Page 100 of Chain Me
“Eleanor Gray.” His faint tenor slithered against my eardrums, conjuring imagery of death and decay. “I am pleased to find you safe and sound…as promised.” His dark, lifeless eyes flickered toward Dublin. “You were wise to come to me, as well as to reveal such a miracle. Such…gifts must be guarded at all costs—”
“She is still undermyprotection,” Dublin interjected. His hand gripped mine tight, boldly conveying possession. “Barring whatever agreement may be between us.”
“And what a marvelous job you’ve done.” It was impossible to discern from Raphael’s blank smile whether he meant the phrase as a genuine compliment or an admonishment.
The figures on the outskirts of the room collectively flinched, providing the answer. Athreat.
“But I do not humor Mero and his toys like you have. Now do you realize the danger he represents? I warned you once when he chose to forsake this life. My Cael, Iwarnedyou.” His voice resonated more strongly. “You should have destroyed him along with his abominations. And yet you let him scurry in the shadows, protecting him even as he taunts you.” Something that may have been genuine emotion made his eyes narrow a fraction. “It saddens me to see what you have become, old friend.”
“You’ve always seen time as a commodity,” Dublin replied, matching his detached tone. “You command thousands of years’ worth of it. Alifetimeat your disposal, yet that is all you choose to do with it: hoard.”
“You mean withoutliving?” Raphael issued a chilling, whispery laugh, his disdain for the concept palpable. “As Mero did. Back when you rightly chastised him for forgetting his true nature. Oh, how I wish I had been there. To help you command your senses without this pointless guilt.” He shook his head, gazing expressionlessly at events far beyond this room. This century. “While I sit here now, you and I both know whose soul carries a deeper stain upon it. But ever since that day, you’ve tried to appease him, haven’t you? Obeying his inane rules. Until now. Suddenly, you seem determined to consume everything dear Mero cherished. His little pawns. His Grays. Even his old pet… I know you’ve been trying to find her.”
His eyes flickered with renewed interest as Dublin went rigid. “Has it truly come to this, my friend? Hunting a witch in the hopes that what? She could undo the curse she placed at his behest?Ignorance,” he chided, clasping his pale hands over his lap. “Then again, so was the mere belief that saving dear Eleanor from Mero’s curse would be as simple as turning her. Did you think I didn’t realize?” A cold sound trickled out of him, a soulless imitation of a laugh. “I knew from the moment you resisted Saskia’s attempts to sell her just what she meant to you. Yourprizein Mero’s game. I can only imagine her appeal.”
His attention cut to me with the swiftness of a slicing blade, further scattering my thoughts.Turned?That word teased the fragile order of my psyche. I trembled, deciding to ignore it. Not now. I couldn’t examine it now.
“I admit I was skeptical at first,” Raphael continued. “When I heard of his curse. I should have anticipated its power, however.Hislittle witch was a rare creature. Such arcane talents she possesses.” He sighed, lifting his slender shoulders in defeat. “How I regret not claiming her for myself. You thinkyouare the only one hunting for her? Perhaps the next time you come prostrate before me, I’ll name her as my price.”
“You want to berate me?” Dublin inquired, stepping forward. “Fine. Butnoneof your anger concerns Eleanor.” He released my arm, his posture stone once more. Only his eyes reflected life, and I suspected that what little humanity remained in them was wasted on the glance he spared in my direction. “She needs rest. Let her go.”
“So desperate to shield your true nature from herstill, Cael?” Raphael’s lips twitched in amusement—but in the end, he nodded and raised his hand in a silent command. “You.Show Ms. Gray back to her quarters.”
A slender figure stepped forward, his head bowed, his red hair gleaming.
“There.” Turning to Dublin, Raphael murmured, “I assume this is agreeable with you?”
Dublin said nothing. But he didn’t react when Dmitri appeared by my side and reached for my hand, either.
“As you wish,” the vampire simpered with mock piety. Even before Raphael, he lost none of his coy amusement.
Dublin on the other hand…
When I looked back, my Devil no longer existed. A stranger was standing in his place—a tormented creature who answered to only one name.
“Well, Cael,” Raphael murmured. “What do you have to say for yourself now?”
Dmitri murmured into my ear, “Let us make our escape before the shouting begins, eh?”
Moving quickly, he guided me back to the room I’d woken up in.
“Do have a seat, my dear.” He gestured to the bed but remained standing while I perched myself on the end of it.
I was too uneasy to care as he watched me, his eyes gleaming.
“You’re shaking.” He sounded positively pleased by that fact. “But try not to pout too much, my darling. While the men chat, we can hold a conversation of our own.”
“What kind of conversation?” I eyed him sharply, an eyebrow raised.
“Ah, now, that is the question.” His eyes glowed an ominous golden hue in the firelight. “You want answers, I presume. More than dear old Dublin has given you, yes? Not that I can blame him, of course,” he admitted with a sigh. “This is such a very sore subject for him—”
“What do you want?” Even as I bristled in annoyance, I couldn’t deny that he was right.
I wanted answers. But I also wasn’t naïve enough to assume he’d give me anything for free. Something warned me that even his assistance during the aftermath of my poisoning had carried a price tag.
“You misunderstand me, my dear one.” His smile did nothing to ease my suspicion. “I merely want to wheedle myself into your good graces.”
Common sense told me to ignore anything he had to say. To wait for Dublin. To play my hand if I had to. But that same part of me warned that I could maintain my innocence for only so long…
