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“He touched you?” Every word punctuated by another step, Smoky reached my side. He grabbed my wrist and held it tight, shaking me as he drew me forward. His hair wrapped around my waist, lifting me up to face him at eye level. “I asked you if he touched you! Answer me!”
“Yes, he did. But he didn’t have any choice—” My teeth were chattering now. Smoky caught my gaze and then, after a horrible moment in which I was truly afraid he might lose control, he very quietly put me down and gently pushed me away from the door. “Don’t—don’t go after him! He doesn’t have his powers anymore! He can’t defend himself.”
Trillian and Smoky both turned to me. Morio was sitting forward as far as he could. I swallowed my fear.
“The Moon Mother came through me while he was . . . while we were . . . she stripped him of his powers and the soul binder. He might as well be mortal, except for his innate strength. She took away his ability to feed.”
Smoky began to laugh then, but it was a horrible laugh, one filled with retribution and glee. “And so the Moon would wreak her justice before I have my chance. But I will have my say. Vanzir will know why even the gods fear a dragon.” He turned and wrenched open the door so quickly that he tore it off its hinges. Tossing it aside, he made for the stairs with me running after him.
“Stop! Smoky! No.” I put all the force I could muster in my voice.
He turned at the landing. “Why? Did you enjoy him so much? Are you so hungry for him that you would take a fourth?”
I let out a little cry. “How dare you? How dare you make light of what was one of the worst nights of my life? He fed on my mind—he didn’t want to, but his nature pushed him over the edge. And just where the fucking hell were your ears when I was telling you about the attack? We were at war with a pack of hungry ghosts. They almost killed Morio—they would have killed both of us!”
Smoky let out a harsh cry. “I cannot stand that he touched you! That he violated not only your body but your mind!”
“He didn’t rape me! I offered myself to him—”
“To get him out of your mind. Both attacks were violations—and in no way do I believe that he couldn’t stop himself. He’s probably been sniffing after your skirts since the beginning.”
Smoky circled me, glaring.
“You’re my wife—Trillian’s wife. Morio’s wife. I share you with them because it is what it is. But I refuse to share you with anyone else. I won’t share you with some filthy stinking demon who worms his way into your magic and your mind. You are a priestess! He should have had respect for you. How can you defend him?”
Before I thought of what I was doing, I reached out to slap him across the face. A strand of his hair caught my wrist and held it taut. Smoky pulled me to him.
“You’re my wife. No one gets away with harming you. No one. Do you understand?” His voice was thick, and he reeked of musk and anger. “You belong to me. We are paired. Mated. I should carry you off to a dreyerie. I should keep you as a queen.”
I could feel the energy of his dragon self rising around him. The thought that he might actually go through with it this time—he might carry me off along with Trillian and Morio—terrified me. Reasoning with men was bad enough, with all the testosterone, but Smoky was, beneath the gorgeous exterior, all dragon. And a thousand times more stubborn.
“Smoky. I love you. Please, believe me, I love you. But Vanzir . . . he got the short end of the stick. I’m okay. He’s not. He has already been punished by my goddess. She did something far worse to him than kill him. She stripped him of his very nature.”
Smoky trembled, nuzzling my neck. He pressed his lips to mine, savagely kissing me. And then he slowly put me down. When he spoke again, his voice was barely contained. “Go. Give me time. I can’t think straight. If you stay here, I will find him and kill him. Once you are out of the way, I’ll go to my barrow for the night. I can’t look at you right now or all I want to do is hunt down the demon dog and destroy him.”
I stumbled away from him, still afraid but clinging to the ray of hope he offered. Trillian didn’t touch me as I walked by, but he whispered, “I’ll try to talk to him. Best if you clear out for an hour or so.”
“Morio—?”
“He’ll be okay. Just go, my sweet.” And as I hurried down the stairs, angry and afraid and in tears, Trillian turned to Smoky.
The minute I got downstairs, I hurried into the kitchen. “Did Vanzir get out of here?”
Delilah nodded, her eyes wide. Shade looked like he was ready to tackle something. I glanced at my sister, then her lover, shaking my head.
“I told them . . . about Vanzir . . .”
“I thought you might have,” Shade said. “I could feel his dragon rising from down here. In fact, I’m getting ready to leave for a little while. All it would take is one wrong word from me to set him off.”
I nodded. “That’s a good idea. I’m going to take a walk. I need to get out of here, but I don’t want to drive anywhere.” I hunted in the laundry room and pulled on my walking skirt—which Iris had washed—and one of Delilah’s turtlenecks. It was too tight, especially around the bust, and I stretched it all out of proportion, but I’d buy her a new one. Throwing my cape over my shoulders, I let Shade walk me to the door.
Delilah gave me a kiss on the head. “Everything will be okay. Vanzir took off. He took the Chevy.” We’d bought a couple of spare cars for the guys to use—not as pretty as ours, but serviceable.
“Good. But Smoky could trace him in a heartbeat. Okay, I’ll be back in an hour or so. If I get too cold, I’ll hang out at the studio.” We’d turned a large shed on the property into a studio for Shamas, Roz, and Vanzir to sleep in. Occasionally, I sent my husbands down there to get them out of my hair when I wanted a night to myself.
As Shade walked me out into the snowy afternoon, the light was beginning to fade. Late afternoon might as well be dusk—the shortest day of the year was barely a week away. As we wandered into the twilight, I prayed to the Moon Mother that things would calm down. I’d never fully trusted Vanzir, but I knew he hadn’t hurt me on purpose, and I wasn’t one to hold grudges when I knew it had truly been circumstance and not premeditation at play.
Shade cocked his head to one side. “Give him time. His ego’s been hurt.”
