I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his neck. He stroked my hair, whispering words of comfort in my ear. “You are faster than you think,” he finally said as he pulled away. You acted too slowly, love, and it could have cost you. Next time, don’t contemplate your actions. Move quickly and strike with precision.”
I opened my mouth, though I hadn’t a clue what I was going to say. Azriel silenced me with a kiss. “You’ve had an exciting night, and an even more exciting morning, my love. Come on, I’m taking you home.”
* * *
I slept the rest of the morning and afternoon away, safe in the protection of Azriel’s embrace. Glorious night descended to banish the harsh light of day. I snuggled deep into the covers and against him until every inch of our naked bodies touched. It seemed I could never get close enough. He deposited feather-light kisses against my skin, making a trail that led from my shoulders to the back of my neck. I shivered as he moved my hair to the side, burying his nose in the curls and taking my scent into his lungs.
“I’ve spent all day standing vigil,” he murmured against my skin. “Lest you run away from me. I’m exhausted. Will you leave me again, Darian, once my eyes drift closed?”
A pang of regret shot through my chest. I should have told him what I’d intended to do. I should have taken him with me. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I won’t ever leave you again. Not even for a moment.”
“Promises, promises,” he said sleepily.
“Azriel,” I said into the dark. “I’m going to go out with you again. And again. Night after night, job after job. I know you want to keep me safe, but I have to learn to protect myself. I have to develop thicker skin or I’ll go mad. I can’t stand my weakness. I refuse to live with it any longer. Do you understand?”
“You protected yourself well enough this morning,” he replied.
“But not in the end,” I said. “Not when it really mattered. You came to my rescue yet again. Please, Azriel, respect my wishes. I want you to teach me. I want to be your apprentice.”
Azriel sighed, and I smiled. He may have been exasperated, but he would never deny me anything. “Very well, my love. But remember, you asked for this. I am not responsible for what comes of it.”
“And Lorik?” I asked. “He obviously makes you nervous. You’ll allow me to come along with you for everything, right? Even when you go to see him?”
“You let me worry about Lorik,” Azriel said. “Now, close your eyes and sleep beside me. I’m tired.”
His eyes drifted closed, and within moments his breathing grew soft and even. I brushed my lips across his—so, so soft—in a kiss. Azriel was my savior. My avenging angel. And now, my teacher. We had forever, but I wondered, as my hand caressed from his shoulder to his hand where my fingers wound with his . . . would forever be long enough?
* * *
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BLOOD BEFORE SUNRISE
Available in July 2012 in print and e-book from Signet Eclipse.
“What are you looking at?”
I tore my gaze from the delicate curve of the dagger’s blade, my eyes drawn to Azriel’s dark, handsome face like a magnet to metal. “Nothing,” I said, though that wasn’t entirely true.
“Ever lacking patience,” he said with humor. “You’ll never make it as an assassin if you can’t wait more than a few minutes to get a job done.”
True enough, I supposed. I liked to wait about as much as I liked to be doused with gasoline and set on fire. “Lorik’s late,” I said. “It’s not like him.”
Azriel stroked his finger along my jaw, and his eyes burned with an intensity that had nothing to do with business. “It matters little to me if he shows or not. Either way, my night won’t be wasted.”
I flushed at the innuendo, knowing all too well where a jobless night would lead us. Not that I’d complain. . . .
An engine growled in the distance, followed by the squealing of tires. The Cadillac LaSalle Roadster came to a halt inches from where I stood, and the driver’s expression was full of adrenaline-infused excitement. Lorik loved flashy cars, and despite his need to lie low, he could never resist showing off. What was the point in not putting that engine and sleek body to use? He’d consider it a waste. Besides, I had a suspicion that the combination of fancy car, coupled with his pinstriped suit and fedora pulled low over his brow, made Lorik feel as if he’d just pulled a bank caper. Driving into the sunset and immortal glory would be the icing on the cake. And I’d be willing to bet a Chicago Typewriter rode shotgun to round it all out. I mean, what self-respecting gangster didn’t have a machine gun in the front seat?
“Looks like your clothes will be on for a while longer, my love.” Azriel leaned down and pressed his mouth to the pulse-point just below my ear.
I shivered at the contact, suddenly not caring whether Lorik’s life was in danger or not. Though the guy’s father did pay our bills, I supposed I could put my erotic thoughts on hold. But if he didn’t get down to business—and soon—he could rot in hell, for all I cared.
* * *
“What are you looking at?” Tyler asked again, his tone bemused when I didn’t answer him right away.
“Nothing,” I finally said as I stared at the spot near the alley where that LaSalle had come to a skidding stop all those years ago. “Not a damned thing.”
God, I hadn’t thought of that crazy Armenian in decades. He had to have been dead for a while now, if someone hadn’t managed to do the deed in his youth. Lorik had been the closest thing Azriel had to a friend. I always wondered about it, the comfortable way Azriel had with him. Usually we lay lower than low, but with Lorik, Azriel had allowed us to let our guard down a bit. Maybe I’d do some digging just for shits and giggles and find out what really happened to him after he went off the grid. Because I had so much free time on my hands these days.
My annoyance wasn’t so much about memories of Lorik—and Azriel—intruding on my thoughts, or even my lack of actual downtime. Rather, it was more about the fact that I stood at yet another dead end. It’s damn hard to catch someone who’s always one step ahead of you.
And chasing an Oracle is like chasing the wind.
I drove my katana into the scabbard at my back. Yet another close call, and the bitch had slipped right through my fingers. You wouldn’t think someone as blind as a bat could escape so easily.
But she had.
For months.
Time and again.
A discarded can nudged at my toe and I kicked it, sending it sailing down the sidewalk toward the street where it narrowly missed a parking sign. Beyond frustrated, I felt my agitation settle as a knot between my shoulder blades, and I stretched my neck from side to side in a futile effort to ease my mounting tension. Raif, my mentor and the best friend I’ve ever had, laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’ll get her.”
Tyler took a step closer, his body touching mine in more places than appropriate for work hours. He snaked an arm around my waist as he brought me against his body, his eyes narrowing in Raif’s direction. Jeez, touchy much?
Raif shook his head. He looked to me, his expression saying, Is he for real? I raised my brows, the action as good as a shrug. I had no idea what had gotten into Tyler, but I could almost hear the predatory growl, the low rumble of a wary bear. “Relax, Jinn,” Raif said, tucking a dagger into a sheath at his side. “You look a little wound.”