Me and My Shadow - Katie MacAlister [7]
“That doesn’t make sense,” Gabriel said, shaking his head so his shoulder-length dreadlocks trembled. “The shards of the dragon heart hold power themselves. They would not seek more.”
“It doesn’t make sense to me, either. I’m just telling you what it felt like, and that I’d really like to see the last of Magoth. Maybe I should send Bael another e-mail—”
“No.” Gabriel leaned forward and kissed me swiftly, his lips demanding and aggressive. “I would prefer you not becoming involved with Abaddon.”
“I’m consort to an ex-prince of Abaddon,” I pointed out gently, touching the frown between his brows. “I don’t see how much more involved I can become. When he kicked Magoth out of Abaddon, Bael said he’d finalize Magoth’s expulsion in two months, and that deadline is almost upon us. Perhaps I could prompt Bael into reinstating Magoth. I can live with being his servant, Gabriel, but I can’t live with myself if the shard makes me do something we’ll all regret.”
“We cannot remove the shard from you without bringing the other shards together to re-form the dragon heart,” he said, his voice rich with distress. He touched my cheek, gently tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “And you cannot do that without having a proper lair in which to do so. The shards are the most valuable relics of dragonkin, little bird.”
“I know.” I leaned into his palm for a moment, trying to remember what it felt like to just love him without the distraction of the shard trying to force me into a dragon state.
“Once the lair is functional, then we can go about locating the last shard, and the ceremony can commence to withdraw the one you bear—”
“Hey, May? There’s someone at the door for you.”
Jim’s voice interrupted Gabriel, causing us both to turn and glare at the furry demon.
“Jim, I realize that Aisling allows you great freedom, but you are interrupting a private conversation. Frankly, I don’t care who—”
“I think you’re going to want to see this guy,” Jim said with a knowing look.
I frowned. “See who?”
“That thief taker who nailed your ass and dragged you to the committee.”
“Savian?” I asked, the sudden memory of the charming, if more than a little roguish, Englishman coming immediately to mind. “What’s he doing here?”
“Dying,” Jim said succinctly.
Chapter Two
It’s amazing how fast dragons can move when they are driven to it. The words had no sooner left Jim’s mouth than Gabriel and Tipene were gone, the faintest of blurs caught out of the corner of my eye the only indication that they had been present. I didn’t wait to ask Jim what Savian was doing dying on our doorstep; I shadowed, and raced out of the lair, skidding to a halt when I finally made it to the front steps.
“Is he dead?” I asked, slipping out of the shadows.
Tipene was in the process of lifting a lifeless body from the steps. Blood pooled beneath it, stark against the white stone, little crimson trails of it snaking their way down the steps toward the street. Gabriel wasn’t surprised to see me, but Maata, who was holding the door open, jumped when I emerged from the shadows right next to her.
“I keep forgetting you can do that,” she said, giving me a weak smile. “It’s a bit unnerving seeing you suddenly materialize out of nothing.”
“I was just hidden from your sight, not dematerial ized,” I said, peering over her shoulder to see Savian.
At the sight of the bloodied, battered body, I wished I hadn’t.
“He’s not dead,” Gabriel answered. “Tipene will take care of him until I can see to his injuries. Maata, come with me. Little bird, can you see any signs