And that, I suddenly realized, was the whole point of this exercise. Impressing the council, making them believe that keeping me alive was a far better option than killing me. This wasn't about the Rakshasa or the vampire killings. This was about Hunter strengthening her power base.
And I was one of the foundation stones.
I rubbed my head wearily. If I'd had the energy I would have cursed long and fluently. But the truth of the matter was, I'd brought this on myself by agreeing to her terms back in that forest, and now I had no option but to deal with it.
"I don't give a fuck whether the council are impressed or not. I just want to find this thing so I can concentrate on the business of finding the remaining keys."
And with that I hung up. It might not have been wise, but I was way past tired and beyond caring.
"Then get some sleep," Azriel suggested. "I will wake you when it is time to return to the club."
My gaze rose to meet his. That thick sense of heat and desire still swirled within me, but stronger than that was the need to be held. Just held.
He took half a step forward, then stopped and clenched his fists. "Go," he said, his voice holding a rough edge. "Rest."
I briefly closed my eyes, and half wished Lucian was here. He, at least, would have understood the need for contact and comfort that wasn't sexual—although truth be known, while he might have held me, it wouldn't have been for long. He was a sexual being, and that's where it would have ended.
What I needed, I thought bitterly, was a straightforward relationship with a normal everyday man.
Someone like Jak—only less work oriented and more trustworthy.
But an ordinary man was not something I was likely to find anytime soon. Nor was it wise to bring such a man into my current situation.
Which meant, like it or not, I was going to bed alone. I forced my feet into action and walked into the bedroom, where I stripped and climbed under the sheets. It wasn't long before sleep caught me, but it was far from peaceful. Visions haunted me—blood and death and needle-sharp talons that sliced flesh to the bone.
It was only when arms wrapped around me and pulled me close to a heated body that somehow made me feel safer than I'd ever felt that the dreams dissipated and I was finally able to sleep.
I followed Azriel into the bowels of Dark Earth, carefully watching where I placed each foot. It was pissing down outside, and although the hidden entrance looked solid, water seeped underneath it, making the steps slick and treacherous. The last thing I really needed right now was to break a leg.