Holy Smokes
Page 23

“What situation?” I asked, one eye on Fiat as he trotted down the steps of the cathedral, flanked on either side by his two henchmen. “No, never mind, I don’t have time for it right now. I have to attend a meeting of the blue dragons, and you’re here in the guise of protection. Got it?”
“Er—”
“That guy approaching who looks like he should be on the cover of GQ, that’s Fiat, the blue wyvern. You’re to particularly watch him, OK?”
“Eh—”
“And his cronies.” I straightened my shoulders and tried to look a lot calmer and cooler than I felt. “They may all look like Adonises, but they’re sneakier than snakes. Don’t take your eyes off of them.”
Jim squinted at Fiat as he stopped in front of us. “Hey, Fiat. Nice highlights. You use Miss Clairol or another brand?”
I tried to keep from smiling at Jim’s irreverent quip. There was no love lost between Fiat and my demon, but I didn’t need any more antagonism than was absolutely necessary. “Hush, Jim. Hello, Fiat. Long time no see.”
Fiat ran a quick glance around at my companions before taking my hand and kissing it. “Cara, cara, do you really think I would harm my own mate? This show of force is unnecessary, I assure you.”
“Unnecessary, possibly, but I have no intention of putting myself in your control.” I tried to pull my hand back from where he was still holding it, but his grip was deceptively strong.
He smiled. It made my skin crawl. “Do you believe you could be free of that?”
“Let’s get something straight right now,” I said briskly, jerking my hand out of his. A flash of blue fire lit his eyes for a moment, but it was nothing to my ire at finding myself in this position. “You may have finessed a way for me to act as your mate, but we both know that it’s not going to be a relationship that will work out. The green dragons acknowledge me as their wyvern’s mate. Drake and I are going to be married in a few days. We love each other, and nothing you can do is going to stop any of that. I accept the fact that I have to attend your sept meetings until such time as you come to your senses, but don’t deceive yourself that I am weak and powerless. I may not technically be a Guardian at the moment, but I am a friggin’ prince of Abaddon, and you do not want to see what happens when I get sufficiently pissed.”
“Yeah,” Jim said, plopping its big old Newfie butt on my foot in a show of support. “She came close to bringing the Guardians’ Guild building down around their ears yesterday.”
“I find that rather difficult to believe,” Fiat said, eyeing me up and down as if I were a piece of beef.
“Believe it,” Rene said, straightening his shoulders and adopting a grim expression. “I was present. I saw the head of the Guild acknowledge her power.”
“Such a brave little woman,” Fiat answered, clearly amused. “Threatening the Guardians’ Guild all on her own? I am most impressed.”
“Aisling is not alone,” Uncle Damian said in a low voice that would have sent a lesser man screaming from the scene.
Fiat, however, was not so easily intimidated.
“So I see.” His gaze flickered over Uncle Damian before moving to Rene and Traci. “A mortal.”
“This is my uncle, Damian Carson. And don’t let the mortal bit fool you—Drake has absolute confidence in my uncle’s ability to serve as my bodyguard.”
Fiat’s eyebrows rose a smidgen. “High praise indeed. And here we have…a power?”
“Daimon,” Rene said, his jaw set firmly.
“A fate. What a very interesting choice of companions.” Fiat bowed his head at him before turning back to me. “And two demon minions. Very well, cara. Since I have no choice but to accept your foolish desire to be accompanied by a crowd, I will acquiesce. Shall we go? I have a car waiting.”
Uncle Damian went into full security mode as we approached the waiting limo, whipping out a small electronic device that he used to examine the car briefly before nodding at me. “It’s safe.”
“Really, cara, you must give me more credit than that,” Fiat said in a low voice right next to my ear, his hand cool on my back as I got into the car. A little shiver went down my arms and back as I shrugged his hand off. The blue dragon element was air, which caused them to feel a few degrees cooler than everyone else. “As if I would harm you.”
“You don’t think shoving a needle in my neck and injecting me with poison is harmful?” I asked, scooting a few inches away when he seated himself next to me. His two bodyguards, just as blond and gorgeous as Fiat himself, took their positions on the seat across from us, while Uncle Damian, Rene, and Traci were along the side. Jim sat on my feet and covertly drooled on Fiat’s expensive shoes.
Fiat reached for my hand. I made a fist and glared at him. He gave an exaggerated sigh instead and let his hand fall. “Why you insist on creating such difficulties is beyond me. The incident with the poison was regrettable, I admit, but alas, necessary.”
“That’s your interpretation of the word ‘necessary,’” I said, starting to get riled up again over the memory of the event a month past.
Oh good. I love it when you get riled.
“Cara—,” Fiat started to say.
“No, never mind, it’s not important now,” I said quickly, trying to squelch the desire to pull on the dark power. “I’m sorry I brought it up. I’d rather focus on the current situation.”
Fiat leaned back with casual grace and smiled. Like most of the wyverns, he had a tendency to wear articles of clothing bearing the color of his sept. Currently, he was dressed in an extremely well-cut suit made of midnight blue fabric.
“Is that dragonweave?” I couldn’t help but ask, watching with fascination as the material in Fiat’s suit seemed to shimmer and change.
“Yes. I shall have some sent to you.”
I smiled. “Don’t bother. Drake had some made into dresses for me. I just didn’t know it came in colors other than green.”
“I wouldn’t mind a dog collar made in it,” Jim said, unobtrusively wiping a tendril of drool on Fiat’s pant leg.
Fiat and I both glared at it.
“What?” it asked, blinking its eyes at me in an attempt at innocence.
Rene snickered. Uncle Damian watched Fiat with narrowed eyes. Traci was absorbed in its Palm Pilot, no doubt taking care of some of the business I’d put it in charge of.