Firestorm Forever: A Dragonfire Novel (23 page)

Sloane sighed. “Only that as much as I’d love to take you up on that offer, I have to go.”

“You said you just had a long flight. You must be tired.”

“That and now, I’ve got to catch another flight.” His expression was rueful and if anything, he looked more tired. “Chicago, then New York.”

“It would have been easier to go from one to the other.”

“If I’d known this morning that I had to go to New York.” He shrugged, even as Sam wondered what kind of emergencies could make him hurry across the country twice in rapid succession. “Isn’t that what friends are for?”

“Can I help?”

Sloane smiled a little, then bent to brush his lips across hers. The fleeting touch left Sam tingling and hungry for more. “That would require a confession, I think.”

Sam felt herself blush a bit, but she knew he was teasing her. “Maybe I wouldn’t mind knowing a few of your secrets.”

“Maybe you’re better off
not
knowing them,” he replied, to her surprise. She opened her mouth to ask, but Sloane dropped a warm fingertip to her lips. “I’ll call you when I get back,” he promised. “We can pick up right here.” She had no chance to agree because he kissed her more thoroughly.

Sam wound her arms around his neck, wanting to give him something to remember—or a reason to hurry back. Sloane caught her close and deepened his kiss even as Sam knotted her fingers in his hair. She rose to her toes, opening her mouth to him, and Sloane groaned even as he pressed her between himself and the wall. He felt so good that Sam was wondering whether it was possible to convince him to stay.

Then he lifted his head and smiled down at her with satisfaction. “You make a persuasive argument,” he mused and Sam smiled.

“How
did
someone break into your house without setting off the alarm?”

Sloane’s gaze slid away from hers. “I guess he knew what he was doing.” He eased his fingertip across her cheek, leaving tingles in its wake. His expression was very serious, though. “I’m glad you didn’t decide to go and check. Promise me that you won’t, if it happens again.”

“Will it?”

“Probably not.”

“Was anything taken or damaged?”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said with a grimness that indicated it did. “Not now.” He looked worn out again, and Sam wanted to make him smile before he left.

She kissed the corner of his mouth.

But Sloane’s gaze darkened and his voice dropped to a whisper. “I wish I could stay, Sam. Don’t make it harder to leave than it is, please.”

The entreaty tore at her heart. Sam kissed him again to leave him in no doubt of his welcome and stepped back. Sloane turned to walk home, resigned to whatever errand he had to run. “Thanks for checking on me,” she said.

He cast her a smile. “I couldn’t do otherwise.”

She liked that he was protective, but sensed there was a lot he wasn’t telling her. She bit her lip, then dared to ask: “Why a caduceus?”

“Is that a question?”

“You know it is.”

“Are you changing the terms of our agreement?”

“Maybe a little.”

A challenging glint lit Sloane’s eyes. “Okay, I’ll meet you halfway then. It’s because I’m the Apothecary.”

Sam shook her head that he would have confused the two. “But it’s not the Rod of Asclepius…”

“No, it’s not.” Sloane hesitated before leaving her porch and she sensed that he was deciding whether to confide more in her. She was glad when he glanced back, and even more glad when he spoke again. “‘It is said the wand would wake the sleeping and send the awake to sleep.’”

“That sounds like a quote.”

“It is. William Godwin,
Lives of the Necromancers
.”

Sam took an involuntary step back. “Necromancers? Doesn’t that mean raising the dead?”

Did he believe in that kind of nonsense?

Sloane sighed theatrically, making Sam wonder whether he was just teasing her. “Sometimes it feels that way. Mostly the quote reminds me of my father.” He saluted her with his fingertips, then strode into the night, before she could ask him anything else.

Not that it mattered. His answer had just left Sam with more questions than she’d had before. She folded her arms across her chest and watched Sloane go, even more interested in him than she’d been before. The man had a gift for fascination, that much was clear. Sam had to wonder whether she’d ever figure him out.

She certainly wasn’t going to stop trying.

William Godwin.

Sloane had given her a clue.

* * *

Drake was glad to see that Theo had chosen competent warriors for this mission. Two
Slayers
had erupted from the burning building, each identical to the other with their ruby and brass scales and trailing red plumes. He recognized his allies by their colors: Theo was carnelian and gold in his dragon form and his scales glittered in the rain. Kristofer was peridot and gold, while Arach was aquamarine and silver. Reed was smoky quartz and silver.

Theo and Reed had engaged one of the
Slayers
, while Kristofer and Arach fought the other. Drake didn’t mind those odds at all and was convinced that he could defeat Jorge, even with Ronnie in his grasp.

Certainly his reactions were more vehement than they might have been if he had battled alone.

Jorge raced after him, his stream of dragonfire stinging Drake’s tail. Drake turned sharply over the forest, so that the dragonfire set the trees aflame. He liked having more light for the battle. He spun suddenly and ripped at Jorge again. The topaz and gold
Slayer
leapt upon Drake and sank his teeth into the side of Drake’s neck. The pain was excruciating, and it only grew when the
Slayer
gave Drake a mighty shake. He would have torn at the
Slayer
’s chest, but he cupped his claws over Veronica to protect her instead. He kicked upward and Jorge roared as he released Drake’s neck, breathing fire on the open wound even as Drake fell.

Veronica whispered his name, but reassuring her would have to wait. He raged dragonfire himself, singeing Jorge’s scales so that they blackened. Jorge screamed, then retreated to hover in air facing Drake, his eyes shining with malice.

Drake was immediately wary. What had changed?

“Such a feeble species,”
Jorge murmured in old-speak. He gestured to the ground below them and Drake belatedly remembered the urban explorers. There were a good dozen of them, hoodies pulled over their heads as they stood in the rain.

Holding up cell phones and cameras.

Veronica gasped as she evidently saw them as well, and by the time Drake looked back at Jorge, that
Slayer
had produced a small gleaming vial. It was glass and its contents were red. Liquid. Drake’s eyes narrowed and he inhaled deeply, discerning immediately that this was blood infected with the Seattle virus.

“The perfect sample,” Jorge said, speaking aloud. “The Seattle virus is even concentrated in this blood, thanks to the skills of the
Pyr
’s own Apothecary. There’s something satisfying about the
Pyr
having a part in this mayhem.” He cast a glittering glance down at the human spectators. “Shall we watch history repeat itself?”

“No!” Veronica shouted, even as Jorge dove toward the spectators, the vial held aloft, as if he would cast it down and make it shatter in the small crowd.

Drake hesitated for a heartbeat, guessing this was the viper’s trap.

“Drake!” Veronica cried. “You have to stop him!”

Of course, she had compassion for others. Of course, she believed that she could change the world with her choices. That optimism was a trait he admired in Veronica, and he couldn’t find fault with her conviction that he would act out of honor and duty.

If he failed to do her bidding that might ensure the safety of both of them, but his refusal to defend nameless strangers would compromise Veronica’s opinion of him.

It might doom their future.

The situation was the perfect bind, a choice that revealed a viper’s talon.

In fact, there was no choice to be made. Drake spun in the air, feeling Veronica’s grip tighten upon him. He felt a scale loosen on his chest even as he dove after the villain at his mate’s command, fearing the worst and hoping for the best.

* * *

It was a sight Theo had never wished to see.

He admired Drake more than any of the
Pyr
, for he knew that warrior’s story and recognized that his own life and his command were the result of Drake’s sacrifices. Drake was mentor, comrade and—oddly enough—ancestor. In fact, Theo had been named for Drake’s son, just as the first boy born in every generation of his lineage had been named in tribute to their forebear and his son.

It was an honor to serve with a
Pyr
that had made such a contribution to the survival of their kind.

Given the blood link, it didn’t surprise any of the
Pyr
that Theo was eager to help Drake whenever possible and was always ready to put his forces in Drake’s service. Drake wasn’t much of a talker, and they’d never exchanged confidences, but Theo felt it was his role to try to make up for Drake losing his son.

He didn’t think it could be easily done, and he’d been glad to come to Drake’s second firestorm.

Theo had dared to hope that Drake was mistaken about Jorge’s scheme for this night, especially when he and Reed beat one
Slayer
so that he fell out of the sky. That dragon hit the ground hard and began to rotate between forms. Some of the kids began to photograph the transition, which made Theo frown.

Erik wouldn’t like that.

Theo dispatched Reed to help Kristofer and Arach against the second
Slayer
, then looked for Drake. The last time he’d seen the older
Pyr
, Drake had had his mate firmly in his possession and had been fighting well against Jorge. Now Jorge dove low, like a gold and topaz comet, something sparkling in his grip. Drake gave hot pursuit as his mate urged him on.

The third
Slayer
came out of nowhere. One moment, the sky was clear. The next, there was a third ruby and brass
Slayer
in the air behind Drake, out of his field of vision. Theo roared in old-speak, but the
Slayer
was fast. He fell upon Drake from behind and ripped his wings, practically tearing them from his back.

Theo bellowed and raced toward his mentor, fearing he couldn’t get there in time.

Drake roared in pain, his blood flowing like water. His wings fluttered, then collapsed, too damaged to be of aid in keeping him aloft. The mate screamed as Drake fell.

Jorge proved that he was a viper after all, because he pivoted in mid-air and launched a conduit of dragonsmoke at Drake. Theo could see its icy glitter in the air and he knew the moment that it latched onto Drake. The older
Pyr
twitched convulsively, then shuddered.

That his grip loosened on his mate said it all. Mate and
Pyr
fell separately toward the ground. The second
Slayer
continued to fight hard against Kristofer, Reed and Arach. Kristofer might have abandoned their battle to help Drake, but the
Slayer
who had attacked Drake descended to join their fight. Their battle became vigorous as the two
Slayers
fought against three
Pyr
. The humans began to shout encouragement to one group of dragons or the other and Theo heard them making bets. He flew straight for Drake.

Theo heard Reed shout in pain, but he had to get to Drake. He eyed the falling mate and guessed that she would break a leg when she fell but no more than that. Jorge wasn’t pursuing her: he was too focused on draining Drake’s life force.

And he was succeeding brilliantly. Theo could see Drake’s vigor fading fast.

Theo had to choose between mate and
Pyr
.

It wasn’t much of a choice.

He raged into battle, wincing as he flew through Jorge’s dragonsmoke. He heard his scales sizzle as they burned and felt his own energy dip as Jorge stole power from him as well. But he broke the tendril of dragonsmoke, scorching his tail painfully. He then snatched at Drake, carrying him aloft and away from the villains. Drake’s breath was shallow and his wounds were deep.

When Theo looked down, he saw that Reed had fallen to the ground and shifted to his human form. All of the
Slayers
were gone.

Worse, there was no sign of the mate. Kristofer and Arach snatched up Reed and flew away with him, lifting him away from the curious humans.

The crowd of onlookers was filled with excitement. The sirens grew louder and dogs could be heard barking. Searchlights were shone into the forest and the humans scattered into the darkness like mice into tall grass. Theo saw a fire truck making its way along an overgrown access road toward the burning building, but guessed the rain would extinguish most of the fire.

Drake stirred, his eyelids flickering. “
Veronica
?” he whispered in old-speak.

“They took her,”
Theo replied, fearing that the other
Pyr
would be angry at his choice but not seeing what else he could have done.
“But I couldn’t let you die.”

Drake shook his head, his disappointment evident to the younger
Pyr
. To Theo’s surprise, though, Drake didn’t blame him.