“Apparently so.” He didn’t make the obvious comment—that one day we wouldn’t be—though I could almost see the thought cross his mind. “Why did she destroy the apartment? Who owned it?”
I pulled a chair closer to the table, then sat down and told him about Harrison Jantz. “We’re not sure why Jantz has disappeared, but if our sorceress set the bomb to take him out rather than destroy any evidence she might have left there, then we need to find Jantz ourselves, and fast.”
“Which is why you’re here?” He carried two mugs of coffee over and handed me one.
“Yes, but also because of this.” I glanced at Azriel. He placed the phone we’d discovered at the apartment on the table. “The same sort of magic Lauren uses clings to its surface, so we doubt it’s Jantz’s. We were wondering if the witches here could defuse whatever spell might be on this thing, then trace the owner.”
“It’s more than likely a burn phone. I mean, surely your sorceress wouldn’t be daft enough to leave something like this behind at the scene of her crime.”
“It was in a pair of men’s pants. Maybe she forgot it was in them when they were tossed into the laundry basket.”
He frowned. “Why would your sorceress be leaving men’s pants in Jantz’s apartment?”
“Because she’s a multishifter who can take on both male and female forms.” I hesitated. “She has, in the past, taken my form, so be really careful if you get an unexpected call from me requesting a meeting somewhere private.”
“All the calls I get from you are unexpected.” His voice was dry. “But I do see your point. No clandestine meetings with you from now on, then.”
“I’m serious, Uncle Rhoan. I have no idea how much this bitch knows about me, but I don’t want to risk your life any more than I already have.”
“Ris,” he said gently, “I’m a guardian. Danger is an inherent part of my job.”
“I know, and that’s not what I meant.”
He smiled. “I appreciate the concern, but I will not—”
“I know, but you don’t understand. Lauren is the least of your problems when it comes to danger. Hunter is not only head of the organization you work for, but undoubtedly knows which buttons she needs to push to get to you. She’s already killed Jak, and she’s threatened me with not only your safety, but everyone else I care about. She will carry through with those threats. And nothing, not this place, not being a guardian, will protect you from her. She’s not human. She’s—”
“No one you should be going up against,” a deep voice said.
I jumped, splashing coffee across my hand as I swung around. The man who’d entered was bald, average sized, with weatherworn features and sharp green eyes. He neither looked nor felt dangerous, and yet he was possibly the most dangerous person inside the Directorate aside from Hunter herself.
This was Jack Parnell, senior vice president of the Directorate, and the man in charge of the entire guardian division.
He also happened to be Madeline Hunter’s half brother.
“It’s not like I want to go up against her.” I put my coffee down and rubbed my hand on the leg of my jeans to dry it. “In fact, it’s the one thing I’m trying to avoid. But she’s—”
“I know what she is,” Jack cut in. He walked across to the coffee machine and pressed a button. “I’m also aware of what she might desire.”
“I think ‘might desire’ is putting it a little too mildly, don’t you?”
He flashed me a smile, but it held little in the way of warmth.
“Perhaps. But I have been aware of my sister’s ambitions for quite a while and, as much as I am able, have been attempting to keep some control over them.”
“Control?” I retorted. “How is allowing her to kill Jak keeping some control over the situation?”
“Ris,” Rhoan murmured. “Calm down—”
Something within me snapped. “Damn it, no! I won’t. I can’t. I’ve been pulled from pillar to post by the wants and desires of just about every other damn person on this planet—and some beyond it—and I’m getting a little tired of it. This isn’t about me calming down. This is about me trying to save not only your butt, but the butts of everyone else on this planet if either of the psycho bitches who have designs on the last key actually gets her mitts on it.”
I stopped and took a deep breath. Uncle Rhoan’s expression swung between surprise and amusement. I couldn’t say what Jack was feeling, because—like most vampires—he could control his emotions to the extreme when he wanted to.
And, right now, he apparently wanted to.
I met his bright gaze. “I know she’s your sister, but surely to god even you can see that her gaining control of both the high vampire council and the key would not be a very good thing.”
“I didn’t mention the keys when I talked to him about Jak,” Rhoan murmured.