Page 24 of Magick and Lead (Dragons and Aces #2)

CHARLIE

E ssa hadn’t killed me yet, but from the fire in her eyes, I could tell she still wanted to.

She sat across from me now in my cramped kitchenette. Like a true bachelor, I had basically no food in the house, so I’d called down to the bar on the corner and ordered us dinner.

Essa opened the to-go box and eyed it with suspicion.

“What is this?”

“Patty melt,” I said, already taking a bite of mine. When she looked confused, I added, “Cow meat, cheese, and bread. This place is famous for them.”

“And these?” she frowned, pointing into the box.

“Fries.”

“Why the blood?”

I laughed, nearly choking on my sandwich. “Ketchup. It’s a sauce—to dip the fries in. Just try it, trust me.”

She shot me a glare, then picked up a fry as if it were a tiny snake that might twist around and bite her. She took a small, exploratory bite, then grunted approvingly, dipped it into the ketchup, and took another bite. Her eyes lit up.

“See. Told ya,” I said.

“Mmm,” the moan that rose from her when she bit into the patty melt made me flash back to our night together in the dragon cave on Dorhane. Her body writhing beneath me, my fist tangled in her hair, our bodies slick with wanting, our lips and tongues?—

“What?” she demanded.

I blinked. “What?”

“You’re staring at me.”

“Oh…” I felt my face going red. “It’s… nothing. I was just… remembering.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Remembering what? When you lied about who you were? When you stole a dragon egg from our sacred Hatchery? When you made me think you believed in me—when really you were just trying to undermine the Skrathan by making the worst, weakest rider their Irska?”

I winced. “Essa…”

She raised a hand in my face, silencing me. “No,” she said. “No more lies. Understand this: I am here because you claim you can get me close to Kortoi. That’s it. I’m using you—just as you used me. And when Kortoi is lying dead at my feet, we are enemies again. Is that clear?”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Wow. You really do sound like a queen.”

“Spare me your patronizing compliments,” she muttered, tearing into her sandwich like a lioness into prey.

“I am sorry, though, Essa. Truly.” I said. “If I could?—”

She slammed her fist on the table, staring daggers at me. I had no doubt her real dagger might make an appearance again soon, too, if I didn’t shut up.

I put my hands up in surrender and glanced around, looking for a way to change the subject. “Here, have you ever heard a radio before?”

She seemed confused, so I walked over to the radio cabinet and turned it on. It hissed and crackled for a moment, then the low voice of the newscaster came on.

Reports tell us that our troops have made substantial gains in both the central and southern portions of the front, but at a heavy cost. Today alone, seventy-six soldiers were wounded and a hundred and eleven ? —

“Stop it,” Essa said, looking horrified. “What sort of scrying is this?”

“It’s just a radio,” I assured her, twisting the knob to change the station. The next one was more news.

A Maethalian peace delegation has been meeting with President Ramos for the past three days.

Though few details about the negotiations have been shared, some observers have been surprised by how much progress is reportedly taking place, especially given Ramos’s hardline stance on the war that has plagued both nations for generations.

Some give credit to the Maethalian delegation, headed by a little-known religious figure called Prelate Kortoi.

“That’s him,” Essa said excitedly. “Maybe they’ll tell us where to find him…”

But the newscaster was already moving on.

In other news, the Ramos administration has struck a deal with the Sylph Lord of Koratain to purchase over ten million dollars’ worth of coal.

The supply should satisfy Admar’s growing need for fuel, but the reliance on a foreign source for such a critical commodity has raised concern among some lawmakers…

“Shut it off,” Essa said.

I ignored her demand, taking a bite of my patty melt.

…And in our final story of the day, the Silver Wraith is back. Admar’s favorite Ace led a sortie over Dorhane, which, according to sources…

Essa rose from her seat, stomped over to the radio, and before I could stop her, tipped it over. It hit the floor with a bang and a spark. The sound went dead.

“ Sophi almighty! ” I cursed. “Do you know how much that thing cost? And they were talking about me, by the way.”

“Voices from beyond the void?—”

“It was a goddamn radio announcer!”

“—Must not be listened to.”

I shook my head, fuming. “You know… I risked my life searching for you. I scoured your goddamned country. I fought golenae. I rescued villages from monsters. And I begged the people there to tell me where you were, just so I could look you in the eye and apologize. For two months, I’ve dreamed night and day of seeing you again.

Now, I finally find you and you try to kill me and break my damned radio. ”

“People can be very disappointing,” she said coldly. “You taught me that.”

I shook my head, beside myself. “Listen, it’s been a long day. Let’s get some rest and we can start tracking Kortoi down first thing in the morning.”

I strode into my bedroom, came out with a blanket and pillow and tossed them to her, then pointed to the couch. “You can sleep there. It’s more comfortable than it looks.”

Her gaze ticked from the couch back to me. “I am the queen of Maethalia,” she said. “The queen gets the bed.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Oh. You want to sleep in my bed?”

“While you sleep on the couch, moron,” she shot back.

I crossed my arms. “I don’t remember you being such a brat.”

“And I don’t remember you being such an ass. Kit .”

I gave her my most devilish grin. “I may be an ass, sweetie, but I’m no idiot. I’m keeping a locked door between myself and that dagger of yours. That means I’m on the bed and you’re on the couch. Sorry, we don’t have queens in Admar. I’m sure you understand.”

She bared her teeth—an expression that wasn’t a smile. “I understand perfectly.”

“Great,” I said, stripping off my shirt and retreating into the bedroom. Her eyes lingered before she tore them away—hoping I wouldn’t notice.

I gave her my biggest, broadest grin. “Sweet dreams, Your Highness,” I said.

Before she could attack me, I slammed the bedroom door—and locked it.