He did nothing, and you know it. His gaze swept me. What is this truly about?
This is about saving lives. Nothing more, nothing less.
And with that, I stabbed Amaya into the heart of him. Her flames exploded in and around him, capturing him, consuming him. It was murder, nothing less, and it sickened me to the core.
I’m sorry, I whispered mentally. So, so sorry. But I have to protect the people I love.
He opened his mouth; no sound came out. But his eyes burned, damning me, and my cheeks were wet, though I had no idea if tears were even possible here. The plane around me grew dark and heavy, bearing down on me, as if the weight of this death was something I would carry for the rest of eternity.
And I would. I knew I would.
Amaya continued to devour the vampire, until there was nothing left of him. Not even ash.
I closed my eyes and imagined myself back in my body. The minute I was, I rolled onto my side and was violently, completely ill.
The bed dipped. Azriel didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything, just sat behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. He didn’t need to do anything else. His presence and his touch was enough.
“I am sorry you were forced to do this.” His voice was filled with compassion and understanding. “I would have, if I could have.”
“I know.” I pushed upright and leaned back against him.
He wrapped his arms around my waist and brushed a kiss across the top of my head. “We’d better get moving. It would not be wise to be late.”
“I know,” I repeated. “Just let me clean up.”
“Ris, it can wait.”
“You’ve obviously never had the taste of vomit in your mouth.” I forced myself away from him, climbed off the bed, and headed for the bathroom. For several minutes I did nothing more than scrub my hands, trying to remove blood that didn’t actually exist. Blood that had drained into my soul and become a weight I’d never be free of. I swallowed heavily, then grabbed my toothbrush. After brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth, I cleaned up the vomit, then tossed the towels down the rubbish chute rather than the laundry one. The last thing anyone would want was my vomit rolling around with their clothes. Although given the state of the living room and kitchen, washing clothes would be the last thing on anyone’s mind, even if they didn’t have bigger problems right now.
“Right,” I said, returning to Azriel’s side. He’d resumed his regular position near the window. “We’d better go meet Uncle Rhoan.”
He turned to face me. His expression was back to its usual noncommittal self but the compassion lingered in his eyes. “How do you wish to handle this?”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I could touch his memories, make him forget. Would that not make things easier?”
“In some ways yes, in other ways no.” I grimaced. “Uncle Rhoan is basically a psychic dead zone. He can’t be touched telepathically. It’s what has made him such a fantastic guardian.”
“While there are some minds I cannot read, Rhoan Jenson is not one of them. I could —”
“No,” I cut in. “It wouldn’t be fair, and it wouldn’t be right. Rhoan deserves more out of me than that.”
“He does. But it nevertheless is a dangerous path to tread given Hunter’s murderous bent.”
“I know.” I stepped into Azriel’s arms. “Let’s get this over with.”
We reappeared in the upstairs office area of the café. The room was dark and smelled faintly of tobacco. I frowned, then vaguely remembered Ilianna’s mentioning that she’d asked our accountant, Mike, to find someone to come in and do the business activity statement and salaries. I’d had no time lately and Margie, our new manager, had enough on her plate just keeping the café running smoothly.>Only trouble was, the pain of Jak’s death was still so raw I might end up saying something I’d ultimately regret.
“Then ignore it,” Azriel said, ever practical.
“If I do, he’s more than likely to order me arrested.”
He frowned. “Why would he do that?”
“Because I’m betting he wants answers about Jak’s murder and why Hunter would want him dead.”
And how could I explain any of that without stepping into territory that could ultimately lead him into danger? Because Hunter would kill him if she thought it necessary to both keep her secrets and me on the leash.