pull him closer, deeper, hotter
until my body went up in a blaze of rapture that set even my soul afire as I
gave myself to the power of our joining. I shouted Drake's name into his mouth,
his eyes glittering so brightly with heat and desire they glowed in the darkness
of his room. His hips lunged forward, pistoning his body into mine, the strength
of his force so great it triggered another orgasm. It swept over me just as he
arched backwards, his weight braced on his hands, his beautiful chest slick with
sweat, and just as he climaxed, his body changed, shifted, and for a breathless
moment I beheld the long line of glittering green and yellow scales stretched
across a muscular, decidedly not-human chest. Heat blossomed deep within me as
he came, filling me with his passion and fire combined, searing the little bit
of me that wasn't already alight.

He collapsed onto me, his body warm and wet and human, and I
knew at that moment that we truly were bound together. It was more than just a
physical attraction, more than an emotional engagement. Our souls were bound
together, tied by something I didn't understand, nor was I sure I wanted to.

I nuzzled his damp neck, my hands resting on the heaving
planes of his back as he struggled for breath, A deep longing came over me, a
wish that we could stay just as we were at that moment, safe, protected, just
the two of us with no outside connections, no commitments and responsibilities
and demands on our time.

But we did have responsibilities and commitments, both of us,
ones that no amount of wishing would make go away. While I lay there holding
Drake in my arms, his body still joined intimately to mine, the heavy warmth of
him a welcome weight, the familiar little niggle in the back of my mind
obligingly trotted to the fore and let me take a good long look at it.

I was so startled that I almost shouted aloud.

Drake dragged his head from my shoulder, shifting slightly to
roll onto one elbow in order to peer backwards.

Light from where the door was aflame flickered along the
beautiful, sleek muscles of his arms and chest.

I touched his cheek. He looked back at me, his eyes still
glowing, bathing me in a sea of emerald.

"Life is going to get easier from here on out," I promised
him. "I have a plan, two of them, actually, and you know, I think they might
just work."

Jim and I walked into the suite the following day to find two
workmen removing the blackened door to Drake's bedroom.

I avoided looking at it, just as I ignored the smirk on
Istvan's face when he saw me blush. So I had dragon fire control issues! Was
that any reason to grin like a baboon? "Where's Drake? I thought he wanted to
see me?"

"He is with wyverns. He tries to talk to them again. He is
angry at you."

"So what else is new?" Jim asked sotto voce, only not nearly
sotto enough. I flicked my finger against its head. "Ow! That's demon abuse!"

"When is he supposed to be back? And I don't know why he's
angry. All I did was tell the other wyverns I would resign the post of mate if
they would reconsider canceling the negotiations. They all seemed to think it
was a good idea, although that rat Fiat said it didn't change anything. But if
Chuan Ren and Gabriel swing over to Drake's side, it won't matter."

Istvan shook his head. "You do not know our ways. Drake would
never allow."

"He's not going to have a choice in the matter. I know how
much peace means to him, to all of you. If the problem holding everything back
is me being his mate, then I will tender my resignation and that will be the end
of it." I glanced at the clock on the end table. It was getting late. Due to the
fact that I hadn't gotten to bed until a little after three in morning, I'd
slept in until almost noon. Now it was a little after two, and although I had
walked Jim and spoken briefly to each of the three wyverns, I still had to find
Nora. Time was quickly running out. I had less than twelve hours to find a
murderer. "Shoot, I have to go. If Drake comes back, tell him I'll be back this
afternoon."

"Where you are going?" Istvan asked, his face pulled into a
familiar scowl. "Drake will not like you leaving."

"I'm going to find Nora and ask her a couple of questions,
then I'm off to buy a few supplies for tonight. Tell Drake I'll be back soon."

"Kiss, kiss," Jim said to Istvan, following me out the door.

"Why do you do that?" I asked as we got into the elevator.
"You know Istvan is not happy with you any more than he is with me. Baiting him
is one way to ensure he's never going to give you fresh water or take you out
for a walk if I'm busy."

"I know," Jim sighed, a faux look of sadness on its hairy
face. "But a demon has to have some fun, and you won't let me blight anyone, so
tormenting Istvan is pretty much all that's left to me."

We ran Nora to earth a little while later, as she came out of
a workshop on subterranean imps, evidently a new breed that was starting to
become bothersome. I was glad to see she bore no further signs of the attack,
either physically or emotionally, her eyes as warm and serene as ever behind her
bright red glasses.

"Got a moment?" I asked as she separated from a group of
friends to walk over to where I was sitting.

She glanced at her watch. "Certainly. There is a seminar on
ancient Moldavian curses in ten minutes that I would like to attend, but if you
need my help, I will be happy to miss it."

"No, this shouldn't take too long. Basically I wanted to ask
you about Marvabelle."

Her eyes widened. "Why?"

"You said the first night of the conference that you knew her
years ago, that you and she studied together under the same mentor."

"Yes, we did. It was almost twenty years ago."

"Where exactly did your mentor live?"

A slight frown wrinkled her brow. "As a matter of fact, it
was here, in Pest. We both studied with Monette Tomas. She was a Guardian
married to a Hungarian Mage. They divorced after a few years, and Monette
returned to London. I went with her."

"But Marvabelle didn't?"

Her gaze slid from me to her hands. "No, she didn't. She went
home to the States shortly before Monette divorced."

That piece of information slid into place, leaving a space
next to it that I needed to fill. "I know you're going to think this is really
brash of me for asking, but why did Marvabelle decide to quit being a Guardian
and go home?"

Her fingers plucked at her linen skirt for a moment, then
suddenly her eyes widened as she looked up in horror. "Oh! That could be it.
Aisling, how did you know?"

My scalp pricked at the look on her face as another piece of
information slid into its waiting spot. "She was the woman you were telling me
about the other night, wasn't she? She was the woman who was smitten with an
incubus but found out before she'd given her soul to him, right? That was
Marvabelle."

She nodded, her face frozen. "You think she's the target."

Cold swept through me. "I think she could be. It makes
sense—you were both here, in Budapest. So that means only a local incubus could
be the one she was dallying with. And if she rejected him, spurned him—"

"He would want revenge," she said, her voice faint. "But
would he go so far as to kill innocent Guardians?"

I made a face. "Is there anything that says an incubus can't
be a homicidal maniac?"

"No. In fact, there is much evidence to prove that they often
do kill their victims, although usually it is by sucking the life from them over
a period of years."

"If I'm right, then all I need to do is use my handy-dandy
Venus amulet and summon up every incubus in town until we have the one who was
Marvabelle's lover. I don't suppose you know his name?"

She shook his head. "Marvabetle never told me."

"Rats. Well, we'll just have to do this the hard way. You
find Marvabelle and ask her to meet us in the executive conference room in ...
oh, say an hour. It shouldn't be in use because everyone will be getting ready
for the big dinner tonight. No, better make that two hours. I have to run into
town and pick up the things you said I'd need for the binding spell, and given
the afternoon traffic, I'll need the extra time. Ask Monish and Paolo to come,
too. We'll want them once Marvabelle identifies the incubus."

"Aisling—" Nora frowned. Obviously she wasn't entirely sold
on the plan. "Do you really think Marvabelle is the target? What if she isn't?"

I shrugged. "It's the only thing I can think of that fits.
We'll just have to hope that I'm right."

We parted a few minutes later, with Nora promising to find
Marvabelle and Monish. Jim and I went to a shop recommended by Nora and bought
the items she'd listed as being necessary for a binding spell. By the time we
returned, I had only half an hour before I was due to summon up a posse of
incubi.

Drake's limo was in the driveway as the taxi driver (there
hadn't been time to call Rene) dropped Jim and me off. I paid him and peered
into one of the limo's open doors. It was empty. "Huh. I wonder if the dragons
are leav—hey!"

Drake, Istvan, and Pal marched out of the hotel, all three
grim-faced. Drake didn't stop to greet me, he just wrapped an arm around my
waist and more or less tossed me into the car.

"What do you think you're doing?" I yelled, jumping out of
the car. Drake stood next to the door, giving an instruction to Pill, who took
Jim's leash. "That's my demon! Drake, what's going on?"

"I have managed, by means that I will not go into now, to get
Gabriel's agreement to participate in one last negotiation session. Gabriel
spoke with Chuan Ren. She also grudgingly agreed to meet again, before she
leaves. That meeting is tonight, now, at a neutral spot. You will come with me."

"Wait a minute," I said, holding up my hands to stop him
before he could throw me into the car again, "Didn't they tell you? I resigned
as your mate. I'm no longer officially important to your negotiations."

For the first time since I'd met him, Drake looked at me
utterly exasperated. "Aisling, I have told you repeatedly that you were born to
be my mate. In addition to that, you swore an oath to me, fealty to the sept.
You cannot simply resign. There are only two ways your fealty can be dissolved,
neither of which is you simply resigning. I have spoken to all three wyverns, at
great cost to me, and they have agreed to drop the protest regarding your
challenge. They have accepted you as my mate. Therefore, you will come with me
now."

"I can't," I said, my hands on his. "I wish I could, I really
do, and I'm delighted that everyone is giving you another chance at hashing out
a peace accord, but Drake, you don't need me. I'll just mess it up again. And
even if I wanted to, I can't. Remember that little thing about me being handed
over to the committee if I don't find the murderer? Well, I have"—I looked at my
watch—"exactly five and a half hours to find him, and I can't do that and attend
your peace meeting."

Drake made an annoyed gesture, pushing me into the car. Jim
was unceremoniously shoved into the front seat, between Pal and Istvan. "That
does not matter. Dragons live beyond the rule of the committee. You are under my
protection now. No one will harm you."

I struggled to crawl over him, but he shoved me back,
slamming the car door. "Drake! Goddamn it, you can't do this! Stop! Istvan,
stop!"

The car swept off with a subdued purr. I looked back at the
hotel, cursing under my breath, uniformly damning headstrong dragons, bossy
committee members, and murderous incubi. Drake's jaw was tight, his fingers
clenched with tension, his eyes burning with a light that I'd never seen before.

I took a deep breath and reminded myself that he had just as
much at stake as I did, and therefore I would respect the urgency he felt. "I
know how important this is to you. I understand and accept that you want me by
your side. I know that as your mate, it is my duty to be there, supporting you.
But there are bound to be times when I just can't be with you, and this is one
of them. This is important."