Smoke and Mirrors (33 page)

He circled the Wild Hunt once, twice, then a third time, before landing on the rooftop with as much care and delicacy as he could muster. When he arched his neck to peer at his passenger, Kimberly was looking radiant with excitement. Her hair was a total bird’s nest, windblown and tangled, and her cheeks were red from windburn, but she was smiling and her green eyes were aglow with pleasure.

Taking his time shifting back to his mortal form, he took care not to let her slip and fall, twisting at just the right moment to catch her in his arms so they were eye to eye. Her breath caught in her throat as she wrapped her arms around his neck and twined her legs around his waist. It pleased him enormously that she clung to him so tightly, but more that she met his gaze without any sign of fear or anger.

Though he knew a single flight fell far short of what he needed to do to prove himself to her, he hoped it helped his case to show her he could carry her wherever she wanted to go. Whether that meant across an ocean, to the stars, or to a better life, he would endeavor from that point forward to support her in any way she would let him.

“That was amazing,” she said.

He grinned, lifting a hand to smooth some of her hair out of her face. “So were you, in more ways than you know. You never mentioned you had such talent with wards and enchantments.”

“I guess we both have our secrets,” she replied before huffing in exasperation. She ran a hand raggedly through her hair—hissing as her fingers got caught in the windblown tangles—before tugging them free and pressing her palm against his chest to put some distance between them. “Which I think we need to talk about. Can you give me a little more warning next time you plan on flying me somewhere? You scared those poor centaurs half to death. And Damaris could have driven us back here.”

Cormac set her on her feet with a low, satisfied growl, his hands lingering on her hips. “Among other things, yes. As much as you might enjoy the company of those centaurs, Damaris’s driving skills left something to be desired and I am running short on patience. Tell me what I can do to keep you to myself.”

Kimberly pulled away, folding her arms and regarding him with a mix of amusement and exasperation. “Did you forget that I’m mad at you? A little time on dragonback is not going to blow those memories out of my head, and it’s going to take more than a simple apology to make me trust you again. You can start by letting me make my own decisions about my future. Like picking a familiar I know won’t get cold feet to get me through my finals.”

He ducked his head, baring his teeth in a grimace. It was perhaps a bit more fang-filled than he meant to display, but Kimberly was not in the least bit intimidated. She regarded him steadily, and Cormac sidled closer to cup her cheeks in his hands.

“I will earn back your trust. I swear it. If I have to step aside for now, so be it—but I expect you to let me take that twice-be-damned donkey’s place as soon as you graduate. Sooner, if I can talk you into it.”

She snorted. “Donkey? Really?”

He bared his teeth in something that might have been a grin. “I would have called him a horse’s ass, but I was trying to spare your sensibilities.”

That got a laugh out of her. “Oh, Cormac. Eddie’s not that bad.”

“Maybe not, but I’ve never been the type to share. Not to mention that I find your choice of a centaur over a dragon to be more than a little peculiar.”

“The herd owes me the favor, and all I need is to get my graduation certificate. I don’t need a dragon to do that, I just need to prove I can bind a familiar. What’s the big deal? You can help me in other ways. Like finding me a new job.”

Cormac’s eyes flashed with blue-white light, and though his expression was fierce, Kimberly didn’t flinch away. With a snarl, he began pacing before her, his hands clenching and unclenching as he fought the animal instinct to change again and carry her far away from the city and all of the competition for her attentions.

“The big deal? The big deal is that I’ve wanted you as long as I’ve known you. Longer. Centuries have left me bitter and alone, never knowing a part of me was missing, waiting for you to complete me. All I want is you. All I’ve ever wanted was you.”

Kimberly hugged herself tight, for the first time finding herself unable to meet his gaze. “I don’t know how you could feel those things about me.”

He slowly reached out, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to. The constriction in his chest eased when she accepted his light touch, leaning into the fingertips brushing over her cheek. He moved closer to fold her into his arms, breathing a sigh of relief into her hair before answering her.

“Because you’re a shining star on the inside, burning away the darkness inside of me. You were always kind and gentle and funny, and wouldn’t let me be anything less with you. It shattered the heart I didn’t know I had when you turned me away.” He took a shaky breath, tightening his hold on her. “I’ll make up what I did to you. If it takes a thousand years, a thousand lifetimes, I’ll become the dragon worthy of calling himself your familiar. You’ll never be alone again. I’ll be your sword, your shield, and anything else you would have of me. Let me be there to catch you when you fall. Let me be yours.”

“You and your melodrama,” she mumbled against his chest.

The salt of her tears on the air sent knives of guilt into his heart, piercing him with shame for ever hurting her, filling him with remorse for being the reason for those tears. Frowning, he set his chin on top of her head, savoring the warmth of her as she relaxed against him.

“I mean it, you know. I can never be sorry enough for how I treated you. For letting Viper hurt you. Please, Kimberly. I’ve never wanted anything—anyone—like I want you. I can wait for you to accept that. Forever if I have to. But I can’t stand by and leave you unprotected. Let me be your familiar.”

“What if I said no?”

The faint sound he made in his throat was choked off by the lump that appeared there like magic. Then he realized that she wasn’t trembling in his arms because she was crying—she was laughing.

Her fingers twined in his shirt as she arched back to look up at him. Her eyes shone, her lips trembling with a shaky smile.

“How about you just try being my friend?”

He growled, his own eyes twinkling as he grinned down at her. “I don’t know if I can handle that. I want so much more. To be your guardian, your confidant, and your lover. I want to be yours forever.”

Her jaw dropped, cheeks turning pink. He closed his eyes tight and bowed his head in comical contrition, giving a theatric sigh as one hand dipped low on her hip, toying with the waistband of her jeans. That delicious heat she was radiating grew hotter under his touch.

“…but seeing as I managed to screw things up so badly, I suppose I can be patient for a bit longer for you to give me a chance to be more than friends. I’ve waited lifetimes to find you, after all.”

Shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, she squirmed a bit to give him a good poke in the side. “Stop trying to guilt your way into my bed. I’m supposed to be mad at you.”

“You can be mad. Angry sex is always good.”

Gasping, she flushed right down to her toes, heart pounding a staccato rhythm. “You really are a beast.”

His smile turned wicked. “Surely you’ve heard the tales of how we dragons have voracious… appetites.”

“I don’t know about that. Greedy, possessive streaks a mile wide…”

“If wanting to keep you all to myself forever makes me greedy and possessive, guilty as charged.”

She buried her face against his chest again, groaning. “If you don’t stop being so charming, I’m going to forget that I’m supposed to be mad as hell. It’s not fair.”

“Does that mean my dastardly plan to lure the gentle maiden off to my lair is working? I’ve heard dragon flights off into the sunset are considered romantic by some…”

“Yes, damn you,” she said, laughing. “As long as you don’t carry me around in your claws like a sack of potatoes. And give me some warning next time before you try carrying me off.”

“As my lady commands.”

With that, he leaned in to kiss her, gentle at first. The moment she melted into him, he deepened it into a fierce, possessive assault, chest vibrating with a hungry, animal sound of need. Her hands slid up his chest, tangling in his hair as she kissed him back, her hunger and desperation made all the more satisfying by her sweet tears.

Before he lost his mind, he needed to be sure of one last thing.

Lightly nipping her lower lip, he withdrew just enough to whisper against her cheek, his lips trailing over her skin in a delicious tease that had her shivering with need in his arms.

“Does this mean you’ll bond with me?”

A frustrated noise escaped her as she tugged lightly on his hair to pull him back down to her. “Only if you keep kissing me like that. Don’t stop.”

With a satisfied growl, he obliged her.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Cormac led Kimberly back inside once he realized she was still shivering. He made a mental note to purchase her a set of goggles and warm clothes to fly with him in the future. Once they reached the kitchen, he put on a pot of coffee and leaned against the counter, holding his arms open for her. She leaned against him, gratefully settling into his warm embrace as they waited for the coffee to finish brewing.

“I’m sorry about what happened with your job. I didn’t realize your boss didn’t know what you were.”

Kimberly grimaced, tightening her grip on him. “I was hoping I could keep things under wraps until I finished school. Don wasn’t such a bad guy. Just… ignorant, I guess.”

“You shouldn’t have to hide what you are just to make ends meet.”

“No, but I wasn’t exactly flooded with job offers, either. Covens don’t hire students, and it was Allegretto’s or Starbucks—and Starbucks wasn’t as flexible with their schedule.”

Cormac snorted at that. He could see why a young mage not connected to the Other community would have a hard time finding work, but he was still annoyed on her behalf.

“You deserve better than to work for someone who can’t appreciate you for who and what you are,” he told her. “Put all of that behind you. I’ll take care of you now. Whatever you need, just ask.”

Tilting her head up, she frowned at him. “I can take care of myself. I just need a new job to tide me over until I can get a position in a coven.”

He met her frown with one of his own. “You don’t have to work. How much money do you need?”

“I don’t want you giving me money, Cormac. That’s not the point.”

Cormac thought about this, brows furrowing as he stroked the tangles out of her hair with his fingers. She closed her eyes and laid her cheek against his chest with a contented sigh. As bothersome as he found her refusal, he didn’t think he’d be doing a thing to endear himself to her by forcing the matter.

Pride. Eleanor had warned him that she had difficulty keeping it in check. Her refusal to take anything he had to offer her was starting to make sense. Though he might not have agreed, he was starting to see why she didn’t want him to simply give her anything.

He suspected she took the centaur over him not just because she didn’t trust him, but because she either thought she hadn’t earned access to his power, or didn’t deserve it.

The situation with the centaur was a perfect example of what must have been going through her mind. She settled so readily into his arms that he found it impossible to believe her lack of trust in him went so deep as she claimed. She was so adamant about earning her way that it was clear someone had made her feel unworthy in some way.

It hurt something deep in his heart to know that. Whatever pain she might have endured in the past, somehow it had burned a lesson in her that she couldn’t shake. Something that told her not to accept that good things could be given freely with no price tag attached.

Knowing that, he chose his next words with care.

“Would you feel better about it if I had you do some work for me? I could use an extra set of hands in the store.”

Kimberly shook her head, not opening her eyes. “I wouldn’t feel right about it.”

“Tell me why. Are you afraid someone will judge you for accepting a helping hand?”

She reddened, ducking her head to hide her blush in the folds of his shirt. “No. Maybe. Oh, Cormac, I don’t know. When I asked Viper if he’d loan me a little something from his hoard to help me get by as part of the familiar deal, the way he looked at me made me feel like something he found stuck on the bottom of his shoe. I’m not a charity case, you know? I told him I’d pay him back, and I meant every word, but the way he looked at me…”

She trailed off in a whisper, shame making her voice grow weak. Cormac found his own voice caught on an unexpected lump of emotion in his throat. He lowered his head to rest his chin on her hair, tightening his grip to keep her from pulling away, wishing that somehow he could stop the tremors making her shake in his arms. If only he knew how to undo the humiliation she had suffered.

He should have killed that blasted snake when he had the chance. That Viper had wounded her emotionally as well as physically was nigh intolerable for the beast inside him. His animal nature was clawing to burst out of the cloak of human flesh to seek out and destroy any threats to the wellbeing of his mate.