But it was the third man who caught my attention, even though he wasn't anything out of the ordinary to look at. He sat at the far end of the table, the bright glow of the com-screen in front of him casting a bluish light across his weatherworn features and bald head.
I'd never actually met him, but I knew him all the same. This was Jack Parnell, senior vice president of the Directorate and the man in charge of the entire guardian pision.
He was also Madeline Hunter's half brother, and that made him very, very dangerous, even if he didn't look it.
He finally looked up from the com-screen, then leaned back in his chair and studied me. There was little in his expression to give away what he might be thinking, but that was no surprise. He might be a few hundred years younger than his sister—an oddity due to both the long life span of shifters and the fact that they were born at either end of their father's life—but he was still a vampire and more than a little practiced at controlling himself. I guess with a sister like Hunter, he'd have to be.
"Risa," he said, his voice gravelly and holding the slightest hint of warmth. "Thank you for coming so promptly."
"It's not like I've got any other choice, is it?"
"Now that's the sort of comment Riley would make. You've been hanging around her and Rhoan too long." A half smile teased his lips, but it faded quickly as his gaze ran past me. "And this is your reaper?"
He's not my anything. He'll never be my anything. I swallowed the hollow bitterness that accompanied the thought, and simply said, "His name is Azriel."
Jack raised one eyebrow. "All reapers are called Azriel, are they not?"
"Yes." Azriel stopped beside me, his energy warm and intoxicating. "And you are well enough aware of the reason why."
"All names have power," Jack said. "Is that why Risa has you at her beck and call?"
I opened my mouth to refute the statement, but again Azriel jumped in before me. "You know the reasons I am here. Let us not play these games when life hangs in the balance."
Again a smile played briefly about Jack's lips. I glanced questioningly at Azriel, but he merely looked away. Which was frustrating, to say the least.
Rhoan motioned me to sit, then slid a mug of coffee in front of me. "Here's the deal. Our hunter wants to meet you on the astral field, where he will outline the details of his macabre challenge."
I wrapped my fingers around the mug, but it didn't do much to ease the chill from them. "So no one else can be there?"