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"Well, obviously, our top priority is to find the third spirit seal before the Raksasa does. Second, locate Mistletoe and the horn, and destroy the demon spying for Shadow Wing." I accepted the cup of steaming tea and settled back in the rocking chair, letting the fragrant scent of Richya blossoms waft up to soothe my throbbing head. "And third, we deal with Morgaine and whatever the hell she's up to. I suppose we better find out if she's in league with Shadow Wing first. That's still a possibility."
"Morgaine? Involved with Shadow Wing?" echoed a voice from the hall. The door closed, and Trillian, my Svartan lover and the alpha member of my triad, sauntered into the living room. With skin black as obsidian and silver hair tinged with cerulean that cascaded down to the middle of his back, he was refined, elegant, and his eyes glinted robin's-egg blue, haunting in their magnetism.
Oh, hell. Trillian and Smoky were constantly bickering. The chances for a testosterone match had just jumped sky high.
I started to sweep past dragon-boy when Smoky reached up and pulled me down on his lap again, nuzzling my ear. He was staring directly at Trillian, a hint of challenge baiting that icy cold look of his.
"Not really necessary—not now!" I pushed my way out of his embrace.
Trillian glowered. "I thought I smelled the stench of dragon sweat outside. I see I was right. What are you doing here?"
I tapped Trillian on the shoulder. "Pull in the claws."
"I need to speak with you." He was testy, all right. "Alone. Now."
I shrugged and pointed to the parlor. "Fine. I'll meet you in there." Private was good. Privacy might prevent bloodshed.
Trillian strode past me, ignoring Smoky as he crossed in front of him. I flashed a tight smile to Menolly and Delilah. "While I'm filling Trillian in on what's happened, why don't you guys try to figure out where Mistletoe might have gotten himself lost to. If he hasn't used a Whispering Spell to contact Feddrah-Dahns again, he might be worried the goblin can home in on it and use it like radar. And Menolly, can you keep your ears open at work tonight? Maybe you can glean some information about where to find the demon."
Delilah flashed me an impish grin. "And what are you going to be doing?"
"Gee, I dunno. Try to defuse a bomb before it blows?" I shot a scathing look at Smoky. "Got anything to say about that? Or do you just enjoy creating havoc for me?"
He met my bet and raised me twenty. He folded his arms and planted himself in the middle of the room. "I like watching you handle your men. I've seen you handle Morio, remember?"
Once again, I blushed. Smoky had been witness to the first time when Morio and I hit the sheets. Or the grass, rather. We'd been bewitched, and Smoky had a front-row seat for the tryst of the century, though we hadn't known he was there at the time. Hell, under that lust spell, I doubt if we would have even cared. I whirled toward the parlor.
"Camille," he said, and I stopped short. His voice had dropped a good octave, and I felt the force behind the command.
"What?" My voice squeaked, and he grinned.
"Good, you're paying attention. Be sure to tell the Svartan that you may be his, but I'm still a dragon, and he'd do best to remember it." He winked, but I could tell he was deadly serious, and I had the distinct feeling I'd been given a warning that might save Trillian's life.
As I entered the parlor, Trillian silently held out his hand, and I walked over to his side. He pulled me into his arms and held me for a moment, nuzzling my neck. My skin began to tingle, as I always did when I was close to him. As magnetic as Smoky was, Trillian was familiar territory, safe and inviting.
"So, he's come to claim you?" He stepped back, his expression aloof, but a grumble in his voice told me just how he felt.
"He didn't come to collect on his debt. Not yet. But he will soon, and you know that I have no choice. The deal was struck, and I always pay my debts."
"This is ridiculous," Trillian said with a growl. "Fox Boy, I can handle. In fact, I've gotten used to him, and he's all right, though don't you dare tell him I said that. But the idea of that dragon mauling you repulses me."
I could tell he was close to exploding. The fact that we'd both recently healed up from some serious wounds—Trillian from an arrow, and me from a vampire's claws—made us both vulnerable to injury. If Trillian got into it with Smoky, I wasn't sure he'd make it through alive.
"Listen to me," I said. "You know that you're my alpha lover, and that's the way I want it. Smoky's a dragon. He could skin you alive with a flick of his talons. But he's also one of our greatest allies. We can't afford to tick him off. And…"
I stopped. Did I dare say that I wanted to go? That, as much as I loved Trillian and Morio, I couldn't help but linger over images and daydreams of what delights a dragon might offer? I'd spent more than one night mentally undressing that tall spire of ice in my mind. I was pledged to the Moon Mother, and she ran like silver fire in my blood, sensual and full and ripe. Her followers weren't satisfied with life on the vanilla side.
Trillian circled me, like a thief might orbit the object of his desire. "You want him, don't you? I can smell you—you're aroused. You really want the dragon?" He moved in, looping his arm around my waist as he buried his face in my hair. His lips on my flesh were like wine, heady and rich.
I gasped, my lower lip trembling. How could I tell him? And yet, Trillian knew me. We weren't children here. We weren't human—well, not fully—and we weren't married. In our world, there was no promise of you're my only to one another. Trillian could handle the truth, but he wouldn't put up with bullshit. "I… I…"
"Tell me," he said, his other hand gently caressing my breast, his fingers tripping lightly over the bustier, setting me ablaze beneath my clothes. My nipples stiffened, and my breath came hard. I'd been through the sexual wringer so much today that I was about ready to scream. He pressed against me. "I saw it in your eyes out there when he grabbed you. You want him, don't you?"
"Yes," I said, both scared and relieved. It had been hard to pretend that I was only going along because of the debt I owed Smoky. "Yes, I want him. He scares me, but he… he…"
"My beautiful goddess," Trillian said, trailing a circlet of kisses around the back of my neck. "You like to play with fire, don't you? You like the scent of danger on your men."
I shivered. He was right. I liked my men dangerous and dark. Or dangerous and white as the fallen snow. Sweet, light, gentle… they had their place, but I lived under the moon. I ran with the Hunt. My passion flowed in jewel tones, not pastels.
