“There is no one else.” I’m being too abrupt, my raw emotions making an ass of me. I’m supposed to be seducing this woman, not snapping at her over every innocent question. I take a deep breath and try again. “I’m the last of my family. It’s tradition for the ruler of this territory to maintain a place at their table for each of the noble families. Sometimes they choose to attend, and sometimes they don’t.” No point in explaining that none of the families have chosen to attend dinner in years.
Grace picks up her fork and pokes at her food. “I’m the last of my family, too.”
“I’m sorry.” I make a face. “I don’t know why I said that. They’re pointless words that do absolutely nothing. And then it puts you in a position where you’re supposed to say something back, and . . . what are you even supposed say to that? I never know.”
Her lips curve in the first true smile she’s given me. She was beautiful before, but with her dark-gray eyes lighting up, she’s devastating. “Grief is a strange thing, isn’t it?”
“The strangest.” Especially in my case, when the cause for it wasn’t something as simple and horrific as an accident or sickness. It wasn’t chance that brought ruin upon my family. It was foolishness . . . and malice. But I know better than to say as much in dinner conversation with a person I’m attracted to. “I suppose it’s taboo to ask about why you made a deal with Azazel.”
“I am not entirely certain what is or isn’t taboo with our current situation.” She shrugs. “Several decades ago, a vampire saved my grandfather’s life, and we incurred a life debt as a result. The old bastard couldn’t stand to owe people, even someone he considered a monster. The rest of family took that sort of thing seriously. My grandfather was never asked to repay that debt, and neither was my father. So it fell to me. It gets a little complicated, but the short and simple version is that I agreed to pay the price of Azazel’s bargain in order to balance the debt.”
Fascinating. It’s clear she’s leaving a great swath of information out, but that makes sense since we just met. I’m curious about what her family does that put them in contact with vampires. We don’t have vampires in this realm, but I was under the impression that they kept to themselves and away from humans. Or at least that’s what our lore says, though it’s severely out-of-date. “What will you do when the debt is paid and you go back?”
Her smile falls away. “I don’t know. I’ll probably follow up with Mina and her men and make sure they’re okay. I feel a little guilty that I wasn’t there to help more with her problems. She seemed like a good person.”
Curiosity is a live thing inside me. “Do you help a lot of good people?”
“I don’t know. I’d like to think I do, but some people might not feel the same way.” She shakes her head. “But I guess after I check on her, I’ll go back to what I was doing before. I haven’t really thought about it.” She takes a bite and chews. I’m still trying to decide if I should pursue the subject or try for something safer when she says, “What about you? Why did you agree to this deal? It seems pretty damned risky with very little reward.”
She’s not wrong. I debate whether to skirt the truth, but she’ll figure it out before too long. I don’t have to lay all my cards on the table to make her aware of the situation she’s walked into. “I’m the last one in my family. This territory is essentially a monarchy, and I have no children to inherit. Because of . . . complications . . . none of the noble families are interested in marrying one of their own to me. If I die without an heir, they’re contentious enough to devolve into a civil war, which will hurt all my people.” I could leave it at that, but that would just feel dishonest. “There’s an added factor in place as well, which is why all the territory leaders were invited by Azazel. Because of some quirk in the makeup of this realm, the strength of the magic of each territory is directly related to the strength of the magic of each territory leader. Everyone’s magic has been fading for generations, ever since the realms split and crossing over became significantly more difficult.”
Grace nods slowly. “Because humans are one hell of a conduit for your magic.”
Again, she proves that she’s no stranger to magical elements. Again, my distrust of her grows. “Only when it comes to breeding with them.” I shrug, feigning nonchalance. “Any of the territory leaders who are able to convince their humans to procreate with them will have an edge over the others. It wasn’t long ago that we were at war, and it’s very present on everyone’s mind that if war comes again, a half-human leader might mean the difference between victory and defeat.”
She eats slowly, obviously mulling over the information I just imparted. Finally, she takes a sip of wine and sits back. “By the contract terms, you can’t compel me to sleep with you. And you certainly can’t force me to bear your child.”
“I have no intention of forcing you to do anything. That’s monstrous.” Once again, the words come out too harsh. I know I should be focused on setting her at ease, but there are too many things wrong. Her comment about whether I burn. Her knowledge about the paranormal world. And that damned clause in Azazel’s contract with me.
“Not to mention that you’re not able to force anything.” She takes another sip of wine. “If you harm me, your territory is forfeit.”
I wonder if her low opinion extends to all people she considers monstrous or simply everyone who isn’t her. “The contract is beside the point. You will not be forced.”
“Then you’re playing a losing game.” She sighs. “If I’m stuck here for seven years, I don’t want to be in a contentious relationship with you. It sounds exhausting for both of us, and I don’t think you want that any more than I do.”
She’s not being honest with me. And she’s not exactly lying, but her emotions are more muted than they have been since I met her, which means she’s working hard to control them. It’s not from fear. Out of all the emotions, fear is the one most challenging to mask. It’s too instinctive.
“I agree,” I say slowly. “You found your way down here well enough. Were you exploring?” I already know the answer, and I’m not certain if I’d rather her have cowered in her room until I came to retrieve her or not. I don’t want her to fear me, but there’s something dangerous about this woman. If she’s a threat . . .
What will I do if she is? Run.
I take a large drink of wine. “Be careful on the stairs. A fall from a high floor will kill you.”
“As I said before, I’m not afraid of heights and I’ve got excellent balance. I’ll be fine.”
“Right. Good.” I sit back and swirl my wine in my glass. It’s tempting to tell her that I doubt her intentions, but I can’t help doubting my instincts. I’ll be the first to admit that my opinions of humans are shaded by past events. It could be that I’m looking for trouble where there is none.
It could be, but I don’t think so. I highly doubt Grace is here with good intentions. I won’t know for sure until she acts, but I can keep a close eye on her.