“Maybe you’d better come and look yourself,” the salesgirl said, clearly exasperated.

“Maybe I’d better,” I agreed, putting back a sage-colored backless gown and following her into the sister shop. It took a half hour of poking around, but by the time I found a beautiful emerald green crushed-velvet corset, and a champagne-colored heavy satin draped skirt to go with it, I was exhausted, both mentally and physically.

“I’m sorry, I think I’m going to have to sit—” The world spun around me as I handed the salesgirl my credit card, an inky blackness threatening to envelop me. Jim’s bark sounded a long way away as I fell toward the blackness, but before it could consume me wholly, a soft voice spoke next to my ear, pulling me back out of the darkness.

“Aisling, do not do that. Come back to us.”

I opened my eyes to find a familiar face smiling down at me. Bright gray eyes, skin the color of my favorite latte, cornrowed hair, and dimples that seemed to go on forever. “Gabriel?”

“Good morning.”

I glanced around quickly and realized I was on the floor, cradled against his chest as he propped me up. “What the…let go, I’m fine,” I said as I got to my feet, my legs more than a little wobbly.

“Dear, do you think it’s wise to get up so soon after you’ve swooned? This nice man caught you before you hit the counter and hurt yourself, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be standing. You could faint again, or—”

“I’m all right,” I interrupted, grasping the counter. The salesclerk who had been ringing up my purchases emerged from the back room with a paper cup of water. I took it, watching Gabriel over the rim as I sipped.

He smiled at me, looking just as friendly as could be, but I knew better.

“Paula, would you be an angel and go to the Starbucks down the road and tell Rene and Uncle Damian that I’m done shopping? By the time you guys get back, I’ll feel much better, I’m sure.”

She didn’t look like she believed me, but muttering something about modern girls and how things were in her day, the ills of fainting, and the poor choice she felt I made on the matter of a wedding gown, she trotted out of the bridal shop and headed down the street a few doors.

I accepted the box containing my new wedding outfit from the salesgirl, reassured her I was fine, and with Jim at my side, allowed Gabriel to carry the box to the door of the shop.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as soon as we were by ourselves. “And don’t tell me you were just passing by and happened to look in and see me faint, because that’s too much of a coincidence, even for you.”

He grinned. “I was looking for you, naturally. I heard that your wedding was canceled.”

“And you thought what? You’d just zoom in and scoop me up?” I shook my head. “I know you silver wyverns have some sort of curse hanging over your heads that prevents mates being born to you, but I am not the answer to the problem. I love Drake. I’m his mate, no matter what Fiat says. And I’m not going to leave him for anyone, so you can just knock that idea right out the window—”

“I gave up the idea of challenging Drake for you as soon as he said you were pregnant,” Gabriel interrupted. “I realized then that you had committed yourself wholly to him, and that we had no future. Do not fear on that accord, Aisling. I simply wanted to see you, to explain what happened last month, and to wish you and Drake well. I have always considered you my friend, despite the situation we found ourselves in.”

“Uh-huh.” I glanced down at my furry demon. “Jim, you can speak so long as no one mortal is around to hear.”

“About time, too. Hey, Gabe. Double-cross anyone lately?”

A flicker of annoyance crossed Gabriel’s eyes. Normally I’d have squelched such wisecracks from Jim, but after the recent events with Fiat and Gabriel, I figured the latter deserved a little grief. Heaven knew he’d certainly given me a ton.

“I did not double-cross anyone. I admit to a certain lack of control where Fiat was concerned—I honestly thought he was going to threaten you with the poison, not use it on you—but what I did, I did for honorable reasons.”

“You betrayed me. You betrayed Drake. You sold yourself to Fiat for what…a chance at a mate? I’d hardly call that honorable,” I answered, my anger firing up all over again.

He deserves to be punished. Right the wrongs he has done to you.

“Ignore what I’m about to say, Gabriel. I’m not listening to you, OK? I’m never going to listen to you again. So you can just take your oily little voice and pester someone else, because I’m not going to use you ever again. Got it? Good. Now go away!”

Both of Gabriel’s eyebrows rose. “Problems?”

“It’s just the dark power trying to convince me to use it again. It never shuts up.”

“Ah.” He glanced at my eyes. “Contacts?”

“Yeah. It weirds people out if they see my eyes the other way. And that is about the extent of my polite chitchat, Gabriel. My ride will be here any minute, so while I appreciate you showing up just as I was fainting, I don’t feel I owe you any big reconciliation scene.”

He took my hand. I pulled it away. He tried to take it again. Jim growled.

“Aisling, we have so much to talk about,” he said, sighing.

“Yeah, right, like how you’re going to try to screw her over again?” Jim asked.

“That is unfair,” Gabriel protested. “You are judging me without hearing my side of the situation.”

Beyond him, through the window of the shop I could see a familiar blue BMW pull up. “You allowed Fiat to mess with the green dragons. You had a hand in the death of one of their members. You sided with Fiat against us and allowed him to nearly destroy me, and by association, Drake. I don’t think there’s going to be a whole lot to your side of the story that I’m going to find particularly redeeming.”

I pushed past him, through the door to the crowded London street, being careful to scan the area for potential red dragon assassins. Uncle Damian was already out on the sidewalk, his head turning slowly as he perused the people around us. Clearly, he took the matter of security just as seriously as did Drake.

“Your continued refusal to grasp the truth will only bring harm to us all,” Gabriel said, following me out into the street.