I suppressed a shiver and rode on, the Ducati’s lights coming on automatically as the dusk and shadows gave way to darkness. It wasn’t the best time to be going hunting, especially in unfamiliar territory. I might have the keen nose of a wolf, but that wouldn’t help me against the sort of traps a witch might conjure. And Selwin had had plenty of time to do just that.
A set of old wrought-iron gates came into view. I stopped, kicking out the bike stand but leaving the motor running and the lights on as I walked over to the gates—which, unsurprisingly, were padlocked. The lock was ancient and heavy, the chain as thick as my arm. It wasn’t something I had any hope of breaking.
"Azriel, are you here?"
"Always," he said from behind me. He stepped forward, his arm brushing mine, sending little tremors of electricity scampering across my skin.
"Can you break the lock?" I said, oddly torn between wanting to press closer to him and needing to create space. In the end, I did neither.
"I can, but the lock is wrapped in magic. If I smash it, there is no telling how this place will react." He paused, his gaze on the heavy darkness beyond the gates. "There is much power here, and some of it is very old. And it is not quite as benign as you might presume."
"Great," I muttered, stepping back to first study the gates, then the old chain fence that disappeared into the darkness to either side of the main gate. I could jump over it no problem, but that would leave me without a fast getaway option should things go bad.
"You could always become Aedh."
"If the magic inside that place can stop both you and the Raziq from entering, what chance have I got?"
He shrugged. "You are part wolf—a flesh-and-blood being as well as an energy one. It could be a vital difference."
Could be. Could not be, too.
I returned to my bike and switched her off, then picked up my phone, checking to see whether I had service up here. I didn’t, so I shoved it and my wallet into the under-seat storage before walking to the fence. I leapt up, grabbed the top of the fence, and hauled my ass—rather inelegantly—over.
Once I’d dropped down on the other side, I turned and glanced at Azriel. "Well?"
He shook his head. "I can go no farther."
"Naturally," I muttered. Then I mentally smacked myself for being annoyed. It wasn’t his fault, after all.