Misha frowned at me. So did everyone else. ‘‘I am trying to do just that. Please take it so that I may get back to my rehearsals.’’

‘‘Rehearsals? Do I want to know?’’ Aisling asked softy.

‘‘I don’t think so,’’ Drake answered.

‘‘Just give it to Gabriel, please,’’ I said, taking another step back.

Misha clicked his tongue in an exasperated manner. ‘‘I must return it to the owner. So far as the L’au-delà is concerned, you are the owner of this piece, and it is to your hands I must return it.’’

Kostya, standing mostly straight, started to move toward me, but Maata and Tipene blocked his way.

‘‘I understand that, and as owner, I give you permission to give it to Gabriel,’’ I said, moving back yet another step. I wondered briefly if I could get Misha to give it to Cyrene, instead of me, but suspected that even if he would, the dragons wouldn’t accept that.

‘‘I cannot do that,’’ Misha said.

‘‘What is the problem, Mayling?’’ Gabriel asked, his lovely brows pulled together.

‘‘I can’t take it,’’ I told him, unwilling to say any more.

‘‘Why not?’’

‘‘I just can’t. You take it.’’

Gabriel looked at the box. ‘‘Does it contain something dangerous?’’

‘‘No, I just can’t-’’

‘‘For the love of the sun and moon! I do not have time for this!’’ Misha shoved the box into my hands. The second it hit my flesh, the world shimmied for a few seconds. My fingers tightened around the box holding the phylactery as I gazed in absolute horror at Gabriel.

Before anyone could say anything, a demon opened up the fabric of being behind me, wrapped its hand around my upper arm, and yanked me with it through the gaping hole.

Chapter Twenty-five

Being summoned to Magoth is never a pleasant experience, but when he used a demon to do the summoning, it was downright sickening. The demon dropped me on the floor, where I lay fighting the urge to retch, unaware for a moment of everything but the horrible sickness caused by being yanked through a hole in reality.

The second I heard Magoth drawl, ‘‘Greetings, dragon. I assume I have the pleasure of addressing the wyvern of the silver sept,’’ I realized two things: first, the tight feeling around my arm when the demon jerked me was due to Gabriel grabbing ahold of me (and thus being pulled along with me to Magoth’s presence), and second, life as I knew it was about to cease.

‘‘I am Gabriel Tauhou, yes. What business do you have with my mate that you must abuse her in this fashion?’’

I used a chair next to me to drag myself to my feet. Gabriel looked even more battered than he had moments before, his nose bleeding again. ‘‘Don’t talk to him,’’ I begged, throwing myself toward Gabriel.

‘‘Stop!’’ Magoth flicked his fingers toward me, capturing me in an invisible web that bound me where I stood. ‘‘I believe you have something of mine, sweet May. You will hand that over now.’’

Gabriel’s eyes glittered with a burning light as he turned his gaze on the demon lord. ‘‘Release my mate.’’

‘‘Don’t talk to him. For the love of the gods, Gabriel, don’t converse with him.’’

A slight frown appeared between his brows. ‘‘Are you well, mate? You seem overly distressed about a trivial matter.’’

‘‘It’s not trivial,’’ I said, all but sobbing. ‘‘You have to leave, Gabriel. You have to leave now.’’

‘‘I am not going to leave you by yourself,’’ he said, a flash of disbelief in his eyes.

‘‘You have to.’’ I had a hard time catching my breath, but made an effort to calm my wildly beating heart. Gabriel would respond to reason-he had to. ‘‘This has nothing to do with you. Magoth cannot hold you prisoner without bringing down the wrath of the weyr upon his head. You must leave, now, before…’’ The words came to a stop. I couldn’t tell him the truth, not while Magoth watched us with laughing black eyes.

‘‘May,’’ Gabriel said softly, taking my hands. ‘‘I thought you understood that there is nothing this demon lord can do to make you hurt me. You fear for my well-being unnecessarily. I told you that I’m incredibly difficult to kill. You really must learn to trust me.’’

I closed my eyes against the pain for a few seconds, my soul weeping tears of sheer agony. I wanted to scream to the heavens, to rail against the vault attendant and the pedantic rules that insisted he deliver my possessions into my hands. I wanted to destroy Magoth for the anguish he was about to wreak upon my life. But most of all, I wanted to tell Gabriel how sorry I was, how deep into my being he had burrowed.

‘‘Little bird, why do you cry?’’ he asked softly, the gentle brush of his thumb over my cheekbone so sweet, it broke down the last of my reserves, and I admitted the truth. I didn’t just love him-I loved beyond all reason, with every atom of my being.

I stared at him, unable to speak the words before the abomination that was responsible for all my grief.

‘‘As fascinating as this is, I do have an appointment in fifteen minutes,’’ Magoth said, glancing at his watch. He stood and strolled over to where I was still bound to the floor, eyeing Gabriel curiously for a moment, clearly sizing him up. ‘‘This is what you spurned me for? Dreadlocks, sweet May? Or is it the beast within that holds such an attraction for you?’’

I swallowed back a lump of hot, burning tears and met Magoth’s gaze. ‘‘I will not discuss Gabriel with you.’’

‘‘What is it you want of my mate?’’ Gabriel asked again, crossing his arms and moving a smidgen so he stood partially blocking me.

Magoth’s stark black eyebrows rose at the protective gesture. ‘‘I wonder if it would be worth the trouble that would follow should I reprimand you for such insolence.’’

‘‘You are welcome to try,’’ Gabriel said pleasantly, but there was a clear warning in his eyes.

‘‘Such temptation… but I believe I will be duly compensated despite refusing to give in to it. May, the phylactery.’’ Magoth held out his hand for the box I still clutched.

Gabriel’s gaze shot to me.

‘‘Do I see a little crack in the relationship?’’ Magoth asked, smiling. ‘‘You look surprised, wyvern. Did you not know that your mate was charged with retrieving the phylactery for me? Ah, I see by that surprised look that you did not. How deliciously naughty of sweet May. I gather she also failed to inform you of the deal we made, whereby I would grant her a temporary cessation of her duties to the tune of a hundred years in return for the safe delivery of the phylactery.’’

I couldn’t continue to look at Gabriel. The guilt was too much, my grief too overwhelming. My gaze dropped to my hands and stayed there until Gabriel put a finger under my chin and tilted my head back.

‘‘Is this true?’’ he asked softly, hurt and confusion starkly evident in his face.

‘‘Yes,’’ I said without hesitation. ‘‘I told you that Magoth found out about the phylactery.’’

He was still for a moment, his eyes searching mine. ‘‘This release Magoth offers you-a hundred years may seem like a lot to you, but our life together will span many such centuries. To barter the phylactery for a brief moment of freedom-’’

‘‘I didn’t barter it,’’ I interrupted him. The lump was back in my throat. How could Gabriel believe I would trade temporary freedom for something that meant so much to him? ‘‘Magoth offered me that as a reward. I did not accept it.’’

Magoth sucked in a hissing breath, the room suddenly growing dark as if the corona of dark power that surrounded him leached all brightness from the overhead lights. ‘‘You would not dare,’’ he said, little snakes of the power snapping around me.

Gabriel’s fingers tightened around mine. ‘‘I do not understand what it is you intend to do, but I do not like this situation. We will leave now.’’

I nodded, suddenly wearied by the world. There was, of course, the quick way out of things, but that would leave me without Gabriel, and I wasn’t willing to give him up. Not even for eternal peace. I just prayed that he felt the same way about me, because what I was about to ask him to do would go completely against the grain. ‘‘Yes. It is time to leave.’’