"Do not let the reaper gain possession of the keys. Whatever it takes, whatever you have to do, do it. Otherwise, your friends will not live to see another dawn."
Fury, fear, and frustration swirled through me, and I clenched my fists. Uselessly, because there was nothing and no one here to hit. "Damn it, how the hell am I supposed to stop a reaper? I'm only human—"
"You were never human. You are a creation of my flesh, and that well runs deeper than you realize." He paused, and the energy in the cylinder became so electric the hairs on my arms stood on end. "Do what I say, Risa, or face the consequences."
And with that, the white light died and I found myself blinking furiously against tears as I stared at Azriel.
"What happened?" he asked, concern in his voice.
I brushed away the solitary droplet that trickled down my cheek. "You weren't following events through the chi connection?"
"No, the ward severed the connection."
I guess that was no surprise—my father was more than aware of Azriel's presence in my life. "He gave me the clues to find the second key, and then gave me a fucking horrible choice."
Azriel studied me for a moment, his expression giving little away, then placed Valdis on the floor and rose in one smooth movement. He disappeared into the kitchen, but was back within minutes, a large glass of bourbon and Coke in one hand. "Drink this, then tell me."
I half smiled. "With the amount of booze I can smell in this glass, I'd normally think you were trying to get me drunk."
"You're a werewolf—is that not impossible?"
"Oh, I can get drunk. It just takes a hell of a lot of time and booze, and it usually doesn't last long enough to make the effort worthwhile." I took several large gulps and felt the burn of the bourbon all the way down to my belly.
"What happened?" Azriel said softly.
I briefly closed my eyes. "How sure are you that the keys can be destroyed?"
"As sure as we can be. The keys are not part of all creation, as the portals are, so therefore we should be able to destroy them without overwhelming effects to our worlds."