Darkness Unmasked (Dark Angels 5)

I headed back upstairs. Azriel still sat on the sofa, and I shook my head as I walked over to my desk to grab my coat, purse, and keys. “Don’t you ever get bored, sitting there doing nothing?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Who said I was doing nothing?”

I glanced around. “Well, that’s what it looks like from where I’m standing.”

“Well, perhaps you should stand a little closer.”

I grinned. “I keep trying. You keep pushing me away.”

He rose and plucked the jacket from my grip, holding it out for me. “I did not mean in the physical sense.”

I snorted softly as I shoved my arms into the sleeves. “Well, I can hardly get close to you mentally. The connection isn’t two-way, remember?”

“I was not talking about either physical or mental connections.”

I swung around, but he didn’t move his hands, and his fingers trailed across my skin. His touch was warm, electric, and stirred to life the unsatisfied embers of desire once more. “What other connection is there?”

He hesitated. “For you and I, perhaps no other.”

It was the “perhaps” portion of that statement that had me intrigued. “But reapers do have other choices?”

“Yes. It is the manner of our beings. This world of yours is filled with a vast array of energy harmonies, and it is a beautiful and wondrous thing to listen to.”

“And rather noisy, I would have thought.”

He smiled. “You learn to tune out the noisier melodies.”

I arched an eyebrow. “You don’t seem to have much luck tuning me out.”

“No, but then, you’re noisier than most. And more determined.” His gaze lingered on mine for several heartbeats and, just for a moment, those bright depths showed a hunger as fierce as anything I was feeling. But it was gone just as quickly. He released his light grip and stepped away. “You’re going to talk to the manager of Dark Soul now?”

I sighed in frustration, but there was little point in saying anything. He’d already stated that nothing would happen between us until I was stronger. “Yes. I’ll drive, though. I feel like getting some air for a change.”

He nodded. “I shall meet you there.”

With that, he disappeared, making me wonder if he’d come closer to the edge than I’d presumed.

He didn’t answer that particular thought, so I headed into the changing room, donned my leathers, then headed out to the secure underground parking lot where I kept my newly repaired Ducati.

Of course, she was no ordinary bike, but one of the first hydrogen-powered bikes to come onto the market. She was also the first thing I’d bought when RYT’s finally began making a profit. And while she was nowhere near as efficient or as powerful as the current generation of hydrogen-fueled bikes, she was still sleek and sharp and comfortable, and that was enough for me.

I stashed my purse in the under-seat storage, then shoved on the helmet and sat down. The leather seat wrapped around my butt like a glove, and I couldn’t help smiling as I fired her up. The vibration through the metal told me she’d come to life, although there was little other noise. Hydrogen bikes ran so silently that when they’d first become commercially viable, state laws had required manufacturers to add a fake engine noise device to warn people of their approach. I kicked up the stand and headed out. The night was cool and the streets relatively clear of traffic, enabling me to let loose. My grin just grew. Damn, I’d missed this.

Unfortunately, even though I’d taken the long way around, I reached Dark Soul far too soon. I reluctantly found parking up the road from it, then stored my helmet and walked back. Azriel appeared by my side as I neared the entrance.

“You should do that more often,” he said softly.

“Do what?” It was said absently as I eyed the building in front of us. Dark Soul matched its name. It might not be a vampire-only hangout, but with blacked-out windows and smoke drifting out through the gothic metal gates guarding the doorway, it certainly gave off a dangerous vibe. Or maybe that was merely the haunting, ethereal melodies drifting from the shadowed interior.

“Ride your bike. It makes your soul glow.”

I stopped abruptly and swung around to face him. “Damn it, Azriel, you’re going to have to stop doing that.”

Confusion briefly crossed his features. “Stop what? Complimenting you?”

“Yes.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and forced my feet onward again, feeling suddenly foolish.

He was beside me in an instant. “Why is this suddenly a problem?”