I rubbed my forehead and wished for the fiftieth time in the last ten minutes that a portal would suddenly open up next to me to take me a thousand miles from this spot.

‘‘Despite the fact that you had just finished explaining to me why you could not get involved with any man—’’

Cyrene’s voice was drowned out for a moment by the arrival of another fire engine.

‘‘—to the wind and slept with Gabriel? Oh, Mayling, really!’’

In the blissful silence that followed the siren being silenced, Cyrene’s voice was clearly audible.

I closed my eyes and wondered what would be the worst thing that would happen if I was to suddenly shadow in front of the twenty or so people who now turned interested faces upon us. Luckily, the crowd gathered had other things to capture their attention, and turned away from us almost immediately. All but one person, a tall, wiry man who examined Cyrene and me with speculation I found almost offensive.

‘‘I don’t think everyone in the entire country heard you,’’ I said in a low, dangerous voice, giving the man a thin-lipped look. He blinked a couple of times, then moved off.

Cyrene rolled her eyes. ‘‘The point is that despite everything you had just told me, you slept with Gabriel, and had such incredibly wild sex that the bed was set on fire. Am I correct in that summation of the evening’s events?’’

I grabbed her arm and pulled her as far away from our audience as was possible, my cheeks hot with embarrassment. We were standing a block away from the hotel, huddled with other guests in various states of undress as the fire department put out the blaze that had damaged part of the floor my room was on. ‘‘It wasn’t like that!’’

‘‘And unless that very handsome fireman who brought out my things was mistaken, your little lovefest with Gabriel not only caused the furnishings in your room to burn—a fact that evidently went unnoticed by either of you—but the fire spread to adjoining rooms?’’

I ground my teeth.

‘‘Do I have all that correct?’’

I lifted my chin and gave her a look of my own. ‘‘There were extenuating circumstances. Not to mention the fact that the hotel’s fire prevention practices are clearly out of date. The sprinklers didn’t go on until the curtains were almost gone.’’

She eyed me with a curiously flat look. ‘‘Gabriel must be one hell of a lover.’’

‘‘That is neither here nor there,’’ I said with as much dignity as I could muster, which admittedly wasn’t much.

Cyrene was silent for a few minutes before turning back to me, her voice much lower. ‘‘You slept with him. You really slept with him?’’

‘‘I didn’t intend to. I meant everything I said to you. I still do—but somehow . . . somehow Gabriel made me believe that there may be a way around the situation with Magoth.’’

‘‘So’’—her hands made a vague gesture—‘‘does this mean you’re a dragon?’’

‘‘I accepted him as my mate,’’ I answered warily. ‘‘I don’t believe that changes me in any way other than my life is now bound to his.’’

Another fire truck arrived. We scooted back as more refugees from the hotel were released by the medical folk. ‘‘What do you think Magoth will do?’’

‘‘Probably try to seduce me yet again, but I think . . .’’ I remembered the feeling of Gabriel’s body with a warm flush that started at my belly and rippled upward. ‘‘I think it will be easier to refuse him. Rather than being a weakness Magoth could exploit, I think that this relationship with Gabriel may end up giving me strength.’’

‘‘I’m still trying to get over the idea of you having sex. After all those years when I tried to find a man for you . . .’’

‘‘I haven’t exactly been chaste,’’ I said with a little smile. ‘‘As you should know, since you were the one to give me the Pink Bunny Tinglator.’’

She smiled fondly. ‘‘That was one of my better finds, wasn’t it? But not as good as a man.’’

‘‘No, definitely not.’’

She digested that for a moment. ‘‘Was he in man form, or dragon form?’’

‘‘Really, Cy, does it matter?’’ I draped the blanket I’d been holding tight around me onto a nearby shrub, pulling on the leather bodice that I’d grabbed, along with my pants and shirt, before Gabriel had rushed me out of the blazing room.

‘‘No, of course not, although I can’t help but be curious. I’ve never had sex with a shape-shifter before, so I wasn’t sure how they . . . er . . . did it.’’

‘‘They do it like any other human,’’ I answered, emphasizing the important point.

‘‘Yes, but dragons aren’t human, are they? They’re . . . well, I suppose they’re animals.’’

‘‘Gabriel is not an animal!’’ I said in a furious whisper. ‘‘He’s a dragon, yes, but they aren’t animals. They’re just . . . dragons. Usually human in form, sometimes appearing in another form.’’

‘‘So . . . did he do it in dragon form?’’

I scanned the crowd of people for the tall, gorgeous man who’d gone off to explain to the fire department why my room was ablaze. ‘‘This really isn’t anything I’m comfortable talking about.’’

‘‘No, I can’t imagine that admitting to engaging in bestiality is something that you want bandied about, but it’s fascinating nonetheless.’’

I spun around to glare at my twin, keeping my voice low. ‘‘It was not bestiality!’’

‘‘You had sex with him in dragon form—that’s certainly not plain old missionary-position sex,’’ she pointed out with cheerful disregard of anything I said.

‘‘He was not in dragon form. He said he could, but he didn’t, and frankly, I’m glad. . . . Oh, this is silly. I’m not going to discuss this any further with you.’’

Cyrene patted me on the arm. ‘‘Don’t get me wrong—I admire you, I really do. I remember in the old days, when Zeus was always flitting around in swan form, trying to seduce the sisterhood. Have you ever had a swan hump your leg? It’s not the least bit alluring, let me tell you!’’

I gaped openmouthed at her. ‘‘You . . . Zeus?’’

‘‘Oh, yes, he was always after us naiads. Had some sort of a fetish about doing it in the water, so the rumor went. We won’t go into what he did with his beak.’’

There just wasn’t much I could say to that, so I closed my mouth and made a mental note to read up on Greek mythology.

‘‘There he is,’’ Cyrene said, looking intently as Gabriel emerged from the crowd. Her voice held a note I couldn’t pin down, but that made me uncomfortable.

‘‘Cy, you’re not angry that I turned out to be his mate rather than you?’’ I asked slowly.

She thought for a moment, then shook her head, her eyes unusually sober. ‘‘I was at first, but then I thought of what it would mean to you if I snatched him away, and I decided I couldn’t do that to you. You deserve a man of your own.’’

I bit my lip against replying that she wouldn’t have been able to take him from me, feeling she deserved a little face saving.

Gabriel stopped in front of me, his expression grim.

‘‘What’s wrong?’’ I asked immediately.

‘‘Have you seen Maata or Tipene?’’

I looked around, trying to find the two rather large bodyguards in the mass of people still milling around outside the hotel, but it was difficult to see over everyone. ‘‘No. Didn’t they go back to wherever you are staying?’’

He shook his head, frowning. ‘‘They took rooms here, in order to keep a watch on you.’’

‘‘Me?’’ Anger rose quick and hot, aided by a deep feeling of pain that he didn’t trust me. ‘‘You thought I was going to steal something of yours and run off?’’

‘‘You’ve already stolen something of mine, but that’s not the point.’’

He scanned the crowd, his eyes worried. I grabbed his arm, glaring up at him. ‘‘How dare you. I have not stolen anything from you. I’m not a real thief, which I thought you would have understood after I explained about my relationship to Magoth.’’

‘‘Mayling—’’

‘‘How could you possibly do the things we just did and then tell me you think I’m a low-life, common, ordinary thief—’’

He stopped my tirade by the effective method of yanking me up to his chest and kissing me with a passion that stripped the breath from my lungs.

‘‘My heart, little bird—you stole my heart.’’

I closed my mouth on the protest I was about to make, a lovely warm feeling glowing in my belly.

‘‘I would be offended that you could imagine I’d have such a low estimation of my mate,’’ he continued, ‘‘but I do not have time for that now. If Maata and Tipene are not here, they must have perceived a threat to you and followed it up. Which can only mean one thing.’’

‘‘What?’’ I asked, startled by the strength of a sudden need to fling myself upon him and kiss away his worried frown.

He said the name as if it was an oath. ‘‘Kostya.’’

‘‘Who’s Kostya?’’ Cyrene asked, yawning as she wandered over to us. ‘‘When can we go back into our rooms? I must have my morning bath, or I’m just not fit for the day.’’

‘‘He’s a black dragon who doesn’t want Gabriel to be wyvern of his sept,’’ I said absently. Something didn’t make sense. ‘‘Why Kostya?’’ I asked Gabriel. ‘‘Or rather, how Kostya?’’

‘‘How?’’ He shot me a confused look.

‘‘Yes, how. You said that your bodyguards were protecting me, but why would they need to when no one knows about me? I mean, we just met each other’’—I glanced at my watch—‘‘less than twelve hours ago. How would Kostya know who I am, let alone the fact that I am now your mate?’’

‘‘She has a point,’’ Cyrene said.

‘‘He is Drake’s brother,’’ Gabriel reminded me.

I raised an eyebrow. ‘‘I thought Drake and Aisling were your friends. They certainly seemed friendly enough. Would he rat you out to his brother like that?’’

He looked uncomfortable for a few moments. ‘‘Our relationship has been a bit . . . strained . . . of late. There were recent regrettable incidents for which, unfortunately, my part was seen only in a suspicious light.’’

‘‘Regrettable incidents?’’ I asked, watching him closely. ‘‘What sort of regrettable incidents?’’

He took my hand and started down the sidewalk. I grabbed Cyrene’s arm and pulled her after us.

Gabriel’s gaze darted here and there as he searched for his two missing bodyguards. ‘‘It is an involved story.’’

‘‘Uh-huh. Why do I have the feeling that it involves Aisling more than Drake?’’

He flashed me a quick grin. ‘‘Are you jealous?’’

‘‘Oh, yes.’’

He stopped for a moment, surprise chasing delight on his face. ‘‘You are?’’

‘‘She’s pretty, powerful, and a wyvern’s mate. Plus Drake said something about you interfering with her, which makes me think that she made a play for you.’’

He laughed, giving my hand a squeeze. ‘‘I am flattered that you think so, but the truth is much less prone to inflaming your jealousy. Aisling has always been in love with Drake.’’

‘‘Then what was the regrettable incident?’’

‘‘Will you be all right if I leave you here for a few minutes?’’ he asked, parking us next to a small clutch of policemen.

I made a little face. ‘‘I’ve managed to exist for more than eighty years on my own, and Cy is over twelve hundred years old, so yes, I think we’ll just be able to manage standing here without attracting catastrophe.’’

Cyrene whapped me with the end of her blanket. ‘‘Don’t tell him how old I am! You know how sensitive I am about that.’’

‘‘What was the regrettable incident?’’ I asked again, my curiosity getting the better of me.

‘‘I betrayed Aisling and Drake. Stay here while I go talk to that taxi driver.’’

He dashed off into the crowd before I could do anything but gawk.

‘‘Did he say he betrayed them?’’ Cyrene asked me.

I nodded. ‘‘Yes. What a very interesting man he is.’’

‘‘Dragon.’’

‘‘He has such layers. Just when you think you have him pegged, you discover another layer.’’

‘‘Goodness,’’ Cyrene said with a thoughtful look.

‘‘He sounds so very exotic. And then there’s the shape-shifting. I imagine that would be incredibly erotic. Hmm. I wonder who I know who can do that . . .’’

Gabriel returned looking more worried, and swearing under his breath. Before I could ask what was going on, he escorted us to a taxi.

‘‘No luck?’’ I asked once we got in.

‘‘No. I’m going to have to ask Drake for help.’’

‘‘Is that wise if he’s working with his brother?’’

‘‘I never said he was working with Kostya—but it is entirely likely that he told his brother about you. He might have thought it would encourage Kostya to give up his attempt on us.’’ He shook his head. ‘‘Damnation. I didn’t want to involve Drake in this any more than I have, but I don’t see an alternative.’’

‘‘I’ll be more than happy to help,’’ I said, touching his hand.

The smile he turned on me could have melted steel. ‘‘I count upon your support, Mayling.’’

I couldn’t resist his dimples . . . or anything else for that matter. I leaned to the side, brushing my mouth against his. ‘‘Have I told you how beautiful your eyes are?’’

‘‘I’m going to look out the window now,’’ Cyrene announced, ‘‘because voyeurism is never a pretty thing, although it can be oddly exciting if you are in Rome with a dashing Italian, and he flings you into a fountain on New Year’s Eve, and subsequently licks the water off you.’’

‘‘No,’’ Gabriel answered, nibbling my bottom lip. ‘‘But they can’t be anywhere near as fascinating as the lovely pools of mystery that you bear, little bird.’’

‘‘They’re plain old blue eyes,’’ I said with a little laugh, doing a little nibbling of my own.

‘‘Hello! Those are my eyes you’re denigrating, and I’ve had odes written to them! Well, one ode, and a sonnet, and a couple of limericks, although now I think on it, those weren’t really about my eyes so much as other parts.’’

A half hour later we stood in front of the lovely rental villa, which was even lovelier by daylight.

‘‘It’s still pretty early,’’ I told Gabriel as he paid off the taxi and marched up to the double doors. ‘‘Do you think they’re up yet? We had kind of a late night.’’

‘‘They’re up,’’ he answered in a voice that was rough with grit.

‘‘How do you know?’’ I asked.

He pointed toward the garage, off to the side of the house. The nose of a sleek black car was just barely visible. ‘‘That isn’t the car Drake is using.’’

Cyrene and I stood a few feet back as Gabriel pounded on the door.

‘‘These dragons are awfully intense, don’t you think?’’ Cyrene said, watching him with a concerned eye.

‘‘I think there’s a lot going on that we’re not aware of,’’ I answered, wondering if that car belonged to Drake’s brother. ‘‘But on the whole, yes, they are intense. Which isn’t necessarily—’’

The doors were opened by István, who didn’t look the least bit surprised to see us on the doorstep. He didn’t look happy, either, although he said nothing, just bowed and stepped back to allow us to enter.

Cyrene touched her neck as she sent him a little frown, but managed on the whole to sail through the doorway with her usual grace and elegance.

I slammed up against a ward and felt my body distort in what I was sure was a gruesome manner as I attempted to force my way through it.

‘‘I’m sorry,’’ I said finally, backing away. ‘‘I can’t get through it.’’

‘‘It is for dark beings,’’ István said, giving me a suspicious look.

‘‘Aisling will simply have to remove it again,’’ Gabriel said, going in ahead of me. ‘‘Is she here?’’

‘‘On the patio.’’

‘‘Aisling? Could you unbind the ward so May can enter?’’ Gabriel called out in a loud voice.

The person who appeared from the patio wasn’t Aisling. It was a man, dark haired and dark eyed, slightly taller than Gabriel, but leaner, with much less body mass. That fact didn’t seem to matter, though—he took a flying leap at Gabriel, slamming them both against the nearest wall.