He looked away, his jaw still tight. My belly ached at the unspoken rejection. I considered pushing it away, deep and dark into the depths of my own psyche, but something inside me rebelled, some newfound sense of . . . oh, I don’t know, togetherness, I guess. I had spent my life alone, bound to Cyrene, bound to Magoth, but never having anyone with whom I could share things. Gabriel charged into my life with a flash of his molten silver eyes, and made me a part of something bigger, something . . . us.

‘‘Gabriel, don’t push me out. I’ve spent my lifetime alone,’’ I said.

He turned a surprised look on me. ‘‘I have not pushed you out, little bird.’’

‘‘You want to. I can tell you want to protect me by keeping me away from this, but you said I was your mate, and I accepted the job. That means your burdens are mine to share, and by the twelve gods, I’m going to share them.’’

He looked taken aback for a moment before he suddenly grinned. ‘‘I begin to see more and more why Drake puts up with Aisling’s ways.’’

‘‘You’d better believe—wait . . . was that a compliment or an insult? If it was the latter, we’re going to need to have a long talk. If it was the former, I’ll kiss you until you can’t think straight.’’

‘‘Former. It was definitely the former,’’ he said quickly.

‘‘I’m never going to be a proper wyvern’s mate at this rate,’’ I said as I flung myself across the seat to kiss him.

‘‘I’m beginning to think the rules regarding proper etiquette are vastly overrated,’’ he murmured as I licked his bottom lip. Gabriel allowed me to take charge of the kiss, his hands warm on my ribs as I lazily explored his mouth, the embers of desire quickly igniting under the taste and feel and scent of him. An idle part of my mind wondered for a second what it was about him that had me willing to risk everything just to be with him, but that thought didn’t last long. He was what he was, and that was all I wanted.

‘‘I’m still thinking straight,’’ he murmured a few minutes later. His fire roared through me, seemingly setting my blood on fire, but reluctantly, I kept a tight rein on it and returned it to him lest we inadvertently set the cab alight.

‘‘Are you, now,’’ I purred, sliding my hands down his chest. His eyes widened as I shifted so that I was sitting astride his thighs, my body blocking the cab driver’s view of him. ‘‘Let’s see if you’re still thinking after I do this . . .’’