‘‘I don’t understand how . . .’’ Cyrene’s voice trailed away to nothing as she sank rather less gracefully than normal into a nearby chair.
‘‘The how is not important,’’ Gabriel answered, his dimples slowly emerging. ‘‘What matters is that the impossible has happened. I’m delighted that you understand the significance of being able to share my fire, May. I never expected to have a mate, but now that I’ve found you, I am very pleased.’’
I wanted to shadow, to go find a quiet spot where I could think over recent events by myself, without any other distractions. I was a thief, dammit, a shadow walker, servant of a demon lord, keeper of Cyrene’s common sense, and responsible only for myself and her well-being. And now I found myself bound to a stranger? I shook my head. I just didn’t have experience with men, let alone dragons. The situation seemed untenable at best.
‘‘I don’t understand any of this,’’ Cyrene said, giving me a hurt look. ‘‘You
do
like men?’’
‘‘I’m sorry,’’ I said, dropping to my knees next to her. I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. No matter how scatterbrained she was, no matter how many times she got herself into scrapes and expected me to pull her out, she was still my twin. I owed my very existence to her. ‘‘I didn’t like deceiving you, but it seemed like less stress for everyone if you thought I wasn’t interested in men at all.’’
‘‘You’re a dragon’s mate,’’ she said slowly, as if she was absorbing this new image of me. ‘‘I still don’t . . . Are you sure we’re not both your mate?’’
Gabriel considered her for a moment.
‘‘We are identical,’’ she told him, her expression earnest. ‘‘May is an exact copy of me. Well, she’s not a naiad, but other than that, she’s my duplicate.’’
I have never minded being called her twin, but for some reason, her insistence on referring to me in dehumanizing terms rankled a bit. I stifled that as best I could; with the exception of her common sense—a trait that had been given over to me at my creation— she wasn’t saying anything that wasn’t absolutely true.
‘‘You were born,’’ Gabriel said gently, taking her hand from me. ‘‘The black dragons are cursed to never have a mate born to them.’’
‘‘But if May—’’ she started to argue.
‘‘This is a question easily settled,’’ he interrupted. His fingertips suddenly burst into flame, causing Cyrene to squawk and leap backward, yanking her hand out of his when he touched a spot on her wrist.
‘‘My apologies if I hurt you,’’ he said, bending his head over her arm. Cyrene watched with openmouthed amazement as he first breathed on the small burn mark, then lowered his mouth to it, his tongue lathing the spot.
Rage burst into being within me, startling me with both its presence and its intensity. Gabriel was
licking
Cyrene.
‘‘Er . . . ,’’ I said, taking a step closer.
‘‘It’s all right, don’t be alarmed,’’ Aisling said, watching them with interest. ‘‘Gabriel has the most amazing saliva. All the silver dragons do. They make a wonderful healing ointment out of it, but it’s not quite as potent as when it comes from the source.’’
‘‘Um . . .’’ I tapped Gabriel on the shoulder. He looked up with a distinct twinkle in his eyes. ‘‘That doesn’t look very hygienic.’’
‘‘I assure you, it will do her only good, and no harm,’’ he said, smiling as he returned Cyrene’s hand to her with a little bow.
We both looked. The small red burn mark had disappeared.
‘‘That was amazing,’’ Cyrene breathed, gazing at him with wonder.
I stifled the last little bubble of irritation, reminding myself that he was just doing his job.
He didn’t have to enjoy it quite so much, though, did he?
‘‘And now May,’’ Gabriel said. I looked at him a moment, wondering what sort of a man it was that fate had bound me to. I held out my hand, watching with dispassionate interest as he traced a symbol in flames on my wrist. It burned merrily on my skin, although I felt nothing more than a mild heat.
‘‘Dragon mates have the ability to share dragon fire. They can use it, mold it to their own desire, drawing power from it when needed,’’ he said, watching me as I coaxed the little flame to my fingertips. It shimmered there, as if it was about to go out. I held my other hand out over it, willing it into a small ball, smiling to myself when it obediently formed a sphere. I held it in the palm of my hand for a moment, admiring the beauty and power held within it, before throwing it directly at Gabriel.
A slow smile spread across his face as the flame ball exploded against his chest, bathing his upper body in fire for a few seconds before it evaporated into nothing. ‘‘I believe that answers your question, Cyrene.’’
‘‘It doesn’t even begin to cover the questions I have,’’ she said softly. I took a few steps away from Gabriel, startled by the undertone I had heard in Cyrene’s voice.
‘‘Well, as you said, what does it matter how it happened—it did, and it’s a miracle. I hope you both will be very happy,’’ Aisling said as she gave Gabriel a hug before turning to me to do the same.
I frowned. ‘‘I’m not sure I follow you. Happy doing what?’’
Her smile slipped slightly as she glanced quickly at Gabriel. ‘‘Er . . . happy being together.’’
It took me a few seconds to understand what it was she was talking about. ‘‘Oh, we’re not together. At least, not in the sense you mean.’’
‘‘You’re not?’’ she asked, looking downright confused.
‘‘No. I can’t. It’s just not possible,’’ I answered, turning to Gabriel. ‘‘I’m sorry if you assumed there would be some sort of a . . . for lack of a better word, romantic relationship between us.’’
His eyes turned to molten silver. ‘‘You have just accepted that you are my mate.’’
‘‘Yes, it seems foolish to deny it when all the evidence points to that conclusion. But that doesn’t mean we are . . . you know, a couple.’’
Drake looked at his wife. ‘‘You’ve infected her.’’
Aisling’s mouth dropped open a smidgen. ‘‘I have not!"
His green eyes narrowed upon me. ‘‘You have an American accent.’’
‘‘Yes,’’ I answered, wondering what that had to do with anything. ‘‘Cyrene was living in Louisiana when I was created. I moved to the West Coast shortly thereafter.’’ I didn’t mention the reason for my sudden move away from my twin—Magoth, fascinated with the early movie industry, had based himself in Hollywood, and bound to him as I was, I had little choice but to follow.
‘‘I miss New Orleans,’’ Cyrene said wistfully. ‘‘I’m living in London now, and of course, it’s very cultural, but there’s none of the je ne sais quoi of the U.S."
‘‘I knew it,’’ Drake said, nodding at Aisling. ‘‘It’s something in the water that makes American women the most stubborn beings on the planet. Try to deny it.’’
She smiled at me. ‘‘We’re not stubborn, sweetie— we’re smart. We simply want to know what we’re getting into before we agree to anything.’’
‘‘Well . . . there is that, yes,’’ I said slowly, unwilling to say too much. ‘‘But there are certain obligations I’ve got to consider, and I’m afraid that right now, I’m just not in a position to maintain anything but a distant relationship.’’
‘‘You are my mate,’’ Gabriel said with an obstinate glint to his eye.
‘‘Yes, I believe we’ve established that fact,’’ I said, glancing at my watch. ‘‘It’s very late. Since Cyrene appears to have recovered from the injury, we’d better be on our way.’’
‘‘You can’t leave!’’ Maata burst out, her disbelief evident.
‘‘I’m afraid I have some prior commitments that I must attend to.’’ I turned my attention to Gabriel. ‘‘We should probably stay in touch. Do you live here in Greece?’’
‘‘No, we are here simply to make plans with Drake and Aisling while they are on holiday. My home is in Manukau.’’
I frowned in question.
‘‘New Zealand,’’ he answered. ‘‘I have taken a home in London since that is where Kostya is believed to be basing himself. I cannot address the obligations you mention until I have more information, but I assure you that the job of wyvern’s mate will require much more time and attention than can be conducted by a
distant relationship
.’’
The emphasis he put on the last couple of words was unmistakable. So was the light in his eyes.
‘‘The sheer hell she’s going to put you through,’’ Drake muttered, shaking his head.
Aisling whomped him on the chest. ‘‘For what it’s worth, May, I think you have the right idea. Take your time to get to know Gabriel. Don’t let anyone rush you into anything. Being a wyvern’s mate is time-consuming, yes, but there’s no reason you can’t do your own job as well as take care of Gabriel and the silver dragons.’’
‘‘She is a thief,’’ Drake pointed out.
‘‘Well, so are you,’’ she countered, leveling a look at him that I’d have been afraid to even think of. ‘‘And I’m sure she has a very good reason for being a thief, too. Cyrene and May probably have an ailing mother, or there’s someone else May has to take care of, and doing a Robin Hood act is the only way she can get by.’’
All eyes turned to me. I lifted my chin and smiled at no one in particular. ‘‘It’s something like that. Now, if you’ll excuse us, Cyrene and I should be on our way. Do you have a phone number where I can reach you in London, Gabriel?’’
Silently, he pulled out a card and handed it to me. I tucked it away in an inner pocket of my leather bodice. ‘‘Thank you. I’m sorry about disturbing your evening. It’s been . . . a pleasure. Good night.’’
I grabbed Cyrene’s arm and started to hustle her through the door, but I had a feeling we weren’t going to be able to make an escape without hearing from the quicksilver-eyed dragon.
‘‘We will accompany you to your hotel,’’ Gabriel said, suddenly standing in front of us, holding the door open.
Aisling murmured something about erasing the ward on the front door, scooting past us to do so. I looked behind me. Maata and Tipene wore matching expressions . . . neither gave me much hope they’d listen to reason. ‘‘Weren’t you . . . weren’t you just back there?’’ I asked Gabriel.
‘‘Dragons can move quickly when they so desire. Drake, Aisling, my thanks for a very enjoyable evening. I will be in contact with you regarding the phylactery. And now, my dear . . . ,’’ Gabriel said, gesturing toward the open door.
I tried to exchange a glance with Cyrene, but she was looking at the floor, apparently avoiding my eye. ‘‘You don’t know where we’re staying,’’ I said. ‘‘We could be greatly out of your way.’’
‘‘You are my mate,’’ Gabriel said, a sudden flare of emotion in his eyes making a hot flush start at my belly and move upward. ‘‘Nothing you can demand of me will be too great.’’
‘‘Excellent. I demand you leave us alone. I’ll call you in a few days, when we’re back in London,’’ I said, pushing Cyrene out the door as I slipped past him.
‘‘Alas, I wish it was that easy, but I am bound by sept tradition to see to your welfare,’’ he said, following us out to the driveway. Tipene went off to where a black BMW sat. I eyed Cyrene for a moment, unsure if I should trust Gabriel with her. I hadn’t seen anything in him that led me to believe he would harm her, but dragons were strange beings—they looked human, but clearly didn’t operate in the same manner. Still, he didn’t strike me as the type of man who’d take out his wrath on an innocent person.
I tried to catch Cyrene’s eye, but she continued to avoid looking at me. That hurt, but now was not the time to smooth her obviously ruffled feathers. I allowed Gabriel and Maata to escort us toward the car, but the second we were far enough away from the lights of the house, I shadowed, spinning around in the opposite direction, merging myself with the blissfully dark shadows.
Gabriel shouted my name, but I paid him no heed as I dashed alongside a high hedge, keeping myself immersed in the densest parts of the shadows. He might be able to see me at a close distance, but I was willing to bet he couldn’t when more than a few yards separated us.
I ran down the street, through yards, around gardens, moving in a direction opposite the mage’s house until I could no longer hear signs of pursuit. I doubled back, slowly picking my way, cautious of every looming shape, but no one leaped out to grab me.
Gabriel, it seemed, didn’t bother to try to find me. I was oddly disgruntled by that fact, but decided it was foolish and immature, and there were much more important matters to concern myself with than the puzzle my heart wanted to solve.
Steeling myself, my chin high, my shoulders set, I made my way back around to the mage’s house.
Chapter Eight
The voices drifted out on the night air, just loud enough to be audible as I crouched on the window ledge outside of the archimage Kostich’s living room.
‘‘. . . could guarantee that you were compensated for the loss, would that make a difference?’’
It was a man’s voice . . . a familiar man’s voice, one that slid along my body like satin. I froze, frowning at the beige stone wall to which I clung. What on earth was Gabriel doing talking to Dr. Kostich? Why wasn’t he seeing Cyrene home, as I had expected?
‘‘The item that was stolen from me is irreplaceable,’’ the mage answered. ‘‘No amount of money could compensate me for it.’’
‘‘Is it safe to assume that you know the whereabouts of the thief Mei Ling?’’ a third voice asked, one that was unknown to me.
I risked peeking around the edge of the window. Gabriel sat with his back to me, calmly watching as Dr. Kostich paced back and forth across the room. I didn’t see a third person at first, but suddenly, a silhouette moved in front of the window. I ducked to the side, flattening myself against the stone of the building. Although technically no one should be able to see me when I shadow walked at night, some beings were more perceptive than others, and until I knew whom I was dealing with, I felt it wiser not to take chances.
‘‘No, I don’t know where she is,’’ Gabriel answered. ‘‘I know how to contact her, however. And I believe I can convince her to see the error of her ways.’’