Chapter One

ONE

Aisling

"D o you have the condoms ?"

"Not on me. I gave them to their intended recipient."

The voices of two women echoed in the bathroom where I stood. I looked up from texting Nora, my former mentor, and greeted them.

"Are we at the condom stage?" I asked Karma and Ysolde, both of whom stopped at the large mirror to cast critical glances at their reflections. "I thought all parties had decided to keep things on the chaste level. Or at least, not full-on sexy times."

Ysolde made a face, an expression that Karma almost identically duplicated.

"I would certainly be happier if Brom waited before jumping into a physical relationship, especially with someone who is only seventeen, but my preferences don't seem to matter to someone of the lofty age of almost nineteen," Ysolde answered.

Karma shot a look at the door before saying, "It took Pixie three entire weeks of hedging around before she came right out and said that she was an adult and wanted to do adult things, and could I please make the appointment with Planned Parenthood that I had offered should she be interested. So now she's protected against unwanted pregnancy, and in possession of a number of condoms that Adam felt was suitable. I will mention the number would have been three figures if I hadn't pointed out to him the message so many condoms was sending."

"Brom has condoms, as well. More importantly, I told him in no uncertain terms that if he doesn't use one, I will personally geld him. Slowly. With a dull spoon. And when he protested that I wouldn't have grandchildren if that were the case, I told him kids were overrated."

I laughed along with Karma at that. "You are the most maternal person I know, so I hope he took heed of the threat."

"I don't know that he would have until Baltic took him out last week for dragon training, and he came back looking suitably twitchy, and asked me to get him another box, since the one we got him last year might have expired." Ysolde, who was wearing her long blond hair in a high ponytail, bared her teeth at the mirror in a lipstick check before hurrying to one of the stalls.

"What on earth did Baltic tell him that could possibly be worse than gelding?" I asked, leaning up against the sink. "The effect of STDs on the human body?"

"Worse. Evidently he went into the hell of a colicky child," came from the stall. "Anduin had colic for what seemed like the entire first year of his life. Baltic estimates he walked near to six hundred miles in the halls of Dauva in order to soothe the baby."

"Dauva?" Karma asked.

"Our home when we're in Latvia," Ysolde answered.

"That sounds like a genuine nightmare," Karma said, tidying her hair. "I'm so glad Pixie was fifteen when I got her."

"It was hell." Ysolde emerged and moved immediately to the sink. "But it was enough to have Brom thinking twice about getting his wick wet."

"Really, Ysolde!" I said with a laugh. "You are such a mix of modern and medieval woman."

"Eh," she said, waving it away as she dried her hands, spinning around to check her skirt wasn't tucked up in her undies. "I made peace with my weirdness a long time ago. I'm just hoping to get through the next decade without going outright insane. Baltic said he'd make me a padded room if that happens, though, and would move in with me, so that's all right."

I laughed again. "Dragons do love better! Oh, sorry, Karma. I'm sure polters are just as protective of their loved ones."

"Eh," she said in an excellent imitation of Ysolde's dismissal. "I'm not saying that they aren't, but it sounds like dragons take it a bit further. I suppose we should go back out there, although I must warn you, Aisling, that we are strictly forbidden to even glance to the right, where the kids are sitting. Pixie swore all sorts of dire repercussions should we monitor how their date goes, and considering how much of a fuss she made about having us in the same restaurant, I'm not going to risk breaking her trust."

"I wondered about them agreeing to us being here." We all had one last check at the mirror, then filed out of the bathroom. Since Bastian's blue dragons—now the Song Tribe—still retained ownership of one of our favorite restaurants in London, Baltic and Ysolde felt it was a safe place for the all-important First Date. "I figured they wouldn't want to be so close since it's sixties night."

"Evidently, that's part of the plan for the date," Karma informed me, then with studied nonchalance strolled past a small stage that was set up at the far end. Blue booths reminiscent of diners dotted the sides, while in the center, a space had been cleared as a dance floor. "Pixie said Brom suggested they take part in the dance contest, which sounds like a lesser form of hell to me, but to each their own."

Not being one of the affected parents, I took a quick glance at the booth nearest the stage. Brom lounged with one arm resting casually along the top edge of the booth, but his expression was simultaneously suave and terrified.

"Oh lord, I looked," I said, turning my face away so they wouldn't see me giggling.

"At Brom or Pixie?" Karma whispered as we hurried around the corner to the short end of the L shape that made up the restaurant. I noticed she kept her face turned away from the booth in question.

"Brom. He looks in pain."

"Good," Ysolde said with a blitheness that I admired. "That'll mean he's less likely to forget the condoms later."

"I just hope I'm as calm as you are when my kids are old enough to date," I told her as we approached the large round table that was set apart. The men gathered there turned at the sight of us, pulling out chairs for us, their manners impeccable as ever.

"Wine helps," Karma said under her breath, then smiled broadly at Adam, a tall, dark-haired, blue-eyed poltergeist.

"It sure does. Now, there is nothing wrong with that picture," Ysolde said, flipping her ponytail as she gazed at Baltic, who wore his usual enigmatic expression.

"I mean, I know they're all handsome, but when you get them together in a group like that, hoobah," I said, wiggling my eyebrows a couple of times at Drake, who immediately looked interested, his green eyes flashing at me in a manner that had me suddenly very aware we were going to be separated for a few days while he dealt with some business in Budapest.

"Did you check on them?" Adam asked Ysolde as we all were seated. "Your dragon friend said he'd keep an eye on them for us, but this place looks pretty busy, and he might miss something."

"You have a daughter. You shouldn't be nearly this twitchy over Pixie having her first date," Karma told him, patting him on the arm. He took her hand and rubbed his thumb over her fingers.

"My daughter is in her late twenties, and has a long-term boyfriend." His lips twisted for a few seconds. "I'm not saying I think he's perfect for her, and when she found out I did a background check on him, she gave me hell for weeks for what she referred to as interfering. Pixie, however, is different. She's much younger, and Brom seems a bit ..."

"Intelligent?" Ysolde asked, scooting her chair closer to Baltic. "Charming? Handsome, because thankfully he doesn't look in the least like his bio father?"

"All of those things, of course," Adam said. "But he also doesn't seem to be any too steady on his dragon feet, if you know what I mean."

Baltic lost a bit of his enigmatic expression, and donned what I'd come to think of as Drake's martyred look. "He's better than he was. He no longer sets the kitchen on fire trying to feed himself."

"Yes, that's right, he is getting better now that you're showing him the dragon way of things," Ysolde said in the same soothing tone I'd heard her use on her three-year-old son.

Jim, who had been sitting on a flat cushion that Bastian had provided especially for it, reading one of its seemingly endless stash of Welsh Corgi Fancier magazines, tch ed. "Kid's a menace with his fire. I'm not saying it's his fault, because when the First Daddy bonks you on the head and makes you a dragon, you're going to be extra dragony, but he's still a menace. He set my tail on fire when I went over to see how things were hangin'."

"I explicitly told you not to bother them while I was in the bathroom," I scolded Jim.

"Drake said I could," it protested, then, licking the tip of one toe pad, turned the page of the magazine.

I looked at Drake. The corners of his mouth curled up.

"Bad wyvern," I said, leaning in to kiss the nearest corner.

"Hello, all! How nice to see everyone. Where are ... oh, there they are. I assume we shouldn't say hi?" The voice from behind me resolved itself into Allie and her husband, the silver-eyed Christian. They took two of the last four spots at the table. "And what an excellent idea for us to get together now that we're all in London. No May and Gabriel?"

"They're running a smidgen late," I told her, pleased that our new friends were blending in so well with our group.

"Did you bring your kids, Allie?" Ysolde asked, straightening up from where she'd been whispering in Baltic's ear.

"No. They had some school events that they didn't want to miss, so we left them with our friend Joy and her husband and kids. I told Christian we could consider this a romantic getaway." Allie smiled brightly at Christian, who said nothing, but Allie blushed just as if he had.

Ysolde nodded. "It seems great minds work alike. Pavel and Holland are taking care of Anduin while we're in town for a few days."

"We are gloriously kid-free for a few days, as well," I said, putting a hand on Drake's leg, my fingers lighting on fire at the feeling of his thigh just sitting there being so sexy it almost had me fanning myself. "We're renting a place in Scotland while we see if we like the area, so our brood is roaming the Highlands like the wild creatures they are. We're going up at the end of the week after Drake has returned from his business trip to Hungary. So! Here we are, together again, minus the blizzard and imps and fire and Jim peeing hither and yon."

"I only hithered once, and never yonned," Jim muttered, looking up when a server brought menus, water, and two bottles of dragon's blood wine. On his heels were two familiar forms.

"Sorry we're late. You won't believe this, but Magoth is in town, and is insisting he stay with us, saying we owe him for a future act of kindness or some such ridiculousness. Hello, Allie, Christian. Karma, you look well. How is your shoulder, Adam?" May took one of the last two seats, Gabriel settling beside her.

"Much better. I wish polters healed up as fast as you lot, but sadly, it's not one of our talents," Adam answered, flexing his right shoulder, where he'd had surgery a few months before.

"So, elephant in the room," May said after a few minutes of general chat. She craned her head to see around me. "How is the big date going?"

"No doubt just fine. Brom has been dancing to YouTube videos for the last three weeks in preparation," Ysolde said, accepting a glass of wine. "He said something about winning the dance contest to prove to Pixie that he's worthy, or some such silliness. Honestly, when I was his age, the closest I got to the opposite sex was begging my father's stable boys to let me help them groom the horses."

"You were seventeen when I claimed you from the mortals," Baltic pointed out.

"I was an old seventeen," she told him, smiling at us before sipping at her wine. "Besides, kids aged faster eight hundred years ago. Oooh, an excellent vintage."

"Should we try it?" Allie asked Christian.

"The wine?" He looked like he wanted to wrinkle his nose. I had the feeling that although he appeared relaxed, he was a bit keyed up, but put it down to being amongst dragons. Drake told me that vampires and dragons had always kept each other at a distance. "I don't know that you'd like it."

"It's supposed to be lethal for mortals, but I don't buy that. I drank a full glass before I accepted Drake as my mate," I said, looking at the bottle.

"Same," May said with a little smile at Gabriel that had his silver eyes—which were uncannily similar to Christian's—glittering at her in a wholly approving manner.

"Yes, but you were both a wyvern's mate," Drake pointed out. "And Allie, with all due respect, is not."

Christian seemed to bristle at the implication that Allie wasn't on par with the mates. "She is just as immortal as dragon mates. If she wishes to have some of your wine, I will purchase—"

"It's fine—this evening is on us, since it's because of Brom and Pixie we're here in the first place," Ysolde said, and slid the bottle toward her.

"Will a sip hurt me?" Allie asked Drake.

He hesitated a moment, then shook his head. "No, but I wouldn't recommend you try more until you know how it affects you. I don't think I've ever heard of a Dark One drinking dragon's blood." He looked a question to both Gabriel and Baltic.

"My contact with Dark Ones is limited, so I'm of no help," Gabriel admitted somewhat apologetically to Christian.

We all looked at Baltic.

He stared back at us.

Ysolde nudged him with her elbow.

"Mate," he said in his bossy Baltic tone, "stop poking me in the side. Being a Firstborn does not mean I have in-depth knowledge of all beings in the Otherworld."

"No, but you've been around a lot of places and met a lot of people," she argued.

"Plus, you're kind of ... you know ... extra," May said. "Your father being a god and all."

"Demigod," Baltic and Jim said at the same time.

Baltic shot a startled glance at Jim, but the latter said nothing, just continued to read its magazine.

"Here goes nothing," Allie said, and, after pouring out about a tablespoon of dragon's blood, raised her glass to her lips.

We all stared expectantly, but none more so than Christian. He looked like he was ready to leap up and fight every person there should Allie react badly to the wine, but I had more faith in her.

She took a sip, had an indescribable expression for a few seconds, then immediately went into a coughing fit that resulted in Christian patting her on the back as she clutched the table.

"Oh, yeah, that first sip is always a lulu," I said, grimacing as she grabbed a napkin and mopped up her running eyes and nose. "Sorry that I forgot to warn you about that. Are you OK? Maybe a little water?"

"I'm all right, just a little ... I don't know. Winded? Hoo!" Allie took a couple of sips of water, then shot a glare to the side. Her voice sounded like it was made of rocks. "Although I could do without the ‘I told you so' comments."

"Er ..." Karma, who was seated next to Christian, looked from him to Allie. "I don't think he said anything."

"Oh, he did," Allie said, coughing a couple more times. Her voice still sounded rough. "You just didn't hear him. Well, I think that quells my curiosity about your fancy dragon wine. Is a normal wine available? I could go for a robust red right about now. One that isn't actively trying to kill me."

Karma and Adam agreed, and an order was put in while the rest of us picked up the menus and considered the options.

"I don't suppose the lamb chops—" Jim started to say.

"No. You heard the vet when he said you can't have chicken, pork, or lamb. Do you want a burger?" I asked.

"Yeah, since you won't let me have the good stuff," it said, nosing over a page of the menu. "But I want extra fries."

"Considering your annual checkup noted that you put on four pounds since last year, your fries will be the standard serving, and no, before you ask, you can't have ice cream. You get way too gassy after dairy."

"Jeez, Ash!" Jim said, kicking the menu aside. "Just embarrass me in front of everyone!"

"My apologies for bringing up the subject," I told the table. "But we've discovered that it's just better if we keep cheese and ice cream away from Jim. Are we ready to order?"

We were, and after placing our orders and reminding the server to make sure nothing poisonous to dogs was put on Jim's burger, we settled in for a chat.

Everything was peaceful until our dinners came, and May turned to Allie and asked, "Did you ever figure out the problem with your thanes? The ones that you thought would turn out to be a threat?"

"Oh, the thanes!" Allie glanced at Christian, whose lips twisted.

"Unfortunately, that problem still besets us," Christian said in a somewhat grudging tone.

"I'm surprised to hear that," Karma said. "Considering how effective you and your nephew were against the imp attack at the airport. I've never seen anyone wield a sword like Finch and you."

One of Christian's shoulders twitched. "Unfortunately, Finch and his Beloved have, inadvertently, made the situation somewhat worse."

"Finch and Tatiana—that's his wife; they met a few months ago and fell hard for each other—now run one of the sections of the underworld." Allie gestured with a fork full of pasta. "We're going to visit them in two months, once they have their area set up. Evidently, even in the afterlife there's a lot of red tape to get things functioning smoothly. The end result, though, is that Finch can't leave his spot without a lot of fuss and bother."

Adam looked more than a little surprised. "Finch is running one of the Hours? The underworld Hours?"

"Yes," Christian said, his jaw working for a few seconds. "It's not ideal, but since he says he is perfectly content to continue the role as lord of the Hour in recognition of his part in the freeing of the thane, then we are happy for him."

"Finch and Tatiana are ridiculously in love," Allie added with a smile at her husband. "When we video chatted last week, they kept making googly eyes at each other. It was so romantic. Although it did drive home the point that it's been ages since Christian googly-eyed me."

"I am a Dark One! I never googled you!" he protested, his brows together.

I gave a mental snicker at the fact that evidently male vampires were just as touchy about things as dragons.

"That term has a different meaning now," Allie told him with a wink, and what I assumed was a grope to his leg, since he gave her a long, slow look in response.

"One of these thanes is out of the underworld?" Baltic asked, immediately capturing my attention. I noticed both Drake and Gabriel giving him the same consideration, mostly due to the fact that Baltic—despite his protestations—had experience with beings that missed the rest of us. He turned to Ysolde. "Did you not tell me that they tried to destroy Abaddon?"

"Yes," she answered, then made a helpless gesture. "But I only know what Allie told us on our ‘mates and more' group chat. Why? Is something wrong? I mean, other than the obvious fact that the vampires don't want him out of the underworld?"

Baltic took a big swig of dragon's blood. "If you consider having a formerly imprisoned demigod with vengeance on his mind now released into the mortal world wrong, then yes. It is a problem I would not relish having to deal with." He gave a little nod toward Christian. "You're going to have a hell of a time putting him back."

"I am well aware of that fact," Christian said, and for a moment, he, too, wore Drake's patented martyred expression. I wondered if it was something males learned at some point in their lives, and made a mental note to ask Drake later. "The Moravian Council has been holding nearly daily meetings to discuss our options."

"So far, we have none," Allie said, leaning into Christian. "Finch is researching like crazy from the records in his Hour, but has come up with little more than it is going to take an act of god to get Owain back into the custody of the underworld."

"Oooh," Ysolde said, squaring her shoulders as she set down her fork. "Do I sense a problem needing to be solved by the collective power of mates and friends?"

"A problem!" I said, also sitting up straighter as I exchanged glances with the ladies.

"We can do it," May said, pulling out a small notebook and a pen. "After all, look how well we did with finding Charity for the First Dragon. I'll take notes, shall I? Can we get specific details on this Owain thane person?"

"I don't think I know what's going on," Karma said, glancing around the table.

"Neither do I, but I think we're about to become a mastermind," Allie said, and pushed her nearly empty plate back. "And I, for one, would welcome any suggestions."

"Beloved, our friends here mean well, but they are not au courant with details of Dark Ones—" Christian protested, but was cut off.

"Yes, but collectively, mates are helpful," Ysolde told him. "And we have a bonus of having the wyverns here, and they know lots of ways to fight people. Baltic's killed many people in a variety of ways, so I'm sure he'd have something helpful to offer—"

"Mate," Baltic said on a long sigh. "As the Dark One says, we have no experience with their kind."

Ysolde held on to a smile as she said, "Which means squat, since they are now our friends, and we are interested in our friends and want to help them. Brainstorm! That's the word I was thinking of. Let's brainstorm some ideas, shall we?"

"If it's anything to do with Abaddon, then you're going to need someone really powerful," May said slowly, her gaze on Gabriel, who, after a moment's thought, nodded.

"Demon-lord sort of powerful," he said.

"Magoth?" I asked them. "I know he isn't a demon lord anymore, but he knows that world better than anyone. Certainly better than me. I was a prince of Abaddon for only a few months."

"Thankfully, Magoth has no powers left. Or near to none." Gabriel continued to look thoughtful. "But there is someone else. ..."

"Sally!" May said, nodding, then suddenly frowned. "Oh, but she's mostly powerless, too, now that she's no longer running the Court of Divine Blood."

"That's ..." Allie scrunched up her nose.

"The Court is what mortals think of as heaven," Adam said. "My grandmother is the polter ambassador there. The Sovereign is the being—or beings—who run it."

"Gotcha," Allie said, drawing patterns on the tablecloth with a spoon. "And your friend is connected with it?"

"Formerly, and Sally isn't really what you'd call a friend," May said with a wrinkle of her nose.

"She helped us more than you like to admit," Gabriel reminded her.

"Yes, but she also encouraged Magoth to bind me to him, tormented me while I was stuck in Abaddon, and, worst of all, always had the hots for you and was constantly trying to touch you right in front of me," May said with a little growl to her voice.

Gabriel laughed and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "She didn't give a damn about me except insomuch as it angered you whenever she paid me attention. But I do agree that I'm not sure how much of her Sovereign power she retains."

"OK, so scratch Sally," I said, absently watching Jim as it finished its dinner. I'd warned it that it could contribute to the conversation only so long as it was not being offensive or obnoxious, and had something to say that would be of interest to everyone. Its nose was a bit out of joint because of that, and it pretended to ignore me in order to gaze hopefully at May (the weakest against its begging) and the little bit of salmon left on her plate. "If we want powerful, there are two people I can think of. One is Caribbean Battiste, the head of the Guardians' Guild, although ... I don't know. Nora—she's my former mentor, and is getting married next month to Drake's guard Pal—Nora says she thinks I could give Caribbean a run for his money. Not that I'd want to, mind you."

"Aisling is a Guardian savant," Drake explained when the polters and vamps looked confused. He didn't look pleased by the fact, but I did hear pride in his voice. "She may have had an unconventional start, but she is quite powerful in her own right."

"Unconventional start," May said, giving Gabriel a cheeky smile. "Like ... so badass that some other wyvern tried to steal her."

Gabriel looked momentarily horrified. I laughed. Drake rolled his eyes.

"That is old news, and long forgiven," I told Gabriel, enjoying when he sent Drake and Baltic a pleading look.

"Yes, I think that's best for all," he said, then cleared his throat and added, "I doubt, however—and no offense is intended, Aisling—if even you could deal with a demigod. They are notoriously tricky."

"Ratsbane! I'm going to have to call Dr. Kostich, aren't I?" Ysolde said, her elbows on the table as she dropped her head to her hands. "And he'll make a smart-ass comment about Baltic being fat, and that'll just piss me off, and then we won't end up getting him to help stuff this bad vamp back into the underworld without demanding all sorts of things."

"I could go a long time without seeing Dr. Kostich again," May murmured, but so softly that only Gabriel and I heard her.

"You and me both. Did I tell you about the time he basically started to kill me? I was perhaps a minute away from death. It was in Budapest. I'd say he's a threat to the Otherworld, but he's so damned powerful, I don't know how anyone would ever get rid of him." I leaned back, worrying the problem in my mind. "Maybe if your council sent him a request for help?"

Christian shook his head. "This is an issue to Dark Ones, not the Otherworld as a whole. The Committee would not help us, even assuming they had the power to restore the thane to his prison. No, we must find another way, and while I appreciate the willingness to help, it is a problem for the Moravian Council."

"Not necessarily," Ysolde said, clearly dismissing the vampire's objection. "You don't know how powerful the mates can be when we put our heads together, and you have a bonus of having three wyverns and two polters to add to the collective brainpower. Maybe if we found a way to pressure one of the existing demon lords? Who's the premiere prince now?"

I frowned. "I'm not sure. ... Jim?"

"What?"

I gave it a good, hard look. It wasn't normally surly, so something had to be up with it. "Do you happen to know who the premiere prince is? I know they reset things with the recent renaissance of the Otherworld."

"Paymon." It went back to licking the plate that May had, indeed, set down for it to finish her dinner.

"Maybe if we asked that Sasha person if the Court could help," Ysolde suggested. "The one who told us that Jian was dead."

I leaned down to Jim while May was quickly explaining that Jian had been the red wyvern before his much lamented death, and who Sasha was. "Are you feeling all right?" I asked, unsure if Jim was just being moody, or if something was actually wrong with it.

"Yeah." It was silent for a moment; then it said softly, "It's just that today's my birthday, and no one remembered. Not even you."

"You what?" I said in a volume that had everyone turning to look. "You don't have a birthday. You can't."

"Why can't I?" it asked, giving me a jaded look. "You have one."

"Yes, but I'm human. That is, I was born human." I glanced around the table for support, but everyone looked as confused as I felt. "But you're a demon. Demons are made, not born."

"Yeah, but I wasn't always a demon."

"Oh." I thought for a moment, then patted it on the head. "That's right, you told me you were a sprite before you became a demon. I'm sorry that I didn't realize it is your birthday, Jim. I never thought you had one, or I would have made note of the day, and we would have celebrated. I guess since this is such an important day, I can drop your lactose ban. Would ice cream heal some of the hurt caused by my ignorance?"

"So, you have actual parents?" Ysolde asked when Jim graciously accepted my peace offering. "Human ones?"

"Human?" Jim's face scrunched up, reminding me how amazing I found it that a dog could be so expressive. "I assume they looked human. My mom was from what's now southern India, while my dad was from somewhere in the Balkans. Bulgaria, I think."

I gave a mental headshake to clear my stupefaction. "As fascinating as this is—and Jim, I absolutely want to sit down with you when we get home, and hear all about your parents—we've strayed from the mastermind brainstorming. To recap, we need someone superpowerful. What about the First Dragon? He's very big and bad when he wants to be, and, considering the number of times he resurrected Ysolde and Baltic, clearly has a serious array of powers."

Ysolde had her phone out before I finished speaking, texting someone.

"You're not texting the First Dragon, are you?" May asked, her eyes wide. "That seems ... he texts? We could text him? Is he on Instagram?"

"We most certainly cannot text the dragon sire," Gabriel said quickly at the same time Drake jerked backward at May's suggestion. "It's not even something I want you contemplating."

May pointed at Ysolde. "She's texting him."

"Ysolde is special," Gabriel said, giving May what I knew he thought was a quelling look, but really was pure adoration with a bit of protectiveness thrown in. "She is the mate of his son. She is accorded rights that are not granted to the rest of the weyr."

"Meh," Ysolde said, still tapping on her phone. "That's not really true, but before anyone gets riled up, I'm not actually texting the First Dragon—to be honest, I'm not sure that he has a cell phone. You'd have to ask Baltic about that, since he seems to have a mysterious way to contact his father that I don't know about. Right now I'm asking Charity if she thinks the First Dragon would be able to help."

"We do not need help from the dragon progenitor," Christian said in almost as much horror as Gabriel. "Much though we appreciate—"

"Charity says she'll ask, but she thinks not. Evidently he's lost one of his kids, and is trying to find out where he is. Oh." Ysolde looked up at Baltic. "She says that Baltic did something with one of his brothers, and now he's missing. I thought all the Firstborn—except you—were dead eons ago?"

"They are." Baltic came perilously close to an eye roll. "They were. The First Dragon demanded I help with the eldest of them. I did as he asked, and brought him to the mortal world, gave him money, and offered to house him in Dauva. He refused all, and left. If that is ‘doing something,' then yes, I tried to help him. That is all, and you can stop looking at me like I've murdered someone."

Ysolde returned his annoyed expression. "I'm not looking at you like that. I'm looking at you like you kept the fact from me, your mate, the one who has loved you for the last several hundred years—minus the time my memory was wiped—the mother of your children, and who you claim is your favorite person on earth, and yet you did not bother to tell me you fetched one of your dead brothers from the afterlife?"

"Which afterlife?" Adam asked. "I have friends in most of them, if you need help finding your brother."

"It was a griefscape of his own creation," Baltic said, waving a dismissive hand. "The point is moot. I do not know of Yrian's whereabouts, but I did no harm to him and, thus, am not responsible for him going off on his own. Ysolde, stop glaring at me. There was little to tell you."

"Yrian?" Gabriel said in a voice so strangled, everyone turned to look at him. "Yrian Shadowson? The first of all the Firstborn? The dragon who created the black sept from the chaos of primal dragonkin?"

Drake swore in Magyar under his breath.

Baltic said nothing, his standard inscrutable expression firmly affixed. "I did what the First Dragon asked me to do. What Yrian does is not my responsibility."

"Oh, we are so going to have a chat in the car going home," Ysolde told him.

I tried to stifle a giggle, but enough slipped out that May leaned toward me and asked, "What's so funny?"

"Now it's Baltic's turn to wear the martyred expression," I said in a near whisper. "The one that all the men seem to share."

"If we do, it's because we have mates who push us to the limit of our patience," Drake said not very softly.

"That's right, Drake," Ysolde said in a drawling tone that made me give another nearly silent giggle. I knew that tone, and judging by Drake's expression—full-on martyrdom—he did, as well. "But patience has never really been one of your strengths, has it? I seem to recall how impatient you were that time in Prague when we rolled into town for a sárkány , and found you in the square about to be hanged for an orgy involving several wives of the town council, and one councilman."

I gave the love of my life a long, long look. "I didn't know you swung both ways."

"I don't," he said quickly, a little wisp of smoke escaping one nostril. "I never have. The man Ysolde and her annoyingly accurate memory is referring to was evidently fluid with regards to gender, not that was recognized hundreds of years ago. And it was not an orgy."

"There were eleven women and the mayor. That sounds like an orgy to me," Baltic said as he leaned back in his chair, a glass of dragon's blood in hand. He looked almost happy.

"The whole town was up in arms. They most definitely were going to hang him," Ysolde told the table with what I suspected was great relish. "But then other green dragons arrived and saved the day."

"Ancient memories aside," Drake said hurriedly. I put a hand on his leg again to let him know I supported him, no matter how horn dawg he had been in the past. "It does little to forward the situation. I suspect that what Christian says is true, and that we are out of our depths with a thane."

"We just need someone really powerful," May said. "Anyone have other suggestions?"

"I'm afraid we're less than helpful," Karma said with a glance toward Adam. "Polters are kind of on the low end of the scale, power-wise. Also, does anyone have to go to the restroom? If so, would you take a quick look at what Pixie and Brom are up to?"

I held up my phone. "I had Bastian give me access to the camera facing the stage. You can just see the two of them. They're eating what is apparently enough food for five people."

"That would be Brom's doing," Ysolde said with a little shrug. "Evidently being a new dragon makes you incredibly hungry. Someone powerful ... hmm. Maybe Rowan could help? He's an alchemist."

"He's not going to be able to help," Jim said, licking the last of the birthday vanilla ice cream.

"Who would you suggest?" I asked.

Jim nosed its bowl toward me. "Seconds and I'll tell you."

"How about you tell me and I don't send you to the Akasha for a day," I answered, giving it a look that said a whole lot.

Jim wasn't the least bit cowed. "Yeah, yeah, once a demon lord, always a demon lord."

"Do you know of someone who could help?" May asked.

It rolled onto its back. "Belly scritches? I think better with belly scritches. But use the dragon claws. They get all the itches."

"Avert your eyes, everyone," I said as May, with a little smile at Gabriel, flexed her fingers until they elongated, covered in silver scales, with crimson claws. She scratched Jim's belly and armpits until his back legs were kicking.

"Spill," I told it when she stopped and it flopped on its side with a happy sigh. "Who do you think would help?"

It stood up, shook, and sat back down. "You're just not thinking right, any of you. Ask yourselves who you're trying to capture. This thane is a demigod, right? One who almost brought down Abaddon. You're gonna need a demigod to catch a demigod."

"We know that," Ysolde said. "We just don't know of one who would work with Christian and his fellow vampires."

"Dark Ones," came a murmur from Christian.

Jim scratched at an ear. "Only the creators of Abaddon were strong enough to stand up to the thanes the first time, so that's what you gotta do now."

I blinked. It was a bad habit when I was befuddled, and I thought I'd gotten the better of it, but here I was, befuddled as hell, and blinking. "You want us to find the founders of Abaddon? One or all of the demon lords?"

"Naw, they weren't around. You need one of the three princes who created Abaddon." It sucked its lip for a moment. "I guess you could ask my dad. Maybe he'd help if he knew it was to stuff the thane back into the underworld."

"Your father? What does your father have to do with anything?" Ysolde asked at the same time May said, "I thought your father was dead?"

"He is. Well ..." Jim stood up and shook again. I averted my gaze from the blizzard of black hair that drifted off it onto Bastian's nice parquet floor. "Demigods don't really die—they just kind of fade away. Plus my dad wasn't killed. He was banished to the Lake of Upside-Down Sinners. But that's kind of like being dead, right? It's in the Akasha, after all. The supersecret high-security part of the Akasha. The Thirteenth Hour, the one where they put the bad demigods, and you don't get much badder than one of the three founders of Abaddon. Gotta go walkies. You want to take me, or should I ask the blue dragons if there's a park nearby?"