Darkness Unmasked (Dark Angels 5)

I spun on my heel and got out of there. Once we were out in the cool air of the night, I drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. “I hate dealing with vampires. I know the world at large doesn’t care about that, but I’m just putting it out there.”

“You are right,” a flat and all-too-familiar voice behind me said. “The world at large doesn’t care. Nor do I.”

I inwardly groaned, but somehow managed to fix a smile in place as I turned around. “And to what do I owe this pleasure? Or is it simply a matter of you not trusting me to do my job?”

Did Markel not warn you to be pleasant? Azriel commented. He was standing so close that Valdis’s energy streamed over me, little flashes of fire that spoke of their readiness for action.

I am. It’s not like I called her a bitch or anything.

Her dark eyes flashed. As usual, she’d caught the one thought I didn’t want her to catch. One of these days I was going to learn.

Maybe.

“I was told you were here. I was close by, and thought I might get a report firsthand.”

I grimaced. “There’s not a lot to tell. Wolfgang left with Di Shard, last night’s entertainment. I’ve already sent you her picture.”

“Yes, and we’re currently searching for all relevant details. Unfortunately, the entertainment agency that manages her maintains regular office hours, so we will be unable to talk to them until tomorrow.”

How inconsiderate of them. “At least you can put an APB out on a woman matching her description or something.”

“Hardly. She is mine to find and mine to kill.”

There was death in her eyes. It might not be aimed specifically at me, but it would take only the slightest nudge and I’d be in her sights.

I had no intention of nudging.

“Then what do you want me to do? Until we talk to the agency or she kills again, the investigation has basically stalled.”

“As I said, I have ordered a thorough search through both Directorate and council resources. We will uncover everything there is to uncover about this woman. In the meantime, you are to keep looking, as well.”

“Of course.” I said it politely, without inflection, yet still that darkness flashed. Sweat began to trickle down my spine, and my heart began to race. Never a good thing when standing in front of a vampire on the edge.

But all she said was, “Keep in touch.”

I nodded. She shadowed, disappearing from my sight but not my senses. Only when the trail of her scent told me she had truly gone did I release my breath and turn around. “Will Hunter ever cross the line and become fodder for Valdis?”

“Hunter has crossed the line more than once, but Valdis will not taste her flesh unless she attempts to harm you.”

“Damn. I was hoping you could bend that particular reaper ruling.” It would be nice not to have to worry about the bitch, in any way, shape, or form.

A smile teased the corners of his mouth. “Trust me, I am most aggrieved by that particular ruling myself. Do you head home now?”

“Yeah. I’d better get some rest before I fall down dead or something.” I rose on my toes and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. My own tingled in response, and it took a huge amount of willpower to step back. “I’ll see you there.”

He nodded and disappeared, though the heat lingering in the air told me he hadn’t gone far. I walked back to my bike and rode through the almost empty streets, half wishing I could just keep following the road out into the darkness and the countryside, away from all the madness that had become part of my life of late. But that, unfortunately, wasn’t an option.

Home was a square, two-story brick building situated in the heart of Richmond, and its somewhat bland gray exterior belied the beauty of its internal space. Ilianna, Tao, and I had purchased the old warehouse fresh from college and had renovated every inch of it—and were still regularly updating it with the latest and greatest technology.

After parking in the garage, I ran up the stairs to the thick alloy door that was both fire- and bulletproof and looked into the little security scanner beside it. Red light swept across my eyes, and a second later the locks tumbled and the door slid silently open.

The huge industrial fans that dominated the vaulted ceiling whirled lazily, gently stirring the aromatic air. The place was silent, and though the electrochromic windows weren’t on blackout, there was little light coming in from the street.

“Lights on low,” I said as I strode toward the kitchen. Soft mellow light flared through the darkness, gleaming off the exposed metal struts and lending the brick walls additional warmth. Tao had left the remains of last night’s roast in the fridge, so I made myself a sandwich and a coffee and worked my way through both as I sorted through the stack of mail sitting on the kitchen table.

With that done, I had a quick shower, then headed for bed. I woke hours later with the sensation that something was wrong. For several minutes, I did nothing more than lie there, listening to the silence and wondering what the hell it was that I’d sensed. The apartment was silent, and there was little in the air to suggest that I was anything other than alone.

And yet the wrongness remained, scratching along the outer edges of my consciousness.