‘‘I liked it,’’ Jim said, plopping its big butt down next to a chair. ‘‘You don’t often get to see a wyvern claiming a mate. It’s better than Skinemax. Is there going to be an encore? If there is, can you hold off until I make some popcorn?’’

Aisling spoke a few hurried words and, before the demon could do more than open its mouth in protest, banished it to the Akasha. ‘‘I’m sorry about Jim. I think a little time-out is in order. I’m afraid, though, that it might be right about one thing.’’

I slid a glance toward Gabriel. He was watching me with an intensity that both flattered me and made me uncomfortable. ‘‘Yes, I’m afraid that it is. . . . It would seem that despite the fact that I’m a doppelganger, I appear to be your mate.’’

‘‘I don’t understand how . . .’’ Cyrene’s voice trailed away to nothing as she sank rather less gracefully than normal into a nearby chair.

‘‘The how is not important,’’ Gabriel answered, his dimples slowly emerging. ‘‘What matters is that the impossible has happened. I’m delighted that you understand the significance of being able to share my fire, May. I never expected to have a mate, but now that I’ve found you, I am very pleased.’’

I wanted to shadow, to go find a quiet spot where I could think over recent events by myself, without any other distractions. I was a thief, dammit, a shadow walker, servant of a demon lord, keeper of Cyrene’s common sense, and responsible only for myself and her well-being. And now I found myself bound to a stranger? I shook my head. I just didn’t have experience with men, let alone dragons. The situation seemed untenable at best.

‘‘I don’t understand any of this,’’ Cyrene said, giving me a hurt look. ‘‘You do like men?’’

‘‘I’m sorry,’’ I said, dropping to my knees next to her. I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. No matter how scatterbrained she was, no matter how many times she got herself into scrapes and expected me to pull her out, she was still my twin. I owed my very existence to her. ‘‘I didn’t like deceiving you, but it seemed like less stress for everyone if you thought I wasn’t interested in men at all.’’

‘‘You’re a dragon’s mate,’’ she said slowly, as if she was absorbing this new image of me. ‘‘I still don’t . . . Are you sure we’re not both your mate?’’

Gabriel considered her for a moment.

‘‘We are identical,’’ she told him, her expression earnest. ‘‘May is an exact copy of me. Well, she’s not a naiad, but other than that, she’s my duplicate.’’