Dragon's Flame by Jory Strong Page A

myself.”
    “I won’t allow you to be put into danger.”
    “Excuse me? Allow?” Some of the fury she’d felt in the Battalion Chief’s office returned. She was not a plaything. She was a professional.
    “ You’re responsible for having me assigned to IRE. As far as danger goes, the sorcerer can bring it on. I’m not going to let San Diego burn if I can do something to prevent it. And just so you know, Taine, I’m not into serious relationships, no matter how good the sex is. It’s casual or it’s not happening.”
    He gave her a heated, challenging look. “You’re claiming it was good sex?”
    The growl in his voice was all masculine affront. Men!
    Forget sorcerers, phoenix eggs and the threat to San Diego, it was the possible insult to sexual prowess that mattered. “Okay, it was great sex.”
    He grinned and carried her hand to his mouth to nibble on her knuckles. “I’m glad we got that straightened out.”
    She released a breath and the fury went with it.
    How could that be possible?
    Because you’ve got it bad for him .
    No way. She refused to believe that. They were in an intense, high-stakes situation and she was reacting to it. That was all.
    “Onward?” she asked. “To see the astrologist?”
    He placed her hand on his muscled thigh, inches away from an erection that had her clamping her legs together.
    “Onward,” he said in a satisfied tone.

Chapter 7
    In what should have been peaceful solitude, the sorcerer’s phone rang. His lips tightened at being disturbed at work. Work was his refuge from the politics of magic.
    If not for the number on the display he would have allowed it to go to voicemail. Instead he answered the call with, “What do they know?”
    “That you attempted to bring a phoenix into this realm, or possibly an egg.”
    Attempted? As if he was an incompetent failure, a nobody. It stung but he refused to delve into that place of pain. What he’d soon achieve would forever etch his name in the history books in this realm. “They’ve sent someone to the astrologist?”
    “Taine, one of the dragons, along with a human firefighter loaned to IRE. He’s in the process of claiming her as his mate.”
    “If they’re consulting with the astrologist, then they’ll soon have confirmation that my working was a complete success. That much was inevitable. But if they make too much progress, too quickly, a disruption might become necessary. Keep me informed.”
    “I will.”
    The sorcerer dropped his cellphone into a shirt pocket, hated that the call had left his palms damp. He wiped the sweat off on his uniform.
    In front of him, a doe with two spotted fawns crossed the trail. He felt a trickle of fear. Time was wasting and he didn’t like leaving the egg unattended—especially not here.
    If he’d misjudged how close the phoenix was to emerging, or if the containment spell weakened and power flared in a stream of flame, the results would be devastating.
    It won’t happen. I’m in control of the situation , he thought, though his heart continued to beat erratically and he again wiped his palms against his uniform.
    * * * *
    The astrologist’s house was in Mission Hills, with a view of Old Town. It sat behind a short fence, the wood grayed with age.
    Landscaping meant to look wild and a red stone walkway created a path upward to a narrow, pale yellow adobe house with a red tile roof. Saffron and Taine reached a lightly stained wooden front door carved with symbols.
    “What do they say?” Saffron asked, tugging her hand from Taine’s and trying to ignore that she missed the contact.
    “They’re warnings mostly. All predictably dire.” Said as if not one of them could touch him, and that brought a smile.
    “So, knocking is out?” There didn’t seem to be a doorbell.
    “We wait.”
    There were no visible cameras, but that didn’t mean there weren’t a few hidden in the foliage.
    A minute turned into three. And then another two passed before the door opened and she