Firestorm Forever: A Dragonfire Novel (68 page)

He was pulling out his phone when Drake bellowed in pain.

* * *

Jac went back to Seattle and her empty apartment, for lack of any better choices. She figured there was no reason to hide—in fact, it probably wasn’t even possible to hide from
Slayers
during the firestorm. There was a faint sensation of heat at the end of her fingertips, even though Marco wasn’t in the vicinity, and Jac was pretty sure that
Slayers
and
Pyr
would be even more keenly aware of it than she was.

It wasn’t the most reassuring feeling in the world.

She was angry with Sam, too, although in hindsight, she shouldn’t have expected anything different. Sam never wanted to take a chance on looking foolish, much less on being wrong. Jac wished a little too late that she’d kept the Dracontias.

What was going to happen now?

She went through Sigmund’s book again, but couldn’t find anything about
not
satisfying the firestorm. Surrendering to its power didn’t seem to be optional, and Jac could understand that. It was an overwhelming power in itself, and a
Pyr
with the firestorm on his side in a seductive mood might not be possible to resist. Jac knew she was only thinking straight because Marco was at a distance.

She wondered where he’d gone and what he was going to do. She had no doubt he’d be back. She guessed that he was doing something that he believed would convince her to satisfy the firestorm. As much as she appreciated that he wasn’t using physical sensation to undermine her decision, she missed him and his presence.

It seemed the firestorm could do its work even without a
Pyr
in the vicinity.

As she always did when faced with a decision, Jac made a chart. The first column was satisfying the firestorm, and she divided it in two. In the plus section, she noted that she’d know how it felt, and that there would probably be tremendous pleasure. In the negative section, she noted that she would conceive Marco’s son according to the
Pyr
’s stories and that son would become a dragon shifter at puberty. She added to the positive part Marco’s resolve to stay with her after the firestorm was satisfied, then added to the negative part that his kind might be exterminated in six months.

If the
Pyr
lost the war, then the
Slayers
would be the survivors. Jac added an item to the negative section that she’d be carrying a
Pyr
son in a world with only
Slayers
. She wondered how that would work: would her son be simply human, or would
Slayers
destroy him before he had a chance to grow up? She suspected the second option, and knew that she’d let herself be killed in her child’s defense.

She thought of Sam and didn’t want to have that kind of loss in common with her sister.

The second column was not surrendering to the firestorm. Some of the entries were easy, because they were the opposite of the ones in the first column. She wouldn’t conceive a son who was
Pyr
. She wouldn’t face the possibility of being left alone to defend herself and that son against
Slayers
. She wouldn’t know the pleasure of the firestorm.

Jac considered the list and added a negative to the second column. It might not even be possible to resist the firestorm forever. Would it burn until the next eclipse, or for the rest of her life? Or for the rest of Marco’s life? Jac didn’t know.

She put her list on the fridge with some magnets and kept circling back to it. In an ideal universe, she would have denied the firestorm until the eclipse in September, until she knew for sure whether Marco and the
Pyr
would triumph and survive. Then, maybe, if she came to know and trust him, maybe even to love him, she’d agree to satisfy the firestorm.

The problem was that Jac had never been good at resisting temptation, and six months was a long time. If Marco was near her, the firestorm would feed her desire and practically drive her crazy with need. She didn’t even know where he was and she couldn’t sleep. If he stayed away from her, he couldn’t defend her from
Slayers
, which was far from ideal. In terms of her personal security, satisfying the firestorm might make the most sense.

But the baby. Jac couldn’t willingly conceive a son who might not ever know his father.

Never mind one destined to die young at the talons of
Slayers
if his father was gone.

It was two days after Jac made her list that she had an idea. She was in bed, on her back, staring at the star stickers she’d brought from Atlanta and put on the ceiling here. A couple of them were dangling from a point or two, their adhesive having been compromised in the move. Sigmund’s book was on her belly.

Sigmund said that the firestorm’s heat drew
Pyr
and
Slayers
like moths to the flame. What if she and Marco used the firestorm to change the prospects of the
Pyr
’s victory? What if they deliberately attracted
Slayers
, so Marco could take them out? What if they created the future Jac wanted for their son?

She gasped at the perfection of the idea and sat straight up in bed, just as golden heat suffused her body. She caught her breath as sparks emanated from her skin and nearly moaned at her need for Marco’s touch. She closed her eyes and swallowed, knowing that he was close, then swung her legs out of bed. She was wearing just a short cotton nightgown and wanted to peel it off, but was glad she didn’t.

Marco appeared in a flash of blue-green light at the foot of her bed. He smiled at her, giving her an appreciative glance, then held out his hand. The darkfire crystal sat on his palm, the flame so bright inside it that the room was illuminated with its blue-green light. Jac reached for it, then stopped.

“It has a setting now,” she said, studying the opal and gold salamander that was wrapped around it.

“It has a passenger,” Marco said. He ran a fingertip over the salamander’s back and Jac saw it shiver a little.

“It’s alive?”

“It’s Rafferty. You need the crystal to defend yourself against
Slayers
, but he needs the power of the darkfire to survive.”

“You brought me this? As a gift?” Jac was awed that he would do this, especially after she’d injured his friend.

Marco’s smile widened. “It’s part of my plan to prove myself to you.”

He offered the two to her and the firestorm flared brilliantly at their closer proximity. The crystal seemed to be snared in an orb of glowing golden light, its distinctive light crackling like a trapped bolt of lightning. There was a vestige of a blue-green shimmer around the scales of the salamander but as Jac watched, it seemed to move from him into the crystal.

“What’s happening?” she whispered.

Marco was watching the salamander closely. “The firestorm might be healing him,” he said quietly, his low voice sending a thrill through Jac.

“We should find out,” she said, hoping she could fix her mistake.

At his gesture, she took the crystal, cupping her hands together so the crystal and salamander were framed in the bowl of her grasp. Marco folded his hands around hers, making another bowl around hers. He was so close that she could have drowned in his eyes.

The firestorm burned brilliant orange, then heated to gold. Jac could feel her nipples beading and her desire for Marco burning through her veins. There was a bead of perspiration on her upper lip and another one sliding down her back. She licked her lips, well aware of how avidly Marco watched her. His eyes were glittering as he leaned closer, studied her, then bent to brush his lips across her own.

Lust fired through Jac’s body and she wanted him more than she ever had before. He kissed her with deliberation, making the embrace last, coaxing her desire from a simmer to a boil.

Jac closed her eyes against the radiant yellow light of the firestorm and kissed Marco back. Their hands were heating and she could hear the darkfire sizzling in the stone. She could taste Marco’s kiss and smell his skin. She wanted to press herself against him. She wanted to drag him into the shower and have him against the wall, the water flowing over them as they pleasured each other. She wanted to drag him into her bed and claim him as her own.

Their kiss became frenzied with need, more potent and passionate, and the firestorm blazed white hot between them. Jac heard herself moan and opened her eyes in time to see Marco inhale sharply. Then he broke the kiss, leaving her desperate for more.

He looked down and smiled.

Jac followed his gaze and saw that the salamander was watching them. Their hands were golden, burning with heat, but the darkfire crystal was as cool as ice. The salamander lashed its tail, showing more energy than Jac expected.

“I thought he was hurt,” she whispered.

“The firestorm heals,” the salamander said with satisfaction. “The firestorm burns away secrets and fears. It banishes injuries and cauterizes wounds.” Rafferty tipped back his head to look into Jac’s eyes. He seemed to be basking in the brilliant white light. “The firestorm saves and I thank you for saving me with yours.”

Before Jac could reply, the salamander shimmered blue and disappeared.

She glanced up at Marco to find him grinning with relief. “I should have thought of it sooner,” he said. “I should have known. It’s Rafferty who always lists the benefits of the firestorm. It’s Rafferty who believes most in its promise.”

“Not you?” Jac couldn’t help but tease.

Marco laughed. “I do now.” His eyes were shining, and he’d never looked so enticing to Jac. He’d brought her a gift, and they’d used their firestorm for good. His gaze dropped, his appreciation clear as he surveyed her.

“I have an idea,” she said, because she could see the direction of his thoughts clearly enough.

“So do I,” he murmured with a smile.

“We need to use the firestorm for good,” she said hastily, knowing that if Marco kissed her again, she would drag him into the shower and have her way with him. “We need to use it to change the future.”

“How so?”

Jac took a deep breath, guessing he might not approve of her plan. “We need to deliberately attract
Slayers
with it, so you can destroy them. The fewer of them there are, the better the chance that the
Pyr
will triumph.”

“And you want dragons to win?”

“If I’m going to conceive a son, I want him to have a dad.”

And a future.

Marco exhaled and scanned the room, as if he couldn’t believe what she’d said. “You think we can resist this for six months?” He was so incredulous that Jac found herself smiling.

“I don’t know. But the more
Slayers
we can take out before we succumb, the better your odds of surviving.”

He smiled at her then, a smile that heated her so that her skin practically sizzled. “Well, that is progress,” he said, his words low and silky. “You now want me to survive.” Jac couldn’t deny that. Marco bent down, his intentions clear, then inhaled sharply and spun away from her. “Looks like your wish is coming true quickly.”

“What do you mean?”

He spun to face her, that familiar blue aura shimmering around his body. “I smell
Slayer
,” he whispered, just before the air rippled and something—or someone—roared in the living room.

* * *

Donovan was so restless that the sparks were practically flying off him. Niall knew the Warrior of the
Pyr
wasn’t happy to have been assigned by Erik to guard them all at Delaney’s farm. He’d made it clear that he felt he was left out of the action, and Niall couldn’t blame him for that. Still, with infant twin boys, Niall was glad to have his family with other
Pyr
and knew that Sloane couldn’t have everyone at his place, not if he intended to get any work done. It made sense for the
Pyr
to be in groups, even if the inactivity of waiting chafed at Donovan.

“You’ll have plenty to do at the final eclipse,” he reminded the other
Pyr
, whose lips set in a grim line as he paced the floor.

“You’re looking more like Erik all the time,” Delaney teased. “Maybe you’ll be the next leader of the
Pyr
.”

“The one we have is just fine,” Donovan retorted.

“I could use some help with the milking,” Ginger interjected cheerfully, then hauled on her boots and headed for the barn. Delaney followed her but Donovan continued to pace, his mood clear.

Alex lifted one of the twins from Rox’s arms and blew him a kiss. “They’re so adorable at this age.”

“No more,” Donovan advised his mate and she smiled at him.

“But they never do anything at the same time,” Rox said, then yawned. “Especially sleep.”

Ahern proved that by giving a mighty yell, increasing the volume of his bellow despite the way that Alex cooed to him. His brother, Ruark, nuzzled Rox’s breast, clearly hoping for a snack.

“I’d take him but that’s beyond my abilities,” Niall teased and Rox smiled at him.

“You’re welcome to do the honors of burping him afterward,” she said, and Niall nodded agreement.

“Deal.” While he waited, Niall reviewed the videos of the dragonfight in Australia for the hundredth time, trying to identify the dragons involved from the footage. The lighting wasn’t very good, with the only light on the scene from the eclipsed moon, but as far as Niall could determine, Thorolf and Brandon had fought two new versions of Boris Vassily and one of the earlier hatchlings had joined the fight. Jorge had seized a hatchling and a
Pyr
—and the glow of light around that
Pyr
indicated that he was having his firestorm.