Love in the Time of Dragons (26 page)

“If I can’t stop Constantine, you will not be left with the choice.”

“There is always a choice,” I said, holding up a cloth for him. “We just need to find it.”

The heat of the fire melted away, easing into a different sort of warmth. Sunlight poured over me as I sat on the stone front steps of Baltic’s house. I blinked as my mind was once again returned to the present, no longer disconcerted by the ease with which I slipped in and out of the visions.

“Whatcha doing?”

I looked up from where I had been hugging my legs, my chin resting on my knees, and moved the pad of paper upon which I’d been making a list before I’d slipped into the vision.

Jim plopped its big butt down next to me.

“Making a to-do list. I thought you were out with Brom.”

The demon made a face. “He found a dead mouse and is looking it over to see if it’s too far gone to mummify or not. Kid’s a little weird, Soldy—you have to admit it.”

“ ‘Eccentric’ is, I believe, the term you meant to use,” I said with a gimlet glance. “He is very intelligent. He has interests beyond those of lesser children.”

“Whatever. What’s on your list?” It peered at the tablet. “ ‘Call Aisling.’ You better put on a pair of asbestos earplugs, ’cause she’s going to be Miss Pottymouth of 2010 when she hears what you did to me.”

“She seems like a reasonable person,” I said with complacence I did not feel. “I’m sure I will be able to explain.”

Jim snorted. “That’s not a word that’s often applied to her, but you’re just going to have to find that out for yourself. What’s next on the list? ‘Call May and apologize for disappearance.’ I like May. She feeds me.”

“That is an excellent pointed look, but it is wasted on me. I’m sure you already had breakfast, and it’s not lunchtime yet.”

“You think this fabulous form stays looking this way without any help? Nuh-uh! I gotta give it all sorts of vitamins and minerals and fresh, lightly grilled cuts of beef.”

“I’m sure you’ll survive until lunch.”

“I wouldn’t count on it. Number three . . . oooh. That’s going to be a doozy.”

“Yes, it is.”

Jim’s face screwed up as it thought. “If I was you, I’d try and find a neutral place to meet the wyverns. Because if you just march into a
sárkány
with Baltic, they’ll grab you both.”

I gave the demon a long look. “Why are you being helpful?”

Its eyes opened wide. “Me? Helpful? Not on your shiny pink ass. I’m a demon, remember?”

“Yes, but you’re being helpful. That is totally against the norm so far as demons go.”

“Yeah, well.” It paused to suck a tooth. “I’m more than just a normal demon. I’m like Demon Plus with super whitening power. How’re you going to get Baltic to agree to meet with the other wyverns?”

“What makes you think he wouldn’t?” I asked, quelling a feeling of worry about that very subject.

It rolled its eyes at me. “He’s the dread wyvern Baltic! The big kahuna during the Endless War. He’s probably killed more dragons than everyone else put together.”

“Oh, he has not!” I said, shifting uneasily.

“You kidding? Mr. ‘We use his name to scare little dragons into being good’ Baltic? He’s like Genghis Khan and Vlad the Impaler and Stalin all rolled into one scaly package.”

“Baltic is not scaly! Almost never!”

It cocked a furry eyebrow at me. “Face it, Soldums—you don’t get the kind of reputation Baltic has by working well with others, and that’s what number three on your list is asking him to do.”

I looked down at my list, sighing to myself as I admitted the truth. “He used to be scary. Now he’s different.”

“A kinder, gentler maniac is still a maniac, chicky. Tell you what—you send me back to Ash, and I’ll tell her and Drake that Baltic isn’t the hyperderanged, mass-murdering psycho bastard they think he is, OK?”

“No,” I said firmly, putting a little tick mark next to item number three. “We’re not going to tell them that. We’re going to prove it, and the only way we can do that is to get everyone together, the wyverns and Baltic and me, so we can work things out in a civilized manner.”

The demon eyed me curiously as I stood up, filled with determination. “You think you got a way to make all that happen?”

“I think I have a way to make Baltic understand that he will have to speak with the wyverns, yes. You forget there’s a death sentence hanging over my head. He may be adorably arrogant, but I doubt very much if he will allow the weyr to kill me. I’ll simply point out that if he wants that sentence lifted, he’s going to have to go with me to speak to the wyverns.”

“Uh-huh. That’s just part of it, though, the Baltic side. How are you going to get the wyverns to talk to him?”

“That’s the easiest part of all,” I said, patting it on its head.

“Yeah? What do you have up your sleeve? A magic mongoose or something?”

“Nope.” I paused at the door and tossed the demon a smile. “I have you.”

I closed the door gently on the sound of its sputtering.

The phone calls, as I suspected, weren’t the most pleasant ones of my life.

“Ysolde!” Aisling gasped when I got through to her. “Are you all right? We just got home. May’s here, and she said you’ve been kidnapped. Did you get away from Baltic? Has he hurt you? If he has, you just let me know. I’m a professional—I’ll take care of him. I’ll just summon Jim from Paris, and we’ll—”

“Er . . . I appreciate that offer, but it’s not necessary,” I interrupted. “About Jim . . . Aisling, Jim is with me.”

“It’s what? Why is it with you? Oh my god! Baltic kidnapped Jim when he grabbed you, didn’t he? That bastard! That fire-breathing bastard! He had just better watch out the next time I see him, because I will do all sorts of evil things to him. He won’t ever have children, for a start. And I think I know of someone who can curse him—”

“I would really appreciate if you didn’t do any of that,” I said, laughing. I could feel her surprise at the laughter, which, I admit, died quickly as I confessed, “Baltic didn’t kidnap Jim—I did.”

The silence that followed the statement was broken only by the noise of another receiver being picked up. “Ysolde? It’s May. You’re all right? Are you hurt in any way?”

“She said she took Jim,” Aisling said, breathing somewhat heavily into the phone.

“She did? I thought it went to Paris.”

“It was supposed to.”

“Then why did Ysolde kidnap it?”

I sighed. “Because it saw that Baltic was with me. Look, this is going to be impossible to explain over the phone. I just didn’t want you thinking that Jim was in any danger. It’s here with us—”

“With you and Baltic? What the hell?” Aisling said, her voice rising.

“Oh, knock it off,” I said irritably. Although I knew I had committed the wrong, I had expected that they would understand why I had done it.

“Did she just tell you to knock it off?” May asked Aisling.

“Yes, she did,” Aisling answered, sounding rather bewildered.

“I’m sorry for my rudeness, but honestly! I thought if anyone would understand what’s been happening, two wyverns’ mates would,” I said firmly. “Surely you two understand the strength of the bonds that tie you to your particular dragon. The same applies to me, no matter if I am in human form or not.”

“But—” Aisling started to protest.

“No, there are no buts. You’re the ones who were so bent on insisting that I’m Baltic’s mate! For the love of all that’s holy, you were ready to condemn me to death because of that!” My own voice was rising now. I made an effort to stem my growing anger.

“I never wanted you to die,” May said quietly.

“Well, me either! I may be a demon lord, but I’m not a
bad
demon lord,” Aisling said quickly.

“You accepted Baltic as your mate?” May asked.

I rubbed my forehead. Another headache was blossoming. “Yes, I did. And because of that, I want to call a
sárkány
.”

“Um . . . all right,” Aisling said. “I guess since you’re a member of the silver sept, you can do that.”

I didn’t correct the incorrect assumption. “I want to discuss with the weyr these deaths of the blue dragons. Baltic and I will attend the
sárkány
together.”

An intake of breath greeted that statement, but it was impossible to tell which woman made it.

“Since I know the weyr believes Baltic to be guilty of those deaths, and I believe he’s innocent, we must have the opportunity to discuss the situation with everyone. For that reason, Jim will remain in my custody until it’s over.”

“You do realize that all I have to do is summon it, right?” Aisling asked.

“Oh, yes, I know you could summon it in a heartbeat.” I crossed my fingers. “But you won’t.”

“I won’t? Why not?”

“Because you are a woman of honor,” I said firmly, praying my assessment of her character was sound. “In addition, you realize that Baltic needs to meet with the wyverns, and you know that they won’t mind their manners unless they have a compelling reason to do so, and you, as a fellow wyvern’s mate, understand the importance of making them act reasonably. For that reason, you’ll allow Jim to be a hostage for the wyverns’ good behavior.”

“I’ll do all that?” she asked, but I heard amusement in her voice, and I knew I had her support.

“You will. Jim will stay in my protection until Baltic has met with the weyr and been given safe passage out. I will not allow anyone to railroad him.”

“Railroad him?” Aisling’s voice lost the amusement.

May spoke softly, with no real inflection to her voice. “You have to understand that we have experience with Baltic, and although I realize you are his mate, and thus you want to protect him, he is not innocent of the blue dragons’ deaths. Gabriel was there. He saw the bodies. He questioned the two survivors.”

“I have always heard that dragons valued their honor, which is why I will ask the wyverns to agree to allow us safe passage to and from the
sárkány
. Jim will be returned to you safe and sound once we are away.”

Aisling was silent for a minute. “All right. I will trust you. But so help me, if Jim is harmed in any way—”

“It won’t be. I just want the same guarantee for Baltic.”

Aisling snorted.

I gave her my cell phone number and told her to call me when a time for the
sárkány
had been set.

“Ysolde . . .” May’s voice stopped me as I was about to hang up.

“Yes?” I asked, somewhat wearily. I didn’t like having to be the bad guy, but someone had to end the conflict between Baltic and the weyr, and instinctively I knew he would not take any steps to do so on his own.

“Baltic . . . forgive me for asking, but you don’t think he’s using some sort of a thrall on you? We haven’t known you long, but you don’t seem like the sort of person who would tolerate, much less protect, a man who murders in cold blood.”

I smiled sadly at my feet. “No, he hasn’t enthralled me. That would involve sex, and . . . well . . . we haven’t.”

“Baltic didn’t jump you the second he could?” Aisling asked, clearly agog at the notion.

“No. He might have wanted to—all right, he
did
want to—but I’m married. He understands that until I can talk with my husband and inform him that I wish to have a divorce, I don’t feel it’s morally right to do all the things we’d like to do.”

Silence greeted that pronouncement. I was about to hang up again when May said, “That’s very interesting.”

“I’m glad my lack of a sex life is fascinating to you,” I said dryly.

“I’m sorry, that sounded rude, didn’t it? It wasn’t intended that way. Ysolde . . . you said you had memories of the past. You must remember that dragons are very dominant when it comes to claiming their mates physically. That goes double for wyverns,” May said.

“Oh, yes,” Aisling added with a little chuckle.

“Yes, but this is different. That was in the past. This is now, today, in the present,” I explained.

“Just the fact that you accepted him as a mate and he hasn’t . . . well! I think that says something,” Aisling added. “I think that says a lot of something.”

“Yes, it says he has restraint. Call me when you have the time and day for the
sárkány
,” I said, and hung up the phone, relieved it was over. “I just hope the rest of my plans go so well.”

I
dly, I rubbed my cell phone and wondered if I���d put the cart before the horse. Baltic hadn’t denied that he had killed those blue dragons, and yet I had seen a moment of hurt in his eyes before he answered with a typical dragon nonanswer. “I couldn’t love someone who was a murderer,” I said aloud to the empty room. “I couldn’t.”

“What couldn’t you do?” Baltic asked from the doorway, causing me to jump.

“I’ll tell you if you answer two questions for me.”

His eyebrows rose as he strolled across the room to me, all coiled power and sexy hips. “Just two?”

“Yes. The first is whether you had any involvement with the deaths of the blue dragons.”

He paused for a second, giving me an unreadable look. “You have already asked me that question, and I have answered it.”

“No, you gave me a nonanswer.”

“What purpose would I have to kill blue dragons?”

I ground my teeth. “You know, this dragon thing of not answering a question outright is driving me nuts.”

“It shouldn’t. You are prone to the same trait.”

“I am not! I’m human! I don’t do that! Now please, just answer the question—did you have anything to do with those deaths?”

“Yes.”

My stomach dropped like a lead weight. I was so sure he would deny it. “You did? You killed those dragons?”

“No.”

He stood near to me, not touching, but close enough that I could feel his dragon fire come to life. “You just said you did!” I all but wailed.