Free Dragon's Flame by Jory Strong Page A

hummed and wanted more time with him, more of everything with him.
    Taine opened the sedan’s passenger door for his mate then got into the driver’s seat. If not for this business with the sorcerer, he would be utterly content. If not for the harm that could come to Saffron if he plowed the sedan into something as they drove to ground zero, he’d close his eyes and luxuriate in her scent.
    As it was, it was all he could do to keep from filling the car with the sound of purring. He took her hand, tightened his grip when she tried to pull from his grasp.
    She relented with a very dragon-like huff. “Only because no one’s watching.”
    He brushed his thumb over her knuckles and grinned. She couldn’t resist him.
    That was fair. He couldn’t resist her either.
    And he could be magnanimous in victory.
    He breathed her in. Arousal still laced her scent and it was heady.
    Aggravating sorcerers aside, having her with him like this counted as courtship. And what better way to bring her more fully into a realization that supernatural beings existed, and often took human mates, than to have her working a case?
    He glanced at his mate. Glorious tribute to the First Ancestor . He’d gotten lucky.
    Strong. Brave.
    Prickly. But a meek mate wouldn’t suit him nearly as well.
    Delectable. Beautiful.
    His gaze slid to her breasts and he mentally stripped away shirt and bra to admire caramel perfection capped with large dark nipples. And that imagining was followed by jeans and panties disappearing.
    His cock throbbed. His lips parted, both tongue and shaft wanting to explore the smooth, wet place between her thighs.
    Perfection. That defined his mate.
    He readjusted his jeans.
    Torment. That also defined his mate.
    He wanted to carry her hand to his erection—or better yet, urge her mouth to his cock.
    Need shuddered through him but he behaved himself—at painful cost.
    Finally they turned onto a street marred by charred building remains. He released her hand so she could maintain her professionalism.
    Burned warehouses were visible on both sides of the street. She said, “There must have been one hell of a blast for so much to go up when there’s all this separation.”
    “It’s possible the spell working was large enough that the buildings that burned served as anchors. For every reaction there’s an equal and opposite reaction.”
    “So they intentionally burned?”
    “We’ll know soon enough.”
    “It’s amazing that there weren’t any casualties.”
    “A dread spell could explain the lack.”
    “Does that do what it sounds like it’d do?”
    “Yes. Anyone in the targeted area would get a bad feeling and need to leave. Anyone about to enter would be compelled to detour. A more subtle spell would trigger cravings. The sudden need for a taco sold miles away, or a walk on the beach.”
    “Is either spell unique enough to point toward the guilty party?”
    “No. But the six packs we printed out are those sorcerers who have enough power to do a working this large and also prevent casualties.”
    He parked behind a black sedan identical to the one they were in. She asked, “What’s the total building count? I heard the damage was in the millions but didn’t hear how many warehouses caught fire.”
    “Seven warehouses, one old house. The house is ground zero.”
    They got out of the sedan. He shoved the hand closet to her into his jeans rather than pull her against him so that no one could miss the fact that she belonged to him. They headed toward Crew and Gaige, who stood well back from Kristof.
    The IRE sorcerer’s skin was a deeper brown than Saffron’s. His hair was also longer, the dozens of braids pulled back into a thick ponytail. Taine’s eyes narrowed with thoughts that his mate might be attracted to the human sorcerer.
    Despite his good intentions, Taine’s hand slid from his pocket and gripped her arm. He tried to make it appear as if he was ensuring that she traveled safely through the debris.