I didn't need this extra bit of shit in my life. I really didn't. And there was no one who could help me understand what this dragon—this Dušan—was.
Or was there?
Those symbols in the front of the book had resembled the tattoos on the back of my reaper's neck. It was a long shot, but it was worth a chance. I took a deep breath, then said softly, "Azriel."
He appeared in an instant, the heat of him filling the room. He was standing behind me, not touching, but near enough that the small hairs at the back of my neck rose in awareness. And with it came an awareness of an entirely different kind.
"Now what's happening?" Ilianna yelled from the other room.
"Nothing," I said. Although altogether too much was. Why did this man—this being—affect me so much? He was a reaper, damn it! Not what I'd call prospective lover material in any way, shape, or form. Even if the form was rather nice. "I just called Azriel."
"The reaper?" Ilianna was suddenly standing back in the doorway. Her gaze flew past me and her mouth formed an O of surprise. "That is so not what I was expecting."
"And just what were you expecting?" he said, his voice a low, almost amused rumble that vibrated through every part of me.
"I don't know." She waved a hand in his direction. "Something not quite this … dangerous looking."
"You see the real me, not the projection. Like Risa. That is odd."
What was odd was how sweetly my name seemed to roll off his tongue. Damn it, no. He was a reaper. I wasn't attracted. No way, no how. I scrambled to my feet and put some distance between us before turning around.
"You have a reaper at your beck and call, and a goddamn dragon attached to your arm," Ilianna muttered. "The day cannot get any weirder."
With that, she left, closing the door behind her.
Azriel's gaze met mine, his expression as unreadable as ever. "I believe you called?"
I nodded and shoved my arm toward him. "Do you know anything about this?"