“But, Aisling . . .” Amelie looked taken aback for a moment or two. “The Akasha is steeped in dark powers. I know of many experienced members of the L’au-dela who will have nothing to do with it because it poses such a danger to them. Only the most protected of people access it. Who taught you to do so?”

“A .. . er ... friend. He just taught me how to send and summon Jim from there; that’s all.”

“Still, you must be very powerful indeed if you are able to utilize it without it tainting you.”

I stopped cold, wondering why I was always the last to hear things. The limbo I’d been parking Jim in was steeped in dark powers? Why hadn’t Gabriel mentioned that when he gave me instructions on accessing it? How would I know if I’d been tainted? Why didn’t Nora warn me about it when I told her that’s where I was sending Jim? And why did I always end up in hot water doing something simple? “Uh ... yeah, something like that. Why don’t I just summon Jim and we’ll move on?” I took a deep breath and swung open the door in my mind that was the portal to all my Otherworld powers. “Effrijim, I summon thee.”

The air in front of me gathered together in a tight clutch, the motes of dust dancing on the afternoon sunlight cohering into a shape that quickly formed itself into that of a large, shaggy, black dog.

“Hounds of Abaddon, Aisling! Could you have left me dangling in limbo for any longer?” Jim glared at me for a moment; then its eyes opened wide when it realized where we were. “Amelie?”

The two ladies gave up all pretence and ran from the shop screeching something that I gathered wasn’t a compliment on the form my demon had picked out above all others to wear in the mortal world.

“Where’s Cecile?” Jim asked hurriedly, spinning around to examine the shop, its nose in the air as it tried to scent her. “Cecile? Baby? Daddy’s home!”

“Cecile is having her rest upstairs—” was all Amelie got out before Jim went bounding from the room, heading for the back door and the flight of stairs that led to the apartment over the shop.

“The door is locked, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Yes, but there is a window open,” Amelie started to say, but the distant sound of tinkling glass interrupted her.

I sighed. “I’ll pay for that, of course. I’d better go see if Jim managed to cut itself in its frenzy to get to Cecile.”

“I believe I will take the early afternoon leave,” Amelie said, going to the door to hang a closed sign on it before locking up.

“Oh, but I hate to make you miss any customers.” I hesitated by the beaded curtain that divided the front of the shop from the tiny back storage area.

“Non, it is an unexpected pleasure, your visit. One worth celebrating, yes? We will celebrate.”

The celebrations took the form of a bottle of chilled white wine (Amelie remembered my favorite brand) and a plate of delicious cheese munchies. I sat back in the bloodred neo-baroque armchair and sighed happily. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see you again. So much has happened in the last couple of months, I feel like a different person from the one who wandered in your door looking for information about a certain wyvern.”

“Ah, yes. How is Drake? I heard that you were formally mated, and that you found a mentor, yes? This is very good news.”

Jim looked up from where it was lying in a patch of sunlight with Cecile, Amelie’s elderly, fat Welsh corgi. “News flash: Aisling broke it off.”

“Again?” Amelie asked, giving me a surprised look.

“Yes, again.” That word was beginning to grate on my nerves. “It’s not like I didn’t have a reason to leave him! He betrayed my trust.”

“Hello, and welcome to Aisling Heartbreak Hour,” Jim said, nuzzling Cecile’s ear. “I hope you’re comfortable, because this is likely to take a while.”

“One more word, and you’re going to find yourself back in the Akashic plain, tainted powers or no,” I snapped, my patience worn thin by Jim’s needling ... and my own guilty feelings. Although Nora had been the first person to put it into so many words, I realized that I’d been hiding the truth from myself behind hurt feelings. “This is not going to take a while. Drake and I had issues. I left to think things over. I’m still his mate, I’m still bound to the sept, and tomorrow, as a matter of fact, I’m going to another dragon conference to stand by Drake while he does whatever he does at these gatherings.”

“Gatherings?”

“Yes. Some sort of dragon shindig. Possibly involving wyverns, although I hope the more idiotic ones don’t show.”

Amelie sucked in her breath. “Idiotic? You speak so of the other wyverns? You dare much, Aisling. Do you know them well?”

“Not horribly well.” I took another sip of wine, enjoying the fruity Riesling. “Fiat Blu I met here in Paris at the same time I met you. I met some of his men, as well. Did you know the blue dragons are psychics?”

She nodded. “Oui, I remember. And yes, they are known for their ability to find secrets.”

“Yeah, well, Fiat is lovely eye candy, what with that whole blond god thing going for him, but underneath that handsome exterior beats the heart of a rat. He’s trying to stir up trouble for Drake.”

“Ah?”

“Fiat paired up with Chuan Ren. Have you ever seen her?”

Amelie poured more wine and shook her head. “No. I do not mix much with the upper echelons of the L’au-dela. I am happier in my own sphere of influence.”

“Boy, do I envy you that. Well, the red dragon wyvern, Chuan Ren, is a ... um . .. trying to find a nice word for her. . .”

“Bitch,” Jim said, licking Cecile’s ear.

I made a wry little smile. “Basically, yes. She’s very powerful, very aggressive, and I don’t think she likes Drake very much. I know she doesn’t like me.”

“Hmm.”

‘The fourth wyvern, Gabriel Tauhou, is a sweetie. He’s a healer, like you.”

Amelie smiled and nibbled on a cheese stick.

“Aisling has a crush on him.” Jim’s voice floated to us above the low drone of the air conditioner.

“Oh, I do not. I like Gabriel, nothing more. He helped me when Drake wouldn’t, and he doesn’t seem to want to stir up trouble, unlike the other two wyverns.”