Dragon Soul (Dragon Falls, #3)(25)

“Tell your cheek that,” I said, swaggering forward a couple of steps. To my annoyance, he didn’t back up. Perhaps a little more threatening was in order. I shook the lamp at him and said, “In case you don’t know, you’re not just dealing with a normal person.”

“Oh, lord,” Rowan said under his breath, before adding a bit louder, “Sophea, I don’t think you want—”

“No sir, you’re dealing with a dragon’s mate. That’s right, I’m a bona fide dragon. Of sorts. Kind of. So Rowan says, and I have no reason to doubt him because he did the test. I can control fire, and likely do all sorts of other dragony things, so you had just better take your scummy little friend there and get the hell out of Dodge while the getting is good.” I grasped the cord with my hand, snapping it toward Mr. Kim.

He actually took a step back.

“Sophea, you really do not know—”

“It’s okay, Rowan,” I interrupted, giving him a decisive nod. “I got this.”

“No, I don’t think you do.”

“That’s right,” I said, pointing the plug at Mr. Kim. His friend was now next to him, the pair of them watching me with absolutely no expression on their respective faces. Perhaps they were as stunned as I’d been to find out just how awesome I was. “You heard me. I’m dragon. A crimson dragon!”

“Red,” Rowan corrected.

“Red dragon. Rawr!” I said, making a little claw gesture with my hand. “You may now leave before I unleash my unholy dragon stuff upon you!”

Rowan sighed and rubbed his face like he couldn’t face watching the ass-whooping that was about to be unleashed on Mr. Kim and Company.

“Well?” Mr. Kim said.

“Well what?” I asked, suspicious. I gestured with the lamp. “Well, as in, Rowan is blocking the door and you can’t leave?”

“Well as in let’s see you unleash your mighty mate’s powers on us.”

I blinked and glanced over at Rowan. He was now standing with one hand covering his mouth, as if he was trying to keep from speaking. “You’re better at this than I am. Will you tell these guys just how badass dragons are?”

He lowered his hand and gave me a wry smile. “They know.”

“Then why aren’t they running away?” I shook my lamp at them. “I’m a fire wielder. Or whatever they call it. Maybe I can turn into a giant scaly beast!”

“Go on, then,” Mr. Kim’s friend said. “Let’s see you.”

“I don’t want to,” I said, tilting my head so I was looking down my nose at him. “I have to be in the mood to be a giant scaly dragon, and I’m not right now. But I can do the fire thing just as I am, so you’d better vamoose before I call down a rain of fire that will singe the hair right off the tops of your heads And you know how bad burnt hair smells!”

“Sophea,” Rowan said tiredly, and stopped.

“What?” I asked him, keeping my eyes on the two men in front of me.

He gestured vaguely, then shook his head. “Never mind. Proceed.”

“Show us your rain of fire,” Mr. Kim said in a snotty tone.

“Don’t think I can do it, do you?” I said, wondering wildly what my stupid bravado had gotten me into. I didn’t dare ask Rowan how to make it rain fire, which meant I either had to do something to distract the men or put my money where my mouth was. What was a rain of fire? It was little blobs of fire dumping onto someone. The question was, how did I get the fire going? I looked around the room, spied Mrs. P’s handbag, and said, “Fine. Give me just a sec.”

All three men watched with interest as I dug through her bag, finally pulling out a silver lighter, the old-fashioned kind that people in black-and-white movies used. With the lamp tucked under one arm, I screwed up a room service menu and lit one end on fire.

“Fire,” I told Rowan, nodding toward the two hoodlums. “Now I’ll make it rain on them.”

“I look forward to seeing that,” he said politely.

I eyed him for a few seconds wondering if he was being sarcastic, but he just looked tired, so I figured he was being supportive in a non-obvious way. I turned to face the two men, held out the burning menu, and tried to force the fire onto them.

It just burned down the paper.

“Well, crapballs.” I gnawed my lower lip as I watched the fire, strangely captivated by it.

“Allow us to show you our rain of fire,” Mr. Kim said.

“Maybe I’m doing something wrong with it… wait, what? Your rain of fire?”

Mr. Kim smiled, and out of nowhere, little balls of fire began to fall from the ceiling onto me. I shrieked and dropped my lamp to slap the fireballs when they hit me, feeling both relieved when they didn’t burn me and confused as hell.

“You’re a dragon, too?” I asked Mr. Kim, picking up my lamp with the fire stopped falling.

“We are demons, servants of Lord Bael, the premier prince of Abaddon. We have dragon blood in our veins, but we are demons first and foremost, and now you will give to us the ring that the thief stole from our master, or we will kill you right here and now.” As if to prove he meant it, both men pulled long, wickedly sharp daggers from sheaths strapped to their thighs.

I looked over at Rowan. “Are they telling the truth?”