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“Indeed.” He studied the two of us for a moment, then said, “You do realize, don’t you, that Hunter has no intention of ever letting you off her leash? Her plans for you are vast, and the keys play only a minor part of that.”
The keys were hardly a minor part when the earth risked being overrun either by the denizens of hell or unhappy souls unable to move on. “I got that impression. But, for the moment, I need her. Or rather, I need her resources.”>He gave me a look. One that suggested I was being silly. I grinned.
“There is a vast difference between not caring about who sees your outer layer and whether you’re with Lucian.”
“So, Lucian aside, you wouldn’t care if I found myself another lover?”
He crossed his arms, his expression giving little away. But tiny flickers of annoyance danced both along Valdis’s sides and through the outer reaches of my mind, a sure sign that he was not as calm as he appeared. “That is not your intention, so why bring it up?”
“Because it’s sometimes amusing to see your very human reactions.” I rose on my toes and kissed him. “And now I’ll get dressed.”
“And I would like to point out that the workings of your mind are sometimes incomprehensible.”
“Does that mean I sometimes make sense?” I brushed past him, dumped the wet towel down the laundry chute, then headed for my wardrobe.
His gaze followed me, a caress that sent a tingly warmth skittering all the way down to my toes. It was certainly a more welcome sensation than the tiny tickles of thousands of spidery feet.
“Occasionally. Very occasionally.”
I grinned again. “Just think how boring your life would be without me.”
“I do.” He hesitated. “Possibly more than is wise.”
I shot him a glance. “So you’re actually going to miss me when this assignment is over and you leave?”
He hesitated again, and my amusement died. Hesitation was not what I’d expected. Not now. Not after all that had happened between us. And yet, as Ilianna had so rightly pointed out, the future was not something I should be worrying about right now. But, at the same time, how could I not when it came to him and me? Because I didn’t want him to leave. Not now, not ever.
Yet that was the one thing that was never in doubt.
I ignored the ache that accompanied the thought and quickly waved a hand. “Sorry. Dumb question. Forget it.”
I turned and grabbed the nearest clothing item. It turned out to be a short jean skirt that was more suited to summer than the chill of a day like today, but what the hell. I teamed it with a thick cashmere sweater that hugged me in all the right places, then wondered who I was trying to impress. Azriel certainly couldn’t care one way or another what I was wearing.
Once I’d pulled on tall leather boots, brushed my hair, and grabbed my handbag, I turned around and gave him a bright smile. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Risa—”
I cut him off with a sharp motion. “Don’t worry about it, Azriel.”
“I can hardly not worry about it when you are.” He caught my hand and drew me toward him. But he didn’t kiss me, didn’t do any of those things that a human—or non-human—male might have done. Instead, he said, “The future is in a vast state of disarray right now. No one, not even those of us whose duty it is to know the future of everyone who lives on this plane, can guess at where this quest might lead.”
My gaze searched his. “Meaning death is becoming more and more likely?”
He shrugged and gently brushed a stray strand of damp hair from my eyes. “It has always been a possibility.”
“And yet you got angry when I said my death might be a good thing.”
“Because there is a huge difference between taking one’s own life and a death that has been foretold. I would not like to see you end up as one of the lost ones.”
“Trust me, it’s not like I’d want that, either.” Yet I couldn’t shake the notion that that possibility was still on the table. I sighed. “As I said, let’s forget it. We need to go talk to the people at Hallowed Ground before bitch-face rings and blasts me.”
“Her time will come,” he said. “Have no fear of that.”
“Then I hope I’m still around to see it.”
“I suspect that even if you are not instrumental in the event, you will at least be there,” he said. “And no, I will not say more.”
“Damn you—”
