“So I guess you guys don’t have a wraith’s Discord server or Facebook group,” I teased.
“Not that I know of,” he answered seriously. “Of the few brothers that live in this area, I know one likes to play something called D&D with some humans every Friday. Eat another bite, and you can ask me another question.”
I’ve never chewed and swallowed so fast. A supernatural creature that played D&D with unsuspecting humans?
I was fascinated.
“Do wraiths have mothers? Or are you like vampires, and you bite humans to make more of you?”
He laughed. It was low and brushed across my skin like gossamer threads. “Vampires aren’t made with bites. The process is more involved than that. As for wraiths, we’re created during times of great misery. I came into existence when Julius Caesar was slaughtering millions of Celts in Europe. I was born when the souls of the Celts cried out for vengeance. The first person I ever ate was Caesar, although it took me a few years to find him.”
History wasn’t my best subject in school, but I was pretty sure Julius Caesar didn’t die by being consumed by magic mist. “I thought he was stabbed to death in the senate?”
Even though I couldn’t see Vie’s face, I could tell he was smiling with satisfaction. “That’s what the senators decided to tell everyone. After I’d finished eating, they feared I would come for them if they spoke of my existence.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” I said. “After your job was done, did you wander around?”
“My job wasn’t done,” Vie explained. “After I ate him, I hunted down all his generals. They fed me for years.”
That sounded like the plot to a horror novel! “Was that when all of you were born?”
“No, only me. My younger brother Pain came into existence when plagues ravaged the Americas in the 1500s. Disease wiped out millions of Native people as the Europeans claimed their land.”
“He eats people who are sick?” I couldn’t keep the disgust out of my voice.
“He takes their pain away,” he explained, his tone soothing. “If someone is terminally ill, he can eat their pain and give them peace for their remaining days.”
“Oh, that’s, um, kinda sweet,” I said.
Vie pulled his hand away from mine, making me feel cold. “Sweet?”
I couldn’t stand not touching him. Before he could withdraw his other hand from the table, I grabbed hold of it. He didn’t try to pull away, but his hand remained limp in mine.
“I only meant that it’s nice that he can do that for people,” I explained.
“I can’t,” he snapped. I didn’t think he was angry. Was he jealous?
“No, you don’t take away pain, you create it,” I agreed. “But you do it for the right reasons. Those men deserved what they got. I don’t need pain taken away. I need someone to fight for me.”
“I’ll always fight for you,” he answered, his fingers flexing to grasp my hand back.
Those words felt like a promise.
I wished his hood wasn’t up. I wanted to see his face again. I wanted to gaze into his eyes and touch more than his hand.
Even though I’d been famished earlier, I felt no hunger now.
Well, at least I wasn’t hungry for food. I craved more of him.
“I’m finished here,” I said, pushing the food away with my free hand. “Would you come home with me?”
His fingers tightened on mine. “You’re inviting me into your sanctum sanctorum?”
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “But you can come back to my apartment. My roommate won’t be home for a few more days, so we have the whole place to ourselves.”
Thewhole placeimplied it was larger than it was. There was no way he’d fit on my bed, but the couch could be unfolded into an uncomfortable bed that would fit both of us.
“I would like that,” he said. “Are you sure you’re not hungry? You didn’t eat much.”
