Free Mere Temptation by Daisy Harris Page A

pain.
    Wincing, he cut short the memory. Jilly was dead and gone. His life’s work now lay in cracking genetic puzzles. Coming back to himself, Pierson quietly consulted his notes to determine what procedure he would perform first. Yes, this little subject might very well prove to be his favorite one.

Chapter 6
    Baited

    When the Council’s dragons emerged from Sidon’s office late in the evening, Isa was still scowling. They didn’t acknowledge her on their way to the door, and she glared at their backs until they left.
    “So,” she asked in her most prim voice, “can you tell me what you talked about, or is it super top-secret dragon stuff too complicated for a mere to understand?”
    Sidon dropped to the couch, looking exhausted and raking his hands through his hair.
    “No, not super top-secret.” He pulled her onto to his lap, and laid his chin over her shoulder. “The Council has agreed to use their radar station to help us locate the ship. Once they do, I’ll sneak aboard, retrieve the kids and plant the surveillance equipment. We’ll listen and watch, and figure out what it is they want, and how to stop them.”
    “We know what they want. They want mere.”
    “Well yeah, but there’s always somebody trying to catch mere. We need to find out who sent these guys, what their connections are. If it’s just a small, isolated group we might be able to redirect them, but if they’re connected to something larger, we need to know.”
    Isa considered his reasoning. “Okay, you’re probably right. It’s just, I dunno, I always think of the Council as all-powerful.”
    “Isa, I’m the Guardian here. It’s my job to deal with this. The Council will help, but it’s my show.”
    She thought about it and looked at Sidon in a strangely new light. His bravery shot her through with an overwhelming urge to kiss him. His mouth parted for hers, and she turned her body to face his as their lips met. He seemed so tired and overwhelmed with responsibility, and her heart swelled with a desire to take care of him, to love him, even. So she rocked herself on his lap, looked adoringly into his eyes and allowed him to do the same to her.
    Hours later, Isa watched Sidon wrap dagger sheaths around each of his upper arms. Then he strapped a waterproof carrier across his back.
    She followed him down the stairs of his house, to the underground cave where the water lapped. He was naked except for a pair of thin black pants and had never looked more beautiful. She pulled him around by the arm to plant a kiss on his lips before he left. His mouth cocked up on one side, and his eyes looked as if they were drinking her in. He kissed her back, crushing her against his chest.
    When he let go, he pulled off his pants, pausing to wiggle his eyebrows at her. Conceited jerk! Then he strode into the water, turning to look at her once he was submerged to his waist. His dragon form stretched out behind him, and as it did, his upper body grew and expanded till he resembled nothing so much as a sea god. Isa’s breath caught in her throat. “I’ll be back before you know it. Don’t even think of running. I’d catch you.” His larger-than-life voice resonated in the small cave, and Isa just shook her head. No, there was no way she’d be able to escape him, not until he let her go.

    * * * *

    Sidon struggled to quiet his breathing as he streaked through the boat’s passageways. He’d found the section where the kids were held shivering in their cages, and he’d shuffled them off the ship and into the water before anyone was the wiser. Laird had circled below the ship to accompany them home, but Sidon stayed aboard to plant the equipment before the crew realized that their catch had been lost.
    Narrow passageways twisted through the boat up to the bridge. Entering the farthest office, Sidon slipped around a scarred wooden desk, but as he moved to unscrew the mouthpiece from the receiver he heard someone approaching the opaque sliding