Steam

by Lynn Tyler

  Before she could question him on why he looked almost giddy, a huge shadow fell across them and she swung her head upward, gasping at the sight that met her eyes. A giant green dragon flew overhead, circling a few times before plunging headfirst into the ocean.

  “Dragons swim?” Matthew blurted, looking as astonished as Sunny felt.

  Their driver smiled again and shook her head. “Not really. But we do like to fish.”

  As if the dragon had been waiting for a cue, it exploded from the water with a massive fish clamped in its jaws.

  “Show off,” Sloan said loathingly.

  Sunny poked him in the side without taking her eyes of the magnificent beast as it disappeared among the cliffs. “Be nice.”

  “Yes,” Raven agreed, slinging an arm around Matthew’s shoulders even as he gave Sloan a quelling look. “You didn’t have to come.”

  “Yeah,” Matthew said, shrugging out from under Raven’s arm. “If you were just going to be miserable the whole time, why did you even come?”

  Sunny had to hand it to the lawyer. He knew exactly what to say to Sloan to get him to stop muttering. Sloan had never expressly said anything about why he insisted on coming with them when he so clearly wanted to be somewhere else, but she had a feeling it had something to do with her reaction to finding out about the handsome dragon prince.

  She should have been a little insulted by his obvious jealousy with regards to the lizard prince, as Sloan had taken to referring to him as, but she actually found it a little endearing. At least she knew he wanted to be with her.

  “We should go in,” the woman said. “Prince Gareth will be impatient to meet with you.”

  “An impatient dragon is never a good thing,” Raven muttered under his breath.

  Sunny looked at Raven quizzically. It sounded like Raven knew about impatient dragons from personal experience. Of course, Raven had dealt with the dragons before but his words hinted at a much more intimate connection with them.

  She wondered if Raven had a relationship with one particular dragon. She couldn’t help but notice the unfocused, slightly misty look Raven got in his eyes whenever someone mentioned the dragon queen. Could there be something more between them than just a working association?

  Then again, if Raven had a romantic relationship with the queen, he and Leith wouldn’t have been looking so hard for the dragons. And the steady stream of women Raven seemed to entertain on an almost daily basis was hardly indicative of a man in love.

  Sunny glanced around at the men as they followed the woman into the palace. Matthew looked at Raven consideringly, as if trying to puzzle out the hidden meaning behind the man’s words.

  Leith’s expression didn’t give anything away. Of course, it was highly possible that Leith rarely questioned Raven’s dating habits. Sunny doubted very many people looked past the constant stream of women Raven brought home to see the man was actually miserable.

  She looked up at Sloan to see if she could decipher what he was thinking, but instead of looking at Raven, Sloan’s eyes had widened and his mouth hung open slightly.

  Swiveling her gaze from Sloan’s face to the cave they were entering, Sunny felt her own jaw drop. If she’d thought the outside of the cliff had been impressive, she was floored by the interior.

  Instead of plain gray stone, the walls were covered with brightly covered tapestries. There were beautiful carpets on the ground and gigantic fireplaces with roaring fires. She wandered over to the hearth, trying to figure out where it vented, since it wasn’t spewing smoke into the room.

  There were electric lights in the ceiling, computers scattered around the room and a television in one corner. Clearly, there was a generator somewhere because there was no way they were on the grid.

  “Do you have any questions? I’ve lived here all my life and I can probably answer anything you ask.”

  An absolutely gorgeous man stood in front of them. He smiled at them, an amused expression on his face. Good lord, the man was like a Greek god come to life. He was tall and muscular without being too bulky and had cheekbones that could cut diamonds. His damp hair was cut short and fell in thick waves just above one of his eyes. And speaking of his eyes…God, his eyes. They were such a bright green, it almost hurt to look at them.

  As attractive as the guy was, Sunny’s magic still tugged toward Sloan and she stepped a little closer to him, even if it was only to reassure the already tense man she was only interested in him.

  It turned out she didn’t need to show Sloan that her interest lay solely in him because Mr. Greek god seemed to only have eyes for Matthew. The man’s smile, while it encompassed all of them, seemed to be directed at the lawyer, and she repressed a little squeal of girlish excitement.

  Of course, Matthew, as fair as his complexion was, had turned a dusky shade of pink and seemed to have lost control of his mouth, because it kept opening and closing without actually forming any words.

  Leith brushed against Sunny’s side as he stepped forward, but she didn’t think he even realized. He made a beeline for Matthew and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Please excuse our Matthew. He still has the curiosity of youth.”

  If Leith had said that about Sunny, she would have had some very choice words for him. Matthew certainly handled it better than she would have. “What is your hang up about my age?” he shot back lightly. “I get that I’m not five hundred years old, but I’m not a child.”

  Sunny nodded once in agreement and towed Sloan over so they stood next to Matthew. Leith rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything more. Instead, he jerked his head at Raven as Mr. Gorgeous left the entrance with a wink. “Keep an eye on Matthew before he offends someone,” Leith hissed at Raven.

  Raven’s eyebrows shot up but he stepped closer. “He’s fine,” Raven commented.

  Leith let out a clearly irritated breath and stalked farther into the cave. Sunny chewed on her bottom lip, trying to figure out what was going on with him. She looked at Matthew, who stared at Leith’s back with a confused expression.

  Despite his reassurance that Matthew’s attitude was fine, Raven did turn to them with a serious look. “I want you two to be careful,” he said, pointing to both Matthew and Sunny. “Dragons might parade around in human form, but remember, they are most definitely not human. They think differently than we do. Sloan has dealt with dragons before, so he already knows this, so I’m confident he’ll be on his best behavior.”

  Sunny nodded, but the image of the great beast plunging into the ocean wasn’t one she’d soon forget.

  The young woman who’d picked them up smiled again. “Please, follow me.”

  They followed her down a hall and into another huge room, where a long table was set up. Twelve people were already seated around the table, including Mr. Gorgeous, who sat at the head of the table.

  Their escort stepped forward and addressed the room. “Your Highness, my lords. May I present Raven and Leith MacAlister, Matthew Samuels, Sloan Shirer, and Sunny Kerrigan of the MacAlister witch clan.”

  Mr. Gorgeous rose from his seat and nodded. “Thank you, Leandra. You make take your seat.”

  The woman bowed low, her long hair nearly brushing the floor. “Thank you, Your Highness.”

  Sunny’s gaze jumped to the man who had just spoken. Of course, the prince would be seated at the head of the table. He was gazing in her direction with a knowing expression on his face, but he didn’t seem to be looking at her. His eyes were fastened on Matthew, who stood beside her. She glanced around the table as discreetly as she could, searching for any sign of who might be the queen. Nobody stood out to her. Then again, it wasn’t like she had a whole lot of experience in identifying dragon royalty.

  Suddenly, Matthew bowed low, in the same manner as Leandra. Sunny fidgeted a little, unsure of what to do. Bowing certainly seemed appropriate enough, seeing as she was in the presence of royalty. But no one else in their group bowed, so she bent down in a stiff half bow.

  Leith’s tutting caught he
r attention and she straightened to see him giving her and Matthew an exasperated look. “You doona need te bow,” he said in his suddenly thick brogue. “He is no’ yer prince. He is an ally, nothin’ more.”

  She smirked a little even as she allowed Sloan to steer her toward the table. Apparently, Leith’s brogue and proper English became extremely pronounced when it came to Matthew. Could the man be hiding feelings for the young man?

  The lawyer, on the other hand, seemed extremely irritated. “It doesn’t hurt to be respectful,” he shot back. He was quiet enough that only he, Sunny and Leith would be able to hear what he said. “We do want them to support us in the war, after all.”

  Leith didn’t answer. Instead, he took Matthew’s elbow and guided him to an empty chair about halfway down the table, right next to the one Sloan nudged her toward.

  Matthew never made it to the chair, though. “I would like Matthew to sit next to me,” the prince said with authority.

  Sunny poked Matthew in the side when he didn’t move. “Matthew,” she whispered, feeling wicked. “Go up and sit with the sexy man.” She waggled her eyebrows at him suggestively.

  “Shut up,” Matthew whispered back as he blushed again. But he did make his way to the head of the table and sat down in the chair to the right of the prince.

  The table was promptly set with a beautiful meal. There were roast chickens, steamed fish, colorful vegetables, and tureens of thick, rich gravy. It smelled divine, but Sunny was far more interested in watching the interaction between Matthew and Prince Gareth.

  She tapped Sloan’s knee excitedly under the table when the prince placed a slice of cake on Matthew’s plate. “Try this, sweet one.”

  Sloan slipped his hand over hers and forced her to stop shaking his leg. “Sunny, you’re going to dislocate my hip. Why are you so excited, anyway?” he whispered.

  “Matthew seems so lonely and sad. I’m happy someone is giving him the attention he deserves.”

  Sloan linked his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand lightly. “I expect being in love with Leith is no easy thing. And I agree, the prince does seem to be rather taken with our Matthew. I guess that’s a good thing. As long as Prince Gareth doesn’t eat him, that is.”

  She giggled, happy that Sloan seemed to have relaxed a little now that he knew the prince had his sights set on someone else. He even seemed to be enjoying himself.

  Her good mood wilted somewhat when Leith started talking. “I would hardly call Matthew sweet. He’s a legal shark, a master computer hacker and is highly accomplished in several forms of martial arts.”

  Sunny cocked her head and frowned. While Leith’s words were all compliments, they came off kind of condescending and she got the idea he was rigidly controlling his accent. “What’s his problem?” she whispered to Sloan.

  Sloan shrugged and forked another bite of chicken into his mouth.

  However, far from being put off, the prince looked intrigued. “Perhaps fierce one suits you better. Going back to our conversation from before, do you have any questions?”

  This time, the prince glanced around the table, his eyes settling on Sunny as his mouth quirked up in a tiny grin.

  “How do you leave the palace at high tide?” Sunny blurted immediately. “I assume the cars are stored somewhere above the water line?”

  The prince nodded and placed his dessert fork on the edge of his plate. “Yes. There is a cavern we store the cars in which is above the tide line. And if we need to leave before the tide goes back out, we fly.”

  “I saw,” Sunny replied, remembering the green dragon plunging into the sea.

  “There’s a cave we take off from. Would you like to see it?” Prince Gareth asked, smiling indulgently at her.

  How many times would she ever have this chance again? “Yes, please.”

  The prince rose to his feet, gesturing for Sunny to follow him. “Would anyone else like to join us?”

  Sloanʼs big body brushed against hers as he stood as well. “Actually, I would love to see a little more of the palace.”

  Sunny was pleased to hear that Sloan sounded genuinely interested in seeing the palace instead of just accompanying her to make sure she didn’t stray.

  The prince nodded. “Very well. And I would love to show Matthew, as well.”

  Sunny suppressed another giggle as Matthew blushed, again, and rose to his feet. “I’d be happy to tag along.”

  Across the table, Leith made to stand, but Raven stopped him with a hand on the forearm. “We’re fine. We’ll stay here and help set up for the meeting.”

  Sunny grinned at Raven, who winked at her. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who thought Matthew and Prince Gareth should get to know each other.

  “As you wish,” the prince said. “If you will all follow me.” He reached out and gently tugged on Matthew’s elbow when the man remained frozen to the spot.

  Sunny linked arms with Sloan and followed the prince and Matthew down the corridor. They ambled through several winding halls, up at least four flights of stairs and down some more corridors. She hardly paid any attention of where they were going, though. She was far too busy looking around. When she wasn’t admiring the portraits on the carved stone walls, she was trying to figure out if the prince was naturally touchy-feely or if he was flirting with Matthew. She was leaning toward flirting. Nobody accidently brushed against someone else that much by accident.

  Finally, the prince led them to a gigantic cavern carved out of the side of the cliff. The scent of the sea floated in the room and the bright moon was clearly visible from the entrance. “This is where we take off from.”

  Sunny walked right up to the edge of the ledge and looked down. They were at least fifty feet above the ocean. The view made her dizzy and she stepped back, colliding with Sloan’s warm body. He anchored an arm around her waist and pulled her against him tightly. “Don’t want you to fall,” he whispered into her hair.

  She leaned back against him and sighed, staring out into the night. The bright stars and the sound of the crashing waves combined to make a romantic atmosphere. Sloan rested his chin on the top of her head and she slid her hand over his.

  Behind them, she could hear Matthew and Prince Gareth talking quietly. “It must be amazing to fly,” Matthew said.

  The two men joined them at the exit, standing so close together, their shoulders were touching. “It is. Don’t most witches have the ability to fly?”

  Matthew shook his head. It was Sloan who answered. “No. Most witches can dissipate through doors and such by using a spell. They can use the same spell to travel long distances in short periods of time, so it’s often mistaken for flying. It’s a common misconception among other paranormals. Handlers don’t have that ability though. Except for the most basic of spells, we’re pretty much limited to what we can do with our specific element.”

  Gareth nodded and looked over at Matthew. “You, though, are not a handler, correct?”

  Matthew stared out at the night and nodded. “Right.”

  “So,” Prince Gareth continued. “You’ve used spells to travel. I imagine the sensations is much like flying.”

  Sunny’s throat tightened and she gazed at Matthew with concern. He’d never said anything about how not having magic made him feel, but when he’d told her on the plane, he’d sounded almost ashamed.

  Matthew stared straight ahead. “I was born without magic.”

  Sunny prepared herself to jump to Matthew’s defense. Even Sloan tensed behind her. She was sure Matthew had experienced his share of pity over the years, having been born into a clan of witches but with no magic.

  “Maybe I could take you flying one day,” the prince said, immediately gaining her utmost respect for putting her friend at ease.

  “How would that work?” Sloan asked.

  Prince Gareth answered, but only had eyes for Matthew. “I would shift into my dragon, and you would climb on my back.”

  “It sounds rather…intimate,” Matthew said
, echoing Sunny’s exact thoughts.

  “It is. Extremely.” The prince’s voice was low and rumbling, almost like a purr.

  If the sexual tension between Matthew and Prince Gareth got any thicker, she and Sloan would have to hack their way out of the room with a machete.

  Poor Matthew was nearly the color of a tomato. Sunny had never seen him blush this hard, or this frequently. And, judging by the amused look on Sloan’s face when she cranked her neck to look up at him, neither had he.

  The lawyer looked like he was trying to figure out something to say. “Were you the dragon who went fishing earlier?” he finally said.

  The prince’s face broke into a wide grin. “I’m glad you noticed. I saw you get out of the car, and I knew I had to get your attention.”

  “You were amazing,” Matthew said.

  The expression on the prince’s face softened into something far more sensual. “Thank you. I’ve been told I’m pretty amazing at other things too.”

  The prince was definitely flirting with Matthew. Sunny would have taken Sloan and gone back to Raven and Leith, except she was pretty sure she’d get lost along the way, so she settled for keeping her mouth shut.

  Matthew seemed to ignore the fact she and Sloan were present. Either that or he didn’t care. “Are you gay?” he asked bluntly.

  The prince, obviously ignoring her and Sloan’s presence, stepped closer to Matthew and continued speaking in that low, seductive voice of his. “Dragons don’t define sexuality the same way your people do. We do not believe we should be limited to loving only one gender.”

  “So in other words…” Matthew’s voice trailed off with a soft gasp, and Sunny risked a glance over at the two men and had to stuff her fist against her mouth when she saw the prince nibbling a little on Matthew’s ear.

  “Wow,” Sloan breathed in her ear. “Prince Gareth certainly moves fast, doesn’t he?”

  Sunny nodded and held her breath, trying to be as quiet as possible.