Page 142 of Bitten By Desire
“They’re thieves, Emma.”
“I don’t think they use it for that.”
“Did you ask them?”
I honestly hadn’t thought to. And Callum was probably right. Of course they used it for their shenanigans too. But that wasn’t important. Saving lives was. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that they really need it. To help them not hurt people. You chain yourself to the bed. They don’t have that control before they change. They need the watch. I know you used it for bad things, but it doesn’t mean they’re going to.”
“You’re incredibly naïve.” He reached out and touched the side of my face. “Something that would go away if you lived for hundreds of years too.”
He was changing the subject. Trying to distract me. I wanted him to change me. But I also didn’t want anyone else to get hurt at my expense. “Please just let them keep it.”
“I promised myself I wouldn’t let anyone else use it for evil.”
“They think you’re a monster. And you think they’re monsters. But can’t you all just see that none of you are bad?”
“I’m not the one hurting anyone.”
“But you have. Dozens of people.”
Callum just stared at me.
“A hundred people.”
He didn’t reply.
“Hundredsof people?” My voice came out all squeaky and weird. I quickly shook my head. “Don’t answer that. I no longer want to know. But, Callum, you did bad things with that watch. Bennett and his friends are trying to prevent bad things from happening ever again.”
“That watch controls people’s minds, Emma. No one should have that much power.”
“So why do you want it back?”
“I told you. To protect it from getting into the wrong hands.”
I sighed. This conversation wasn’t going anywhere. “I made a deal with them. They’re keeping it. End of story.”
“That’s definitely not the end of the story. What kind of deal did you make?” He looked down at my palm, like he was worried I’d taken another blood oath.
I felt silly admitting that I would have done that again. So I kept my mouth shut.
“What kind of deal, Emma?”
“They were going to come kill you tonight.”
Callum laughed. “I’d like to see them try. They would have ended up in one of my freezers instead.”
“Callum!”
“I was only kidding.” But there was nothing about the expression on his face that said he was joking.
“No one’s killing anyone. That’s why I made the deal. They’re not going to hurt you. And in exchange, they get to keep the pocket watch.”
“But they never would have been able to hurt me. I’m faster and stronger than them.”
“Well I didn’t know that!”
“You didn’t ask.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “Why do you all want to kill each other?!”
