She will not be alone. We will train the reapers as well.
You will? a familiar voice said, as the warmth of his particles wrapped around mine and gave me strength.
Yes. For too long we have watched while you fought. It is time we helped.
It would be greatly appreciated, Azriel said, his voice formal.
We cannot, however, intervene in the search for the remaining key. That task still falls to you.
“What if hell doesn’t hold the sorceress? What if she appears in the temple grounds again, or attempts to open the final gate?” I asked.
If we sense her, we will stop her. But if she uses Aedh magic to conceal herself, as she did previously, we may not know of her until it is too late.
“And you can’t undo what she’s done and close the two gates that are already opened?”
No. For that, we would need the blood of their creator.
I closed my eyes and cursed. Maybe it hadn’t been such a great idea to kill my fucking father.
What he tried to do to Mirri he would have done to all of those you cared for, Azriel said. To protect them, you had no choice but to kill him.
Yeah, but now we’re stuck with no way to close the gates and one gate standi
ng between us and hell.
One portal is enough, the voice said. And more can be built once we again have fully trained priests in the temples.
It was a hope. Not much of a hope given all the shit that was still out there, ready to fling itself our way, but at least it was something.
Thank you, the voice intoned again.
And with that, he left.
I blew out a mental breath, then turned and wrapped myself around Azriel. And now, James, you may take me home.
I would love to, he said. But that, unfortunately, is not something I can do. You must return to your flesh by yourself. I cannot help you with that.
Then I’ll see you at Riley’s.
You will. The energy of his being briefly ran through mine, a sensation that was the reaper equivalent of a hug, and one that left me feeling both safe and loved. Then he left.
I closed my eyes and did the same.
Chapter 3
The minute I opened my eyes, the pain hit. I gasped, bent over double, and wrapped my arms around my body. Every muscle I possessed seemed to be on fire. God, it even hurt to breathe . . .
Arms scooped me up and held me close to a chest that was warm and muscular and smelled of blood and sweat.
Azriel.
As I wrapped my arms around his neck, his heat and strength infused me. Although it didn’t chase away all the hurt, it went damnably close.
“Fucking hell,” Riley said, her voice a mix of concern and anger. “You both look like shit. What happened?”
“We don’t just look like it,” I muttered without opening my eyes. Doing so would have been too much of an effort. “We feel like it, too.”
“Speak for yourself,” Azriel said, amusement touching his rich tones.