“Why can’t people just call things by one name?” I complained, but gave up my grousing to watch Aisling deal with the situation.

“You tell her, babe,” Jim said, nodding his support. “Also, ask when the grill is going to open up, because that so-called lunch you had Suzanne give me isn’t going to do the job, and I’m going to need my strength if you’re going to want me to take down the mage.”

“Take down the mage!” Jovana’s voice went up an octave.

“I’d still like to know why Kostya and Drake aren’t trying to kill each other, and why we can understand Aisling and vice versa,” I said.

“I suspect it has something to do with G&T,” Kostya answered slowly, giving Jovana a long look. “Perhaps the Venediger has done something to the premises that nullifies the curse.”

“Can she do that?” I asked quietly.

“I believe we are looking at proof that she has done so.”

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” Aisling asked. “Did you magic up a safe zone or something? Drake, is there such a thing as a curse-free zone?”

“I have not heard as such,” he answered, also giving Jovana a curious look. “However, it would appear that she can. The question is, how did she do it?”

“And why didn’t she tell us about it? Do you know how hard it’s been for the septs to talk to each other?” Aisling asked that last question of Jovana, who was once again talking quietly to her employee. Aisling sucked in some breath and added, “Oh! That’s why she banned dragons from the G&T! She didn’t want any of us showing up to find out that the curse wasn’t effective here with whatever magic she’s laid down! That’s just mean!”

Drake slowly walked forward, his eyes on Kostya. I tensed, watching him carefully, just in case he was about to leap on his brother. He stopped about six inches away and stared at Kostya.

Kostya stared back at Drake.

Aisling and I held our breaths.

Jim licked his undercarriage.

Kostya said something I didn’t understand, then reached out and grabbed Drake.

I was about to insinuate myself between them, fearing the worst, when I realized that the two men were hugging each other.

“Oh, that is so good to see,” Aisling said, sniffling a little as she came up next to me. She squeezed my arm and nodded toward the brothers. “They haven’t been able to do that for two years. Not that they’re normally very demonstrative, mind you, but still, you don’t know how much you miss being able to hug a sibling until that person tries to kill you every time he sees you.”

“Touching,” Jovana said, her face dark with anger. She nodded to her crony, who scooted around Drake and Kostya and disappeared into a back room. “The head of the Guardian’s Guild will be sure to hear my complaint about your misbehavior later, Guardian. The question remains how you entered the club.” She looked at me when she spoke the last sentence.

Aisling made a surprised face. “I didn’t think of that. How did you get in, Aoife? You’re not a Guardian or a Charmer. You’re just… you.”

“Thank you,” I said. “I am just me, and really, I don’t see why everyone has their respective knickers in a twist about how we got in. That’s a minor point, surely.”

“Gotta be the ring,” Jim said, coming over to snuffle my hand. “Magic rings make everything better, huh, Eefies?”

“Jim!” I glanced at Jovana. She had been about to walk to the bar but stopped at Jim’s words. “You’re not supposed to blab that around.”

“Ring?” Aisling asked, turning to her husband, who now stood having his own muted conversation with Kostya. “What ring? Drake? Did you know that Aoife has a magic ring? Oh!” She gasped on the last word and whomped me lightly on the arm. “You don’t mean the ring!”

“One ring to bind them all,” Jim quoted in a sepulchral tone.

Jovana’s gaze sharpened on me.

“You have Asmodeus’s ring?” Aisling asked, gawking at me. “The one every dragon, and all of Abaddon, has been searching for? That’s it?” She pointed at my hand. “For Pete’s sake, why didn’t you tell us? Now you can end the curse! Drake, she has the ring!”

“I know,” he answered, holding out a hand for her, which she automatically took, smooshing herself against his side. “It is that which Kostya offered for us to engineer his woman’s release.” The look he settled on me was decidedly sour. “She later reneged on that.”

“There was no reneging. I didn’t offer the ring; Kostya did, and it wasn’t his to give.” I clutched my hand to my chest. “The ring likes me. I tried to give it to him, but it didn’t want him, so he had to give it back. Besides, it wouldn’t do you guys any good since you can’t use it while cursed.”

“Convoluted logic much?” Jim asked, flopping on his side. “Belly rubs!”

“You are not my belly rub responsibility any longer,” I told him.

“Jim, really! No one wants to rub your belly or see your outdoor plumbing. For heaven’s sake, stop wiggling like that. You’re making everything shake, and it’s giving Aoife the heebie-jeebies.”

“It is,” I agreed, giving her a smile of thanks. “But mostly because he paraded around naked in man form so long. Where were we?”

“You were about to explain why you have come to G&T with the most powerful relic of the reigning prince of Abaddon without bothering to explain such to me,” Jovana said smoothly, gliding over to where we stood. Her gaze dropped to my hand for a moment.

I braced myself for the inevitable, then decided that offense was better than defense, and said, “I suppose you expect me to give it to you, too?”

“No,” she said quickly, her expression placid. “I am the Venediger. I have no need for its powers.”

“Oh dear,” I said softly, moving over to take Kostya’s hand. Just the feel of his fingers on mine gave me comfort. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

Jovana considered me for a few seconds, then evidently came to a decision. “Come to my office,” she told Kostya. “I will look up the information you seek.”

“You’re going to do what we ask? Without threatening us anymore? Or trying to take my ring? Or attacking Kostya and me?”