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We needed the key and we needed to place it somewhere safe—not just safe from the likes of Hunter and the sorceress, but safe from anyone else who might fancy themselves as the king or queen of hell, now or in the future.
But maybe before we did any of that, it would be better to track down and take out the sorceress. At least then there would be one less nutter for us to worry about.
I swung away from the window and ordered some food from the kitchen downstairs, then began to pace. There wasn’t a whole lot else I could do, not until Azriel got back or Stane came up with a list of possible locations for us to check out.
I’d finished a second can of Coke and was just scooping up a last bit of chocolate cake by the time energy and heat stirred the air, signifying Azriel’s return. I dumped the plate on the desk and swung around to face him, my gaze sweeping him to make sure he was okay.
“I am whole and unhurt,” he said immediately, amusement in his voice and his expression warm. “But I do thank you for the concern, even if it was not really required in this instance.”
“Hey, when you’re dealing with a dark sorceress, even the most innocent of quests could turn deadly.” I tugged him closer and dropped a kiss on his lips. “Did anything untoward happen?”
“Unfortunately, no.” He wrapped his arms loosely around my waist. “He didn’t call anyone, nor did he appear overly anxious after your call. He certainly didn’t leave.”
“Damn.”
“Yes. I did try to read the secretary’s thoughts, but she is another of those rare people I cannot access.”
“We seem to be striking more than our fair share of those types of people in this quest,” I grouched.
“Yes, but remember, the Aedh had been on this earth for a very long time before you came along. He had the time to gather those necessary to his cause, and—given his knowledge of who and what would be involved in any search for the key before he was sent back in time—that would include people a Mijai could not read.”
I smiled up at him. “You do know Lucian’s dead, right?”
He frowned, his confusion evident. “I cannot see the point of that question.”
Of course he couldn’t, because reapers supposedly didn’t do emotion, particularly jealousy. “Well, being dead, he’s no longer a rival or a threat. Surely that means you can actually say his name now.”
Amusement briefly flirted with his lips. “Actually, I don’t believe I can. Or, at least, I have no desire to grace the air with his foul presence, even if it is something as simple as giving him the courtesy of a name.”
Since I couldn’t really argue with that sentiment, I said, “Do you think I should still meet with Mike for dinner tonight, as planned? I mean, if he’s shown no concern over my questions, maybe his links with Sands and the others are innocent.”
“They possibly are, but we cannot afford to ignore any link right now, no matter how tenuous.” He shrugged. “Unless you wish to arrange for someone to watch him twenty-four hours a day, there is little else we can do but meet him tonight and see if his files lead anywhere else.”
“They won’t if he’s involved.” Or they’d take us off on some wild-goose chase.
“Either way, unless Stane comes through with a short list of key locations, we must pursue every possible lead we can. Especially given we have no idea which lead could take us to our dark sorceress—and as you noted, it would be far better to deal with her before we found the key than after.”
“Finding her is the whole problem,” I muttered. “It’s a shame hell did not seem to impede her in any way.”
“She is a dark sorceress,” Azriel noted, with a trace of amusement. “It gives her a far greater understanding of that place than even we reapers have.”
I guessed it did—but it still didn’t stop me from wishing that hell had provided at least some impediment. Even a few weeks could have made the difference for us. I sighed and stepped away. “So what next?”
Just as Azriel opened his mouth to reply, my phone rang sharply.
“Answering that, obviously.”
I smiled and hit the Answer button. Kiandra’s image came up on the vid-screen. “Risa,” she said, by way of hello. “I’ve spoken to a witch capable of psychometry, and she is willing to attempt a trace of the cuff link’s owner.”
“That’s brilliant! Thank you.”
Kiandra nodded. “Her name is Maggie Stiller, and she runs Found Treasures, a small lost-and-found business in the city. You can visit her anytime you desire during normal business hours.”
“I have to say, that’s a perfect occupation for someone with a finding skill.”
“Yes,” Kiandra said, with a smile. “She does make a very decent living out of it, too. However, there is no guarantee she will be able to help you with the cuff link’s owner. Given we are dealing with a dark sorceress, she more than likely would be aware of such an eventuality and have measures in place to take care of it.”
I frowned. “And is Maggie aware of this?”
