Cyrene’s chest rose in a deep breath as her eyelids fluttered, a long exhalation of her breath bringing joy to my heart. Her eyes opened, puzzlement evident as she looked first at Gabriel, then at me. ‘‘Mayling?’’ she asked, her voice reedy.

I grasped her hands and squeezed her fingers, relief swamping me as I smiled down at her. ‘‘I’m here.’’

‘‘Mei Ling?’’ Drake asked, and I froze, my fingers tightening around Cyrene’s until she made a noise of protest. ‘‘Mei Ling the cat burglar?’’

‘‘Mei Ling?’’ Gabriel said as well, his warm voice filled with speculation as he considered me with those lovely quicksilver eyes. A smile spread slowly, his dimples becoming evident as amusement filled his eyes. ‘‘How propitious.’’

I released Cyrene’s hands, edging away from him. I wanted to bolt, to get us out of there, but Cyrene wasn’t in any condition to move yet. ‘‘How so?’’

His dimples deepened. ‘‘You’re just the woman I’ve been looking for.’’

Chapter Five

Chapter Five

‘‘. . . think you’ll be just fine here. Jim, get off the bed and let Cyrene have some rest.’’

‘‘Hey! Belly scratches happenin’ here!’’ the demon protested, its back legs kicking as Cyrene obediently scratched at the hairy stomach.

‘‘Off!’’ Aisling ordered, pointing to the door. She gave me an apologetic smile as the demon left, muttering under its breath. ‘‘You’ll have to forgive Jim. I think its nose is a bit out of joint because of all the attention focused on the baby. Is there anything else you need?’’

Cyrene, reclining against a mountain of pillows, waved a wan, pale hand. ‘‘No, thank you. I’m comfortable, but tired, very, very tired.’’ She punctuated her sentence with a gigantic yawn.

‘‘All right, then. Shout out if you need anything,’’ Aisling said, glancing across the room to where her wyvern stood leaning against the wall, silently watching us. ‘‘Drake?’’

‘‘We would like to see you downstairs when your twin can spare you,’’ he said to me before walking over to his wife, holding the door open for her.

I didn’t bother replying since he clearly was issuing an order, not a request. I simply waited for the door to close behind them before hurrying over to the two windows in the room.

‘‘Agathos daimon,’’ I swore as I tried to open them. They were both warded against dark beings, which meant I wouldn’t be able to get out of them.

‘‘What’s wrong? Mayling! You’re not thinking of leaving?’’ Cyrene asked.

‘‘Well, I’m not thinking about staying, if that’s what’s on your mind. We have to get out of here, Cy.’’ I spun around, eyeing the room to consider possible avenues of escape. There wasn’t much in the room but a bed, two chairs, a couple of dressers, and two doors—one that led to the hallway, the other to a shared bathroom.

The bathroom!