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“I only have one endgame, that I can promise you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Revenge?”
“Yes.” His expression hadn’t changed, but suddenly there was something very dark about him—something deep and dangerous and alien. This was the man I knew, and yet it wasn’t, because this version was consumed by a hatred so deep it was breathtaking. He will do anything, absolutely anything, to get his revenge. And that knowledge chilled me even more than the alien darkness. “And I cannot see why you would not put that need to good use. If they attack en masse, you will need my help. And if they don’t, then you have lost nothing.”
It made sense, yet still I hesitated to agree and I wasn’t sure why. My gaze searched his, looking for lies and finding nothing but honesty. But that didn’t mean a whole lot given he’d been bound to earth for many centuries. I was betting he could lie so well that even someone with the most sensitive of bullshit detectors wouldn’t know it.
But what if he wasn’t lying? What if he was actually telling the truth? We probably would need help retrieving the keys, and the only other person I could really call on who would be of any use against the Raziq was Uncle Quinn. And I wouldn’t do that to Riley—even if she’d be madder than hell if she ever found out that I hadn’t asked him.
I sighed, more than a little frustrated by the twisting of my thoughts, and said, “Even you and Azriel might not be enough if they attack en masse.”
“The reaper has his sword. I have weapons of my own. Trust me when I say we will hold them off long enough to get you and the keys to a safe place.”
I finished washing my hair, then met his gaze again and said, “And how are you going to do that when all you want to do is kill the bastards?”
He grinned, and it was a ugly thing to behold. “Because merely killing them outright is not good enough. I want them to suffer as I have suffered. Finding these keys and having all their plans turn to dust is but one means of ensuring that.”
I believed him. It was impossible not to. “Okay,” I said slowly. “When we go look for the keys, you’re in. But not before.”
He frowned. “Will you not need help when you go read the book?”
“No.”
He studied me for a moment, then shrugged. “I don’t think that’s wise, but this is your game, not mine.”
His words had a trepidation stirring, and I couldn’t help wondering if I’d made my situation better, or much, much worse.
Chapter Eleven
THE CAFÉ WAS PACKED WHEN I ARRIVED, AND several staff members had called in sick, so both Ilianna and Tao were in as replacements and working the floor. Which, in Tao’s case, was a rare event that pleased his many fans—some of whom were young, many of whom weren’t, but all of whom were female. Given most of them were wolves who were not afraid of grabbing what they wanted, Tao ended the shift with a sore butt and more phone numbers than even he could handle in a year. But he wasn’t the only one who’d scored—although in my case, it was offers of drinks rather than actual dates. Obviously, I’d looked as if I’d needed to drown my sorrows, even though I’d tried to be my usual cheerful self.
As the evening shift swept in and took control of the madness, the three of us retreated upstairs, beers in hand. I didn’t drink often—except when Ronan was around—but sometimes, when things got really insane, there was nothing more refreshing than a crisp, cool beer.
And insane was certainly an apt description of my life at the moment.
“So,” Tao said, as he rolled the chilled bottle across his forehead. “Ilianna tells me you’ve found a way to read the book without alerting the Raziq. When you attempt it, I want to be there to help.”
I opened my mouth to say no, then shut it again and took a drink instead. I’d known Tao long enough to realize he wouldn’t be dissuaded. And the truth was, with both Azriel and Lucian barred from entering the sacred site, we might just need him. Ilianna wasn’t a member of any coven, let alone the one that owned that ancient site, so there was no telling how the forest was going to react once she raised her magic in its midst.
And while she might be a powerful witch in her own right, she couldn’t help me and protect herself at the same time.
“You’ll need to wear every magical charm Ilianna can lay her hands on if you do,” I said, meeting his gaze evenly. “The place we’re going is almost sentient. There’s no telling what will happen once Ilianna creates the void.”
He nodded, looking pleased and somewhat bemused. “I was actually prepared for a rather long and drawn-out argument. I think I’m almost disappointed.”
I chuckled softly. “I’m not stupid, no matter what some people think. And I rather like the thought of having someone at my back whom I can completely trust.”
Tao opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Azriel said from behind me, “I gather by the rather ill-disguised sarcasm in your voice that that particular sentence is aimed at me?”
“At you, at Lucian, and at everyone else looking for these keys,” I retorted, not bothering to swing around and look at him. I didn’t need to—not when I could taste his rising anger in the air around me. “I just want you all out of my life. I’m sick of the lies and the endless threat of danger. I want everything to go back to normal.”
“Then we had best get moving and find these keys,” Azriel said, his voice still cool and collected, even if the air still boiled with his emotions.
“Which all sounds well and good,” Ilianna said as her gaze swept between me and Azriel, “but this spell must be done at the break of dawn. And that’s quite a few hours away.”
“By the time we gather everything you need and drive to the site, it won’t be.” I hesitated, then added, “You’ll need your four-wheel drive rather tha
n Tao’s Ferrari. This spot is a bitch to get to.”
