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to pretend you don t intend to be resurrected simply so you can harass poor Gabriel.
I am wyvern, not him, Constantine said, obviously ready to go into the familiar diatribe about the
silver sept belonging to him by rights.
Marsella murmured something about seeing to another customer, then glided off to another section
of the shop.
I ve already told you I m not listening to any more of that, Constantine. You can t go messing with
the septs that way, and that is that.
Messing with the septs?
I froze at the mild voice behind me, the world seeming to stop as slowly, I turned around to behold
a man who wasn t a man.
It was the First Dragon, right there in the middle of a London sex shop.
And he didn t look happy.
Chapter Three
Um, I said, not knowing how to greet the more-or-less god who was effectively my father-in-law,
and wishing for the hundredth time that I had my memories back so I knew how I had addressed him in
my former life. Hello. I didn t summon you inadvertently again, did I?
No, the first dragon said, his all-knowing gaze drifting over to Constantine for a moment.
I ll just& er& get back to what I was doing. Constantine gave a deprecating cough before he
suddenly busied himself by examining the nearest item at hand, which turned out to be an exercise ball
with some odd attachments. He hastily shoved that back and grabbed the item next to it, bending his
head over it as he pretended to be engrossed with it.
I considered the First Dragon for a moment or two. Since I assume you don t normally visit chic
London sex shops, I m going to assume you re here to speak to me? Or is it Constantine you want?
We both looked at Constantine. He was absently fondling the betasseled teat of a lifelike blow-up
sheep in fishnet stockings. Constantine reddened and shoved the sheep behind him, but he must have
flipped on some sort of switch, because the sheep began to vibrate with a loud hum.
The First Dragon turned back to me and opened his mouth to speak, pausing when Constantine s
sheep started baaing in what I can only imagine its creators thought was a seductive manner.
Constantine muttered to himself as he beat the vibrating, baaing blow-up doll against the wall in an
attempt to shut it up.
I gather it s me you wish to see. I cleared my throat and tried to look relaxed and not at all
worried about that fact. The First Dragon s eyes were hooded, his face stern, causing my stomach to
turn to lead.
You have failed me, daughter of light.
Baaaagggg&
I turned an annoyed glare on the man behind me. Constantine! We are trying to have a conversation
here. Could you play with your sex sheep somewhere else, please?
I m not playing with it, and it s not mine, he said, shooting little looks at the First Dragon. I m
just trying to shut the damned thing up, but it won t die.
The First Dragon raised one eyebrow.
Constantine blushed even harder and began swearing softly to himself while alternately throttling
the doll and beating it with the exercise ball.
A quick worried glance at the First Dragon sent my spirits plummeting, not that they were in any
way buoyed by what he had said. I m sorry if I ve failed you. I m really not trying to, but I ve had a
horrible time trying to figure out just what it is you want me to do.
At a choked noise from Constantine, I recalled to whom I was talking, and made an apologetic
gesture. That is to say, it s difficult with my memory loss to understand what it is you want me to do.
I m happy to do it. I just needed a little guidance on what it is, exactly. Mentally, I groaned. I
sounded as lame as I felt.
His gaze roved over my face for a few seconds, his expression, as ever, unreadable. If you fail me
entirely, daughter, there will be the gravest of repercussions, ones that I will not be able to correct.
For your own sake, and for that of all dragons, you must right the wrong done. The sacrifice of the
innocent shall not be wasted.
At his words, desperation swelled within me, desperation and fear, topped off with more worry
than any one person should have. I wanted to tell him that I was trying, but that Baltic was being his
usual dragon self and not giving me any help. I wanted to point out that I was starting at a
disadvantage by not realizing what his relationship to Baltic was in the first place, and that if
someone, anyone, had just taken pity on me and reminded me of things I had known in the past, I might
have succeeded by now. Instead, I said the last thing in the world I expected to say to the ancestor of
all dragons.
Did you love Baltic s mother?
His eyes widened slightly. The air around us stilled, as if all life had ceased but for the three of us.
It s just& I ve always wondered. You seem to care about him a lot, and I thought maybe that was
because his mother was very dear to you& . My voice, fortunately, trailed off to nothing. The basket
handle bit painfully into my hand as I waited for him to either smite me dead on the spot for being so
bold, or to answer my question. I fervently hoped he d do the latter.
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