My frown deepened. “I was under the impression that it was tough for Aedh to take souls from flesh.”
“It is, but that doesn’t mean they have to resort to such force. It drains them, that is all.”
Great. So we’d eliminated a possibility, but it didn’t leave us a whole lot closer to the who.
“Blood magic has an individual taint, so did you sense it in Hanna’s room?”
He shook his head. “But that death was older. Within an hour, the scent of this will be long gone, too.”
“Then why can’t you follow it back to its source now?”
“Because it begins and ends in this room.”
Which more than likely meant some sort of transport spell had been involved. Great. Just great.
“So basically, we’re no closer to solving the riddle of these deaths than we were before.”
“No.” He glanced at me, and there was something almost annoyed in his otherwise impassive features. “It would be useful, though, if you slept like a regular person. I would have more time to hunt.”
I said, “Hunt away, reaper. It’s not like I want you to follow me around.”
“As I said before, that is not an option.” Though his tone suggested he wished it was. Either reapers were more capable of emotion than I’d originally thought, or I was reading way more into the brief changes in his expression than was warranted.
“So if you’re stuck following me around, why didn’t you help me when I was attacked?”
“As I’ve already said, I only follow. I do not interfere.”
“Well, your quest would have been up shit creek if those men had succeeded in killing me.”
“That I would have stopped. You are no good to any of us dead.”
“Gee, that’s such a comfort.” I glanced at my watch then said, “I hate to break this to you, but I’m not going to get a whole lot of sleep tonight. So you’re stuck with following me around for a while yet.”
He didn’t say anything, but displeasure seemed to swirl through the heated air. The phone rang into the silence, making me jump a little. It was Tao.
“A car with Directorate plates just pulled into the parking lot behind Dan Murphy’s,” he said quickly. “Get your ass into gear if you don’t want to be caught in there.”
“Wind down the car window for me.” I hung up and met Azriel’s gaze. “I need to go.”
“Call if you discover anything else.” He crossed his arms, watching as I flowed into my other form, his expression as unreadable as ever. Then he simply winked out of existence.
I turned and sped for the door, sweeping underneath it, then surging toward the car. I couldn’t see Uncle Rhoan—the old wooden fence stood between me and the parking lot, and I very much preferred to keep it that way. He was half vampire, after all, and his infrared sight was sensitive. I might be invisible in this form, but I had no idea how much body heat I was emitting. Uncle Quinn had never really mentioned it.
The car window was only open an inch or so, but it was enough. I swept through it, then changed to human form, landing with some inelegance—and a whole lot of pain—in the passenger seat. Two shifts in a short space of time had not only left me weak and shaky, but basically destroyed my sweater. My jeans had disintegrated, too, the cotton plastered to my skin.
“He’s coming,” Tao murmured, reaching back to grab another sweater from the backseat and thrusting it at me. “Put that on.”
With some difficulty, I hauled it over my head, struggling to thrust my hands through the sleeves then pushing them up because they were way too long for me. The wool smelled of Tao—the musk of wolf combined with exotic wood and Oriental spices—and for some reason it made me feel safe. The world might be going to hell, but I had my friends—and that was all that mattered.
Soft footsteps echoed across the night. I blew out a breath that flicked the sweaty strands of hair away from my forehead, then pressed the button and lowered the window the rest of the way, watching Uncle Rhoan’s approach through the side mirror.
“Have either of you been in there?” he said, his silvery gaze sweeping us both as he leaned down. His expression was dark, to say the least.
“I went in there briefly as an Aedh,” I admitted, knowing it wasn’t the time for all-out lies. “I wasn’t in time to help and there was no one else in there, so I came back out.”
“And you didn’t touch anything?”
“Other than the floor briefly when I shifted shape to see what scents haunted the room, no.”
“Good. Now, would you like to explain just what the fuck you’re doing here?”
I retreated from the anger that was practically boiling from him, even though his voice was calm. “We were just following him.”
“Risa, I said we’d deal with it. You haven’t got the training to handle this sort of stuff.”
I might not be trained, but I sure as hell was more capable than him when it came to sensing soul stealers. I wisely kept the words inside, though. Taking that particular tack wouldn’t gain me anything more than his fury. And he was angry enough as it was.
“Go home, Ris,” he said, slapping the car with his palms. “I’ll contact you when we have any news.”
He stepped back. I glanced at Tao, who grimaced but shoved the car into gear and left.
“Well, that went surprisingly well,” I commented once we were out of earshot.
Tao gave me an incredulous look. “The man was barely resisting the urge to rip you out of the car and spank you!”
“Ah, but he didn’t, so I consider that a win for our side.”
“It’s hardly us and them. You’re on the same side, remember?”
“Yeah, but they won’t let me help.”
“With good reason, I’d say. They’re the professionals, not us.”
“I promised Mom I’d investigate this.” Which wasn’t exactly the truth. All I’d really promised was to see the little girl and advise the parents as to her state. But after seeing her, after feeling what she’d gone through, I couldn’t let the matter drop. Her death haunted me, and her pain wouldn’t ease until I knew who—or what—had caused it.
And stopped them.
“Then what’s our next course of action?”
I smiled at his use of our. Whether I liked it or not, he was going to help, and that was both scary and comforting. “We need to stop and get Ilianna her ice cream.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “I know that.”
I smiled. “Azriel said—”
“Azriel?” Tao interrupted. “As in the reaper? You spoke to him in there?”
“I called him. Apparently he’s tuned to my Chi or something.”
“Oh, that has to be fun,” he muttered darkly. “You have a reaper at your beck and call.”
“Trust me, this is one reaper you would not want to play with.”
He snorted softly. “I can’t see a good reason to be playing with any of them.”
“It’s not like I actually have a choice in this.” And to be fair, neither did he, apparently.
“I guess.” He half shrugged. “Go on.”
“He said there was blood magic involved—that it was used to transport the thing that did this into the house, and to also hide its form. Handberry’s last memories showed little more than a vague, smoky mass.”
“So we have a dark practitioner at large.” He flicked on the turn signal and turned onto Hoddle Street. “Do you think Ilianna will know if there’s one active in Melbourne?”
“It’s worth asking.” Neither Ilianna nor Mirri was a member of a coven, preferring to practice individually, but both had some serious contacts in the witch world. If there was a Charna active, those contacts might have heard whispers. Or at least felt the wisps of his or her evil.
“And if she hasn’t heard anything?”
I scrubbed a hand across my eyes. “I don’t know.”
Tao was silent for a moment, then said, “What about looking for the connection between the
little girl and Handberry? If blood magic was involved, then it surely couldn’t be a random attack.”
“That would involve running a complete background check on both victims. Neither you nor I have the skills for that sort of hacking.” And I couldn’t ask Uncle Rhoan. He’d kill me. Or lecture me, which was usually worse.
“But Stane has. And he loves a challenge.”
I frowned. “I don’t know. This situation could get very dangerous. It’s bad enough that I’ve involved you and Ilianna.”
“Stane is more than able to take care of himself—”
“Not against something that is transported by magic and can steal souls.”
He made a frustrated growl, then said, “Do you want this solved or not?”
“Yes, but—”
“Then you need outside help. Stane will do it. And surely Ilianna can magic up something that will repel evil?”
I nodded reluctantly. “She can do wards—that might help protect him if he gets a little too close to the source.”
“Then that’s what we do.” He glanced at me, blue contacts catching the passing lights and gleaming brightly in the darkness. “You are not doing this alone, Ris. End of story.”
I knew that tone. He would not be dissuaded. I drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. But it didn’t do much to ease the frustration flowing through me.
“Contact him tomorrow,” I said. “Right now we all need to get some sleep.”
Or the damn paperwork was not going to make any sense.
“You’d better shift shape and clothes,” he said. “Just in case those men are still watching the house.”
I face-shifted back to Kiera’s image—I was so tired, it seemed to take even more effort than usual—then stripped off Tao’s sweater and put my dress and Kiera’s coat back on. After changing shoes, I closed my eyes and leaned against the window, letting the rhythm lull me into a half sleep. It didn’t last very long—all too soon we were pulling up outside our apartment.
“Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty,” Tao said, altogether too cheerfully. “We’re home.”
I grumbled something unintelligible even to me and pushed away from the window, stretching my arms above my head in an attempt to wake up. He was already out the door and, a second later, my door was opened. He clasped my fingers and helped me out, his skin a furnace compared with mine.
He frowned. “You need to eat. You’ve obviously shifted too much.”
“What I need,” I murmured, keeping my voice low because we had no idea where those men might be or if they had listening devices with them, “is sleep. And lots of it.”
He grunted and looked into the scanner. It was only then that I realized he was holding a tub of ice cream in his other hand. He must have stopped when I was asleep. “I’ll make you a burger before you go to bed.”
I shuddered. “At this hour? I’ll never sleep.”
“Then grab some cake, at least.” He gave me a sideways look, a wry smile touching his lips. “Don’t try to tell me you can’t do chocolate cake, because I know for a fact that would be a lie.”
I grinned. “Chocolate cake can and should be eaten whatever the hour.”
The door opened. Ilianna was standing on the other side. Her glance ran from him to me and back again, then she sighed. “I’m so glad you’re both safe. I had a really bad feeling things had gone wrong.”
“They did,” I said grimly, walking past her as she stepped aside. “Just not for us.”
The door slammed closed behind us. I made my way to my bedroom and shifted back to own face. I felt even shittier as I stripped off my clothes and grabbed a T-shirt and jeans from my wardrobe. Tao was right—I needed to eat. Three seconds later I was heading for the kitchen.
“Where are Kiera and Rocky?” I asked over my shoulder, opening the fridge and pulling out the cake. It was six inches high and chock-full of cream, ganache, and strawberries.
“Asleep in the guest room,” Ilianna replied. “We weren’t sure what time you’d get back.”
“Don’t wake them.” Tao walked across to the coffee machine and pulled out three cups.
“I won’t.” Ilianna shoved her tub of ice cream away, then added, “So, what happened?”
“Handberry was killed by the soul stealer, meaning our two different cases might have collided.” I glanced at Tao. “You want a piece?”
He shook his head and started making coffee. I looked back at Ilianna. “I don’t suppose you’ve heard if there are any Charna active in the city?”
She raised her eyebrows. “And why would you be asking a question like that?”
“Because according to Azriel—”
“Hang on,” she said. “Who is Azriel?”
“The reaper who’s following me. According to him, the soul stealer is being transported and protected by blood magic. To me, that indicates either a Charna or possibly a Satanist.”
“If blood magic is involved, you’re more than likely right.” She frowned. “I haven’t heard anything, but I’m not a member of a coven, so that’s not unusual. I can ask around, if you’d like.”
“I’d like.” I dropped a big slab of cake onto a plate and headed into the living room. Tao followed with the coffees, handing them out once we’d sat down. “But be careful. We don’t want the wrong people aware that we’re asking any questions. That could get dangerous.”
And things were dangerous enough as it was.
She lightly blew on her coffee, then asked, “So have you any idea why Handberry was killed?”
“None whatsoever,” I said as the doorbell rang.
“Who the hell could that be at this hour?” Tao said, frowning as his gaze met mine.
“Well, I’m sure not expecting anybody—are you?”
He shook his head. Flames danced briefly across his fingertips, then were extinguished. “I’ll watch your back.”
I regretfully dumped my cake onto the table, then walked across to the door. A quick look at the monitor revealed a small, slender woman with dark hair and the most amazing green eyes. It wasn’t anyone I knew.
I pressed the intercom and said, “Can I help you?”
“I need to speak to Risa Jones rather urgently.”
“And who can I say is calling?”
“Madeline Hunter.”
I knew that name. It was a name that had been spoken in whispers by both Riley and Rhoan. This woman—this tiny presence standing outside my door—was one of the most powerful and feared vampires in Melbourne. And if it was her, she was rarely seen outside the halls of the Directorate.
So what the hell was she doing standing on my doorstep?
“Prove it.”
A smile flickered across her lips, but never made it to her eyes. The green depths remained cold and calculating. She pulled a small wallet out of her purse and opened it up. The ID inside said MADELINE HUNTER.
The woman in charge of the whole damn Directorate.
“NOW MAY I COME IN?” SHE DRAWLED, PUTTING the ID away.
“Not on your fucking life,” I muttered. I hit the MUTE button then, swung around, meeting Tao’s and Ilianna’s curious gazes. “Say nothing. Do not invite her in.”
“Why?” Ilianna asked, confusion crossing her features. “I saw her badge—she’s Directorate. She’s not about to hurt us.”
I snorted softly. “You need to listen to some of the stories Rhoan and Riley tell about the Directorate. Besides, she’s a vampire. If we invite her across the threshold, she can waltz in anytime she likes.”
“So what’s to stop her using her vamp mojo on us and forcing an invitation that way?” Tao asked.
“Because the invitation has to be freely given.” But that didn’t mean she couldn’t use her vamp telepathy skills to create other sorts of orders. I walked across the room, retrieved my phone from my purse, flicked it across to vid-screen, and said “Quinn.” I knew he’d be up. He might be half Aedh, but he was also a vamp and he rarely slept nights—even if he spent half of t
hem in bed with Riley.
“Risa,” he said, the Irish lilt in his voice holding a hint of surprise. “Why are you calling at this hour? Is anything wrong?”
“I’m not entirely sure. Hang on.” I walked across to the door and pressed the control screen. As the door slid aside, I said into the phone, “There’s a woman outside my door claiming to be Director Hunter. Is this really her?”
I turned the phone around so he could see. Again, amusement flirted with Hunter’s lips—and again, the look in her eyes suggested she was anything but amused.
“Madeline,” Quinn said immediately, his voice cool and the soft lilt gone. “Do not try anything on her. Do not tamper with her mind. I’ll know.”
She snorted softly—almost elegantly—as her gaze moved to me. “You have some mighty powerful allies, Risa, but I’m no threat to you.”
Not yet.
The unspoken words hung in the air between us. I turned the phone back around. Uncle Quinn’s dark eyes glittered like black diamonds in the small screen. “If you don’t call back within the hour, I’m coming after you.”
“Thanks.” I hung up, then slipped the phone into my jeans pocket. Uncle Quinn might be one step down the ladder from this woman in the vampire hierarchy, but he was something the older ones weren’t. He was part Aedh, and he’d once been an assassin for the vampire council. And they feared him. I knew that tidbit from Riley herself.
I looked Madeline Hunter square in the eyes. “What do you want?”
With a long, slender hand, she motioned past me to the apartment’s interior. “A bit of common courtesy would be a nice start.”
“If you want to talk to me, we can go elsewhere. McDonald’s is around the corner and open twenty-four hours.” I smiled tightly. “I’m sorry, but you’re not getting permission to waltz into my house.”
Her lip curled ever so slightly. Obviously, Director Hunter and McDonald’s were not compatible. Or maybe it was my attitude she wasn’t compatible with. After all, she’d been running the Directorate since its inception, and I doubted she’d heard the word no very often.
“If you insist,” she said flatly. “Let us go there now.”
“Just let me grab my coat.” I didn’t wait for her answer, just jogged to my bedroom to fetch my leather coat and shove on some shoes. “Azriel,” I said softly, “You might want to listen in on this conversation.”