Firebreather 2: A Royal Continuum by Marie Harte Page A

color clearly expressing his desire. He said nothing, however, and did what Ava told him to do. After a minute, she nodded. "I don't hear any wheezing, and the pain's not excruciating, right?"
    "No." Matthias stared from Ava to Tanner, resting his gaze on Tanner's lips. "But I have to say I'm really starting to ache."
    Ava stroked his side before letting go. "Then why don't I go down to the bar while you wait up here and lie down."
    Tanner for the life of him, couldn't take his hand off Matthias. But when Matthias clasped his hand holding onto the sweatshirt and ran a thumb over his palm, Tanner let go of the fabric and took a deliberate step back.
    "Thanks," Matthias mumbled, donning the garment with a slow movement. "But I need to stretch out some. I'll head down to the bar while you two wait here."
    Remembering Matthias's last entry into a bar, Tanner denied him. "I don't think so. I'll go with you if you're so dead set on going downstairs. Ava, lock up behind us, okay?"
    She nodded and walked them to the door. "Fries if they have 'em. And bring back some ketchup, too."
    Matthias nodded. But before he left, he turned back to Ava and planted a long, lingering kiss on her lips. Much as Tanner longed to do the same, if he spent one more minute in the cramped little room with Ava and Matthias, he'd end up throwing one or the other to the floor and fucking the hell out of them. So he hustled Matthias out the door and muttered over his shoulder for Ava to lock up after them. Only when he heard the deadbolt turn did he join Matthias down the corridor.
    They walked quietly and waited by the elevator in silence.
    Matthias turned to him. "I have a favor to ask."
    Tanner waited, wondering.
    "It's about Ava."
    What? Was Matthias planning to tell Tanner to leave her alone? That she was off limits, maybe?
    "What about her?" He hated that his voice sounded so gruff.
    "I want you to help me win her over."
    Tanner blinked. That he hadn't been expecting. "What do you mean? She's eating out of your hand."
    "Not quite." Matthias sighed and after they'd entered the elevator, he spoke again. "She responds to me physically, but mentally, there's a wall between us."
    "Why?" Tanner really wanted to know. What was between them, anyway?
    They exited the elevator and made their way to the small but crowded bar. While they waited for their order to be filled, Matthias sat with Tanner at the only unoccupied seat in the place.
    "Ava's uncle is Shino Tailstack. But you know that, right?"
    Tanner nodded. "She told me a little about what happened, why she left Dracon Mount." He kept his voice low, not wanting to be overheard by any Dracon-haters in the place. Matthias kept his voice as quiet, finally displaying a sense of caution he should have used in Morrow's.
    "Emmaline Tailstack is a pathetic woman out for number one, herself. I'm sure Shino wouldn't have minded his daughter marrying my brother, but Shino's more loyal to the Dracon, thank God. Even he could see how selfish Emmaline is. Thanks to him, we found out what she'd been planning before she could go through with trying to kill Lea."
    "Ava seems to have taken Emmaline's actions to heart."
    "I know. I can't convince her that she's innocent of any wrongdoing, and neither can Shino. Sins of the father, or cousin, in this case. And for some reason, Ava blames Shino for Emmaline's actions. All this misplaced responsibility is her damned father's fault."
    "How so?" Tanner grasped at the chance to learn more about either Ava or Matthias, and this insight into her character he welcomed.
    "Ronin Tailstack was an honorable man who served the royal family for almost as long as Shino. Except Ronin was a bit of a control freak. He was obsessed with honor and duty, and about drove Shino and his family crazy with propriety.
    "It used to kill me when Ava first came to Dracon Mount to visit, not a hair out of place or a misstep at all. Took the woman nearly four years just to bring herself to look at me."