Page 10 of A Kiss of Flame
Levian stood her ground and glared at him. She could take care of herself, and they both knew it. He was just being overprotective, which she appreciated, but she didn’t appreciate being scolded like a child.
Barith grunted, reading her expression. If he were going to continue down this path, then they’d only end up fighting. He ran one of his hands over the back of his neck, then muttered, “Who else?”
“What?” she clipped.
“Who else did they try to steal from?” he pressed on instead.
Annoyed, Levian rubbed the bridge of her nose. “A half-fae in Paris,” she said.
He huffed a small laugh. “So that’s why you were in Paris.”
She nodded. “He lied about owning some vast collection of rare items to social climb. It worked in his favor for a time but also caught the thieves’ attention. It was hard to deduce exactly what they’d been attempting to steal at first, but there was one particularly rare and obscure item.”
“What you found at the house,” Barith guessed astutely.
Levian hadn’t wanted to share all the details with the dragon, but she was too far to turn back now. Besides, Car knew, so why couldn’t Barith? “It was something called the Heart Orb,” she explained.
Barith cocked his head. “What is it?”
The dragon wasn’t well versed in Dökk lore or interested in their forbidden collectible possessions. Like most of the Folk, he was superstitious when it came to Dökk artifacts and preferred to stay as far away from them as possible. Levian explained abit about the orb and its supposed dark origin. “I wasn’t sure we would find it in that old house, but we did,” she concluded.
Barith remained pensive and quiet for several seconds before asking, “What are you plannin’ to do with it now?” His voice expressed evident concern, and she could tell he was preparing himself for her to say something obviously dangerous and foolish.
Levian paced along the tub beside him, hoping to make him understand. “I can’t explain it, Barith,” she confessed. “These thieves aren’t just gathering forbidden treasures to lock away. I know they’re up to something, and it’s not a mere coincidence that all of these items are touched by the Dökk. If I tell the Councileverything, they’ll take over and probably send me back to babysit King Thurin, and we both know the Mage Guard won’t find what I will. I can’t just leave it to chance.”
Barith reached out and grabbed her arm with his wet hand to still her. His touch made a shiver ripple from the spot through her body, a wash of warmth following. “Vi, I’m not tryin’ to rile ye up,” he tried to explain. “It’s just dangerous, and you know it.”
She bristled. Levian hated people worrying over her, even if the logical part of her brain knew he wasn’t wholly wrong. Usually, she would’ve done this kind of work with Barith and Sirus—not alone. “I’ve not much choice,” she clipped. “Until I know what these thieves are really up to and can provide Council with concrete evidence, I’m better off on my own.”
Barith pulled his hand away and leaned back in the tub. She knew he understood what she meant, even if he didn’t like it or agree. “Still not gettin’ along with Council, then?” Barith asked.
She laughed bitterly. “I may be an Ambassador, but that doesn’t mean they’ve suddenly forgotten the last several hundred years of bad blood between us,” she retorted. “Not that I would forget either.”
Barith smiled, and her heart fluttered in response. The dragon’s smile could make even the most cantankerous creatures swoon. It irritated her that his smile still had that effect on her after all these years. “Not that ye’d ever forget,” he teased.
Levian splashed water at his face.
The dragon wiped the water from his eyes with a chuckle. “That’s not very Ambassador-like behavior,” he mused. “You could start a war between the Mages and the Sun Dragons with that kind of recklessness.”
“I’ll take my chances,” she retorted, holding back a smile. “And now that we’ve talked loads about me. How are you fairing now that you’ve returned to the horde?”
Barith felt suddenly nauseous.
He’d always known he’d be mated one day, but Barith had always hoped to find histruemate before his mother could choose for him. He’d not been so lucky.
Arranged matings were common practice in dragon hordes. His mother, Queen Eithne, had spent decades working toward uniting their horde with another powerful dragon family. His mating with Sera was simply the icing on the cake to complete the political alliance, nothing more. When done, it would make their collective horde hundreds strong, the largest of all dragons, and a mighty force in changing times amongst the Folk, or so his mother was convinced.
“I’ve just been paraded around by my mum like a show horse for months,” he admitted. “When I heard you were missin’, I may have overreacted a wee bit.”
“Aweebit?” Levian scoffed.
He felt a tinge of guilt. “I know ye’re not helpless,” he told her. “But we both know ye can be headstrong when ye wish to be, and Gwen really was worried about you.”
Levian downed what remained of her wine. “I already called her,” she told him. “Gwen was relieved to know I was okay and surprised you had come all this way.”
He laughed sheepishly. “As I said, I might’ve overreacted a wee bit.”
With a roll of her eyes, the mage turned to refill her glass, gliding across the floor, and he watched her every step. Barith had always considered Levian one of the most beautiful creatures he’d ever seen. Not that he’d ever told her. Not that she needed telling. Levian knew she was lovely and walked with an air that said as much. Her long neck and slim half-fae features suited her well.