He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. Then he kissed her.
His taste exploded in her mouth, and at the same moment, the water disappeared. Madeline felt herself drop, and a startled scream lodged in her throat.
The next thing she knew, she was held tight in Lore’s arms as he landed on the stage, flexing his knees slightly at the impact. Madeline clutched at his shoulders, watching as the water splashed across the floor around them.
Then Lore lifted a hand and waved it in a wide arc. The water ignited, bursting into a ring of flames around them.
The crowd went wild, applause filling the room. The spotlight flicked off, leaving Lore and Madeline in firelight.
“That was amazing. How do you do it?” she asked. “The water? The fire?”
She saw his smile in the dim light. “Don’t you believe in magic?”
“No. Magic doesn’t exist.”
“Well, then you should know that a showman never gives his secrets away.”
He set her on her feet and snapped his fingers. The flames shut off in an instant. Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her off the stage. He tugged her around a large support pillar, giving them the illusion of privacy.
“You must practice all these illusions a lot.” She frowned to herself. Surely something this elaborate would have required him to set things up beforehand? But she knew for a fact he hadn’t been up here earlier.
He held his palm up. A small flame flickered to life in the center of it.
Madeline gripped his thick wrist, studying all around. She just couldn’t see how he could do it. She reached out and flicked her finger through the flame.
It was hot.
Lore leaned down and blew out the flame. Then he lifted his hands and ran them up her bare arms. She felt the warmth radiating off his skin. She stared hard at his strong forearms and gasped. The veins in his arms were glowing a warm gold color.
“You can’t always trust what you see.” He reached out and tapped his finger over her heart, just above her breast. “You have to trust what you feel.”
Madeline wasn’t sure she could trust anything right now. Especially not with his warm touch sending parts of her that had nothing to do with magic and illusion up in flames. And she knew she really couldn’t trust how she felt, because all the emotions inside her lately were just a big, painful jumble of confusion.
Suddenly Galen’s stocky silhouette appeared. “Looks like you did too good of a job.”
Lore’s hands tightened on Madeline. “Why?”
“Vashto and Cerria want to meet you both.” The imperator’s face was serious. “Tread carefully, but make it good.”
Chapter Five
As Lore walked across the crowded room, he instantly spotted the couple lounging on a blue couch. His muscles tensed.
He didn’t like the look of them. The man was big, tough, and scarred. He had faint patches of a scale-like pattern on his skin, so he had some reptilian heritage. The woman sat on the seat back, her legs tucked in close beside Vashto. He was idly stroking them, his fingers disappearing occasionally under her clothing.
The woman was all sharp angles, with slanted eyes and high cheekbones. Her skin was a deep amber color. Her gaze locked with Lore’s and she lifted a hand to tap her nails against her plump lips. Her hands were tipped with long claws. She licked her lips.
Vashto’s gaze landed on Madeline, hot, hungry and predatory. Lore pulled her closer to his side.
“Welcome.” Cerria’s voice was a deep, raspy purr. She waved a hand at the couch beside her. “Please join us. We enjoyed your show immensely.”
Lore sat down, careful to put himself between Madeline and the couple. Cerria reached out and scraped her claws down Lore’s arm.
“I also enjoyed your battle in the arena. You fought well, gladiator.” A nictitating membrane flicked over her eyes. “We won money on you. A lot of money.”
Vashto leaned forward. “And your show here this evening was…entertaining.” The man’s voice was a deep rumble. His eyes ran down Madeline’s bare legs and his tongue flicked out to lick his lips. It was thin and forked.
Lore reached over and pressed his palm against Madeline’s thigh. She was as tense as a new recruit in the arena. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. Madeline and I work very well together.”
“We like shows and fights and delicious things.” Cerria bared her teeth and reached out to touch Lore’s chest.
Madeline’s hand shot out and grabbed the woman’s wrist.
Cerria pulled back with a narrowed gaze. Madeline pressed her palm over Lore’s beating heart. He liked the feel of her touch as much as he liked seeing her stake a claim.