He was still gripping my arm, which was just as well. My legs were jelly and I had a bad feeling I’d topple if he let go.
“Then how come you’re standing there, as rocklike as ever?”
He half smiled. “Because whatever else you can and will be, you are still flesh. And flesh does not recover as quickly as energy.”
“I thought that would have changed when you shared your life force.”
“It did, in that you will now recover faster and I will recover a little slower, but it has not altered the basic fact that you are still flesh rather than Mijai.”
I grunted. “So is it really over? Malin and the Raziq really are no more?”
His gaze met mine, and his blue eyes—one as dark as the storm-held seas, the other sapphire bright—showed an odd mix of sadness and satisfaction. “Yes. As the remnant said, they are little more than particles adrift in the endless night of space.”
I raised a hand and thumbed away the bead of blood tracking down the side of his face. “And you regret that?”
“I regret that it came to that, yes. Killing is not something any Mijai rejoices in, despite the fact that it is the reason we exist.” He hesitated and grimaced. “Although I cannot deny there is a degree of pleasure in the knowledge she and her kin can never harm you—or anyone else—ever again.”
“And thank the fates for that.” I swept a hand through my sweat-matted hair. “Now if we could only get them to deal with the bitch who stole the keys and then Hunter, I’d be one happy woman.”
“The fates have never been that generous, as you yourself have often noted.”
“Yeah, but I keep hoping for a miracle.”
“I believe we just got one.” He paused, and his gaze swept me almost critically. “But before we worry about the keys or Hunter, you need to shower.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I stink, reaper?”
“Certainly not.” It was solemnly said, but the twinkle in his eyes and the smile that teased the corners of his lips somewhat spoiled the effect. “Although I cannot deny the air around you is somewhat odorous at the current time.”
I lightly whacked his arm. “You don’t exactly smell like a rose yourself, reaper.”
The lurking amusement grew stronger. “Why would I, when a rose is a plant and I am energy?”
I snorted softly, then stood on my tiptoes and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. It was tempting to do more, but that could come a little later—when we were both smelling better. “You, reaper, are an idiot.”
“That is a claim that could be laid at the feet of both of you,” Riley commented, as she came into the room with an armful of clothes and towels. “You have three people who are not only well trained and fight ready, but willing to help you in your quest, and you keep damn well refusing their help.”
“For good reason—”
“Good reason, my ass.” She dumped the pile of clothes on the ornate chair sitting in the corner of the bathroom, then thrust a hand on her hip and added, her voice full of censure, “It has to stop, Ris. I promised your mom I’d look after you if anything ever happened to her, and I intend to keep that promise, one way or another.”
I held up my hands. “I know, and I’m sorry I’m making things difficult for you. But I have my reasons—”
“Hunter, I’m gathering,” she cut in grimly.
My stomach dropped. How the hell did she find out about Hunter? I doubted Rhoan would have said anything, and she couldn’t have plucked it from his thoughts. He might be her twin, but he was also a telepathic dead zone. It’s one of the things that made him such a good guardian—vampires could neither read his mind nor influence his actions in any way.
So who would have spilled the beans? Not Quinn, surely. He undoubtedly knew far more about what was going on thanks to his position in the vampire high council, even if he hadn’t yet said all that much to me. But would he have said anything to Riley? I very much doubted it, given that he also had to know just what Hunter was capable of.
“What makes you think—”
“Don’t play possum with me, Ris. Not now.”
I didn’t reply. There was obviously no point in attempting to lie about Hunter’s involvement in my life, but, by the same token, I wasn’t about to say or do anything to confirm it. Not until I knew exactly how much she did know.
“You can’t keep secrets from a strong telepath for very long,” she continued. “So get your ass into the shower, then come out and tell me everything.”
“Yes, ma’am.”