"Valdis would never harm you. She can't."
I raised my eyebrows at that. "Why not?"
His expression became closed again. "Do you trust me?"
That was a question I'd answered more than once. He was connected to me on a chi level—and far more strongly than he was admitting—and he knew just how much I did trust him, even if the occasional doubt raised its ugly head. I motioned for him to proceed.
Valdis's fire was a strange green-gold as he brought her close. Droplets of fire splattered across my skin, hissing as they touched, yet not hurting. Warmth flushed upward from my neck and face, until even the ends of my hair felt like they were on fire. There was a brief retort, and a bitter smell—which was a mix of melting fiberglass and burning carbon fiber—filled the air.
Then it was gone, and with it the stabbing pain in the side of my head.
Azriel sheathed Valdis, then slowly—carefully—removed the helmet. The shards digging into my skull might have been eliminated, but it still hurt like shit. I blinked back tears, and gripped the chair arms so damn tightly that my fingernails tore into the leather.
"You were extremely lucky," Azriel said, and held the helmet so I could see it.
The whole left side was broken, much of it dented inward toward what was now a jagged and somewhat melted hole in the center. It was destroyed—but it had undoubtedly saved my life.
My gaze rose and met Azriel's. The anger that burned in the mismatched blue depths just about snatched my breath away. "The Ania could have killed me."
"By mistake, yes, but if they'd actually wanted to kill you, they could have easily done so by now. And remember, it wasn't so much an attack in the café as an attempt to capture you." He tossed the helmet aside. It clattered against the old stones and rolled limply into the shadows. "It would also appear that changing your hair made little difference. They obviously know more about your habits than I presumed."
I didn't have the energy to say "I told you so," and simply leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes. While the pain in my head had all but gone, the rest of me felt more than a little pulverized. But I guess feeling that way was better than actually being so, and that had very nearly been the reality.
"I can't step away from everything and go into hiding, Azriel," I said, after a moment. "That won't find the Rakshasa and it certainly won't find us the keys."
"No, but staying away from the things they are aware of—like your bike, the café, and your apartment—would be a good start until we figure out a way to stop these attacks."
I opened my eyes again. "Do you really think we can stop them? I don't."