“If I did, I would think you could smell him.” She smirked up at him.
He grinned at her riposte, obviously pleased she still had the strength of will to spar with him. “Indeed. And he would be dead for it within seconds.”
“For what?”
“Touching what is mine.” He sat in the other chair at the table. “For whom were you reading?”
She bristled at his claim of ownership again but shoved it aside with a sigh. She sat. “Myself.” She shuffled the cards she had pulled back into the deck. She wasn’t interested in sharing such private things with the vampire. The gods knew she shared enough intimate things with him already. “I find myself in need of guidance.”
“Whatever for?”
She shot him an incredulous look. “I have stock in the wheat industry.” She layered the sarcasm on thick. “Why do you think, vampire?”
He laughed, a low and resonant sound that was pleasant and unnerving both at once. A flash of sharp teeth reminded her of what he had done the previous night. In that one small expression he had called her bluff, and she felt the color drain from her face.
Seeing her expression shift, his own settled into a sly and cunning smile. “Never spare me your jabs. I enjoy your fire.”
“Try not to kill me, then, and perhaps you’ll have more of it.”
“Killing you was never my goal.”
“Turning me, then?”
“I fear that if I turn you, your gifts will be lost to you.” He tapped a finger on the table as he watched her thoughtfully, his other hand curled underneath his chin. He looked all the part of a mastermind playing a game of chess. And she felt less like the opposing player and more like a part on the board. “No. I will not turn you unless you ask for it.”
“I suppose for that I am grateful. You do not wish to kill me, and you do not wish to turn me. What do you wish for, then?”
“You know. You heard my thoughts. You stole them in our private moment last night.”
“I was a bit distracted.” She glared at him.
He smiled. “Then I am glad you did not retain them. I will keep my secrets a little longer. Tell me something, Miss Parker. How many souls have you destroyed with your touch?”
She hesitated.
“Please, Miss Parker.”
With a sigh, she shook her head. There was no point in hiding. His body count was far higher. “Eleven.”
He let out a low hum. “And how many deserved it?”
“None. No one deserves the fate I bring them.”
“How many of them were murderers? How many of them had done terrible deeds worthy of destruction? You saw their souls laid bare. How many would you personally deem unworthy of life?”
“None. It is not my place to say that someone is irredeemable.”
“Not even murderers?”
“Murder is an unnatural act for anyone. It is not in the self-interest of the species to commit such blatant acts of violence. While it is in human nature to do so, it is never without great cause. Mental illness, emotional duress, depravity brought on by extenuating circumstances, or when required by society such as in war. Look deeper past the degenerate nature that inspires such an act, and you will find someone worthy of pity.”
“And what of me?”
She was still shuffling the cards and looked up at him for a brief moment. “You are not human.”
“I was, once.”
“Were you?”
“I was not born a vampire.”
“Do you remember what made you this way?”
He let out a long breath. “No.”
“What do you remember?”
“The same as you’ve seen. Sand, the burning sun. Blood. Monuments to ancient gods…and wrath. I believe I destroyed a city the day they made me.” He sneered. “It was my first, but not my last.”
She did remember those visions quite well. Grief and agony. Someone being taken away. She saw a bowl of blood, thick and poisoned. Being forced to drink it. A card slipped from her hands and fell face up on the table.
The Tower. Tragedy and disaster. She cringed and picked up the card and put it back into the deck. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For what you’ve suffered.”
“There is not enough sympathy in the world, I’m afraid.” He let out a long, low growl, then schooled his features back into a softer expression as he looked to her. “I appreciate the sentiment. It is rare that I receive such kindness.” He watched her for a long moment. “Read my cards, Miss Parker.”