Darkness Hunts(98)

“Your guardian is there because you have a choice to make. He can keep your body safe, or he can save Rhoan Jenson. He will not be able to do both.”

“Why not?”

“Because if you wish your uncle to live, he has to be taken to hospital. But doing so will leave your physical form unprotected.”

Trepidation crawled across my skin, but I had no intention of worrying about what he’d planned in the event I was left unprotected. I wouldn’t be, as simple as that, even if it meant calling in not only Markel but the whole damn Directorate.

“And do not think to call in aid from the Directorate,” Taylor said, seemingly reading my thoughts. “Because the place you walk into has been wired with explosives. The minute my people see anything out of the ordinary, they will detonate. And that, dear huntress, would be an inglorious end for one such as you.”

And it sure as hell wasn’t the way I wanted to go, either. I shivered, feeling colder and more helpless than I ever had before.

He does not know about me, Azriel said, his words warm and comforting as they whispered into my mind, and he will not know I am there unless someone attempts to harm you.

But it means we have no choice but to involve Markel.

I do not think he will mind.

Maybe not, but his boss might. Hunter had put him on watch duty, and she was the sort to expect exact compliance with her orders.

But she does not want you harmed, unless she is the one doing the harming. She will allow this.

I guess. But it meant Markel was yet another person being drawn into the web slowly closing around me. And while he might be an elite killer for the high council, that didn’t mean I wanted his death on my conscience any more than I wanted Rhoan’s on it.

“That isn’t really much of a test for my guardian, Taylor. It’s a choice for me, not him.”

“True. But you will not choose death, huntress, and we both know it. Therefore, your guardian will remain and he will be tested.”

And things would attack. Undoubtedly nasty things. While I had no doubt Azriel would cope, that didn’t make me feel any better. I rubbed my forehead wearily, then said, “How do I know you won’t explode the place when I win?”

“You don’t,” he said. “That’s all part of the game.”

Some fucking game. “What address do I have to go to?”

“Ah, so eager to begin. The address will be sent to you, huntress. And do not bother to trace the phone, because it will not be anywhere near my person by the time you find it.”

“Fine. See you shortly, then.”

“I look forward to it.”

He hung up. I did the same, then threw the phone at the nearest wall. It hit with a satisfying thud, then clattered to the floor. It didn’t make me feel any better.

“That,” Azriel said calmly, “probably wasn’t wise given that you need the phone to receive the address.”

“I know. But I doubt I did any real damage—the cover is thick enough to protect it.”

As if to prove my point, the damn phone rang. This time I didn’t recognize the tone, so it wasn’t a call from anyone in my contacts list.

I climbed to my feet and walked over to retrieve the stupid thing. “Risa Jones.”

“Risa, it’s Jack from the Directorate,” he said, voice brusque. “I’m afraid there’s been a—”

“I know,” I interrupted. “I just got a call from our favorite psycho.”

“Rhoan’s still alive?”

“For now. I’m just waiting for his location to be sent to me.”

“Good.” There was relief in his gravelly tones. “We need to get you here—”

“No,” I interrupted again. “He wants a showdown on the astral plane—just him and me. And if you or anyone else gets involved, he’s going to blow our bodies to kingdom come.”

“He won’t even fucking see us coming, let alone get the chance to blow you both up.”

“Bright is an IT specialist. They’ll be watching from a distance, and they’ll detonate the same way.”

Jack was silent for a moment, then said, “Fine. We’ll play it his way, at least for the moment. The minute you get a location, you contact me. We’ll start scanning the area for rogue frequencies and start blocking. Once we have the place locked down, we can storm his location and kill the bastard.” He paused. “You’ll be all right until then, won’t you?”

“Yes.” I had to be. There was no other choice except death, and I wasn’t going there willingly. “But I very much doubt Taylor is going to be in the same location as me and Rhoan. He’s not that stupid.”