“How’s that?” she asked, her eyebrows rising slightly. She was a tall woman, tall and willowy, with long, straight ash blond hair, eyes so dark they were almost black, and a narrow, delicate-boned face. There was something comfortable about her, a sense of ease and warmth that reminded me of the pleasure found in returning home after a long trip.

“Well . . . I hope this doesn’t sound rude, but it’s been my experience that mages are always very reserved, keeping to their own. They’re very controlled, as well. And extremely mysterious, like they are holding tight to any number of secrets, and that pleases them.”

Her smile grew a few degrees warmer. “That is a very apt description of mages, but I’m afraid that I am a much duller creature than that. I am not a very successful apprentice, you see. Dr. Kostich hopes that the experience to be gained by helping with this mysterious dragon will go far to further my education.”

“I’m sure it will.” I nodded toward the sitting room. “If you want to go in there, I’ll go see if I can get the others, although honestly, this would be better done another time.”

“According to Dr. Kostich, there is no time left,” Tully said, gliding toward the door. I watched her for a moment, startled by the word as it popped into my mind. She didn’t just walk; she glided, her movements so graceful they were almost dreamlike.

“May,” Jim said, nudging my hand with its wet nose.

“Why do I have a feeling that’s a truer statement than I’d like?” I asked myself as I made a beeline for the stairs.

“Because it is true,” Jim said, following me.

I glanced down at it. “What do you mean?”

“That Tully person isn’t a mage.”

“She said she was.”

“Yeah, well, she lied. Or no . . .” The demon’s face twisted into an abstracted expression. “Not lied. Just wasn’t speaking the truth.”

“What’s the difference?” I asked as we headed down the hall toward Aisling’s room. I froze for a moment when I saw who was stretched out on the floor, Tipene hovering over him, before I bolted the last few steps. “István! I asked you to stop Drake from killing Gabriel. How badly is he hurt?”

“Not seriously,” the love of my life answered, his lip split, and his right eye swollen shut. “Drake was a little upset when Aisling had a particularly hard contraction. Savian tried to intervene.”

“I think I’m dead,” Savian moaned from where he lay on the floor of the bathroom next to Catalina’s room.

“I’d hate to see what Drake would do when he’s really upset,” I said, gently touching Gabriel’s face. “You would insist on being in there.”

“My head is killing me.” Savian hauled himself up to a sitting position, his hand gingerly feeling his face. He touched a tender spot, wobbled for a moment, then fell backwards onto the bath mat. “Ow.”

Gabriel grimaced as Tipene applied a bit of salve to his lip and eye. “I have delivered more dragons than my mother. Her experience is mostly with mortals, but Drake did not feel that mattered. He preferred her to me.”

“Seriously, I think I’m dead. Could one of you nice healers come and heal my broken head?”

“I think, my love, that in this you should have heeded your mother,” I said, gently kissing his nose when Tipene had finished with him.

He gave me a lopsided smile. “I’m willing to concede that point. Is the midwife here?”

“I’m a ghost, aren’t I? I died and now you all can’t hear me, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life haunting this bathroom with a headache that would drop an elephant. Hello,” Savian said as Jim wandered over and peered down into the thief taker’s face. “Are you an angel?”

“Ex-sprite, now a demon. Ash isn’t going to like you bleeding all over her bathroom. You gonna clean all your brains and gunk up? Someone could slip on them and hurt himself.”

“My brains,” Savian whimpered, and I took pity on him.

“No midwife as yet, although she’s expected momentarily. Tipene, would you?” I asked, nodding toward the prostrate Savian.

Savian greeted him with soft little coos of relief.

“I’m sure your mother will do just fine with Aisling,” I told Gabriel as I helped him to his feet. “Unfortunately, the person at the door was Dr. Kostich.”

Gabriel’s smile slipped. “Don’t tell me he’s here to discuss the situation with Baltic?”

“Yes. Do you think Drake will be willing to leave Aisling?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could do so, a tremendous blast shook the house, the force of it so great I could feel the entire structure shake.

I shadowed out of sheer instinct, following Gabriel as he spun around and raced down the stairs. Behind me I could hear Drake’s bellowed question, but I paid that little mind as I leaped down the last couple of steps into the entrance hall.

Another percussion blast shook the house, the shock wave of which caused painful pressure on my ears. “Agathos daimon! What is it?” I asked as I deshadowed.

The three people standing staring at the front door slowly turned to face us. Tipene and Maata skidded to a stop behind us.

“We’re too late,” Dr. Kostich said, his face utterly blank. “He’s here.”

A third blast hit the house. I covered my ears, biting back a cry of pain.

Drake and his bodyguards jumped over the balustrade from the floor above, landing as light on their feet as cats. “Damn him,” Drake snarled, punching a few buttons on the security-system panel. “He would pick now to do this. István, put out the call to the others that we will need them. Pál, ready the lair. I’ll take Aisling down to it. He can bring the house down around our ears, but she’ll be safe in there. Kostich, what are you doing here?”

“Trying to prevent disaster, but I fear I am too late.” He eyed us all for a moment, then spoke quickly. “We will do what we can to aid you. Jack, see to the seals on the ground floor. Tully, you take the upstairs rooms. Do not forget to set traps at any entrance point, no matter how insignificant it might seem.”

Jack hurried off to do as he was bidden. Tully hesitated a second. “I don’t know that my traps and seals are strong enough to stop a dragon, master.”