“Surely in view of this situation, you see that your place is with me?” he asked, doing the usual dragon trick of answering a question by asking one.

“There is no situation. I’d prove that to you if I could, but since I can’t, you’re just going to have to take my word for it until time proves me right,” I said firmly, holding up a hand to stop his objections. We stood on the sidewalk, surrounded by people. This was not the time to discuss something so tangled as our relationship.

“We will discuss this when we get home,” he said, acknowledging my thoughts. “I will take you to Nora’s flat so you may gather your things. You may also tell me about the imp situation.”

I got into the car that Istvan pulled around a few minutes later, my heart heavy. This was the same old Drake, arrogant, stubborn, and seeing only his own way, with no sense of compromise. I couldn’t live like that. I just couldn’t. But could I live without him?

I gave him a brief summary of the imp events while I tried to sort out my conflicted emotions. He said nothing but looked a whole lot more worried than I was happy about.

Jim yacked nonstop all the way to Nora’s, ignoring the fact that no one was really responding to it. Drake sat silent, his eyes on me as his fingers rubbed his chin. The gesture melted the stone wall I’d tried so hard to build around my heart. I loved the man; that was the bottom line. And since that didn’t seem likely to change, it would be better for everyone if I stopped fighting that fact and focused on making it work.

I examined all the possibilities, decided that absolutes weren’t going to get me anywhere, and came to the final conclusion that I was willing to give Drake another chance if he could learn to compromise. I’d stay at Nora’s house until that time, dividing my day between Guardian training (or nontraining, given the order from the committee) and the dragons.

It was a sound plan. It was reasonable. It would allow Drake and me to explore our relationship without the usual stresses that happened when people moved in together. We would have time to get to know each other, to be comfortable with each other, and most important of all, to understand our respective roles. When the time was right, I’d move in with him, and we’d live happily ever after.

We arrived at Nora’s street to find the way blocked with police cars, fire engines, ambulances, and at least a hundred people watching a fully engulfed building.

Nora’s building.

“Do I get my own room?” Jim asked, turning to Drake. “One with a water bed? I’ve always wanted a water bed. And I hope you have satellite cable, because I get really cranky in the morning if I don’t get my dose of Montel.”

9

We found Nora ashen faced and shaken but safe as she stood behind the fire line giving information to a policewoman.

“Aisling!” she yelled as we pushed our way through the crowd toward her. “There she is. That’s my roommate. Oh, thank god you’re both all right. I didn’t think you would be sleeping at this time of the day, but I worried.”

“What happened?” I asked, embracing her in a swift hug. “You’re not hurt? Paco is safe?”

“Yes, he is safe. We aren’t hurt; we weren’t home when the fire started. I got here just as the firemen arrived. As for how the fire started...” Her voice fizzled out to nothing.

“I didn’t do it,” I said quickly, knowing what she hesitated to say aloud. “I wasn’t even here. I was with Drake all day.”

Nora turned to greet him quickly. “Hello, Drake. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” he said, bowing over her hand in that Old World way the dragons had.

“Of course you didn’t set the fire,” Nora said, turning back to me. “I didn’t mean to imply that. All the fires you’ve started have been small and easily put out... oh, dear. That didn’t come out quite the way I meant it.”

“You are still having difficulty controlling my fire?” Drake asked, giving me an unreadable look.

“Yes. No. Sometimes. Just when I’m under stress or emotional or angry about something,” I answered.

“Which pretty much means all the time,” Jim added. “Fires of Abaddon! I just thought of something. Is everything burned up? Even my collection of Welsh Corgi Fancier magazines?”

We all turned to look down the street at the building. It was a dark, sodden shell, the firemen having been able to keep the fire from spreading to other buildings. The roof had collapsed inward, leaving black, partially destroyed walls that still glowed with occasional embers.

“Merde” Jim said.

“Was anyone in the building?” I asked Nora. She shook her head, then introduced me when the policewoman who had been talking to her strolled over with a clipboard. I answered questions about what I’d last done in the apartment, where I’d been, and whether I’d noticed anything that could cause a fire.

“So you don’t know how it started?” I asked the fire captain when he came over to join us.

“Not yet. We will be investigating,” he said, giving me a close look. “You have no idea as to the source of the fire? You were the last person in the flat.”

“I’ve no idea. Have you talked to the owner of the other apartment? Maybe something started there—”

The fire captain frowned. “No, the pattern of fire is consistent with the fire originating in Miss Charles’s flat. Our investigation team will be contacting you later.”

“Oh, Nora, I’m so sorry,” I said once he had left, giving her another hug. “All your things! All your lovely things!”

“They are just possessions, Aisling,” she answered, giving me a squeeze in return. “I am safe, as is Paco, and no one else was hurt. That’s all that really matters. Things can be replaced.”

“I know, but it’s still awful to lose everything. And ... I know I’ve been having problems with Drake’s fire, but I swear to you this wasn’t due to me. When I left the apartment earlier, it was just fine.”

Drake interrupted both the conversation and my train of thought by putting an arm around me and pulling me up close. Nora’s eyebrows rose a smidgen above the frame of her glasses at his possessive move. “We will have to work on your control of my fire before it becomes dangerous.”