ClosertoFire (8 page)

“So I gathered.” Darek met Lily’s slowly clearing gaze.

The sound of coughing came from the bar around the corner,
returning their attention to where they were.

Darek’s grin returned. “I tried convincing the bartender
he’d taken one too many nips from the well this morning,” he told them. “He was
swearing up and down that someone was having sex in the men’s room. I told him
I’d check it out for him.”

“Imagine,” Bane said. Lily blushed near purple.

“The nerve of some people,” Darek said, taking her arm.
“There’s an exit at the back of the kitchen, dear. I thought you might like to
go that way instead of sashaying past the barkeep. Shall we?”

They rented a car and spent the rest of the afternoon
exploring the maritime museum and shops near the pier. Lily had never been to
North Carolina’s Outer Banks before and enjoyed herself immensely, spending
hours poring over the exhibits about marine life, fisherman’s knots, shipwrecks
and especially the Wright brothers. The little used bookshop near the beach
drew her immediately and it was an effort to get her to leave without an
armload of books. Bane and Darek insisted on following her lead and went with
her patiently, though they seemed far more interested in watching her than in
the museum or bookshop.

For the first time in her life, Lily felt free to go where
she pleased. Men who would have approached her before—some aggressively—made a
sharp U-turn at the sight of Darek and Bane, who reluctantly agreed that she
could meet Savara, and soon, to learn how to tone down the sexual glamor that
ran in her blood.

Despite Savara’s generosity, Lily wanted badly to find a
plain pair of jeans and a T-shirt that didn’t show quite so much cleavage. The
men obliged her, and by the end of the afternoon she had clothes that didn’t
draw too much attention. The men surprised her by purchasing a set of earrings
she’d been admiring in the window of a jewelry shop. The earrings were small,
triangular Celtic knots in silver with three stones set into each one—a
diamond, a sapphire and a ruby. Lily was a sucker for Celtic designs. Darek
gave her the gift as they walked along the pier, watching the fishermen bring
in their day’s catch. She hugged them both, her eyes tearing up.

Not wanting to spoil the day, she waited until they stopped
for a late lunch at a crab shack near the beach to out the elephant in the
room.

“So,” she said, resting her elbows on the table and squaring
her shoulders, “about this Inquiry. You said it was tonight, right?” Bane
peered over his menu at her, one eyebrow raised. Beside her, Darek shifted in
his chair, growling softly.

“We’re not going,” Darek replied. Lily felt the energy
coiling within him. She was grateful there was only one other customer in the
restaurant.

Bane snapped his menu shut and set it down. “What about it?”
he asked.

Lily leaned forward. “I’m thinking it would be better if we
went.”

“What?” Darek asked, bristling. “No. Out of the question.”

She held up her hand. “Just hear me out. If we don’t go, the
Council will come after us, right? Not just me. You guys too.”

“Lily,” Bane said, “Darek’s right. You don’t know what they
do to idani. Some of the dracambri on the Council lost everything in the war.
The older dracambri remember what it was like before the war. They trusted your
mother’s kind and their sense of betrayal runs deep. Even the younger members
have spent their lives hunting your kind.”

“What about your sovereign?” she asked. “What’s he like?
Does he have a wyrmate?” The words still felt strange on her tongue.

“He does,” Darek answered. “She’s human.”

Encouraged, Lily put her hand on Darek’s. “Well, if he’s
mated to a human, he understands interspecies relationships?”

Bane sat back in his chair. “Yeah,” he answered without
conviction.

Darek clasped her hand in both of his. “It’s a little more
complicated than that, love. The
sovrán
, Anthony, thinks Savara sold out
the dracambri. At the very least, she took Kai and vanished in the middle of a
fight. She left Anthony and his mate, Chloe, alone with a nest of hybrids.”

Bane shook his head. “It wasn’t like that, Darek. You
weren’t there.”

Darek grunted. “Oh right, I forgot. She’s a saint.” Lily
watched the interchange, curious.

Bane waved his hand dismissively. “Look, that’s a subject
for later. Suffice it to say Anthony has no love for Savara right now.”

Lily traced the edge of the table with her fingertip. “But
that was Savara, not me. Aside from the fact that she knew my mother, I don’t
have any connection to her.”

“Even so,” Darek said, “he wouldn’t exactly be amenable to
the idea of sanctioning an idani-dracambri mating. That’s how hybrids get
made.”

Bane shot him a hard look. Taken aback, Lily fell silent.
Did they think she was going to get pregnant?

Across the table, Bane shook his head. “No, Lily. I
checked—ran some lab work last night. We would never risk that with you,” he
said.

Her chest tightened. He’d
checked
? What was she, a
science experiment?

Darek’s lips drew back from his teeth. “Nice going,” he
growled.

Bane opened his mouth to speak but the waiter chose that
moment to approach the table.

They ordered, Lily holding back tears. The waiter left and
an awkward silence descended.

“I’m sorry, Lily,” Bane said finally. “I didn’t mean that
like it sounded.”

“No, I’m sure you’re right. We can’t have demon babies
running around, after all. It’s unnatural.” Her lips felt numb. Maybe this
whole relationship was unnatural.

Bane leaned across the table, reaching for her hand. “That
mark on your throat suggests otherwise,” he said.

She traced the edge of the mark, closing her eyes at the
pleasure it brought her.

“Whether he likes it or not, the three of us are wyrmates,
Lily. Pairing is inevitable,” Darek said. She looked into his deep-brown eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” Bane said. “But the idea of taking you to
them, when all they see in you is an enemy… I just can’t do it. I won’t do it.”

She held his gaze for a long moment before nodding. “All
right.”

“There is one possibility,” Bane said. Hope rose in Lily.
Darek raised a skeptical eyebrow. “If—and I do mean
if
—Savara and Kai
are willing to go with us, explain what really happened that night she
disappeared with him, the others might listen. If they knew about Savara, that
there are other idani like her who will stand and fight against
la vedova
and the
náladon
…”

“Bane, we’ve known Lily for two days and we wouldn’t risk
her. If Kai is fully bonded to Savara, there’s no way he’ll risk it,” Darek
said.

Bane inclined his head. “If things go south though, Savara
can sift, remember? She can get us all out of there. I think.”

“You
think
? That’s not good enough,” Darek growled.

“You’re right—it’s not good enough. I’d have to be sure
Savara could sift us all out before we’d try.” He looked inspired. “But think
about it, Darek. Anthony will catch us eventually. It’s worth asking Savara and
Kai.” Lily watched the exchange hopefully.

Darek considered for a moment. “And if they refuse?” he
asked.

“If they refuse, we don’t go,” Bane said.

Darek rubbed his chin, looking tired. “Okay then.”

“I’m going to call Anthony,” Bane said, “tell him there’s a
complication, that we can’t make it until tomorrow night. That’ll give us time
to talk to Savara and Kai.” He stood, his chair rasping against the wooden
floor, and walked just outside the restaurant’s front door.

Lily watched through the window as he took out his cell
phone and placed a call. “It might work, Darek,” she said.

He smiled but his eyes were full of worry. “It might.” He
put his hand over hers.

Lily watched anxiously as Bane paced outside the window,
phone to his ear. She wanted very much to meet Savara. Her mother had died when
Lily was in college and, as far as she knew, she had no surviving relatives.
Despite their differences, she’d revered her mother. Once, in high school, Lily
had stumbled onto a genealogy website and become captivated with the idea of
researching her family tree. What followed was one of the worst arguments she’d
ever had with her mother.

“The past is over, Lily,” her mother had said at last. “It’s
over
, and I won’t go back there. What’s important is here, now, you and
me. Especially you,” she’d said, wiping away tears that fought to the surface.
Lily hated to see her mother cry, so she’d dropped the matter—but her curiosity
remained. Sinclair was such a common surname that Lily had gotten absolutely
nowhere in her own research. It was one of the reasons library school was so
appealing to Lily—she’d wanted to learn how to dig deeper and find out more
about her origins.

The food arrived and outside, Bane ended his call. She could
glean nothing from his businesslike manner as he crossed the room, so she
simply watched him, admiring the efficient, athletic way he moved.

“He’s so composed,” she observed to Darek. “Is he always
that way?”

Darek’s dark eyes were amused. The corners of his mouth
twitched. “Why…you want to rattle his chain?”

She grinned, excitement pooling low in her belly. “Maybe.”

He laughed. “At your service.” His voice dropped to a
conspiratorial whisper as Bane reached the table. “Give me an hour to find a
few things.”

“A few wha—” Lily began but he silenced her with a kiss.

“Hush, gorgeous,” he murmured against her lips. “Trust me.”
She bit her lip to stifle a giggle.

“Should I be suspicious?” Bane asked, taking his seat and
picking up his napkin.

Lily affected innocence. “Of what?”

Bane’s eyes narrowed.

“So what did you find out?” Darek asked quickly, tapping her
foot under the table.

The distraction worked. “Anthony agreed to move the Inquiry
to tomorrow night,” Bane said. “As for Kai and Savara…” He looked thoughtfully
at his food. “I got Savara on the phone,” he said at last. “She desperately
wants to meet Lily and Kai’s willing to humor her on that count. They agreed to
meet us tomorrow morning on one of the islands off the coast.”

Darek circled his hand in an impatient gesture. “And will
they go with us to the Inquiry?”

Bane hesitated. “I’m not sure.” Darek raised an eyebrow and
opened his mouth, but Bane held up his hand. “Let me finish. Kai flat-out
refused on the phone, but Savara told me to give her time to work on him. She
seemed pretty sure she could convince him to go and speak on our behalf.” The
men exchanged an amused glance.

“What?” Lily asked, feeling as though she’d missed
something.

“Let’s just say that Savara’s…got a lot of leverage with
Kai,” Bane said. “I think it’s reasonable to hope that he’ll come around.”

“But can she sift us all out of there if she needs to?”
Darek asked.

Bane took a swallow of his drink before answering. “She says
she’s never sifted an entire group before—just herself and Kai—but she sees no
reason she couldn’t do it.” When Darek looked dubious, Bane shrugged. “We could
always try it beforehand to see if it will work.” Darek nodded but didn’t look
entirely convinced.

They ate in silence for a few moments before Lily asked,
“Does that mean we’re free for the evening?”

Darek turned to Lily, nodding, his gaze earnest. “Where do
you want to go?” he asked. “We have a wide range of options.”

Lily looked from him to Bane, who nodded his agreement. She
thought for a second. “Somewhere wild,” she said dreamily. Then, expanding on
her fantasy, she added, “Somewhere where you two can shift. I want to see your
other form. Where we can stay outside, have a campfire, go swimming and play
dirty games all night if we want.”

Bane grinned, his gaze meeting Darek’s. “The Southern Aerie
it is.”

Lily raised her eyebrows.

“Ancient dracambri secret,” Darek said, patting her leg.
Lily was about to push him for an answer when the waiter approached the table.

“Anything for dessert?”

* * * * *

At sunset, Lily found herself on a deserted beach. She sat
on a blanket between Darek and Bane, her knees drawn up to her chest as they
waited for the last fiery streaks to fade from the horizon. The mild, salty
breeze stirred her hair and she turned to face the wind, inhaling deeply,
trying not to fidget—and not to wonder what was in the large black duffel bag
Darek had brought along. When she’d asked earlier, he’d answered only, “things
for later”, which piqued her curiosity.

“Impatient?” Darek asked, his dark eyes showing amusement.

“Yes,” she answered, resting her chin on her knees.

He leaned close to her ear, his voice dropping a notch. “How
about a little game to pass the time?” he asked.

Her pussy clenched at the deep sound of his voice. Goose
bumps formed on her arms. “What did you have in mind?” she asked, trying to
sound casual.

He crossed his legs and gestured to her. “Come sit in my
lap.”

She rose to her knees, moved over to him and was about to
settle into his lap when he shook his head sharply.

“Face me.” She turned to face him, very aware of Bane’s
watchful, approving gaze. From his left pocket, Darek drew a piece of black
cloth—a blindfold, she realized—and raised it to her face. She let him cover
her eyes and tie the cloth, securing it at the back of her head.

“Now,” he said, his voice deep and resonant, “what do you
see?”

Huh?
What was he playing at? “I see…um…nothing.”

“Try again,” he prodded and she felt his strong, calloused
hands slide under her shirt. It tickled and she reflexively covered them with
her own. He stilled and she swore she could
smell
his disapproval—hard
and acrid. She took her hands away, resting them on his shoulders instead.

“That’s better,” he said, his voice a throaty purr. He
pulled her close. His breath was warm on her neck. “Now tell me what you see,”
he murmured. His teeth grazed her neck gently and she shivered, letting her
head fall back, exposing her throat to him. Something—his thumb—brushed ever so
lightly over the mark at the base of her throat, and her internal world
exploded into color.

She inhaled sharply with surprise. “I see you,” she said,
startled by the clarity of the vision in her mind’s eye. “You’re standing at
the edge of a cliff but I’m not afraid you’ll fall. You’re looking down, far
below, into a lake so blue it’s almost painful to look at. It’s a gorge, or a…”