“Of course not. That’s none of her business. But isn’t it strange that I never believed I had a line to cross until someone crossed it? You spend too much time thinking about Lenore. You have the potential to go much further than she’s ever dreamed. Why do you think powerful people are drawn to you? You’re rough around the edges, but you’re a diamond, and they can feel it. I can foresee a future with you as a powerful leader. But will you seize those opportunities, or will you settle?”
My heart skipped a beat at the compliment, and that was when I knew I had an ego living inside me. “Hand me the keys. They’re on the wall.”
“Is that a yes?”
“I’m not teaming up with you to rule the dead world. I’m just asking you to hand me the keys.”
“You’re safer in here.”
“Doing a little arm twisting of your own, I see. Join you or die in a cage. You’re no different than Sparrow.”
“If I release you, how far do you think you’ll get at night in a house full of Vampires? They’ll put you right back in the cage. Sparrow will probably build an electrical fence around you if he aims to use you for something.”
I tapped my fingernails on the bars. “Unless you can turn into Pegasus, how did you plan on getting me out of here if I’d said yes?”
“I wouldn’t have.”
My shoulders sagged when I realized he was just here to toy with me. “You’re cruel.”
“Do you still see me as the villain?” he asked, his patience clearly wearing thin. “Stop doing forensics on my conscience. I’m only a curious soul who seizes opportunities. Do you know the ingredients that make a villain? You take a person with potential and crush their spirit.”
“Been there. Done that. I’m not a villain. Rise above.”
“You may have experienced trauma, but you haven’t lost what matters most. That’s when the oven turns on and those ingredients begin to bake something new. It’s different for everyone. For some it’s their dreams, for others it’s someone they love. What would it take to make Raven Black a villain?” He laughed haughtily.
“Go to hell.”
“To become a villain, you must do exactly what was done to you. It’s when you become the person who wronged you.”
“So who wronged you? Maybe your own maker. He didn’t give you much of a choice in the matter, and it doesn’t seem like you gave your younglings much of a choice either. And let’s not debate that again. You took advantage of those girls and sold them at auction.”
Houdini sighed. “If you look up the definition, you’ll see a villain is simply the person who opposes the hero in a story. But not all heroes are good. And by that standard, not all villains must be evil. They are two opposites driven by purpose. There’s no good and evil, Raven. Only intentions. Only desires. Only purpose. It’s a fluid concept. One action creates an equal and opposite reaction.”
I pressed my forehead against the bars, frustrated by this whole conversation. “Just open the cage. Don’t tell me you flew all the way up here to get me to swear my fealty only to leave me here.” The thought made me laugh out loud.
“I have no doubt you’ll find your way out of this situation. But it would be foolish of me to open the door when you’re most vulnerable. I’d rather see how things play out.”
I reached through the bars and grabbed a fistful of his shirt. “Someday you’ll be the one trapped in a cage. And you’ll ask me for help. You’ll ask me to open the door or give you the key. Guess what I’ll say? That’s right. I hope you rot.”
“I wouldn’t want it any other way, Butterfly. But if you think me a villain, then perhaps you should question why you would mirror my actions.” Houdini loosened my grip and kissed my knuckles. “If one day I do you an extraordinary deed for no personal gain, I wonder what you’ll think of me then.”
“You’re insane. You know that?”
He bowed. “All geniuses are.”
“Lenore will execute me by morning. If you don’t have anything else to do, swing by. You can watch me burn.”
He touched the stud in his earlobe. “You can’t die. Though I haven’t tested fire. But something tells me you’ll get out of it, as you always do. The fates are on your side. Last chance, Raven.”
I lowered my arms. “Goodbye, Chaos.”
He stepped out of the moonlight and into the shadows. “You’ll always be my Butterfly.”
When the door clicked, a flurry of movement and gust of wind accompanied Houdini’s exit. Seconds before the Vampire guard entered, I glimpsed the white owl soaring through the window and into the starry night.
CHAPTER24
Christian had never felt more rattled. Raven had the tenacity and wits to survive anything, but not knowing what was happening gnawed away at what little reason he had left. Had it been up to him, he would have kept her father in the dark. But Shepherd had to open his big mouth. When Christian returned to their room on the fourth floor, he was surprised to see Crush waiting for him, who then cornered him and delivered one death threat after another. The one about staking him while Harley chewed the meat off his bones was especially detailed. Then he made a dramatic exit with a slam of the door.
