The First Dragon looked hard at the demon. Its eyes opened wide and it backed up to its master. “Man, I just asked! You don’t have to look so scary. Ash!”

“You poke the dragon, you deal with the fire,” Ysolde said calmly, pulling out a small notebook and pencil. “Right, let’s do this properly.”

The First Dragon weighed his options, and decided that his interest was piqued enough to remain. He sat in the chair Aisling had offered, and crossed one leg over the other, wondering just what the mates would do next. He had to admit, it was more entertainment than he’d had in a very long time.

“I call this meeting of the Mates Union to order,” Aisling said in a formal voice, then added in a much more natural tone, “Jim, would you close the door? We don’t want one of the men wandering up to accidentally hear us. Thanks. OK, let’s see, we have stuff on the agenda, but we’re putting that aside to deal with the First Dragon.”

She cast him a quick worried glance. He tipped his head toward her and pierced her with a look.

“Or rather, to help him,” she amended quickly.

“Way to piss off the head dragon,” Jim said in a stage whisper to Aisling. “Now he’s gonna smite Drake, or something.”

“Quiet, you. And yes, that’s an order. Unless you have something important to contribute to the conversation, and then you may speak. Honestly, Ysolde, you wouldn’t believe the things Jim has taught the twins to say. They swear in Latin, they call Drake Daddy-o, and just yesterday I caught them trying to summon a demon to do their chores. ...” Aisling evidently realized that this was not the moment to continue. Instead she gave everyone a bright smile. “I turn the floor over to Ysolde, since the First Dragon is her father-in-law, and he’s resurrected her a couple of times, so she knows him better than anyone else.”

“Thank you, Aisling. Remind me to tell you later about how Brom is teaching Anduin the joys of dissecting roadkill.” Ysolde gave a small cough, and continued in a businesslike voice, “Let us take stock of the situation. The First Dragon wishes to have a mate.”

“As a matter of point, I don’t believe I ever stated that desire,” he said mildly.

“You don’t have to,” Ysolde answered, tapping the tip of the pencil on her lips. “You loved Baltic’s mother, and you’ve been alone for several hundred years, and now it’s time for you to find another woman with whom you can spend your life.”

May raised her hand. “Forgive my ignorance, but can a demigod get intimate with a mortal? I mean, is it possible?” She made a vague gesture with both hands. “Can they ... er ... hook up?”

The First Dragon gave her a look that had her blushing beet red.

“Yes, well, I think we’ll take it as read that everything is in working order,” Ysolde said, making a note.

The First Dragon turned the look on her.

She ignored it, just as he knew she would. “But you bring up a good point, May. Immortality is going to be of prime importance. So, we have a limited pool of possibilities. I think the best way to tackle this is to get a list of the First Dragon’s likes and dislikes.”

“Smart thinking,” Aisling said, nodding. “Who would you swipe right on?”

“Do you have a preference on hair color?” May asked.

“Do you like funny, or insightful? Walks on the beach in the rain, or curled up inside with a book and glass of wine?” Aisling asked.

“Are you into more athletic women, or homebodies?” Ysolde added her questions to the collection.

“And you’re sure everything”—May did the hand gesture again—“will work OK? I mean, if it’s been four hundred years ...”

The First Dragon stood up. “I believe that you all have good intentions, but this is intolerable.”

“Why?” Ysolde asked, frowning at him and tapping the pencil against her lip again.

He was taken aback for a moment. Few beings had ever questioned him, and no dragons ... except Baltic and his Ysolde. He debated dismissing her question as not worthy of his attention, but decided that since she had a pure heart and a shining soul, he would unbend. “Even if I wished you to locate a female with whom I desired to spend time, you would fail.”

“Oh, I do love a challenge,” May said.

“Me, too,” Aisling said, sitting up straighter. “Why do you think we would fail? You underestimate the collective power of mates. We’re pretty good when we put our heads together.”

“You would fail because if such a woman existed, I would have found her,” he answered.

“You say that, but how hard have you looked?” Ysolde stood up and moved to within a foot from him. “You’re never around in the mortal world. Except for popping in and trying to convince my son to be a dragon.”

“You don’t know what women today are like,” Aisling said.

“Women have changed. So have the men, but mostly women have changed since the time when you were hanging out with mortals.” May lifted her chin when he cocked an eyebrow at her.

“You’re out of touch with the modern-day dragon, that’s what it is,” Aisling decided.

“And women of today! You have no idea what we like and want.” Ysolde made another note. “Maybe we don’t need to find a woman for you so much as you need to experience what modern life is like. Then, once you have a grounding in reality, we can take your wish list and help you find someone.”

He considered whether he should be insulted, realized that they might have a valid point, and decided to see where the conversation led. He had forgotten just how entertaining it was to be amongst his kin.

“Excellent idea, Ysolde,” Aisling said, giving her a thumbs-up.

“I agree,” May said after some thought. “I think you won’t connect with a woman of today unless you know what modern life is like. Therefore, you will have to stay here for a bit.”

“Here?” Aisling said in a near squawk, her eyes widening. “Goddess! Well, I suppose he could have the St. George room, although that means booting Gabriel and May from it—”

“We’ll be happy to move if it means helping the First Dragon,” May said quickly.

“That’s settled, then,” Ysolde said, making a tick mark next to something on her notes.