"I'm waiting." Rhoan's voice was soft, but held an element of ice that chilled me to the core. This wasn't the uncle I knew and loved. This was the guardian. Coiled and ready for action.
"Jak Talbott was killed to teach me a lesson," I said bluntly. "But he's just the first part. You're intended to be the second."
That last bit might be a guess, but the more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Hunter wasn't a fool, and there was no way she'd have allowed that vampire to give us her name. And she'd have known Rhoan would have demanded to be placed on the investigation because of Jak's links to me. This had to be part of her game plan. She wanted to bring me to heel, and if she had to kill one of the Directorate's most valuable assets to do it, then she would. As Azriel had noted, Madeline Hunter had abandoned any pretense of humanity. At least when it came to me.
"Why would Madeline Hunter want to teach you a lesson?" Rhoan said, voice still far too cold.
"Because she wants the keys to hell, and she wants me to get them for her. Only I'm not doing it fast enough."
And if I could get him to believe that was the extent of my relationship with her, then at least I could avoid the fallout that would inevitably follow if I had to tell him I actually worked for her.
He regarded me for a minute, his gray eyes glittering and expression flat. Still the guardian, not the uncle. "Why would she want the keys to hell?"
I snorted. "Because the woman is fucking insane, that's why."
"Risa —"
I sighed. "Look, she told me she – and the council – want to use hell as their own private jail."
"And you believe that?"
"I believe it's insane. I also believe the council has nothing to do with Hunter's desire for the keys, and everything to do with Hunter's desire for power and ultimate control."
"A comment that suggests you've had a whole lot more to do with her than you've admitted so far."
"Given the bitch wants the keys to hell, and I'm the only one who can find them," I replied, "it would be fair enough to say she's been in my face recently."
"So why not come to me or Riley? We could have —"