“Do you seriously think you can drop a bombshell like that on me and not answer the hundred or so questions I have about it?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said in his most quelling manner.

I opened my mouth to protest, but the glint in his eye was one I didn’t particularly wish to mess with.

“Will wonders never cease? You got her to shut up. That’s gotta be a first.”

I pointed at the large stone door. “Right, Mr. Mouthy. Go work on the bane.”

Jim’s eyes widened. “Me?” it squeaked. “Those things are dangerous! I could get killed!”

“You can’t be kil—”

“My fabulous form could be destroyed!”

“Is the bane really that dangerous?” I asked Drake.

“It could destroy whoever tries to break it if it is not handled properly,” he answered grimly.

“Oh, lovely.” What constituted handled properly? I wondered.

Was that a little inner monologue? Dare I point out that the answer to all your questions is at your fingertips?

“That is why you will have the demons and your steward break it. I will not risk the chance of harm coming to you,” Drake added.

“Uh-huh. We’ll get to that in a minute, oh ye of the annoying subject changes. I understand if you don’t want to get into a lengthy discussion of dragon politics at this time, but you can answer one question for me. I thought Kostya was a Baltic supporter—he sure sounds like one when he talks about annexing the silver dragons. But if he actually killed Baltic—or tried to—then I’m confused.”

“Baltic was…difficult,” Drake said, looking up when Pál and István entered the cavern.

“They are all still out, although we are running out of time,” Pál told him. “The building is secured, and there are no signs that anyone outside it is aware of what’s going on.”

“And the one in the subterranean apartment?” Drake asked.

István shook his head. “We didn’t find him, although there were signs someone had used the bolt-hole recently.”

“He must have noted our presence here before we became aware of the apartment, and left rather than risk meeting us,” Drake said.

I raised my eyebrows. “Makes you wonder just who it was.”

“It could be that he is amongst the guards we took care of.” Drake rubbed his chin in thought. “But I suspect not.”

“Would you recognize Baltic if you saw him again?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“What about Pál and István?”

“Pál was not born when Baltic was killed,” Drake answered. “István saw him at weyr meetings.”

Pál gave me a wry smile. “I’m the young one.”

“So I gather. Well, it may be as you say then—the person staying in that odd apartment had Baltic’s books, and Baltic is dead. Gabriel is either confused, or I misheard him.”

Drake said nothing but continued to rub his chin.

It took the better part of the last hour we had there for the demons and Traci to break the bane. But break it they did, with only the loss of three demons (or rather, their forms).

“Love and kisses to Bael,” I told the lone surviving demon before I dismissed it.

It looked at me like I had beans sprouting out of my ears.

“If you do not mind my asking, lord, why did you summon Lord Bael’s minions and not your own?” Traci asked as the dragons pushed past it to get into Fiat’s lair.

“I’m trying to make a point. Did you send out those e-mails like I asked?”

It nodded, looking much put-upon. “I fear you have not thought through your actions thoroughly. They will be sure to anger the other lords and enrage Bael.”

“Perfect,” I said with a satisfied smile. “What time did you set the meeting for?”

“Tomorrow at noon, as you requested.”

“Great. Thanks for your help with the bane.”

Traci looked faintly shocked. “I am your servant, Lord Aisling. I am ever at your bidding.”

Jim poked its head out of the lair. “Ash? You coming? The guys are having ore-gasms in there, and I think you’re going to have to bitch slap a couple to calm them down. Ore, get it? Like gold ore? Heh heh heh. I slay me.”

“If only, Jim. I’ll see you tomorrow before the meeting, OK, Traci?”

The demon bowed and disappeared. I followed Jim into the lair, which was nothing more than a huge walk-in climate-controlled bank vault. The shelves were filled with priceless objects of art, most of them jewel-encrusted gold, but there were also other items of value—artwork, ewers, statues, boxes of raw gems…the list was endless, al though thankfully the vault wasn’t.

“So, how does it stack up to your lair?” I asked Drake.

He stood in the center of the lair, his body trembling slightly. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes, an expression of bliss on his face, no doubt the effect of being in proximity to so much gold. “It is nearly comparable.”

“Really? Wow. I can’t wait to see yours.” I watched him for another second, smiling at the look on his face. “This stuff really is like an aphrodisiac to you guys, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes,” he said, a reverential tone in his voice.

I ran my hand down his chest. “So if I was to strip off all my clothes and lie on a pile of gold coins…?”

His eyes popped open, fire leaping in a ring around us. I was startled by that—I wasn’t pulling the fire, which meant Drake had momentarily lost control. “You would just barely survive.”

“Oooh,” I said, burning even more from the passion in his eyes. “I think we’re going to have to try that when we get back home.”

He growled at me, a low rumble that was both primal and erotic as hell. I had the worst urge to pull him into a corner and have my way with him, but remembered in time where we were.

“Right, well,” I said, clearing my throat. “As Pál said, we’re running out of time, so why don’t you pick out the biggest and best of Fiat’s treasures, and we’ll get going while the going is still good.”

Pál and István had been opening lockboxes and turning out shelves, making little cooing sounds of pleasure as they touched the treasures. Kostya was in the back of the vault, his eyes glittering onyx as he flung open the lid to a wooden box. It was filled with ancient gold coins.