Azriel didn’t comment. Maybe even he didn’t know what fate awaited Tao.
We grabbed a taxi outside the hotel. Despite the fact that rush hour had passed, there was still a fair amount of traffic on the freeway and the going was slow. I directed the driver to a house just up the road from the mansion’s main gate so that he didn’t think it odd or—worse—do something civil-minded like phone the police.
The night was clear and the air crisp. I shivered and zipped up my jacket, glad Azriel had grabbed it.
"The Aedh waits at the gate," he commented. I peered through the darkness but couldn’t actually see Lucian. Then again he’d been around long enough to know how to remain hidden from prying eyes. "I will go inside and neutralize the guards."
I frowned. "I thought you said it would be too dangerous to walk the gray fields at the moment?"
His gaze met mine. "Only if I’m accompanied by you. Alone, I’m just another reaper on the fields. Your presence, however, is like a beacon to those attuned to you."
"And the Raziq are?"
"I cannot say for sure, but I am not willing to run that risk. Wait with the Aedh until I return."
And with that, he winked out of existence. I headed for the gates and, in the shadows of the signs, saw Lucian.
"Hey gorgeous," he said, stepping away from the back of the sign he’d been leaning against. "Why the hell did you arrive by taxi?"
"Azriel was worried that the Raziq might have been able to sense my presence in the gray fields." I let him sweep me into his arms, feeling the tension in him, the urgency—an urgency that spoke of the need to move, to fight. "For the same reason, I couldn’t become Aedh."
"He’s being overly cautious."
I shrugged. Maybe he was, but it was for my safety and I couldn’t exactly argue with that. "Did you bring any weapons?"
He smiled. "A small armory, starting with two long knives strapped to my back."
"Knives aren’t going to be much use against Raziq. They may not even take human form."