The studio, brightly lit and filling with people who'd stood in line for hours for the privilege, made her feel slightly better. Also, there was no sign of Greg, to her relief. She hadn't forgotten the darkness in his eyes, and the fact that he was the black dragon's minion. The word minion still made her want to laugh, but it was an apt description.
Hazeltine, however, greeted Greg's absence with a temper tantrum. "Pulled him from nothing and made him what he is," she snarled, running down the hall backstage with her hairdresser frantically chasing her. "Oh, hello, Lisa. Greg's disappeared, the ungrateful, cheating little… He's gone off with some woman, I'm sure of it—he went out with someone the other night and no one will tell me who."
Her eyes narrowed, and Lisa shook her head. "No, idea," she said hastily.
"Well, I can't do Dressing for Dinner without a dinner guest. Someone call his agent. I'll have his guts for garters."
Fortunately, Lisa was called away to a food problem, leaving Hazeltine to shriek and swear and shout at some other poor assistant. It took Lisa a half hour to explain to one of the shoppers that medallion tomatoes and cherry tomatoes were two different things, and by then there wasn't time to go buy tomatoes of any kind. Lisa boldly walked onto the set, ducking microphones being adjusted by sound men, found the recipe, scratched out medallion and wrote in cherry. Hazeltine would never notice the difference.
The audience settled in, the cameramen took their positions, people scuttled across the set looking over last-minute things, and Hazeltine walked out, to applause, to have her makeup checked.
Taping the first show took most of the morning, but Greg never appeared. They took a break and began taping another show in midafternoon. Lisa remained in the studio wearing the charms and saw no sign of Greg, the black dragon, witches, or incubi.
She watched from behind the set as the next audience filed in, and Hazeltine came to breathe heavily next to her.
"Greg is a dead man," she said, then her sour expression lightened into something like pleasure. "Oh my. Look at him."
Lisa followed her gaze and saw Caleb striding down the middle aisle of the studio dressed in the sweatshirt and jeans Lisa had left for him. Women turned as he walked by, eyes widening in appreciation.
"Lisa," he shouted, just as the cameras started to roll.
The audience clapped appropriately and music blared as Hazeltine stepped onto the set.
Caleb bellowed over the noise. "Lisa!"
Hazeltine glared. The cameras kept rolling.
Lisa hastened from behind the set up the aisle to where Caleb the warrior dragon strode toward the stage. The audience turned heads to watch, Hazeltine forgotten. Caleb met Lisa halfway down the aisle and clapped hands to her shoulders. "You were not to leave your apartment. It isn't safe."
"I had to come to work," Lisa said over the noise.
"Why?"
The audience quieted, settling down to listen. On the stage Hazeltine tried to start talking about aspic, but no one paid her any attention.
Lisa tried to speak as quietly as she could, keeping her voice from the microphones. "I need the money, Caleb. How do you think I bought your clothes?"
"You do not need money if I am with you. I will take care of you."
They had the full attention of the studio now.
"This is real life." Lisa tried. "If you don't have money in this world, you can't live. If you don't have a job, you don't have money. I know you don't understand."
He scowled. "Tom don't understand. My hoard is carpeted with gold, all of which I will gladly give you."
"Gold… ?"
"Carpeted. You can have every piece of gold I possess. I will give it to you if you will stay home and be safe."
"Take the gold!" someone shouted and the audience agreed with him.
"There's more to it than money," Lisa said. "This is my life."
"I am in your life now. I am compelled to protect you—even if I don't like Donna, I have to obey her and take care of you." He didn't bother lowering his voice. "I want to protect you. I have ever since I first saw you."
The audience said, "Awwwww."
"Well, you're here now," Lisa said, flushing. "And I wore the charms. I need this job, Caleb. It's the best I ever had."
Hazeltine had given up. She appeared at Lisa's elbow and placed her clawlike hand on Caleb's large arm. "I'm missing a helper," she said, baring her teeth. "Why don't you fill in for him?"
Caleb stared at her, his dragon attention caught. Lisa tried to signal him to say no, but he would not look at her. Hazeltine knew damn well that her ratings dropped on any show in which Greg did not appear, and she wanted a good-looking man to draw the female audience.
"You want me to be on television?" Caleb asked her.
"Of course." She appealed to the audience who started a rhythmic, encouraging clapping.
Caleb appeared to think about it, and Lisa wished she knew what was spinning in that dragon mind of his. At last he gave Hazeltine a grave nod.
"Yes. Thank you. I believe I would enjoy it."
* * *
Chapter Eleven
Malcolm clicked off the television in Saba's apartment later that evening, shaking his head. Dressing for Dinner had ended with clips from upcoming episodes, some of them taped that day. In the last one, the upright figure of Caleb the golden dragon had filled the screen, towering over the pink-haired woman who hosted the show.
Caleb had looked confidently into the camera, neither smiling nor boastful, like he belonged there. He'd even lifted his hand in a very human wave.
Malcolm turned to gaze at Saba curled on the bed against the headboard in her jeans and cropped shirt and bare feet, and Grizelda sitting in the chair by the desk.
"You were right to bring her to me," Malcolm said. He'd brushed the lonely Grizelda with his mark and already she looked happier. She was not the wisest of witches, but she would be useful.
Grizelda had related the entire story of Donna and the demons and how Caleb had found Grizelda and helped her get to safety.
"I am very disappointed in Donna," Grizelda said.
"Demons are disgusting. At least dragons practice clean magic."
Malcolm had wiped the fear and revulsion of being accosted by the incubus from her mind, and she'd looked at him in gratitude. Saba watched without smiling. Strange how easy it was to put a simple creature like Grizelda at ease, but Saba still resisted him with all her might.
He wished she would not resist. He liked the taste of Saba and wanted to explore more ways to pleasure her. If all went well, though, he'd not have the time, which for some reason made him feel faint regret. All the pieces were in place for him to rid himself of the golden dragon while at the same time harnessing Lisa Singleton's magic to send him home.
Donna was up to something involving Lisa and the dragon orb, but Malcolm didn't much care what as long as it did not interfere with his plans. What that witch did to Lisa or the orb or the human world after that he did not care.
He felt another frisson of worry that Saba might be harmed if Donna used her demons or the dragon orb, but he could solve that by taking Saba to safety until the danger was past.
His dragon logic satisfied, he drew his fingers across Saba's thigh and turned his gaze to Grizelda. "You have been very helpful," he said. "Now, do you understand what to do?"
Grizelda smiled and nodded. "I do."
Caleb wanted to return to the apartment right after the taping finished for the night, but Lisa introduced him to the concept of a restaurant.
They went to one near her house, a small dimly lit place where couples lingered over glasses of wine, and the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen made his mouth water. The taxi had dropped them off right at the front door, and Caleb insisted they take a table far in the back where he could watch every single person who came and went.
Over the meal Lisa told him all about the dream of the incubus and how the magic of the apartment had kept it from taking her.
Caleb grew alarmed and angry. "Donna sent him."
Lisa nodded around a mouthful of greens. "It would be a strange coincidence if he came on his own. But why should she tell you to protect me and then send a demon after me?"
"She told me to protect you from the black dragon," Caleb said, trailing his fork across his empty plate. "I'm betting she told me to keep you safe so that she could have you for herself."
"Because of this magic in me?"
"Yes. I wish I knew what it was. It's like dragon magic, not witch magic. Witches use earth magic—they draw circles and light candles and use the solid magic of rocks and trees and water. Dragons use fire magic, with thought. Dragon magic is much more efficient."
Lisa smiled at him. "Of course."
He didn't know why she found his observation funny but he did know he liked it when she smiled. "You should not have left the house today. Not even for this career you want."
"If Hazeltine fires me, I have to start all over again. I'm hoping to use this show job as a stepping stone to something bigger. I know it's hard for you to understand."
"While I am here, you don't need this career."
She made a face over her glass of wine. "Don't say that. You sound just like my ex-husband."
Caleb growled. "You compare me to a man who betrayed you with two women?"
His voice sounded loud in a sudden lull in conversation around them. Heads turned, and Lisa flushed.
"Caleb."
"I will never do this to you. I would never hurt you." He laid his hand over her slim one, liking the way her fingers felt against his skin. "I will protect you with my life."
Her half-smile came back, the one that crinkled her eyes. "As long as I do everything you say."
"That is the best way."
She laughed. "I'm not very obedient. Philip found that out."
"I have noticed. But while there is danger you must trust me. I will take care of you."
"For how long?" Lisa toyed with her wineglass. "When the danger is gone, the magic will wear off and you'll go home." She touched his arm where the gold armband lay hidden by his sweatshirt. "Then I'll be alone again."
Caleb fell silent. He would be glad when he eliminated the danger to Lisa, but he would have great sadness to never see her again. It would hurt in a way he hadn't hurt in a very long time.
Caleb glanced up at Lisa and found her studying him, her brown eyes warm. No, he corrected himself. It would hurt as nothing had hurt him ever before.
I want to stay with her in this San Francisco place and watch television and touch her. I want to be with her.
He'd never experienced such a longing to be with another. Being human was doing strange things to him.
"You never told me why you went back to Dragonspace," Lisa said. "To enjoy yourself flying?"
"I do enjoy flying," he answered. "But I went for another purpose, to bring back more protection for you. If you'd had this last night, the incubus would never have gotten near you."
He took a handful of glittering diamonds from his pocket and dropped them to the table.
Lisa gasped. Her wineglass tilted dangerously, and she quickly set it on the table. The diamonds were laced with sapphires in a diadem that Lisa could wear in her hair. The gems caught the candlelight, throwing spangles across Lisa, Caleb, and nearby tables. Diners lifted their heads, looking over at them and making soft noises of awe.
"Good lord, Caleb."
"The stones have powerful magic," Caleb said in a low voice, "They are very old and remember the fire that created them. They will protect you against evil, especially demons."
"Protection from demons. What a bonus." She looked up at him. "Where did you get this?"
"I rescued it hundreds of years ago when I was a young dragon. Stones grow cold when they are too far from home—they want to remember what it was like when they were part of a living seam in the mountain. I can't put back the stones I find, but I can give them a place that is as close to home as I can make it. I keep them in my cave with others of their kind and warm them with my fire." He shrugged. "I never had someone to give them to before now."
"So not only is it expensive," she whispered, "but it's an expensive antique?"
"The stones have soaked up my magic and will help protect you. Diamonds are very powerful."
The diamonds and sapphires glowed with their own light and had a strength about them that heartened him.
"Is that why dragons hoard gold and jewels?" she asked. "It isn't greed?"
"It is compassion," Caleb said. "That is why we keep them forever. They don't want to leave."
Lisa touched the diamonds. "Well, these stones look very happy."
"They're yours now."
"Oh, Caleb." Lisa stared at the stones for another long moment, then she leaned over and brushed her mouth across his. "Thank you."
Caleb sank into the kiss, letting his fingers drift to the nape of her neck to pull her closer. She drew back a little, her lips moist, her eyes heavy.
"Wait," he said. "Kiss me again."
"We're in the middle of a restaurant, and everyone is staring at us."
He pushed back his chair, his arousal rising behind his tight jeans. "Then let us not be in the middle of a restaurant."
Lisa looked up at him as though she'd begin the argument of whether or not she should obey him, then she smiled. "All right," she said. "Let us not be here."
They walked the half block through dark streets to Lisa's apartment, Caleb's hand protectively on the small of her back, his attention on every shadow. She felt his dragon magic embrace her when they entered the house—he'd marked the entire building, filling it with the lucky magic of dragons that Li Na had always believed in.
Lisa stopped on the stairs a few steps above him—the lift not working again—and put her arms around his neck. Caleb's eyes softened, the warrior giving way to the man beneath.
"Thank you," she said. "I know you are trying to protect me, and I know it wasn't your idea, but thank you for invading my spare bedroom."
"I enjoy invading it." He nuzzled her cheek and kissed her.
He could kiss like fire, this dragon-man, awakening every need she'd buried for years. Philip had dug the grave with his philandering, and the year and a half after that had made her fill it in with cold Earth. And then Caleb came along and started her blood pumping again.
It began as a tingling in her fingertips, evoking an answering tingle in her nipples, which tightened against her light shirt. His warm, broad chest covered hers, the stairs letting them stand with their faces even. It was easier to kiss him this way, not having to bend her head back to take in his vast height, but then again, she loved how his body bent over hers, so large and protective.
His lips were smooth, his tongue slow. Heat trickled down her spine, legs weakening. He felt need, too, if the hard bulge that pressed her was any indication. She slipped her hand to it, pressing her palm against the zipper of his jeans.
He made a little noise in his throat and cupped the back of her head, pulling her against his mouth. Her heartbeat sped. Her bed was wide and soft and a perfect size for the two of them. Of course, she thought as she ran her hand firmly down the zipper again, if the hall stayed quiet, the stairs might be where they ended up. The thought of being caught in the act by one of her neighbors both terrified her and excited her.
She wouldn't really…
Her thoughts trailed off as Caleb slid his fingers to the first button of her blouse. Perhaps Caleb saw nothing wrong in making love in an open stairwell—perhaps dragons didn't care whether they were seen.
He dipped his hand inside, fingers brushing the skin of her breasts. The bulge beneath her hand grew larger still, and she found herself tugging at the zipper, wanting the length of him heavy against her palm. She'd already seen the naked perfection of his body, now she wanted to feel it, to grasp him with her fingers and know that he was aroused because of her.
"Caleb…" she began.
"
Lisa, is this wanting?" he whispered.
"This is my stairwell at eight in the evening. We could get arrested if we don't stop."
He undid another button of her blouse, proving he'd mastered buttons at least, and cool air touched her breasts. He slid his mouth to hers again. "I do not want to stop."
She did not, either. She opened her lips for his kiss, not minding his hand drifting to cup her breast inside her lace bra. Daringly, she loosened the button of his waistband, and he moved his hips a little so she could wriggle her fingers to the top of his zipper.
A vibration began in the area of her thighs, a constant, insistent vibration that warmed her at the same time it distracted her. Caleb broke the kiss and looked down at her, brows drawn. "What is that?"
"Oh, hell," she said, realizing. "It's my cell phone."
Sighing, she plucked it from her skirt pocket, hoping it wasn't Hazeltine remembering something she'd wanted to add to one of the shows and could they do it over again?
Caleb nuzzled her neck, his hands planted on her hips, as she flipped open the phone. "I hate these things," she muttered, then looked at the number. "Oh, wait, it's Lumi." Her heart beating faster, she pressed the button and answered.
"Lisa?" Lumi said. He sounded nervous. "You wanted me to tell you if I thought something was going down. Well, something's going down. You and Caleb might want to get over here."
"Why?" she asked. Caleb kissed the sensitive place below her ear, his breath warm. "Where are you?"
"At a warehouse in Potrero, down by the cargo docks. I think your black dragon is starting something."
Caleb heard. He lifted his head and pulled the phone from Lisa's hand. "We are coming," he said loudly into it. "Do nothing against him."
"You got it," Lumi said, then clicked off the phone.
Caleb rested his forehead against hers as she dropped the phone back into her pocket. "Lisa." He caressed her cheek.
"Don't even think about telling me to stay behind."
Caleb smiled suddenly and kissed her on the lips. "I was not. Your magic, it would be handy to have at my back."
Dragon Heat Page 13
