Enticing the Dragon Read online

  Being a celebrity was high-energy, high-profile and high-stress. Torque had known how it would be when Ged rescued him from a life of servitude. This was the new beginning Ged had offered him, and Torque had embraced it with gratitude. He was good at what he did. He was an outstanding musician and a brilliant performer. But his inner dragon didn’t want to be on display. Along with his bandmates, his life was a constant battle to meet the needs of both sides of his persona.

  Things had improved over time. Fame had brought great wealth, which meant they could buy themselves some privacy. Since Khan’s marriage and the birth of his daughter, Karina, everyone had reevaluated the pace and decided to slow down. But walking down the street without being recognized? That still wasn’t an option. Going out in a group? They’d had to resort to some creative measures to make sure they didn’t disrupt the entire restaurant.

  The solution was Daria’s, a small, family-run restaurant located in a Brooklyn side street. Since Ged knew the owner—Ged knew everyone—and Daria was prepared to close to other customers, privacy wasn’t a problem.

  “What will they think when you tell them I’m coming on the tour?” As they vacated the cab, Hollie tugged nervously at the new top she was wearing.

  “They already know.” Torque removed the shades he always wore when he went out. Along with the beanie he used to cover his hair, they constituted his standard disguise. “I told them.”

  “Oh.” She chewed her lower lip for a moment. “What did they say?”

  He draped an arm around her shoulders, propelling her toward the restaurant door. “Hollie, this is no big deal. Sometimes other people join us on tour.”

  He felt her indrawn breath. “But they must usually be...you know...”

  “People we’re having sex with?”

  She turned her head to look at him and he enjoyed the sensation of her hair tickling his cheek. “Isn’t that what they’ll think? That this job you’ve given me is just an excuse?”

  “Probably. Does it matter?”

  She regarded him thoughtfully for a moment or two. “No. Because if it was up to me, we would be having sex.”

  Heat streaked through him, pooling deep in his abdomen, hardening his whole body. “Hollie.” Her name was a groan on his lips, a brand on his heart.

  “I’m being honest, Torque.” She touched one finger to the corner of his mouth, a simple caress that almost brought him to his knees. “I wish you would.”

  “You want to talk about honesty?” He drew her closer, even though the action inflamed him further, spiking his arousal almost to the point of no return. “You want to go there?”

  Fear flared in her eyes, but she tilted her chin defiantly. “If that’s what it takes.”

  “Hey, guys, making out in the street? Way to get papped.” It was Khan, the biggest, baddest tiger of them all.

  “Later.” Torque kept his eyes on Hollie for a moment longer and she nodded before they turned to greet the new arrivals.

  Khan and Sarange were the ultimate celebrity couple. He was Beast’s lead singer; she was a singer songwriter. He was a tiger; she was a wolf. At first glance, it wasn’t a match made in shifter heaven, but it worked for them.

  “This is Hollie,” Torque said as he kissed Sarange and was lifted off the ground in one of Khan’s overexuberant hugs.

  He was aware of his friends regarding Hollie closely and he could guess what they were thinking. Their dragon friend was with a mortal woman. A woman who didn’t know who he was...didn’t know any of them were shifters. It was going to be an interesting evening.

  Torque had asked Ged to organize this meal so Hollie could get to know everyone before they embarked on the tour. He’d already explained to his bandmates that she was unaware of his true identity. He’d also told them the story of the fire and his obligation to protect her. Although he had been able to feel caution coming off them in waves, their loyalty to each other was absolute. For Torque’s sake, they would accept Hollie and keep his secrets.

  It wasn’t the first time they had been in this position. A few years ago, their former bass guitarist, Nate Zilar, had helped a mystery woman called Violet when she lost her memory. Violet had joined Beast on tour and they had protected her from a pack of vicious werewolves. Nate left the band when he and Violet got married. Of course, Violet had turned out to be a werewolf herself, so the circumstances weren’t quite the same. Hollie was human, which meant she needed special treatment.

  Special treatment that does not include dragon sex. Given the steamy exchange between them and her enticing behavior just now, it was probably a good time for Torque to remind himself of that.

  * * *

  When they entered the restaurant, Diablo was already there. Beast’s drummer exuded raw, brooding vitality, and suppressed menace. With his blue-black hair flopping forward to cover his face and bulging, tattooed biceps, he was even more stunning up close than onstage.

  There was barely time for introductions before Dev and Finglas arrived. Hollie could already identify them, of course. Dev, with his white-blond hair and pale skin, was the ice-man. Finglas, the replacement for Nate Zilar, was the youngest and newest member of the group.

  Hollie picked up on the bond between Torque and his friends instantly. Sarange was part of it, but it was strongest between the men. They didn’t need to speak. Although they went through the ritual of back-slapping and a few joking insults, there was an unusual warmth linking them together. Perhaps it had been forged during all those years of working in such close harmony. She wondered if they were even aware of it.

  Then another man entered, and the feeling intensified. There was no mistaking him. Just from his size, this had to be Ged Taverner. It was incredible the way she could sense the affection the others felt for him. Having been a Beast fan for a long time, she knew the band members held him in high regard, but he must be special to generate this sort of devotion.

  “Hollie.” He came straight to her. “Hi.”

  Her hand was wrapped in a warm clasp and she found a pair of golden eyes assessing her. She understood what that gaze meant. He wanted to be sure she wasn’t going to hurt Torque. Clearly, this group of alpha males looked out for each other.

  What if I don’t pass the test? Ged’s gaze was scarily perceptive. What if he could somehow see through her? If he could tell she wasn’t who she pretended to be?

  She risked a glance in Torque’s direction and he quirked a brow at her. The message was clear. Stop worrying.

  When they sat down to eat, she found she was at a disadvantage. Daria already knew what everyone else would be having. And the food choices were seriously weird. Ged was having fish. Dev, Diablo and Khan wanted lamb, cooked so it was still pink. Sarange and Finglas both had a liking for steak so rare it almost jumped up off the plate and ran away. Torque, on the other hand, wanted his own giant piece of beef well-cooked. Actually, when it arrived at the table, it was charred. She had shared many meals in his company recently, but she hadn’t seen him eat anything like this.

  Hollie, having ordered a pizza, was astonished at the sheer amount of meat her companions ate. “Are you guys on some sort of low-carb diet?” she asked Finglas as the Irishman started on his second steak. She couldn’t help noticing that no one ordered sides. No fries, bread or vegetables. The only person who even touched his salad garnish was Ged.

  “You could say that.” Finglas choked back a laugh. “Touring uses up a lot of energy.”

  It had to be one of the unhealthiest diets she’d ever seen, yet they all appeared to be glowing with vitality. Maybe it was a celebrity thing. Possibly they had the same personal trainer who advocated this regime. Whatever it was, she wasn’t going to be tempted to join them.

  “Torque tells me you’re going to help him make sense of his paperwork.” Ged’s deep voice suited his large frame.

  “That’s the plan. He has warned m
e it may not be an easy job.”

  “That’s an understatement. Fan mail is only one part of it, of course, but it illustrates his disorganized approach. I’d be surprised if Torque has ever done anything other than look at it and put it to one side, both email and paper.” Ged turned his head to look at Torque. “Has he mentioned he has some unusual followers?”

  “Followers? That’s a strange choice of word.”

  “Some of them are strange.” Ged took a slug of his beer. “One of the downsides of fame is that some people feel they know you. They read about you in the press, or online, and they have no cut-off mechanism. They feel you owe them a part of yourself. It can be a fine line between fanatic and lunatic.”

  His words made Hollie shiver. “Is that what Torque has to deal with? People who are crazy?”

  “Not face-to-face. That has never happened. But sadly, he does seem to attract more than any of the others. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to analyze why.”

  “Have you reached a conclusion?” Hollie looked at Torque, who was talking to Khan. It scared her that he might be in danger. It frightened her even more to acknowledge how much she cared.

  “Fire,” Ged said.

  “Pardon?” That single word, so much a part of her life, rocked her back in her seat.

  “I don’t know how to explain it, but having read some of the letters and emails, I think that’s the link. They see him playing around with it onstage. He gives off these fiery vibes. And these people see him as some sort of fire god who has a message for them. Someone they can worship.”

  Hollie regarded the rest of her pizza with a rising feeling of nausea. Ged’s words were confirmation of one of her wildest suspicions. Was the Incinerator one of the people who viewed Torque as a deity? Had the fires she had spent so long investigating been started as a tribute? It made a horrible sort of sense. If the arsonist believed that Torque craved, or even controlled, fire, then his avid follower would be eager to give him what he wanted. Until she delved into Torque’s chaotic paperwork, she wouldn’t know if the fire starter had ever contacted Torque to tell him what he’d done in his honor. If he had, the reference must be obscure. She knew Torque well enough by now to be convinced he wouldn’t ignore it.

  There was a flaw in that line of thinking, and it related to Hollie herself. If the Incinerator was an avid fan who believed Torque was something more than a rock star, maybe something more than mortal, how had he, or she, switched his attention to her so fast?

  There was an answer, and it was an obvious one, but she didn’t like it.

  “What has Ged been saying to make you look so worried?”

  She hadn’t noticed Torque swapping places with Finglas. “He confirmed that your filing system can only be described as chaotic.” She did her best to keep her voice light. As always, she got the sense that he knew what she was feeling.

  “Now the truth.” Color shimmered in the depths of his eyes.

  “This is too one-sided. I should be able to know what you’re thinking and feeling.” Although they were surrounded by other people, it felt like they were cocooned in their own little world. It had been that way since the first moment she met him.

  “That’s not how enigmatic works. Tell me what’s troubling you, Hollie.”

  “It was something Ged said about your fans. About how some of them believe you have a connection to fire?” He nodded, and she sensed a new alertness in him. “I wondered if the person who set fire to the Pleasant Bay Bar might be one of them.”

  “It had crossed my mind.”

  “But if that’s the case, that person had to know about me—about our first meeting—really fast.” She bit her lip, not wanting to voice the next uncomfortable thought. Saying it out loud would make it real. “Don’t you see what that means? One of your crazy fans must be watching you.”

  “I’d realized that, as well.”

  He clasped her hand, holding it between both of his, and she experienced that curious sense of her troubles slipping away.

  “I can take care of myself, Hollie. I can take care of both of us.”

  “I hate to interrupt—” Daria came out of the kitchen in her chef’s whites. “But there’s news coming in of a fire in a luxury apartment building in Tribeca.” She handed Torque her cell phone to show him the images. “Isn’t that where you live?”

  Chapter 6

  Although the blaze hadn’t reached Torque’s apartment, the fire department was still at work when Torque and Hollie arrived at the building.

  “Do you know what started it?” Even though Hollie asked the question, she was aware that she was wasting her time. She already knew the answer. It wasn’t a “what” it was a “who.” She looked around the darkened street. People had gathered to watch what was going on. She had profiled enough arsonists to know that the Incinerator was probably here somewhere, watching from the shadows. That would be even more likely if he believed he had a link to Torque.

  Show me your face. After four years, she had built up an image of her opponent. In her mind he was half laughing, half snarling, barely human.

  “It’s too early to say.” The chief fire officer at the scene spared a few minutes to talk to them, but he was busy directing operations. “Luckily, the concierge acted fast and the system is excellent. No one was injured, but there is some structural damage in the lobby. I’ll have it made safe by morning.”

  “You can stay with us tonight.” Sarange, who had driven them, linked her arm through Hollie’s.

  Khan and Sarange lived a short distance away in another luxury building. When they arrived at their home, the obvious difference between this apartment and Torque’s was that it had been adapted to make it child-friendly. There was less glass and chrome, more rounded edges and a distinct lack of white.

  Hollie was surprised when Sarange paid off the sitter. “I thought you’d have an army of nannies.” She bit her lip. “I’m sorry. That sounded judgmental.”

  Sarange waved aside the apology. “We like our privacy. Let me show you to your room.” She grinned. “And you have to admire our little tiger as we pass the nursery.”

  “Tiger?” Hollie followed her up the stairs.

  She detected a hint of annoyance in Sarange’s expression, as though she’d said too much. She shook the thought aside. I must be tired. Or the Incinerator was getting to her again, playing havoc with her imagination.

  “Khan reminds me of a tiger, and Karina takes after him,” Sarange explained.

  The baby was sprawled on her back like a starfish in her crib, and Sarange rearranged the blankets over her.

  “She’s beautiful.” Even in sleep, Hollie could see the little girl had inherited the good looks of both her parents.

  Sarange smiled. “I already liked you. Now it’s official.” She checked the baby monitor was on before closing the door.

  She led Hollie down the hall to a beautiful guest suite. The soothing creamy tones of the furnishings made Hollie feel instantly relaxed and she regarded the vast bed with pleasure. Although whether she would sleep with the Incinerator’s latest attack on her mind was doubtful.

  “Will this be okay for you and Torque?”

  Ah. Now would be a good time to explain Sarange’s mistake. Just a few simple words to clear up the confusion. Torque and I are not in a relationship. That should do it.

  “This will be fine.”

  Because wasn’t this what she wanted? And no matter how hard he tried to resist, it was also what Torque wanted. So, let’s see where sharing takes us.

  Aware that her thoughts of Torque had kept her silent for a long time, she shook her preoccupation aside. “Are you touring with the band?”

  “I’m not performing with them, but I’ll join them when I can. Although it’s not easy with a baby, Khan and I made a decision when Karina was born that we would try not to spend more than two nig
hts apart.” Sarange glanced at her watch. “Do you mind if I leave you to settle in? Karina will wake up soon for her supper and I want to change out of these clothes before she does.”

  When she was alone, Hollie went to the window and stared out at the dramatic views. Three Incinerator fires were now linked directly to her. She couldn’t ignore that. She also couldn’t escape the reality that she was responsible for bringing the arsonist closer to other people and specifically to Torque. Prior to her arrival in his life, the Incinerator had been content to worship him from afar. Now he was pushing for a more meaningful relationship. And it looked like Hollie had been the catalyst.

  With no way of contacting McLain or Vince King, she was running out of choices. Going back to Newark and letting the Incinerator team know what was going on seemed like the only option available to her. It felt like stepping back in time. Going back to the same routine. Picking up the pieces of a four-year investigation that hadn’t caught the Incinerator yet. And it wasn’t what she wanted. If only there was another way.

  “So we’re sharing a room?” She hadn’t heard Torque approach until he was standing right behind her. Close enough to touch, but not touching. It didn’t matter. His gaze was like a caress.

  “Unless you don’t want to?”

  “You know I want to.” His voice was gruff. “Like I said, we need to talk before we even consider anything else.”

  She nodded. Maybe there were other options after all. “I’m ready.”

  “So am I. But I came to tell you that the other band members have just arrived.” His smile was rueful. “I decided Khan and Sarange needed some extra protection if you and I were going to be here tonight.”

  Hollie covered her mouth with her hand. “I should have thought of that.”

  His gaze remained fixed on hers. “We’ve both just given something away without even trying. You didn’t ask how my bandmates can provide the protection we need... And I didn’t ask why you should be the one who knows about the arsonist’s next steps.”

  “I guess neither of us is very good at keeping secrets.”