I wanted badly to lean forward so I could peer into the window and see who this man was—in order to stay far, far away from him—but every time I thought it was safe to do so, movement next to the window warned me off.

Gabriel’s voice was smoothly noncommittal. ‘‘What connection could I possibly have?’’

‘‘That is the question, isn’t it?’’

‘‘A question that has no pertinence, hence I do not feel obliged to answer it,’’ Gabriel said.

‘‘Methinks the dragon protests too much,’’ the thief taker answered quickly.

Gabriel rose slowly from the chair. ‘‘If you are insinuating—’’

‘‘Enough!’’ Kostich interrupted, marching over to stand in front of Gabriel. He said, slowly, ‘‘I am torn with the need to have returned that which was stolen from me, and a hesitancy to involve someone else with an individual who clearly poses a danger. Although your kind are not under the umbrella of the L’au-delà, dragonkin have long been considered our friends. It is for this reason that I will refuse the temptation you offer, and instead warn you not to have anything further to do with Mei Ling.’’

‘‘You do not need to fear for my safety,’’ Gabriel replied with no attempt to hide the amusement in his voice. ‘‘Dragons are notoriously difficult to destroy, and I have no qualms acting as a go-between for you and Mei Ling.’’

The thief taker snorted.

‘‘I must admit that I, too, am curious about why you are willing to do such a thing,’’ Kostich said smoothly.

Gabriel turned his head just enough so I could see the dimple in one of his cheeks. ‘‘You have offered a generous reward. I’m sure your thief takers are’’—his pause emphasized the stress he laid on the next word—‘‘adequate, but you should not underestimate the interests dragons have in rewards of the nature you are offering.’’

My fingers tightened around the smooth stone of the casement as anger flared at the thought of him turning me over to Kostich in order to receive the benefaction. Was this, then, how he chose to achieve his goal of acquiring the dragon phylactery? Was he willing to betray me in order to gain it? I felt sick to my stomach at the thought, enough so that even my brain, when it pointed out that it wasn’t terribly likely a wyvern would so endanger his mate, had a hard time discounting the idea.

‘‘Adequate?’’ Amusement was rife in the thief taker’s voice. The shadow that had blocked light from the window shifted, and I risked a quick peek to see that the man had moved off to the side, away from me.