‘‘Barter? Barter what? Not the phylactery, I hope.’’

‘‘No, not that,’’ he said, the lines of his face deepening. ‘‘I would not part with that, not after what it cost you.’’

‘‘Good, because I didn’t give it to you lightly. I knew you would keep it safe, keep it from Kostya or Magoth or anyone else misusing its power. Er . . . where is it?’’

‘‘Safe,’’ he answered.

I searched his face but was satisfied with the honesty I found there. Gabriel knew what it had cost me to go dybbuk by giving him the phylactery—he wouldn’t give it up to anyone. ‘‘Do you have something I can barter with, then? Because I’m at a loss as to what you think I have,’’ I said, casting my mind over my meager possessions. ‘‘If I had anything valuable, Magoth would have long ago demanded I hand it over.’’

He shook his head. ‘‘I have many treasures that the demon lord would no doubt covet, but I do not give up anything I hold.’’ His thumb swept across my lower lip. I bit it. ‘‘That includes you, little bird.’’

‘‘Then, what am I supposed to barter with?’’

‘‘You.’’

‘‘Me?’’ A horrible thought came to mind, one that I instantly dismissed as being too ludicrous for words.

Gabriel looked offended. ‘‘Do you seriously believe I would allow you to sell your body—’’

‘‘Of course I don’t! And stop being indignant over the idea. If you hadn’t read my mind, you wouldn’t know that the thought had even occurred to me. It’s just . . . what exactly about me do you think will sway Magoth?’’

‘‘Your origins, Mayling. You’re a doppelganger, yes, but you live in the mortal world. Aisling tells me that of all the princes of Abaddon, only one has the ability to frequent this world, something that irritates the other lords.’’

Enlightenment dawned on me at that moment. ‘‘Agathos daimon—you want to release Magoth on the mortal world? Gabriel, I can’t begin to tell you what a very, very bad idea that is. There’s no one who wants to be out of Abaddon more than me, but not at the cost of endangering mortals.’’

‘‘But they would not be endangered, not if Magoth is granted access via you. Aisling has a copy of a book that sets down the rules of Abaddon.’’

‘‘The Doctrine of Unending Conscious, yes,’’ I said, nodding. ‘‘I’m familiar with it. You’re talking about the part that says if I agree to become Magoth’s consort, he will have access to my world of origin, but I say again: that’s not a good idea.’’

‘‘You are not as familiar with it as you might be,’’ he said, his hands warm on my waist as he gently pulled me up against his chest, his breath brushing my face. ‘‘The book also says that when a demon lord accesses the world in such a manner, it is in a diminished capacity.’’

‘‘Diminished?’’ I bit my lip and thought about that for a moment. It made sense—a demon lord’s abilities came from the dark power that had its source in Abaddon, which was why so few of them ever established a presence in the mortal world. Only the very strongest of all the demon lords, the head prince of Abaddon himself, was known to possess enough power to walk among mortals and immortals alike. The others had appeared briefly now and again, but only Bael could maintain a presence here.

‘‘Aisling and her mentor, Nora, researched the matter most thoroughly, I can assure you, and they both agree that Magoth would enter the mortal world with little power, nothing that can’t be controlled by keeping him under surveillance. And I have arranged to do just that.’’

‘‘But what if that’s wrong? What if he comes through with more power than anyone expects?’’

‘‘How could he do so?’’ Gabriel asked.

I wrapped my arms around him and leaned against him, my mind working over what he asked. ‘‘I don’t know. I guess he couldn’t. I don’t have any power he can share—his origins are dark, so he can’t go into the shadow world like we can. I guess I just hate to give him what he wants.’’

‘‘I understand, little bird, and I wish the situation was different. But I cannot think of another way to free you from his control other than to give him something he wants more than you.’’

What he said made sense—it made absolute sense—but still, it irked me.

‘‘All right, then,’’ I said with dull acceptance. ‘‘Since it doesn’t bother you to have your mate made the consort of a demon lord, I’ll give Magoth what he wants.’’

Gabriel moved faster than I could see. He spun me around so that I was pressed up against the window, the glass icy cold against my back as he burned my front with eyes that spat silver fire. ‘‘Do not ever say that it doesn’t bother me, May. You are mine, my mate, the only woman who will ever be such, and I do not share what is mine. But just as you sacrificed yourself at the time for the better good, so I will ignore the pain that is caused by knowing my mate is technically the consort of a demon lord.’’

‘‘I’m sorry,’’ I said softly, unable to keep from stroking the hard line of his jaw.

He continued to pin me back with a heated look that left me in no confusion about his emotions, then turned his head slightly and kissed my palm, tracing out on it a smaller symbol of a hand bearing a crescent moon. It was the symbol of the silver dragons and was identical to the small brand I wore on my upper back. ‘‘We have been too long apart. It is not your fault that you have not yet accepted that you are everything to me.’’

‘‘Oh, gods, how I missed you,’’ I said, kissing him with all the passion I had.

‘‘There is nothing—’’

The world spun drunkenly, yanking me from Gabriel’s arms before he could finish his sentence, sending me plummeting with a gut-wrenching feeling into an abyss of darkness.

Chapter Three

‘‘This is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me! Will I be asked to speak, do you think? You know, something like toasting the bride and groom?’’ Sally asked as she posed in front of a full-length mirror, tugging at the neckline of a Pepto-Bismol pink dress. ‘‘Oh, I’m sorry; I’m hogging the mirror. I’m sure you want to check yourself.’’