Light My Fire by Katie MacAlister Read Free Book Online

brought our drinks. She brought Fiat a dusty dark green bottle and small aperitif glass as well, clearly a standing order. I lifted my glass and touched it to Amelie’s, then acknowledged my manners and did the same with Fiat. “ Santé .”
    “Santé,” Amelie murmured, her eyes wary as she watched Fiat.
    “I had also heard that you were moving to London to be nearer your mentor.” Fiat sipped at his drink, some sort of golden wine. “Is Drake accompanying you? Or are the rumors true, and you are at odds with your mate?”
    I said nothing but ground out a smile. It was pretty insincere, but it was a smile nonetheless. Although I wanted nothing more than to tell Fiat what I really thought of him, I held my tongue. This wasn’t just about me now—I had the green dragons to think of. Drake wouldn’t thank me if I insulted Fiat so greatly that the blue dragons refused to cooperate at any further peace discussions.
    Fiat’s eyes narrowed. He leaned toward me, sniffing. “Why is it you smell different?”
    “I really don’t think a discussion about my choice of deodorant or bath powder is at all enlightening, but if you really want the names of both, I’ll be happy to give them to you.”
    “No,” he said, suddenly lunging at me until his nose was buried in the crook of my neck.
    “Hey!” I said, trying to push him away. Minding my p’s and q’s was one thing—full frontal sniffage was an other! “Knock it off! Um. Please knock it off.”
    “You want me to rip him a new one?” Jim asked. Amelie looked confused.
    “Of course not. Don’t be silly,” I said, trying for a light, dismissive laugh. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to get bent out of shape, even though this really was over the line. “Fiat is just overly impressed by my perfume. I’ll have to write the makers a testimonial letter.”
    Jim snorted in disbelief.
    “It is not perfume or chemicals you have applied to yourself that I smell,” Fiat answered, finally giving in to my (polite) shoves. He sat in his chair for a moment, his fingers stroking his chin as he watched me. “It is some thing about you that has changed. Some . .. chemical change in your body.” Crystalline heat flared to life in his eyes. “Are you breeding?”
    “What?” I squawked, in so loud a voice that several people looked over at us. Amelie smothered a much more quiet gasp.
    Jim wasn’t anywhere near as subtle. “Now. Let me rip him to shreds now. Pretty please with sugar on top?”
    Everyone ignored the demon.
    “Are you breeding Drake’s child? Are you pregnant?”
    It took me a few minutes to get myself under control. “You know, I think I’m just going to pass on answering that question. My personal life, my relationship with Drake—anything that doesn’t have a bearing on the peace between the dragons—is not going to be a topic I will dis cuss with you.”
    Under the table, out of sight of Fiat, Jim leaned over and drooled on his expensive, shiny shoes.
    “Hmm.” Fiat’s finger tapped on his chin as he contin ued to inspect me as if I might sprout a baby on board sign. “You are human. Drake is a wyvern ... no. You are correct. Any dragonkin you have will not have a bearing on the future. They will not become wyverns.”
    “Well, I’m glad you’re seeing it my way, but I’ve got to say I don’t see Drake as an old man handing over con trol of the sept to anyone but a child of his—not that we’re having any, but as long as we’re being hypothetical, I think you’re wrong. He certainly would want one of our children to be wyvern after him.”
    Fiat rose from his chair with swift elegance. “You have much to learn of our ways, cara. Your ignorance is al most as dazzling as the whiteness of your breasts.”
    I looked down at my chest for a minute, making sure my boobs weren’t suddenly popping out of my sundress. They weren’t. I bit back yet another retort.
    “Such rigid control you have over yourself,” Fiat said, shaking his