Free Playing with Fire by Katie MacAlister

dimples deepened. ‘‘You’re just the woman I’ve been looking for.’’

Chapter Five
    ‘‘. . . think you’ll be just fine here. Jim, get off the bed and let Cyrene have some rest.’’
    ‘‘Hey! Belly scratches happenin’ here!’’ the demon protested, its back legs kicking as Cyrene obediently scratched at the hairy stomach.
    ‘‘Off!’’ Aisling ordered, pointing to the door. She gave me an apologetic smile as the demon left, muttering under its breath. ‘‘You’ll have to forgive Jim. I think its nose is a bit out of joint because of all the attention focused on the baby. Is there anything else you need?’’
    Cyrene, reclining against a mountain of pillows, waved a wan, pale hand. ‘‘No, thank you. I’m comfortable, but tired, very, very tired.’’ She punctuated her sentence with a gigantic yawn.
    ‘‘All right, then. Shout out if you need anything,’’ Aisling said, glancing across the room to where her wyvern stood leaning against the wall, silently watching us. ‘‘Drake?’’
    ‘‘We would like to see you downstairs when your twin can spare you,’’ he said to me before walking over to his wife, holding the door open for her.
    I didn’t bother replying since he clearly was issuing an order, not a request. I simply waited for the door to close behind them before hurrying over to the two windows in the room.
    ‘‘ Agathos daimon, ’’ I swore as I tried to open them. They were both warded against dark beings, which meant I wouldn’t be able to get out of them.
    ‘‘What’s wrong? Mayling! You’re not thinking of leaving?’’ Cyrene asked.
    ‘‘Well, I’m not thinking about staying, if that’s what’s on your mind. We have to get out of here, Cy.’’ I spun around, eyeing the room to consider possible avenues of escape. There wasn’t much in the room but a bed, two chairs, a couple of dressers, and two doors—one that led to the hallway, the other to a shared bathroom.
    The bathroom!
    ‘‘Why?’’ Cyrene asked as I hurried toward it. The window inside it was too small to climb through, but there was another room on the other side of it. Obviously Aisling had warded the windows to this room with the intention of keeping me prisoner, but hope rose within me that she might have forgotten the connecting room’s windows.
    ‘‘Mayling?’’ Cy’s voice followed me as I persuaded the lock on the door to the other room to release, swinging open the door to find myself face-to-face with the healer named Gabriel, who was tending to a shirtless Istvàn.
    ‘‘Oh! I’m . . . sorry. Just . . . uh . . . carry on,’’ I said lamely, quickly retreating through the bathroom to Cyrene’s room before either man could say anything.
    I was extremely aware of an amused silver-eyed gaze on me as I backed out.
    ‘‘May?’’ Cyrene’s brow furrowed. ‘‘Whatever is the matter with you? You’re beet red!’’
    ‘‘Nothing,’’ I said, locking her door to the bathroom. ‘‘Er . . . what was it you asked me a minute ago?’’
    ‘‘Why?’’ she repeated.
    ‘‘Why what?’’
    ‘‘Why do we have to get out of here so quickly? That Aisling seems very nice, not like a demon lord at all. I can’t wait to tell the sisters that I met her— they’ll be thrilled. Do you think she’d give me her autograph?’’
    ‘‘I have no idea, but as nice as she is, those dragons are nothing but trouble. I’ll feel much better when we’re out of here.’’
    ‘‘Oh, I don’t know,’’ she said with a dreamy note to her voice, a little smile on her lips as she smoothed out the blanket covering her. ‘‘That silver dragon Gabriel is absolutely stunning, don’t you think? He has such a nice voice, and those dimples just make me want to pounce on him.’’
    I stared at her for a moment, a strange unhappiness twanging my consciousness at her words. Why shouldn’t she find him attractive? I certainly did. But down that path I could not go, so I pushed down