He nodded and cast her a glance. He could see wheels turning and watched her eyes widen as the answer hit her, but she merely shrugged. "How does anyone learn a language, really?"
"With hard work and a lot of studying."
"You could have learned it simply by listening to others speak it."
The woman was good, he'd give her that. She never lied, but when she didn't want to answer a question she had ways of trying to throw him off the scent. "I didn't work at this and I didn't listen closely to others. How did I learn it?" he persisted.
She paused, gulped, then offered, "I have heard some humans learn our language through magic."
Magic. His brother-in-law dealt in magic, and Gray knew firsthand the dangers involved in using it. A man could be turned to stone, while still able to see, hear and feel everything around him. A man could be cursed inside a box, allowed to emerge only when his female master had need of his services. He shuddered.
No, thank you.
"Did you use a spell on me?" Before she replied, he realized she'd never actually said with one hundred percent surety that he'd learned the language through magic. She'd merely suggested it. In fact, she hadn't answered his question in any way.
He gritted his teeth together, stopped, and stared down at her for a long while, making her squirm. "I'm on to you. Magic, indeed. When we're safe in our room tonight, we're going to have a long talk."
Our room, he'd said. Jewel swallowed, trying to alleviate the sudden dryness of her mouth. She suspected Gray understood the Atlantean language because she'd been inside his head and must have left pieces of herself behind. Amazing, surreal, but there it was. Had she, then, taken pieces of him with her?
She didn't know how he'd take to that news when he didn't seem to remember she'd been inside his head at all, so she said nothing, letting him rationalize whatever explanation he would.
Right now, she had other things to worry about. The Formorians' skin was as pale as a vampire's but looked more like dry paper with thin blue lines. They had just finished another lizard race when she and Gray reached their circle. Gray stopped, not saying a word, just watching curiously; she remained at his side, scanning faces, ready to warn him if anyone attempted to hurt him. The Formorians had blades strapped all over their bodies. She didn't know why they were here in the Inner City when Formorians usually stayed in the more accepting Outer City. They were a danger-loving race who didn't mind feasting on flesh, preferably while the bodies were still alive and screaming.
"I want to play," Gray finally announced to the surrounding crowd, as if he hadn't a care in the world.
The Formorians whipped around, frowning. "Do you have drachmas?" one of them asked, eyes narrowed.
Gray held out his dagger and gave it, hilt first, to the creature closest to him. The Formorian accepted the dagger, gripping it in his only hand. "I must see who I am dealing with first," he said.
"You see enough of me." Gray's tone had lost its easiness, becoming dark and menacing.
"I will see all of you." He motioned with a tilt of his chin, and another of the Formorians stepped forward, reaching out to push back Gray's hood.
Gray shoved the creature, hard, making him stumble backward. All of his friends growled low in their throats. "You stink of human," one of them spat. "We will see your face."
"And you stink of shit," Gray snapped. "All you'll see is another of my weapons if you don't get out of my face. Now, you accepted my dagger, so deal me into the game."
"You will leave or die. That is your only choice."
Gray stepped forward quickly, shadows covering most of his face. But through the shadows, his eyes were glowing bright, menacing red. "You will let me in your game. Understand?"
Seeing the glowing eyes - demon eyes - they nodded, now eager to please. Formorians feared demons, their stronger counterpart.
Jewel stilled a horrified gasp. The red light in Gray's eyes had already died down, leaving only the silver irises. The changes were happening, then. Gray wouldn't be spared as she'd hoped. Over the coming days, he would acquire traits of both the vampires and the demons.
Which traits, she could only guess. How he would react when he discovered what was happening to him, she could only