If she was brought into the sanctuary of Sheol, he might not be able to stop the prophecies from coming true. No matter how fierce his determination not to fall prey to the succubus, once she had breached the walls there would be no stopping her. He wasnt convinced that she had forgotten everything; but even if she had, sooner or later it would all come back to her. Prophecies had a vicious habit of coming true, particularly the ugly ones.
Though if they were to rule in the everlasting torment of hell, Uriels favorite place, then he might embrace it. Embrace the pain as an alternative to the cold emptiness that filled him. Better to feel torment than nothing at all. Maybe.
Take her to the Dark City, Raziel said, already knowing he would give in. If you find what we need, you can always leave her there. It would take her centuries to escape.
Azazel didnt move. The tide was coming in, and the wind had picked up, sending whitecaps scudding across the surface. A storm was coming. And he would be riding the wind.
CHAPTER FIVE
I ZIPPED UP MY DUFFEL BAG AND slung it on the floor, trying to ignore the cloud that lingered in the back of my mind. I glanced out the window at the Brisbane River. It was a bright day, sunlight glinting off the water, and there was a strong breeze blowing through the open window. It was no day for portents of disaster.
I lived on the third floor of an old colonial mansion that had been rehabbed into quirky apartments. The raucous birds had woken me every morning of the year and a half I had lived there, and I wouldnt have had it any other way. I loved birdsthe noisy ones and the demure. There was something about watching them in flight that left me breathless and awestruck.
Not that I wanted to fly. I hated heights. Hated flying, I expected, because I had no interest in leaving Australia to find out more about my clouded past. I liked being safe in my top-floor apartment with its tiny bathroom stuck under the eaves. I liked my job and my friends and my boyfriend, Rolf. I didnt want the changes I sensed on the wind.
I heard the footsteps from a distance, coming up the three flights of stairs, and an odd sense of apprehension filled me. Rolf was early. He hadnt phoned or texted me to be down on the wide porch that surrounded the building, though I knew he disliked the old house and the climb to my aerie. And suddenly I didnt want to answer the rapping on my door, afraid of who would be on the other side.
The knock came again, more peremptory, and I glanced out my open window, wondering whether I could climb out. I was being ridiculous, I chided myself. Who did I think was lurking behind my doorthe Grim Reaper?
I crossed the room and flung the door open, trying to ignore my relief at seeing Rolf standing there, looking hot and rumpled and bad-tempered. Why didnt you answer your phone? he demanded. Ive
been calling you for hours,
I picked up my cell phone, glancing at the screen. There were no missed callsno calls at all, in fact, which in itself was unusual. Though my friends knew I was going out of town, so there was a reasonable explanation for that. But no sign of Rolfs multiple calls.
Are you sure it was me you were calling? My phone says otherwise.
Then your phones broken, he said in a disgruntled voice. I cant go.
I should have been disappointed at the very least. Instead I felt reprieved. I did my best to look upset. Why not?
Last-minute emergency. I need to fill in for another doctor on the ob-gyn floor. Everyones decided to deliver at the same time, and theyre shorthanded. I dont really have a choice.
Of course you dont, I said in a practical tone. Can you get a refund on our travel?
Already taken care of, he said. I called the resort before I tried you, so I know my phone is working. It must be yours. In fact, if anything was ever wrong in our relationship, it was usually my fault. And it was typical of Rolf to safeguard his money before he tried to reach me. He was a very careful man.
Really, there were times when I couldnt figure out why I put up with him, but then when I went out I remembered. For some reason, Australian men seemed to think I was irresistible. There was nothing that special about memy curly red hair was more of a curse than an enticement, and I wore loose clothes and no makeupyet for some reason men kept hitting on me. Having Rolf at my side kept them at bay.
Which meant my heart wasnt broken when he had to cancel our plans. I plastered an understanding smile on my face. When are you due at work?
He glanced at his watch impatiently. I should be there now.
Then go ahead. Dont waste your time talking to me, I said, shooing him toward the door. Ill be fine. Of course, he hadnt asked me if I minded. Perhaps it was time to give up on good Dr. Rolf. Surely I could find someone else to provide a buffer, though I couldnt understand why I needed one.
I listened to him clatter down the stairs, secure in the belief that all was right in his world, then glanced at my packed bag. I moved back to the big open window, looking down into the garden, and for a moment I thought I saw a shadow near the hedge, something dark and narrow and threatening. Then it was gone, blending with the tall brush. I was getting squirrelly.