Chapter Two

TWO

Aisling

"I 'm not going to say that an actual bomb dropping on the restaurant would have been worse, but agathos daimon !" May, who had joined Karma, Ysolde, Allie, and me on another journey to the bathroom, stood next to the sinks and looked as stunned as I felt. "I mean ... I can't ... Jim's dad is a demigod ?"

"You know what Baltic muttered under his breath just as we got up from the table?" Ysolde asked, not even bothering to glance at her appearance. She just hoisted herself onto the counter while Karma, with a murmured excuse about too much wine, went to use one of the toilets. "He said, and I quote, ‘That explains a lot.' What does it explain, do you think? How Jim found you?"

I paused in the act of washing my hands, startled yet again. "How it found me? I summoned it, not the other way around."

"Mmm, but demigods," May said, running a hand over her glossy black bob. She still retained the appearance of a 1920s flapper, but since the look suited her, no one ever suggested a makeover. "Those are tricky. They can do things that you might not think they could do. What if Jim's dad wanted it to be with you, and made it happen?"

I thought about that for half a minute, shifting to the side so Karma could use the sink that wasn't occupied by Ysolde's hip. "I don't see how anyone could do that. I mean, I didn't know I was going to summon a demon until that fateful morning, and it was really just the luck of the draw that the summoning caught Jim. It must have been close enough by that when the summon went out, it caught Jim. I can ask it, though. I really want to know more about its dad, because—"

The door was flung open with enough force that it made Ysolde and me jump. Pixie stood in the doorway, her hair twisted into two giant space buns on the top of her head. She was clad in a miniskirt and black lace top, and, since we were in public, wore a glamour to hide her two extra arms. The two that were visible were crossed tightly as she glared at each of us in turn.

"Deus!" she all but yelled as she marched into the bathroom, her wrath directed at Karma. "Why can't you trust me? You said you trusted me! I'm seventeen, not a child!"

"And since you aren't a child, I have agreed that you can have unsupervised time with Brom," Karma said with what I imagined was much restraint. I reminded myself that she had been a foster mother for only a year, and sent her a sympathetic look. "Which you have. I'm sorry that the ladies' room is in the same general area as you inhabit, but there's not much we can do about that."

"But they were just in the bathroom," Pixie said, alternately looking indignant and somewhat guilty as she nodded toward Ysolde and me. "You can't possibly have to go again so soon! And why are you all here at the same time?"

"Women always travel to the bathroom in packs," Ysolde murmured.

"It's safer that way," May said, nodding.

"And we usually have things to say to each other that we prefer not to say in front of the men," Allie added.

I pointed at her. "She speaks the way of women."

"OK, but you were just here an hour ago! Do you all have UTIs or something?" Pixie asked.

"Adults," Karma said in the same mild tone that I kept for my kids when they were their most dragon-like, emotionally, "do not comment on the urinary habits of others, especially those significantly older. Although concern for others is commendable, in general, it's best to wait until you know it's appropriate to offer it."

Pixie sputtered for a few seconds before saying, with a few broad hand waves, "Fine! I'm sorry! But it's suspicious when everyone keeps parading past us."

May turned away to fuss with her perfect flapper bob.

Allie coughed a cough that started as a giggle.

Ysolde did the unthinkable. She smiled at Pixie. "All is forgiven, but really, I think you'd better get back out there if you want any of the dinner you ordered. Brom has two hollow legs, and is likely to take your absence as tacit approval of him consuming everything within reach, and possibly one or two dishes that aren't."

To my surprise, Pixie's expression changed from antagonism to humor. She even cracked a small smile when she admitted, "He's been trying so hard to let me have the tofu wings because I said I loved them, but he keeps looking at them as if they are made of gold."

All the dragon mates straightened up at the mention of gold, May giving a little shiver at the word.

"I can reassure you he won't fall over in the throes of starvation if he doesn't eat tofu wings." Ysolde waited until Pixie, with one last pointed look at Karma, left the bathroom before she hopped off the counter and added, "To be honest, I'm surprised Brom even knows what tofu is, since dragons are notoriously carnivorous. Ah well, that's what love—or the teen version of it—does to you. Is everyone finished? I, for one, want to hear more about Jim's father. Do you think he's really still alive? And what on earth is the Lake of Upside-Down Sinners?"

"Beats me," Karma said with a wan smile. "Polters don't mix much with demigods, although I, too, will be very interested to hear about your demon's parents."

When we made it back to the table, I was pleased to see that Drake had returned from taking Jim for its walkies, although the air was now filled with a sort of static intensity. I looked from Drake to Gabriel, Baltic, Adam, then Christian.

"Much though I'd like to say the four of you can have a free-for-all, I doubt if Bastian would appreciate it," Ysolde said, obviously picking up on the same tension.

Baltic instantly looked happy at the thought of one of the bare-knuckle bouts the men occasionally indulged in, the last one having taken place a year ago at the airport where we'd met the vampires and polters. "Teams of two, or one-on-one? We have an odd number. Brom could—"

"Brom is currently wooing the eccentric, but delightful, Pixie," Ysolde told him, sitting down.

"Besides," I said, leaning in to give Drake's leg another fondle. He shot me a look so smoldering, the tips of my fingers lit on fire again. I blew them out one by one while maintaining eye contact. "Bastian would be sure to object."

"Object? To what?" The voice that spoke had an Italian accent I secretly found sexy, although admittedly, it didn't come close to the Hungarian accent that Drake sported. Bastian appeared from the other side of the restaurant, causing the wyverns to all stand in greeting. "No, please sit and enjoy your meal. I'm not staying. Phyllida and her scribe are waiting for me so that we can fly back to Oregon tonight. I thought I'd check in quickly before we return home. Is everything good? From what I could glimpse from the corner of my eyes, the date appeared to be going well. The young lady was speaking most animatedly, while Brom looked suitably starry-eyed. But what is it that I would object to?"

"Fisticuffs," Baltic said with satisfaction, removing his cuff links and suit jacket. "With you here, we can do three teams."

"There is no way Bastian wants anyone fighting in his nice restaurant—" I started to say, but to my horror, Bastian immediately whipped out his phone, tapping madly on it.

"How long will it take? Shall we say half an hour? I will tell Phyllida that I have been delayed a short while," he said while simultaneously trying to roll up the sleeves of his shirt.

"Oh, for Pete's sake. Drake! We are here to help our friends, not beat the tar out of them!" I protested when the love of my life briskly shucked his suit coat, tie, cuff links, and, after a moment's narrowed eyes at Baltic, the signet ring I'd given him for our last anniversary.

"You can't possibly think of fighting here," May told Gabriel, who, like the other wyverns, was divesting himself of constraining clothing and any jewelry that might be damaged. Adam and Christian exchanged glances, then both stood and did the same. "This is a restaurant!"

"We'll go out to the garden," Bastian said. "It's too cold to seat people out there at this time of the year, so we'll have it to ourselves. Drake, shall we?"

"I am not pairing up with Baltic again," Gabriel said abruptly, and nodded toward Christian. "If you would care to be a team?"

"Certainly," Christian agreed, which made Allie roll her eyes.

"I don't suppose there's any chance to stop them?" she asked us.

"Not when they've already started stripping down," Ysolde said, absently picking up Baltic's shirt from where he'd tossed it on the table.

Drake caught me admiring Baltic's famed six-pack. "Kincsem," he said, his fire high.

I smiled and kissed him on the tip of his adorable nose. "Ysolde doesn't mind if I look."

"Certainly not. Baltic's abs are a sight to behold, and I'm happy for others to admire them as I do," she said calmly, sipping at her wine.

"But I do mind," Drake told me with a long warning look that made me smile to myself. "How long?"

I made a face, and glanced at Ysolde. "Ten minutes?"

"Twenty," Baltic countered, glaring at Gabriel and cracking his knuckles.

"We will settle on fifteen minutes, with bare fists only. No dragon form, no vampire powers, no polter flickering," Ysolde answered, pulling up a timer on her phone. "And the usual rules about injuries apply—if you get hurt, Gabriel has to fix you up."

"With his magic dragon saliva," May added in obvious enjoyment when all the men looked disgusted, especially Gabriel.

"We have an ointment made from the enzymes in our saliva for a reason," he told her sternly, then ruined the effect by caressing her hair before following Bastian to the tiny garden area behind the restaurant.

Baltic and Adam exchanged glances. "You are bigger than Bastian," the former told the polter. "I like that."

"I'm also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do," Adam said as he flexed his pecs.

I pursed my lips at the sight, not wanting to offend either him or Karma with outright admiration.

"Excellent. We will take the others handily," Baltic said with obvious pleasure.

"I take it there's some animosity between you and the other dragons?" Adam asked as he and Baltic left the room.

"Something like that," drifted back to us as the door to the hallway closed behind them.

"Hoo," Allie said, fanning herself with her napkin before grinning at no one in particular. "I have to say that seeing them all like that is just as effective as it was at Christmas. Do they even make unattractive dragons and polters?"

"Sadly, yes to the latter," Karma said, looking very much like the cat who ate the cream. "Although I will admit that Adam is easy on the eyes."

"Very easy," Ysolde said, then frowned. "Was that out of line, Karma? If you'd prefer we not admire Adam—"

"Oh, I don't mind others looking. I'd kick up a fuss if anyone tried to do more, but I don't think I have to worry about that with you all," she said, looking toward the door. "Er ... should we monitor their fight?"

"It's too cold out," Ysolde said, with a wiggle of comfort.

"It's raining," Jim said, coming in from where it had followed the men. "Do you want me to film the fight for you, Ash? I know how you like to watch Drake beat the crap out of Baltic."

Ysolde gave a ladylike snort even as I protested that I did no such thing.

"Baltic can handle Drake," she said. "And he has Adam as extra muscle. I'd rather discuss the situation with Jim's father, but if everyone else wants to go watch—"

We decided as a group that we'd let the men have their fun out in the cold, wet garden. "At least until we take care of the problem with the vamps," May said, pouring out another glass of dragon's blood. "Jim, how long has your father been imprisoned?"

"And just what is the Lake of Upside-Down Sinners?" I asked as it flopped down on the dog bed and once again resumed perusing its magazine. "I've never heard of it. You said it's in part of the Akasha?"

"Do I look like an encyclopedia?" it asked, clearly still a bit offended about the fact that I was ignorant of its birthday.

"Jim," I said with as much patience as I could round up. "You will please answer questions when asked, and yes, that is a direct order."

"Geesh," it said, giving a quick eye roll. "Most people who miss their demon's birthdays are a little more considerate, because they feel bad."

"We will address the subject of your birthday later," I told it firmly. "Please answer the questions asked."

Jim heaved a dramatic sigh. "Fine, but if I have to face Cecile without being able to fill her in on the latest in corgi grooming style, it'll be your fault. My dad was imprisoned right after I was born, according to Zizi's chronicles."

"Zizi?" I asked at the same time Karma said, "When were you born?"

"About 420 CE, and Zizi was the Sovereign after my mom died when I was born," Jim said in a matter-of-fact tone that didn't in the least bit fool me. There was pain in its eyes, a deep pain that had me sitting on the floor next to it in order to stroke its head.

"I'm so sorry, Jim," I said, blinking back a few empathetic tears. "I had no idea about any of this. Your poor mom must have ... wait, what?"

"Sovereign?" May asked, her expression startled. "Like Sally sort of Sovereign?"

"Yeah. My mom used to be Sovereign. Didn't I ever tell you?" it asked me.

I stared at it, my brain awhirl. "No! Are you sure? That sounds rude, but ... the Sovereign?"

"Well, it's what was written down, so I assume it's true," Jim answered.

"I don't think I know how to process this," Ysolde said, rubbing her forehead. The others there all looked similarly confused. "Jim's dad was a demigod, and its mom was a Sovereign. That's just ... I mean, you must be seriously badass with parents like that."

We all looked at Jim. It grinned.

"Right, we're going to add that to the list of things to talk about once we get home," I said, wondering if I'd ever be able to see Jim in the light of a mere demon dog. "Because frankly, I don't think I can deal with it right now."

"I can't help but wonder how a Sovereign came to be acquainted with one of the founders of Abaddon, let alone how they came to have a child," Ysolde said, and the others nodded in response.

"It seems unlikely at best," May added, giving me a look filled with questions. I shook my head at her, just as bewildered as everyone else.

"There is one thing," Allie said after a moment's thought. "If Jim's father was one of the founding princes, he must have been pretty bad."

Jim gave a one-shoulder shrug. "Zizi's notes didn't say anything other than my mom—her name was Parisi—caused all sorts of trouble when it came out she was preggers by Desislav, the most powerful of the three princes who formed Abaddon. Then I was born, and my mother retreated to the Beyond because she had childbed fever and they couldn't stop the bleeding. Later on, Hildegarde became Sovereign, and she told me I had a destiny outside of the Court, so I left. I went to join a friend in Abaddon, but she died, too." Jim's brown eyes considered me for a moment; then it rubbed its head on my leg in a gesture of affection that warmed my heart. I gave it a quick hug, a kiss on its head, and a fondle of the ears.

"I'm sorry," I said again, making a mental note to pay it some extra attention. Clearly, I'd been too caught up with our kids, dragon happenings, and Guardian duties to be attending to Jim as I ought. "That's tragic for everyone involved."

There were sympathetic murmurs from the others, but it was Allie who asked the question about which I was wondering.

"Why was your father banished to this upside-down lake?" she asked, watching as May idly drew Newfies on her notebook page. "Did he do something heinous to your mom? No, that wouldn't make sense. Why would Abaddon be angry at him if he attacked the leader of their opposition?"

"I don't think the Court of Divine Blood is exactly in opposition of Abaddon, is it?" Karma asked, glancing toward the door that led to the garden. "I wish Adam were here. He knows a lot more about the Court than I do, but I thought it was a place that basically did good deeds for others, which is why mortals based their version of heaven on it."

"That's it, I think," I answered, and leaned down to Jim to whisper in its ear, "Would you prefer not to talk about your parents? Or just your dad? I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

"Naw, it's OK. I never met them," it answered, then looked over to Allie. "Hilders said when the other princes found out that my dad took my mom as his mate, they figured he would become too powerful with her at his side, so they got rid of my dad by banishing him to the Thirteenth Hour."

"How horrible," May said, rubbing her arms.

"Truly horrible." Ysolde glanced at my phone when I held it out to her, showing her the camera view of Brom and Pixie dancing with abandon along with a dozen other patrons. We could hear the music in our section of the restaurant, but it wasn't so loud we couldn't converse over it. "Imagine being banished because you were in love."

The others offered agreements, but those were interrupted when a figure appeared in the hall doorway.

Baltic stood with blood dripping from his nose, his hair loose from where it had been tied back, and a long red scratch on one of his biceps. "Mate!"

"What?" Ysolde asked, looking up from my phone.

"You aren't going to watch us fight?" He looked so outraged that I had to stifle a laugh.

"We thought it would be more helpful if we worked out the issue with the bad vampire thane," she told him.

He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, very well. I never could resist seeing your six-pack in action. Feel free to stay here where it's warm and dry, ladies," she said, grabbing both her phone and Baltic's coat to wrap around herself as she followed him out.

"It's wet out there," May said thoughtfully.

"They're shirtless," Karma added, looking speculatively at the door. "Shirtless and wet, their skin glistening in the light as their muscles flex."

Silence fell for three seconds; then we were all at the door trying to get through it at the same time.

We made it to the garden with less than seemly haste, taking up positions next to Ysolde where she stood under an eave.

"Really?" I asked her when I noticed her filming the men's scrummage.

"I thought it would be fun to have for those moments when Baltic is away," she said with an arch look that had me getting out my own phone.

"Next time, you have to stream it on YouTube," Jim offered as it emerged from the restaurant. "Bet you could monetize this. Ow. That looks like it hurt."

"Drake, was that a tooth or your lip?" I called when Baltic and Adam, having taken offense to Drake's spinning kick that sent Baltic staggering backward, both jumped him. They went down in a tangle of limbs, and when Drake fought his way out, his mouth was bloody.

He paused for a moment, obviously running a tongue around his mouth. He then swore in Zilant, the archaic dragon language, and slammed his fist into Adam's gut before charging toward Baltic.

"Dammit. We've single-handedly funded our dentist's summer home in Nice," I said.

"They will insist on doing this," May said, then shouted, "I saw that, Bastian! It's not very sporting to punch Gabriel when Baltic and Adam are sitting on him. Oh, well done, Gabriel, although I'm not sure biting is within the rules."

We all looked at Ysolde, who gave a barely visible shrug. "I wouldn't want to bite any of them except Baltic, but I don't know that it's strictly out of bounds. Shall we make it so?"

"I think that would be best," Allie said, looking worriedly as it was Christian's turn to be pig-piled upon by Drake and Bastian. "After all, if Christian bites them, they'll really feel it."

"Allie has a good point," Ysolde conceded, and, raising her voice over the London nighttime sounds and rain, yelled, "Biting is hereby forbidden. And before you dragons protest, recall you have a vampire in your midst."

"Dark One," emerged from the pig pile, which then exploded to the side as Christian leaped to his feet.

"Five more minutes," I called, admiring the sight of Drake happily taking on anyone who came within reach.

"You know, the first time they did this, I thought you all were crazy," Allie said.

"I'm so there with you," Karma agreed, then applauded when the team of Adam and Baltic linked arms and mowed down everyone else. Gabriel kicked out and Baltic went down on top of him, obviously knocking the breath out of Gabriel.

"But I'm starting to see the reason behind it," Allie continued, her eyes huge as she followed Christian and Bastian now dancing around each other in the classic pose of boxers. "You have to admit that it rates a hundred on the manly meter."

"It's one of the reasons why we let them beat the crap out of each other," May agreed. "Dragons being so emotionally volatile, it vents their steam, so to speak, and makes them much more reasonable to deal with."

"Little bird!" Gabriel's head popped up out of the writhing mass that was the men trying repeatedly to get to their feet, only to be dragged back down into combat. "We are not unreasonable! Dammit, Drake! Bastian just kicked me there. Two inches higher and I'll reciprocate."

"You boys know the rules. No attacks on any parts we want working hale and hearty. Three minutes," Ysolde told them.

As was usual in these skirmishes, the bond of pairs broke down in the last few minutes, and it was every man for himself. By the time they dragged themselves inside to our table, they were all limping, were covered in wet grass and flecks of mud, and had a generally bedraggled state that did not diminish their inherent sexiness one single iota.

"I think ... yes, I think we'll take up your friend's offer of using his office for a few minutes," Allie said, studying a slightly wobbly Christian. "Come along, you valiant vamp, you. Let's get you fed so you can heal up."

"Interesting that feeding fixes vampires hurts," May said as Gabriel plopped down in a chair with a whole lot less grace than was normal.

Drake limped over to hold my chair, but I pushed him gently into his own before dipping a napkin in water to clean up his mouth. "Please tell me it wasn't one of your real teeth that was knocked

out. Oh, man. It was. Well, you now have a full house of implants. You're just lucky dragons heal so fast from dental surgery."

"Baltic still has all his original teeth," Ysolde said with zero modesty as she took care of Baltic's gruesomely bleeding ear and face.

Bastian, who had collapsed onto an extra chair he'd dragged over, was sipping at the glass of wine Ysolde had given him. "Not for lack of us trying to make him swallow them. Peste! I think one of my fingers is broken. Phyllida will have something to say about that."

"Spoken like a wyvern truly mated," I told him, studying Drake. He was now also sipping at the dragon's blood, and looked more cheerful and less pained.

Bastian's shoulders slumped for a few seconds. "Wyvern no more, but I do not complain. The Song Tribe is stronger than ever, and we hope to do something with the other tribes not under Xavier's influence. A collective like the weyr is what Hunter, Archer, and I are thinking."

"I believe that discussion is best left for a later time," Drake said, not flickering his gaze toward where Karma was wiping up a couple of scratches on Adam's chest before assisting him on with his shirt, but all the dragons present understood.

"I think—phone check, if you please, Aisling, since I don't hear music, and Brom knows full well he's not to leave before telling us—I think we should fill in the men about what we learned while they were out being primal and dangerous."

I was about to open up the link to Bastian's camera, but before I could do so, Brom and Pixie appeared at our end of the restaurant, followed by Allie and Christian, who scooted around them.

"We're going to the movie now," Brom announced, looking simultaneously worried and dewy-eyed.

Pixie, on the other hand, bristled with an indignation that I decided was normal for her. She pinned Karma back with a look and said in a haughty tone, "The movie doesn't end until eleven, so I'm not going to make it back by midnight, because we're going to have fish-and-chips out of a newspaper, and then may go on for drinks afterward."

Adam made an odd checking motion but, after sliding a look toward Karma, sat back and tightened his lips.

"Unfortunately, that is not what we agreed to," Karma said with a collectedness I mentally applauded. "So we will expect you by midnight. Enjoy your movie and authentic fish-and-chips."

"It's legal for me to drink beer here so long as you give me permission, and you have!" Pixie said with a slap of her hands on her legs. "You said I could have a shandy. You can't stop us!"

Karma took a sip of wine before answering. "Do you really want to have this argument right here and now?"

"It's OK," Brom told Pixie, putting his arm around her with a slightly red-faced glance at Ysolde and Baltic. "I told Sullivan I'd be back by then because Mondays are my early-class day."

Pixie, who had frozen when he put his arm around her, slowly turned her head to look at him, her color almost as high as his. "Oh," she said, then started to leave, but evidently remembered her manners, because she paused to gesture toward the table. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make a scene. Dr. Wellbottom says that making a scene when it's not warranted is a sign of lying to yourself. Night."

"Wow," Adam said after they left. He tipped his head as he looked at Karma. "Is that the first time she's apologized?"

"Not to me, no, but it is the first time she's done so in front of other people. Bless Dr. Wellbottom, and may the sun ever rise upon her," Karma answered, still looking a bit stunned.

While the men recovered from their tension-letting, we filled them in with details on what Jim had told us about its parents. Understandably, they were as gobsmacked as we ladies were.

Baltic, I noticed, didn't say much when the other men exclaimed, but he did give Jim a long, long look.

After ten minutes of discussion about how the head of the Court and the head of Abaddon could manage to get together long enough to have a child, we returned to more practical matters.

"What do you know about the place where Jim's dad is imprisoned?" I asked Drake.

"The Thirteenth Hour? I have never heard of it," he answered, rubbing a finger over his chin as he mulled over the information. The rasp of his whiskers against his finger had me considering sliding my hand up his leg again, but I didn't want to tease him to the point where the others might notice. "Is it something you are familiar with, Baltic?"

I expected Baltic to make his usual protestation that just because he was a Firstborn didn't mean he knew everything, but instead, his gaze narrowed on the wall opposite. "Heard of it? Yes. But I did not believe it really existed. It is not something spoken of lightly."

"Do you know if it's possible to summon a person from it?" Gabriel asked, gesturing toward me. "Aisling has summoned beings from the Akasha many times. Perhaps, if this is an extension of that place, she could simply have Jim's father summoned to us?"

Drake's fire immediately roared to life.

"Calm down, sweetie," I whispered to him, giving his hand a squeeze, and smiling to myself when he slid his fingers between mine. Normally, Drake disliked public displays of affection, feeling it was beneath wyvernly dignity or some such silliness, but he was also an incredibly loving man, and frequently emotion got the better of his intentions. "It's not dangerous, but if it were, I'd ask Nora to help me."

"I don't think it works like that." Baltic frowned at the wall, obviously dredging through his substantial memory.

"I have not heard of this Thirteenth Hour, but I must again point out that this problem is one the Moravian Council is dealing with," Christian protested. "I will repeat that we are grateful you wish to help us, but the problem is not yours."

"But if they can help, we'd be foolish to not accept it," Allie told him, her hand on his arm. He took her hand in his, but looked unconvinced. "I mean, you'd take help from a charmer or a Summoner like me, or even a vespillo if it was needed."

"Such individuals could not help us in this situation," he told her. "And naturally, I would accept any help to ensure that our ancestor does no harm to anyone in the mortal realm, but it is a problem best left to those who are experts in the matter."

"Which is us," I said, beaming at him. He didn't look reassured. I turned to Jim. "Can I summon your dad out of the Thirteenth Hour?"

Jim shook its head. "Other parts of the Akasha, yeah. But not that one. I told you it was a super-secure part of the underworld. Guardians can't summon people from there."

"But someone else could?" May said, pouncing on its words. "Could a demon lord do it? If so, we can probably bribe Magoth to do it for us. He'll charge an arm and a leg, because he's materialistic like that, but still, I bet he'd do it."

"If there are any charges to be paid, we will do so," Christian said stiffly.

None of the ladies paid him any mind, although all the wyverns nodded. Adam was talking quietly to Karma, and obviously missed the statement.

"Yes, of course, we'll pay whatever the cost is," Allie agreed. "Just let me know and we'll send the money. Er ... is this demon lord trustworthy, do you think?"

"Not so far as you can spit," May said cheerfully. "But he's all we have, so—"

"He's not going to be able to pull my dad out of the Akasha any more than Aisling could," Jim said. I was pleased to see it was no longer flipping through its magazine, and instead was following the conversation with interest. I covertly sent a text to Suzanne, our housekeeper, and asked her to run out and buy a dozen birthday balloons and a box of its favorite dog cookies. "You guys don't seem to get it."

"Then why don't you tell us what, exactly, is needed to free your father?" Drake said in a voice that was as smooth as his massive marble bathtub, but underneath, his fire still simmered.

Jim said nothing, just cocked one furry black eyebrow.

I sighed. "Jim, the order to answer questions did not run out just because we left the room and returned."

"Fine, but if they take away my demon card because I'm giving you information like I'm Google, then you only have yourself to blame," it said with a faux-injured sniff, but I had the feeling that it was secretly happy to discuss the subject. Poor thing, it probably wanted to have a connection with parents it had never had a chance to meet. "The first problem is going to be finding him. He's been in there for sixteen hundred years, so no doubt he's locked away somewhere pretty impenetrable."

"‘Find him,'" May wrote on her notepad. "Obviously, that may take some doing. What's the next step, Jim?"

Jim sighed again. "So, my dad, Desi, is a demigod, right? And he's imprisoned in the underworld." We all stared at it until it gave an exaggerated eye roll and asked, "How do you get a dead guy to move around?"

"A hearse?" Karma asked. "No, wait ... you mean in the underworld. Adam, didn't you say that your grandfather left your house to go visit one of the Hours of the underworld?"

"Yes," Adam said, looking thoughtful. "We had to hire him a reaper. They're the only ones who can guide the dead."

"Oh, that is not good," Allie said, her eyes on her husband. Christian looked stony-faced in response.

"How so?" Ysolde asked. She was leaning into Baltic, one hand draped over his leg in the same way I wanted to be touching Drake.

"The vamps have a history with the reapers," she answered. "Do you want to tell them, or should I, Christian?"

"No one needs to know about—" He stopped, and heaved a sigh. "No. No! Very well, since you insist, but I want it noted that I object to baring our laundry, dirty or otherwise, in front of non–Dark Ones."

"Did I just miss something?" Ysolde asked.

Baltic whispered in her ear.

"Really? Mind talking? Why can't you do that?" she asked.

Baltic donned his inscrutable expression again, but his hand must have gone wandering, because Ysolde gave a squeak as she jumped in her chair.

"I'll give you the short and dirty rundown, since Christian is the head of the Moravian Council, and he takes their rules very seriously, but nothing says I have to be quite so reticent to share," Allie said, and we all settled back to listen to this strange (to dragons, anyway) new world. "About fifteen or so years ago, a group that had spent hundreds of years targeting vampires really got going, and were killing vampires in the name of their group. Er ..."

"The Brotherhood of the Blessed Light," Christian said with a twist of his lips. "Commonly known as reapers."

"There's a long story involving two vampires named Kristoff and Alec, especially Kristoff's wife, Pia, who was a reaper at one time."

"OK, got it," May said, covering her page with tidy script.

"With her help, and a bunch of vamps, the Brotherhood was basically broken. It tried to carry on for a bit, but we—the vamps—kept at it until the organization collapsed under incompetent leadership."

"Wait—are you saying there are no more reapers?" I asked.

Christian hesitated a few seconds before answering. "There remain a few who were not connected with the Brotherhood, but they tend to not seek attention, and live solitary lives."

"If there are no reapers left, then how do the dead go on to the afterlife of their choice?" Ysolde asked. "What do they do when they need a guide?"

Allie looked at Christian, who was again a bit reluctant in answering. "According to what Finch told me, I believe the underworlds have automated systems to allow the passage of all but the most powerful beings."

"That doesn't make sense, does it?" Karma asked, looking as puzzled as I felt. "I mean, shouldn't the more powerful beings be the ones who can travel on their own?"

"Yeah, that's not how it works," Jim said. I gave it a pat on the head for offering information instead of me ordering it to do so. "The more powerful beings usually diminish into the Beyond, like my mom did, but if they don't, then they are contained in various Hours."

Silence fell over the table as we all considered this information.

"The answer appears to be simple," I said, my eyes on the notes May had made. "We find one of these reclusive reapers, and he or she goes to fetch Jim's dad from the Thirteenth Hour. I bet even if the reaper person could get him to the regular Akasha, I could summon them both."

"Right, and after we get Jim's dad out, he can help Allie and Christian stuff the bad vampire thane back into Finch's Hour," Ysolde said with obvious satisfaction. "I believe we have a plan, one in which everyone will be happy."

"Far from it," I heard Jim mutter under its breath. Baltic must have also heard it, because he sent a speculative look Jim's way.

"What we need is a Broker to find the reaper," Adam said suddenly. "I can help with locating one, but unfortunately, due to my position with the Watch, I'm not allowed to have anything to do with them. Brokers, not reapers."

"What sort of Broker?" Ysolde asked.

"Real estate or financial?" I frowned in thought. "We can help with both if needed, although I can tell you that Drake is going to be annoyed if we have to barter real estate. You know how dragons are—they hold what is theirs even when they don't show their beloved mates the full listing of their real estate holdings, and she has to find out from a stray comment from Kostya about an apartment in Rio."

"I told you that my mother was living there," Drake answered me with a sardonic twist of one eyebrow. "And you are familiar enough with her to know she'd never willingly pay for her own accommodations when she can use mine. The point is moot, however, since the Broker Adam means is not mortal."

"Broker," Ysolde said, her eyes narrowed on her glass of wine. "Wait ... it's coming to me. ... Damn my ex for messing up my memories. ... Got it! The Midnight Bazaar! That's where the Broker is."

Baltic nodded when she looked to him for confirmation.

"Show of hands those of us who don't know what this Midnight Bazaar is," I said, suiting action to word. May, Allie, and Karma all raised their hands, as well. "Excellent. Who wants to explain?"

The men all sat silent. Ysolde, with an annoyed tsk , said, "I would, but all I remember is that it's located in ... Budapest?"

"Amsterdam," Drake corrected, shaking his head. "It was located in Buda until the early seventeen hundreds; then it moved due to the incoming Broker's preference."

"So this person helps you hire reapers?" Karma asked Adam.

"I believe so, although I've never actually visited the bazaar." Adam looked at the other men present. "I assume since the rest of you are much older than me, you have?"

They all nodded.

"OK, so I have added ‘go to the bazaar to find the Broker' to our to-do list," May said, flipping a page in her notebook. "I'd like to know a little more about the bazaar. Do they sell magical things there? Is it like the Committee's Buy and Sell group? We've found some fun glamours there, although dragons don't often use them."

No one answered her.

I looked at Drake. "Would you like to do the honors so Ysolde doesn't have to elbow Baltic again?"

"Not in the least, but I will, simply because it is almost the time we told the children we would be home for our video call with them. The bazaar does not market things. ... Instead, it facilitates the exchange of services," he answered, once more rubbing a finger over his chin, but this time, I could tell he was watching for me to react to it.

I covertly slid my hand over to his leg, and gave it a pinch.

"What kind of services?" Karma asked.

"Those whose legality is highly questionable, if what I've been told is true," Adam answered before Drake could. "Which is yet another reason why the Watch would be unhappy with me if I were to get involved with them."

"How about I volunteer to contact the bazaar?" I suggested. "Things are light in the Guardian department right now, and we're staying in England and Scotland for the next four months, so I have the time to handle it. I can line us up a reaper to go into the Thirteenth Hour. Jim, if the reaper says it's possible, would you want to go with him or her to find your dad?"

"I guess so," it said, scratching at a spot on its neck.

There was a bit more discussion, but as Drake hustled me off for our video call before he left for Budapest the next morning, we all agreed that we'd go the reaper route to finding Jim's dad.

"I just hope it doesn't somehow end up making things worse," I told Drake as I snuggled against him in the intimate darkness of the car.

"Way to jinx the whole thing, Ash," Jim said from where it had its head hanging out of the window.

"I don't believe in jinxes," I told it, but I could feel from Drake's silence just how concerned he was.

I fervently hoped that Jim wasn't being as prescient as normal.