Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(48)

"Tony," Cass said a bit shyly from the couch. Possibly she'd been badass about killing evil faeries, but she wasn't looking it now.

"Cass," he replied. "I'm glad you're all right."

"Me too," she said.

Her rose red lips curved with amusement. Faeries were Resurrection's power elite. Even a little smile from Snow White dazzled. The buzz that vibrated through Tony's brain made him glad he was sure of his preference.

"Uncle Tony," said a more peremptory female voice. A curly-haired cub poked her head above the back of, well, he supposed rich people would call it a settee.

"Yes, Abby?" he answered extra respectfully.

She narrowed her eyes, seeming to know he was teasing a tiny bit. "Uncle Tony, don't you want to meet the dragons?"

He certainly did. His heart rate accelerated as he stepped around the fancy piece of furniture. Abby and her twin sat on the floor behind it with Evina. Between them were three exotic creatures Tony's mind didn't immediately make sense of. The dragons had wings and tales and snouts--just like in fairytales. The difference was they weren't any bigger than Cass's cat.


The trio turned their heads to him as he appeared. Their toothy mouths gaped like curious children's, their bright wings lifting like birds testing out a breeze. Tony didn't think he'd ever seen colors as vivid as those of their perfectly formed smooth scales.

The power they emanated was palpable.

"Gosh," he said, jolting to a halt. Resurrection held a lot of wonders, but these beings surely took the cake.

"This is Verdi," Rafi informed him, carefully stroking an emerald green dragon beneath its wing. "The gold one is Auric, and the red one--she's a girl--is Scarlet."

Tony dropped to his knees to get closer, barely aware of Evina rubbing him on the back in greeting. The girl, Scarlet, hopped in front of her siblings and trilled a sound at him. She was the smallest of the three but apparently not the shyest. Her curved red claws stuck a bit in the sunroom's looped wool carpet.

"They're really smart," Abby said. "They helped your brother and my dad kill the mean faeries."

"That was smart," Tony agreed breathlessly.

"You can pet them," Rafi reassured. "They don't bite nice people."

Tony extended one hand for Scarlet to sniff. Her lizard tongue flicked out from her muzzle, tickling one finger. "Is it okay to say they're adorable?"

He guessed it was. Scarlet rubbed her head against his knuckles. Her acceptance enchanted him. He reached to stroke her back with his other hand.

"Watch out for her dorsal spikes," Evina warned. "Those little things are sharp."

He didn't have a chance to worry. Scarlet suddenly flapped onto his thighs, stretching her body up his chest in what seemed like a dragonish hug. Her belly scales were smooth as satin, her catlike weight negligible. Tony was startled but cupped one hand behind her as a precaution, in case she fell backwards. Her tail seemed to help her balance on her rear feet, though her claws did dig a little into his jeans.

"Nice dragon," he said laughingly. "You're pretty, aren't you?"

Scarlet cheeped as if she agreed. She rubbed her skull against his chest muscles.

"She likes you," Abby said.

"I probably smell like Rick."

"She's a flirt," Evina said. "Look at her batting her dragon eyes."

All the dragons' eyes were silver and protected by double lids. Tony scritched one finger gently under Scarlet's chin. "You flirt with me all you want. You can be my one and only girl."

"Finally a promise the man can keep."

The familiar voice came from above and behind him. Jin Levine was as pretty as the dragons--and as colorful in her way. Dressed in a pink kimono-style dressing gown, she wore her twenty-four carat hair cropped short. Her tone was teasing, but he had a feeling she wasn't delighted by his presence. Back in high school, she'd been one of the girls he occasionally dated as a cover.

"Jin," he said, unable to get up with Scarlet perched on his legs. "Nice to see you again."

"Uh-huh," she said skeptically.

"Did you need something?" Evina asked sweetly. Her hand was on Tony's arm, her manner silently saying don't mess with my husband's friend.

Meow, Tony thought, resisting an urge to grin.

Too smart to miss the message, Jin flicked her golden hair from her made-for-TV face. "Rick and Cass have had enough excitement for today. They'd like to take the dragons and go home."

Tony glanced over at the pair. They looked like they longed to slip away quietly, their body language saying "couple" and then some. No matter if Rick and he lived in same brownstone, he wouldn't welcome Tony accompanying them.

"Do they have a car?" he asked, remembering he'd driven Rick's.

"They're borrowing Bridie's," Jin said.

That was all right then. Ignoring the funny feeling in his chest, he looked at the girl dragon. "Scarlet," he said. "Much as I hate to say it, you and I have to part for now."

He handed her up to Jin, who took her gingerly.

The cubs thought the way Scarlet's wings drooped was hysterical.

"She's sad!" Abby exclaimed. "She doesn't want to leave you."