Page 66 of All the Devils are Here

“What did he want?”

His breath moved the hair on the top of my head, and he kept smoothing his hand down my skin like he knew I was addicted to the sensation. “Power,” he finally said.

Well, he certainly had that, didn’t he?

“It was only a few years on this island when Prospero created each of us. The others were made from men he took. Sinking boats that came too close and experimenting. He wanted someone more than human to do his bidding, and none of the monsters of the world would listen. Plus, because of the vision he had of the island, he needed hearts from magical beings. Each one different.”

“You mentioned something like that.”

“Humans might think of them like elements. But it’s not quite the same. Spirits and incorporeal beings, creatures of the sea, creatures of the land, and those who are not truly living. The four domains. The island wanted one of each.”

I smirked. “Are you telling me you’re really a zombie?”

He laughed quietly, grinning. I would never get tired of his smile. “Kind of. I’m the only one that was made from nothing. And I was his crowning achievement, even if it ruined his plans. So he used me. Sent me to take out the people he considered enemies. And I did it. I didn’t have a choice. I killed them. I like to think if their majesties had been alive that they would have stopped me.”

“It’s weird to think about that,” I admitted with a grin. “A little daunting.”

“That I’m so old.”

I smothered my laugh in his chest. “No, not exactly. Just that you’ve lived so much. You’ve seen the entire world transform. And I’m just me. I’ve seen and done nothing.”

“I have seen a lot. But all that time, something was missing. And now I know that I was waiting for you.”

My stomach swooped.Fuck. That was intense, and even though it was true, I didn’t know how to wrap my head around it.

“A few years into Prospero’s revenge spree, taking out the long list of people he thought had wronged him, he found out thesonof the King who deposed him had married and had a child. He already killed his father when he first came to the island. Prospero hadn’t mastered the art of magic the way he has now, so his skills were less consistent. He sent me to kill the wife and child.”

I gasped in spite of myself. Laurent pulled away, and I didn’t let him go. “No,” I quickly murmured. “Don’t you dare move. Tell me.” He wasn’t going to assume the worst of me before I knew the whole truth.

“It was an order. I had to fulfill it,” he said quietly. “But he hadn’t ordered me how. So I went to the King. I told him who I was and why I was there, and who sent me.”

“He didn’t kill you?”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “He wanted to. But I’m not very easy to kill, and if he killed me, Prospero would just send someone else. So he sought out sorcerers. Alone, in case Prospero was watching. And when everything was arranged, we went. I cut their air off and allowed their hearts to stop. I killed them, and they were immediately revived. Just like you wanted me to do to you. It was not easy.”

I blew out a breath, relieved. Even if he hadn’t done that, it wouldn’t be him. Not when he was ordered. But I was still relieved. No wonder he’d had such a strong reaction to my suggestion.

“I’d had more than enough death,” he said. “And that experience cemented it. So we came up with a plan, and it worked. Stole my heart and Ariel fused it back into me. I left and never returned.” He smiled then. “For a while I protected the King and his family, in case Prospero sent someone else.”

“When did you stop protecting them?”

He smiled sadly. “When they passed, they no longer needed protecting.”

Oh. It was one thing to know how long he’d been alive, and another to see it illustrated so clearly. Rolling, I pushed him on his back so I was looking down at him. “You saved their lives, left, and protected them. Why the hell would I think less of you for that?”

“I’m still a murderer,” he said. “Just because it’s been centuries doesn’t change it.”

It was hard to feel the same. Yes, he’d taken life. But he’d saved life as well, and had become a doctor specifically to help people. Who knew how many lives he’d saved in the centuries since he’d left this island?

“You’ve done more than enough to make up for it, Laurent.”

“I’m glad you think so.” His voice told me he didn’t agree, and likely wouldn’t. Ever.

I felt the tingle of magic against my skin, and a new arm snaked around my waist, stealing me from Laurent and pulling me flat on my back in the center of the bed. “I think it’s time to wake you up properly, kitten.”

Ban was above me, staring down at me like I was a meal. He said he’d wanted to eat me alive, and now that I knew what his tongue was like… I wasn’t opposed to that kind of eating.

“I’m not a kitten,” I told him again.

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