"Probably more than you or I are aware of," he said grimly, crossing his arms as he leaned a shoulder against the wall. "And Ilianna is probably getting close to using up all her goodwill at the Brindle."
"Which is why I’m going over there myself tomorrow to talk to them." I wanted to see their reactions when I told them someone had raised a Maniae and had sent it after members of the high vampire council.
"You want company?" Tao asked.
I hesitated, then shook my head. I had Azriel and, at this point, it seemed wiser to keep contact with those I cared about to a minimum. At least until we sorted out the Aedh problem. They’d already gone after Ilianna—they might try Tao next.
Which only meant it was all the more urgent that Ilianna find the wards my father had set and try to reuse them around our place.
Of course, as Azriel had already pointed out, I was probably endangering both Ilianna and Tao just by being here at the café. I finished my Coke and stood up with a sigh. "I’ll be staying at the Langham for the next few days. You’ll need to find someplace else to stay, too."
He grinned. "Finding a place to bunk down will not be a problem, let me assure you."
I eyed him for a minute, then said, "How are you and Candy doing?"
"Sadly, it was just a fling, and now she’s moved on to greener pastures."
I blinked. "You almost sound upset."
"I am. It’s usually me doing the dumping, not the other way around."
I leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Well, I can’t say I’m sad she’s out of your life, but I doubt she’ll find a better lover than you."
He smiled and touched my chin lightly. "Damn right," he said, a smile teasing his lips. Then it faded a little. "Be careful, okay?"
"I will." I kissed him again then headed out of the café, catching a passing cab and heading to the Langham. Once in my suite, I crawled into bed and went straight to sleep.
The sharp trilling of my phone woke me. I groped for it blindly and croaked, "Hello?"