Darkness Splintered (DA 6) (26 page)

What of your astral watchers?
Azriel said.
If Markel is on duty, you will
–
most likely
–
be safe against the possibility of the meeting being reported to Hunter. It is doubtful that the others would be so recalcitrant, given what Markel has said about them. And Hunter’s reaction will be swift and deadly.

I know.
Just as I knew that if I wanted to stop my astral watcher from reporting back, there was only one way I was going to do it.

But could I take that step?

Could I take the life of someone who was doing nothing more than their duty?

Soldiers throughout history have lost their lives doing nothing more than their duty,
Azriel commented.
It is the way of war, be it waged on the fields or here on Earth.

Yeah, but this isn’t a war.

That’s where you’re
very
wrong. This
is
a war, and perhaps the only one that has ever mattered. You’re not only fighting for the lives of your friends, but for the souls of mankind and the existence of two
–
very different
–
worlds.

I knew all that. But I’d been hoping – perhaps naively – to survive this whole mess with as little blood on my hands as possible. I sighed.
Let’s just hope it’s Markel following me, then.

You would need to be sure before you meet your uncle.

Yes. But we have ten minutes. More than enough time to step onto the astral plane.

More than enough time to take a life.

Ignoring the horror that spun through me at the thought, I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. Several seconds later, I stepped onto the astral plane.

It wasn’t Markel who watched me.

This vampire was short and thickset, with steel gray hair, swarthy features, and dead black eyes. His gaze, when it met mine, showed neither interest nor surprise, but rather the natural wariness of a warrior who has seen many battles.

My stomach began to churn. I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to take this vampire’s life and make him a ghost, with no future to look forward to. But I had no choice. I had to protect my friends and family – and Rhoan and Riley were the only family I had left. Hunter
wasn’t
going to take them from me. I wouldn’t let her.

Amaya,
I said, imagining her shadowed in my hand.
Get ready. And for god’s sake keep quiet.

Her weight appeared in my hand, but her blade was hidden, at one with the shadows that surrounded us.

If the vampire sensed the surge of energy that had briefly accompanied her shift in position, he showed no sign of it.

He raised his eyebrows.
Why do you travel the fields?

I need to question a ghost.

What ghost? Jak? Is that what Rhoan Jenson asked you to do?

So he’d been close enough to hear at least
some
of our conversation – and it was enough to place Rhoan’s life on the line if it was passed on to Hunter. The churning in my gut got stronger, and I briefly wondered if it were possible to be physically ill on the astral plane.

What other ghost would he be interested in?
I said, striding forward. Not directly toward him, but off to one side.

Even so, his stance shifted and his eyes narrowed. He sensed something was off, even if he wasn’t sure what.
And does this sudden desire to question a ghost have anything to do with Jenson suspecting Madeline Hunter’s involvement in the death?

Fuck, fuck,
fuck
! He’d heard entirely too much and I really had no choice now. I didn’t know when Markel was back on watch duty, and I simply couldn’t risk this vampire reporting what he’d heard to Hunter.

My grip tightened on Amaya. Her excitement burned through my mind, thick and hungry. I was almost within killing distance. A few more steps, and his life would be mine. His soul Amaya’s. I wanted to run. Wanted to hide. Wanted to throw up so badly the bitter taste of bile stung the back of my throat.

I did none of those things. Just kept one foot moving in front of the other.
I need to find out what Jak might have done to annoy Hunter.

He did nothing, and you know it.
His gaze swept me.
What is this truly about?

This is about saving lives. Nothing more, nothing less.

And with that, I stabbed Amaya into the heart of him. Her flames exploded in and around him, capturing him, consuming him. It was murder, nothing less, and it sickened me to the core.

I’m sorry,
I whispered mentally.
So, so sorry. But I have to protect the people I love.

He opened his mouth; no sound came out. But his eyes burned, damning me, and my cheeks were wet, though I had no idea if tears were even possible here. The plane around me grew dark and heavy, bearing down on me, as if the weight of this death was something I would carry for the rest of eternity.

And I would. I knew I would.

Amaya continued to devour the vampire, until there was nothing left of him. Not even ash.

I closed my eyes and imagined myself back in my body. The minute I was, I rolled onto my side and was violently, completely ill.

The bed dipped. Azriel didn’t say anything, didn’t do anything, just sat behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. He didn’t need to do anything else. His presence and his touch was enough.

“I am sorry you were forced to do this.” His voice was filled with compassion and understanding. “I would have, if I could have.”

“I know.” I pushed upright and leaned back against him.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and brushed a kiss across the top of my head. “We’d better get moving. It would not be wise to be late.”

“I know,” I repeated. “Just let me clean up.”

“Ris, it can wait.”

“You’ve obviously never had the taste of vomit in your mouth.” I forced myself away from him, climbed off the bed, and headed for the bathroom. For several minutes I did nothing more than scrub my hands, trying to remove blood that didn’t actually exist. Blood that had drained into my soul and become a weight I’d never be free of. I swallowed heavily, then grabbed my toothbrush. After brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth, I cleaned up the vomit, then tossed the towels down the rubbish chute rather than the laundry one. The last thing anyone would want was my vomit rolling around with their clothes. Although given the state of the living room and kitchen, washing clothes would be the last thing on anyone’s mind, even if they
didn’t
have bigger problems right now.

“Right,” I said, returning to Azriel’s side. He’d resumed his regular position near the window. “We’d better go meet Uncle Rhoan.”

He turned to face me. His expression was back to its usual noncommittal self but the compassion lingered in his eyes. “How do you wish to handle this?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I could touch his memories, make him forget. Would that not make things easier?”

“In some ways yes, in other ways no.” I grimaced. “Uncle Rhoan is basically a psychic dead zone. He can’t be touched telepathically. It’s what has made him such a fantastic guardian.”

“While there are some minds I cannot read, Rhoan Jenson is not one of them. I could —”

“No,” I cut in. “It wouldn’t be fair, and it wouldn’t be right. Rhoan deserves more out of me than that.”

“He does. But it nevertheless is a dangerous path to tread given Hunter’s murderous bent.”

“I know.” I stepped into Azriel’s arms. “Let’s get this over with.”

We reappeared in the upstairs office area of the café. The room was dark and smelled faintly of tobacco. I frowned, then vaguely remembered Ilianna’s mentioning that she’d asked our accountant, Mike, to find someone to come in and do the business activity statement and salaries. I’d had no time lately and Margie, our new manager, had enough on her plate just keeping the café running smoothly.

That scent, however, suggested Mike himself had come in. It certainly wasn’t a scent I’d come across anywhere else but in his office. And while I would have thought doing accounts a little beneath him, he did seem to think that – because of his past relationship with Mom – he owed it to her to keep a “fatherly” eye on me. Maybe this was his way of doing so.

I switched on the lights and walked across to my desk. The accounts had been neatly stacked, the “done” pile much larger than the “to be processed,” and Mike’s bold scrawl noting receipt numbers was on several of them. I half smiled. In some ways he reminded me of Jak – he’d never entirely trusted computers, and tended to have paper backups of all legal documents.

I once again pushed down the grief that threatened to overwhelm me – grief that came from Jak’s death and the deeper, older loss of my mom – and pressed the vid-phone’s button for downstairs. Margie answered on the second ring.

“Hey, boss,” she said, a smile crinkling the corners of her dark eyes, “when did you sneak in?”

“Only a few minutes ago,” I replied. “I’ll be down later, but right now, I’m expecting a visit from my uncle —”

“If he’s the red-haired gentleman with the thunderous expression, I just sent him up.” She hesitated. “That’s not a problem, is it? He said he was expected.”

“No, it’s fine. Thanks.” I hung up.

Footsteps echoed – Rhoan, taking the stairs two at a time. I swallowed nervously, then squared my shoulders. I could do this. I had to, for everyone’s sake.

“Uncle Rhoan,” I said, the minute he appeared. There was no way in hell I was giving him the opportunity to vent all over me. Not without making him hear me out first. “Sit down, shut up, and
listen
.”

He blinked. Whatever welcome he’d been expecting, it hadn’t been
that
. “I’ll listen if it’s the damn truth, but there’s been too little of it coming out of your mouth of late.”

“Rhoan,” I said, more forcefully this time. “Not another word. Just sit. Please.”

He studied me for a moment, then spun a chair around so he could sit with his arms resting on the back. He waved a hand, motioning me to continue.

I briefly met Azriel’s gaze.
Am I doing the right thing?

Yes. He has every intention of confronting Hunter if you do not answer his questions satisfactorily.

Something I
had
to prevent. I’d killed a Cazador to stop Hunter knowing of this meeting. I’d be damned if I’d let that death be wasted by Rhoan marching up to Hunter and demanding answers.

And that, I realized suddenly, was
precisely
what she wanted. What other explanation could there be for her failing to block the mind of her assassin?

“I’m waiting.” Rhoan’s voice was soft, but held an element of ice that chilled me to the core. This wasn’t the uncle I knew and loved. This was the guardian. Coiled and ready for action.

“Jak Talbott was killed to teach me a lesson,” I said bluntly. “But he’s just the first part. You’re intended to be the second.”

That last bit might be a guess, but the more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Hunter wasn’t a fool, and there was no way she’d have allowed that vampire to give us her name. And she’d have known Rhoan would have demanded to be placed on the investigation because of Jak’s links to me. This
had
to be part of her game plan. She wanted to bring me to heel, and if she had to kill one of the Directorate’s most valuable assets to do it, then she would. As Azriel had noted, Madeline Hunter had abandoned any pretense of humanity. At least when it came to me.

“Why would Madeline Hunter want to teach you a lesson?” Rhoan said, voice still far too cold.

“Because she wants the keys to hell, and she wants me to get them for her. Only I’m not doing it fast enough.”

And if I could get him to believe that was the extent of my relationship with her, then at least I could avoid the fallout that would inevitably follow if I had to tell him I actually worked for her.

He regarded me for a minute, his gray eyes glittering and expression flat. Still the guardian, not the uncle. “Why would she want the keys to hell?”

I snorted. “Because the woman is fucking insane, that’s why.”

“Risa —”

I sighed. “Look, she told me she – and the council – want to use hell as their own private jail.”

“And you believe that?”

“I believe it’s insane. I also believe the council has nothing to do with Hunter’s desire for the keys, and everything to do with Hunter’s desire for power and ultimate control.”

“A comment that suggests you’ve had a whole lot more to do with her than you’ve admitted so far.”

“Given the bitch wants the keys to hell, and I’m the only one who can find them,” I replied, “it would be fair enough to say she’s been in my face recently.”

“So why not come to me or Riley? We could have —”

“You could have gotten dead,” I cut in, voice flat. I met his gaze, and I had no doubt the anger and frustration so evident in his was just as fierce in mine. “Didn’t you hear what I said? Jak was just the
start
. You, and then Riley, and then maybe even Quinn would have all followed —”

Rhoan snorted. “Do you honestly think she would be fool enough to hurt Riley? In any way? She knows Quinn’s vengeance would be swift and deadly.”

“But she doesn’t have to physically touch Riley. Killing you would effectively do that for her.”

Rhoan accepted that with a grunt. “Even so —”

“Even so, you’re talking about a woman who has
every
intention of challenging a Mijai
warrior
, and who fully believes she will best him.”

Rhoan blinked and glanced at Azriel. “Seriously?”

“She is delusional, but not stupid,” he replied. “She would employ fair means
and
foul to assure victory.”

“Foul meaning what? She’s a vampire – a very old vampire, granted – but what fear would any vampire hold for the likes of you?”