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Now, I was seated at the small dining table, staring at the platters of food. A bowl of soup and a heaping plate of eggs and crisp vegetables had been brought to me earlier, but an entire feast had been laid out now—beef, chicken, and roasted duck, sitting among bowls of vegetables and fruits dusted with sugar. There were also pitchers of three different types of refreshments. Another line of quiet, veiled Chosen had served the food while Callum supervised. Then, the Chosen left.

Callum did not.

He sat in the sitting area outside the cage, reading a book, and all I could think about was the Chosen he’d so callously and cruelly murdered.

My fingers tightened around my fork as I pictured myself plunging the sharp tines deep into his throat. A small smile tugged at my lips. Harming Callum wouldn’t help me gain Kolis’s trust, but I had told him I would kill him.

And I would honor that promise somehow.

As I forced my hold on the fork to loosen, I thought of what Aios had said about how Kolis’s favorites were treated. Few were allowed to interact with them. For Callum to be in here several times now—alone—it had to signify something about him. No other Revenant spent any time in here.

My gaze flicked from the Revenant to the doors. When they were open, I’d seen two guards framing the entrance. I recognized the dark-haired one.

I had no idea where Kolis had disappeared to after reiterating his promise to make my life—and apparently, my afterlife—a living nightmare.

He’d promised to take my soul, just as he’d done with Eythos.

As I shuddered, I couldn’t help but wonder where, exactly, he kept his brother’s soul. Probably somewhere disturbing.

Either way, I wasn’t foolish enough to hope he’d freed Ash while he was away. The deal only went into play once he was sure I hadn’t lied. How he planned to go about determining that was anyone’s guess.

I picked at my food, my normally voracious appetite nearly nonexistent. My stomach was still churning; and dealing with Kolis had been like messing around with a caged pit viper. It was exhausting.

As was becoming the blank canvas and staying that way. Both had played a role in how easily and deeply I’d fallen asleep again. I’d slept on the divan once more, unable to bring myself to sleep on the bed.

“You should eat,” Callum advised, breaking the silence. “It will please His Majesty.”

I rolled my eyes, wishing the meat hadn’t been precut and a knife was available. I would’ve thrown it at the Revenant.

Which was likely why there were no knives.

“This is far too much food for one person to eat,” I pointed out as I plucked a bread crumb from the lap of the ivory gown I’d found in the chest. It was constructed the same as the one I’d worn yesterday, except it included a golden rope as a belt.

“Is it?”

Eating a piece of broccoli, I looked over at him. “I think the answer to that is obvious.”

Callum only shrugged in response.

I watched him as I chewed the buttery vegetable. “Do Revenants not eat?” I frowned, remembering I’d seen no pointy teeth on the bastard. But from personal experience, I knew fangs weren’t needed to drink. “Or do you need blood?”

Callum flipped the page of his book. “That’s a rude question.”

“Is it?” I parroted his comeback from earlier.

A faint smile appeared. “Revenants do not need food or blood.”

I ate a piece of chicken seasoned with some sort of spice. “So, if you don’t need food or blood, what do Revenants need?”

“Revenants are in need of nothing.”

“Nothing? That doesn’t…” I trailed off, understanding dawning. “It’s because you’re already dead.”

“Well, that was also a rude assessment,” he responded. “Do I look deceased to you?”

He looked rather healthy. “No.”

“Then there’s your answer.” He returned to reading.