His lips brushed the top of my head, the touch so light and yet so electric. I shivered.
"Those behind such an atrocity will in the end pay. Karma is a very real force."
"But a force that in this case is not likely to react soon enough."
"That is true."
"Ris," Tao called from the other room. "Dinner is up!"
I pulled somewhat reluctantly out of Azriel's arms. His grip slipped from my waist to my elbow. "Ready?"
I nodded, and with his help, I made it into the living area. Ilianna appeared out of the kitchen, her smile wide and her expression filled with relief.
"Damn, it's good to have you back." She stopped in front of me and dropped a kiss on my cheek. "I'd hug the hell out of you, but you look rather fragile at the moment."
"I look it because I feel it." With Azriel's help, I eased down onto a chair. "I think I need a mountain of food and Coke, and I don't care which comes first."
"Both are on their way," she said, and headed back to the kitchen.
Tao came out of the kitchen, handed me a large glass of Coke, then pulled out a chair to sit beside me. The doorbell rang, and he hesitated. "You expecting anyone?"
I shook my head.
"Nor me," Ilianna said from the confines of the kitchen.
"A human stands at the door," Azriel noted, then cocked his head sideways a little. "A messenger. He leaves."
Oh god, I thought, trepidation suddenly so thick it practically closed my throat. The last two times a messenger had come to our door it was to deliver a message from my father, and a whole lot of trouble had ensued.