Dragon Fire (24 page)

Dvara pretended to bump into Ulf, rubbing against him as she lunged across the court. What was wrong with her? In frustration he turned back to Erling and Liv. Erling was watching the game, but the others were talking animatedly, interrupting each other and laughing. Rakan wondered if Haakon knew what Liv was, or if she had hidden her true identity from him even though they were living together on the University campus. He had trailed them once, just out of curiosity, and all their trails indicated that Liv never shifted in and out. She always stayed with Haakon. Acting like a human.

Red turned to look around, running his eyes over the bleachers as if he was looking for someone. He caught Rakan’s eye.

Rakan glanced back at the game. The score was 47-18 and most of the goals had been by Dvara. He watched as she made a fast break across the court, scoring yet another goal. She wished she would stop drawing attention to herself.

Red appeared in front of him, as big as an Old Dragon but as blond as Anna. “You must be Pemba.”

Rakan stood. “You must be Red.”

“I see Anna’s spoken of me already. All bad, I’m sure.”

“No. Actually, she was rather positive.”

“That was a joke,” said Red, narrowing his pale blue eyes. “But my warning to you isn’t. If you hurt Anna, I’ll kill you.”

“I doubt that,” Rakan said. No human could ever come close to killing him.

“Never underestimate your opponent.”

“I never have,” Rakan said coolly. “But if you’re so keen to protect her, why didn’t you teach her to fight?”

“What makes you think she can’t?”

“She’s never fought in her life. And you know it as well as I do.”

Red laughed. “You’re right.” Red’s voice dropped an octave. “But I don’t lose very often. And believe me, if you hurt her, I won’t lose.”

Rakan smiled. He liked Red’s straightforward manner and his desire to protect his own. “I have no intention of hurting her.”

“I don’t care about your intentions. I care about Anna.” Red leaned forward and arched his eyebrows. “Got it?”

Rakan felt his rök respond with a fierceness that surprised him given that he was facing a human. He closed the remaining distance between them and said, his nose practically touching Red’s, “You’re not the only one who cares about her.”

Red pulled back. “Good.” He looked at the game where Dvara was making yet another spectacular goal, hanging in the air just a fraction of a second longer than any human could ever do. “Your sister likes attention, doesn’t she?”

Rakan gave Red a hard look, trying to figure out what he meant. “Dawa’s none of your business,” he said finally, not taking his eyes from Red’s.

“Not unless she hurts someone I care about.”

“You care about Ulf?” asked Rakan incredulously.

Red exploded in laughter and tapped Rakan on the shoulder. “No. No. Not at all.”

The game ended and Rakan felt Anna bound up the stairs, her deer-like movements once again triggering his increasingly volatile desires to chase her. His control was slipping.

“When did you get here? Why didn’t you call me?” she said, flying into Red’s arms.

Rakan stifled his urge to growl. Even though he knew Red was her cousin, he didn’t like seeing Anna in his arms. He forced himself to unclench his fists.

“Be careful or you’re going to get us into a fight,” said Red, releasing her with a laugh.

“Don’t be silly,” Anna said. She let go of Red and wrapped her arms around Rakan.

Rakan held her close, not sure who she was telling not to be silly, but not really caring now that she was in his arms.

“Why are you guys here?” Anna asked her cousin. “Did you come for the Salsa Festival?”

Red gave Anna a look that clearly said, “Why else would we be here?”

“That’s the big dance tonight, isn’t it?” Rakan had overheard June and Kristin talking about going. He had meant to ask Anna to come with him, so he could get closer to June. “We should go,” he said to Anna.

“What? You haven’t planned it?” asked Red. “What’s wrong with you, Anna? How can you miss something like that?” Red turned to Rakan. “Have you ever danced salsa before?”

Rakan shook his head. “No, but I’m sure I can pick it up.” Dancing wasn’t all that different from sparring.

Red burst out laughing. “I like your spirit. But I can show you a few steps before we get there. Anna still hasn’t mastered it even though I’ve been trying to teach her for years.”

Anna reached out and play-punched Red in the stomach, her fist uselessly loose. “That’s not my fault. Every time you say you’ll show me, you just dance with Ea instead.”

“Well then, tonight’s the night,” said Red. “Ea can help you get ready while I show Pemba a few steps. And then we’ll pick you up and go there together, okay?” Red smiled mischievously. “That way we can see who the better teacher is.”

Rakan laughed as he watched Red bounce down the stairs. He had the playful competitive edge of a dragon. “I like your cousin,” Rakan said. He could feel her blood throbbing through her still pumped up muscles and he pulled her in closer, sending jolts of electricity through his body. “But I think I’ll like dancing with you even better.”

Rakan wrestled with his need to posses her, even with everyone around. He closed his eyes and forced his rök back into control until he could release her. He leaned his forehead against hers, wondering if he would be able to control himself when they danced together.

* * *

Rakan let Red ring the doorbell before answering it, even though he had already felt him arrive. Humans got surprised by that kind of thing, and Rakan knew they didn’t like it. Only Anna had ever reacted differently. But then again, she wasn’t like other humans.

“You’re not planning on going like that?” asked Red, eyeing Rakan’s black jeans and body-hugging tee-shirt.

“What?” asked Rakan, his mind still on Anna. “Why not?”

Red shook his head. “There’s more work to do than I thought,” he said. He followed Rakan inside and took off his coat, revealing a dark red shirt that was only half buttoned over his muscular chest. “Don’t you have a dress shirt?”

Rakan looked again at Red’s shirt. It was a darker red than Dawa’s and seemed somehow more solid. Like a brick rather than a gem. It felt oddly like Red himself. Rakan let his mind run over Red once again, intrigued by his dragon-like qualities even though he was human. Rakan felt a faint reaction and pulled back. Red had definitely felt him, just like Anna had the first day in the schoolyard. “You and Anna are a lot alike,” Rakan said, wondering if it was something in their family. Or maybe humans had been changing and he hadn’t noticed before.

Red burst out laughing. “Does she tell you to change your shirt, too? Go get changed while I set up the music.”

Rakan walked up the stairs, wondering what he should do. He stopped on the landing and listened to Red start some music and begin to dance on his own. He looked at his black tee-shirt and transformed it into the same kind of button-down shirt as Red was wearing, but it didn’t feel right. He transformed his shirt again, changing it from black to his orange. It felt good. He headed back downstairs with a light step.

“Much better,” said Red when he saw Rakan. “Salsa’s all about seduction, creating a give and take tension with your partner. But the basic step is this.” He moved forward and back and back and forward. “Do you play any instruments? Can you hear the beat?”

Rakan laughed and mimicked Red’s movements. “You don’t need to play an instrument to be able to dance.”

Red stopped, confused. “I thought you said you had never danced salsa before.”

“I haven’t. But it isn’t that complicated.”

Red didn’t look convinced. “Most people don’t pick it up so easily.”

“Maybe the other steps are harder,” Rakan said. He’d forgotten that humans couldn’t feel movement with their bodies. “Go ahead. Show me what to do next.” He’d force himself to mess up.

* * *

The doorbell rang and Anna pulled at the pale blue dress Ea had brought for her to wear. It exposed too much cleavage and she felt naked in the feathery chiffon gown, even though it was more conservative than Ea’s amber-colored mini dress, with its psychedelic spirals of green, red and brown.

“Stop worrying,” said Ea. Her light brown hair flowed around her shoulders in gentle waves. “You look beautiful.”

“I still can’t dance like you do.”

“You will when Pemba’s guiding you.”

Anna heard her mother and the guys talking in the stairwell as they came up to join them in the living room. She turned away from the door, her hand hovering near her chest. Anna felt Pemba stop and turned slowly to face him. His face was blank and he stared at her. He didn’t even reach out with his mind-touch the way he usually did. Her cheeks flamed. She should never have agreed to wear the dress or let Ea pin her hair up in an elaborate mass of twisted braids. Anna dropped her eyes.

Red waved his hand in front of Pemba’s face. “She’s not a museum piece. You’re supposed to talk to her, not stare at her.”

For a split second Anna saw Pemba snarl and she almost thought he was going to punch Red, but instead he smiled stiffly. He walked over to where Anna was standing without saying anything, his face emotionless.

“I can go get changed,” she mumbled, unable to look him in the eyes.

“No.” He took her hands in his. “You’re beautiful.”

Anna felt a flood of relief wash over her and she sank into him. “I’m not sure I want to go. I’m going to fall over in these shoes.”

“Not if you stay in my arms,” Pemba said, sliding his hands around her waist.

“Knock it off, guys,” said Red, whacking Pemba on the shoulder. “Time to go. And you can’t salsa like that – you’re way too close.”

“Maybe we’ll just watch you guys,” Anna said. “We’ll never be able to salsa anyhow.”

Red shook a finger at Anna. “Don’t underestimate your partner. He’s not too bad.”

“What?” Pemba said, getting Red back with a thump on the arm. “I’ll take you on any day.”

“Boys,” said Ea, shaking her head. But she looked amused. “Let’s go.”

“Have fun, honey,” Ingrid said to Anna before turning to Red. “You promised me to bring her home.” She gave him a meaningful look.

“Of course,” he answered with a little bow.

Anna glared at her mom. “I don’t need a chaperone.”

As they shrugged into their winter coats, Red leaned forward. “I only promised to bring you home,” he whispered, “not to watch you all night.”

* * *

Rakan scanned the crowd at the dance hall where the band was already playing. The floor was filled with dancing couples. He tried to focus on June and Erling who were dancing on the opposite side of the room, but his mind kept slipping back to Anna. The pale blue dress that matched her eyes combined with her elaborate hairdo was reminiscent of how female dragons dressed. And it made him want to possess her. He groaned to himself. He wouldn’t be able to control himself if they danced. Or maybe even if they didn’t.

Anna slipped her arm through his and tilted her head just enough to the side to expose her throat. He bared his teeth and dipped his head in response, only catching himself as he was about to bite her. He clenched his jaw and pulled back, but his eyes lingered on the upward swell of her breasts. Rakan ached to touch her, to feel her soft curves, to pull her in and – maybe they shouldn’t dance. He turned back to the dance floor only to be slammed by the rising passion of June and Erling, lost in their own world. Rakan’s rök lurched. June was a dragon and Erling wasn’t and it hadn’t stopped them. He looked back at Anna. Maybe there wasn’t any reason not to mate with her.

Except that Anna didn’t know he was a dragon. She didn’t even know his name. Rakan turned away again. Erling wasn’t human. It was easier. Humans couldn’t accept them for what they were. But he wouldn’t live a lie, no matter how much he wanted her. His rök screeched in pain and Rakan pushed it back into submission.

Anna’s mind-touch rubbed against him, jolting him with her gentle energy. “You okay?” she asked. “We don’t have to dance, you know.”

Slowly, he turned to face her, struggling to tame his desire. She was so close, so willing. His eyes followed her throat down to the graceful swell of her breasts. He felt her skin flush with heat, sending him nearly over the edge. She wanted him. Or thought she did. But if she knew what he was, would she fear him instead?

* * *

As Pemba’s eyes slid down her throat, Anna spread her hands on his waist. The firm muscles under his silk shirt rippled under her touch. He leaned his forehead against hers, and his warmth spread through her. Her nails dug into him. He pulled back and turned away from her. Anna felt her cheeks burn and she looked away. What had she done wrong? Why didn’t he ever kiss her?

Anna bit her lips and reached out to find June. “June and Erling are dancing.” At least they were happy together.

“Be careful with your mind-touch.”

“Even with June? She’s my best friend.”

Pemba threw his arms around her with a violence that forced the breath out of her.

“You’re hurting me,” she said, caught between a wild desire to give herself to him or to struggle out of his arms and run away.