"He can't get into this place, not even astrally, so he's not going to know who is doing what straightaway. And if he's as clever as I think he is, he'll know we'll be beside you every step of the way, regardless of what he orders. He simply doesn't think the Directorate is a threat. That's evident enough from his taunting phone calls."
I finished the last of the protein bars, then licked the chocolate off my fingers and got slowly to my feet. The room did a slow turn, so I pressed my fingers against the wall and said, "Have all his victims so far been women?"
Rhoan nodded. "Different ages, but all women."
"And they've nothing in common?"
"Other than the fact that they're all vampires, no."
"What about their makers?"
"Again nothing in common."
Meaning Stane's search for information on Dorothy's maker would be fruitless, because he wasn't the connection. Which, in turn, meant there was nothing to even remotely suggest who his next victim might be. Frustrating, to say the least. I pulled off the monitors and got dressed. "You'll ring me the minute the phone call comes?"
"I'll ring the minute we uncover anything useful. You, in the meantime, will get some rest. Promise?"
I nodded. He grunted, then swung around and offered me his arm. "Come on, let's get you out of here."
He escorted me back upstairs, then dropped a kiss on my cheek, reminded me to ring Riley, and left. I glanced at Azriel as I made my way out to Spencer Street. Though he walked beside me, he kept a careful distance between us. It didn't erase the awareness that stirred within, or the flow of heat that caressed my skin.
"How can the Directorate stop someone from entering that building astrally, and yet none of their devices even reacted to you?"
"Because I am not human. All the devices and magic are aimed at catching abnormalities in or on flesh-based rather than energy beings."
I frowned. "So it should have reacted to you."
"No, because this body is not real."