I clenched my fist and said, "Do it. But hurry."
He bowed, ever so slightly. For a heartbeat, I swear there was a glimmer of respect in his eyes. But maybe that was a trick of the firelight gleaming off Tao's hands. "Do not attempt to use your Aedh gifts to reach into their flesh and rip them apart. It will destroy you."
Tao glanced from me to Azriel and back again. "What the hell is he talking about?"
"If I take Aedh form, I can seep into flesh and tear it apart," I said absently. Tao swore, but my gaze stayed on Azriel as I added, "Why not?"
"Because they are not flesh, nor are they energy. They are spirits—essences of evil, if you like. They cannot be pulled apart like flesh beings."
"Okay, that's a gruesome skill," Tao muttered.
Azriel added, "Do what you must to keep alive, Risa Jones. I shall return as quickly as I am able."
With that, he disappeared.
I briefly closed my eyes and swallowed back the bitter taste of bile.
A taste that got worse when the howling began.
I ran for the door and slammed it shut. The hounds might be demons, but they held flesh when on earth, and as flesh beings, a locked door would delay them—if only for a moment. But every moment we delayed them was a moment for Azriel to track down the dark bitch.
The howling grew closer. I stripped off my shirt, tearing it in half, then wrapping the remnants around my hands. Once my skin was protected, I pulled two of the bigger pieces of silver from the walls. The largest shard was barely two inches long, but it was curved and jagged, and was a better weapon than just hands.
I backed away and joined Tao near the rear wall. The flames still burned across his hands, filling the room with an eerie, yellow-white radiance.
"Do you think fire is actually going to hurt them?" he said, his gaze on the door.
The howling was getting closer, and the smell of death, decay, and ash was beginning to ride the air. Riley had never mentioned the smell, but maybe she'd never come across this type. There was more than just the one kind of hound.