And again, that struck me as odd. I might be in a physically wretched state right now, but given the fierceness of our attraction up until now, I'd have thought the stirring of lust would have been stronger.
I poured myself a coffee, then turned around and leaned back against the counter. "If," I said slowly, "the Brindle witches cannot find a way to mute the tracer, then we may have to resort to dark magic. But I draw the line at any sort of blood magic."
This is not a wise move, Azriel commented.
I knew that. I also knew that we might have no other choice—not if we wanted to keep my father, the keys, and me out of Raziq hands.
Lucian nodded. "I will see what I can find out."
"Good." I took a sip of coffee, then added, "In the meantime, get the hell out of here. I need to rest, and I can't do that with you two dumping animosity all over each other."
Lucian scowled. "Evict the reaper, then. I cannot see why—"
"Lucian, go. We both know I probably won't get to rest if you stay, and right now that's what I need above anything else."
His gaze swept over me, and then he nodded. "This time I will comply."
He'd fucking comply next time, too. Otherwise, he and I wouldn't be seeing each other in any way. If there was one thing I couldn't abide, it was a man who ran roughshod over his partner—a fact I thought he might have cottoned to after being on the outs these last couple of days.
He sent a less than pleasant glance Azriel's way, then spun and left the room. As the door slammed shut behind him, I walked back to the table and sat down. I pulled the dinner plate toward me and resolutely ate everything on it—more out of the knowledge that I needed the sustenance than any real desire to actually eat.
"You should sleep," Azriel said softly. "You are running at the limits of your strength."
"I know." I leaned back in the chair and drank some coffee. "Tell me honestly—do you think the Brindle witches' magic is going to be strong enough to counter the Raziq's tracer?"
"It is an option we must try."
"That's not what I asked."