‘‘You are the wyvern’s mate,’’ the woman in black said suddenly from behind me, causing me to spin around. I felt trapped, surrounded by all number of threats, and I wanted nothing more than to slip out into the night and find a dark corner to sit and think about what had happened.
Everyone knew that it was impossible to take a dragon’s fire and live… unless you were a dragon’s mate. Wyvern’s fire was supposedly more potent than a regular dragon’s, and the fact that I’d kissed Gabriel without being burned to a crisp seemed to indicate that there was, in fact, something going on between us. But I was a doppelganger! I’d never heard of one being a wyvern’s mate… I shook my head at my foolish thoughts. The question of whether or not a doppelganger could be a mate diminished in importance when there were so many other things claiming my attention.
I took a step toward the woman. ‘‘Look… er… I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.’’
‘‘This is Maata,’’ Gabriel said smoothly, coming forward to do the introductions. ‘‘And that is Tipene. They are members of my guard.’’
‘‘You’re obviously an intelligent woman,’’ I told Maata, hoping to make her see reason. ‘‘I know this situation appears to indicate one thing, but I assure you that I’m no one’s mate. I’m a doppelganger, not human, not an elemental being like Cyrene, not even a spirit. Strictly speaking, I’m made up of shadows.’’
‘‘You felt like flesh and blood to me.’’ Gabriel was right behind me, the warmth of his body reaching me even though the night air was balmy. A little shiver went up my back as his breath caressed the nape of my neck. For a moment I was reminded of Magoth’s repeated seductions, but where he was icy cold, Gabriel radiated heat. ‘‘There is no other who could withstand my fire, May. It is a shock to me, too-a joyous one, I assure you, since I never expected to have a mate-but we will explore this new phenomenon together.’’
I turned slowly and looked at him, really looked at him. His eyes were still bright with an emotion I realized was part sexual interest and part jubilation. But there was something else in his expression, something unyielding that hinted of trouble to come. He was a dragon, a wyvern, a healer, yes, but also a man who was a leader, someone who would quite likely fight to the death to protect his sept. He would be focused, relentless in his pursuit of whatever stirred his interest, and also possessive, since that was reported to be a trait common to all dragons.
An oddly deflated feeling possessed me, a sadness that I couldn’t risk experiencing what it would be like to be cherished by such a man. Sooner or later, however, reality would catch up to me, and that would be the end of everything. As much of a temptation as Gabriel represented, it would be better for us all if I didn’t give in and see what a dragon had to offer.
‘‘No,’’ I said simply, with as much kindness as I could. ‘‘There is no phenomenon. There is nothing to explore, at least not between us. I will arrange to have Cyrene moved. We will not impose upon your kindness any longer.’’
I made it across the room, my foot on the stairs before the two bodyguards caught me, one on either arm.
‘‘You are the wyvern’s mate,’’ Maata said, her face set. ‘‘You cannot reject him.’’
‘‘Excuse me?’’ I asked, unable to believe what she said.
‘‘You are his mate. You can’t leave.’’
I looked at the other guard, Tipene, the one who had stepped on my arm. His face was just as impassive as Maata’s. ‘‘You are the mate,’’ was all he said, just as if that was the end of the discussion.
‘‘Even if a doppelganger could be a mate, and even if I was that doppelganger, it doesn’t matter. I can’t stay.’’
‘‘Let her go,’’ Gabriel ordered. As soon as they released my arms, I twisted around to face him. He stood a few feet beyond me, incredibly handsome in his evening clothes, his eyes drawing me in and making me want to lose myself in them. He was still, but a coiled sense of power seemed to surround him, as if he was a panther about to pounce.
‘‘I’m sorry,’’ I told him. ‘‘This is no reflection on you. You seem to be a very nice man… dragon… but unfortunately, even if I agreed that somehow, I was meant to be your mate, there are circumstances that prohibit me from taking that role. I hope you understand.’’
‘‘I understand,’’ he said after a few moment’s silence, his voice rubbing along my skin like velvet.
Before I could stop myself, I took a step forward toward him. ‘‘Thank you.’’
The rest of the world seemed to recede until only a small stretch of wool carpet bearing Gabriel and myself existed. His eyes searched mine, searing a silver path straight down to my soul. It was as if our souls touched for one blinding moment of glory.
Drake’s voice lashed across me with the violence of a whip crack, dragging me back into reality with a painful jerk. ‘‘There is still the matter of Mei Ling.’’
I backed away from Gabriel, not trusting myself to be near him. For a moment I wished… but that was folly. I needed to stop moping over wishes that would never be realized, and instead work on getting us out of the situation. The doorway loomed behind me. Oh, how I wanted to race through it, grab Cyrene, and escape this house. But I couldn’t, not yet. Slowly, I examined everyone in the room, silent and still as if they’d been frozen into place. I avoided looking at Gabriel’s bright eyes, looking instead at the man who’d spoken. ‘‘What about it?’’
‘‘You are the thief Mei Ling.’’ Drake frowned for a moment. ‘‘You don’t look Asian.’’
‘‘I’m not. Or rather, Cyrene isn’t, hence I am not.’’
‘‘Then why are you called Mei Ling?’’ he asked.
‘‘Mayling,’’ Aisling said suddenly, smiling. ‘‘It’s a nickname.’’
I nodded, and decided to brazen it out rather than offer up a denial none of them would believe. ‘‘And if I said I was the thief Mei Ling? What would you do? Hand me over to the watch? Burn me at the stake? Wrap me in chains and toss me into the nearest dungeon?’’
‘‘There is a price on her head,’’ István said. ‘‘A large price.’’
‘‘That’s right,’’ Aisling said thoughtfully. ‘‘I heard about that earlier. You stole something from Dr. Kostich, and he put a whopper of a bounty on your head.’’
‘‘Is this the point where you blackmail me into doing your bidding?’’ I asked, shifting my attention to Gabriel. ‘‘Are you going to threaten to turn me in if I don’t steal for you, too?’’
‘‘Too?’’ he asked, jumping on the word, his eyes curious. ‘‘You do not steal for yourself?’’
I paused for a moment, damning my verbal slip before tightening my lips. Why did I care what he thought of me, what any of them thought of me? Why did I want to explain to them how I had been bound to Magoth even before I’d been created, how I had no freedom in my life, no ability to make my own decisions. Why did it matter that Gabriel’s words stung me until I wanted to scream my innocence? I owed them nothing. They were no different from anyone else who tried to use me. ‘‘I am a doppelganger, a shadow walker. There is no end of people who have offered to hire me for one illegal purpose or another.’’
‘‘Then you will have no difficulty undertaking this task for Gabriel,’’ Drake said.
To my surprise, Gabriel turned to the other wyvern with a frown. ‘‘Drake, you are interfering with my mate.’’
‘‘I’m not your mate! And you needn’t couch your demand in such polite terms, dragon. There are those in the world who don’t bother with the niceties. They are the ones who use force to make me do their bidding.’’
‘‘I am not interfering,’’ Drake told Gabriel, totally missing my sarcasm.