Darkness Devours (Dark Angels 3)

“Shame you won’t break that particular rule and talk to his soul.” I glanced in the mirror, studying the not-me image. After a moment, I imagined my face with dark golden hair and a smattering of golden freckles across my nose, then reached down for the face-shifting energy and made it happen. Then I turned and walked out.

>“The bathroom is closed for cleaning,” I yelled. “Give us ten minutes, or use the bathrooms on the other side of the building.”

Muttered curses followed this statement, but the footsteps moved away.

Azriel stepped back from Logan, who didn’t move or respond in any way. Azriel obviously still held his mind, keeping him unseeing and unhearing. “I have a description of the man Logan knows as Nadler, but I suspect it is not the right one.”

I frowned. “Because we’re dealing with a face-shifter?”

“No, because Logan’s memory centers show signs of recent intrusion. Whoever Nadler is, he obviously doesn’t want the form Logan sees to be known.”

“Suggesting he could be tracked through it.” That is, if the description we pulled from Logan’s memory was the right one, and not another means of subterfuge. If it wasn’t, then all of this had been a waste of time.

“Not necessarily,” Azriel commented.

I stared at him for a moment, wondering if he was referring to our dance or our actions with Logan. I wasn’t sure I wanted an answer—especially if it referred to the former rather than the latter.

“Meaning what?”

“Well, it is obvious that the person behind the reworking of Logan’s memories is extremely powerful. Whoever it is also has enough knowledge about reapers to set up reasonably strong blocks.”

“And?” I asked, sensing there was such a block in place.

“It was done sometime today.”

I blinked. “They definitely knew we were going after Logan.”

“Yes.”

He said it flatly, with no emotion in his voice or his expression, but nevertheless, my hackles rose. “If you name Lucian as a possible suspect, I’ll—” What? What threat could I possibly make to someone like him?

“Whoever is behind the stealing of the key has been one step ahead of us for a while. Lucian is a suspect, whether you wish to acknowledge it or not.” He held up a hand, cutting off the angry reply that was on my lips. “But there are other options. Jak knew we were going after Logan. As did your accountant.”

I snorted. “It could hardly be Jak, since he knows nothing about reapers, and Mike only knew I wanted the tickets to get a reporter friend in. Neither of them is a very likely suspect.”

“I agree.”

Which left us with Lucian. He didn’t say the words, but they hung between us all the same.

“I haven’t talked to him since I ordered him out of the apartment, Azriel.”

“But he has formed a telepathic link with you. He may never need to talk to you again.”

And that, if his tone was anything to go by, would be an extremely welcome event. “Only trouble is,” I retorted, “it’s a link that’s become somewhat faulty.”

He studied me for a moment. Logan was still and silent behind him, and I briefly wondered if he would have any memory of what we were saying.

“No, he will not,” Azriel said, then added, “Why is the link faulty? The connection between an Aedh and his lover usually only becomes stronger over the course of their brief time together, not weaker.”

“I don’t know why it’s faulty,” I snapped back. “But apparently he can only read me during sex. I haven’t had sex with him for over twenty-four hours.”

“But you want to.”

“Of course I fucking want to. He’s a fantastic lover.”

“You should not—”

“Don’t tell me what I should and shouldn’t be doing when it comes to my love life, Azriel!” I exploded. “Because no matter what happens between us, we both know you’ll be gone once the keys are found and this mess is all sorted out. You’ll never be anything more than a blip—pleasurable or otherwise—on the radar of my life.”