Houdini collected the stone in his palm, and I reluctantly let go of the chain. “I have your word you won’t collect evidence against me?”
“I think we both know I’m not stupid,” I said, acknowledging Houdini’s power. He’d taken Christian by surprise once, so the threat loomed that he could do it again. Not only that, but he knew where to find my father.
My maker collected my heart and closed his fingers around it. A smile touched his lips. “Tell you what. I’ll hold on to the necklace for safekeeping. When I feel like I can trust you’ll never come after me, I’ll give it back. How’s that sound?”
I nodded.
He briefly swung the chain before sliding it into his pocket. “We’ll see. Time changes people and reveals how good their word is.” Houdini briefly disappeared around the corner before entering the room. “Do you want to bring your clothes?” he asked, nodding at my leather pants, blouse, and studded shoes, which were sitting in a pile on the floor.
I couldn’t take my eyes from the strip of black cloth hanging from his hand. “What’s that for?”
“I have to blindfold you.”
Confused, I shook my head, my back to the glass. “Why? I already know you live in the Bricks.”
“Yes, but you don’t know where. Just because I’m leaving your memory intact doesn’t mean I want to give you more information than you need. You’re also not allowed to see where we’re going. That’s part of the arrangement.”
I sidled past him, nearing the bathroom. “What are you talking about?”
“You didn’t want Christian to win the bid. Not really. I don’t understand your attraction to him, but I suspect you two have been sharing blood.” Houdini ran a hand through his white hair. “I saw the profound despair in your eyes earlier, so I decided not to let him win. You would have blamed me forever.”
I widened my stance, ready to bolt past him. “You can’t do this! You said I was going back.”
A vein pulsed in his forehead. “I’ve had more than enough of your indecisiveness. No matter which choice I make, you decide it’s the wrong one. Well… you can’t have it both ways!”
I took off like a quarterback running with the ball, weaving my way around him. Houdini caught me by the waist and hauled me off the ground.
“Stop your insolence!” he snarled. “I’ve given you everything within my power, and still you fight me.”
His grip was iron, and with just one arm, he brought me down to the floor and sat on my back. I struggled to free my arms, but he’d pinned them with his legs as he tied the fabric around my eyes and tightly knotted it in the back, pulling some of my hair.
“I was hoping I wouldn’t need this,” he murmured. He pulled my arms behind my back and cuffed my wrists. “Maybe I’ll think about retiring if you think about leaving Keystone. You had more to offer the world when you worked alone. Someday I hope you realize that.”
“You arrogant little fanghole,” I growled, still struggling to buck him off.
Houdini leaned in so tight that his mouth grazed my ear. “Too bad you didn’t inherit my strength, but you have all those Mage powers I’d love to learn about someday.” He tenderly smoothed my hair back with his hand. “Despite the circumstances, I’ve truly enjoyed your company. I know you don’t believe me, and you still want to believe that you’re good and I’m evil, but we’re not so different. We’re just two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl. I bet you don’t know what song that’s from.” He rose to his feet and pulled me up. “I wish I knew what you saw in that Vampire.”
In the Breed world, it was a mild insult to refer to someone by their Breed—especially to their face. Given Houdini was half-Vampire, he seemed to have the same feeling about the word as I did. But he had no reason to. Perhaps he just thought himself a better version of what was out there.
Locked in darkness, I turned toward his voice. “You want to know the truth? Christian was the first person who showed me I can trust a Vampire. It doesn’t mean I’ve changed my opinion about them, but I trust him with my life. You were the one who took away that trust. You’re the reason I have no problem killing my own kind.”
His voice grew nearer. “Would my redemption bring you peace? You’ve spent this entire time in captivity trying to change my ways instead of pleading for your freedom. Why is that so important when you don’t even know the women whose lives I’ve impacted?”
“Maybe it would give me hope that someone really can change, that maybe you aren’t all evil.”
I shuddered when he stroked my hair. “Is that how you see yourself? Is that why you’re trying desperately to fit in with that organization? We’re not evil, Raven. I’m glad we had this time together. You’re candid and fearless. Never change. Now I finally understand how the events following your making have shaped your opinion about yourself and the world.”
I took a step back.
He sighed. “I guess I’m not going to win the Maker of the Year award, am I?”
“Do you know who you sold me to? What if he wants to grind me up and eat me for dinner?”
Houdini chortled. “No one is going to pay millions of dollars for a single meal. Maybe he’s just a lonely man in search of a friend. And if not—if he’s a nefarious villain who wants to hurt you—then I have no concerns. You’re a different woman than you were five years ago. Don’t you want to finish what you started? Consider it a form of therapy. I have no doubt you’ll devise an elaborate plan to escape after chopping him up in pieces. And in the end, you’ll be reminded of something you’ve forgotten.”
“Which is what?”
His footsteps drew closer. “That killing is what you do best. Flap your wings and cause some chaos, Butterfly. That’s your purpose, just as giving you immortality was mine.”
Chapter 18
Christian stared at the computer screen. After Wyatt had thrown in the towel and everyone left, Christian rolled his chair up to the desk and sent a private message to the seller.
Nothing came back.
He considered putting a bounty on the man’s head, but it wasn’t worth the risk. As long as this man had Raven, he had power. But if Raven didn’t come out of this alive, nothing would stop Christian from unleashing the darkest part of his soul. She was the link to his humanity.
Viktor entered the room and stood behind Christian’s chair. “There’s nothing more you can do here.”
“It might have been a ruse. You heard what Wyatt said. Sometimes they put up the auction twice to get double the money.”
“It’s been hours.”