Breathing Fire

A moment later my skin began to burn, and I knew the attacks were starting again. “Get off me,” I grunted at him. He misunderstood me, and jerked off of me in a flash, eyes sparkling in anger.

The anger faded when he saw that I was panting uncontrollably. The strangest sensation had begun in my stomach and chest, not pain really, but alarming all the same. It felt as though my insides were shifting around.

“What’s happening to you?” he asked, brows drawn together in concern.

“I don’t know, but it seems to be happening more and more.”

He knelt down to touch me, but I stopped him. “Don’t. My skin will burn you.” As though to prove my words, everything touching me began to sizzle. I clutched my stomach as the feelings intensified. Something big knocked against my mind, but I beat it back. Now was NOT the time for that. To my dismay, I fainted dead away.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Last Word

 I awoke in an unfamiliar bed that carried a very familiar scent. I breathed it in, closing my eyes. I was not so subtly sniffing a pillow when Dom walked into the room. I set it down nonchalantly. I would deny to my deathbed what I’d been doing.

Dom stopped in his tracks. He was dressed down now, in a simple black V-neck T-shirt and dark gray slacks. The effect was just as devastating as the three-piece suit look that he usually sported. His short hair caught me off-guard all over again.

He was staring at me strangely. “What?” I asked.

“What’s up with your hair?” he asked. He was almost smiling.

I felt it and started swearing. The curls were back “It’s just been doing this.” I cursed some more. ”Don’t ask.”

I looked around the huge bedroom. “Do you live in this casino?” I asked him

He shrugged. “More or less. I travel between here and Denver quite a bit.” He moved and sat in a dark-brown leather armchair. It was set a good distance away from the bed, pretty much as far away from me as he could get while still in the same room. “So have you been in Vegas this whole time?” he asked abruptly.

I so did not want to go here, but I had promised him answers. “We’ve moved around a lot, but mostly, yes,” I said. I could have given an explanation, something, but nothing would make it less hurtful, so I didn’t bother.

“And all of the fake leads we had of you going halfway around the world? Were those meant for your family, or for me?”

“Both,” I answered brutally. I could tell by his grip on the chair arms that he was getting angry again. “They had discovered us in Colorado. We made some fake trails, and cut all of our ties there. Then we relocated in Vegas.”

His eyes were glowing in the room’s dim lighting. I didn’t think it was a good sign. “So all I needed to do to find you was follow the f**king dragonslayer? He followed you here, didn’t he?”

I sighed. He’d latched onto that rather quickly. It was unfortunate. “Eventually, yes.”

He cursed. “Right under my f**king nose this entire time.” His agonized voice hurt my ears. Hell, it hurt my chest.

“My family found us from your registry. You should be aware that someone is leaking that information to outside sources.”

“I’ll ask my uncle about it.”

“Please don’t. Every inquiry you make just brings us closer to discovery. I was told that it was your family that had looked into our past seven years ago, and that they had tipped off the ones chasing us. Certainly someone had delved into our past and found enough about us to have us blackmailed. I wasn’t told who-”

“You were told? Care to elaborate?” His voice was harsh. He had put the pieces together. I had been hoping I could just gloss over that part.

“Declan-”

“You dare say his name to me like that? You mention him like some kind of confidante?” His voice was a roar, and waves of power lapped at me. I knew that every druid in the building must have felt those tempestuous waves of his power. He was a fearsome being now, even more so than before.

I swallowed nervously. This was very dangerous ground for us. “I apologize. But there is a leak within the druids. It is not something I care to repeat,” I finally settled on saying. I looked down. The less said about Declan, the better.

He was silent for a time, which was a vast improvement over questions about Declan.

All of my charred things had been laid beside the bed. They weren’t in top shape, but still covered the essentials. It was enough. I began to get dressed, my back to him.

“So, what happened back there?” he asked finally

I assumed he was referring to my passing out. “I honestly have no idea. It’s been happening to me a lot lately. Perhaps there’s a mortal in my bloodline somewhere, and my number’s up.” I was joking, but hell, it was as good a guess as anything, at that point.

“How old are you then?” he asked. The subject had never come up between us before. I knew he had always suspected that I was immortal, considering how long ago we’d met, but I’d never confirmed or denied his suspicions.

I smiled at him, and his jaw clenched hard. “A lady never tells, darling.”

He swallowed. “Don’t toy with my, Jillian. Ever again. I’m immune to your charms now.” I knew he was telling the truth, and it made me sad.

“What’s going to happen to Mav and Michael?” I changed the subject.

He started rubbing his temples. “I’m undecided. I’m thinking about ripping their heads off. That’s the only idea I’ve come up with. You’re the wronged party. Tell me what you think their punishment should be.”