‘‘We can’t just leave him here,’’ I pointed out. ‘‘I may not have liked him, but that doesn’t mean we can just stumble over his body and not say something to someone about it.’’

Savian sighed and pulled out a cell phone. ‘‘Can you still see your twin’s trail?’’

I slid into the beyond and moved over to the window. Outside it was a frail-looking fire escape. I came back to reality with a little nod. ‘‘Just barely.’’

‘‘You and the wyvern start following it. I’ll call the watch and let them know about Porter, and be with you as soon as I can.’’

‘‘How will you know where to find us if the trail is gone by then?’’ I asked.

He grinned at me. ‘‘Her trail will be gone . . . but not yours. I haven’t followed you around for nothing, Mei Ling.’’

Gabriel made a low growling noise that secretly delighted me. I didn’t want him thinking I was a weakling who needed constant protection, however, so I ignored it and lifted the window sash, gingerly climbing out onto the rickety fire escape.

Gabriel was right behind me as I made my way down to the ground.

‘‘I can’t follow you now, Mayling,’’ he said when I had tracked Cyrene’s footsteps to the street and popped back into our reality to tell him what I found. ‘‘You must walk alone. But you will call me when you find her destination.’’

That was a command, not a question. I nodded, wanting badly to kiss the very breath out of him, but was cognizant of the fact that we were standing on the sidewalk of a busy, if rundown, street. ‘‘Do you know what I’m thinking right now?’’ I asked.

His silver gaze focused on me for a few seconds. ‘‘Yes. And the feeling is mutual, although I favor honey over whipped cream. It’s stickier, and requires more licking to remove it.’’

‘‘A dragon with a sweet tooth—I’ll have to remember that,’’ I said, glancing around before finding a suitably empty, darkened doorway in which I could slip into the shadow world.

‘‘You are the sweetest morsel I have ever wanted,’’ he murmured and, ignoring propriety, pulled me into a kiss, pushing me hard against the wooden door behind me, his body aggressive and unyielding. I got the feeling he was deliberately trying to overwhelm me with his presence . . . and he was doing a damned fine job of that.

‘‘You think I am not dangerous and primitive?’’ he growled into my mouth, his hands sliding down my hips. I moaned into his mouth, rubbing myself against him, the want that never left me building to the point where all I could think of was joining myself with him.