"Yeah, but if he's telling you off, it probably has something to do with you not eating or looking after yourself. And that's good, because you don't."
"Thanks, friend," I muttered.
"No problem at all." Her smile faded. "You'll keep me updated on any progress?"
"As much as I can, Ilianna."
She nodded and hung up. I rang the local pizza place, ordered a large with everything, then shoved my phone away and said, "Happy?"
"When you actually eat it, yes I will be."
I got out some cash and handed it to him. "I'm going for a shower. If the delivery guy gets here before I'm done, give him this."
He accepted the cash with a nod, then walked over to one of the broken windows and assumed his "soldier on guard" position – hands behind his back and feet slightly apart. The occasional ripple of blue running down Valdis's length showed she was as alert as her master.
I headed for my bathroom, stripping off my dress and kicking off my shoes along the way. The light came on as I entered, and the black slate was warm under my feet, meaning neither the fire nor the water had damaged any of the electrical or heating circuits in this part of the house. Tao's insistence on having separate circuits for the various sections of the warehouse had finally paid off. I dumped the dress into the laundry chute, then stepped into the shower. The water came on automatically at just the right temperature, the sharp spray like needles against my skin. For several moments I did nothing more than stand there, lifting my face to the spray and allowing the water to run down my body. And wished it could wash away the grief and tiredness as easily as it washed away the grime.
After several minutes, I sighed and got down to the business of washing. I didn't have time to waste, and as much as I would have liked to stay there, letting the jets of hot water massage and soothe, there was too much to be done.
Once dry and dressed – this time in more sensible jeans, a sweater, socks, and boots – I headed for the living room, only to stop when I saw an envelope sitting near the end of my bed.
Trepidation raced through me. In the past, an envelope or parcel arriving on my bed had generally heralded a change of events or circumstances, and not always for the better.
But standing here staring at it wasn't going to make it go away. Nor would it uncover what delights it had in store for me this time.
Azriel appeared as I somewhat tentatively picked it up, his shoulder lightly touching mine. Warmth flowed between us, but it failed to ease the rising sense of dread. Obviously, my psychic senses had already decided this note held nothing good.
But this time it wasn't from my father. Not only was the paper quality more everyday than upmarket, but the writing on the front was very different. It simply said Urgent in what I'd term bold and masculine handwriting.