no more turn off my awareness of you than I can cast the dragon from my body.”
She twisted her face away from him.
He pushed to his feet. Maybe it would’ve been less painful to just sever his arm than feel her withdrawing. “You called through the link, and I came,” he said formally. “If you’ve no further need of me…”
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t use that tone with me. Like you’re a servant.”
“In this I am, in service to the solarys bond.”
“I didn’t ask for it.” Her voice was almost shrill, and he winced.
“You’ve made that abundantly clear,” he said. “If the memories bother you again, I’ll come.”
“I didn’t ask for that either.” She huddled into the war zone of fine sheets.
He turned back to the door, muttering to himself, “Yeah, just salt that wound.”
“What?” The sharp change in her tone stopped him in the doorway.
He didn’t glance back. “Sleep well.”
“No, you said salt. That’s where I was.”
Hearing the fear in her voice, he pivoted slowly to face her. “You were with Ashcraft in Salt Lake City.”
“No. Well, yes, in Salt Lake, but in the Salt Lake.” She shoved herself upright, clutching the blankets to her chest although her gaze was unfocused, as if she wasn’t seeing him eyeing her but whatever had been in her dream. “That’s where he took me.”
Bale frowned, a faint stirring of excitement counteracting the chill in his skin that had seemed to transfer from her to him. “When Torch and Anjali confronted him, he chose to meet them at the lake.”
“His stronghold is there.”
“By the lake?”
“ In the lake.” She scrambled out of the bed, dragging the sheets with her. “We have to go. I need to see…”
He strode back across the room and stopped her harried pacing with a foot on her trailing sheet.
She halted and glared at him. “Let me go.”
“ We will go,” he said. “But not like this.”
She looked down at the sheet and his foot. Then she dropped the blanket and hustled toward the bathroom, giving him a fine view of her naked ass.
When she returned minutes later, she was dressed head to toe in black. The unrelieved darkness of the snug leggings and sleeveless mock turtleneck only served to emphasize the pale fall of her hair and her overall fragility.
He raised his eyebrows, and twin spots of red stained her cheeks. “I had to go shopping,” she said defensively. “I was tired of white.”
“I see that,” he said.
She stiffened. “Don’t mock me.”
“I’m not,” he said. “You look rightly dangerous.”
She spun away from him. “Ashcraft thinks he got away with what he did to me, what he wanted to do to a dragon.”
“He didn’t,” Bale reminded her. “We ruined his antiquities company and his name and sent him into hiding. He’s a wanted man.”
“He was already hiding what he was,” she said. “And he was always wanted.” A hard, flat glint turned her obsidian eyes to something darker and heavier: lead. “I want to take that away from him.”
Chapter 11
Revenge wasn’t a good look on anyone, but he’d make an exception for Esme Montenegro.
Bale sat across from her on the small chartered plane for the hop between Vegas and Salt Lake, studying her leaden eyes and the faint flush that let him know she knew he was watching her.
“I’ve never been on an airplane before,” he said conversationally.
She jerked her head up, as if she hadn’t expected him to engage her. The hard glint in her eyes softened a little. “Really? What do you think?”
“I like it better when I’m doing it myself.”
Her lips curved, and she angled her body toward him. “Yeah. Always a little nerve wracking to think we could just fall out of the sky.” Her smile slipped. “When we were in Ashcraft’s jet and Rave brought us down…” She shivered. “I was mostly out of it and still my stomach was in my throat.”
He leaned back in his seat. “I was flying when the petralys
She twisted her face away from him.
He pushed to his feet. Maybe it would’ve been less painful to just sever his arm than feel her withdrawing. “You called through the link, and I came,” he said formally. “If you’ve no further need of me…”
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t use that tone with me. Like you’re a servant.”
“In this I am, in service to the solarys bond.”
“I didn’t ask for it.” Her voice was almost shrill, and he winced.
“You’ve made that abundantly clear,” he said. “If the memories bother you again, I’ll come.”
“I didn’t ask for that either.” She huddled into the war zone of fine sheets.
He turned back to the door, muttering to himself, “Yeah, just salt that wound.”
“What?” The sharp change in her tone stopped him in the doorway.
He didn’t glance back. “Sleep well.”
“No, you said salt. That’s where I was.”
Hearing the fear in her voice, he pivoted slowly to face her. “You were with Ashcraft in Salt Lake City.”
“No. Well, yes, in Salt Lake, but in the Salt Lake.” She shoved herself upright, clutching the blankets to her chest although her gaze was unfocused, as if she wasn’t seeing him eyeing her but whatever had been in her dream. “That’s where he took me.”
Bale frowned, a faint stirring of excitement counteracting the chill in his skin that had seemed to transfer from her to him. “When Torch and Anjali confronted him, he chose to meet them at the lake.”
“His stronghold is there.”
“By the lake?”
“ In the lake.” She scrambled out of the bed, dragging the sheets with her. “We have to go. I need to see…”
He strode back across the room and stopped her harried pacing with a foot on her trailing sheet.
She halted and glared at him. “Let me go.”
“ We will go,” he said. “But not like this.”
She looked down at the sheet and his foot. Then she dropped the blanket and hustled toward the bathroom, giving him a fine view of her naked ass.
When she returned minutes later, she was dressed head to toe in black. The unrelieved darkness of the snug leggings and sleeveless mock turtleneck only served to emphasize the pale fall of her hair and her overall fragility.
He raised his eyebrows, and twin spots of red stained her cheeks. “I had to go shopping,” she said defensively. “I was tired of white.”
“I see that,” he said.
She stiffened. “Don’t mock me.”
“I’m not,” he said. “You look rightly dangerous.”
She spun away from him. “Ashcraft thinks he got away with what he did to me, what he wanted to do to a dragon.”
“He didn’t,” Bale reminded her. “We ruined his antiquities company and his name and sent him into hiding. He’s a wanted man.”
“He was already hiding what he was,” she said. “And he was always wanted.” A hard, flat glint turned her obsidian eyes to something darker and heavier: lead. “I want to take that away from him.”
Chapter 11
Revenge wasn’t a good look on anyone, but he’d make an exception for Esme Montenegro.
Bale sat across from her on the small chartered plane for the hop between Vegas and Salt Lake, studying her leaden eyes and the faint flush that let him know she knew he was watching her.
“I’ve never been on an airplane before,” he said conversationally.
She jerked her head up, as if she hadn’t expected him to engage her. The hard glint in her eyes softened a little. “Really? What do you think?”
“I like it better when I’m doing it myself.”
Her lips curved, and she angled her body toward him. “Yeah. Always a little nerve wracking to think we could just fall out of the sky.” Her smile slipped. “When we were in Ashcraft’s jet and Rave brought us down…” She shivered. “I was mostly out of it and still my stomach was in my throat.”
He leaned back in his seat. “I was flying when the petralys
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