“And here I was lamenting the fact that the opportunity to extend our friendship had passed. I’m not a fool like the other one. You’ll never leave Bones. The boy should realize that and move on with his life.”
I stiffened. What his sentence told me was that Vlad, too, didn’t think Tate was the traitor. If he had, Vlad would know Tate wouldn’t have a future to worry about.
“I owe you.”
Vlad’s expression turned serious just as quickly as the change in topic. “You would, normally. In this case, however, it’s a debt of mine settled and requires no payment from you.”
“Come on, Vlad, you’re breaking character. Magnanimous isn’t your best color.”
He smiled. “Quite correct. You said before you read about my historical account? Then you know that I was married. At a battle near my home, I was struck in the head. It would have been a deathblow, but I’d been a vampire for several weeks. Dawn came, and I slept as all new vampires do, my forehead still caked with blood. My men assumed I’d been slain. A soldier ran to my house to inform my wife of my demise. You know what happened next.”
Yes, I did. She jumped to her death from their castle roof, thinking to spare herself from enemy captivity or worse.
And almost six hundred years later, Vlad had stepped in to help prevent me from doing the same thing.
That scarred hand slid across the table to mine. “My wife stood alone on that roof when I should have been there. I hadn’t told her what I was. Already I’d horrified her by what I’d done to keep my people safe, I was afraid that my no longer being human would drive a deeper wedge between us. I’d planned on telling her the truth in time…but all at once there was no more time. Since she’s been gone, I’ve done many more things she would have been revolted over, yet on that day with you…I felt her smile at me. I haven’t felt that in a very long time.”
Abruptly he stood. “Don’t squander what you have. If you do, you’ll spend the rest of your days regretting it. Bones should never be afraid to show you all he is, even though he’s an uppity street peasant who’s been gifted far and away over what he deserves.”
This last part was louder, because Bones was on his way back from the sound of the measured stride heading toward us. I smiled up at Vlad wryly.
“Petty, aren’t you?”
“Of course. Along with my many other despicable qualities. But, Catherine…” He leaned closer until only I could hear him. “I would have never let you jump.”
Vlad left right after that, taking the other exit from the kitchen to avoid running into Bones. This time I thought it was less because of their mutual dislike and more that he wanted to avoid more of his gratitude. Like it was pesky to be reminded he’d done a good deed.
Bones came in the kitchen, glancing from Vlad’s retreating figure back to me. Then he rolled his eyes.
“Blimey, Kitten, don’t tell me you like that conceited sod?”
A smile tugged at my mouth.
“Yeah, I kind of do.”
Last night Bones had assured me Tate was being held comfortably and not subjected to any abuse. When I saw him in the tiny cell that was best described as a dungeon, I was furious.
“This is your idea of comfortable? What’s a little cramped to you, the seventh ring of hell?”
Bones didn’t flinch at my scalding tone. He considered the manacled and bloodied form welded to the wall in front of us.
“He’s not being injured, just restrained. The blood on him is no doubt just from last night. While he might have preferred a soft bed and a nice neck to sip from, it’s hardly grievous torment considering what he’s done.”
This was said in a clear, biting tone that would have been easily overheard by anyone eavesdropping. I resisted the urge to demand Tate be taken down. After all, there was still a real betrayer on the loose, and we didn’t know who it was.
“You’re the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.”
It was muttered with nothing less than hatred from Tate. His eyes were pure emerald as they blazed at Bones.
Bones laughed. “You know, mate, when I woke up this morning with her sleeping in my arms, I did indeed feel very lucky.”
Tate cursed him, straining against his clamps.
Ian chuckled and clapped a hand across Bones’s back. He’d been the guard last night.
“Bloke’s scorched you up one side and down the other since you came back, Crispin. I’ve had a right enjoyable time listening to it. Ah, Rodney, is it your turn now? Good, I’m knackered.”
“Thank you, Ian, take your rest. I’ll speak to you later.”
Although Ian didn’t make the top two, or even three, Bones put him high on the list of the remaining people who he didn’t think tried to kill him. I thought Ian was capable of it, but Bones disagreed. Since Tate was a liability to whomever really did it, we had to have reliable guards on him.