“Very handsome,” I agreed. “I’m . . . er . . . sorry. I didn’t realize the lack of fur was bothering you so much. I hope you didn’t pester Aisling.”

“Jealous?” it asked with a waggle of its eyebrows.

“Certainly not.”

“Uh-huh. I can tell you’re peeved I didn’t have you send me to Abaddon, but you can rest easy, sweet cheeks—I had Aisling do it because she was up and trying to avoid the crazy lady, and besides, I wasn’t sure you knew how to do it.”

“Crazy lady? Oh, Drake’s mother?”

Jim gave a shudder and looked over its shoulder. “She’s in there now with Aisling. Drake is refereeing. I’m off for walkies with Suzanne. You wanna come? I’m prairie doggin’ a bit, but I promise not to pinch a loaf right in front of you, if you do want to come.”

“How very considerate. I think I’ll pass just now, if you don’t mind.”

Suzanne, István’s girlfriend, who acted as cook to Aisling and Drake’s household, emerged from a back room with a leash and a handful of plastic bags.

“Walkings time,” she said in a heavily accented voice. “You will come with us, May?”

“Not this morning, thanks. Jim, I’m sure Aisling already told you this, but in case she didn’t—behave.”

Jim rolled its eyes as it marched to the front door, Suzanne in tow. “Why does everyone think they have to tell me that? It’s not like I ever misbehave. . . .”

Thankfully the door shut on the demon’s complaining, although it opened again about two seconds later.

I took one look at the woman walking in, and felt a strange sense of relief. “Kaawa!”

“Wintiki!” Gabriel’s mother, a tall, elegant figure in silver and black linen tunic and pants, rushed forward to hug me. She had skin the color of rich milk chocolate, shoulder-length hair that was pulled back into a bun, and a smile that warmed me to my toes. I felt enveloped in comfort, wrapped in a cocoon that whispered to me of the wind and the sky and the creatures that danced in and out of the Dreaming. Kaawa was a shaman, of the earth, but transcending mere mortality to become something more, something wholly unique.

“I’m so happy to see you,” I said, hugging her for all I was worth, grateful that Gabriel had such a wonderful mother.

“You are well, little night bird?” she asked, holding me at arm’s length, her gaze stripping away layers of my being to peer straight into my soul. “My Gabriel is making you happy?”

“Deliriously so,” I said, pushing down the worry that seemed to be ever present.

She said nothing for a moment, simply cupping the side of my face with one hand while she continued to pierce through to my very core. “You are happy, yes, but there is a shadow on your heart. All is not well?”

“All is fine,” I reassured her. “I’m just a bit stressed about the dragon shard.”

She nodded, letting her hand drop. “It distresses you. Gabriel said you were worried it was taking over. We will see that it does not.”

“Thank you. Have you met Aisling?”

Her eyes lit with interest as we turned toward the sitting room, her arm around my waist. “No, but I have heard much about her from Gabriel. At one time I thought . . . but that is unimportant.”

I gritted my teeth for a moment at her train of thought, then laughed out loud. She paused to cast me a questioning look.

“Jealousy is never pretty, but it can be funny sometimes,” I said, then continued when she raised her eyebrows. “I know that at one time Gabriel thought seriously about challenging Drake for Aisling. I’m OK with that. Well, not OK, but I understand it.”

“Because you know he would never have been happy with her?” she asked, her head tipped to the side as she watched me.

My smile grew. “More because I know Drake would never have let Gabriel have Aisling. And she would have made his life a living hell if Drake slipped up and let her go.”

She laughed, squeezing my waist as I opened the door. “You are a wise wintiki.”

If I had worried what the volatile Catalina would make of Gabriel’s much more down-to-earth mother, I didn’t after seeing the two women together. Catalina might treat Aisling with rudeness, more or less ignoring her, but she settled down comfortably enough with Kaawa to discuss common dragon acquaintances.

“Nora had a little issue she had to deal with—something about a kobold outbreak in Islington. But as soon as she’s done cleaning that up, we’ll put our heads together about your problem,” Aisling said.

“I don’t want to put you to any trouble,” I said, glancing at her large stomach. “You probably don’t feel like moving around much. Is there any word on when the baby might come?”

She sighed and patted her belly. “Bean—my midwife—said she could try inducing labor, but she didn’t recommend it. Evidently, it’s not unheard of for a baby of mixed parents to take a bit longer than normal. So I’m going to tough it out a few days more before we decide if it’s time to force the latest green dragon to hatch.”

“Hatch?” I looked at her in horror. “You don’t mean—”

“No, no, no eggs!” she said, laughing. “Dragons are born in human form. And stop worrying about asking for help; I don’t mind doing it at all. In fact—” She cast a swift glance across the room to where Kaawa and Catalina sat deep in conversation. “In fact, I’d be grateful for an excuse to do things other than listen to my mother-in-law tell me how inadequate I am, so your problem will be a welcome distraction.”

“What problem is that?” Drake asked as he strolled over to hand his wife a bottle of water.

I sat silent, feeling guilty about involving Aisling when she must be focused on the approaching birth.

Drake looked from me to Aisling, his emerald eyes narrowing. “What problem?” he repeated, a bit more forcefully this time.

“It’s nothing, sweetie, just a little . . . issue . . . May has run into. Nothing to get your knickers in a twist over.”

Drake’s gaze went wary. “You are not doing anything even remotely dangerous, kincsem.”

“I wouldn’t consider any such thing,” she replied, smiling up at him. “Not so close to baby time, anyway. May simply has a little point regarding demon lords she’d like cleared up, and I know if Nora and I put our heads together, we can give her an answer.”