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She didn’t laugh at his joke.

She examined his attire while she ate. She thought she was being sneaky, but he came closer to crouch a few feet from her. Collecting a stone from the ground, Geryon played with it while they spoke.

“I thought you intended to kill me,” she said, bringing her first mouthful of food to her lips. Her tastebuds wonderfully sparked to life.

Dear heavens, he knows how to cook something tasty.It wasn’t as good as hers or her mother’s cooking, but it had the right kind of herbs and spices for what was available.

“Yes, that was originally my plan.” He rested his elbows on his knees, keeping himself balanced on his toes. “But I have changed my mind. I can see you are not filled with evil.”

“What do you plan to do with me, then? This was not a part of our bargain.” Her tone was dull, letting him know she wasn’t impressed.

“I have not made up my mind yet.” Then a large, mischievous grin formed across his features, one she didn’t trust.

“And why is that?”

“Because I wish to return to Bradwick’s palace, to keep it as my hunting grounds.” His eyes followed her fork every time she speared it into her food.He wants me to tell him what I think of his cooking.She refused. “I have many years left there, and I do not know how to incorporate you into that.”

“Then just kill me. I am giving you permission.”

He shook his head, his blue-black hair swaying. “I no longer wish to kill you.”

“Then give me to the Elders.”

When she stopped eating, her stomach too queasy with emotions to finish it, she placed it on the ground near her feet.

“It truly amazes me how much you know of my kind.” He gave a laugh. “You may be one of the most informed Witches I have ever met, and for that reason alone you are quite the threat.”

She looked at the pillows around her nervously.Could I be endangering my family by revealing how much we know?Damnit. Valerie hadn’t thought about that possibility.

“No, I do not plan to hand you over to them.” With his metallic blue eyes firmly on hers, he stepped closer in his crouched position.

“Then, what do–”

“I have learnt much about you these past few days.”

He tilted his head when she turned hers to the side to dismiss him. She wasn’t bothered by what he learned.Except for my feelings. I had wanted to keep them hidden.

“Your family is odd.Youare odd. I may not speak to Witches often, but even I know your family is different.”

“So, you wish to keep me as a prisoner out of curiosity?”Like dance monkey, dance?She folded her arms, her fists bunching; she didn’t appreciate such a thing.

“Oh, curiosity is definitely part of it,” he grinned. “But your family’s strange ways are not the main reason. I am curious aboutyouin particular.”

Her brow twitched with the urge to frown. Despite her head being turned, her eyes fell back on him. Valerie almost felt like a cornered mouse. If she wasn’t careful, if she didn’t keep her gaze on this predator, it might eat her – and not in the way she’d asked for.

“You have made your beliefs obvious, and I can see why you want to walk the path you wish to. You want to erase what you have done, even if it means your death. I find that noble. I wonder, though, did you kill the creatures you stole from?”

“No,” she answered quietly. “I could not go that far.”

“We do not know what it is that creates the poison in your kind, whether it is the use of dark magic or the death that comes directly before it. There are theories that the death of a magical creature lingers for a short while after its demise, that they try to curse those who have harmed them before they disappear from the world.”

“Regardless, I still harmed when I should not have.”

“You feel guilt over it, but you do not regret it, because the price was the safety of your sister.” He crawled a little closer, and Valerie didn’t know if his slowness was out of wariness, or to not spook her. It was like he was approaching an injured animal that might lash out. “So, what is it you truly regret? Why is it you feel shame?”

Damn you, Carwyn.She just had to speak out loud and reveal her true feelings for all to witness.

“I feel shame because I allowed my sister to be taken in the first place. If I had just protected her from the beginning, I would never have had to walk this path.”