Fire Maidens: London Read online

  On that particular evening, however, she was starting to get fed up. First, there’d been a bump on the roof of the boat. Then, she was sure she’d heard Liam and Sergio whispering outside. After that, they appeared to have gone off in two different directions, and things were peaceful for a while. But then a dog began to snarl, and a minute later, someone hammered on Valhalla’s hatch.

  “Gemma!” Liam called in a low, urgent voice.

  She slammed down her book. Living on a barge along London’s canals meant putting up with passing drunks or late-night pranksters. But having someone jump on the roof or smash a bottle was hardly a life-threatening crime. So what was Liam so agitated about?

  “Gemma,” he hissed.

  She swung her jaw from side to side. Responding would only encourage his fantasies. But if Liam kept up that racket, one of her neighbors would surely complain. She’d already gotten strange looks for having two strapping young men checking in on her all the time. The last thing she needed was for someone to file an official complaint — or, worse, to spread rumors that she was involved with two men.

  “Gemma!” Liam called hoarsely.

  She huffed and stood. Fine. She’d see what he wanted and then sit him down for a long talk. He had to get help, and soon.

  “Liam, you can’t keep doing this,” she muttered as she unlocked the door, wrapping a flannel shirt around herself.

  With the boat lying low in the water and Liam standing so tall, he loomed over the entranceway, more agitated than she’d ever seen him.

  “You have to come with me. Right now.”

  She shook her head firmly. “No way. I am going to bed, and you are going to calm down.”

  He peered over his shoulder, barely listening. “Hurry. Quick.”

  She backed down the stairs with a sigh. “Why don’t you come in?”

  Liam got worked up sometimes, but she had a knack for calming him down — the way he had with her when she got stressed or uptight.

  Liam motioned urgently. “It’s not safe. You have to get out of here.”

  “Liam, I live here. It’s late. I—”

  A huge shadow swooped behind him, and Gemma froze. Liam ducked and held a finger over his lips.

  “Quiet. It hasn’t located you yet.”

  What hadn’t located her yet? She tried peering around Liam, but he blocked most of the gangway.

  “Liam…”

  Dammit, now she was whispering too.

  He turned and uttered a sharp word to someone behind him.

  “Who…?” she started, then froze as a low, furry shape trotted away. Was that a wolf?

  “That’s Sergio. He’ll try to buy us time.”

  She peered around Liam. That was definitely a wolf. But in London? Then she studied Liam’s eyes. She’d been sure he wasn’t into drugs, but—

  “Hurry. It’s homing in on you,” Liam urged. “The dragon.”

  She took a deep breath. “I told you already—”

  That was all she got out before something huge swooped through the sky behind Liam, and her jaw dropped. No way. It couldn’t be…

  Liam reached down. “Come on, we have to get you out of here.”

  He pulled her on deck, hurried her ashore, and started hustling her toward a bridge.

  “Keep moving.” He tugged her hand, because Gemma, without realizing it, had slowed to a stop to stare.

  “Holy shit.” That really was a dragon, with two huge wings — bigger than any bird — a long, snakelike neck, and an equally long tail. The beast soared in circles, peering down. Searching, obviously. For what?

  The wolf that had started trotting away glanced back as if to say, Searching for you. Get moving.

  “Now do you believe me?” Liam asked.

  Her mind spun, hoping for an alternative explanation. That could be a trick of the light or some kind of projection. But moonlight glanced off the dragon’s wings, showing them to be leathery and marked with veins. The belly was smooth with natural armor, and the tail flicked gracefully when the dragon turned. All of it far too real to be a hoax.

  She nodded dumbly. Holy crap.

  “Come on,” Liam said.

  But all she could do was mumble in awe. “Oh my God. A dragon.”

  Stating the obvious was stupid, but she couldn’t help it. All these years, her father had been right. Boy, did she owe him an apology.

  You must watch out for dragons. They are ruthless, greedy things. If they discover your heritage, they will hunt you.

  Liam’s face was grim. “We need to get out of sight.”

  One more tug was all it took to get her running. Liam led her to the bushes at a crouch. Then he stopped, looked up, and pushed her ahead.

  “Now! Go!”

  They rushed under the bridge then stopped and looked back.

  Her hands shook. “Someone will call the police, right?”

  Liam shook his head. “Regular humans can’t see them, not with the spell in place.”

  She stared. Regular humans? What did that make her? And, whoa. A spell — as in magic?

  “Come on…” Liam’s eyes flicked between the dragon and the wolf disappearing around a corner. Then he shook his head, displeased, and started stripping out of his clothes.

  She jumped back. “What are you doing?”

  “Shifting. If Sergio and I can distract the dragon, you can get away. Wait here.”

  Her eyes went wide. “You’re leaving?”

  He whipped off his shirt and started tugging at his shoelaces. “Not for long, I hope. But if I’m not back in five minutes, go. Stick to the shadows. Make for the Underground, then get as far from here as you can.”

  It was all too much to process, especially now that Liam was unzipping his pants and—

  She jerked her eyes toward the sky. This could not be happening.

  But it was. The dragon was still wheeling like a hawk in search of a field mouse, and the wolf had started to howl. Liam was buck naked, and as much as she tried not to peek… Well, it was hard not to, what with the way his shoulders tapered to his waist. The rippled stack of muscles along his abdomen drew her gaze lower, and—

  He thrust his clothes at her. “Five minutes. If I’m not back, go.”

  “Go where?”

  He gulped, stopping to think. “Your father’s. I’ll find you there.”

  She blinked. Wait. He knew where her father lived? She supposed so, given how he’d shadowed her around Notting Hill.

  “But what are you going to do? Whoa…” She stared.

  Liam hunched his shoulders, balled his hands into fists, and grunted. “I’m shifting. Don’t panic.”

  Don’t panic? How could she not stutter and gag when hair broke out all over his back?

  “Liam…”

  He shook his head — violently — coaxing out more hair. The stubble of his jaw thickened, extending into hairs that grew longer and denser.

  A mane. Her crazy/not-crazy friend was growing a mane. Soon, his entire body was consumed by fur.

  “Liam!”

  She jumped back as he fell to all fours.

  His limbs became more compact, and his joints took on an unnatural curve. Unnatural for a human, at least. But perfectly normal for a…a…

  She stared. A lion?

  The golden-green eyes that met hers were one hundred percent Liam, and the thick mane fit too. But the rest of him… Well, wow. She took in the powerful lines of his feline body and his long, tufted tail.

  Wait here, those eyes begged. I’ll come back. I swear.

  When he spun and raced off after Sergio, Gemma nearly ran after him. Then she halted in her tracks. Surely, she ought to run away from a man who could change into a wild beast?

  Something swooped overhead, making moonlight flicker. The dragon was gliding about a hundred feet up and to her left, its eyes glowing yellow as they searched the ground.

  Gemma inched deeper into the cover of the bridge. A howl broke out from the distance — Sergio? — and the
dragon flew toward it. But when she stumbled, a bottle lying on the path rattled into the canal, and the dragon whipped its head around. A split second later, it backwinded its wings, peering her way.

  Gemma ran to the middle of the bridge, where it was darkest. Pitch black, in fact, moist, and absolutely, positively creepy. The dragon wheeled quickly, coming directly toward the bridge.

  She cowered in the shadows. Oh God. She should have listened to Liam and to her father. Panic threatened to seize her, but she fought it away. She had to think, and fast.

  The bridge was too low for the dragon to fly under — or so she hoped. The dragon’s eyes pierced the dark sky, jerking side to side often enough to suggest she hadn’t been spotted. Which wasn’t all that comforting, given the way the beast was speeding toward her hiding place. She pressed herself against the mossy inner wall and held her breath.

  The dragon rushed directly to the mouth of the bridge, then — whoosh! — banked upward at the last possible instant. Air rushed, and leaves tumbled in its wake. Gemma glanced up, trembling, looking left and right. Where was it?

  For a moment, the night was eerily still, and she strained for any sound. Then the limp flag at the stern of a distant barge flapped wildly, and a scrap of paper flew across the towpath. A heartbeat later, those yellow eyes appeared at the far end of the bridge, and Gemma nearly screamed. The dragon hovered, kicking up dust and leaves. Gemma covered her mouth, willing herself not to cough.

  It hadn’t spotted her — yet. But how long until it did?

  As the dragon panted, little sparks spun out of its mouth and nostrils. Then a roar sounded in the distance, and the dragon snapped its head around.

  Gemma blinked the dust out of her eyes. Was that a lion?

  A howl broke out next, and the dragon raced off. When it disappeared around a bend in the canal, Gemma crumpled to the ground. Holy shit.

  Eventually, she stood, trembling. Once, the dragon rose high enough for her to spot it over the rooftops before diving again. Another howl broke out — a shorter, more urgent one — but that was all.

  Gemma dug her fingernails into the mossy wall. Should she run? Wait for Liam? And, God. Were Liam and Sergio all right? She’d lost all sense of time, unable to judge whether a minute had passed or ten.

  A car drove over the bridge, and she considered running after it. She even took three hurried steps into the open, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave. Not without Liam.

  So, she waited — and waited — until she couldn’t stand another minute. Then she waited a little more, her hopes fading, stomach churning. What if Liam was hurt?

  Then something moved in the distance, and she gasped. Something fast and low to the ground with glowing yellow eyes. A warm yellow, not the fiery color of the dragon’s eyes.

  “Liam,” she whispered.

  Somehow, he was instantly recognizable, even in that different body. His blondish-brown mane flowed in the wind, and his wide shoulders heaved with every powerful step. Even so, it took everything she had not to back up in fear. Not with a full-grown lion rushing straight at her.

  At the last second, the lion pulled up abruptly and made a low, chuffing sound.

  Are you okay? He didn’t actually speak — he only raised a paw — but the question was clear.

  Gemma gulped then nodded quickly. “Are you okay?”

  He chuffed again, then turned to check the sky, whiskers twitching. When his tail banged against her shins, he spun back, looking horrified that she might flip out. But, hell. She’d held herself together — mostly — so far. She wasn’t about to freak out now.

  “It’s okay. Really.” She rubbed her shins. “But I’d love it if you could change back.” Then she froze. “You can change back, right?”

  A tiny glimmer of amusement showed in Liam’s eyes. Then he lowered his head, tucked his tail, and—

  Gemma looked on breathlessly as he shifted back to human form. His mane receded, as did his tail. Although he started out on four feet, by the time he reared up on his back feet, his paws had transformed to hands. The last bit of fur disappeared, and—

  Gemma looked away, blushing, as Liam grabbed his clothes.

  “What about Sergio?” she asked, keeping her eyes on the towpath.

  Liam shook out his pants and yanked them on. “He’s buying us time, but we have to be quick. He can only keep it up for so long.”

  Gemma gulped. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t believe you. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”

  And just like that, all her emotions bubbled up at once, and she was a mess. A teary, babbling mess. Liam tried shushing her, but she couldn’t stop. So much for not freaking out.

  “I’m so sorry…”

  Gently, Liam pulled her closer, then wrapped his arms around her. Really wrapped them, nice and snug, making it feel as if evil couldn’t possibly squeeze past. “You’ll be okay. I promise.”

  “But what about Sergio? What about you?”

  Liam held her until she stopped shaking. Until her heart rate settled, in fact. But then it took off again, because her face was tucked up against his neck, and he smelled so good. Like oak and raw leather. She breathed deeply, claiming that little bit of him. Her body was pressed against his, and her curves complemented his perfectly. Her arms fit, too, looped comfortably around his waist. And Liam — boy, was he a good hugger. Not just using his arms but tucking in all around her. His chin snuggled her in, and his shoulders dipped. Even his feet were close.

  She turned her face slightly, intending to pull away, because she wasn’t used to falling apart in front of anyone. But she couldn’t quite bring herself to, and in the end, the motion only brought her closer to his lips. Close enough to kiss. Close enough to have to kiss, though she wasn’t entirely sure why. All she knew was that kissing was suddenly an urgent, burning necessity.

  When Liam looked down, their eyes met, and for a few heartbeats, they wavered. But that kiss was something unstoppable, inevitable. Something directed — even demanded — by fate.

  Gemma closed her eyes and leaned in, surrendering to that force field. Liam did too, and my, my… What a kiss. One of those rare kisses that could go down in history, if anyone kept track of such things. Their lips parted and moved in silent little mumbles. Their noses bumped softly, as did their hips, because every part of their bodies wanted in on that kiss.

  Gemma found herself threading her fingers through his thick hair and making little whimpering noises. She swept her tongue over his lips, then paused as if he’d begged to do the same. And when he did… Wow. His hungry, lingering touch made her feel wanted. Needed. Revered. A new batch of tears welled up in her eyes, driven by a rush of emotion. Emotions she couldn’t even name, because she’d never felt anything remotely similar.

  She broke off for a breath of air — a gasp was more like it — then dove right back in. The kiss stretched on and on, and she never wanted it to end. But gradually, the wave that had swept her up began to recede.

  There, it might as well have said. Now you know how amazing a kiss can be. If you behave, you can have more later. But right now…

  Gemma clutched Liam’s shirt and spent the next few seconds panting into the comfortable nook between his shoulder, chin, and neck. Then she pried herself away and gazed into his eyes. They were glowing an intense gold, and his expression was just as awestruck as hers.

  “I knew it,” he whispered.

  She tilted her head. “Knew what?”

  He bit his lip, looking absolutely gobsmacked. “Not sure I should say this.”

  The corners of her mouth curled up. “Right now, I’m pretty sure I’d let you say anything.”

  He smiled then grew serious again. “I knew that would be good.”

  She blushed. Had he been thinking about her the way she’d been thinking about him? And were his thoughts limited to kisses, or were they full-blown fantasies like hers?

  Then she shivered and looked around. That dragon was still out there. They had to get moving.<
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  “Where can we go? What do we do?”

  “Someplace safe,” Liam murmured in a way that said he was still mulling over options. Options she couldn’t begin to guess at, because how exactly did one evade a dragon?

  Then Liam took her hands and turned her to face him. “Do you trust me?”

  Her heart hammered as the rational part of her mind threw on the brakes. Liam was a near stranger. A lion shifter. A mystery in so many ways.

  But she did trust him, dammit. She had from the very start. She gulped and nodded briskly, turning herself over to fate.

  “Of course I trust you.”

  The smile he flashed was a thing of beauty, full of hope, relief, and even a little fear. Was he just as awed at what they were getting into as she?

  “Let’s go, then.”

  “Go where?” she asked as he tugged her into the open and made for the street.

  He shot her a grim look. “The safest place I can think of. Into the lion’s den.”

  Chapter Nine

  Liam hurried down the street, scanning the sky. Gemma stuck close by his side, her eyes wild and wide.

  “Are you sure Sergio will be all right?” she whispered.

  He gulped. No, he wasn’t sure but, wow. How many rescue ops had he conducted in which the victim worried about the soldiers? His unit had carried out plenty of extraction operations, and the answer was…none.

  “Sergio can handle himself,” he said for lack of a better reply.

  “Against a dragon?”

  He let that one go. His job was to hustle Gemma to safety. Sergio’s was to distract whichever of the Lombardis that was back there. If either of them stopped to worry about the other, the mission could break down. That was how it worked, and it was one of the biggest lessons the Legion had taught him: teamwork counted, especially when everything was on the line.

  “There,” he murmured at the sight of the nearest Tube stop.

  Gemma broke into a run, and he loved that about her too. She charged ahead. Not only that, but when they got to the turnstiles, she vaulted right over.