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“He does not,” she replied coolly. “It is either the viewing room or one of the side rooms. Your choice.”
If I’d had a real choice, I would have gone back in time and recanted the words that had led me into this impossible situation. I’d known when I’d said them that it was stupid and dangerous, but I’d been so desperate for revenge that I think I would have agreed to enter hell itself if it meant finding Mom’s killer.
Working for Hunter, and being under threat from the vampire council, wasn’t exactly hell, but it wasn’t far off it, either. Especially considering that Hunter and the Cazadors were no closer to finding Mom’s killer than we were.
“Tell Marshall we’ll take one of the side rooms.” We simply couldn’t risk staying in the viewing room again. The Rakshasa’s hunger might force her to return, but I doubted that she would simply appear like she had the last time. After all, she now knew we were here and, at the very least, would be more cautious.
“That is very brave of you,” Hunter said. “The council will be impressed.”
And that, I suddenly realized, was the whole point of this exercise. Impressing the council, making them believe that keeping me alive was a far better option than killing me. This wasn’t about the Rakshasa or the vampire killings. This was about Hunter strengthening her power base.
And I was one of the foundation stones.
I rubbed my head wearily. If I’d had the energy I would have cursed long and fluently. But the truth of the matter was, I’d brought this on myself by agreeing to her terms back in that forest, and now I had no option but to deal with it.
“I don’t give a fuck whether the council are impressed or not. I just want to find this thing so I can concentrate on the business of finding the remaining keys.”
And with that I hung up. It might not have been wise, but I was way past tired and beyond caring.
“Then get some sleep,” Azriel suggested. “I will wake you when it is time to return to the club.”
My gaze rose to meet his. That thick sense of heat and desire still swirled within me, but stronger than that was the need to be held. Just held.
He took half a step forward, then stopped and clenched his fists. “Go,” he said, his voice holding a rough edge. “Rest.”
I briefly closed my eyes, and half wished Lucian was here. He, at least, would have understood the need for contact and comfort that wasn’t sexual—although truth be known, while he might have held me, it wouldn’t have been for long. He was a sexual being, and that’s where it would have ended.
What I needed, I thought bitterly, was a straightforward relationship with a normal everyday man.
Someone like Jak—only less work oriented and more trustworthy.
But an ordinary man was not something I was likely to find anytime soon. Nor was it wise to bring such a man into my current situation.
Which meant, like it or not, I was going to bed alone. I forced my feet into action and walked into the bedroom, where I stripped and climbed under the sheets. It wasn’t long before sleep caught me, but it was far from peaceful. Visions haunted me—blood and death and needle-sharp talons that sliced flesh to the bone.
It was only when arms wrapped around me and pulled me close to a heated body that somehow made me feel safer than I’d ever felt that the dreams dissipated and I was finally able to sleep.
I followed Azriel into the bowels of Dark Earth, carefully watching where I placed each foot. It was pissing down outside, and although the hidden entrance looked solid, water seeped underneath it, making the steps slick and treacherous. The last thing I really needed right now was to break a leg.
Mind you, if there had been the slightest chance that a broken bone or two could have saved me from the high council’s edict, I might have considered the option.
We reached the long corridor and walked down to the door. It opened to reveal an impatient-looking Marshall.
He glanced at his watch when he saw us, then all but spat, “What the hell time do you think this is?”
“It’s five to twelve,” I said, somehow keeping my voice even, though all I really wanted to do was hit him one and then spin on my heel and walk out. I was working for Hunter, not her fucking lackey. “And it’s the same time we normally arrive, so why the carrying on?”
“Hunter told you—”
“Nothing,” I snapped. “As usual.”
Of course, I had hung up on the bitch. Maybe she’d hung me out to dry information-wise because of it.
Or maybe she’d never intended to tell me, especially if this was another bloody test.
Marshall’s grunt didn’t sound pleased. “Well, the place is fucking packed tonight, which is why I wanted you here earlier. I wanted to get you into the side room before the main rush.”
“Would it matter? Everyone in the main bar will know I’m there. They’ll hear my heartbeat.”
