“And you think it means something?”
Elias laughed softly. “They’re human. Everything means something to them. Especially when they’re afraid.”
“They’re not all hateful.”
“Enough of them are.”
“Not Penelope. Not Eleanor.”
His words hung between them, baiting Elias.
Osiris, for all his years, was slow to pick up on anything that was not plainly stated. Though as of late he was becoming more aware of Elias’ comings and goings.
Normally, Elias would not mind. However, and for whatever reason, he did not like the idea of others paying attention to what he was doing when Penelope was involved. She was his alone—his one secret, his one deviation from the endless ritual of undead life.
“What do you want, Osiris?” Elias folded his arms. “Why have you come here?”
“You’ve been going to Autumntun almost every night for months now.”
“Then you know I am keeping watch. And if I wish for… diversion while I do so, what trouble is it really? I am never seen. Humans are blind. A deer senses the hunter long before a human does. Their instincts are so dulled, it’s a miracle they ever survived this long.”
Osiris released a tired breath, shaking his head. “You know that is not what I am concerned about.”
“What then?” Elias chuckled. “Do you think I will bite someone? Or that I already have?”
Osiris went silent, but his restless hands betrayed him.
“I haven’t tasted human blood in centuries. I am not my maker. Not anymore. You know what I was when you found me. I swore I would never become that again. Youknowthis.”
His gaze flicked toward the scattered letters on the table.
“Tell your wife to stop worrying,” Elias continued. “The letters will reach Penelope. As for the rest—my time is my own. I will do what I wish when I see fit. I did not leave one maker just to obey another.”
Osiris, of all beings, knew the torment Elias had endured to sever his maker’s bond. Knew he meant it when he swore never to hunt again. Penelope was not prey. She was only…a reprieve. A curiosity. An assuagement of what was otherwise an endless hunger.
“We have all worked tirelessly for this treaty with the humans,” Osiris said. “I urge you—do nothing that could jeopardize it.”
Elias said nothing as the Horseman crossed the room.
His friend paused at the door, and with a low voice said, “It is not only Penelope she worries for. She considers you her friend, Elias. She cares for you. As do I. We do not wish to see any harm come to you.”
And with that, Osiris was gone.
Elias stood alone again.
“I am not my maker,” he muttered. “I have done nothing wrong.”
5
PENELOPE
The smell of charred, salted fish and fried bread filled the dining room, too heavy for such an early hour. Penelope sat across from her father, idly prodding the fish with her fork while he carved into his own meal, stripping bones with careful precision and discarding them into the small white bowl between them.
Her mind was fogged by the vampire—by Elias. She couldn’tpossiblyconsider his offer. Could she?
He was a vampire.
A monster.
