Just what I needed—a practical reaper. "If I don’t get them by the time I’ve seen Mike, I will call. In the meantime, you want to lead the way out of this maze?"
He nodded and brushed past me, his arm barely touching mine but electric all the same. This was crazy, I thought, following him out of the darkness. I mean, he was a reaper. He didn’t do humans. There might not be any hope of a real and lasting relationship with Lucian, either, but at least with him I could settle for amazing sex.
Light began to filter through the darkness, and the stairs became visible. We climbed them quickly and headed out of the building.
"I shall keep my distance for the time being," Azriel said. "But call if you need assistance at the witch depository."
I nodded, although I didn’t think the Brindle witches would take too kindly to an armed reaper walking among them. As he winked out of existence, I walked down the street and looked for a cab.
It was just after three by the time I got to Mike’s. He lived within walking distance of our apartment, in a small single-fronted terrace that served as both his office and—on the floor above—his residence.
As the cab sped away, I climbed the steps and pressed the intercom button. "It’s Risa Jones, here to see Mike."
"Risa," a plummy, feminine voice said, "please, come in."
The door was buzzed open, revealing a small waiting room in which sat half a dozen plush, comfortable chairs. To the right there was a small desk and, behind it, a matronly woman with pale purple hair and sharp blue eyes.
I smiled at her. "How are you today, Beatrice?"
"Better than Mike," she said wryly. "It’s tax time, and you know what that’s like."
"I do." And I hated it. Which is why I tended to do mine ASAP, because I just wanted to get it all over with. But according to Mike, I was in the minority. Apparently, most of his clients tended to leave things to the last moment, then got into a panic.
"You can go straight in," she said. "He’s been waiting for you."
I glanced at my watch in surprise. It was only ten past three. By Mike’s usual standards, I was actually early for my three o’clock appointment.
Beatrice grinned and added, "Yeah, I know, it doesn’t happen often. But several clients had to cancel this afternoon."