"But it didn't." I hesitated. "Where did you take him?"
"Home, as you wanted. I brought Ilianna in to tend to him." He placed a hand under my elbow and gently pulled me upright. "And we should go. The police are coming."
I glanced past him and saw the approaching red and blue lights of the emergency vehicles. "At least no one got hurt."
"No one but you," he commented, as he wrapped his arm around my waist and swept us from flesh to energy form. He didn't immediately release me when we reappeared in the living room, simply continued to hold me close.
My gaze rose to his again, and there was an intensity, a ferocity, that had my heart doing an odd sort of dance. "What?" I said, almost breathlessly.
"Do not ever ask me to do something like that again," he said. "Because I will not."
Annoyance flared. I tried to step back, but his grip tightened around my waist, pressing me closer. "Damn it, Azriel. He's my friend—"
"And I mean nothing to you?" he cut in, his voice flat and even despite the fierceness that radiated from every inch of his being.
"You know that's—"
"What I know," he cut in again, "is that the link between us has evolved into something far stronger than a mere exchange of thoughts. I will not feel your agony like that again and not do anything about it."
My breath caught somewhere in my throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't know—"
"And wouldn't have cared if you had." His voice was grim. "I'm just giving you warning never to ask that of me again."
I took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Okay. But I also meant what I—"
"Oh, I am under no illusions where I stand when it come to your friends."
The edge of bitterness in his voice stung deep inside. "That's not fair, Azriel."