“You could still be challenged for her,” Gabriel said, a mischievous look on his face.

“Why are you doing that?” I asked him, leaning into Drake’s side. The events of the day had finally started to sink in, and I was left feeling boneless with exhaustion.

“Doing what?”

“Teasing Drake like that.”

“Who says I’m teasing?” Gabriel asked, taking a sip of the dragon’s blood Drake had evidently poured out earlier. I nudged Drake for a sip from his goblet, needing the strength the fire of the drink brought me.

I frowned at Gabriel. “I say you are. We all know you’re not going to challenge him for me. For better or worse, I’m in love with him. I’ve accepted him as my mate. I’m committed to the sept.”

“Nothing says you couldn’t change your mind.”

“I’m saying.” Drake was silent while I spoke, contently sipping from a silver goblet. I transferred my frown to him. He gave a martyred little sigh and got up to get me a glass of my own.

“Besides, you wouldn’t want a secondhand mate, would you? I thought wyverns had more pride than that.”

The teasing smile faded from Gabriel’s eyes. Drake handed me a glass and sat down beside me, wrapping one arm around me.

“Unfortunately, I don’t have much of a choice. My sept is cursed. Mates are not born to silver wyverns— they must be taken by some other method.”

“Some other method being ... ?”

“Lusus naturae is the most common,” he answered, his eyes flat.

I said nothing but took a big swig of my dragon’s blood . .. only to find that it wasn’t dragon’s blood at all. “What is this?” I asked Drake.

“Grapefruit juice. You like it.”

“Yes, I do, but that doesn’t mean I want to drink it all the time. I wanted some dragon’s blood.”

“You can’t have it,” Drake said matter-of-factly. He set down his glass and gave Gabriel a long, cool look. “We are agreed, then, that you will maintain a position of neutrality?”

“What is wrong with you? Why can’t I have it?” I asked.

Drake flashed me an impatient look. “It has alcohol in it.”

“So? It’s not like I’m on the wag— Oh, you are not talking about that ridiculous business again.” I clenched my glass of juice and thought about how lovely it would look dripping off his head. “Drake, it’s not happening.”

“We won’t know for sure one way or another for at least a month or so,” he said mildly.

Gabriel’s eyes, which had been interested before, just about popped out of his head. “You’re pregnant?”

“No! Drake’s insane, nothing more,” I snapped, setting down my glass. “And I’m tired. So if you’ll forgive me, gentleman and irritating wyvern, I’m going to take my skewered belly to bed. Thank you again for the medical care, Gabriel, and I’m very happy to see you again.”

I marched out of the room and up the stairs and was almost to my room when Nora emerged from the bathroom.

“Oh, Nora, I’m glad to see you.... Yes, thanks, it’s much better. Gabriel looked at it, and you know what a wonder he is with healing.”

“That is his talent, yes,” she said, tightening the belt to a bathrobe she’d borrowed from the things Drake had bought me.

“I wanted to talk to you about the imps.” I paused to rub my head. I was so tired, I could hardly think. “What can we do about them?”

“Tonight? Nothing other than what we have done. I’ve warded the windows, and Drake assures me his alarm system is sensitive enough to pick up even imps. You look like you need some sleep.”

I laughed an exhausted laugh. “It’s been a long day. If you’re sure there’s nothing else I need to be doing about them, I’m going to hit the hay.”

“Nothing more. Jim had its evening walkies with Paco, so you shouldn’t need to bother with that. I believe it’s already gone to bed.”

“Yeah, the digital cable TV package Drake gets should keep it busy for a long time. Night.”

“Good night. Sleep well.”

I toddled off to our room, not seeing anyone else. Less than five minutes later I was asleep, but I dreamt of flames and destruction, and a river of ice that slowly wrapped itself around me, consuming all until there was nothing left but a frigid core of despair.

14

“Brrr. Drake?” I murmured sleepily as the bed dipped behind me. I cracked my eyes open to squint up at the man barely visible in the dim light. “What time is it?”

“Late. Do you wish to sleep?”

His voice was deep, rich with desire and promise, but it wasn’t that which sent a little shiver of cold down my body. It was the ice cube he rubbed in tiny little circles on my shoulder. “That depends. Did you see Nine and a Half Weeks, too?”

“I do not often see films,” he answered, using the ice cube to trace a path down my arm, pausing to swirl it around the suddenly sensitive flesh of my inner arm. I shivered again.

“Who needs sleep when there are a lusty dragon’s urges to sate?”

He leaned forward, his hair brushing my breast as he licked the path the ice cube had taken, his tongue as hot as his fire. “I have a great many urges, and it takes a lot to sate me. Are you sure you’re up to it?”

I pushed down the blankets and propped myself up to look at my belly. The wound had closed and healed over, but there was still a jagged red welt to mark the injury. Gently Drake pressed the area around it. “It doesn’t hurt, if that’s what you’re asking. In fact, it’s kind of numb there. I can barely feel you touching me.”

“I believe I can change that,” Drake said with a smile that never failed to melt me. He rolled over for a minute, returning to my side with a small crystal bowl filled with ice cubes. I couldn’t help but notice that he was naked, and while not fully aroused, was definitely anticipatory.

I reached for the bowl, but he pushed it out of reach. “No.”

“No? Why don’t I get an ice cube?”

The smile that graced his lips was pure sin. “Oh, you will have many ice cubes, kincsem. As many as you can stand; that I promise. But tonight is for you. Once I have my pleasure of you, then perhaps we will discuss other situations.”