Spinning on a heel, I turned, commanding my body to ignore the need to flee for safety and walk away with calm dignity. It wasn’t until I’d cleared the doors of Seven that I allowed my body to respond to the urge to run. And it wasn’t until I was a block from my apartment that I’d finally stopped shaking with fear.
Chapter 14
“At least it’s not getting any worse,” Azriel said, examining the slice to my forearm.
That wasn’t saying much. I’d never had a wound that didn’t heal fast. The fear of what the blade had been laced with scared me more than the damned gash. What could have damaged my inhuman skin to such an extent?
Azriel’s expression didn’t give me ease. His eyes shone with knowledge, something his mouth had denied.
“Plant extract? Rat poison? What do you think it was?”
“I told you,” Azriel replied, his tone more than simply annoyed. “I have no idea.”
“You said a magic blade can kill us. What if-”
“No.”
“Can you be sure?”
Azriel wrung the soaking cloth from a basin of water and dabbed at my arm one more time before wrapping it with a white gauze bandage. “I’m sure. The bastard was human, after all. No reason to believe he knew what you were. Damn it, Darian, you’ve got to be quicker than that. You don’t have time to contemplate the morality of your actions. Draw your blade and cut. End of story.”
He was angry with me for hesitating, but only because he cared for me and didn’t like to see me hurt. I should have done as he’d told me and struck with speed. My hesitation would be my downfall someday, and I didn’t want to disappoint him again.
“Another postcard came today,” I said as Azriel pinned the bandage in place. “From Dallas.”
“Hmph,” Azriel grunted, carrying the bowl of bloodied water to the door and throwing the contents out onto the street. “He’ll stick out like a sore thumb there. Better for Lorik if he returns to Europe.”
“You said yourself it’s not safe for him there.”
“Nowhere is safe for him. His father’s indiscretions have guaranteed that.”
“What is he to you?” I doubted Lorik’s postcards were meant for me, even though they were addressed to me. We’d never been what you might call close. “You’ve taken an unusual interest in this human.”
“That,” Azriel said, kissing the tip of my nose, “is none of your concern, my love.” He pulled the sleeve of my dress back into place, refastening the button. “Now, come lie with me for a spell. Let us watch the rain as it runs down the windows. I have need of the feel of your body against mine.”
I smiled, my entire being responding to his words. “That sounds lovely.”
He’s getting worse, I thought as I shook myself from memories and hung up the phone. This time, Tyler had to be escorted off Xander’s property after he’d nearly knocked the door down because he’d thought I was somewhere inside the house. The Grim Reaper couldn’t have sounded bleaker than Raif as he’d given me the play-by-play of Ty’s extraction from the mansion. And apparently, the cut on his upper arm was a scratch compared to what Xander’s guards had wanted to give him.
I barreled through the entryway to my apartment, forgoing the pleasantries. I still wasn’t completely unwound from my meeting with Fallon, and the news of yet another outburst wasn’t doing much for my nerves. “Does this have something to do with our bond?” I demanded as I walked in. “Ty, this jealousy routine is getting old-fast. You’re acting crazy, for Christ’s sake!”
“He wants you to stay close.” A sound not unlike a snarl tore from Tyler’s throat. “To him.”
“I’m not going to get into this with you again.”
“You’re mine,” he said, low.
The apartment was dimly lit, the glow from the television illuminating Tyler’s features, making them look sharper, less like the man I loved. I curled up next to him on the couch, taking note of his bandaged arm before I rested my head on his shoulder, sighing. “What’s wrong, Tyler? This is not you. I mean, if you’re going to be jealous of someone, Xander’s armed you with plenty of ammo. Why Raif?”
“You smell of him,” he said as he stroked my hair absently. “I can’t stand it. It’s driving me crazy.” He pulled away and studied my face. “You’ve been a busy girl tonight. I sense your fear too. And all kinds of other nastiness. Where’ve you been?”
“Working for Xander.” Sort of. A vision of Fallon stroking a bed full of lovers invaded my thoughts, and I ran my fingers through the silky strands of Tyler’s hair to keep them from trembling. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Strange. Xander didn’t seem to have a clue where you were. I couldn’t feel you wherever you were tonight. It was like something was blocking our connection again.”
“I’m…” God, I so didn’t want to drag him into this. “I’m following a lead on Brakae. Xander doesn’t exactly know about it. I’m just using my royal connection as an in.”
Tyler tried to seem light and laughed. A weak attempt, the sound barely carried from his chest. “I should’ve known you’d never be a low-maintenance girl. I don’t care. You’re worth all the trouble and then some.”
And he was getting that “and then some” in spades with me.
“I don’t think I can handle being around Raif, though, He shouldn’t come here for a while either, Darian. It’s for his own good.”
I pictured what it must have looked like when Tyler burst through the door and threw Raif against the wall, his forearm pressed tight against my mentor’s windpipe while he demanded to know where I was. Distance sounded like a damned good thing-at least, for a while. “Fine. I’ll tell him.”
“Darian, I know I’m being an asshole. Don’t think I can’t tell something’s wrong here. But until I can figure out why I’m feeling this way, it’s going to be better for him to keep his distance. I know you can’t do the same, and I’ll deal the best I can. This has never happened before. I feel like-I don’t know-like he’s what’s interfering with the bond.”
“You know that’s not true, though.” There was no way Raif could accomplish it even if he’d wanted to. I knew the rules. No one could break our bond but me.
“I know, but until I can sort it all out, best to tread carefully.”
“What about the friend you went to see? Couldn’t he help you?”
Tyler stiffened. His voice dropped to almost a whisper. “I’m afraid we’ve gone farther than a simple fix will allow.” I’d never heard him sound so pessimistic, and my heart raced at his words. “Don’t worry, Darian,” he said, stroking my cheek. “Nothing is going to touch you.”
I wanted to scream. The kind of soul-cleansing sound that rips through your chest, scalding all the way up. But I couldn’t muster the anger to bring forth my voice. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes, and I held them back. I forbade myself from filling up with sorrow. All he cared about was me and not one bit about the fact that he seemed to be losing his mind, his health, his grip or that we had no idea who was causing this trouble. That aspect of the bond drove me to the brink. I couldn’t stand the way he disregarded his own safety to protect me.