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To be truthful, yes, she did. She liked what she could do. She liked how easily she could do it.
“Would you remove death’s mark from your magick if you could?”
She licked the inside of her lower lip. “Anyone would if they could, right?”
His mouth hitched up. “Such an evasive answer. You’re rather fond of giving those.” He paused. “So, you threatened to hex Grouch’s shop?”
Blinking, she almost drew back. “I didn’t threaten him in any way. Heaccusedme of meaning to hex his shop.”
“Hmm, not according to him.”
“He’s really saying that?”
“To all who’ll stand still long enough to listen,” Cain confirmed.
“Knowing it would eventually get back to you, and that you’d summon me to deal with it, right?”Motherfucker.
She wasnotgetting punished for something she didn’t do. But that might well happen, and she might have to grin and bear it, because she couldn’t leave this place yet. The problem was … she didn’t believe the entity inside her would stand for that shit.
Really, she wasn’t so sure that she’d successfully manage it either. It wasn’t in her nature to stand down, admit defeat, or allow herself to be intimidated—hence why she again held his gaze steadily.
“Ah, there’s that hunter stare again,” he said, an almost imperceptible note of amusement in his tone. Like she was a puppy barking at a Rottweiler stupidly thinking she stood a chance against it.
“The what stare?”
He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. It wasn’t a flirtatious move—she sensed that right off. No, there was a challenging glint in his eyes. He was testing her, pushing her, trying to make her uncomfortable.
“When we last spoke, you watched me with the stare of a hunter,” he said. “You saw the level of danger in front of you, but you remained calm. Collected. At ease. You’re doing it again now. And like last time, you’re also ready to lunge at a moment’s notice. Even knowing that I’m far more powerful than you, you’d still strike first if you thought I meant you harm, wouldn’t you?”
“I have no idea why that makes you smile.” And damn if that smile didn’t make her best parts tingle.
“You won’t need to act in your own defense today, little witch. You said you didn’t threaten Grouch. I believe you. After all, you wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” His gaze dipped to her mouth, which promptly dried up.
Why yes, yes, she would lie to him if it was necessary. But she couldn’t admit that, so she gave him a different truth thatsortof answered his question. “I own my shit. If I had made any such threat, I wouldn’t have denied it.”
“No?”
“No.”
Cain studied the witch’s face, caught the glimmer of secrets in her eyes. “Hmm, I’m not sure I believe that.” Oh, she might very well be a person who would confess to and take responsibility for her actions, but he didn’t doubt for a moment that she’d bullshit him if she felt the situation warranted it. She was fearless enough to take that risk—he knew that from the glimpse he’d gotten of the core of her being.
“I like your soul,” he said. “I’ve never before touched one that has so much to give. It beats with grit, inner strength, guts, and drive. It isn’t stained with foul emotions like so many I own or have rights to. It might be undead, but it’s not a flickering candle that’s close to burning out. It’s a roaring fire. Black fire.”
“You talk about it like it’s a pretty, shiny new toy.”
Hmm, maybe he did. Cain liked to collect rare things—art, books, objects. He’d never had rights to an undead soul before, nor one that held so much promise. “I’m sure it’ll be a fun toy to play with.”
She frowned. “What does that mean?”
Oh, she’d find out soon enough.
“There’s nothing special about my soul,” she said. “I’d bet most of them are ‘roaring fires.’ You have people coming to you all the time to make deals, so you’re used to seeing the souls of those who are greedy or envious or chronically dissatisfied. You’ve forgotten that there’s more to people than that.”
“Not all those who bargain their soul do so for selfish reasons. Some wish to save the life of a loved one, find safety for those they care for, or perhaps locate a person who has gone missing from their lives. Desperation is a powerful feeling. It can make a person do all sorts of things they’d never otherwise do.”
Biting her lip, she conceded his point with an incline of her head.
Seeing her teeth digging into that fleshy lower lip, he was tempted to tug it free with his thumb and then replace her teeth with his own. His body tightened at the thought.
