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“Hanna called in sick and we couldn’t find a temp.” He gave me a decidedly wicked grin. “It’s just as well I have legendary stamina, given I’m also on for the morning shift.”
I smiled back, even though what he said was true. He did have fantastic stamina, in the bedroom and out—a fact I knew because we’d once been lovers.
“I daresay you already have some luscious lady on standby to massage your poor tired self afterward.”
“I daresay I have,” he said cheerfully, then his expression sobered. “Keep in touch, or I’ll be contacting Riley.”
“I will.” Riley had given both Tao and Ilianna stern orders to get in touch the minute they even suspected I was in trouble. And Aunt Riley could be pretty damn scary when she wanted to be. “But I’m meeting Lucian at six, so don’t expect to hear anything from me until midday, at least.”
“Oh, thank God,” he replied, voice fervent but a twinkle in his eyes. “Do you know how grouchy you’ve been lately?”
“Says the man who has never experienced sexual frustration in his entire life?”
“And who has no intention of ever experiencing it,” he replied. “Take care of yourself.”
“Will do.” I hung up, then caught the elevator down and walked across the ramp over the road and into the airport. I desperately needed to sleep, but I wasn’t about to walk into the nearby Hilton looking like something the cat had coughed up. Thankfully, there were showers in the airport, and the stores were open twenty-four seven. I ignored the curious looks my bedraggled appearance was prompting and bought a week’s worth of clothes, simply because I had no idea when I was going to be able to head back home. Then, keeping Lucian’s promise to rip anything I was wearing right off again in mind, I found a sexy but inexpensive dress and headed to the nearest bathroom to shower and change.
Only to find someone waiting for me on the other side of the door when I opened it. I instinctively jumped back before I realized it was Azriel.
“For fuck’s sake,” I said, my gaze sweeping him and noting with relief that both the blood and the bullet wound had disappeared. “You could have at least warned me you were here.”
He crossed his arms and leaned his butt back against one of the sinks. “Do you not usually sense when I’m near?”
“Sometimes,” I muttered, feeling all that warm heat wash over my skin and stir things that had no right to be stirring. “But not always. How did you get the bullet out?”
“Once I was sure the Raziq were not following me, I called for help.”
“There are reaper field medics?”
His amusement stirred all around me, further fueling the fires. I resisted the urge to pat my face with cold water as I washed my hands.
“There are no field medics. I called a friend.”
I studied him for a moment, wondering if that friend was male or female. Wondering why I even cared. “What about the Dušan’s book?”
“For the moment, it is safely hidden in the gray fields.”
“It can’t stay there.” For me to read it, it had to be here on earth while I was on the gray fields, not the other way around.
He nodded. “But I suspect that the Raziq might have put some sort of locator spell on it. The minute we bring it out of the gray fields, they will be able to trace it.”
I frowned. “And you can’t undo the spell?”
“No. As I’ve said, reapers are not magic users. We can sense its presence, and we can sometimes—with care—manipulate it, as we did with the portals, but that is it.”
“What about the Brindle witches? Do you think they’d have a shot?”
“No. The Aedh priests have forgotten more magic than your witches will ever know.”
Oh fab. Not. I studied him for a moment, then said, “Well, I’m not going to attempt to read the book now. I need some sleep before I meet Lucian in a few hours.”
Something frosty crept into the air. He stood upright and gave me a slight bow. “I shall leave you in peace, then.”
With that he winked out of existence, making me wonder what the hell was happening. Or was he the same as ever, and it was me who was the problem? Or rather, my habit of reading far more into his words and actions than was intended?
I sighed, then dried my hands and headed across to the Hilton, taking a room for the night. Then, once inside, stripped off and slept the sleep of the dead—for a whole three hours. It wasn’t anywhere near enough, but at least it took the edge off my exhaustion.
I freshened up again, then pulled on my dress, smoothing its silky sides over my curves so that they clung like a second skin. I didn’t bother with underclothes—I might have bought them, but they were too nice to sacrifice if Lucian did go through with his threat.
