I studied him. He'd made it clear that he would never hurt me. I was pretty sure that meant I could ask him anything without retaliation, but I didn't really want to test it out.
"If you have questions, ask them." Callum didn't look bothered by the prospect.
"Why did you do it?"
"He was a vampire who forced a spellcaster to let a group of new immortals in through Rumor's wards with mental magic. I needed to know who they were and why they wanted in. When the vampire eventually broke, Liv, Dare, and I tracked the newcomers down and made sure they weren't a risk to the city."
"You let them stay?"
"After roughing them up so they were aware of what will happen if they ever attempt to break our rules again."
There weren't many rules in Rumor.
Don't kill anyone without an acceptable reason—of which there were plenty.
Don't steal from anyone who could retaliate against you in any way—which was most of us, even werewolves.
And don't threaten or harm a spellcaster. That was the most important one.
Threatening the spellcasters was punishable by death in every case. Like the fae, without the spellcasters, our wards would eventually fail.
"I assume you killed the vampire after you got your answers."
"I did. While his desperation to protect his friends was understandable, there are legal ways to get them into the city. We won't risk the spellcasters."
They were rare, and I didn't want the city to fall any more than anyone else did.
The one thing every immortal in Rumor had in common was our dependence on those wards. And immortality, obviously.
"You torture other people too," I said.
"Mostly rapists. I enjoy breaking anyone who would hurt someone in that way, and the outlet eases the intensity of my power. Do you have a problem with that?"
"No. I think torture and death are fair punishments for rape."
"Indeed."
Callum parked in front of my cafe, but neither of us opened our doors. The conversation didn't quite feel over.
"So you don't torture anyone just because you feel like it, or for fun?" I asked.
"No."
"Then that's all I need to know."
Callum squeezed my thigh lightly before opening his door. He grabbed my door as I stepped out of the vehicle, taking my hand and shutting the car behind me.
The cafe had closed a few hours ago, so the lights were off and the parking lot was empty other than us. He'd parked near the back door, where the keypad entry was.
I had spent the extra money so I wouldn't have to worry about keys for each of the locations. The system kept track of every person whose code was entered, as well, so I knew who had come in at what time if I ever needed the information.
Callum watched me type the code.
"You already know it, don't you?" I asked.
"Yes."
Of course he did.
