Playing with Fire

attraction for you?’’

I swallowed back a lump of hot, burning tears and met Magoth’s gaze. ‘‘I will not discuss Gabriel with you.’’

‘‘What is it you want of my mate?’’ Gabriel asked again, crossing his arms and moving a smidgen so he stood partially blocking me.

Magoth’s stark black eyebrows rose at the protective gesture. ‘‘I wonder if it would be worth the trouble that would follow should I reprimand you for such insolence.’’

‘‘You are welcome to try,’’ Gabriel said pleasantly, but there was a clear warning in his eyes.

‘‘Such temptation… but I believe I will be duly compensated despite refusing to give in to it. May, the phylactery.’’ Magoth held out his hand for the box I still clutched.

Gabriel’s gaze shot to me.

‘‘Do I see a little crack in the relationship?’’ Magoth asked, smiling. ‘‘You look surprised, wyvern. Did you not know that your mate was charged with retrieving the phylactery for me? Ah, I see by that surprised look that you did not. How deliciously naughty of sweet May. I gather she also failed to inform you of the deal we made, whereby I would grant her a temporary cessation of her duties to the tune of a hundred years in return for the safe delivery of the phylactery.’’

I couldn’t continue to look at Gabriel. The guilt was too much, my grief too overwhelming. My gaze dropped to my hands and stayed there until Gabriel put a finger under my chin and tilted my head back.

‘‘Is this true?’’ he asked softly, hurt and confusion starkly evident in his face.

‘‘Yes,’’ I said without hesitation. ‘‘I told you that Magoth found out about the phylactery.’’

He was still for a moment, his eyes searching mine. ‘‘This release Magoth offers you-a hundred years may seem like a lot to you, but our life together will span many such centuries. To barter the phylactery for a brief moment of freedom-’’

‘‘I didn’t barter it,’’ I interrupted him. The lump was back in my throat. How could Gabriel believe I would trade temporary freedom for something that meant so much to him? ‘‘Magoth offered me that as a reward. I did not accept it.’’

Magoth sucked in a hissing breath, the room suddenly growing dark as if the corona of dark power that surrounded him leached all brightness from the overhead lights. ‘‘You would not dare,’’ he said, little snakes of the power snapping around me.

Gabriel’s fingers tightened around mine. ‘‘I do not understand what it is you intend to do, but I do not like this situation. We will leave now.’’

I nodded, suddenly wearied by the world. There was, of course, the quick way out of things, but that would leave me without Gabriel, and I wasn’t willing to give him up. Not even for eternal peace. I just prayed that he felt the same way about me, because what I was about to ask him to do would go completely against the grain. ‘‘Yes. It is time to leave.’’

Magoth took a deep breath, his body growing in size until he stood a foot taller than Gabriel. ‘‘You would not dare!’’ he bellowed, and I knew that at that moment, he saw the true depth of feeling I had for Gabriel. ‘‘Think carefully, May Northcott. Do you know what the penalty is for a minion who goes dybbuk?’’

‘‘Dybbuk? What is this word? I am not familiar with it,’’ Gabriel said, his frown growing blacker.

‘‘I will lock you away in the darkest depths of Abaddon,’’ Magoth warned, his voice taking on a pitch that was painful on the ears. ‘‘I will make you suffer every torment I can think of, and I assure you, minion, I have spent millennia devising tortures to bring even first-class demons to their knees begging for release.’’

My gut tightened, pain radiating outward from it.

‘‘You will survive each day, living in perpetual torment, with no hope of reprieve, May Northcott. No hope whatsoever.’’

I nodded, my eyes on Gabriel. I wanted to drink in the sight of him until the last possible moment. Who knew when I would see him again-until then, I wanted to remember that strong jaw, the hint of indentation on his cheeks that I knew hid dimples, eyes so beautiful it almost hurt to look into them. I wanted to sear him into my memory so that no matter what happened, no matter what Magoth would do to me, I would always have the memory of Gabriel.

The man I loved more than my own life.

‘‘Magoth, seventh principal spirit of Abaddon, lord of thirty legions, marquis of the order of dominations, I formally refute your bondage over me, and refuse your bidding. Take the phylactery,’’ I said, turning the hand Gabriel held so that I could place the box on his palm. ‘‘It’s yours. I give it to you freely.’’

Magoth screamed, a sound so horrible it blew out all of the windows in the room. ‘‘No! You will not do this!’’

It was as if a tornado had been released around us. Magoth’s fury manifested itself in the utter destruction of every nonliving thing in the room. Books exploded, furniture burst into a thousand pieces, glass and metal and wood all rained down upon us in a terrible downpour, the echoes of his scream gathering into him as he stalked toward me.

I released the box just as Gabriel understood what was happening. A look of panic filled his eyes as he tried to shove it back at me. ‘‘No, May-’’

‘‘It can’t be undone,’’ I said, wanting more than anything else to kiss him. Just one last time.

‘‘One last-’’ Gabriel read my mind, his eyes going dark as the full repercussions of my act were driven home. ‘‘No. I will not allow this. Mate-’’

‘‘She is no longer your mate,’’ Magoth snarled, jerking me out of Gabriel’s reach. ‘‘She is dybbuk. She is mine to let live or destroy as I desire.’’

His hand was cold on my arm, an icy pain piercing my flesh and sinking deep into my soul.

Gabriel stood shaking his head for a few seconds, anger and pain and confusion taking turns on his face. ‘‘Why, little bird? Why would you do this?’’

‘‘I meant for things to be different. I meant for you to take the phylactery, so I could not be charged with an outright refusal to do Magoth’s bidding. I thought there was a chance for us. I wanted to believe there was a chance.’’ I let the full depth of my feelings show in my eyes, praying he could read beyond mere words to what was in my heart.

‘‘Do you know, I’ve had a thought,’’ Magoth said, his voice suddenly normal. The hand that held me in such an icy grip relaxed, his fingers stroking an intricate path down my skin. ‘‘I originally thought to destroy you-slowly, over several centuries, so you would not be mistaken about the full depth of my wrath-but I do believe I have a better idea than even perpetual torment. I have long thought it was time to take a consort. And it would be a stupid act indeed to overlook the perfect candidate, which not so coincidentally has just dropped into my lap.’’

Magoth wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close to his body.

Gabriel gathered himself as if to spring, but I held up a hand to stop him, knowing without any doubt that Magoth would destroy him if he tried to free me. ‘‘Do not, Gabriel. It’s not worth it.’’

He stopped, a stunned look of disbelief nearly bringing me to my knees. Pain unlike anything I’ve ever experienced lashed through me, the last fragments of my heart shattering completely. Did he not understand? Did he not see that this was the only way out for us? Did he not know just how much I was willing to give up in order to have a future together? ‘‘You wish to remain here?’’

I nodded, unable to speak, searching his face for signs that he understood that this was the only way out of a very dangerous situation. I sent a mental plea to him to understand, to not take anything at face value, to know that my heart belonged to him, now and always.

‘‘Tell me,’’ Gabriel said, his lovely velvet voice now hoarse with emotion. ‘‘Say it, May. Say the words so that I may understand.’’

The effort to speak cost me more than I could have imagined. ‘‘I will stay here with Magoth. Take the phylactery. Use it to achieve your goals.’’

The image of him declaring that the phylactery was a treasure to be guarded, not used, was fresh in my memory, and with it, a light flashed in his eyes. I knew that at last, he understood that I had taken the only path available to save him and the dragons from Magoth’s wrath. His eyes were bright with a promise, one that warmed me to the tips of my toes.

Magoth laughed, the sound causing a layer of plaster from the ceiling to crumble to our feet. ‘‘Oh, yes, this promises to be greatly amusing. A consort who was once the mate of a wyvern. Come, sweet May. We have many