"We can stop them." He said it firmly, like he was trying to convince himself as much as me. Which was an odd thought, since he generally saw these things in black-and-white—will or won't. "But until we do, we should do all that we can to avoid them."
"I won't stop visiting Tao. I can't." Ilianna might send me regular updates, but that wasn't the same as being there.
He grimaced. "That could be dangerous, not just to you but to Ilianna and Tao."
Fear slithered through me. "The Ania couldn't mount an attack inside the Brindle. Her magic wouldn't let them."
"The Ania couldn't, no, but the Raziq might well attempt it if these ambushes keep failing."
And the witches had already warned us that the Brindle had no defenses against the Raziq. "That's only if they are the ones behind them."
"They are. I felt their touch behind the Ania this time."
Well, fuck. I swiped angrily at the blood still dribbling down my cheek. Valdis might have healed the worst head wound when she melted the helmet shards, but there were obviously several smaller ones if the blood was anything to go by. "I guess this means I'm staying at the Langham again—"
"Not the Langham," he cut in. "You've stayed there before, so it would be wise not to risk it."
I grimaced. Being hunted by minor demons wasn't half as annoying as missing out on staying at my favorite five-star hotel.
Azriel wrapped his hand around mine and gently pulled me to my feet. "You, Risa Jones," he said softly, "have a strange way of looking at things."
He was standing so close that his breath teased my lips as he spoke, and his scent—a scent that was man and musk and sharply electric—filled every breath. And all I had to do was lean forward, just a little, and I'd be kissing him. But as much as I wanted to do just that, I also feared it could forever change our relationship—and maybe not in a good way. So I simply said, "This, coming from a man who can describe lovemaking only as enlightening."
How my voice came out even I had no idea, given the tumultuous push-pull being waged inside me.
"It is an apt word when one has never experienced it before." His gaze was steady on mine and he showed no inclination to release me. Maybe he simply figured I wasn't steady enough after the accident, but something inside me whispered no. Azriel knew exactly what he was doing—and what it was doing to me. And that, in turn, implied intent.
"Tell me what you want, Risa." He said it so softly it was little more than a whisper that ran through my mind.