“You make it sound so easy.”
“Maybe it is,” he said, his eyes steady on mine. “With the right people.”
He leaned in, and I met him halfway. The kiss was gentle at first, a slow brushing of lips that made the pulse in my ears quicken. Then it deepened, playful and teasing.
My fingers tangled in his hair, and Andre’s hands rested lightly at my waist, grounding me even as the world outside seemed to fade away. We were breathless when we broke apart, foreheads resting together.
Then—ding. The sharp chime of the doorbell cut through the warmth, startling in its ordinary intrusiveness.
I pulled back, cheeks slightly flushed, and gave him a rueful little smile. “That would be our company.”
Andre raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Rain check on this conversation, please?”
I just nodded, although I couldn’t say I was excited about letting anyone into the tangled web that was my thoughts and feelings regarding this new magic that had awakened in me.
Chapter Five
“Tell me what you know about dragons,” I pressed.
Wanda tipped her glass back, swallowing the dregs of her cocktail. She smacked her lips once before offering me a lazy smile.
“They’re fantastic lovers. I remember this one called Gregory, who had a massive—”
“Ack!” I interrupted, waving my hands frantically, as though I could bat the explanation away. “No, that’s not what I meant! I don’t need to know how hedonistic they are. I need to know what you knowabout their magic.”
“Really, Poppy, you are such a prude.”
I frowned at her. “I’m really not, but anyway…”
Wanda leaned back in her chair, setting her empty glass delicately onto my countertop. I took it as the request it was and started mixing another. It seemed only fair if she was going to give me a primer on dragons. The others were clustered around a poker match between Darla and Fifi, egging them on. Personally, my money was on Darla. Anyone who could beat Death in a card game wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
“It’s always about the boring stuff,” Wanda said.
“Yes, the boring stuff. What can you tell me about them?”
She shrugged an elegant shoulder. “What anyone could tell you.”
“Which is?”
“That they’re huge and practically unstoppable. It’s fortunate that a lot of them settled down and decided not to continue scorching mundane cities. That used to be a favorite pastime for some of them.”
“Burning down villages?”
She nodded. “As well as looting, carrying off virgin sacrifices, and fighting knights.”
“They sound like the Vikings.”
She cocked her head to the side at that. “Yeah, similar but fire-breathing and massive with scales and wings.”
“So not like Vikings at all.”
“Right. Although… the European ones were nasty characters. Less so in the East. A lot of those dragons are still alive, hiding in mountains and inspiring poets or philosophers occasionally. They’re all a pretty secretive bunch, so I can’t tell you a lot more than that.”
I frowned because that wasn’t much. It was basically the same thing ChatGPT could have told me. “Do they have magic?”
Wanda nodded. “Sure. Some of them can perform fire magic beyond the ordinary ‘razing cities to ash’ thing. They fuel protection spells with their dragon fire. It’s strong stuff. It’s similar to what dwarves can do with metals. They can imbue a lot of anti-harm and uncrossing magic into sigils. Your lab should be completely fireproof.”
“What about acid proof?” I asked.
