Light Dragons 01 - Love in the Time of Dragons

dreams. He started down the steps toward us, stumbled when he saw me, and stared with huge eyes. “Is that . . . it cannot be . . . is it?”
    “Yes,” Baltic said, marching over to me in order to wrap his arm around my waist and pull me into his side. “My mate lives.”
    “So do I, no thanks to Baltic’s driving,” Jim said as it peed on the back tire. “Nice place. Can I go home now?”
    “No,” I said, digging my elbow into Baltic’s ribs. Brom was watching us with fascinated eyes.
    “Aisling’s going to open a serious can of whoop-ass on you when she finds out what you did, you know,” Jim told me. “And bodacious boobies or not, I’m not going to stop her. I was supposed to go to Paris today to see my beauteous Cecile, and now I won’t be able to suck her ears or snuffle her butt or lick her belly or any of the things I wanted to do.”
    Brom transferred his gaze to Jim, equally fascinated.
    “You bared your breasts to the demon, too?” Baltic asked with outraged eyebrows.
    “No, of course I didn’t! I’ve told you several times now that I have no desire, fantasy, or other urge to bare anything to anyone, least of all my breasts. I have never, ever deliberately showed my breasts. So please stop insisting that’s all I can think of. It just doesn’t happen, OK?”
    Pavel, Jim, and Baltic all eyed my cleavage.
    I looked down, swore, and hiked up the neckline yet again. “Gah!”
    “We are going to have a long discussion regarding these sexual fantasies of yours,” Baltic told me, tugging me toward the house.
    “I do not have an exhibitionist fantasy!” I yelled.
    “What’s an exhibitionist?” I heard Brom ask Jim.
    I spun around and sent the demon a look that had it grinning. “It means someone who likes shopping at small boutiques,” it said.
    “One step out of line, demon, and I’ll . . . I’ll . . .”
    “Or you’ll what?” it asked, tipping its head to the side.
    Before I could answer, Baltic paused and shot laser beams from his eyeballs. Well, all right, not really, but the effect was the same. Fire blossomed in a circle around the demon, causing it to dance and yelp.
    “Cool,” Brom said, looking with speculation at Baltic.
    “All right, all right! Call off your wacko boyfriend! I’ll behave!” Jim tried to blow out flames that licked up its tail. “Not the package! Anything but the package!”
    “See that you do behave,” Baltic said, extinguishing the fire with a flick of his eyes. He turned to Pavel and spoke in a low tone of voice, the latter casting periodic glances my way.
    I sighed to myself and pulled out my cell phone as we all entered the hall. “I suppose I should tell Aisling that you’re with me, Jim, and all right. It wouldn’t be fair to make her worry you’d been kidnapped by someone who meant to destroy you.”
    Jim made a face. “Yeah, well, about that . . .”
    “What?” I asked when its voice trailed to a stop.
    “Normally I wouldn’t worry, because as soon as Ash realized I’d been demon-napped, she could summon me back to her, but she’s not going to realize I’m gone. Well, she is, but not. If you get my drift.”
    “Not in the least. What are you babbling about?”
    Jim sighed. “My ride to the airport was due when you showed up. Suzanne probably thought that’s where I went. I told you I was supposed to go to Paris.”
    “Ah, well,” I said, not too worried about Jim’s missed trip. “I’m sure you can go another time.”
    “I don’t want to stay here,” Brom suddenly said, giving the hall a good long look.
    “Why not?” I asked, worried that he had gotten the wrong impression from Baltic’s possessive hold on me. Or rather, the right impression, but without an explanation that would help him understand the complex relationship that even I wasn’t sure I completely grasped.
    “I want to go back to Gabriel’s house, where I have my lab set up.”
    Baltic whirled around. “What is this? My son does not prefer the house of the silver wyvern over mine.”
    “Gabriel told Brom he could use a room in the basement to perform his experiments. He likes to mummify things.”
    “I’m a mummologist,” Brom told Baltic.
    “The silver wyvern gave you a room?” Baltic’s eyes narrowed. “You are my son. I will give you . . .” He thought for a moment. “I will give you an entire building. There is a barn to the north—you may use that.”
    “Cool,” Brom repeated; then his face fell. “But all my stuff is