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“Only to immortals. A bite to a mortal would be fatal.”
She squinted. “That explains why you were so insistent that I didn’t let it sink its teeth into me. I thought you said it wouldn’t want to hurt me, let alone kill me.”
“It wouldn’t want to harm you in any way. But, unlike me, it doesn’t fear that you wouldn’t one day return from death. It views the world in a much more simplistic way. To the monster, you are a revenant, therefore you will always cheat death. The end. So it doesn’t believe that a dose of its venom would lead to it permanently losing you. And territorial as the creature is, it wants its venom to live inside you.”
“But you’ve managed to convince it not to take that risk?”
“I merely pointed out that you are healed when you return from death and, as such, its venom would no longer flow in your veins when you woke. It now sees no real sense in injecting its venom into you, but it still wants to leave its mark on you. Consequently, if it was ever out of control around you, it might bite you.”
She licked the inside of her lower lip. “So it wasn’t out of control earlier? I couldn’t quite tell.”
“No, it wasn’t. It was feeling rather self-satisfied because Saul—a man who is not only one of our jailors but dared target you—is now incapacitated.”
“Well, whoever it was who had the idea to set a trap for Saul is a total genius.”
Cain felt his mouth twitch. “A genius?”
“Uh-huh. They deserve a reward from their consort. A very sexual reward, in fact.”
Smiling, Cain inwardly shook his head. He’d thought she might be a little awkward or wary of him for a short while, given what she’d earlier witnessed. But no, she was teasing and joking.
Her good humor would likely vanish in a sliver of an instant when she heard what he had to say. That thought was enough to make his smile falter.
It was tempting to put the whole thing off a little longer, but she’d met his monster, she hadn’t flinched away from it, and she’d come to him tonight. If that didn’t say she was fully committed to Cain, he didn’t know what would. To continue to keep so many secrets from her at this point would be a deep insult to her, plain and simple.
He had to trust that she’d handle the revelations the same way she’d handled his monster. Maybe that was wishful thinking on Cain’s part, but he had to know. He had to take the chance.
She’d never agree to sell him her soul if he didn’t answer the questions she’d posed to him. And if she didn’t handle all this well, there was still the option of chaining her to the bed until he could make her agree to stay with him. There was little he wouldn’t do to keep her at his side.
He held out his hand. “Come take a walk with me.” It warmed him that she didn’t hesitate to stand and place her hand in his.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” In silence, Cain led her out of the rear of the Keep and towards his garden. He took care of the padlock, opened the gates, and then again retook possession of her hand. He drew her down the twisting path and over to the temple.
She spared him a quick look. “We’re going inside?”
“Yes. It’s time I told you a few things. First, though, I need your solemn oath that you will not repeat a word of it to anyone else—not even to your coven.”
Her expression sober, she said, “I promise you I won’t pass on whatever you tell me to others.”
Satisfied, he nodded. They ascended the pitted steps and then walked between the main stone pillars and into the temple. The scents of dust, cold stone, and mildew hit him straight away. A flick of his hand lit the wall torches, illuminating the large space and shining light on the cobwebs and dust motes that danced in the air.
As she took in the sculptures and statues, he asked, “You remember I told you not to ever run from me, yes?”
She frowned. “You’re so sure I will? Have a little faith in me, would you?”
“I have plenty of faith in you, sweet witch. We wouldn’t be standing here right now if I didn’t. But I know that all I’m about to tell you might be difficult to digest. My monster . . . it wouldn’t understand what reason you could possibly have to not easily accept what you hear. If you ran, you would not only alarm it, you’d trigger its predatory instinct to pursue.”
“I won’t run,” she swore.
Having no choice but to take her at her word, Cain walked along the sculpted archway and deeper into the temple, conscious of her following him. Their footsteps echoed on the stone floor as they bypassed marble pillars, carved animal totems, and the dark hallways that branched off the one they walked down.
“You will have heard the stories of the Earth’s early days,” he said. “It has been told that God’s first creations were angels and monsters.”
“The Aeons explained it was metaphorical; that it simply meant beings that harbored both goodness and cruelty,” she said.
Halting, Cain turned to face her. “The Aeons lied.” He gestured at the old, rudimentary carvings on the wall to his left. “God created cherubs and monsters. Light and dark to please the cosmic balance. Such balance is essential.”
