It wasn't until the overhead fire sprinklers turned on that I realized that what I had assumed was only an emotion shared between us had materialized physically. I pulled my mouth from Drake's and glanced up at the sprinkler, then around in surprise. We stood alone, the dancers and music having stopped, everyone giving us a wide berth. And we were on fire. No, that's not quite accurate—we were the fire. Flames leaped up around us, as if we were standing in the middle of a bonfire.

"Drake," I said, my eyes getting big as I watched flames lick down my arms to him. "I'm on fire."

He nuzzled my neck. "I burn for you, as well, mate."

I blew experimentally on the fire burning merrily on my shoulder. I couldn't feel anything other than the power of his dragon fire, but it was extremely unnerving to see my body fully engulfed in flames. "No, I mean I'm really on fire. Big yellow and red tlamey things on my arms." I stepped backwards, out of his embrace, looking down at myself. "And my legs. Both of them. They're burning, Drake. So are yours."

A woman in a spangled white and gold miniskirt pushed her way through the watching crowd.

"Is this normal? I've felt your dragon fire before, but it's never actually done the barbecue thing on us. Why am I not screaming in agony? Why doesn't it hurt?"

"It is a sign of your passion, of the passion we share, a manifestation of your true nature. My fire cannot hurt you so long as you accept it," Drake answered before turning to greet the miniskirt. "Flavia, how lovely you look this evening."

The woman stopped next to me, hands on her hips as she glared up at him. She was a good foot and a half shorter than Drake, but her steely glare packed a wallop that had me backed up a couple of steps until Drake grabbed my arm and pulled me up close to him. "Drake Vireo! I might have known it was you causing all this trouble. Look what you've done to my dance floor!"

I looked down, slapping at the flames creeping up my thighs. The floor had a sooty, singed look where we had been standing.

"Do you have any idea how expensive it is to refinish this floor? I insist that you stop showing off this mstant,"

Drake bowed and reclaimed his fire, the flames around as dying into nothing. "Naturally I will pay for any damage my mate has caused."

"Excuse me?" I poked him in the chest. "I'm not Torchy the Dragon, You are! Don't go blaming your lack of fire control on me."

The nymph named Flavia turned on me, giving me a furious look. "And you—what sort of a Guardian are you who would endanger the lives of others? You are supposed to protect people, not be so selfish that your own needs come before the good of others. You disgust me! I spit on you!"

And she did, she spat right at my feet. Luckily I moved aside before it could hit me. "But—but—it was his fire—I didn't do anything other than kiss him—"

Her eyes narrowed. Her nostrils flared. Her lips curled in scorn. "You are the mate, it is you who triggers his fire. You will never again do so in my club or I will ban you from the premises forever!"

My jaw worked soundlessly a couple of times before I turned to Drake and tried to glare the hair right off his head. "Don't you want to say something? Don't you want to explain that it was you who started this, not me? Don't you want to take the responsibility for anything you do?"

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "What will you give me if I do?"

"Arghr"

Drake pulled me away at that point, which was a good thing because I was about ready to throttle him. Everything had a price with him. Every time I needed his help, it was only available if I had something to trade for it. The man was entirely untrustworthy, unreliable, and thoroughly maddening. What had I been thinking to allow myself back into a position of intimacy with him?

I fumed all the way to the table Jim had claimed. The red dragons were in the quickly re-forming mob on the dance floor, but Gabriel and one of his guards sat next to Jim, drinking and watching the crowd.

"That was a dirty trick, lighting me up and making a scene, then letting me take the rap for it without one single, solitary word of explanation," I muttered to Drake as he held out a chair for me. I leaned into him so the others couldn't hear. "I swear, Drake, this time we're really through. It's over. There is no passion. There is no touching, no kissing, no more of that mind-melting ly-fabulous sex, and no dragon fire. It's over. You got that?"

Drake just smiled, his fire still visible in his eyes.

I growled to myself and slumped back in the chair, hungry, tired, and angry at my own stupidity. Well, twice burned, well learned—or however thai phrase went. This time I was serious. This time it was truly over.

Drake came to me in a dream. He'd done it before. Using some tenuous psychic connection between us to parade his seductive self around in my dreams, turning them into erotic experiences that left me jerking awake with my heart racing, my skin sweaty, the taste of him still on my tongue.

Not to mention other places.

I knew the moment I dipped my toe into the warm water that I was having a dream, one of Drake's dreams, the kind that would end up with me more confused than ever

"This isn't going to work," I said aloud, my voice echoing shghtly, the rustle of my clothing as it fell to the floor the only other sound. I stood on the steps leading down into a big square pool of water, scented and warmed so it lapped around my toes like a lover's tongue. Surrounding me were classical white columns, the walls of the room—if there were any—hidden in shadows, the floor of black-and-white marble cool against the soles of my feet. Lining three sides of the pool were statues of couples locked in intimate embraces. I couldn't see into the shadows beyond the statues, but I knew Drake was there. I could smell him. I could feel him. He was everywhere. I stepped into the water, shivering a little when it touched my sensitized skin. "You can't just waltz into my mind and seduce me in a dream world because I've rejected you in reality. I will not play this game again."

I sank deeper into the waiting embrace of the water, swimming out to the middle of the pool, a thousand little touches lapping against my skin, arousing me.

"Drake, I know you're there. I don't have these sorts of dreams on my own. You're the only one who makes me feel this way, so you might as well stop hiding and show yourself."

Beyond the edge of my vision, something moved Something large. A breeze whirled around me, accompanied by the sound of what could only be very large wings. I turned, treading water, trying to see into the darkness. From the corner of my eye a sinuous green object caressed a marble column, sliding like a snake into the darkness when my head whipped around to look at it. Deep in the shadows a darker shape rose, a long, thin neck arching back along a powerful body before twisting itself deeper into the darkness. "I'm not seeing this. It's just a dream. I'm not about to be ravished by a really gigantic four-legged scaly lizard with sexy eyes. Your eyes are still green when you're in dragon form, aren't they, Drake?"