took a long pull on his drink, then strolled across the room, setting his glass down on the table next to me. His face was shuttered and absolutely expressionless as he looked down on me.
"I take it that this Kostya is making your life hell?" I asked him, dread building within me. I began to see what it was he wanted me for.
"That would be an understatement," he said, turning to look out into the darkness.
I set down my own glass carefully lest I end up snapping the thin stem. "I think I should tell you all that I am not a hit man. I will not kill anyone, let alone a dragon."
"Oh, we don't want you to kill Kostya! He's Drake's brother, no matter how annoying he may be," Aisling said quickly. "It's the phylactery. We want you to steal it back from him."
"What phylactery?" I asked, my heart sinking. Why was it that people saw me only for my talent, and never for who I truly was?
"Kostya took a phylactery from me. He intends on using it against the silver dragons in an attempt to annex them," Drake said.
"I see," I said again.
"You're Mei Ling, the cat burglar everyone is talking about," Aisling said, her face worried. "You can get the phylactery back for us, can't you?"
I lifted my hand in a vague gesture, unsure of what I wanted to say. With the intention of stalling for a few seconds, I snatched up my glass instead, but the moment the wine hit my tongue, I realized I'd taken Gabriel's glass instead. It was as if I was drinking liquid hellfire.
"Agathos daimon!" I yelped, dropping the glass and jumping to my feet as flames burst out around my feet.
"Not me," Aisling said when Drake looked at her. "That fire isn't mine."
Gabriel spun around, his eyes glowing with a sudden light as he watched me stamp out the flames that licked my toes.
"Holy cow," Aisling said, watching me with openmouthed amazement. "Did she just drink what I think she did?"
Gabriel picked the glass up off the floor, running his finger around the now-empty glass, tasting the remnants with an indescribable look as I put out the last of the flames. "Yes."
"Oh, man, two in one year?" Jim asked, an odd expression on its face. "What're the odds?"
"I'm sorry about the rug," I told Aisling, grabbing a couple of napkins to try to soak up the spilled wine. "I must have grabbed the wrong glass. That's a heck of a drink. What is it?"
I could still taste the heady beverage on my lips, a spicy mix that had a hint of cloves and cinnamon, and a heavy red wine that was blended with something indefinable.
"It's called dragon's blood," Gabriel answered, his eyes glittering brightly as he took a step nearer to me. "Would you like more?"
The man in black who was sitting behind me jumped up and said something in a language I didn't recognize.
Gabriel ignored him, watching me with close attention that left me feeling somewhat flustered. "Um... sure. That would be nice."
No one spoke a word as Gabriel took a dusty bottle out from behind the bar, pouring out a glass of wine.
"Thank you," I said, accepting it, uncomfortable with the way everyone was watching me so closely. With nothing else to do, I took a sip of the drink. I was ready for it this time, but even so, the drink roared through me, setting my blood afire with its heat.
"Would you mind if I tried a quick experiment?" Gabriel asked, breaking the silence.
"I suppose not," I said, looking around nervously. Everyone in the room, everyone from the demon dog on down to the two people who sat behind me, watched me with an intensity that made my palms sweat. What on earth was wrong with them all?
"Good." Gabriel held out his hand for me. I accepted it, but rather than releasing me as I expected, he pulled me into an embrace, his body hard against mine as he suddenly kissed me.
I stiffened for a moment, unsure of what I should do. My first instinct was to shadow and break his grip on me, but the feeling of his mouth on mine had a curiously numbing effect on my brain. I couldn't seem to think as his tongue licked the corner of my mouth, urging my lips to part. Without conscious thought, they did so, allowing him entrance. He tasted like the drink, spicy, but with a faint