“N-No, my lord.”
“Good. I’m not in the mood for any bad news at the moment.” He draws in a deep breath, inflating his chest. “Now, what did you have to tell me?”
My mouth opens, but I’m unsure what to say. And the way he’s staring at me makes me uneasy.
“Is it about Haven?”
My blood pushes through my veins in a frantic race, and anger stirs with it. Just hearing him say her name, knowing what he’s done to her, it ignites something inside me I’ve never felt before. A hatred so strong, I can feel every one of my muscles clench with restraint.
I used to admire this man. I used to strive to be like him. I thought he was full of compassion and generosity, but he has none of those things. He’s a trickster. A manipulator. A sinister and cruel person through and though.
But I know I can’t stay silent forever, even though the words I want to say will expose me if uttered out loud.
He watches me carefully, studying me, so I force my anger down and reply as calmly as I can manage, “It is, my lord, but not for the reason you think.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve sent her for a bath…”
Henri’s face snaps toward me, with irritation flashing in his eyes. Tossing the book onto the chair, he closes thespace between us in two great steps but, to my own surprise, I don’t flinch.
“You’ve taken her from my room? Without my consent?” he asks.
“Yes,” I say, “but with good reason—”
“Explain.”
I take another second to compose myself and try not to give anything away. Henri isn’t only clever, he’s my maker, which means he can sense things in me others can’t. I have to keep the illusion of total loyalty.
“I am sorry if I went against your wishes, my lord, but the heat of the water will relax her now and help restore her energy for later. I figured you would prefer it that way.”
Head tilting to the side, he considers my words for a moment and then, to my complete amazement, nods. “That is true. Although I was trying to teach her a lesson by keeping her there, I suppose a bath wouldn’t hurt.”
Play to his ego and pride. That seems to be the best way.
“I would prefer a word next time though.” He recovers quickly and rubs the dark hairs on his chin. “I need to knoweverythingthat happens with her.”
I can’t imagine why.
Gritting my teeth, I fight the immense disgust I feel to keep it off my expression and bow my head. “Of course, my lord.”
Turning around, Henri walks back to the chair. As he looks out the window, his face is touched by shadow, and for the hundredth time since last night, I wonder how Icould’ve ever believed in this man. How could I have been so blind?
“I am glad you are here, Avrum,” he says, not looking at me. “I actually have a bit of news to share with you as well.”
News? What could that be?
“As you know, there are others besides us,” he begins. “Many more. The world is vast beyond these walls. And, like all of them, I have a maker, someone who gave me immortality, as I have given to you.”
I don’t know why this takes me off guard. I shouldn’t be surprised that Henri was turned into a vampire, like I was. As Lysander said, our kind has lived for centuries. But Henri has always held himself in such a high regard, it’s hard to imagine someone stronger than him, or a life he lived before this one. It’s just nearly impossible to wrap my head around.
He goes on in my silence. “I have invited some good friends of mine to come and visit us, and I want to give them a warm welcome here. The last party you helped me with went so well, and I was wondering if you would help me this time, again.”
I clenched and unclench my jaw. Giving Henri my help is the last thing I want to do, but if I refuse, he would suspect a change in me. Refusing isn’t really an option.
“When are they expected to arrive?” I ask.
“By the end of the week.”
