Chapter Four

Silas had picked up cartography as a hobby some centuries ago when he'd arrived in Eurobis. For creatures like him, traveling was a siren call. The maps had been a practical tool to keep him busy when certain… supernatural complications had hindered his ability to travel.

At the time, he'd cursed the lack of freedom, condemned to stay confined in the eastern part of the continent he'd once sought.

Now? He was grateful, because not only had it brought him to the same place as his little female captive, but also given him something he could bond over with her. He might be able to overpower the witch physically, compelling her to stay and refrain from stabbing him long enough to court her, but her mind was her own .

Which meant it was all that much dearer a prize.

Silas wasn't prone to playing fair. Certainly not when there was something he'd wanted.

And he'd never wanted anyone like her before. The female had attacked him, a bigger, stronger opponent, while still wounded with unhesitating violence. The same female who stared at the maps he'd labored over with blatant admiration in a way that made him puff up his chest.

So, when he'd spotted her interest, he'd been unable to resist showing her more of his work. Wanted to see her ravenous gaze devour the parchment he'd spent weeks poring over. Wanted to have her beside him, her juniper-and-mayberry scent wrapping around him while she asked him questions instead of spewing threats at him. And if he shamelessly drew her onto a small chaise when he had far larger spaces to lounge in his caves, well, once more: Silas didn't play fair.

"Is Wyrdova where vampires come from?" was her first question.

He scoffed, imagining vampires in the sunny kingdom. "There are no vampires there. "

She frowned, surprised. "Only witches and voids?"

"No. There's magic there, but it's not so codified the way it is in Eurobis with a hundred gods no one can keep track of and systematically trapped in cards."

His witch turned over his answer, trying to fit what he said into her understanding of the world. Oh, the things he would show her, would teach her.

"What's it like, then?"

He tried to think of the best way to explain it. Truthfully, the kingdom had been stifling to him. His brother had claimed the space and the neighboring kingdoms for himself, and although Alistair could share, their kind weren't fond of doing so. Silas had been eager to travel away, to find his own path, and had mostly kept to the books he hoarded in his time there. That wouldn't be a satisfactory answer, however. "It's a peaceful place, with sprawling fields and a simple group of people. It's a land that values art and music over commerce, I suppose. Some of the finest writers and poets I've known came from there. "

"Is that where you come from?" she asked, hesitantly. "Or where do you come from, if there's no vampires in Wyrdova?"

It pleased him to no end that she wanted to know more about him. Because he had endless questions about her. "That kingdom was my birthplace. I wasn't born a vampire, after all."

"You were human?"

He grinned. "I didn't say that either. Now, it's only fair you share of yourself as well. Tell me about where you grew up."

Esmae frowned. The confused expression did nothing to mar her beauty. "Why do you want to know about me?"

Because I want to know everything about you. "I'm a curious creature, and I've longed for companionship." Not a lie, though in truth, Silas was solitary by choice. He had no need for incessant chatter; he only wanted the company of one single female.

"So I'm to be your entertainment. "

"I'll entertain you in turn," he promised. "In any manner of your choosing," he added, lowering his voice suggestively.

She flushed, a scarlet hue appearing on her cheeks as she caught his meaning. Her blood beckoned him, but he wouldn't draw again from her so soon. He didn't need much blood to live; he could exist on what he'd taken from her for weeks. Of course, one didn't need to drink the finest wine in the lands. One simply wanted to.

"I don't suppose letting me stab you would be an option?"

He grinned. He was learning, for his female, that violent threats were a way to flirt. Or at least, that was how he chose to interpret them.

"What's your favorite part of your town?" he amended.

She seemed inclined to argue again before sighing. "There's a small hill that crests just over the river. It's too small for sailing, but still, I like to imagine what stops exist along the river. What I might see if I followed it down, what adventures I might have." She turned away. "You think it's silly, I'm sure. "

He frowned. "Not at all. What would make you say that?"

She fidgeted. "Jared—others did. After all, as a mediocre weaver, I'd never have the need to sell at larger markets, and never have the funds to explore in my own right. I need to care for my father, so I could hardly go off to seek my own fortune. My magic isn't useful for anything more."

Silas had several questions about that. Why she deemed herself a mediocre weaver, why she put others above herself, what the nature of her magic was, where she might like to go. But one burned above all others.

"Who is Jared?" Who was the male who dared make her seem like her desires were foolish?

She looked back at him, spine straight. "I'm not answering that."

He could compel her to. He opened his mouth just to do so when she snapped, "If you force your will on me to answer another of your questions, I'll bite my tongue so hard it bleeds."

He could use his thrall to prevent her from doing that, but perhaps better not to force the female to give up all her secrets. He'd get them one way or the other, and wouldn't they be sweeter when she offered?

"Tell me what else you wish to know about Wyrdova, then. Or anywhere else."

"Anywhere?"

Silas shrugged. "There are few continents I've not visited." It had taken him time to settle down once he'd left Wyrdova. He'd been looking for something, even if he hadn't known what. Until fate led him to Eurobis.

He'd wondered why. Cursed the loss of his freedom. Yet now, he realized he'd been drawn to these cliffs for a reason.

Because this was where he would one day find Esmae Mellodi.

His fated mate.