“And my meeting?”
“Later.” His eyes darted over to the driver, who was staring at me with his mouth hanging open. He had noticed me when I started talking to Danaus, breaking the spell. The little man in the stained cotton shirt looked terrified, but I couldn’t blame him. My clothes were full of cuts and tears, and what could be seen of my flesh was covered in dried blood and black soot. Of course, Danaus looked the same as I did, with an assortment of cuts that were healing much faster than would be considered normal. His face and arms were smeared with blood and ash.
“The airport,” I said in badly accented Arabic, a jaunty smile directed at the driver. The little man bobbed his head and jumped behind the wheel. He was muttering under his breath as he went. I couldn’t understand it, but I doubted it was complimentary. I motioned for Gabriel to precede me into the backseat so I could sit on his lap. Michael took the front seat while Danaus was forced to sit in the back with me. It was a quick, twenty-minute ride across town to the airport, and we didn’t speak again until my coffin was safely loaded into my jet. I paused at the bottom step and gazed across the airstrip. The black night sky was dotted with the dark shadows of looming palm trees. I could still smell the Nile and the hint of foreign spices. I wished I wasn’t leaving like this. Despite the fact that I had escaped death and aided in the destruction of seven naturi, it felt like I was running with my tail between my legs. Rowe was still out there, hunting me and killing humans.
I was running, and time was nipping at our heels. I’m not sure how or why I knew, but I could feel it bearing down, threatening to crush us all.
After bitterly informing the pilots that we would need to land in London instead of heading home, I moved to the private room at the back of the jet. Danaus followed me back while my two guardians settled into the comfortable leather chairs near the door. During the night hours, they were generally off duty. Besides, I was in better shape than either of them at the moment, though I know I didn’t look it.
Flipping on the light in the tiny bathroom, I winced at my reflection. For once I didn’t look pale—my skin was covered with ash and blood. My blue-violet eyes looked nearly black and my hair was a matted mess. Turning on the faucet, I rubbed the cool water over my hands and up my arms. I wouldn’t be able to properly wash until tomorrow night, when I was in my hotel room. For now I just wanted the grime off my hands and face.
“What did you find out?” Danaus asked, not venturing far from the door that led to the rest of the jet. He didn’t look much better than me, with his soot-streaked body, assorted cuts and bruises, and sweaty, matted hair. He was tired as well. I doubted he was sleeping much since joining me on this little escapade either. At night he was surrounded by nightwalkers, who would rather drain him dry. During the day he was faced with my angels, who would rather see him dead than threaten me. And then there were the naturi, who could come out to play whenever they wanted. The shadows around his cobalt blue eyes had deepened and his movements were a little slower. There was now a thick growth of black whiskers on his chin and filling in the hollows of his cheeks.
“Not much,” I said, splashing some water on my face. “I am to locate a nightwalker and protect her while Jabari hunts Rowe.”
“Where are we going?”
“London.”
“Directly?”
“Yes. Tell Michael to contact Charlotte on my cell. She’ll have the hotel arrangements made before we land. We’ll be in the city for a couple days.” I rubbed my skin hard in a vain attempt to scrub off the blood. All my wounds had healed, but my body was covered in long lines of dried blood.
“What’s going on? You look worse than when you left the hotel.”
“Just give me a minute. Give the phone to Michael.”
“Mira—”
“Please, Danaus!” My voice jumped and trembled in the tiny room as my composure splintered.
Danaus stepped out of the room for a moment, and the soft murmur of his voice drifted back to me as he relayed my wishes to Michael. Charlotte wasn’t going to be happy with all these interruptions, but I was trying to keep her kind alive. Sure, I was trying to save my own skin as well, but my survival would benefit her. The hunter returned to the room, shutting the door behind him. He walked over so he was standing near the bathroom door.
“Did he attack you again?”
Looking up, I caught my reflection in the mirror. I hadn’t summoned my powers, but my eyes glowed. I closed my eyes and shoved my newest set of memories away as I gripped the edge of the sink.
“What happened?” His deep voice was soothing, a gentle hand massaging my frazzled nerves.
“Have you ever seen a harvest?”
“No.”
“I have, a couple of times. The naturi will attack a family or a small village. They kill all of its inhabitants and harvest certain organs and body parts for the magical powers they possess.” The words slipped from me, dry and quiet, but the explanation failed to numb the pain and horror.
“In Egypt?”
“Four people. Two children.”
“Mira…” Danaus’s voice drifted off under the weight of the images I painted.
“They were butchered. Innocent people. Just a means to an end.”
“And we’ll get them.”
A derisive snort escaped me before I could stop it. Turning my head, I was halted by the sadness in his eyes. “Then what? I know what you think of my kind, and you’re partially right. We are capable of that kind of brutality, but not all of us.”
Danaus reached for me and I jerked out of his reach. If he touched me, I would crumble and the tears burning behind my eyes would break free. I refused to cry on the shoulder of a man who planned on killing me at the first opportunity.
“It doesn’t matter. What of my meeting?” Releasing the sink, I grabbed a creamy white towel that lay folded on the counter. I wiped off my arms and face, feeling a little cleaner than before.
“When and where?”
“Tomorrow night. Your contact can pick the place, but this person must appear alone,” I said, tossing the rumpled hand towel back on the counter. I leaned against the sink, folding my arms loosely over my stomach.
“He won’t meet you alone.” He shoved both of his hands through his hair in a restless gesture, pushing it out of his face. The movement pulled his body into a single long line, flexing muscle and sinew in a tempting picture. I had been so focused on peeling his skin from his bones that I’d almost forgotten he was a man. An attractive one. Danaus was all muscle and tanned skin, telling tales of a long, hard life. I wondered about this ancient creature that walked around in the shell of a virile man.
“You can come too, but no one else,” I said after a moment. “And trust me, I’ll know. The naturi are the only ones I can’t sense.”
“Anything else?” Danaus folded his hands, resting them on the top of his head. With his black shirt tucked in, the fabric pulled against his chest, accentuating his flat stomach. If I hadn’t known better, I would have said he was trying to distract me on purpose.
“Just that it may be a good idea to make the place private. I don’t mind an audience, but I imagine your little group doesn’t want to be a part of a scene.”
Shaking his head, I saw a smile playing on his lips as he turned and left the room.
“Get some sleep, Danaus,” I called after him. “I promise Michael and Gabriel won’t bother you.”
“They think I tried to have you killed,” he replied, looking over his shoulder at me, his hand on the doorknob.
“They also know you saved my life.” I shook my head and frowned. “Even if you hadn’t, my angels only defend, never attack. They also won’t harm a creature when it’s defenseless.”
Danaus turned around to face me, his brow furrowed. “A vampire with a sense of honor?”