I sighed. “Thanks for the help, Rozelle.”
She nodded. “I could stay here and work on that door. As I said, it’ll just take time —”
“No,” I said softly. “Thanks, but it’s far too dangerous for you to remain here unprotected.”
“I am able to protect myself —”
“I have no doubt of that under normal circumstances, but the person we chase is far from normal.” I hesitated, seeing her doubt, and added, “She can take any form she wishes; tell me, if you saw Kiandra walking toward you, would you not be inclined to trust her?”
“I would sense a glamour —”
“This wouldn’t be a glamour. It’s not that type of magic. We’re chasing a shifter capable of full body transformation. You wouldn’t know it wasn’t the real Kiandra until it was far too late.”
“Oh.” She swallowed. “Then perhaps it is wise not to be alone. However, that lock can be broken. If you need it done, we can arrange protection —”
“It’s not worth the risk right now, Rozelle.”
Her expression was doubtful. “Are you sure?”
I lightly squeezed her arm. “For the moment, yeah.”
“What about the shield around the building?”
I frowned. “I thought you said it was beyond your capabilities?”
“It is, but that does not mean it cannot be broken.”
“We don’t need it broken. We just need it altered enough to enable Azriel to get inside.”
“That is certainly an easier option than breaking it. All we would need to do is unpick the spell enough to enable us to weave a variation through it.”
“And would the shield’s creator be aware of your handiwork?”
She hesitated. “If we broke it, yes. But, as with the doorway I wove into the stone circle within this building, the creator would only sense it if he or she happened to be looking for it.”
I glanced at Azriel. “It’s worth a shot. If the gate we’re searching for is down there, at least you could get in.”
He nodded, and looked at Rozelle. “If I take you back to the Brindle, would you be able to make the necessary arrangements for this?”
She nodded. “We could be back here in an hour.”
“That would be brilliant,” I said.
She smiled. “Trust me, it is my pleasure. It is a rare opportunity to practice what I have been taught.”
Azriel glanced at me. “Will you stay here, or return home?”
I hesitated, then said, “Home.”
“I shall meet you back there, then.”
With that, he took Rozelle’s hand, then the two of them disappeared. I grabbed the shifter’s wallet, then became Aedh and returned home. The apartment was dark and silent. Tao still wasn’t here. I bit back the instinctive urge to ring and check if he was safe, knowing there was little I could do if he wasn’t, and walked into my bedroom. I’d left the door open and the acrid smell of smoke was stronger this time. My nose twitched and I briefly wondered if we’d ever be able to rid the place of it. Or if, indeed, we’d even bother rebuilding it. Especially if the worst happened with Tao…
I slumped wearily onto my bed and rubbed my forehead, half wishing for coffee but not having the energy to actually walk down to McDonald’s to grab one.
“Which is why I did,” Azriel said, as he reappeared. He handed me not only a coffee, but a double Quarter Pounder.
I raised my eyebrows. “And just where did you get the money for these?”