Chapter Three

“YES, IT COULD,” AZRIEL MURMURED, AMUSEMENT crinkling the corners of his eyes, “because they cannot be killed.”

“Oh, fabulous.” I raked a hand through my hair. Hunter was not going to be pleased.

“Could someone please explain what the hell a Maniae is?” Alston said irritably.

He glanced at her, expression noncommittal. “As I said, the Maniae are spirits—daemones—of madness or death. They, like the Erinyes, can be summoned by those seeking vengeance for crimes against the natural order.”

She glanced at me. “Does death always speak in riddles?”

“For as long as I’ve known him,” I said, and felt amusement swirl through him.

“Crimes against the natural order can mean anything from murder to unfilial conduct,” he said. “And usually the only way to stop the attack is by uncovering the perpetrator of the curse and having them either perform a rite of forgiveness and purification, or complete of some task assigned for atonement.”

Her snort was less than regal, and really said all that needed to be said. “Unfilial conduct? I am an old vampire and my maker is long dead. I hardly think it would matter to anyone else if I was an undutiful daughter.”

“That would depend on whether the term is used strictly or loosely,” Azriel commented. “Maybe it is simply a matter of engaging in conduct unbecoming a vampire.”

“All vampires engage in conduct unbecoming,” she snapped. “It is the nature of the beast.”

I’m glad she said that, because if I’d pointed it out, she’d have gotten pissed. “Conduct unbecoming wasn’t the only point mentioned, Catherine.”

Her gaze flicked to me, her eyes steely black. And I’d been wrong before: Alston could do scary every bit as well as Hunter if she wanted to. “I have not murdered anyone in a very long time, young woman. Although right now I will admit the itch is rising.”

“Murdering me isn’t going to help catch your attacker,” I replied calmly enough—though she no doubt noted my accelerated heart rate.

“No,” she agreed. “Although Hunter would not be pleased, and that in itself would almost be worth the cost. Perhaps it is just as well you have your dark guard here.”

And why Azriel would be by my side the next time I had to visit her. I was beginning to trust this woman even less than Hunter.

“I would suggest that you avoid sleeping for the next couple of days, as that seems to be when the attacks occur.”

“And why do you think I am here rather than lying wrapped in Bryson’s warmth?”

“You don’t need to sleep to enjoy Bryson’s warmth,” I couldn’t help pointing out. “Nor do you need a bed.”

“I am not a young woman,” she remarked haughtily. “And I tend to be old-fashioned when it comes to sex. You, obviously, are not.”

I certainly wasn’t—and thank the gods for that. The real spice of life—and sex—was variety. I restrained the urge to smile and said, “Please call me when you have the list compiled.”

“Ignatius will call you. Better yet, I shall have him deliver it.” Her gaze flicked to Azriel. “The less I see of him, the better I shall feel. Good-bye, young woman.”

Summarily dismissed, I turned and walked out. Ignatius was back at the glass door, waiting for us. It was almost as if they couldn’t wait to get rid of us. Even the elevator was waiting.

Once the doors had closed and the elevator was on the way back down, I said, “Did you find anything in the bedroom?”

“A reaper.”

My head snapped around. “What?”

The corners of his lips quirked, and I had a sudden suspicion that he liked surprising me. “Catherine Alston is slated for death, and nothing we do can stop it.”

“When will she die?”

He shrugged. “Soon.”

“From the Maniae, or through something else?”

“The Maniae will attack again, because she will forget your warning and sleep. That attack will weaken her greatly. She will fall onto some furniture, break it, and in the process stake herself through the heart with a stray piece of wood.”

I reached for the STOP button, but Azriel caught my hand. His grip was gentle, yet steel lay underneath it, ready to react should I fight. “Even if Alston heeds your warning, she will still die. Sometimes you can save them, Risa. This is not one of those times.”

“But we can at least try—”

“Then try with someone worthy of salvation. Catherine Alston is not.”

“Many vampires are not,” I said irritably, ripping my hand from his. Warmth lingered where his fingers had rested. “But that doesn’t mean we should just give them up to fate.”

“Fate does not like being thwarted too often, and she exacts consequences if she is. Alston’s death will be quick. If we change the timing, her next one may be long and painful.” He hesitated, then added softly, “Your mother knew that.”

“Don’t you dare bring my mom into this!” I snapped, clenching my fists against the sudden rush of anger and futility.

The elevator reached the ground floor and the doors opened. I stormed out, desperate to get away from Azriel. Desperate to ignore the confirmation of what Mom had already told me, and what I knew deep down to be true. Because it didn’t make me feel any better right now to know she couldn’t have been saved no matter what I’d done. Which was totally irrational given that the same knowledge had made me feel better earlier.

But I guess it was an irrational sort of day.

By the time I’d gotten back to my bike, I’d calmed down a little. I took a deep breath, released it slowly, then said softly, “I’m sorry, Azriel. I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat like that.”

He reappeared beside me, one dark eyebrow raised. “Jumping down someone’s throat is a difficult task at the best of times. I certainly would have noticed if you’d done it to me.”

I chuckled softly and shook my head. “Two funnies in one day? Be careful, Azriel, or I might just begin to think you’re not as emotionless as you let on.”

“Just because I am not created the same way as you doesn’t mean I am emotionless,” he said, with a hint of censure in his voice. “We are not the Aedh.”

No, he certainly was not. Although Lucian—the full blooded Aedh I was spending time with—not only had a somewhat wicked sense of humor, but he could and did enjoy sex with humans. Then again, he’d spent a whole lot of time—centuries of it, in fact—trapped here on earth. Which must have knocked some of the emotionless edges off him.

Reapers didn’t have that sort of interaction with us, however, and I couldn’t ever imagine them thinking about sex, let alone doing—

The thought stalled as his eyebrow lifted again. Heat seeped into my cheeks. Damn it, I really was going to have to watch what I was thinking around this particular reaper—especially when my thoughts headed in that direction.

I shoved on my helmet and said, “I’m heading home to get the locker key, then into Melbourne to check out the locker. You’d better keep your distance, just in case my father changes his mind and decides to turn up.”

“You will call if he does?”

“Trust me, I have no desire to be thrown about like an old rag a second time.”

“As you wish, then.”

He winked out of existence. I climbed onto my bike, then headed home. Our place was a square, two-story brick building situated in the heart of Richmond, and its somewhat bland gray exterior belied the beauty of its internal space. Ilianna, Tao, and I had purchased it fresh from college and had renovated every inch of it, filling it with the latest and greatest in technology and design. And that included the latest in security, although it wouldn’t keep me safe from a determined Raziq.

After parking in our garage, I ran up the stairs to the thick alloy door that was both fire- and bulletproof and looked into the little security scanner beside it. Red light swept across my eyes, and a second later the locks tumbled and the door slid silently open.

The huge industrial fans that dominated the vaulted ceiling were on full, creating such a breeze that it whipped my hair out of its ponytail—although it didn’t do a lot to erase the two voices harmonizing, or the sharp scent of roses, honey, and rum.

I knew that scent and stopped cold. Ilianna and Mirri were making love potions in the kitchen again, and there were certain moments in the creation of such potions that you really didn’t want to walk in on. Not unless you wanted to fall hard for the next male—or female, if your tastes ran that way—that you met.

Although a lot of people might still mock anything connected to witches and magic, Ilianna’s potions and charms were extremely popular simply because the damn things worked. Ilianna was a witch in the truest sense of the word, and she’d been trained in magic since she was very young. I might not have tried a love potion—and had never actually wanted to—but I’d always relied heavily on the charms she made to keep me safe while walking the gray fields.

Of course, these days I supposedly had the Dušan to do that, but the dragon had so far been untested. And even if it had been proven, I think I’d still wear Ilianna’s charms. In my opinion, you could never have enough protection when walking a place as potentially dangerous as the fields between life and death.

Even now the simple charm—which consisted of a piece of petrified wood to connect me to the earth, and small pieces of agate and serpentine for protection—was nestled between my breasts. And right beside it was the gold filigree droplet that my father had given to my mother on the night of my conception. It was shaped like two wings, and very much represented my heritage.

“Hey, ladies,” I yelled. “Is it safe for me to come in?”

Mirri’s head popped into view as she leaned around the kitchen doorway. “Totally,” she said, her smile bright against the richness of her skin. “Or at least, it is for you. We’re brewing potions aimed at men seeking men.”

“I didn’t know you could make gender-specific potions, let alone preference-specific.” My boots echoed on the wooden floors as I walked toward the kitchen. “And I hope you’ve forewarned Tao. He’ll be totally pissed if he gets caught in the backlash.”

Mirri made a face then disappeared, her voice floating back to me from the depths of the kitchen. “I doubt there’s a potion alive that would turn him away from the ladies.”

I laughed and leaned a shoulder against the door frame; the rich scents were just too strong to go any farther.

“So,” Ilianna said, her green gaze meeting mine as she glanced over her shoulder. Like Mirri, she was a horse shifter, but she was a rich palomino where Mirri was a mahogany bay. “How’d it go today?”

“Good and bad.” I updated them briefly on my father’s visit and Hunter’s mission. Mirri frowned. “If your father wishes your cooperation, why would he do that to you?”

Ilianna studied me for a moment, then said, “Because you refused, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah. Kinda.”

She snorted softly. “So he resorted to violence. And then, undoubtedly, threats.”

She was good, there was no doubt about that. “Against you and Tao, yes.”

“The man is a bastard,” Mirri muttered.

“Yes, except he’s not a man. He’s something far worse.”

“So we can’t do anything about him, right?” I nodded when she looked at me. “But why would you even consider undertaking a mission like that for the vampire council?”

“Because Hunter was a bitch and caught her in a moment of weakness, and now she can’t get out of the deal,” Ilianna commented tartly, then grimaced as she glanced at me. “And I suppose you’re going to this locker even though the last time you followed one of your father’s orders the Raziq used it as an opportunity to capture you?”

“I don’t have a choice, Ilianna.” Not about this, and not about helping Hunter. “And Azriel will be there.”

“He’d better be.” She glanced past me. “Hear that, reaper? Be there. Protect her.”

“Trust me, it’s in his best interests to keep me alive and functioning.”

“His version of functioning might well be different from ours, remember.”

Maybe, but in this case, at least, he needed me not only alive, but able to walk and talk. At least until I’d found the keys. “I’m heading there now. If I don’t call by one thirty, marshal the troops.”

She snorted. “Like that’s going to help.”

She was right—it probably wouldn’t. But if I didn’t at least have a backup plan, Aunt Riley would kick my ass. Although she was going to kick it anyway for going to the locker again after what had happened previously.

“Listen, have you heard of an Adeline Greenfield?”

Ilianna raised a pale eyebrow. “Sure. She’s a practitioner and is renowned for her protection spells. Why?”

“Because the vamp I just talked to had some of Adeline’s spells protecting her apartment, but something is getting past them.” I hesitated, then added, “And of course, this is all a secret. Hunter would be incandescent if this got out.”

“And Hunter is not someone I want to piss off,” she said. “Protection spells aren’t infallible. How well they work very much depends on how comprehensive the spell is.”

“Which is why I want to talk to Adeline. Do you know her well enough to get me in to see her?”

“I don’t, but I’m sure Mom does.”

I smiled. “Wouldn’t asking your mom involve finally being forced to meet your potential stallion mate?”

“You know, as far as stallions go, he’s not actually that bad,” Mirri commented. Both of us glanced at her in surprise, and heat crept into her cheeks. “What can I say? I was bored one weekend and he happened to be around. And it was before you and I were an item, just in case you were wondering.”

Ilianna smiled and squeezed Mirri’s arm gently. “I wasn’t. Although if Mom does insist on that dinner, then maybe we can kill two birds with one stone. Introduce you, and get the rotten dinner date with Car-wyn over with.”

Mirri’s response was quick and joyous. She’d been angling to meet Ilianna’s parents for almost as long as they’d been an item, and while we both knew Ilianna wasn’t ready to come out of the closet, this would at least be a step in the right direction.

“That would me fabulous,” Mirri said, stepping forward and dropping a quick kiss on Ilianna’s cheek. “And as I said, Carwyn isn’t really that bad.”

“Maybe,” Ilianna said, her smile almost a grimace. “But if he starts coming on too strong, I expect you to run interference.”

“Your parents might not be too pleased …”

“He’s a stallion,” Ilianna said. “They wouldn’t give two hoots about you capturing his attention as long as I did as well.”

“True,” Mirri said with a laugh, then glanced at me. “Are you going to be home for dinner tonight? We’re making vegetarian lasagna, because Tao will be out with his new lady love.”

“Whom I really hope isn’t Candy,” I said, and pushed away from the door. “And no, I won’t be. If Lucian doesn’t call, then I’m heading over to Franklin’s.” Which was an upmarket wolf club specializing in clients who preferred—and could afford to pay for—discretion.

Ilianna gaped. “Why are you waiting for him to call? Call him, for heaven’s sake!”

I grinned. “I would, except he had to go interstate for business reasons, and wasn’t sure whether he’d be back tonight or tomorrow.”

I turned away, then paused. “While I remember, my father set up wards at Mom’s place that were capable of preventing both the Aedh and reapers from either detecting his presence or being able to enter. Is there any chance you could retrieve them and figure out how he did it? The magic in them dissipated after a set time, but something like that would be handy here.”

“They would have to contain some pretty heavy-duty magic to achieve something like that.”

“But do you think you could work out the spell?”

“If there aren’t any remnants of it left, probably not. But I can’t say for sure until I’ve looked at the wards themselves.”

I tossed her Mom’s house keys. “Your prints are still registered in the system. It might be worth checking out.”

“If it means making our apartment an Aedh-free zone, then I’ll make it a priority.”

“Thanks, Ilianna.”

I headed for my bedroom. Then, after picking up the locker key, I walked back down the stairs and drove into the city.

Of course, Melbourne was a bitch of a place to find any decent parking in—and had been since they’d introduced the car-free zone. Most of the underground parking lots were filled with rush-hour travelers, forcing the rest of us to park outside the city limits and either walk back or catch public transport. And that was as unreliable as ever. One of these days a politician was actually going to keep an election promise and fix the system, and the whole damn city would keel over in shock.

I jogged back into the city. Southern Cross Station, with its undulating roofline that always reminded me of mounds of snow, came into view. Lots of people were exiting, meaning several trains must have just pulled in. I picked my way through the crowd, heading for the locker area situated in the middle of the station.

Like before, there were a handful of people hanging about, either collecting or depositing goods, but no one seemed overly interested in what I was doing. But then, if someone was watching, it was in their best interests to be discreet.

I shoved the key into locker 97 and opened the door. Inside sat a solitary envelope.

I plucked it free, closed the locker, and shoved the key in my pocket. And at that precise instant I became aware that the atmosphere in the room had suddenly sharpened.

I glanced up quickly and saw a familiar face.

It was the cat shifter who’d been part of the attack on me in the parking garage when this madness had first started. And once again, he hadn’t come alone.