“And the second?”
“That’s the one that protects the person you love. I personally don’t give a shit that you spiked my drink. I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone like you. But if Christian found out, he’d kill you. Whether he succeeds or fails won’t matter, because neither outcome is one I want to live with.”
Houdini played with the black stud in his earlobe as he paced away from the headlights. “I find that truly fascinating. You know, I never gave much thought about the intricacies of a relationship. So… you believe if a lie is spun that protects the teller, it should be brought to light?”
“Ideally.” I glanced back at the empty road. If Houdini was the one who had buried me, I was vulnerable out here.
He kicked a pebble off the road. “If you’ve kept our little secret to protect Poe, what secrets do you think he’s kept from you?”
“None. But if he has any, I trust they’re the kind to protect me and not his own mistakes.” I backed up a step.
Houdini turned on his heel. “Christian isn’t faithful.”
“I know your games, and I’m not playing.”
Houdini drifted toward me. “Don’t you ever wonder where he goes at night? Where he goes for days at a time?”
“If he had another lover, I’d know.”
Houdini stood close. Too close. “You can do better than that.”
I furrowed my brow, staring at a button on his coat.
“It’s not uncommon for Vampires to have bloodslaves,” he put out there.
“Christian would never do that.”
“Oh?” He turned away and paced a few feet before stopping. “How can you be so sure?”
Though I wanted to argue, I couldn’t help but remember how Christian was once addicted to Lenore’s blood. How in some ways he was even addicted to mine. Blood was not a necessity to survive among Vampires—it was a drug. Lenore had warned me about Christian’s habits, but a bloodslave? That was one secret I had never considered.
Could he?
Would he?
When had his disappearances started? I tried to recall a specific time, but I couldn’t. It seemed like it was after Lenore had first shown up. No… no, I was certain it started before that.
“Fuck you,” I spat out, returning to my truck. “All you do is stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
I was mad at myself for letting him push my buttons. Messing with my head was one thing, but messing with my love life was another. I yanked the truck door open, and Houdini was there in a flash, gripping it.
“Raven, I’m not here to play games. You clearly stated you think lies should be brought to light if they’re only designed to protect the person keeping the secret because they have sinned.”
I wanted to ask how Houdini knew about Christian’s disappearances, but he would never give a straight answer. He loved riddles. Houdini had shown up on our property more than once, so I guessed his animal flew around this isolated area. Or ran. I’d seen him in more than one animal form, so he was a man of many secrets himself.
He slid his hand over mine and stared at me through the open window that separated us. “If I had a lover, I’d never keep secrets.”
I snorted and got inside the truck. “All you do is dance around the truth. You’re like the Riverdance of Lies.”
“I don’t know what that means,” he said, gently closing the door, “but I always have your best interest in mind.”
“I have nothing to do with this alleged fantasy lover that you may or may not ever have. You’re not my type.”
A playful smile touched his lips. “Am I not tall and handsome? Would you prefer me with dark hair and a beard?”
“We share the same blood, so it’s practically incest.”
“Technicalities.”
“If you’re here to sabotage my relationship, thinking it’ll bring us together, think again. I know you don’t want to be with me.”
He rested his arms on the door. “I do tire of assumptions.”
I kept my eyes on his chin. “You don’t want me as a lover; you want me as your pet. My dad has a dog. It’s loyal, obedient, loves him unconditionally, and does what it’s told.”
“You know how Shifters feel about pets.”
“Yes, and I also know about the human pets some of them keep. Besides, you’re not entirely Shifter.”
“And you’re not entirely Vampire. You will never keep Poe satisfied. Full-blooded Vampires aren’t like us, Raven. They have insatiable desires they can’t control. We have the best of both worlds because we’re not chained to those same desires. Vampires begin immortality with bloodlust. Some of them indulge in those cravings before they’re forced to control it. Others suffer in starvation with small victims fed to them until they adjust and learn how to control their desires. But they’re always there, beneath the surface. You don’t find blood delicious, do you? I’m not speaking of Vampire blood but everyone else’s. Neither do I. It’s repulsive.”
“Now I know what to get you for Christmas. Can I go now? I’m in a celebratory mood, and you’re ruining it.”
“Should I send a bottle to your house?”
I gave him a mechanical smile. “Please don’t. In fact, stop hanging around my house… and the roads that lead to my house.”
“All roads lead to you, Butterfly.”
Houdini stepped away from the truck as I ran the engine and put it in gear. After passing him, I glanced in the rearview mirror at a white panther standing on top of a grey coat. Every Shifter needed a private place for his animal to roam, but I sure as hell wished it wasn’t in my backyard.
It was clear that only death would remove Houdini from my life. Most makers taught their younglings all the ways of being a Vampire before their progeny was ready to go off on their own. But Houdini and I never had a relationship, and now he acted as if he wanted to make up for lost time. Either that or he felt entitled to me.
As I traveled the road home, I reveled in the success of my latest case. Never in a million years had I pictured myself with an organization like Keystone, but they were fast becoming family. Thank God Christian was willing to save Blue, and she was willing to accept. I didn’t know much about her past, but I felt connected to her as a person. As a friend. Best of all, I could now sleep at night knowing that my father had someone who would defend his life, even if that someone was a Vampire-hating dog. Not only did we catch a killer, but we saved children in the process. That always counts for something.
And yet… Houdini had planted a seed. I had to decide whether to water it and watch it grow into an invasive vine that threatened to strangle everything good about my relationship with Christian or let it die. I kept my eyes trained on the road because I knew where it led. It was the other road I was uncertain about—the one Houdini had tempted me with. But nothing good ever came from his temptations, so I decided to keep Pandora’s box closed.
For now.
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