Lucian swung around. “I did not mean that you couldn’t—”
I placed a hand on his arm, stopping him. “I know, and thank you for both the concern and the rescue, but right now I need to be away from people I care about.”
“I, like you, am more than able to take care of myself,” he retorted. “And not just with a gun—”
“I know,” I repeated, then rose up on my toes and kissed him lightly. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Right now I think it’s better I get the hell out of here, just in case Forman’s boss decides to come investigate.”
“Then perhaps,” he said slowly, “I should remain here, just in case. At the very least, I can study the magic and see if there’s a clue as to its origin.”
I frowned. “I really don’t think you should be putting yourself in danger like that—”
“Danger?” he snorted softly. “Trust me, one lone practitioner does not represent a danger to me.”
“But—”
He briefly placed a finger against my lips. “I will be fine. Besides, it’s a good chance to flex some muscle. The life of an accountant is somewhat boring.”
I chuckled softly, then kissed him again. This time his arm snaked around my waist, and he kissed me more fully. It hurt my ribs but, right then, I couldn’t have cared less.
“You still stink,” he said eventually.
I grinned. “I promise I won’t tomorrow.”
“Hey, as long as you’re warm, willing, and able, I honestly won’t care what you smell like.”
I laughed, touched a hand to his cheek, then wrapped my hands around my phone and wallet, avoiding Azriel’s steely gaze as I called to the Aedh. Her energy surged through my body, numbing sensation as it broke down every muscle, every cell, until my flesh no longer existed and I became one with the air.
In that form, I fled down the tunnel until I found a storm drain and was able to escape into the cold night air. I had no idea where Azriel was—he couldn’t follow me when I was in this form—and half wondered if I should have warned him to leave Lucian alone. If Valdis was—as I was beginning to suspect—something of an indicator of her master’s emotions, then Azriel had not bee
n happy to discover Lucian beside me.
But had he been angry enough to attack?
I doubted it, if only because Azriel seemed to operate off some grand master plan. And if Lucian’s death had been part of that plan, then it would have happened long ago.
I whisked along the city streets, heading for the café. While I could slide into the Langham unseen in this form, my clothes were rank and there was no way I was stepping back into them after a shower. I still couldn’t go home, so the week’s worth of clothes I’d left in my locker at the café was the next best option. I certainly couldn’t go shopping in this state.
The place was relatively quiet for a change. Tao was in the kitchen, humming happily as he worked, and several waitresses were clearing tables, readying for the next rush of people. I flowed up the stairs and into the changing room, ensuring no one was about before I shifted back to human shape. I released my grip on my phone and purse a second before I hit the tiled floor, then stayed there for several minutes, battling for breath and waiting for the pain in my head and the shaking in my body to ease. It had been one hell of a night, and I just had to hope the surprises were done with. I really couldn’t take much more right now.
“You need to eat,” a soft voice said behind me.
I jumped instinctively, then swore as I recognized the familiar wash of heat when he stepped into existence.
“Damn it, Azriel,” I said, pushing up onto my knees. The pain in my head sharpened briefly then eased off, but the ache in my ribs remained at a barely bearable level. “You really have to stop scaring me like that.”
“And if you’d been more attuned to your instincts, you’d have felt me coming long before I actually arrived.”
And if any other man had said that, I might have been tempted to grin and tease him about double meanings. But Azriel wasn’t any other man.
His legs appeared in front of me. I glanced up the length of him, unable to help admiring his lean, muscular body, then met his gaze. His expression was as neutral as ever, but his eyes, like the sword strapped to his back, were filled with energy. I sighed. “Azriel, I’m really not up to an argument about Lucian right now.”
Surprise flickered briefly across his face before neutrality clamped in again. “I wasn’t looking for an argument.”
He offered me a hand and I accepted it gratefully, allowing him to pull me to my feet.
“And the Aedh is right,” he added, not releasing me immediately. “You stink.”
“Thanks.” I glanced down at our hands and he took the hint, letting go. I flexed my fingers, unable to escape the warmth of his touch, and tried to ignore the feeling that he’d wanted to say more than he had. I stepped back. “Did you and Lucian investigate the room I’d been held in?”