Darkness Unmasked (Dark Angels 5)

She shrugged. “All magic can be blocked, whether by magical means or physical.”

“Physical? How do you block magic physically?”

“Certain elements—white ash and iron, for instance—are immune to magic and therefore can be either used as a weapon or shield against it.” She wrapped the silk covering around the ball and placed it carefully back in her drawer. “Whatever is being used, I’m afraid I can’t get past it.”

“Damn.”

“Indeed.” She rose. “And it might just mean, despite her assertions to the contrary, she had last-minute qualms about meeting Carwyn. Which would be unfortunate, because she would not find a better match herself.”

It was a point Ilianna had finally acknowledged—if only to me—but it didn’t change the fact that she’d rather remain in a relationship with just Mirri than join Carwyn’s herd and risk the dynamic between them changing. I couldn’t actually say that to Zaira, though, given she didn’t even know her daughter was gay.

“I know she doesn’t want to be forced into a herd, but I doubt she’d back away at the last minute. Not without informing Carwyn, at the very least. She has better manners than that.”

Zaira smiled as she walked around the desk. “That she has.”

She motioned me into the hall, then walked beside me as we made our way back down to the foyer.

“You’ll call me the minute you find her?” she said as she unlocked the front door.

“Yes, of course.” I touched her arm in reassurance. “And I’m sorry to have worried you over what will probably turn out to be nothing.”

“When it comes to the safety of my daughters, I would rather be worried over nothing than something.” She placed her hand briefly over mine and lightly squeezed. “Be careful. I might not have found Ilianna, but I did sense the shadows that surround you. There are people in your life who are more dangerous than you know.”

Which wasn’t something she needed to tell me. I forced a smile. “Thanks. I will be.”

I headed out. The night air was cool after the warmth of the Brindle’s halls, the gentle breeze like ice. I zipped up my jacket as I ran down the stairs. Azriel reappeared in front of me, forcing me to stop on the bottom step.

“I could not find her,” he said. “But she is alive. Her death is not slated for this time.”

“Just because she’s not meant to die now doesn’t mean she won’t. Accidents happen.” Nevertheless, relief slithered through me. If both Zaira and Azriel were saying she was alive, then surely to god she was. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t die. That she wasn’t in trouble. “Damn it, something is wrong, I can feel it.”

“Then what do you wish to do next?”

“There’s nothing we really can do.” I bit my lip for a moment, then said, “Maybe Stane can locate her through the GPS in her car.”

“And if she is not in her car?”

“Then maybe via her phone.” I half shrugged. “It’s the only option I have left.”

“Then we will try it.”

He held out a hand. I placed my fingers in his and allowed him to tug me into his embrace. For a second, he did nothing more than hold me, surrounding me in his warmth and silently offering me the comfort I so desperately needed. Then his energy surged and we swept through the gray fields to Stane’s.

He jumped and swore a blue streak when we re-formed in the middle of his living room.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” he said, leaning back in his chair and holding his hand rather dramatically over his heart. “I don’t think I could survive the shock a second time.”

“You are not slated for death until you are old and gray,” Azriel commented. “So do not fear the strength of your heart.”

Stane gave him a somewhat dubious glance. “I’m not entirely sure whether to be comforted by that statement or not.” He glanced at me. “I’m gathering something dramatic has happened?”

“Yeah. Ilianna’s gone missing.” I sat in one of the spare chairs and scooted it across to his “bridge” of computer screens. “I need you to hack into either her car’s GPS signal or locate her via her phone.”

He gave me the sort of look a father might give a child that was being exceptionally dumb. “And have you tried using Latitude?”

“Um, no?” Mainly because I was of the opinion that if my friends wanted to find me, they could damn well ring and ask me.

He sighed. “Did I not tell you all to sign up for it some time ago?”