I bit my lip and glanced at him. He smiled at my unasked question and said, "I"d feel a whole lot better if you were working here rather than off somewhere else where there"s no one to watch your back."
I returned my gaze to Jackson"s. "So, full partner? Done legally, with me buying a percentage of the business?"
"Fifty-fifty, and everything legal," he agreed. "With a cooling-off period of thirty days, just to be safe."
I hesitated, then grinned. "You have yourself a deal. And a partner."
Jackson grabbed the bottle of wine and refilled all our gla.s.ses.
"To h.e.l.lfire Investigations," he said, raising his gla.s.s. "Long may we prosper."
"To h.e.l.lfire," I echoed, and clinked my gla.s.s against theirs.
And knew, even as I drank the wine, that it wasn"t prosperity we had to worry about.
It was survival.
Don"t miss the last novel in Keri Arthur"s Dark Angels series, DARKNESS FALLS.
Available from Signet in December 2014 The Raziq were coming.
The energy of their approach was very distant, but it blasted heat and thunder across my senses and sent me reeling. But even worse was the sheer and utter depth of rage that accompanied that distant wave. I"d known they would be angry that we"d deceived them, but this . . . this was murderous.
Up until now, the Raziq had used minor demons to kidnap me whenever they"d wanted to talk to me-although their version of talk generally involved some kind of torture. This time, however, there would be no talking. There would be only death and destruction.
And they would take out everyone-and everything-around us in the process.
It was a horrendous prospect given we were still at the Brindle, a place that not only held aeons of witch knowledge but was also home to at least two dozen witches.
I reached for my sword. Even though we couldn"t fight in this place of peace, I still felt safer with Amaya"s weight in my hand. But she wasn"t there. Just for an instant, panic surged; then I realized I"d left her behind, among the ruins of our home. In the aftermath of my father"s destruction, I"d been desperate to see whether Mirri-who"d been under a death sentence, thanks to Father"s magic-had by some miracle survived, and I hadn"t given Amaya a second thought.
"We cannot stay here." The familiar, masculine tones broke through the fear that had been holding me captive.
My gaze met Azriel"s. He wasn"t only my guardian but my lover, the father of my child, and the being I was now linked to forever in both life and afterlife. When I died, I would become what he was-a Mijai, a reaper warrior tasked not only with protecting the gates to heaven and h.e.l.l, but hunting down the demons who broke through h.e.l.l"s gate to cause havoc here on Earth.
Of course, reapers weren"t actually flesh beings-although they could certainly attain that form whenever they wished-but rather beings made of energy who lived on the gray fields, the area that divided Earth from heaven and h.e.l.l. While I was part werewolf and therefore flesh, I was also part Aedh. The Aedh were energy beings who at one time had lived on the fields like the reapers, and also had been the traditional guardians of the gates. My father had been one of the Raziq-a group of rebel Aedh who were responsible not only for the destruction of the Aedh but for the creation of the three keys to the gates-and he was also the reason they were currently lost.
Or rather, only one key was still lost. I"d found the first two, but both had been stolen from under my nose by the dark sorceress who"d subsequently opened two of h.e.l.l"s three gates.
Things hadn"t quite gone according to plan for her when she"d opened the second one, however, because she"d been captured by demons and dragged into the pits of h.e.l.l. I was keeping everything crossed that that"s exactly where she"d remain, but given the way luck had been treating us of late it was an even-money bet she wouldn"t.
"Risa," Azriel repeated when I didn"t immediately answer him. "We must not stay here."
"I know."
But where the h.e.l.l were we going to go that was safe from the wrath of the Raziq? There was nowhere safe. Maybe not even h.e.l.l itself-not that I particularly wanted to go there.
I briefly closed my eyes and tried to control the panic surging through me. And yet that approaching wave of anger filled every recess of my mind, making thought, let alone calm, near impossible. If they got hold of me . . . My skin crawled.
It took a moment to register that my skin was actually crawling. Or at least part of it was. I glanced down. The wingless, serpentlike dragon tattoo on my left forearm was on the move, twisting around like a wild thing trapped. Anger gleamed in its dark eyes and its scales glowed a rich, vibrant lilac in the half-light of the room.
Of course, it wasn"t an ordinary tattoo. It was a Duan, a creature of magic that had been designed to protect me when I walked the fields. It was a gift from my father, and one of the few decent things he"d actually done for me since this whole key saga had begun.
Unfortunately, the Duan was of little use here on Earth. It shouldn"t even have been able to move on this plane, let alone partially disengage from my skin, as it had in the past.
"What"s wrong now?"
I glanced at Ilianna-my best friend, flatmate, and a powerful witch in her own right. Her warm tones were rich with concern, and not without reason. After all, she"d only just managed to save the life of her mate, Mirri, from my father"s foul magic, and here I was again, threatening not only Mirri"s life but Ilianna"s, her mom"s, and those of everyone else who currently stood within the walls of this place. Because not even the magic of the Brindle, as powerful as it was, would stop the Raziq. It had been designed to protect the witches from the evil of this world. It was never meant to be a defense against those from the gray fields.
"The Raziq hunt us." Azriel"s reply was flat. Matter-of-fact. Yet his anger reverberated through every inch of my being, as fierce as anything I could feel from the Raziq. But it wasn"t just anger; it was antic.i.p.ation, and that was possibly scarier. He drew his sword and met my gaze. If the ominous black-blue fire that flickered down the sides of Valdis-which was the name of the demon locked within the metal of his sword, and who imbued it with a life and power of its own-was anything to go by, she was as ready to fight as her master. As ready as Amaya would have been, had she been here. "We need to leave. Now."
Ilianna frowned. "Then go home-"
"We can"t," I cut in. "Home"s gone."
It had been blown to smithereens when I"d thrust Amaya"s black steel into my father"s flesh and had allowed her to consume him. And it was an action I didn"t regret, not after everything the b.a.s.t.a.r.d had done.
"Yes," Ilianna replied. "But the wards your father gave us should still be active. I placed a spell on them that prevents anything or anyone other than us from moving them."
"Even from what basically resembled a bomb blast?"
She hesitated. "That, I can"t guarantee."
"A half guarantee is better than nothing." Azriel"s gaze met mine again. "If they aren"t active, then we stand and fight. They still need you, no matter how furious they might currently be."
Yes, but they didn"t need him. And they would destroy him, if they could. Still, what other choice did we have? No matter where we went, either here or on the gray fields, others would pay the price. I hesitated. "Will the Brindle"s magic react if we transport out from within its walls?"
"Normally, yes," Kiandra-the Bridle"s head witch-replied. She stood near Mirri and Zaira, Ilianna"s mom, her gaze bright and all too knowing in the shadowed room. "But given the events of the last few days, I have woven specific exceptions into our barriers."
"Thanks." We were going to need it. I swallowed, then stepped toward Azriel.
"Call me," Ilianna said. "Let me know you"re okay."
I didn"t reply. I couldn"t. Azriel"s energy had already ripped through us, swiftly transporting us across the fields. We reappeared in the blackened ruins of the home I"d once shared with Ilianna and Tao-although to call them ruins was something of a misnomer. Ruins implied there was some form of basic structure left. There was nothing here. No walls, no ceiling, not even a bas.e.m.e.nt. Just a big black hole that had once held a building we"d all loved.
I stepped away from Azriel and glanced up. The faintest touch of pink was beginning to invade the black of the sky; dawn wasn"t that far off. I wondered what day it was. So much had happened over the past few days that I"d lost track.
Time appeared. The familiar, somewhat harsh tone that ran through my thoughts was heavy with displeasure. Alone should not be.
Sorry. I felt vaguely absurd for even issuing an apology. I mean, when it was all said and done, Amaya was a sword. But somewhere in the past few days, she had become more a friend than merely a means of protection.
I picked my way through the rubble and found her half-wedged into the blackened soil. I pulled her free, and definitely felt a whole lot safer. Though it wasn"t as if Amaya or Azriel-or anyone else for that d.a.m.n matter-could save me if the Raziq really had decided enough was enough.
"The Raziq have split," Azriel commented.
Confusion-and a deepening sense of dread-ran through me. "Meaning what?"
The ferocity that roiled through the connection between us gave his blue eyes an icy edge. "Half of them chase us here. The rest continue toward the Brindle."
"Oh, f.u.c.k!"
"They plan to demonstrate the cost of misdirection, and there is nothing we can do to prevent it." His expression hardened, and I hadn"t thought that was possible. "And before you say it, I will not let you endanger yourself for them."
"And I will not stand here and let others pay the price for decisions I"ve made!"
"We have no other choice-"
"There"s always a f.u.c.king choice, Azriel. Standing here while others die in my place is not one of them."
"Making a stand at the Brindle will not alter the fate of the Brindle."
"Don"t you think I know that?" I thrust a hand through my hair and began to pace. There had to be an answer. Had to be some way to protect the Brindle and everyone within her without either Azriel or me having to make a stand. d.a.m.n it, if only Ilianna had had the time to create more protection stones . . . The thought stuttered to a halt. "Oh, my G.o.d, the protection stones."
Azriel frowned. "They are still active. I can feel their presence."
"Exactly!" I swung around to face him. "You need to get them to the Brindle. It"s the only chance they have against the Raziq."
"I will not-"
"For G.o.d"s sake, stop arguing and just do as I ask!"
He crossed his arms and glared at me. His expression was so fierce my insides quaked, even though I knew he would never, ever hurt me.
"My task is to protect you. No one else. You. I cannot and will not leave you unprotected, especially not now."
Not when there is life and love yet to be explored between us. Not when you carry our child. The words spun through my thoughts, as fierce as his expression and yet filled with such pa.s.sion that my heart d.a.m.n near melted. I walked back to him and touched his arm. His skin twitched, but the muscles underneath were like steel. My warrior was ready for battle.
"I know it goes against every instinct, Azriel, but I couldn"t live with myself if anyone at the Brindle died because of me."
"And I would not want to live without you. There is no where that is safe from the wrath of the Raziq."
"Maybe not-" I hesitated, suddenly remembering what he"d said about the Aedh temples and the remnants of the priests who still haunted that place. They weren"t ghosts, as such-more echoes of the beings they"d once been-but they were nevertheless d.a.m.n dangerous. I"d briefly encountered one of them when I"d been chasing the sorceress to h.e.l.l"s gate, and it had left me in no doubt that he could destroy me without a second"s hesitation.
"That is not a true option," Azriel said, obviously following my thoughts. "And there is certainly no guarantee that the priests will even acknowledge you again, let alone provide any sort of a.s.sistance."
"That"s a chance I"m willing to take." And it was certainly a better option than letting the Brindle pay the cost for my deceit. "Those who haunt that place weren"t aware of the Raziq"s duplicity, Azriel, but I think they might be now. And you"re the one who told me that if they decide you"re an intruder, they can cause great harm."
"But the Raziq were once priests-"
"And they"re also the reason the Aedh no longer exist to guard the gates," I cut in. "This might be the only way both of us are going to survive a confrontation with the Raziq, and we have to take it."
He stared at me for several heartbeats, then swore viciously. Not in my language, in his. I blinked at the realization I"d understood it, but let it slide. Right now it didn"t matter a d.a.m.n how or when that had happened. All that did matter was surviving the next few minutes.
Because the Raziq were getting nearer. They"d breached the barrier between the fields and Earth and were closing in even as we stood here. I suspected the only reason they hadn"t yet confronted us was simply that we had moved. But that wouldn"t help the Brindle.
Azriel sheathed his sword, then caught my hand and tugged me toward him. "If we"re going to do this, then we do it somewhere where your body is going to be safe while you"re on the fields."
"Not the Brindle-"
"No."
The word was barely out of his mouth when his energy ripped through us again. We appeared in a room that was dark but not unoccupied. The scents in the air told me exactly where we were-Aunt Riley"s. She was the very last person I wanted to endanger in any way. I wasn"t actually blood related to Riley, but after my mom"s death, she and her pack were the only family I had left.
But before I could make any objection about being here, she said, "I"m gathering there"s a good reason behind your sudden appearance in our bedroom at this unG.o.dly hour of the morning."
Her tone was wry, and she didn"t sound the slightest bit sleepy. But then, she"d not only once been a guardian, but one of their best. I guess old habits-like sleeping light-die hard.
"The Aedh hunt us." Azriel"s voice was tight. He didn"t like doing this any more than I did, though I suspected our reasons were very different. "I need you to keep Risa"s body safe while she"s on the gray fields."
And with that, he kissed me-fiercely but all too briefly-then disappeared. Leaving me reeling, battling for breath, and more frightened than I"d ever been. Because I was about to face the wrath of the Raziq alone, even if for only a few minutes.
Not alone, Amaya grumbled. Here am.
Yes, she was. But even a demon sword with a thirst for bloodshed might not be enough to counter the fury I could feel in the Raziq.
And why the h.e.l.l could I even feel that? Had it something to do with whatever Malin-the woman in charge of the Raziq and my father"s p.i.s.sed-off ex-had done to me that time she"d tortured me? I didn"t know, because Malin had also erased my knowledge of the procedure to prevent my father from figuring out what she"d done. But with him dead, maybe it was time to find out.
"Risa?" This time it was Riley"s mate, Quinn, who spoke.
He was the reason Azriel had bought me here. While Riley may once have been a guardian, Quinn was a whole lot more. Not only was he a vampire who"d once been a Cazador-who were basically the high vampire council"s elite hit squad-but he was also what I was: a half-breed Aedh. One who"d undergone priest"s training. If there was anyone here on Earth who could stand against the wrath of the Raziq for more than a second, it would be him.
I swallowed heavily, but it didn"t do a whole lot to ease the dryness in my throat. What I was about to do was the very last thing I"d ever wanted to do, but the reality was I"d been left with little other choice.
"There"s no time to explain," I said. "I have to get onto the fields immediately. People will die if I don"t."
"Then do it." Quinn climbed out of bed and walked to the wardrobes that lined one wall of their bedroom. "No one will get past us."
I hoped he was right, but it wasn"t like I was going to be around to find out. I sat cross-legged on the thick, cus.h.i.+ony carpet, saw Quinn open a door and reach for the weapons within, then closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
As I released it, I released awareness of everything around me, concentrating on nothing more than slowing the frantic beat of my heart so I could free my psyche, my soul-or whatever else people liked to call it-from the constraints of my flesh. That was what the Raziq were following-not my flesh, but my spirit. I hoped they would follow me onto the fields and not wreak h.e.l.l on the two people I cared about most in this world.
As the awareness of everything around me began to fade, warmth throbbed at my neck-a sign that the charm Ilianna had given me when we"d both still been teenagers was at work, protecting me as my psyche pulled free and stepped onto the gray fields. Here the real world was little more than a shadow, a place where those things that could not be seen on the living plane became visible. It was also the land between life and death, a place through which souls journeyed to whatever gateway was their next destination, be it heaven or h.e.l.l.
But it was far from uninhabited. The reapers lived here, and so did the Raziq who remained.
And right now it was a dangerous place for me to be. The Raziq could move far faster here than I could. My only hope was reaching the Aedh temples that surrounded and protected the gates.
I turned and ran. The Duan immediately exploded from my arm, her energy flowing through me as her serpentine form gained flesh and shape, became real and solid. She swirled around me, the wind of her body buffeting mine as her sharp ebony gaze scanned the fields around us. Looking for trouble. Looking to fight.
I had to wonder whether even she would have any hope against the Raziq. Because they were coming. The thunder of their approach shook the very air around us.
Fear surged, and it lent me the strength to go faster. But running seemed a hideously slow method of movement, even if everything around me was little more than a blur. I wished I could transport myself to the temples instantaneously, as Azriel had in the past, but I wasn"t yet of this world, even if I was destined to become a Mijai upon death.
The Duan"s movements were becoming more and more frantic. I swore and reached for every ounce of energy I had left, until it felt as if I were flying through the fields of gray.
But even when I reached the temples, I felt no safer. This place was as ghostly and surreal as the rest of the fields, but it was also a place filled with impossible shapes, high, soaring arches, and honeycombed domes sitting atop floating towers. Yet it no longer felt as empty as it had the first time I"d come here. There was an awareness-an anger-here now, and it filled the temple grounds with a watchful energy that stung my skin and sent chills through my being.
I stopped in the expanse of emptiness that divided the temple buildings from the simply adorned gates to heaven and h.e.l.l. The Duan surged around me, her movements sharp, agitated. I tightened my grip on Amaya as I turned to face the oncoming Raziq. Amaya began to hiss in expectation, the noise jarring against the watchful silence. But none of the priestly remnants appeared nor spoke. I had no doubt they were aware of my presence, but it seemed that, for now, they were content to watch.