"Because I've got to meet him anyway, so it won't hurt." I eyed Azriel for a moment. "Has Jak suddenly become a problem for you?"
"No. I just think you risk his well-being needlessly."
"He's only going to ask around about charms, Azriel. I'd hardly call that dangerous."
He didn't say anything immediately, but then, he didn't need to. His disapproval stung the air. "And after this meeting, you will rest?"
"Yes." If nothing else came up, that was.
"Good. Because if you do not, I will be forced to make you."
"Try it, and I really will get nasty—" But I was speaking to air. He'd disappeared again.
* * *
Even though the bar was crowded with lunchtime patrons, Jak Talbott was easy enough to spot. It wasn't that he towered above everyone else, because at five ten, he was pretty much the average height for male werewolves. It was more that he exuded a raw masculinity that drew the eye. Or maybe it just seemed that way to me because I still wasn't entirely over the damn man, no matter how much I tried to convince myself otherwise.
He actually wasn't what I'd call handsome, but his rough-hewn features were easy on the eye and his body was well toned without being too muscular. His hair, like his skin, was a rich black, although there was a lot more silver glinting in the shaggy thickness of it these days. It gave him a genteel edge, which was something Jak would never be able to claim otherwise.
He leaned back in the chair as I approached, but his smile of greeting faded as his gaze swept me. "Damn it, Ris, you look worse every time I see you."
"Thanks." My voice was dry as I pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him. "You're looking swell, too."
He laughed. It was a warm, carefree sound, and the deep-down part of me that wouldn't entirely let go of the past, and this man, sighed wistfully.
"Yeah, lack of sleep does that to me," he said, a little too cheerfully. He obviously had news of some kind that he was excited about. "What's your excuse?"
"Same. What have you uncovered?"