“But you’re working for Hecate.”
“WithHecate, but she’s the exception as she was owed favors by my kins’ sires. Thus we are obligated. I’m not part of the Night Bloode because I wanted to be here. I was beholden. Vampiresalwayshonor bloode-debts.”
She nodded, a little confused but fascinated by his story.
“Something I had forgotten until only recently. Shai gave me a secret name—Imy-Mut. It means ‘Champion of the Dead.’ Proud to have something special none of my clan had, I bragged about it to my sire, which unfortunately ended our association with divinity. The only regret I admit to still having. The goddess was kind at a time when I needed kindness.” He scowled. “Never repeat that.”
“Never.” She twisted an invisible lock over her lips.
He nodded. “The life of any vampire is fraught with danger and violence. Without those, we never learn how to harness our abilities or conquer our enemies. But reapers are more cerebralthan our tribal brothers. Well, perhaps not more than revenants. Still, we’re feared and loathed more than any other tribe. Including the useless upir.” He sneered in disgust.
“Shai not only gave me a title, she also gave me a hint of purpose, a question that had to be answered. I put my curiosity to good use. Learning as much as I could, stealing into crypts, reanimating things which, in retrospect, shouldnothave been given new life. There were many wars fought to great glory. Yet they never satisfied. My purpose hidden from me.”
“Until now,” she said.
“Until now.”
She didn’t know why, but being so close to him, listening to the smooth cadence of his words, seemed to put her under a spell. She couldn’t look away from him.
He must have felt it too because his eyes smoked with the same power that emanated from his wings. In a voice that resonated with supremacy, he stated, “I am Imy-Mut. And you, Meryt, are mine to guard.”
It felt like a pledge. Deep down, Val sensed his words meant so much more. Another internal bond clicked into place.
“Meryt? What does that mean?”
He blinked, shook himself, and downed the rest of his drink. The smokiness in his eyes faded.
Odd. He appeared discomfited. Something Khent would never allow to show on his face. He sure hadn’t in the short time she’d known him, what felt like forever but was a blip in his lifetime.
“How old are you, anyway?”
“Five hundred sixty-three years. You?”
“Twenty-seven, grandpa.”
His slow smile heated her up. “But such a well put together twenty-seven.”
“Oh, stop.”
He kept looking at her possessively.
“I wasn’t kidding before,” she blurted. “I will probably die soon.”
“As long as it’s a good death.” He didn’t seem to be taking her seriously. “I meant it when I said I’ll help you with your magic. You have an inner strength that is way beyond what you’ve used, I imagine. I look forward to helping you access it.”
“Why? I’m just a human.”
“Myhuman.” He flashed a fang, and his eyes burned red.
She sighed. “I’m not anybody’s.”
“Vampires only hear what we want to hear. And I…” He trailed off as he stared at her, his eyes narrowing on her face. “Your eyes are dark brown.”
“Um, I know.”
“Normally. But now they are red, like mine. Why is that, my little human…who’s not so human?”
She had no idea what he was talking about. “Khent?”
