Flashfire

by Deborah Cooke

  “Including you.” Lorenzo shrugged. “Grand Central Terminal.”

  “Because so much hangs in the balance.” Erik watched him, and Lorenzo had the sense he knew more than he was telling. He was keenly aware that he had ducked Erik’s question about flashfire, and suspected Erik was, as well. “What of your father?”

  “What of him? He is evidently more capable of making trouble than I had believed. Perhaps you know more of his game than I do.”

  “Perhaps he is trying to ensure your happiness.”

  Lorenzo smiled at the idea.

  But then, the prophecy had come from Angelina. Maybe his father knew of it and was helping him to fulfill it.

  Or maybe he was helping to propel Lorenzo toward the choice Salvatore—and Erik—would have made easily. He felt his own resistance to the notion of commitment dissolving, because he knew that Cassie was different.

  He loved her.

  He would do whatever was necessary to defend her.

  It was nearly sunrise, the sky lightening in the east behind them. “What are you going to do?” Erik asked softly, and Lorenzo took a deep breath.

  “Trust and hope for the best.” He looked at Erik. “I have a plan, but I’ll need your help.”

  Erik smiled and offered his hand. “Anything in my power to give is yours, my friend.”

  Lorenzo knew he’d been given a gift beyond expectation, maybe one he didn’t deserve.

  He could only hope he hadn’t asked for it too late.

  Cassie nearly jumped out of her skin when the car alarm beeped softly. She heard the locks disengage but only had time to sit up before Lorenzo slid into the passenger seat beside her.

  It wasn’t quite dawn, the eastern sky just faintly tinged with light. He was wearing jeans and a hoodie, dressed more casually than she’d ever seen him.

  “Sleep well?” he asked with his usual composure.

  “No. You?”

  “Not at all,” he admitted, then glanced directly at her for the first time. He did look haggard and his expression was wary. She wondered where he’d spent the night. Watching over her maybe? The idea gave her a thrill.

  She remembered her dream then and thought she understood why Lorenzo had such a low opinion of humans. “Is that why you hate humans? Because of the way Angelina died?”

  He turned to look at her so quickly that she thought he’d get whiplash. “Who told you about that?”

  “I don’t know. I had a dream.”

  Lorenzo frowned and looked out the windshield again.

  “Puttana,” she said quietly and he caught his breath. “Diavolo.”

  Then he bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.

  It was true. Her heart clenched for him.

  “It was awful,” Cassie said, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how. “And you were so young. Do you remember it?”

  He inhaled and exhaled slowly. She could almost feel him composing himself. When he turned to face her, his gaze was clear. She knew he would tell her the truth. “I have nightmares about fire.” He swallowed. “And about being trapped in darkness.”

  “But you use fire in your show,” Cassie protested. “And you do escapes. You’re going to be buried alive here. Doesn’t that terrify you?”

  Lorenzo nodded. His eyes glittered and his manner was suddenly intense. “I refuse to have my life and my choices shaped by fear.”

  Cassie could relate to that. She smiled. “The best thing to do when you fall off the horse is to get right back in the saddle?”

  His smile was cautious. “Something like that.”

  “It was my mom’s favorite saying. She told us that all the time.”

  “Us?” Lorenzo asked. Cassie was glad he didn’t mention that her mom hadn’t followed her own advice after that last disappointment.

  “Three older brothers. We’re not that close.” Cassie looked out the windshield, but felt Lorenzo’s scrutiny.

  “They took your father’s side,” he murmured, guessing the truth.

  Cassie nodded and changed the subject, knowing she did it clumsily. “Your dad came too late.” She looked up at him. “At least he came. My father didn’t come at the end.”

  “Some humans are vermin, then,” Lorenzo said quietly.

  Cassie smiled sadly and nodded.

  Lorenzo reached out and took his hand in hers. His thumb moved back and forth across her skin. His hand was warm and his touch was comforting. He sighed. “The thing is, the entire incident was his fault.”

  Cassie was surprised. “How so?”

  “Salvatore taught me to beguile. He’s very good at it, perhaps the best at beguiling ever in all the Pyr. He liked to gamble in those days, and he liked to win.”

  “He cheated,” Cassie guessed. “With the beguiling, he could cheat.” She was astonished that Lorenzo was confiding in her. Something had changed in him, something was compelling him to share more of himself with her.

  Cassie didn’t know why, but she would meet him halfway.

  She turned her hand so that their fingers interlaced. She had a new and potent sense that they could be good together.

  A team. She’d never had a partner or confidant before, not like this, and Cassie liked the prospect a lot.

  Lorenzo’s smile was rueful. “He wasn’t temperate. He always won. Every time. Every single time.” He sighed. “If he’d mixed it up a bit, maybe people wouldn’t have become suspicious.” He shrugged. “But he had to win. In those days, anyone who was very lucky was assumed to be in league with the devil.”

  “Diavolo,” Cassie whispered.

  Lorenzo turned to look at her. “He beat the wrong man too many times. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out that he always came to my mother to celebrate his triumph at the tables, and eventually someone saw him shift. When he was seen changing shape on the roof of my mother’s house, the die was cast. He should have known what would come of it. He should have understood enough of human nature to see the future, but no.” He frowned. “He left her alone. Undefended.”

  Lorenzo looked out the window and Cassie wondered how much he knew of what his mother had suffered. She hoped he only knew that she had died.

  She suspected, from the taut line of his mouth, that he knew every detail.

  She squeezed his hand and he squeezed hers back. “And when they came for her, he was too late.”

  Lorenzo nodded, his gaze locked on their hands.

  “Then he raised you, after that?”

  Lorenzo smiled sadly. “Oh no. He taught me to beguile as soon as he could.” He glanced her way. “That way, he could abandon me without guilt, for I could get whatever I wanted from human society in his absence.”

  Cassie was horrified. “Why would he abandon you?”

  Lorenzo shrugged. “He was a gambler and a bon vivant. A small child did not fit with his view of his life, and there was always a game to be joined somewhere.”

  “How did he come to be with you? It sounds as if you weren’t close.”

  “We weren’t. But one day, he ran out of lust for the game. He sought me out, and I saw that the flame had left him. He cared for nothing. He was a different dragon.” Lorenzo sighed. “I wonder now whether he realized at that point that there was nothing he could do, no party he could join, no win he could make, that would fill the void of losing Angelina.”

  Cassie watched him closely, hearing the implication in his words. Knowing her had given him more understanding of his father, and that put a lump in her throat. “Yet even so, you’ve taken care of him.”

  “We Pyr are loyal, despite appearances to the contrary.” Lorenzo shrugged. “Salvatore is my father. He did save me that night and he did raise me—well, as much as anyone did. That ability to beguile has allowed me to
earn the funds to support us both. And I cannot say that I am completely without flaws.”

  He turned to look at her then, and their gazes locked and held. Cassie knew she’d seen his secret heart, the part of Lorenzo that was no illusion. He hadn’t been fooling her—she’d been seeing his truth all along.

  And she liked it a lot.

  She could understand that it might freak him out to realize how much he’d revealed to her.

  Plus Cassie realized that she no longer felt so upset about bearing his son. She stared back at Lorenzo, lost in his steady gaze, her heart beginning to pound.

  “I came to tell you that you’re right,” he said, his voice gruff. “You already know that, but I had to come to the realization. I’ve been thinking about it all night. There’s bad and good in every kind. I haven’t been fair in calling all humans vermin. I appreciate you challenging me on it.” He smiled slowly. “Not many of my acquaintance would.”

  “People or dragons?”

  “Either.” He grimaced and she had the sudden sense that his life must have been very lonely.

  She was starting to think that a future with Lorenzo by her side would be all the adventure she could ever want. She was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, things could be different than her expectations.

  “But that doesn’t matter now,” he said. “What’s important is that we ensure the future.”

  “Whose future?”

  He gave her a look. “Yours.” His gaze flicked downward. “His.”

  Cassie had a lump in her throat. She’d been right about him taking care of those he cared about.

  Including her.

  She dared to hope about that future.

  Lorenzo smiled. “I have some things to tell you, but let’s get this done first.” She must have looked confused because his smile broadened. He conjured her unused camera from his pocket and presented it to her. “Let’s find a good spot while the light is right.”

  Cassie was so shocked that she was sure she must be misunderstanding him. “You’re not going to let me photograph you shifting shape.”

  “I am.” Lorenzo nodded with resolve. “With the rising sun behind me, my identity should be hidden for at least a couple of days. I don’t much care if anyone figures it out next week.” He eyed her, as if uncertain of her reaction. “How much were they going to pay for the images?”

  Cassie exhaled, her heart beginning to pound as she understood. “Child support,” she whispered.

  “Insurance,” Lorenzo said flatly. “You’re right—things can go wrong and—regrettably—I don’t control everything.”

  Cassie smiled.

  “And I can’t put anything in my will because I don’t want you haunted by fans. I know that you don’t want to come with me, so I’m trying to find another solution.”

  Cassie’s heart clenched.

  Lorenzo continued. “I would appreciate if you don’t tell everyone about my being the father, although you can tell our son whatever you want. He’ll have to learn to keep secrets, anyway.”

  “You could tell him yourself,” she whispered.

  Lorenzo flicked her a look. “I know nothing of parents. It would be worse for me to be in a child’s life than to disappear.”

  Cassie didn’t believe that for a moment, but she saw that Lorenzo did. The pictures weren’t half of what Cassie wanted from him, but it was already more than she’d ever expected him to give.

  He was changing, and she dared to hope that there would be more changes.

  Besides, she wasn’t nearly finished with him yet. She’d take what he offered for now and hope for far more. She could see that it wasn’t easy for him to make concessions—to surrender control.

  But then, he was going to be a parent, like it or not, so he would have to get over that.

  And Cassie thought he’d be an awesome dad.

  Cassie took the camera. “What about Balthasar?”

  Lorenzo’s features turned to stone. “I’m still managing that detail.” He shot her a glance, one that was filled with such passion and fury that she knew she was glimpsing his dragon again.

  And she knew that Balthasar would be toast, either before Lorenzo’s feat or slightly afterward.

  It wasn’t all bad having a dragon protector.

  “You want to drive?”

  Lorenzo settled back in the passenger seat with apparent ease. “No. Kind of a different perspective from this side. And you’ll know the location you want when you see it.”

  “You’ve never ridden as a passenger in this car, have you?”

  He flashed her a roguish smile. “Never. Might be my last chance.” And he winked, his cavalier manner making her smile.

  Even though she was worried by the possibility lurking beneath his words. She had too many questions, questions that would take too long to discuss, and the light was changing. Before the spectacle, she’d ask him for more. That was a given.

  Cassie started the car, adjusted the seat, and shot out of the parking spot. She heard Lorenzo inhale sharply, but he didn’t move or say anything.

  Even if his eyes were glittering like cut glass.

  She knew exactly where she wanted to take the shots, and the sun was just cresting the horizon. There wasn’t much time to get there.

  If nothing else, Cassie was driving the perfect car to get the job done.

  Cassie couldn’t have planned the shoot better if she’d had weeks of notice. She drove deeper into the park, where the stone formations were most striking. The rock had been carved by water aeons ago, leaving the red stone in fabulous curved shapes. Those stone pillars and hollows seemed to be afire when touched by the light of the dawn.

  She chose a spot with interesting stone outcroppings. Some of them blazed with orange light and others remained in dark silhouette. She was aware of Lorenzo watching her as she paced off the distances and checked different angles through the viewfinder.

  When she turned to beckon to him, she was surprised to find him nude. His tan was perfectly even and his grin unswervingly confident. He strode toward her, his strength and grace taking her breath away.

  And that was nothing compared to the gleam in his eyes.

  He touched his fingertips to her chin, bent to kiss her cheek, and Cassie closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss. She was burning for him, all over again, as if she never would get enough.

  “It is treacherous for a dragon to reveal the place where he hides his clothes when he shifts,” he murmured, his words so low that they made her shiver. “So I’ll just leave them in the car.” Then he kissed her ear, his lips sliding over her skin in a slow caress that made her forget everything except the chance of making love to him again.

  Lorenzo, fortunately, remembered the business at hand. He took the position she indicated and pivoted in place, checking the view. It was perfect. Through the viewfinder, Cassie could see that he was in silhouette.

  His facial features were in shadow.

  “Ready?” he asked.

  “I want a little bit more sunlight,” Cassie said. “To ensure that your face is in total shadow.” She saw the flash of his smile, but focused on the image in the viewfinder. “Three, two, ONE.”

  Lorenzo dropped to a crouch, spinning in place as Cassie clicked wildly. He had his back to her—a great PG-13 shot—but was all male, the sunrise gilding his muscles. As he turned back toward her, he flung his arms skyward. She saw the shimmer of pale blue, even through the viewfinder, and felt a shimmer of energy.

  He was going to shift shape. She locked down her finger so the camera would take as many shots as possible in rapid succession. And then she watched, in awe, as the transformation claimed his body.

  This was real.

  This was what she wanted to do.

  Cassie under
stood the truth with shocking vehemence.

  Then she abruptly realized that he’d be much larger in dragon form. Cassie had to reset the zoom quickly, to ensure that his dragon figure wasn’t cropped from the shot.

  In a heartbeat, it was over. A massive gold dragon stood before her, his eyes glittering as he watched her. He breathed a puff of smoke and the sunlight reflected on the magnificent gold of his scales.

  “Gimme some action,” Cassie said, and heard Lorenzo chuckle.

  “With pleasure,” he rumbled, his voice similar but deeper in his dragon form.

  She changed the angle of her shots, walking in a circle as he preened before her. He stretched out his wings, which were enormous, casting a long shadow across the desert. The contrast between the golden sunlight and the metallic gleam of his scales against the black shadows was fabulous. Cassie clicked and clicked and clicked.

  He arched his neck, turning his head to fix his gaze upon her. She got some great shots of him closing fast, leaning in as if she were going to be his lunch.

  “Fight poses!” Cassie demanded. They worked together as if they’d done it a thousand times and she felt that wonderful connection with her subject. He seemed to anticipate her requests, and she knew his moves before he made them. Every shot was perfectly framed and dead in focus. Not just because Cassie was good—because they understood each other.

  Like the shoot was destined to be.

  Could this be the kismet Stacy always yearned for? Cassie wanted to believe.

  Lorenzo thrashed with his talons. He swung his tail. He reared back and breathed a stream of fire that was almost as long as he was.

  Then he took flight, those massive wings beating with force. He posed in the sky, twisting his body and breathing fire.

  It was amazing. Cassie was sure that every single shot rocked.

  She was glad to have upgraded the memory card.

  Then he swooped down toward her, descending out of the sky with such speed that she feared the shots would be blurred. He snatched her up and carried her high into the sky. Cassie kept snapping shots, ensuring that the car was outside of the field of view of each one. She got his talons and his tail and his scaled belly, as well as a close-up of his face.