"So you're saying I'm a sweet-tempered, silver-tongued woman?"
He caught my hand in his, drew it to his lips, and kissed it. "Would I dare say anything else?"
"Usually, yes."
"Then maybe I am merely in an exceptionally good mood."
"Good sweaty sex will do that to you every time," I replied, voice wry.
His smile grew, touching the corners of his eyes and making my heart do several little happy skips. "Then perhaps I should get in a snit more often."
I laughed. The sound seemed to echo softly through the darkness, and the woman on the stage turned to look at us. Though she didn't move, there was an almost imperceptible tightening in her shoulder and arm muscles.
"She knows what I am." Azriel squeezed my hand, then released me. "Get ready to move. I believe she's about to finish her set."
The woman on the stage finished the song she was playing, then rose and bowed to the audience. They didn't immediately respond, but as the spotlight died and she walked from the stage, it was as if a spell had been released and they all began to clap—some conservatively, some not.
I rose and wove my way through the tables, planning to cut the woman off before she could slip backstage. She was moving deceptively fast, however, and slipped through the curtains and disappeared from sight. I swore softly and ran forward, flipping the curtains aside and following the sound of her retreating steps down a dark corridor. Somewhere up ahead, a door opened and closed. I slowed.
Valdis's blue fire flickered across the walls, highlighting the peeling paint and dusty cobwebs. I shivered, not wanting to think about webs when I was chasing a woman whose alternate form could well be the world's biggest spider.
"I cannot sense her presence in the room ahead," Azriel said.
"Does that mean she's escaped us? Or is it simply a matter of the shield continuing to block you?"
"It could be either."
Meaning the only way we were going to find out was to enter that damn room. I flexed my fingers and opened the door. Nothing immediately jumped out at me, but the room was pitch-black and my reluctance to enter grew.