"And yet there's no trace of magic on the ground."
"Magic can take many forms. The charm around your neck, for example."
"But this charm is minor magic compared to something that could transport a person." My gaze went back to Dorothy and I studied the wounds on her wrists again. "How can there be no evidence of bleeding when she's been bled out?"
"I do not know."
I squatted next to the table. The concrete was thick with layers of grime and god knows what else, but the area underneath her hanging wrist bore a faint ring-shaped mark. The blood hadn't been consumed—it had been collected.
Why would anyone want to do that? I glanced up at Azriel, but he merely shrugged. "I am not an expert on humans and all their eccentricities."
"So the person behind this was human?"
"I would have sensed either a spirit or a demon."
That the no-face stranger might be human somehow made him seem all the more creepy. I shivered, then rose and walked around the rest of the table. Other than a matching ring in the grime on the opposite side of the floor, there was little to see.
I retreated to a wall and sat down on the floor. God, if I didn't get some food and rest soon, I was going to end up back in bed and sick as hell.
Azriel strolled around to my side of the table. "Shuffle forward."
I raised an eyebrow, but did as ordered. He sat down behind me, then placed his fingers against my temples and began to gently massage them. Heat radiated from the epicenter of his touch, and the pain began to recede.
"Azriel," I said, somewhat reluctantly, "I thought we agreed you shouldn't be healing me. You're the better fighter, so it's more important that you keep your strength rather than sharing it with me—"
"If you can't think and move, then me being the better fighter is irrelevant." He paused, but his fingers continued to work their magic. "Besides, I can no longer fully heal you. I merely revive."
"That's splitting hairs and you know it." Not that I wanted him to stop. It felt far too good—both his touch and the sense of reassurance it provided.