‘‘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.’’
I snorted to myself at that. Gabriel had a sad comeuppance due if he truly believed that he could control me simply because it turned out I was his mate.
‘‘I find it rather peculiar that a dragon of your stature, a wyvern, should interest himself in the doings of a common thief,’’ the nameless man said slowly. He had an English accent, but I was at a loss as to who he was, or how he was involved with Dr. Kostich.
‘‘I interest myself in a great many things, thief taker,’’ Gabriel said with calm assurance.
I froze at the words. Kostich had made good his threat and called in a thief taker, the Otherworld’s version of bounty hunters. Thief takers were notorious for ignoring or disregarding laws in order to achieve their end goal. They were reputed to be intelligent, persistent, and very, very dangerous.
‘‘Do you have some connection with Mei Ling?’’ the thief taker asked.
I wanted badly to lean forward so I could peer into the window and see who this man was-in order to stay far, far away from him-but every time I thought it was safe to do so, movement next to the window warned me off.