Page 21 of Caller of Crows

Altair's gaze snapped to the picture. He stared at it for a few seconds before reaching out and taking it from Sven. "These mortals are all dead now." He placed the picture back on the nightstand, then turned it over.

The crow flew from the dresser and landed on his shoulder as if wanting to be a comforting presence, and Sven got the distinct feeling that he'd pried into something he shouldn't have.

The very next moment, though, Sven's jaw tensed. What was he doing feeling sorry for his kidnapper?

"If you didn't want to lose your family, you should have turned them."

Altair's expression hardened. "Don't talk about things you don't understand."

Sven's mouth went dry at the icy tone. He'd hit a nerve.

But before he could say anything else, a knock sounded on the door.

"That will be your food," Altair said, much to Sven's relief.

The vampire moved to the door and opened it, revealing a woman in a black dress carrying a tray. She bowed her head to Altair before entering the room and setting the tray down on the bed. Then, she left as quickly as she had entered.

To Sven's surprise, his stomach rumbled at the smell of food.

He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't realized how hungry he was.

"You should eat," Altair said as he watched Sven's eyes linger on the tray. "You need to regain your strength."

Sven nodded and sat up, the covers falling away from his bare chest. He felt self-conscious under Altair's gaze, but he tried to ignore it as he picked up a piece of toast.

After a moment, Altair stopped paying attention to Sven to finish dressing while Sven ate in silence. The vampire put on his shoes and then checked himself over. There was no mirror in the room, but then, vampires didn't have reflections anyway.

"Do you even know what you look like anymore?" Sven asked as Altair adjusted his shirt and ran a hand through his hair, making Sven want to do the same.

"I can see myself in your thoughts," Altair said. "You think I'm beautiful."

Sven choked on his toast, coughing as he tried to clear his airway. When he finally regained his composure, he glared at Altair. "I never said that," he sputtered.

Altair just smirked. "You didn't have to."

Sven rolled his eyes, but he couldn't deny the truth in Altair's words. The vampire was undeniably attractive.

Still, Sven forced himself to focus on the food, to push aside his thoughts and the way his body reacted to Altair's presence. He needed to keep a clear head if he was going to find a way out of this situation.

But then, a thought occurred to him. What if he used it to his advantage? "You said you could see yourself in my mind?"

"Yes," Altair confirmed.

"Does that mean you can see anything I'm picturing?"

Altair raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Sven shrugged nonchalantly. "Just curious."

The vampire shot him a long look. "What is it you want me to see?"

Sven hesitated. Then, his mind flashed back to the dream he'd had that night. He pulled up a strong memory of it. An image that had seared itself into his brain, an image of Altair kissing him, the vampire's hands roaming his body.

He could shove pictures like this at the vampire all day until Altair broke. Just because Altair knew what he was doing didn't have to mean Sven couldn't achieve his goal regardless.

He'd just have to be more relentless in his pursuit.

Shameless.