Page 39 of Dark Fire Kiss

I darted a look at the horizon, which glowed orange.

“Right,” Fergus said. Quick as lightning, he scooped me into his arms and sped us inside. Bram followed at the same inhuman pace and bolted the doors behind us.

Fergus set me gently on my feet and stepped back. “I suppose this is where we say goodnight.” His dimple appeared. “Unless you’d like to join us upstairs?”

He meant it, too. The invitation burned in his gaze.

And it lit a fire inside me. But he wasn’t asking for just one night. He and Bram wanted a lifetime. And for our kind, that could very well mean an eternity. They were so certain fate had brought us together, but how could they be certain a relationship between the three of us would work? They’d been together for centuries, and it showed in their easy banter and obvious passion. What if I ended up being a wedge that drove them apart?

I had to swallow a few times before I could speak. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Disappointment flickered in his eyes, but he inclined his head gracefully. “As you wish, Halina.” He leaned in and kissed my cheek—a gentle brush of his lips that brought the scent of cinnamon and evergreen to my nose. As he withdrew, his breath fluttered over my skin. “But you keep forgetting I can tell when you’re lying.”

He mounted the stairs, and then Bram was at my side. “Goodnight, lass.” He kissed my other cheek, the touch of his lips just as light.

And just as devastating.

I could only stand there, my body quaking, as they ascended the staircase. Leaving me alone with the knowledge of what they were going to do when they went to bed.

And gods help me, I couldn’t help thinking I’d just made the wrong decision.

Chapter Twelve

BRAM

As I stood outside Halina’s suite the next morning, it was a struggle not to cut and run before she opened the door and discovered me. This was Fergus’s purview. He could talk to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Human, vampire, unicorn—it didn’t matter. He’d once charmed the notoriously bloodthirsty Orkomoth demon king into releasing a fellow dragon from prison.

If anyone could coax Halina from her shell, it was Fergus Devlin, which was exactly what I’d told him this morning.

“If anyone can coax Halina from her shell, it’s you. I’ll only frighten her.”

“Nonsense,” he’d said, strolling from the bathroom stark naked with a toothbrush in his hand, which he’d waved around like a conductor in a symphony. “She likes you, Bram, and she’s just starting to realize you’re not an ogre.”

I’d sat up in bed, sputtering. “I’m not an ogre!”

“Aye,” he said with exaggerated patience. “That’s what I just said. Look, you offered to train her and she said yes. This is a perfect opportunity to close the deal. Strike while the iron is hot. Make hay while the sun shines.”

I held up a hand. “Just…stop with the idioms.”

He crossed to the bed and smiled down at me. “You’re mysterious. Females like that sort of thing.”

I glowered, which only made his smile widen.

“She’s curious about you,” he said. “Take advantage of it.”

I hesitated, then sighed. “She’s had a hard life ‘til now, and we don’t even ken the half of it. We can protect her from the bastards who raised her, but we can also empower her by teaching her how to protect herself.” I swallowed. “I don’t want to train her for me. I want to train her for her.”

“I know,” he said softly. “You’re a good man, Bram McGregor.” He pushed the hair off my forehead—a familiar gesture as beloved to me as anything he did. “Now go show our mate how lucky she is to have you.”

Our mate. He’d won me over with that. A reluctant smile tugged at my lips as I gazed at Halina’s door. Knowing Fergus, he’d plotted out our entire conversation and settled on the angle he knew I’d be unable to resist. I might have grown up in a palace, but he was a natural-born courtier.

The door opened, and Halina stopped and gaped at me. “Bram. You’re…here.”

“Aye.” Gods, she looked lovely in a flowing dress the same shade as her eyes. Her pert breasts pressed against the thin material, and I coughed into my fist before I added, “I thought we could train this morn. Uh, evening. Well, morning for you, I suppose.” I clamped my jaw shut to stifle my rambling.

Her eyes went wide. “Train? Like you and me?”

“Aye. You agreed to it last night.”

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