Azriel's gaze met mine. "When you were brought in on that Directorate case. I read the minds of all you meet. It is always better to know who and who isn't a potential threat."
"So how much does he know?"
"He knows what she is, and tolerates her excesses in that regard —"
"And what, exactly, is she?" Rhoan cut in.
"A Maenad," I replied. "Or so we've been told. They're supposedly the female followers of the Greek wine god Dionysus, and have the whole orgasmic-rites and tearing-people-apart deal going."
"Huh." His gaze came to me again. Though some of the anger had fled, it still glimmered in the background, ready to erupt at a moment's notice. "So perhaps our next step would be to talk to Jack —"
"You can't," I said, alarmed. "She will kill you if she thinks you've discussed this with me in any way. I don't want —"
"Give me a little more credit than that," he cut in. "No one at the Directorate knows I contacted you. I made the call in a secure dead zone."
Meaning secure from both electronic and psychic intrusion. "Even so —"
"No," he said bluntly. "I'm paid to do my job, and do it I will. However, no one needs to know I've already talked to you. I will take this to Jack, and see what he says. What happens from there very much depends on his reaction."
In more ways than one. "Be careful, that's all I ask. And watch your damn back. Jack may hold to the middle ground when it comes to his sister, but she has plenty of support in the Directorate —"
He snorted. "I've been traversing Directorate politics for a while now. I know who to trust."
"Yeah, but there's a whole lot more on the line with this. You mustn't tell anyone about my involvement with Hunter or mention the key hunt to Jack. Promise me you won't."
"You can't deal with Hunter alone —"
"She isn't alone," Azriel cut in. "Hunter won't ever touch her. I promise you that."