investigation completely. Which meant I went either with Jak or with Lucian—and Azriel sure as hell wouldn’t want me going anywhere with him. But your disapproval has been duly noted.
And ignored, he said, mental tones flat. As you wish.
He disappeared again—an action that was really starting to piss me off.
Jak cleared his throat. “Why do I have this feeling that there’s a whole conversation going on that I know nothing about?”
“Because there is.” I waved a hand at his beer. “Finish that. We have to go see a witch about some holy water.”
Ilianna looked up from the magazine she was reading when I walked through the door of our home, but she jumped to her feet when she saw who was behind me, her expression suddenly furious.
Shit, I thought, as she muttered something under her breath and flicked a hand. I swore again and spun around—just in time to see Jak hit the floor face-first, then go slithering back toward the door. Which was shut. He grunted, then began to curse as his body plastered itself to the metal.
“Ilianna!” I spun back round to face her. “Let him go!”
“No,” she spat back, her green eyes practically dripping with fury. “I did warn him never to darken our door again or there’d be consequences.”
“I invited him here. Let him go.”
“Why should I, after all the heartache he caused you? Damn it, Ris, he walked away unharmed and unregretful.”
“Maybe, but that was the past. Let it go.”
She snorted. “Is that what you’re doing? Letting it go and forgiving? I thought you had more sense than that.”
“Uh, hello?” Jak said, his voice a little hoarse. “Remember me? Still stuck to the door here, and it’s getting rather uncomfortable.”
I gave her a pointed look, and she sighed. “If you insist.”
She made another flicking motion, and there was a thunk as Jak was released from the door.
“So nice of you,” Jak muttered in a dark voice.
Ilianna snorted again. “Trust me, if it weren’t for the rule that states whatever harm I do to you will be returned to me threefold, I would have done a whole lot worse than try to force you out the door.”
He climbed slowly to his feet, then rotated his shoulders, as if trying to work out a kink. “Look, I can’t take back the past—”
“And you wouldn’t, even if you could,” she snapped.
“True, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have regrets—”
“The only thing you regret is not being able to unleash the second part of that damn story because you were under the threat of jail time—or worse—from her uncle.”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“Guys,” I interrupted before things could get more out of hand. “Let it go. That’s not what we’re here for.”
Ilianna gave me a somewhat cross look. “I don’t care what he’s here for.”
I walked over and caught her hands in mine. “Thank you,” I said softly, “for caring so much. But right now we need all the help we can get, and I’m afraid that means using Jak. Just trust me, okay? I know what I’m doing.”
Her gaze searched mine, concern evident in those rich depths. “No, I don’t think you do.”
Unease slipped through me. I might have inherited clairvoyant abilities from Mom, but my abilities were nowhere near as reliable as either Mom’s or Ilianna’s. She could predict a sparrow’s fart to the second if she wanted to.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Bringing him”—she cast another scathing glance in Jak’s direction—“back into the fold is dangerous, for both the quest and you.”
“He’s not in my bed, nor ever likely to be.” As for our quest, could it really get any more dangerous? Somehow I doubted it. Yet even as the thought crossed my mind, I had to wonder if I’d just tempted fate. “And as far as my love life goes, it’s surely impossible for that to get any worse.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it.” She touched a hand to my cheek. “Just be careful, okay?”
“I will.” It wasn’t like I wanted another bout of pain and heartache—though I had Sth-1' a horrible suspicion that was exactly what I was headed for. Only the source wouldn’t be Jak, but rather a stubbornly distant reaper.
“Good.” She glared at Jak once more. “And if you do anything to hurt her again, I will cast a spell so strong that you’ll never even fancy a woman again, let alone get it up.”
Jak winced and held up his hands. “I promise. I don’t intend to hurt her or write another story about her or anyone else related in any way to her.”
“Good.” She tossed her hair, her eyes sparkling. A mare enjoying her victory. “Now, tell me what you need.”
“Holy water,” I said.
“Of course you do.” Her voice was dry. “Because it couldn’t be something easy like demon deterrent, now, could it?”
“You have demon deterrents on you?” Jak asked, walking a little closer to the lounge.
Ilianna cast him a look that stopped him in his tracks. “Not on me, no.”
“But you have got them?”
“I can make them—”
“Holy water,” I interrupted, in an effort to keep the conversation heading in the right direction. “Have you got any?”
“Of course. Given the shit that has happened of late, I thought I’d better keep a good supply at the ready.” She paused. “What is it this time?”
“Hellhounds. Maybe.”
“Oh, fuck.” She shook her head. “Why are you two tackling hellhounds?”
I gave her a quick update, then added, “We need to get into that warehouse and see what we’re dealing with.”
“Which means you actually need me—”
“No,” I interrupted forcefully. “Absolutely not.”
“Ris, I know magic. You don’t—”
“I don’t care. Azriel said the warehouse isn’t on the ley intersection, so until I know for sure that’s what we’re dealing with, you’re not going anywhere near that place.”
“You don’t have to be in the intersection to use the power of it,” she said. “There’s going to be magic there, trust me.”
“Yes, but we don’t know if it’s been leashed or not.”
“If the sorcerer has used the intersection to hit the gray fields and open the first gate, it’s been leashed.” She paused, her concern deepening. “And if he has leashed the magic, then he’ll have more than hellhounds protecting it.”
“Undoubtedly. Which is why I don’t want you in the middle of it until we’re sure what we’re facing.”
“So why does he get to go, when he knows jack shit about magic?”
“Because risking his life means less Se m when to me than risking yours.” I flashed him a smile to take the sting out of the words.
“I love you, too,” he muttered, but there was amusement in his eyes.
I snorted softly and returned my attention to Ilianna. “I need you to do a couple of other things, too, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Like?”
I hesitated. “There’s two things I need.”
Actually, there were three, but one I couldn’t—wouldn’t—ask with Jak present. I wasn’t about to give him
