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‘‘Enough!’’ Gabriel suddenly roared, taking everyone aback. ‘‘I have had enough of your games, Kostya! I can only assume you are trying to turn Drake against me with these outrageous claims, but I will not waste my time any longer defending myself. There is a more important matter at hand that must be attended to.’’

‘‘Drake—as a neutral party—got Kostya and Gabriel to agree to come here and talk about things,’’ Jim said softly as it ambled over and sat next to me, leaning its bulk against my leg. ‘‘That was before you tried to bash Kostya’s brains out all over the entryway, naturally. Things are probably a bit dicier now.’’

I shot the demon a look. It grinned back at me, pink tongue lolling.

‘‘I suppose now is as good a time as any to begin the talks between you two,’’ Aisling said, looking dubious.

‘‘I will not talk peace with Kostya until he returns Maata and Tipene,’’ Gabriel said, his fingers tightening again on my shoulder.

I could swear there was a momentary flash of surprise in Kostya’s eyes before they returned to their familiar belligerent cast. ‘‘I do not know what you’re talking about.’’

‘‘Maata and Tipene are gone?’’ Aisling asked. ‘‘I wondered where they were. Kostya—’’

‘‘I do not know what he’s talking about!’’ Kostya repeated, louder. ‘‘I have had nothing to do with any of his sept, as per our agreement prior to meeting here.’’

‘‘An agreement you saw no problem in ignoring when you saw the chance to take my guards,’’ Gabriel snapped. I leaned slightly toward him, nudging his leg with my shoulder.

‘‘If I wanted to take out a silver dragon,’’ Kostya said in a low, threatening voice, ‘‘he would not be missing—he’d be dead.’’

Gabriel’s body twitched as he restrained himself. ‘‘I don’t believe you,’’ he said after he got himself under control.

Kostya shrugged. ‘‘It matters little to me what you believe. Perhaps you are simply claiming they are missing in order to garner Drake’s sympathy.’’

Gabriel flinched as his own accusation was flung back at him. ‘‘I see that we are at an impasse again.’’

‘‘And it will stay so until you return my phylactery to me,’’ Kostya almost yelled.

‘‘You will return Maata and Tipene unharmed, or I will finish what was started centuries ago!’’ Gabriel returned, his eyes positively glowing with anger.

I stood up and took his arm as Pál and István closed in on Kostya again. The two wyverns glared at each other. I could feel the dragon fire within him, raging to be freed, but he had immense control, and kept it back when I probably would have burned down the entire block.

‘‘Then there is nothing more to be said. This meeting has been a waste of time.’’ Kostya stiffly jerked his arms from the two green dragons, bowing to Aisling. ‘‘I bid you good day, Aisling, brother.’’

He took a step toward Gabriel, but his ebony gaze was narrowed on me, sending a little skitter of fear down my back. ‘‘As for you, thief . . .’’

Gabriel stepped in front of me, a ring of fire bursting to life around the two of us. ‘‘Do you threaten my mate?’’

I stared at Gabriel’s back in astonishment. I’d never heard such raw fury in a man’s voice before, and that it came from velvet-tongued Gabriel . . .

‘‘You should not have a mate,’’ Kostya snarled, spitting little balls of fire at our feet. ‘‘No silver dragon deserves a mate since they are responsible for stealing that of the black wyvern.’’

‘‘We did not steal her! We took back that which was stolen from us! Ysolde de Bouchier was a silver dragon!’’

‘‘That history does not have importance at this time,’’ Drake said, stepping between the two furious dragons. Gabriel immediately backed down, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me tight against his side. Drake sent his brother a warning look, which, after a moment or two of antagonistic posturing, Kostya acknowledged.

‘‘Discussing the issue of a future agreement between Kostya and the silver dragons is useless until Maata and Tipene are returned,’’ Gabriel said.

‘‘I have nothing to do with them!’’ Kostya yelled, slamming his hands down on