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"Can we put this off for a week or two?" I asked. If he said no, I'd go. My word was my bond. Dragons and Elemental Lords and Hags of Fate didn't offer absolution on debts, and if I reneged, he'd have the right to carry me off. Or kill me. I had my doubts if he'd fry me up for dinner, but I didn't want to take any chances that he'd blame Trillian and crispy-critter my Svartan lover.
Smoky gave me a slow smile, the corner of his lip twitching ever so slightly as he pushed his way into the house. Walking me backwards until I bumped into the closet door behind me, he braced himself, hands flat against the wall to either side of my shoulders. Leaning down, he whispered in my ear. "You made a binding oath with me. Trust me, you will fulfill it." His eyes flickered. "Are you afraid of me, my Witchling?"
"Afraid of you? Get real. You're a dragon. Of course I'm… nervous… even if I do think you're hunky-dory." If I tried to deny my fear, he'd see right through me.
"Good. You should be nervous," he said, whispering. The energy crackled through his body, a wave of sparks that flared to catch me in their riptide. I tensed, and he laughed. "Yes, I can see that you are. Don't try to hide your fear, Camille. I care about you, far more than most of your kind. But you should never, ever forget what I am."
If I'd been nervous before, I was absolutely terrified now. I trusted Smoky as much as I'd ever trust any dragon. And the thought of spending a week doing his bidding still promised to be a romp in the meadow. I'd struck the bargain because we needed his help, but I was beginning to realize that dragon actually meant dragon. Not Fae. Not human. Not Supe. But honest-to-gods ancient beast who could crisp me in seconds and swallow me whole if he got angry, and who lived by an entirely different set of rules than I did.
"I… it's just…" I stuttered, then stopped to collect myself. "Listen, we're in the middle of something important to do with Shadow Wing. I really need to finish talking to Feddrah-Dahns, a unicorn who's offering us help."
Smoky stood back, crossed his arms, and laughed. "Ah… well, you luck out then. I'm actually here to talk to you about something else. But don't fret," he said, his voice caressing me. "You don't have to wait for me long."
What? He was here for something else? I smacked his arm. Gently. "You let me think that you were here for me? I sounded like an idiot!"
"It's not your conversation I have a hankering for. And you certainly don't seem averse to the idea," he said with a snicker. "However, today is for another matter. Introduce me to your unicorn friend."
As I turned to flounce away, Smoky reached out and gently grabbed my wrist. He could snap my hand like a toothpick if he wanted, but his restraint was entirely invisible—the chain forged from the authority with which he held me, rather than his strength. "I know you want me. I can make you melt, Camille."
My breath caught somewhere half between my chest and my toes, I swallowed the knot working its way up into my chest. He was toying with me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. "I know. Trust me, I know." Whether or not it was time to pay up, I wanted to take him up to my bed right then and there, and fuck him until there was nothing left but embers.
Smoky pulled me close, and his lips grazed mine. His skin was soft and supple, yet demanding even in the lightest of pressure. My body sang with the feel of him pressed against me, his length, hard and rigid and searching. My breasts ached for the touch of his hands.
But he abruptly straightened and let go of my arm.
"As I said, we'll have our time." His voice was once again aloof, but as I met his gaze, I saw the hunger raging behind his cool demeanor.
Shaken, horny as hell, and about to jump out of my skin, I led him into the living room. Delilah gave him a wave, then slowly lowered her hand as she glanced at me. Menolly blinked. Since Menolly never blinked except when she wanted to make a point, it was obvious that she sensed the tension.
Chase was the only one who seemed oblivious. "Hey, Dragon Dude. How's it going?" He didn't exactly trust Smoky, but he'd gotten a lot more comfortable around Cryptos and Supes since he'd started dating Delilah.
Smoky gave him a brief nod, but his gaze slid past the detective to land on the unicorn. "Camille, introduce me to your new friend."
Hoping to hell that dragons and unicorns got along—it was hard to keep up on all the blood feuds between Cryptos—I cleared my throat. "Feddrah-Dahns, meet Smoky. Smoky, this is His Majesty, Feddrah-Dahns, Crown Prince of the Dahns unicorn herd."
I wasn't sure if the unicorn could recognize Smoky's dragon nature, but Feddrah-Dahns answered that question in short order.
"Was it your mother or your father who was the silver dragon?" he asked.
"He's a white dragon—" I started to say, but Smoky cut me off.
"Very perceptive, Your Majesty," he said, inclining his head. "Few have been able to pinpoint my heritage so well. My mother was a silver dragon, my father a white."
Well, that was news. We'd assumed that Smoky was one hundred percent white dragon. That he had silver dragon blood explained a lot about his magical abilities. It also left open a host of other possibilities, all of which were just a little too scary to think about. Silver dragons were far more powerful than white dragons. Silver dragons had ties to all things who walked the night, including the gods of death.
Menolly slowly lowered herself to the floor. "You're half silver dragon? So that's how you knew how to summon the Autumn Lord."
Smoky blinked at her. "Correct, dear vampyr. Unfortunately, I'm all out of prizes today." He grinned, and Menolly actually laughed.
That was one thing I liked about Smoky, he wasn't malicious. At least as far as we were concerned. His jokes and taunts were sprinkled with a dash of whimsy. His rebukes, however, were another thing. Warning. F-5 dragon storm ahead. Ignore at your own peril.
Smoky turned back to Feddrah-Dahns. "Camille tells me you offer help against the demon lord." A statement. Not a question.
Feddrah-Dahns shifted from one side to the other. "Correct. There are many among the Cryptozoid Alliance in Otherworld who fear the impending demonic war. Neither they nor the alliance doubt the veracity of what's happening. The elves keep contact with us, and we keep contact with others in the valleys and forests."
Which brought up the question, just how many other Cryptos were thinking along the same lines? Could we have allies we didn't yet know about?
"What aid are you offering?" Smoky stared at the unicorn, his gaze cool and expectant. I had the uneasy feeling that if Feddrah-Dahns refused to tell him, we'd end up with a battle in the house, after which we'd all be so much burnt toast.
