Playing with Fire

‘‘He was a liar,’’ I said, tossing my head in a trademark Cyrene gesture.

‘‘She did not say much to allow us to make an assessment either way,’’ he said.

I forced a light, lilting laugh. ‘‘You fell for that cross-dressing act? I would have thought someone in the watch had more sense. You can take it from me, Mr. Lakshmanan-that dragon was no lady.’’

The moment of silence that followed was pregnant with unspoken words.

Monish cleared his throat and slid a glance toward the mage next to him. ‘‘Indeed. We cannot help but find your presence here somewhat of a coincidence, Miss Northcott. Your sister is arrested and tried for crimes against a number of individuals, and that very same day you are brought in on an assault charge that is mysteriously dropped.’’

I tried to school the surprise I felt at his words from showing on my face, arranging my features to display vague indifference, instead. Sister? Monish had said sister, not twin. The word ‘‘sister’’ was never used to indicate a doppelganger, except occasionally by the originating twin as a form of affection. But everyone else always referred to the two people as twins, not sisters-which could only mean that Monish and the others did not realize the truth of our relationship. Savian knew I was a doppelganger, as did Porter. Why did neither of them tell the committee? I gave a mental head shake-the whys weren’t really important now. What did matter was that the two thief takers and Cyrene had managed to keep my origins quiet, and that, I saw, was the key to Gabriel’s plan for my escape.

‘‘Well, of course it’s not a coincidence,’’ I said, thinking as quickly as I could. I allowed outrage to fill my voice. ‘‘She’s my sister! Do you think I’m going to stand around and let you guys do who knows what with her? This whole thing about poor May being a thief is ridiculous. Ridiculous! She’s as innocent as I am!’’

The second the words left my lips, hindsight pointed out that that claim wasn’t, perhaps, the most judicious to make at the moment.

‘‘Indeed,’’ Dr. Kostich said, speaking up for the first time since I’d marched into the room. He gave me an appraising glance that I had a horrible feeling saw much more than I would have liked. ‘‘I find that statement difficult to believe.’’

I lifted my chin in haughty scorn, allowing a slight sneer to enter my voice. Mages and elemental beings had a long history of disagreement, and I knew that Cyrene was no fonder of him than I was. ‘‘Do you question my word, mage?’’

‘‘It is not your word I question, naiad,’’ he answered smoothly. ‘‘It is, perhaps, your identity that I wonder at.’’

‘‘My identity?’’ I scoffed, throwing as much disbelief as I could into the word. ‘‘You don’t believe that I am a naiad?’’

‘‘You are very much like your sister,’’ Monish said slowly as both men eyed me. ‘‘Are you twins?’’

I couldn’t lie. Both men looked too savvy to not sense an outright untruth when spoken. Subterfuge was one thing-that was natural to a doppelganger. But I seldom spoke lies simply because I didn’t do it well. ‘‘Yes, we’re twins. But there are obvious differences between us!’’ Such as the fact that I was a doppelganger, while Cyrene was an elemental being.

‘‘In that case, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind proving you are who you say you are?’’ Dr. Kostich said with a slight smile.

‘‘Oh, for the love of the twelve gods… you question me? Me, the ninth sister of the house of Hydriades? I am a naiad, a daughter of Tethys, and you have the audacity to question me? I have never been so insulted!’’

‘‘It is not meant as an insult,’’ Kostich said, the belligerent look easing as I slammed my hands down on the table in front of him. ‘‘More as a way to verify-’’

‘‘Fine!’’ I bellowed, my voice echoing off the walls. ‘‘You want to verify I am a naiad? You wish for me to summon water to prove to you, a mage, one who knows nothing of the ways of the elements, my worth? You want me to prove it?’’ I pushed up my sleeves and spread my hands out, palms down. ‘‘Fine! I’ll summon water. I’ll summon enough water to flood this ridiculous room, and you with it! And when your head is pressed up against the ceiling with two inches of air left, then perhaps you’ll believe me!’’

‘‘Wait!’’ Monish interrupted, looking nervously from me to Kostich. ‘‘Er… with all due respect, sir, I believe such an extreme act might have repercussions. This room has not been warded to contain the contents.’’

Kostich’s eyes narrowed, but before he could reply, the doors behind me slammed open. My stomach did an odd little flip-flop at the sight of Gabriel storming into the room, accompanied by Drake and his two bodyguards.

‘‘I demand the release of my mate,’’ Gabriel snarled, his gaze impassive as it passed over me. For a moment, I thought he didn’t recognize me, but I shook that thought away.

‘‘It’s about time you got here,’’ I told him, tossing my head again.

‘‘Be quiet, woman,’’ he snapped at me, not moving his gaze from where it bore into Dr. Kostich.

I was shocked for a moment by the anger in his voice, trying to keep a step ahead of him. What role was I supposed to take as Cyrene? Submissive? Should I leave all the talking to him? No, that wasn’t Cyrene. When she was outraged about something, she let the world know about it.

I snatched up the stack of papers on the table in front of me and threw them at Gabriel. ‘‘Be quiet? Be quiet? I’m the only one here who cares enough about May to get her released, you big… big… dragon! Don’t you ‘be quiet’ me! I demand that you listen to me and not him,’’ I said, turning to Monish.

He made a tching sound, gesturing to a clerk, who scurried over to pick up the papers that had fluttered all over the floor.

‘‘You will not speak to me that way!’’ Gabriel roared, grabbing my arm and jerking me back, his eyes blazing.

I grabbed another handful of papers and threw them at his head. ‘‘I’ll speak to you any way I want to! You’re not my mate, thank the gods! You’re nothing but trouble! I blame you for letting poor May be arrested in the first place!’’

‘‘And you’re a danger to yourself and others! You are hereby banned from seeing May unless in my company!’’

‘‘Oh!’’ I screamed, and grabbed for the pitcher of water in front of Dr. Kostich.

‘‘Cease!’’ Kostich yelled, his face red with anger as I stood with the pitcher over my head, poised to throw it at Gabriel. ‘‘This behavior is unacceptable. Bailiff, remove that woman from our presence.’’

‘‘I will not be treated in this manner!’’ I yelled, tossing the water onto the small man who had been picking up papers. ‘‘And you have not heard the last of me, mage. The sisterhood will hear of this treatment, as will the Council of Elementalists! I will have justice!’’

I turned on my heel as the now-sopping clerk headed for me, marching out of the room with my head held high. Drake, a silent figure with his two men, raised an eyebrow as I passed them. I gave him a head toss and strode angrily from the room.

‘‘As for your demands, Tauhou-’’ Kostich said, but I didn’t hear any more. The clerk didn’t touch me, but herded me unceremoniously downstairs and out of the building with a murmured request to not return unless summoned.

‘‘Hrmph,’’ I snorted at him as he went back into the building, heaving a sigh of relief at my freedom.

I wasn’t quite sure what I was supposed to do once freed, but I didn’t have long to wait. Before I’d taken a couple of steps, the dragons burst from the building, Gabriel yelling curses at Monish as he stood with the little clerk barring the door.

Gabriel stormed by me, Drake and the two others hot on his heels. None of them looked at me as they passed. ‘‘Hey!’’ I yelled, running after them. ‘‘I’m not finished with you, either!’’

The men stopped at a sleek black 1930s limo. I didn’t wait for an invitation; I pushed Gabriel aside to get into the backseat, praying someone wasn’t going to run out of the building calling for my immediate arrest.

It wasn’t until the car turned the corner and headed down a busy Paris street that I slumped back in the seat, but my slumpage was short-lived. Gabriel wrapped one arm around me and pulled me onto his lap, his lips finding mine in a way I could only applaud.

‘‘You make a hell of an actress,’’ he murmured against my mouth.

I smiled and bit his lower lip, my heart beating wildly. Part of it was from the adrenaline generated by the scene with Kostich, but most of it was due to the man from whose lap I was gently pushed.