Bianca clutched the edge of the table hard enough her knuckles turned white.
My brain had simply given up entirely. There was only so much psychological damage a man could sustain in one week. “Sire?” I repeated blankly.
Bogdan smiled at me. “Yes. The creature responsible for her existence.”
Creature.Not person.
Something inside me turned cold.
“She has spoken so very fondly of all of you,” he continued. “Which is unfortunate.”
Winnie flinched.
Bogdan paced slowly around the table. “She grew attached,” he said almost thoughtfully. “That has always been her greatest weakness.”
My pulse hammered painfully.
Winnie sat rigidly in her chair, hands clenched tightly in her lap.
“Do you know,” Bogdan mused, “how terribly dull immortality becomes after several centuries?”
Nobody answered.
He smiled wider. “Eventually one must create entertainment where one can.”
Every instinct I possessed screamed danger now.
Bogdan looked from Winnie to us, then his expression brightened. “Oh.” He laughed softly. “I nearly forgot the important part.” His gaze landed on me directly. “She loves you.”
The words punched me directly in the gut.
Winnie inhaled hard. “Bogdan?—”
He ignored her. “Not merely you,” he continued conversationally. “The children as well. Quite thoroughly, I’m afraid.”
The kids stared at Winnie. She looked devastated.
Bogdan sighed dramatically. “Naturally, that simply cannot be allowed.”
Something primal tore through me. Every muscle in my body tightened. “What are you talking about?”
Bogdan’s smile returned. “Punishment,Conrad.”
My name in his mouth sounded revolting.
“She trapped me, you see,” he continued. “For over a century.”
I stared at Winnie. Her eyes filled with horror.
Bogdan leaned lightly against the table. “And since she has become so emotionally invested in your delightful little family…” He smiled lazily. “I thought it only fitting that she be the one to put you to rest.”
My ears were ringing, the words not making any sense.
And then they did.
Billie gasped loudly. CJ stood halfway out of his chair. Bianca started crying instantly. I shoved backward from the table so hard my chair hit the wall.
Winnie looked panicked now. “Please,” she whispered. “Don’t make me?—”
