This one was white rather than black, but its surface was just as slick and ran with the colors of the rainbow.

“I cannot feel any dark energy coming off this one,” Azriel commented.

“Did you feel it coming off the other one?”

“Yes.”

I glanced at him. “Then why didn’t you say something?”

“Because you wished to explore the option.”

Against my advice. He might not have said the words, but they swam through my mind nevertheless. The link between us was definitely getting stronger.

“So what sort of energy has this one actually got?”

“It is Aedh, and therefore neither light nor dark.”

My gaze returned to the stone. It sat there, all shiny and harmless-looking. Yet I suspected there was nothing harmless about the magic that went into the creation of this thing, whatever Azriel might think. “Does the Raziq magic also sit between the two?”

It certainly hadn’t felt like it, but after what they’d done to me every time they’d used it, it was probably fair to say I was a somewhat biased judge.

“Their magic is darker, but it is not powered from the dark path; rather it springs from darker desires.” I felt his gaze on me. “Trust me, even if you do not trust your father. You will not be harmed if you pick it up.”

I took a deep breath, then reached inside and gingerly picked up the stone. It was a little too warm against my palm, suggesting that it was more than mere stone. But I knew that already.

“There is a piece of paper with it.” Azriel reached in and took it out. “It says, The ward will be activated by a drop of the blood we share. Use it in a secure place.”

“If this thing is activated by blood magic, how can that not be a bad thing?” Misgivings filled me as I stared at the stone in my hand. I didn’t like it and I didn’t trust the magic within it. It came from the hands of my father, after all, and he was one of the bastards responsible for the evil that was the keys.

“The ward is not created from blood magic,” Azriel said. “Using a drop of blood to activate it would merely be a precaution to ensure that if it fell into the wrong hands, they could do nothing with it.”

I guess that made sense—except for the fact I had a body filled with blood and absolutely no doubt that the Raziq would use every last drop if they felt it would be in their best interests.

“Then my next question has to be, where in the hell are we supposed to find a secure place?”

“Your home is as secure as you are likely to get.”

“I’m staying at Stane’s for the very reason that it isn’t.”

“Against one who can astral travel,” he agreed. “But Ilianna’s wards ensure the Raziq cannot enter without difficulty.”

“Maybe, but my father is also Aedh, so how will that help?”

“I suspect he will have accounted for that in the creation of this ward.” He shrugged. “The only other truly secure place is the old ritual site on Mount Macedon. I doubt the magic within that place will allow you to enter with this ward, because its magic is Aedh based and that site is blocked to all things Aedh or reaper related.”

I studied the stone for several more seconds, then shoved it into my purse. The heat of it burned into my hip, despite the leather and fabric that now separated us.

“I’ll meet you at home, then.”

He didn’t argue. Didn’t offer to wrap his arms around me and transport me there. He simply disappeared. He was sticking to his word, and keeping his distance as much as possible.

And while I appreciated the effort, part of me still wanted to rant and scream and tell him where he could stick his restraint, because I certainly didn’t want it.

I have no more wish for restraint than you, came his thought. But the fate of both our worlds hangs on our actions.

I know, I know. But knowing it, and getting through it, were two very different things. I shoved my phone into the waist of my jeans to ensure that it touched flesh, then reached down for the Aedh half of my soul. Despite my utter weariness, it answered with such a surge that it surprised me. Once I was nothing more than particles drifting in the gentle breeze, I gathered myself together and flowed through the streets, enjoying the freedom of my alternate form even though tiredness quickly began to pulse through me. I still wasn’t fit enough to hold this form for very long, so I practically cheered when my street came into sight.

But as I neared our warehouse, my particles began to tingle. And the closer I got, the worse it got. It was almost as if there was a force trying to stop me . . .

Ilianna’s wards, I realized suddenly. In this form, I was as susceptible to them as any other Aedh. But it was good to have confirmation that they were actually working.

I couldn’t get near the front door, so I scooted through the small gap between the garage door and the pavement, then re-formed and splattered rather inelegantly onto the floor. One of these days, I thought, as the headache kicked in and my stomach threatened to revolt, I was going to practice re-formation until I could land with at least some semblance of elegance. Of course, being fit, healthy, and strong would also be a good first step.

It took at least five minutes for the headache and shaking to subside to acceptable levels, and I was finally able to move. Azriel appeared beside me, one hand half outstretched, obviously ready to catch me should I fall back down.

“I’m okay,” I said. And wondered whom I was trying to convince—me or him.

“Of course you are.” His fingers caught my elbow as I walked up the steps to the heavy metal door.

I gave him a somewhat amused sideways glance. “You sound disbelieving, reaper.”

“Maybe that’s because both you and I know the truth.”

“But what good is admitting the truth? It’s not like it’s going to help any.”

“Being stubborn or refusing help when you need it is not overly helpful, either.”

“It’s not like I never accept help, Azriel.”

“It is interesting that you make no comment about being stubborn.”

I smiled. “That’s because I fully acknowledge it’s another of my failings.”

I looked into the scanner, waited until the retina reader did its business, then typed the code into the keypad. The door slid open and we stepped inside. I dumped my bag on the couch, then moved into the kitchen to raid the liquor cabinet.

After a large glass of bourbon and Coke—heavy on the bourbon—I grabbed a knife, then sat down in the middle of the living room floor and placed the ward in front of me. The rainbow colors seemed to run faster through it, as if it knew what was coming. Which was daft, because it was an inanimate object.

At least until I dropped some blood on it, anyway.

Azriel sat opposite me and placed Valdis across his knees. Blue fire dripped from her blade to the floor, then ran around us, creating a living barrier.

I raised an eyebrow in silent query.

“It is not a protective circle,” he said, “but there will be few able to get past the burn of Valdis. Your astral traveler certainly won’t.”

Something within me relaxed just a little. “So why haven’t you used her like this on other occasions?”

“Because it taxes us both, and it is generally better for you that we remain fighting ready.” He nodded toward the ward. “Activate it.”

I picked up the knife and jabbed the point into my finger. As blood began to well, I turned my finger upside down and let the blood drip onto the ward. As the droplet hit, the rainbow stopped moving, and everything was still. Silent.

Then light erupted from the center of the stone and briefly blinded me. When I was able to see again, I was encased in a cylinder of white. I couldn’t see Azriel, and Valdis’s fierce blue flames were little more than shadow. Which meant I hadn’t actually been transported anywhere, even though I’d half expected to be.

“Now what?” I said it out loud, though I wasn’t sure Azriel could hear me.

“He cannot,” my father said.

I jumped and looked around wildly. Normally I could sense my father’s presence the second he entered my vicinity, so why the hell hadn’t I this time?

“Because I am not in your vicinity,” he answered. “This is little more than a communication sphere. It allows you and me to talk without interfering with the energy of the device within your heart.”

I snorted softly. So my father was once again ahead of the game when it came to the Raziq. “Where the hell are you, then?”

“It is unwise for you to know.” He paused. “I see you have been in Malin’s presence. She plays a dangerous game.”

“No more dangerous than you, apparently.”

“Ah, so she has outlined my intentions. Or what she knows of them.”

“She did. And I have to ask, why lie? Why say you wanted the keys destroyed when the opposite is true?”

“I thought a gentler approach might be wise.”

I snorted. Yeah, that whole throwing-me-around-the-bathroom episode could definitely be described as gentle. “So can the keys be destroyed? Or was that also a lie?”

“It is not a lie, but it is also not possible. Not unless you wish to destroy existence.”

Of course, I thought wearily. Why on earth I’d actually expected the destruction of the keys to be a simple thing with few repercussions, I have no idea.

“Why would destroying the keys destroy the gray fields and earth?”

“Because blood was used in their creation, and it now links the keys to the structure of the portals. Destroy the keys, and you will more than likely shatter the power of the portals.”

“How is this different from the sorcerer forcing the gates open or the Raziq wanting them closed?”

“In either event, the link shared between portals and keys is not altered or disrupted. But destroy them, and the portals—which are woven into the very fabric of existence—are endangered.”

Well, fuck. What was I supposed to do now? Let a dictator win? Or worse still, the Raziq or the dark sorcerer?