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.

Chapter Twelve

‘‘What-’’ Cyrene started to ask, looking confused as the two men hit the floor, fighting for all they were worth.

I didn’t wait around to see what happened-I shadowed, raced around the side of the house, and leaped over the fence, running around to the patio with a burst of speed I doubt I’ll ever be able to match.

Drake was assisting Aisling to her feet, Jim in front of them heading for the house. I ran past the two of them, hurdling the third as I headed for the hallway where I could hear Gabriel yelling.

‘‘What on earth-what was that? Drake, did you just see someone-’’ Aisling was saying as my feet hit the slick stone tile of the entryway. I threw myself onto the back of the man who was trying to strangle Gabriel. István had him by one arm, Pál by the other, but they weren’t having much luck in stopping him.

I grabbed his hair with both hands, and using my knees as leverage on his back, flung myself backward, dragging him with me.

The man screamed as I rolled out of the way, throwing myself across him and slamming his head down onto the stone floor.

‘‘What is going on-good lord! Is that May on Kostya? It’s so hard to see her, she’s almost translucent. Gabriel, are you all right?’’ Aisling’s voice asked.

‘‘Stop!’’ Drake bellowed, but I ignored him, continuing to slam Kostya’s head onto the tiles. ‘‘Gabriel! Control your mate!’’

‘‘Mayling, you must stop. Kostya’s head is too thick to harm; you’ll only break the stone floor.’’

I glared down at the man, noting with satisfaction that one of his eyes was swelling shut. Gabriel must have connected with his fist before I’d made it around the back of the house. ‘‘All right, but only because if he got seriously hurt, you’d have to heal him.’’