Page 5

His mate peeked between her fingers and gasped. “Dammit. You can't start another fire, you asshat. What the hell?”

She stepped right into the flames and stomped on them with her big boots. That shouldn't have been enough to put the magical flames out. But in an instant, all that was left was a little smoke.

Huh.

His mate was something more than human. But what? He didn't scent any other magic besides her possible power over the fire element, so she wasn't some kind of fairy, sprite, naiad, or brownie. He grabbed her around the waist and smelled her hair, making his way down to the skin on her neck. Oh, how he wanted to bite that soft flesh and mark her here and now.

“Back off right now, buster, or your family jewels are going to crack when I shove my knee into them.” Her voice was stone cold, which was almost enough to put out his fire. Not quite.

He liked that she had the confidence to defend herself, and he had gotten all up in her space without asking. “Sorry, love. I wasn't trying to scare you. I'm simply using my nose to figure out what you are since you don't seem inclined to tell me.”

“Uh, rude.” She poked him in the chest hard enough that, if he were a human, he'd back up a step. “Hey, what's that shiny, glowing necklace? Is that how you started the fires? I'm going to need that as evidence. Hand it over.”

Mac's heart did a little jig. She wanted his soul shard. Not that she knew what she was asking, but he had to believe instinctually her soul already wanted his. “It is yours whenever you are ready, love.”

“Don't you be getting all misogynist on me and calling me sweetie, honey, or any other pet name. My name is Nataly, but it's Fire Marshall Conleth to you, buster. Or should I say busted? You're being detained for questioning in several arsons. I am the investigating officer and now your nightmare. So don't call me sweetie.”

Damn she was hot when she was all riled up. He'd remember that and make sure to ruffle her feathers more often, but not because she thought he was the baddie. No, he had much more fun plans to light her fire. “I called you love, not sweetie. I'll happily call you Nataly. It has a lovely ring to it.”

It would sound even better when he was calling it out when he came inside of her hot, wet...

“Stop doing that. You cannot just start a fire any place you like, you pyromaniac.” She wagged her finger at him and marched in a circle.

Mac looked down to where she stomped out a little blaze around her feet. A blaze in the shape of heart. Oops. He'd lost control of his element for a moment there. That quick distraction was enough for his Nataly to grab him by the ear. Whoever said love was pain had the right idea.

“Ouch, love. If you want to kiss me, all you have to do is give me a wink. No need to drag me down to you by the ear.”

“A kiss? A kiss? Like I would kiss those really soft, lovely looking lips of yours. Not on your life, buddy. Not even a little bit. No. Uh... because you're coming with me.” Her eyes were fixed on his mouth the whole time she chastised him.

Plus, there was also the telltale scent of her arousal. She was going to fiercely fight this attraction, and for some reason that made Mac like her all the more. What dragon didn't like a good chase?

“I would very much like to come with you, mo chridhe.” He dropped his voice and waggled his eyebrows so there was no mistaking which type of coming he intended for the two of them to do together.

“Don't be crass, you ass. Now come...um, follow me.”

Ahh, was that a bit of a blush he detected? Delicious.

She didn't give him a chance to make any more innuendos because she yanked his ear about off his head. She was going to be an excellent mother to their dragonlings someday. Many a time did his own ma threaten to swat his arse or box his ears, and he was a better dragon for it.

Until then, he'd prefer his lovely mate to yank something other than his ear.

She was a tough little thing, and while he could have simply stood up and thrown her over his shoulder, he went along with her, crossing this quaint little green space in the middle of the city. “Where are you taking me? Somewhere more private I hope.”

“The police headquarters is on the other side of the park. That's where I'm taking you, and don't you try any funny business between here and there.”

But he had so many ideas for the best kinds of funny business with her. He was about to say as much, mostly because he loved the hell out of teasing her, when he caught a whiff of a menacing kind of shifter on the wind.

“Nataly, stop. You're in danger.” He'd let her drag him toward the place she intended to detain him because she wanted him to go with her. He didn't have to move a muscle. She might have some power over fire, but she was five-foot nothing and he had at least a hundred pounds of muscle on her. Not to mention being a dragon.

Mac stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed Nataly by the elbow. “We are not going in that direction, lass.”

Every single one of those small fires she'd spent her efforts stomping out lit up all around them. Which was funny, because he certainly hadn't lit them. So she did have some affinity for his precious fire element. He'd have to be careful with her temper. Until, of course, he had her in his hoard, which was a hundred percent fireproof. Then the two of them could light each other up with the flames of their fireworks of lust.

Nataly shook his hand from her arm and gave him the stink eye. “Uh, yeah we are, unless you want to add failure to obey an officer to your list.”

Only if she was going to punish him in all the best and kinky ways. Not the time or place to get a hard on for his lovely mate and the millions of fantasies now running around in his head. What he needed was a distraction. “I will happily do that to keep you safe, but you'll have to take the arson off my naughty list because I am certainly not the one who started those fires.”

Mac pointed to the trail of flames all around them that clearly led to her feet. She promptly stomped on the closest one, but when she took her foot away, the spark lit right back up. “Stop doing that. I don't know what trick or accelerant you're using, but knock it off. This is a public park.”