I closed the distance between us, casting a shadow on him.
Houdini suddenly smiled, taking on that affable personality I’d come to know. But it was odd how he could switch it on and off so quickly. “I’ve missed my youngling. It seems you’ve been busy.”
“I have a job. And a life. One you’re not a part of.”
“That remains to be seen.”
“Stop pretending like you have claim over me. If you want to talk to me, why don’t you come by and ring the bell?”
Houdini bent over and laughed heartily. “That’s an asinine idea, but you haven’t lost your sense of humor.” He inched toward me. “I like privacy. I also like catching you off guard.” Houdini winked so quickly that I barely caught it. “You’re less likely to be armed.”
“If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead.”
“Oh really?” He nodded smugly, suppressing a grin. “Haven’t you reached your kill limit for the week?”
Is he baiting me? Does he know what I’ve been up to?I didn’t give him the satisfaction of my surprise.
“Maybe you should focus on your own problems,” I suggested, lifting my chin an inch higher. “Don’t you have someone else’s life to ruin with all your pranks?”
“You think your becoming immortal was a prank?”
“I think you being my maker is the biggest joke of all. I can’t tell if you’re trying to spark up a relationship with me or get back the key I have in my possession. Someone should teach you how to pick a lock.”
“Not knowing my motives really bothers you, doesn’t it?” He swung his gaze up to the trees. “Maybe I don’t have any motives, Raven. Have you ever considered that?”
“You stopped me in the middle of nowhere to tell me that you don’t have an agenda?”
“No, this isn’t nowhere. You’re always somewhere.” Houdini took his hands out of his pockets and clasped them. “Not many people travel this road.”
“That’s because it leads to a private road, so only people who live out here take this route.”
He smiled enigmatically. “Where’s your partner?”
I folded my arms. “He’s in my bed, waiting for me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
I chuckled. “Is that why you’re here? To deliver another scolding? I told Christian to leave your club alone, but he has a mind of his own. I didn’t tell him you gave me that spiked drink if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
“Of that I’m certain. I’m sure he would have fumbled a murder attempt by now.”
“Christian doesn’t fumble.”
“I do find it curious why, if you are lovers, you don’t share that information with him. Don’t you believe in honesty?”
“Have you ever been in a relationship? If so, then you’d know that there are two kinds of secrets. The first is deception. You tell a lie or keep a secret in order to protect yourself, or because you think you know better. That’s the one that’ll get you in the most trouble, because it’s usually a lie designed to hurt the other person.”
“And the second?”
“That’s the one that protects the person you love. I personally don’t give a shit that you spiked my drink. I wouldn’t expect anything less from someone like you. But if Christian found out, he’d kill you. Whether he succeeds or fails won’t matter, because neither outcome is one I want to live with.”
Houdini played with the black stud in his earlobe as he paced away from the headlights. “I find that truly fascinating. You know, I never gave much thought about the intricacies of a relationship. So… you believe if a lie is spun that protects the teller, it should be brought to light?”
“Ideally.” I glanced back at the empty road. If Houdini was the one who had buried me, I was vulnerable out here.
He kicked a pebble off the road. “If you’ve kept our little secret to protect Poe, what secrets do you think he’s kept from you?”
“None. But if he has any, I trust they’re the kind to protect me and not his own mistakes.” I backed up a step.
