‘‘They do it like any other human,’’ I answered, emphasizing the important point.

‘‘Yes, but dragons aren’t human, are they? They’re . . . well, I suppose they’re animals.’’

‘‘Gabriel is not an animal!’’ I said in a furious whisper. ‘‘He’s a dragon, yes, but they aren’t animals. They’re just . . . dragons. Usually human in form, sometimes appearing in another form.’’

‘‘So . . . did he do it in dragon form?’’

I scanned the crowd of people for the tall, gorgeous man who’d gone off to explain to the fire department why my room was ablaze. ‘‘This really isn’t anything I’m comfortable talking about.’’

‘‘No, I can’t imagine that admitting to engaging in bestiality is something that you want bandied about, but it’s fascinating nonetheless.’’

I spun around to glare at my twin, keeping my voice low. ‘‘It was not bestiality!’’

‘‘You had sex with him in dragon form—that’s certainly not plain old missionary-position sex,’’ she pointed out with cheerful disregard of anything I said.

‘‘He was not in dragon form. He said he could, but he didn’t, and frankly, I’m glad. . . . Oh, this is silly. I’m not going to discuss this any further with you.’’

Cyrene patted me on the arm. ‘‘Don’t get me wrong—I admire you, I really do. I remember in the old days, when Zeus was always flitting around in swan form, trying to seduce the sisterhood. Have you ever had a swan hump your leg? It’s not the least bit alluring, let me tell you!’’

I gaped openmouthed at her. ‘‘You . . . Zeus?’’

‘‘Oh, yes, he was always after us naiads. Had some sort of a fetish about doing it in the water, so the rumor went. We won’t go into what he did with his beak.’’

There just wasn’t much I could say to that, so I closed my mouth and made a mental note to read up on Greek mythology.

‘‘There he is,’’ Cyrene said, looking intently as Gabriel emerged from the crowd. Her voice held a note I couldn’t pin down, but that made me uncomfortable.

‘‘Cy, you’re not angry that I turned out to be his mate rather than you?’’ I asked slowly.

She thought for a moment, then shook her head, her eyes unusually sober. ‘‘I was at first, but then I thought of what it would mean to you if I snatched him away, and I decided I couldn’t do that to you. You deserve a man of your own.’’

I bit my lip against replying that she wouldn’t have been able to take him from me, feeling she deserved a little face saving.

Gabriel stopped in front of me, his expression grim.

‘‘What’s wrong?’’ I asked immediately.

‘‘Have you seen Maata or Tipene?’’