Gaslight (Crossbreed #4)(60)

Houdini was talking about the goon I’d killed who worked for an extortionist. Christian had driven the man’s car to a cemetery to dispose of the body, and someone snuck up and staked him from behind.

“You were the one who put Christian in the crypt? But how?” I shot up to my feet and approached the glass.

Houdini studied his short nails. “Vampires tend to ignore animal sounds in the woods. I followed him there and—”

“Why would you do something like that? He could have died in there.”

Houdini lowered his hands in his lap. “You always think there has to be a motive—a reason or goal. Sometimes people do bad things because it feels good. He was talking to himself, you know. Saying that you wouldn’t bat an eyelash if he turned up missing or was burned at the stake. Fire seemed a little excessive, so it became an interesting experiment. How people react under duress fascinates me. I do love a good plot twist.”

I flattened my hands against the glass and glared down at him. “I thought you were an observer.”

“Once in a while, I meddle.” His eyes flicked up. “I got close to him once, Raven. I can do it again.”

“Don’t you dare.”

“I brought you two closer together, and yet you’re complaining. What would have happened if I hadn’t intervened?”

That night, Christian had almost left Keystone, and I was on the outs. We might have gone our separate ways had he not disappeared unexpectedly, prompting me to go on a search.

I recoiled when Houdini poked his finger through one of the airholes and touched my stomach.

“No one will believe you if you tell them what I’ve done. I erased Claude’s memory of me in his salon, and you have no documented evidence linking me to a crime. They’ll think you’re paranoid or crazy, but more likely, they’ll think the person who kidnapped you replaced all your memories with a lie. How much do you know about Vampire magic? Not only can I erase someone’s mind, but I can create a whole new reality, making them believe they were born a different person.” As he rose to his feet, my hair stood on end. “Do you know how rare crossbreeds are? I’m not talking about the Breeds who can have children, but the ones who can’t. We’re the future, Raven. We’re Adam and Eve. There’s always a chance I could make someone else like me, but I can’t help but wonder what might happen if you put your light into one of my younglings.”

“I’m not a Creator.”

Just as soon as the words left my mouth, I shut my eyes. Like everyone else, Houdini knew that not every Mage was a Creator. He was carefully manipulating his words to access new information about me.

And I’d just given it to him.

He rested his forehead against the glass. “You want so desperately to hate me, but you can’t. You should thank me.”

“For what?”

“For putting loyalty to the ultimate test. You’ve formed an attachment to those people, and now you’ll see what your life is really worth to them and how hard they’re willing to fight for it. Prepare for disappointment, Raven. If you haven’t already figured it out, you’ll eventually learn that you can’t depend on anyone but yourself, and the sooner you recognize that, the better off you’ll be. You’ll stop making choices that benefit others. Now why don’t you have a beignet? I made them fresh this morning.”

I strode over to the food and grabbed the plastic cup. Then I pushed my arm all the way to his side and tossed the milk onto the floor.

“These aren’t deplorable conditions, Raven. If it’s any consolation, I think your Vampire friend will win the bid. He’s persistent, so you’ll be back home in no time.”

I walked to the small chair and sat down, the leg wobbling. “No, I won’t.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because I can’t be with anyone who bought me. Congratulations. You’ve successfully ruined a good thing.”

“Don’t all women want a man to fight for them?”

“What you know about women would fill a thimble,” I said, using a phrase that belonged to Christian. It made me miss him, and I rubbed my face. “Christian’s doing what he thinks is right, but I’ll never be able to work there. And no matter how good his intention, I can’t be with anyone who paid for me.”

Houdini leaned his shoulder against the glass. “You act as if love is meant to last. Vampires aren’t monogamous by nature. There aren’t as many female Vampires out there as males, and most of them want nothing to do with mating. He’s attracted to you because of your Vampire blood, but if another female Vampire came into the picture—one of high caliber—do you honestly think he’d stay true? What you see as sabotage is really enlightenment.”

“How much money will be enough before you to stop?”

After scratching his pale chest, he dragged his chair back in front of the table and sat down. “Waking up and drawing breath isn’t living. We all need a purpose, and this is what I’m good at. Don’t you remember that feeling when you were a rogue?”

I was beating a dead horse. Houdini would never change his ways because I talked sense into him, and I was growing weary of fighting a losing battle.

“My maker instilled in me the wisdom to build a fortune,” he continued. “So I wouldn’t be reduced to the life of a scavenger.”