Darkness Splintered

coming… should have done a lot of things. But I couldn’t change the past. I could only change the future.

And hope like hell that Tao won his battle.

My gaze raked the black, broken end of our warehouse home. Was that what had happened here? Had the elemental tried to wrest control from him again?

I very much suspected it might be.

As we ducked under the scorched roller doors, I noted what looked suspiciously like a handprint melted into the side of his Ferrari. My motorbike was safely tucked away in the secure parking lot near RYT’s, our open-all- hours cafe, but my old SUV was here. Luckily, it appeared undamaged.

The security door at the top of the stairs was open but undamaged, and water trickled out, a steady stream that tumbled down the metal steps like a mini waterfall. I followed Tao through the door, then stopped. The main living room was a goddamn mess. The walls, floors, and furniture had all sustained both smoke and water damage. Even the industrial fans situated high in the vaulted ceiling were damaged, the big blades bent and twisted by the heat of the blaze. The ceiling itself, though scorched, appeared relatively intact overall. It was in the kitchen where the fire had obviously started, because even from where I stood, it was easy to see that there was very little left except a twisted and blackened mess of wood and metal.

Thankfully, the fire hadn’t gotten anywhere near the bedrooms, although I had no doubt that even with all the thick doors closed, everything inside would reek of smoke.

“What the hell happened, Tao?” I said softly.

He wearily scrubbed his eyes with a soot-grimed hand. “What do you think happened? I lost fucking control again.”

“How?”

I rubbed my arms in a vague attempt to warm up. The wind blustered through the broken windows, stirring the ash and making paper remnants pirouette across the floor. The room was cold, wet, and stunk to high heaven, but there was nothing more miserable in the room than the wolf who stood before me.

“I don’t really know.” He moved across to the kitchen; a long, angular figure that was far too skinny these days, even for a wolf. Even his warm brown hair looked lank and unhealthy. It was as if his body was using everything it could to fight the monster that resided within. “One minute I was getting a roast ready for our dinner, the next I was standing in the middle of an inferno.”

I picked my way through the puddles and stopped beside him. “You had no warning of any kind?”

“Not this time.” His gaze came to mine. The fear and desperation in his warm brown eyes had my stomach flip-flopping. He wasn’t only losing the battle, but very near giving up. “It’s stronger than before. Stronger than —”

“Don’t say it,” I said fiercely. “Because it’s not true. You’re the strongest man I know, and the mere fact that you’re still here, still fighting this thing, proves it.”

He snorted. “You’ve known a lot of people who’ve consumed a fire spirit, have you?”

“No, and that’s the fucking point.” I glared at him. “If it has happened before, then those people obviously haven’t survived the merger, because there’s no record of it anywhere. But you’ve not only survived, you’ve retained control. Most of the time, anyway.”

“Yeah, but it’s the times I don’t that worry me. They’re starting to happen more and more, Ris.” He waved a hand at the ruined kitchen. “I don’t want to do this to either you or Ilianna, or anyone else for that matter.”

“But even when the elemental has taken over, you’ve never hurt anyone —”

“I hurt you,” he cut in. “And if not for Azriel, you’d have lost use of your damn hand.”

“That happened because I grabbed you. My fault, not yours.” I squeezed his arm gently. “And the minute I did touch you, you regained control.” And I’d do it again in a heartbeat, even if Azriel wasn’t around to heal me. What was a ruined hand when it came to saving a friend’s life?

“Next time it may not make a difference.” He took a deep breath, then blew it out. It was a heavy, frustrated sound. “I guess I’d better ring Ilianna and tell her what happened.”

“Good idea.” I glanced around the sodden living area. “There doesn’t seem to be much in here worth salvaging.”

“No. But hopefully the bedrooms will be relatively untouched.”

Hopefully. The doors still being closed was a good sign, at least. “You planning to stay the night?”

“Yeah. The fire burned out the security system, so I’ll keep watch until we can get it fixed.” He studied me for a moment. “What about you?”

“I’ve got a key to hunt down, and a deadline to beat.”

He frowned. “What deadline?”

I briefly explained what my father had done, and he swore softly. “Shit, we can’t seem to catch a break, can we? Not from fucking anything.”

“It would certainly appear that way.”

He hesitated, then said, “You can’t do this on your own, Ris. You need help – of the reaper kind.”

“I know.” I’d known it since I’d woken up earlier this morning. It had just taken me a whole lot of angst and arguing with myself to come to the conclusion everyone else had already reached. “I’m just not sure what to say, given the way we parted.”

“It’s simple. You need to explain why you were so angry, and he needs to explain why he did what he did. And then you both need to apologize and move on.” He half smiled. “There’s a world of people who are relying on you both, even if they don’t know it.”

I sighed. “I know. Trust me, I know.”

He placed his hand over mine and squeezed lightly. “You feel hungry? The lamb I was preparing is more than a little overcooked as a result of the fire, but I can wander down the street after I ring Ilianna, and pick up some burgers and coffee.”

“That would be lovely. In the meantime, I might just bite the bullet and contact Azriel.”

“Then I shall take my time getting back. Just in case there’s fireworks.”

“I’m not intending to argue —”

“I wasn’t talking about arguing,” he replied, a cheeky smile touching his lips. He bent and kissed my cheek. “Good luck.”

“Thanks.” I was no doubt going to need it.

Tao left, closing the door behind him. I turned and retreated to my bedroom. I really didn’t want to confront Azriel in the ruins of our living room, just in case, one way or another, things did get heated.

My bedroom had a definite smoky smell, and plenty of water had crept under the door, soaking a good portion of the carpet near the door, but otherwise, everything was as I’d left it. Which meant it was messy – tidy I am not. I grabbed a bunch of towels from my en suite and dropped them over the soaked carpet in the vague hope they would sop up some of the water. Then I walked to the center of the room, my stomach twisting into knots – as much from fear that he wouldn’t respond as from anything else.

I took a deep breath – though it didn’t do a whole lot to calm my nerves – then said mentally, Rephael, we need to talk.

Rephael was Azriel’s real name, a name known and used only by those very close to him. Which meant I couldn’t say it out loud simply because, in the reaper world, names were a thing of power, and knowing someone’s true name gave you a measure of control over them. That he’d told me meant he not only trusted me, but he cared more than he’d let on. Only I’d been too damn lost in my own misery and anger to even realize it.

For several minutes, nothing happened. Sweat began to trickle down my back and my heart thumped so fast it felt as if it was about to tear out of my chest. God, what if he didn’t come back? What if he couldn’t? He might have said I only had to say his name and he’d hear me, no matter what he was doing or where he was, but he’d also warned that the powers that be might not allow him to come back once I’d sent him away.

If I had to spend the rest of eternity as a goddamn Mijai, I sure as hell didn’t want to spend it alone. Or with any other reaper, for that matter.

“There would never be another reaper in your life,” he replied quietly. “In that, also, the choice has gone.”