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"Are you not a witch?"
"I am."
"We call you mistresses of magic. At least, that's what I call mine. She prefers that. You met her earlier."
My spine grew stiff. "She's the reason I passed out."
"Don't take that out on her. I ordered her to do it. I just had to make sure you weren't here to unleash your magic on us."
I kept my gaze to the ground, avoiding his stare. A vampire like Nostro could read your soul and learn about your past with one glance. "Why?" I asked. "I wouldn't do that without provocation."
A sigh escaped Nostro's lips. He ran his hand through his dark mane, letting out a deep breath as he studied my form from head to toe. It was like he was sizing me up and seeing if I could be trusted or not; then again, most creatures of the night had such an instinctive ability to tell when someone wasn't being honest with them.
At last he spoke. "You are in a land where powerful magic runs rampant," said Nostro slowly, as though each word were so precious that it must be tasted before let go into the world again. "We cannot take any chances here and you should understand why we need to make sure no harm comes our way. You would do the same for your people, would you not?"
I nodded, understanding where he was coming from. "Yes, it makes sense."
How odd that I didn't sense danger in him like I usually did when dealing with a foe, but vampire's could be tricksters too. Perhaps he was leading me on.
"Hence why I must extend an invitation to you," Nostro continued, giving a gracious bow in my direction. "You are here for a reason though you will not say. But powerful witches like you...tsk, tsk, tsk...I need on my side."His dark eyes glinted mischievously as he finished his sentence.
"I have not come to offer my services."
"No?" He frowned. "Then what have you come for?"
"I believe you have some information about someone I'm looking for."
He chuckled. "Well, let's hope this someone you're looking for hasn't gotten on my bad side or I'm afraid your inquires will lead to a dead end."
My heart when he said that. I couldn't believe that Sydney was dead, because she wasn't.
"Don't freight, little witch. Let's move out of this room. It's only a holding box. I'm a gentleman and I do not like to keep ladies in waiting or in rooms made for servants."
I was eager to be free of the magic-blocking room, so I followed him out of the room and through a large stone archway leading into what seemed like an ancient courtyard surrounded by tall towers made of slate-gray stones illuminated with twinkling candles along the outer walls.
He escorted me into another room which looked be a dining hall with a long table in the center that likely seated dozens.The room was dark and the ceiling was one endless, shadowed curve, like the inside of an enormous tree trunk. The scent of beeswax and lavender hung heavy in the air.
Nostro grabbed a couple glasses and a decanter and filled both glasses and then he extended one out to me.
"No, thank you." I shook my head.
He chuckled. 'It's only wine."
"After what your witch did to me, I don't think I should be taking anything you offer," I countered before I could stop myself.
"I might offer you information about the person you seek. Would you take that," he rebutted.
"That's different," I said between tight lips. "Plus, I will know if you're lying."
"Then you and I have that in common. We can detect liars." His voice low and dangerous.
He stepped forward and extended his arm, gesturing towards a chair at the end of the table. He then walked to the other side of the table and gracefully pulled out another chair, making sure the legs didn't scuff against the floor. He sat down and smiled, meeting my gaze.
"So, let's start off on a better note. I will be honest with you, if you're honest with me," he said.
I really had no choice in the matter. I couldn't trust this vampire but I needed information from him. I had no idea what he'd done to have Aunt Naima believe he needed to be confined to a void of endless torture and loneliness. And I still had no idea what hand he had in my sister's disappearance or what he knew of her. And Mika likely brought her fate on herself. One thing was certain, if this vampire deserve to die, I was going to be the one to end him. I would skip the void—however. I would just end him on the spot.
"Penny for all your thoughts," he hummed.
