It was time to share the truth.

This wasn’t the way Melissa had intended to tell Rafferty about her history, but she didn’t have a choice. It looked as if her past was important, and the Pyr needed to know the facts to make a plan.

“Perhaps it’s time we were introduced.” She stuck out her hand toward Erik. “I’m Melissa Smith.”

The stranger glanced up, his expression unwelcoming. “I know who you are. I am Erik Sorensson, leader of the Pyr.” His tone wasn’t very friendly, but Melissa refused to be deterred.

She pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down with every sign of confidence. She suspected that if he was a guest in Rafferty’s home, he wouldn’t harm her—as frustrated as he might be with her. The fact that Rafferty stood back, evidently certain of the same thing, fed Melissa’s confidence. She knew she could count on Rafferty to defend her.

“Don’t look as if you’d be glad to be rid of me just yet,” she said lightly. “After all, I think I know why the firestorm is still burning.”

“Why?” Rafferty asked, his hand landing on the back of her chair.

Melissa looked up at him, forgetting Erik for a moment. “Let me just make sure I’ve got this straight. You said the firestorm means a Pyr has met his destined mate; that he has found the human woman who can bear his child.”

“Yes. Yes.”

“And that the first time they’re intimate, she conceives his son.”

“Yes. That is the essence of the firestorm.”

Melissa smiled, knowing her expression was rueful. “But I can’t have your child….”

“It is not a matter of choice,” Erik said irritably. “Not if you surrender to intimacy.”

Melissa continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “I can’t have anyone’s child. It’s not physically possible.”

Rafferty seemed to be aware of the nuances of what she said, for his expression softened. He bent down, crouching beside her, his gaze searching hers. “What do you mean, Melissa?”

His kindness made her words fall less gracefully than she would have liked. “I had cancer. Uterine cancer.” She caught her breath. “They took everything out.” The words stuck in her throat, charged with losses well in excess of her feminine plumbing. “I can’t ever have children, even if I want to.”

“Melissa!” Rafferty’s voice was filled with tenderness, and she felt the force of his compassion. He might have pulled her into his embrace, but Melissa raised a hand between them.

She wasn’t going to go soft now.

She’d melt into a puddle if she did. Tears wouldn’t solve anything.

“It’s in the past,” she said with resolve. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, but I thought you should know.”

Rafferty’s eyes looked darker, warmer, more compassionate. Melissa couldn’t look away from him. “Thank you,” he whispered, then kissed her fingertips. That blue flame traveled from his lips to her hand, sizzling and simmering and giving her ideas about trying again.

She pulled her hand away and put it in her lap. This man certainly had an ability to get under her defenses. “It’s not his fault,” she said to Erik. “He’s not been irresponsible.”

“But—” Erik began to argue.

“We will not discuss this further,” Rafferty said, hard and fast. “Melissa has endured enough and shows great trust in offering this information now.”

He even defended her emotionally.

Melissa decided she could love this man.

To what point, though? She couldn’t give him the one thing he wanted. It was only a matter of time until he abandoned her. Love didn’t survive shattered dreams, Melissa knew that. Zach hadn’t been able to stay once it had become clear she couldn’t give him a family. Those tears pricked at her eyelids, and she wanted to cry even more.

She wouldn’t, though. Tears were for the weak.

There was no future for her in making families. There was only the quest for the truth.

“But why would you have a destined mate who could not physically bear your son?” Erik asked.

Rafferty sat down heavily beside Melissa, his knee only inches from hers. She sensed that they two were allied against Erik. As Melissa covertly watched the blue-green flames lick against her leg, she wondered whether he had moved so close on purpose.

She moved her leg away from his. She didn’t dare rely on anyone.

“Because there is a greater promise in our alliance than the birth of a child,” he said with a conviction that startled her.

And gave her unexpected hope.

“But think of what damage if the darkfire burns in perpetuity,” Erik protested.

“What kind of damage?” Melissa asked. The only downside she saw was perpetual desire for Rafferty, which wasn’t all bad.

“The firestorm’s heat is a lure to our kind,” Erik said. “We all feel it and are drawn to its heat.” He stopped then, his gaze flicking to Rafferty.

That was what Rafferty had said when she’d been calling Matt.

Moths to the flame.

“You’re saying that Jorge and Montmorency could use its heat to target us,” Melissa guessed. “The way camera lights can draw fire.”

Both men nodded. “So there must be another way to sate it,” Rafferty said. His voice grew even more determined. “The Great Wyvern gives no burden we cannot shoulder.”

“The Great Wyvern?” Melissa asked.

He smiled. “It is our name for the divine force that animates all of us.”

“And God’s a woman.” Melissa nodded. She’d never been much for religion, and her illness had destroyed any vestigial notion that there was anyone looking out for her.

In a way, though, she found Rafferty’s faith both touching and powerful. Maybe faith sustained him. She was more empowered by the facts. Maybe there was something they could accomplish together. Maybe that was the point.

She looked him in the eye. “Maybe it’s time you tell me everything you do know about darkfire.”

“So you can put it on your blog and imperil us further?” Erik asked, his words hard.

“No,” Melissa said, aware that even Rafferty was watching her closely. “I made a mistake. I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what I was doing when I posted those pictures. I should have asked your permission.”

“You were sharing your experience with the world, making others aware of the truth,” Rafferty said quietly. “It’s what reporters do, as I understand it.”

Melissa stared at him, and he smiled. His approval was unexpected, and it made her mouth go dry. She decided not to tell him that she’d posted the pictures only to bring him back to her.

“Exactly,” she agreed. “And I am sorry. But you know, maybe there’s a reason for it. Maybe your Great Wyvern has some kind of plan that requires you to be revealed to humans. Maybe there’s more to be achieved than if you’re hidden.”

“How so?” Rafferty asked, his gaze brightening.

“Well, you’re the guardians of the earth, right?” Melissa said, and he nodded. “And how many of you are there?”

“Not enough,” Rafferty and Erik said in unison. Melissa looked between them. This was evidently an old joke, but no one was going to explain it to her.

“Well, there are ten billion of us, give or take,” she said. “Even a small percentage of us joining ranks with you could make a huge difference to your efforts.”

Rafferty frowned as he considered this notion. Melissa liked that he didn’t just dismiss her idea.

Erik, though, got up to pace again. This was clearly not a popular concept with him. Melissa knew when an idea wasn’t going to fly, or even be discussed, so she changed tactics.

“Okay, let’s forget for the moment about any divine plan,” she said quickly. “We still need to make a mortal plan. We can start with what we know, identify what we can change, and go from there.”

“Sensible,” Rafferty said. “I like action plans.” Erik, still clearly displeased, seemed to recognize that he had been outvoted. He sat down again, folding his arms across his chest.

Melissa smiled at him. She’d take any progress she could get, especially with him. “It sounds as if darkfire is about shaking up the status quo, so we should figure out exactly where we stand before we do anything more. It’ll minimize the chances of making another mistake.”

She looked between the two Pyr, finding a grudging respect even in Erik’s gaze. Rafferty smiled at her warmly, and she wondered what she had done to earn his favor, even as her heart skipped a beat.

She picked up the pad of paper on the counter and a pen. “Go on. Tell me about darkfire. Don’t leave anything out, even if you think I won’t like it.”

 

His mate was a marvel.

Rafferty was proud of Melissa’s resilience and her determination. He admired that she had survived her battle and that, even in its wake, she had a zest for living. He knew her confession was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what she had borne, but he guessed that she wouldn’t confide the rest easily.

Or soon.

He respected that she didn’t flinch from realities or challenges, but met them head-on. “Survivor” didn’t begin to describe her fortitude and guts.

And he particularly liked that Melissa saw the firestorm as an opportunity for them to work together. That meshed perfectly with Rafferty’s standing conviction that a successful firestorm brought Pyr and mate together in a relationship that was more than the sum of the parts.

He was intrigued by her idea. Imagine, humans working alongside the Pyr! He found it an exciting possibility. That Melissa had made the suggestion bolstered his confidence and fed his own resolve to see his firestorm successfully negotiated.

Or was he simply tempted by the heat of the firestorm to agree with his mate?

Erik was unpersuaded—so far. There would be repercussions, so it made sense to proceed with caution.

By the time Rafferty had put bread in the toaster and taken some fruit and jam out of the fridge, he was decided. He chose to trust Melissa with the tale of the darkfire, even knowing that Erik would have preferred otherwise.

“There is an ancient prophecy about darkfire, one I learned long ago.” Rafferty heard Erik inhale but ignored him.

“Who taught it to you?” Melissa asked.

“My grandfather. He knew all the tales and legends.”

“He was a storyteller?”

“No. He was the Cantor.”

“That sounds important.”

Rafferty looked away, uncomfortable still with this facet of his grandfather’s abilities. It smacked of sorcery to him, and deceit, even after all these years. “He believed it was. I did not.”

“You argued,” she guessed. How much of his thoughts could she perceive? She was so much more observant than most humans.

“It was a long time ago.” Rafferty smiled to soften his refusal to confide that detail. “For the moment, let me tell you the prophecy.”

Erik harumphed, then rose to his feet. The toaster popped an instant later, but he was already there. He gave Melissa two slices and put two more in to toast. Rafferty knew Erik was listening closely.

He spoke carefully, giving the old verse a new cadence.

Melissa wrote quickly, using a kind of shorthand. She didn’t ask Rafferty to repeat anything. He watched her read her own notes again, then tap her pencil against the paper.

He felt Erik turn, felt the weight of the other Pyr’s gaze, and wondered at his avid interest.

“What was Pwyll’s legacy? Didn’t you claim it?” Erik asked in old-speak. “And who’s the Sleeper?”

Rafferty focused on his mate. Melissa stared out the window and frowned before speaking. Clearly she had heard the rumble of the old-speak. “Who’s the Sleeper?” she asked.

In another place and time, Rafferty might have been amused that they asked such a similar question.

“I can’t tell you that,” Rafferty said, aware of Erik’s watchfulness.

“Then what’s the Sleeper’s fate?”

“Who can say?” Rafferty accepted toast from Erik and made a task of buttering it. He felt Melissa watching him all the while.

“I’ll guess you aren’t going to tell me the Cantor’s legacy.”

Rafferty smiled at her. “I don’t know what it was.”

“Okay,” Melissa said finally. “So, darkfire is a kind of firestorm, one that indicates huge change for the Pyr. What makes it happen?”

Rafferty shrugged. “It’s random.”

“Are you sure?” Melissa asked.

Rafferty drummed his fingers on the table. “It’s possible that Pwyll knew more, but I don’t.”

Melissa made a note. “I’ll consider it a random variable, until we know more. What’s changed so far?”

“I see no reason to itemize our weaknesses,” Erik protested.

Melissa glanced at him. “Well, we know one thing that’s been revealed. All of you. What’s been concealed?” Erik didn’t answer her, his lips tight. She scanned her notes. “So, the obvious Plan A would be to determine whether the Sleeper has awakened, but you won’t tell me about the Sleeper. Plan B would be to itemize what’s changed, but you won’t tell me that either. What’s Plan C?”

Rafferty sighed. He had no taste for his toast. How could he make a success of his firestorm without betraying the Pyr? What was the Great Wyvern’s plan for him? What should he do? He yearned for a sign of how to proceed, to save him from being responsible for disaster.

Again.

To his astonishment, that sign came.

 

The door to the garden opened then, and Eileen stepped into the kitchen, looking tired. Zoë charged across the tiled floor, full of energy, and made a beeline for Rafferty. She climbed into his lap, as charming and demanding as always, and locked her chubby fingers around the black and white ring he wore. He dared to hope she would provide guidance to him, as she had before.

Instead, she turned to sit on his lap and considered Melissa with her clear gaze.

“You must be the new mate,” Eileen said, shedding her coat. She tried to cover her yawn without success. “I’m feeling like an ancient mate this morning. Word to the wise—think twice before taking a two-year-old on a night flight from Chicago to London. On such an adventure, the last thing she’ll do is sleep.” She smiled and winked at Melissa, yawning once again before she offered her hand. “Eileen Grosvenor. Miss Energy there is our daughter, Zoë. I’m hoping she slides into a deep sleep any minute now, but chances appear to be slim.”

“Melissa Smith.” Melissa stood and shook Eileen’s hand.

“Oh, you’re the blogger,” Eileen said, and feigned consternation. Erik, still grim faced, poured her a coffee, and she blew him a kiss as she accepted it. His attitude wasn’t visibly affected by her gesture, so Rafferty knew he was deeply troubled.

Eileen sipped and closed her eyes in rapture. “You always have such good coffee, Rafferty,” she murmured, then smiled at Melissa, her eyes widening. “I’ve heard lots about you.”

“Do you want toast?” Erik asked gruffly.

“Yes, please.” Eileen took Erik’s place and smiled across the table at Melissa. “Don’t let them intimidate you. So long as we’re human and mates—neither of which is likely to change soon—they’re pledged to defend us, even if they do get grumpy.” She picked an orange out of the fruit bowl and peeled it, handing the segments to Zoë. The little girl hung on to Rafferty’s ring, smiled, and ate with obvious pleasure.

Rafferty was less pleased. He waited with some impatience for a vision that never arrived.

The last time Zoë had grasped his ring, she’d given him a vision. He’d hoped that she’d seized it now to give him some indication of how to proceed. But there was nothing, not a glimmer of a dream, not a hint of a vision.

“Orge,” she said firmly to Melissa.

Melissa smiled at the toddler. “She likes your ring.”

“She adores Rafferty,” Eileen supplied.

“It’s only fitting that she likes the ring,” Rafferty said, realizing at Erik’s sigh that he’d said too much again. There was no chance Melissa would let that reaction slide.

“Why? What’s the deal with that ring, anyway? How does it change size to fit when you’re a dragon?”

“It seems to have some magical powers,” Rafferty said, contenting himself with that response. He was keenly aware of Erik’s presence and his view that nothing more should be told to Melissa. Rafferty himself was torn. He couldn’t see a way forward without confiding in Melissa, but he didn’t want to rile Erik even more.

He’d have to pick and choose. For the moment, he wouldn’t explain that the ring had been formed of the bodies of Sophie, the last Wyvern, and her lover, Nikolas, the Dragon’s Teeth Warrior. The pair had sacrificed themselves in ensuring the destruction of Magnus’s academy, and all that remained was this ring. It looked like black glass spun with white, a perfect reminder of the white perfection of Sophie’s dragon form and the fierce black of Nikolas’s dragon form.

Ice and anthracite, forever entwined in the ring as they could not have been while alive.

“Like what?” Melissa asked.

“Let’s focus on darkfire, shall we?” Erik interjected.

In the same moment, Melissa frowned. “Wait a minute.” Melissa indicated Eileen. “If you’re a mate, and this is your child, is she a Pyr, too? Are there female dragons? I’ve seen only men.”

Silence reigned for a moment, filling the kitchen and Rafferty’s ears.

“You ask too many questions,” Erik said tightly.

“That’s what happens when you hunt the truth,” Melissa replied smoothly.

Erik leaned closer. “You will put our very survival in jeopardy. It’s happened before.”

“It looks to me like our goals can be combined,” she countered.

“How so?”

Rafferty admired that Melissa was undaunted. She spoke in a calm tone. “I met Rafferty because I was determined to expose Montmorency as the arms dealer he is, and to bring him to justice.”

“He killed a friend of Melissa’s,” Rafferty supplied, and Erik nodded.

Melissa tapped her pen, obviously thinking. “But Rafferty is right—no jail would hold him, given his ability to shift into a salamander and to spontaneously manifest wherever he wants. On the other hand, Rafferty’s attempt to finish their duel by killing Montmorency was caught on video.”

Erik passed a hand over his brow. “So we are not just revealed but reviled. Again.”

“Not necessarily,” Melissa and Rafferty said in unison.

“You have an idea,” Eileen said, her eyes bright.

“I’m getting to it,” Melissa agreed. “The thing is that the fight between Rafferty and Montmorency didn’t just attract human attention. It brought this topaz guy out of the woodwork.”

“Jorge,” Erik supplied. “Another Slayer.”

“And minion of Magnus,” Rafferty supplied.

Melissa scribbled all of that down before she continued. “But they came off looking like heroes.” She pointed her pen at Rafferty. “While you were cast as the bad guy.”

Rafferty grimaced. “It is not familiar territory for me.”

Melissa’s lips set. “I think the immediate problem is Montmorency. We don’t know where he is, but we do know he is sworn to kill Rafferty.”

“Or be killed himself,” Rafferty confirmed.

Melissa sat back, pushing her notes across the table. “So what would draw him out? What would make him come to you, the way Jorge came to him?”

Rafferty stared at her in horror. Eileen dropped a spoon, and Erik’s eyes glittered.

“You want to lure him to us?” Rafferty asked.

“He’s injured, isn’t he? Doesn’t that make him weaker? It only makes sense that time will let him heal, which will make him tougher to kill.” Melissa frowned. “He was already hurt after the helicopter. Why did he attack you after you saved me? You would have finished him there, if not for Jorge.”

“Maybe he knew Jorge was coming to his rescue,” Eileen suggested.

Rafferty shook his head. “No. He was shocked by Jorge’s appearance, and I sensed that he was not certain of Jorge’s objectives.” His frown deepened. “I’m not certain myself why Jorge would come to Magnus’s aid. I had always thought his own ambition was to become leader of the Slayers.”

“Why not let you do the dirty work?” Erik mused.

“So, there’s another variable,” Melissa said, adding a question mark beside Jorge’s name on her list. “We have to anticipate that Jorge will follow if we manage to coax Magnus out of hiding.”

Erik rubbed his chin. “So, your scheme is to lure Magnus closer, then let Rafferty fulfill his blood challenge.”

“Yes. One less opponent in the world can’t be all bad, and we’ll be sure Rafferty isn’t directly targeted.”

Eileen leaned forward. “And if darkfire really does require that everything change, then eliminating the leader of the Slayers could be part of fulfilling its prophecy.”

Erik flicked a stern look at Melissa. “If it happens, it must occur without human observation.”

Melissa winced. “Actually, I was thinking just the opposite. You guys have really bad PR right now, but the truth is a great story. Guardians of the elements, safeguarding the treasures of the earth, which include humanity. It’s a fabulous green story and would really resonate for people.”

“No.” Erik pushed to his feet. “It’s out of the question.”

Melissa stood up herself. “Is it? What if the change required by the darkfire is having humans not only know you’re in their midst but also help you with your mission? What if the way for you to succeed in saving the planet lies in having a couple billion of us on your side?”

“It makes sense,” Rafferty said softly, and Melissa flashed him a smile.

Erik paced, his disapproval clear. “No. It makes no sense. We will be hunted again. We have been driven to the cusp of extinction before, and I will not lead us there again.”

“But you don’t have a choice,” Melissa retorted. “The story’s already out there. You can’t make it disappear. All you can do is add to it in your own defense.”

“I don’t like it!” Erik protested, his eyes flashing.

“Tell us your idea before any decisions are made,” Eileen said to Melissa, her hand landing on her partner’s arm.

“It’s the book that will do it,” Melissa said excitedly.

“What book?” Eileen asked.

“Montmorency kept a book documenting his activities and appointments as an arms dealer,” Melissa said.

“We have it,” Rafferty said.

“We can use his own records against him, show him for the sinister force he is, review his crimes, then destroy him and make the world safe for humanity.” She flung up her hands. “You guys will be heroes, fighters for justice, and probably superstars.”

“The book will draw him, as will the threat of being revealed,” Rafferty mused. “It drew him before.”

“Never mind the firestorm,” Eileen added. She wagged a finger at Melissa. “Your plan could work. Magnus would be destroyed, Rafferty would be safe, with the blood duel satisfied, the Slayers would be short a leader, and the Pyr would look good in the public eye. That’s got to make some progress in satisfying darkfire’s demand to turn everything topsy-turvy.”

“I have seen the repercussions from our being revealed,” Erik insisted, his arms folded across his chest. “I have survived the mania among humans for hunting and slaughtering our kind once before, and I will not let it happen again.” Erik pointed at Rafferty. “You will tell her nothing more!”

“But that’s the whole point of darkfire, isn’t it?” Melissa replied, her tone cool. “What’s the biggest upset that could happen? That you could be revealed. And it’s happened already. Okay, that can’t be changed. What can be made of it? What advantage can you gain from it?” She leaned across the table to confront Erik. “If you tell the truth to the world, they’ll be on your side.”

“Erik, that hunting happened a long time ago,” Eileen suggested softly. “The world is a different place.”

“It is less different from what you imagine,” he retorted. “Surely you do not take this view, as well?”

Eileen also held his gaze without apology. Rafferty saw how much this shook Erik, and he recognized that his old friend was under tremendous duress.

What else had occurred?

“I have said I will tell Melissa about the darkfire,” Rafferty reminded Erik quietly. “I will keep my word.”

“Regardless of the cost?”

Rafferty nodded. Erik pivoted and leveled a look at Rafferty that was all-glittering dragon fury.

“Because she might be right,” Rafferty added in old-speak.

Erik’s nostrils flared ever so slightly, and Rafferty thought he saw a puff of smoke. Then the leader of the Pyr excused himself and left the kitchen, marching up the stairs to the bedroom he always occupied when he was visiting.

“I will not participate in such folly,” Erik said in oldspeak just before slamming the door of that room.

Rafferty knew that Erik would be able to hear their conversation even at that distance; he was merely making a point.

“Well.” Eileen cleared her throat, her gaze falling on Zoë. “I don’t see any harm in answering your question about Zoë. There should be only one female Pyr at any given time, and she should be a prophetess.”

“Among other things,” Rafferty added.

“Should be?” Melissa asked, once again homing in on the most important words. Rafferty once again admired his mate’s intellect and perceptiveness.

Eileen shrugged. “The thing is that Zoë is just a little girl.”

“She hasn’t come into her powers yet?” Melissa asked.

“Or maybe she doesn’t have any,” Eileen replied. “Maybe the prophecy is wrong, and she’s just a little girl.” She calmly ate her toast even as Rafferty stared at her in shock.

Zoë had given him a dream before. Were those fledgling powers gone before they had fully blossomed? How could this be?

He guessed the answer immediately.

“Since she began to talk, she doesn’t respond to old-speak,” Erik confided in old-speak. “And I have sensed no dreams coming from her these past two months.” He sighed, and Rafferty heard his old friend’s exhaustion. “All goes awry, Rafferty. Mind you don’t join the tide.”

Rafferty looked down at the toddler, who was on the verge of sleep. She leaned against him, snuggling close as her hand fell to the tabletop. The orange segment in her grasp dropped, and Rafferty let it fall to the floor rather than disturb her. Her lids were drooping, and Eileen held up a pair of crossed fingers.

Zoë’s grip loosened on his ring, the ring she had always liked, and she put her fist in her mouth as she fell asleep. His hope died as she slumbered, and he knew she would provide no guidance to him in this moment.

Worse, Rafferty had a terrible sense that Zoë’s burgeoning abilities were another sacrifice to the darkfire. That was the variable that made his choice. He had to stop the darkfire before the Pyr lost everything they held dear.

And that meant confiding fully in Melissa, whatever the cost might ultimately be. The darkfire would accept no half measures until it was satisfied.

Rafferty knew what he had to do.

Eileen yawned and stood up. She smiled at Melissa. “I’m sorry, but I’m dead on my feet. I think Erik has the right idea. We’ll all make more sense after some sleep.” She came around the table, reaching to lift Zoë from Rafferty’s lap. The toddler yawned and fussed a bit at the transition, then nestled against Eileen’s shoulder and slept again. “You’re not getting any lighter, are you?” Eileen murmured, then waved her fingertips at Rafferty and Melissa.

In a way, Rafferty was glad to be alone with his mate. He studied her, noting the curiosity and intelligence in her eyes, then acknowledged that it felt right to make this confidence. “Let me tell you a story,” he said, and was rewarded by her smile.

Eileen pivoted in the doorway and stared at him. Rafferty saw her awareness that he was openly defying Erik, and he had no doubt that Erik, too, had heard as much.

“Ooo, a story. I’m not missing this,” Eileen said, and abruptly sat down at the table again, Zoë in her lap. “Is there more coffee?”