‘‘As am I,’’ Gabriel said, clicking off the phone before doing an about-face to march out the front door we had so recently entered.

‘‘Where are you going?’’ I asked, looking between him and Drake, who was arguing with his brother, Aisling and Savian sharing the phone Gabriel had tossed down.

‘‘Out,’’ he said without stopping.

I hurried after him. ‘‘Why?’’

‘‘I have had enough of this. That Kostya would attempt to harm me, I accept. That he would strike at you, I expect. But that he would take into his hands the life of someone not related to the sept in order to blackmail me—no. Tipene and Maata, I understand. They are part of the sept. But your twin is not. This must stop now.’’

‘‘I’m with you so far as that goes,’’ I said, taking his hand. His fingers tightened around mine in an almost painful grip as he strode down the street to a busy intersection. ‘‘But how exactly are we going to stop him?’’

He hailed a cab and waited until it was under way before answering me. ‘‘We go back to the portal’s exit, and you follow his trail. I will end it once and for all.’’

I didn’t like the look of unadulterated rage in his eyes, but there was little I could say that would persuade him not to take the present course of action. Besides which, I was more than a little annoyed with Kostya’s ridiculous persecution of Gabriel and the silver dragons. That didn’t mean I had to blindly follow Gabriel, however.

‘‘There must be a way to end things without you indulging in the sort of violence I have a feeling you’re thinking of unleashing.’’

‘‘I will not give him the phylactery,’’ Gabriel swore, his fingers tightening on mine.

‘‘Good gods, no, I didn’t mean that!’’ I shuddered to think of what would happen if Magoth found out I used the phylactery to save Cyrene. He’d likely destroy both of us. ‘‘I just meant that there has to be a way other than the all-out war that Drake warned him about. You can’t want that.’’

His fingers tightened even more until I made a little wordless noise of protest. Immediately he relaxed his hold, stroking my fingers and bringing the tips to his mouth to kiss. ‘‘I’m sorry, little bird. I do not mean to take out my frustrations on you.’’

‘‘That’s what I’m here for, isn’t it?’’

The look he gave me contained no smile. ‘‘You are my mate. You are part of me now, part of the sept, but that does not mean I should unduly burden you.’’