“I’m quite skilled.”
She rolled her eyes. “We have something called chemistry. But frankly, I don’t expect to live through this battle with Vladimir.”
“I agree. Without me by your side, you’ll likely die.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”What the hell are we even talking about?
“But I’ve decided to keep you. You fascinate me.” He stood and stared down into her eyes.
“So what? I’m some kind of experiment for you?”
“Yes. When I’m close to you, I sense your heartbeat, and it seeks to follow mine. You are so incredibly strong for a fragilehuman. Secrets and power appeal to me.” He frowned. “And then there is this ache.”
“Ache?” Great. She waited for a comment about blue balls from a guy with a hidden warped sense of humor.
“My chest… At times it grows tight. I don’t like you in danger. I don’t like your tears. And I don’t like when others look at you with greed.”
She blinked in surprise. “Is that all?”
“No. I also like talking to you, and I don’t like dealing with most people. Of my kin, Duncan and Varu are fairly intelligent. Only Rolf is passably acceptable as a conversationalist. Mostly we discuss magic. I don’t care for his jokes.”
“You like talking to me?” The reaper didn’t realize it, but what he described sounded a lot like affection.
Her heart warmed, and she felt herself smiling. Even more when he frowned.
“What’s so funny?”
“I think you like me.”
“Haven’t I just said so?”
“Yes, but I’m alesserhuman,” she reminded him, always annoyed at the “lesser” that preceded “human.”
“Well, you’re human.” He glanced at her cup still on the table. “But not lesser. I would never have a lesser being for a mate. Thus you’re elevated to slightly less than myself.”
“Better than Onvyr?” she teased, not sure why she found this ridiculous situation amusing.
“Oh, worlds better. He’s a dusk elf.”
“A dark elf, you mean.”
“No. You haven’t seen him during the day. Unlike his sister, whose skin is gray at night, Onvyr is dark, his hair white. During the day, his colors switch, so that his skin is pale and his hair dark. It’s an interesting phenomenon I’d like to study more, butthe fae seems unlikely to comply. He doesn’t like my company.” Khent smirked. “I scare him.”
“I scare most people.”
“Yes, and I approve. That should make you happy. But I understand the human sentiment for acceptance.” He glanced around then sat her with him at the table. “I will tell you a secret that you can never tell another.”
“Okay.”
“I, too, long for acceptance. But not from my kin or my sire.”
“That’s a secret?”
He frowned.
She waited for him to continue.
“Acceptance of my fate. It was once a tradition for the Sons of Osiris to visit Shai, an ancient Egyptian goddess aligned with destiny. We kept this a closely guarded secret as it’s frowned upon to have dealings with the divine in any light.”
