Playing with Fire (20 page)

‘‘Sorry, didn’t I introduce myself properly earlier?’’ he asked with a little chuckle. He kept ahold of my wrists with one hand, the other going to his chest as he bowed in the elegant manner that only the people of the Otherworld seemed to be able to master. ‘‘Savian Bartholomew, L’au-delà thief taker, at your service. And you, fair thief, are my prisoner.’’

Chapter Fourteen

The members of the Otherworld, in general, get along well with the mortal world. We all have to live in it, after all, so it makes sense we’ve learned to adapt to mortal foibles and whims, but the people of the Otherworld who bear an official capacity tend to take the time and effort to make sure that the mortal world sees them in an appropriate light.

‘‘I don’t suppose it would do me the least bit of good to yell?’’ I asked as Savian the thief taker flashed an official-looking card at an airport official.

‘‘None whatsoever. I have the diplomatic authority to take prisoners in and out of this and seventeen other countries, so I’m afraid that any protests you make would fall upon deaf ears. Ah. I see we are to have the first three rows to ourselves. Excellent. Do you need to use the loo?’’ he asked politely, stopping before a bank of tiny airplane bathrooms.

I shook my head, clutching my now-sodden blanket around myself, my spirits as damp as the rest of me.

‘‘All right, then. If you’d sit there, please.’’

I glanced around the section of the plane that he’d evidently managed to keep clear, but there was no hope for it. The lights were too bright—I’d never be able to get away by shadow walking. I plopped down in the seat he indicated, furiously trying to think of a way out of this horrible dilemma. ‘‘No handcuffs?’’ I asked acidly as he reached for my seat belt. I slapped his hands and buckled it together myself, glaring at him as he chuckled again.

He took his seat, drawing a binding ward on me. ‘‘I don’t need them, Mei Ling. It took me some time to come up with a ward that would hold a doppelganger, but as you can see, it’s quite effective.’’

Horror crept up my spine as I realized he was right—I couldn’t move from the seat. I slumped back defeated, wondering what the L’au-delà committee was going to do when Savian the sexy thief taker handed me over.

‘‘At least I know now why you are so familiar,’’ I grumbled to myself as the plane took off.

He looked curious. ‘‘Did you catch me tailing you this evening?’’

‘‘No, I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know there was anyone watching me,’’ I said with much regret. ‘‘I heard you at Dr. Kostich’s house last night.’’

‘‘Ahh,’’ he said, enlightenment dawning in his eyes. ‘‘You were there? I wondered at the time what the dragon was doing there, and why he was so interested in you. I thought perhaps he was trying to smuggle the quintessence back into the case. But obviously you did that.’’

‘‘Yes.’’ My poor abused head throbbed, but I sternly ordered it to sort through the facts and come up with a plan of action. ‘‘What I’d really like to know is how you found me to begin with. If you didn’t see me at Dr. Kostich’s, how did you know where to find me?’’

‘‘Well, you see, it’s like this,’’ he said, getting comfortable after signaling the flight attendant. He waited until she served him a glass of wine before continuing. ‘‘Kostich hired me to find you and his quintessence. I thought it was a bit odd that the silver wyvern should be interested in apparently the same thing, so I followed him. He went to earth in a hotel, and didn’t appear until this morning.’’

A sudden flash of memory had me sitting up straight. ‘‘You were the man outside the hotel. The one who stared so rudely at Cyrene and me.’’

‘‘If I was staring, it was in astonishment, and meant no offense,’’ he said with a warm smile. ‘‘Picture the scene: a dashing, roguish hero—that’s yours truly— has been hunkered down all night, waiting for his prey to emerge from what was evidently quite the love nest.’’

I refused to blush. I kept my face unmoving, my expression placid.

He just grinned. ‘‘And then all of a sudden, whoosh! The hotel starts to burn, people pour out, including a dragon and his luscious bit o’ fun.’’

‘‘If you think that’s going to get a rise out of me, you’re going to be very disappointed,’’ I said tonelessly.

His grin deepened. ‘‘I had a feeling you’d be good at this.’’

‘‘That explains how you found me, but not how you know about my connection with the thefts,’’ I said, lowering my voice.

‘‘That’s where the story gets good,’’ he assured me. ‘‘There I was, faced with not only the man I’ve been following, but also a lovely woman. Imagine my surprise when the lovely woman is joined by an identical twin. Imagine that surprise turning to complete and utter astonishment when, as I was strolling past in an attempt to identify the ladies, I heard the name of one of the most sought-after criminals in the history of the Otherworld.’’

I cast my mind back to the morning, groaning to myself. ‘‘Cyrene called me Mayling.’’

‘‘Right out in the open, where anyone could hear,’’ he said with cheerful agreement. ‘‘Once I got over the shock of hearing her say the name of Mei Ling, I did a little bit of investigating, and found out that the woman with the loose lips was twin to one May Northcott. Two and two and two . . . well, they make six, May.’’

I shook my head, disgusted with myself for being so distracted by Gabriel that I hadn’t been aware of Savian. ‘‘And you simply followed us to London, and then later on, tracked me down at the warehouse. I can’t believe I didn’t see you.’’

‘‘I’m very good at following people,’’ he said with no pretense of modesty. ‘‘It’s my specialty, if the truth be known.’’

I digested all of that on the flight to Paris, ignoring his further attempts at conversation, preferring to dwell in the horrible inky pit of despair that wrapped me firmly in its embrace.

‘‘Don’t think that there’s any chance you’re going to get away from me,’’ Savian said as we deplaned at Orly Airport.

He waited until everyone else had left the plane but the flight attendants, all of whom watched me with interested eyes. I had no idea what story he’d concocted to tell them; to be honest, I didn’t care. I just wanted to get away to somewhere dark, somewhere I could make my escape.

‘‘Do you know, I’m almost sorry I caught you,’’ he continued in a conversational voice as we walked up the long ramp to the concourse. ‘‘It’s been rather exciting trying to keep up with you. Are you really mated to the silver wyvern?’’

I stopped to give him an astonished look.

‘‘Word gets around fast,’’ he explained, giving me a little push to get me going again.

‘‘You are a very strange man,’’ I told him, thrown off guard by his entire demeanor. I expected the thief takers to be harsh, ugly little men with no souls and less humanity. But Savian was . . . well, charming. And handsome. And judging by the glint in his eye, probably also quite the ladies’ man.

‘‘I’ve been told that. I consider it a compliment, actually. Wouldn’t want life to become boring and staid, now, would we?’’ he asked, gesturing me toward a room marked with a private notice. I entered the small room, most likely used for interviews of suspicious people by customs officials, and tipped my head as I watched Savian gesture to someone at a desk. He came into the room, closing the door behind him. ‘‘Won’t be but a minute, and we’ll be through customs. I expect you’re anxious to be through all this, hmm?’’

‘‘I don’t suppose you’re open to bribes?’’ I asked, ignoring the charm he was so clearly trying to wield upon me.

That took him by surprise for a few seconds. ‘‘What did you have in mind?’’

I ran a mental accounting of my checkbook, disregarding both it and my credit cards—Magoth didn’t mind paying my travel expenses when necessary, but he certainly didn’t pay well for the rest of my services—then musing for a few moments on the amulet, which was tucked away under my left breast in the inner pocket of my leather bodice, but I dismissed the thought almost immediately. I hadn’t been strafed by lasers and given myself a concussion just to hand over the amulet to the first thief taker who managed to grab me.

Which left only one thing I had with which to barter my freedom. I toyed with the leather laces of my bodice. ‘‘What about me?’’

His eyes opened wide at that, his gaze turning calculating as he examined me thoroughly from my toes to my crown. ‘‘What would your wyvern say to that offer?’’

I swallowed back the bile that rose in my throat at the thought of having sex with Savian. ‘‘This has nothing to do with him. It’s between you and me.’’

‘‘Indeed it is,’’ he said, taking a couple of steps closer to me. I forced myself to stand where I was, lifting my chin to meet his gaze.

‘‘You’re positively rank, woman. You reek of things I don’t really want to name.’’

‘‘Thank you. There’s just nothing like being told you smell like a sewer to make a woman feel wanted.’’

He laughed. ‘‘Hmm. Despite your current state, I have to admit I’m very tempted. Beneath all that muck you’re really quite lovely, in a silent movie sort of way.’’ He reached out to touch my hair. I had to steel my arms to stay at my side, not flinching when he trailed a finger down my jawline. ‘‘
Very
tempted. Oh, what the hell, you only live once.’’

He turned back to the door, opening it to call something out to the official who was approaching with a clipboard.

I tried to calm the gorge rising within me, but my repulsion must have been evident, for when Savian turned back around he burst into laughter. ‘‘Good lord, woman, you look like you’ve been asked to do the most heinous things imaginable to babies. I take it you’ve had a change of heart about your offer?’’

I slumped into one of the three wooden chairs, which, along with a small table, were the room’s only furnishings. ‘‘I’m sorry. I thought I could do it, but I just can’t.’’

Savian looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘‘Is it me? Or are you in love with the wyvern?’’

‘‘I’m not in love with anyone,’’ I muttered, my forehead resting on my hands as I hunched over the table, unsure of whether I should cry or laugh at the ludicrous situation I found myself in.

‘‘Then it’s me? You don’t find me . . . dashing? Attractive, in a roguish sort of way? Kind of a cross between Han Solo and MacGyver?" Savian asked, a note of worry in his voice.

I looked up, a smile twitching my lips. He looked almost devastated. ‘‘No, you’re very Han Solo. It’s just . . . well, I did promise to be Gabriel’s mate, and I know it’s silly to take fidelity seriously these days, but I guess I’m just one of those people who is faithful whether they want to be or not.’’

He was silent for a moment, then nodded. ‘‘He’s a lucky dragon. Was there anything else you wanted to try to bribe me with? Or was that it?’’

‘‘That’s it,’’ I said, wiping back a few tears of hilarity that had squeezed out of my eyes.

‘‘Ah, well. Perhaps another time you might have a priceless gold treasure hidden upon your lovely person.’’

My gaze shot to his, but he was already back at the door, calling for the official.

‘‘This won’t take—’’

Suddenly he was jerked out of the door. I leaped up, racing for freedom, but shrieked when the doorway was suddenly filled with a large, hulking man with dirty dark hair, shrewd eyes, and a wicked-looking scar that started beneath his eye and curved down to his earlobe. ‘‘—long,’’ the man said, his lips curling up in a smile as he clamped one hand around my wrist, my bones protesting as he yanked me out the door after him.

‘‘Who the hell are you?’’ I asked, trying desperately to free myself. To the right I saw a small group of people bent over a prone form, one person on a radio obviously calling for medical aid. ‘‘And what did you do to Savian?’’

The surly man tightened his hold on my wrist until I howled my protest, beating on his arm to let go of me. ‘‘Stop your bitching or I’ll stop it for you! Here.’’ He thrust an identification card at a customs official who hurriedly backed out of the way.

‘‘Help!’’ I yelled, trying to simultaneously claw the man’s grip off my wrist and twist myself free. ‘‘I’m being kidnapped! Someone help me! He—’’

The last thing I remember before a white pain exploded in my head was the man turning toward me, his fist raised. After that, blissful darkness claimed me, welcoming me with a familiar comfort. I wandered the pathways of the shadow world for a bit, that place between realities that few can reach, and fewer can leave once they get there. It was a dreamworld, a place of sanctuary for those for whom reality had become too much, and I was tempted for a few moments to just remain there, safe from the pain and strife that made up my world. But the image of Gabriel’s bright eyes rose in my mind, the memory of his burning kisses stirring the slumbering embers of my desire.

A cold shock of water dragged me out of the shadow world and back into my body. I sputtered and choked, rolling off my back and into a sitting position as I wiped water from my face.
‘‘Agathos daimon!’’

‘‘You will please to come to the chamber,’’ a voice said with a complete lack of emotion. I shook the water from my eyes well enough to see the slight young man speaking.

‘‘Who are you? And where am I?’’

‘‘I am Tej, apprentice to Monish Lakshmanan. This is Paris.’’

‘‘Paris,’’ I groaned, getting painfully to my feet. The laser burns had long since healed, but my wrist was still sore and discolored. The scene with the thief taker and the dark-haired brutish man rushed back. ‘‘What happened to the thief taker?’’

‘‘Porter? He’s claiming his reward. You must please to come this way.’’

I staggered out of the small room, taking quick glances around me to look for an escape. Our footsteps echoed down a long hallway dotted with occasional chairs and small tables. ‘‘Where exactly in Paris?’’ I asked my escort.

‘‘Suffrage House,’’ he answered.

My spirits dropped. Suffrage House was the mansion of a long-dead suffragette, bought by the L’au-delà, and now used as their headquarters. Although I’d been locked in a small, dark room that was clearly used as a holding cell since it contained no furniture whatsoever, I had to admit that I’d been in much worse places.