removed, a pregnancy was theoretically possible. Whether the child would
be náladon , he didn’t know. At some point, he would have to bring up
surgical sterilization—if not for her, then for himself and Darek. He didn’t
want to learn the answer to that question.
The previous evening, he’d run a rapid blood test to rule
out the presence of the drug cocktail la vedova used to prime her
broodmares. Lily’s blood was negative—no surprise there. At least he could
demonstrate to Anthony that she’d never been a part of the breeding program.
“What are they like? The náladon ?” she asked.
Darek cleared his throat. “We’ve not seen many of them in
human form. As dragons, they’re black in the daytime, invisible in the
darkness. Like their sires, they hail to one of the four elements—water, fire,
earth or air—and they have power over that element. Some can also sift—teleport—like
the idani. We’ve encountered one with psychic abilities. That’s really the
problem—we’re not sure. We don’t know everything they can do yet.”
Lily drained her glass of water and Bane refilled it. “Okay,
question,” she said.
Darek sat forward. “Shoot.”
“I have some of my mother’s traits. Do I have others? Can I
sift?” Lily asked. She took a swallow of her water.
“I don’t know,” Bane answered. “Savara says she’ll help you
find out if you want.”
Darek shot him a baleful look. “Or not.”
He was probably right. Kai’s unlikely mate was as
unpredictable as she was gorgeous. And she was gorgeous—in her natural
form, she was six feet of sex on toast.
Picturing Lily taking advice from Kai’s mate made him a
little nervous. Kai had told him that morning, “Savara is civilized, but she’s
not entirely…tame.”
Bane glanced at her often as he ate his own food.
“I’m not going to run away,” she said finally, her mouth
curved in a slight smile. “You don’t have to watch me so closely.”
He laughed and shook his head. “It’s not that. I want to
make sure you drink enough fluids. Ether dehydrates people.” Her eyes narrowed
at his mention of the drug.
He grimaced. “Sorry about that.”
“That, and he wants an excuse to stare at your cleavage,”
Darek joked.
“So does every guy in here,” Bane growled, glancing sideways
at the bar. “A couple of minutes ago the bartender poured that guy a tequila
and Coke.” He gestured at a disgruntled-looking man seated at the bar.
Lily wrinkled her nose.
“Savara could teach her how to tone down her glamor,” Darek
suggested. “I sure as hell couldn’t teach her that.”
“Oh gosh, I never thought of that. If my mother could do it,
I could too, right?” Lily asked, straightening suddenly. Bane saw a series of
images flash through her mind—a sea of sad, desperate male faces. Lily put her
palm to her forehead. “All of those times I wished and wished they’d just leave
me alone. How could she?”
“How could who?” Darek asked.
“If I could have stopped it, why would my mother have kept
that from me?”
“Maybe she didn’t know how much it bothered you,” Bane said.
Lily stabbed at her pasta moodily. “How come it doesn’t
affect you guys?”
Bane grinned ruefully. “It does.”
Darek half grunted, half growled his agreement.
“We just have a little more…armor against it than humans
do,” Bane added.
“And,” Darek said in a low voice, his gaze heating, “we can
keep up with you.” Lily blushed and Bane saw her nipples pearl tightly under
the thin shirt. He remembered how she’d looked riding Darek, her breasts
swaying gently, her eyes meeting his, hungry. Her eyes had drifted closed when
he came. He’d tried to be generous, to give her time, but damn, he was jealous
of Darek.
“Bane?” His eyes snapped open at the sound of Lily’s voice.
“You bent your fork.”
He cleared his throat and set down the ruined utensil. “So I
did. I’ll be right back.” He stood, meeting Darek’s
be náladon , he didn’t know. At some point, he would have to bring up
surgical sterilization—if not for her, then for himself and Darek. He didn’t
want to learn the answer to that question.
The previous evening, he’d run a rapid blood test to rule
out the presence of the drug cocktail la vedova used to prime her
broodmares. Lily’s blood was negative—no surprise there. At least he could
demonstrate to Anthony that she’d never been a part of the breeding program.
“What are they like? The náladon ?” she asked.
Darek cleared his throat. “We’ve not seen many of them in
human form. As dragons, they’re black in the daytime, invisible in the
darkness. Like their sires, they hail to one of the four elements—water, fire,
earth or air—and they have power over that element. Some can also sift—teleport—like
the idani. We’ve encountered one with psychic abilities. That’s really the
problem—we’re not sure. We don’t know everything they can do yet.”
Lily drained her glass of water and Bane refilled it. “Okay,
question,” she said.
Darek sat forward. “Shoot.”
“I have some of my mother’s traits. Do I have others? Can I
sift?” Lily asked. She took a swallow of her water.
“I don’t know,” Bane answered. “Savara says she’ll help you
find out if you want.”
Darek shot him a baleful look. “Or not.”
He was probably right. Kai’s unlikely mate was as
unpredictable as she was gorgeous. And she was gorgeous—in her natural
form, she was six feet of sex on toast.
Picturing Lily taking advice from Kai’s mate made him a
little nervous. Kai had told him that morning, “Savara is civilized, but she’s
not entirely…tame.”
Bane glanced at her often as he ate his own food.
“I’m not going to run away,” she said finally, her mouth
curved in a slight smile. “You don’t have to watch me so closely.”
He laughed and shook his head. “It’s not that. I want to
make sure you drink enough fluids. Ether dehydrates people.” Her eyes narrowed
at his mention of the drug.
He grimaced. “Sorry about that.”
“That, and he wants an excuse to stare at your cleavage,”
Darek joked.
“So does every guy in here,” Bane growled, glancing sideways
at the bar. “A couple of minutes ago the bartender poured that guy a tequila
and Coke.” He gestured at a disgruntled-looking man seated at the bar.
Lily wrinkled her nose.
“Savara could teach her how to tone down her glamor,” Darek
suggested. “I sure as hell couldn’t teach her that.”
“Oh gosh, I never thought of that. If my mother could do it,
I could too, right?” Lily asked, straightening suddenly. Bane saw a series of
images flash through her mind—a sea of sad, desperate male faces. Lily put her
palm to her forehead. “All of those times I wished and wished they’d just leave
me alone. How could she?”
“How could who?” Darek asked.
“If I could have stopped it, why would my mother have kept
that from me?”
“Maybe she didn’t know how much it bothered you,” Bane said.
Lily stabbed at her pasta moodily. “How come it doesn’t
affect you guys?”
Bane grinned ruefully. “It does.”
Darek half grunted, half growled his agreement.
“We just have a little more…armor against it than humans
do,” Bane added.
“And,” Darek said in a low voice, his gaze heating, “we can
keep up with you.” Lily blushed and Bane saw her nipples pearl tightly under
the thin shirt. He remembered how she’d looked riding Darek, her breasts
swaying gently, her eyes meeting his, hungry. Her eyes had drifted closed when
he came. He’d tried to be generous, to give her time, but damn, he was jealous
of Darek.
“Bane?” His eyes snapped open at the sound of Lily’s voice.
“You bent your fork.”
He cleared his throat and set down the ruined utensil. “So I
did. I’ll be right back.” He stood, meeting Darek’s
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