There was a fire going in the library and a pot of tea and sandwiches set out on the enormous desk. I didn’t know who’d put them there—magic, maybe—but they smelled delicious. I helped myself to a sandwich and dragged a small chair closer to the fire, figuring that would put enough room between me and Forge, and me one step closer to the door.
“I want to apologize—”
“Let’s skip past your second attempt at an apology and fast-forward to the part where you explain how Scotland turned into a blood-fest. That’s something I would have liked a heads-up on before I boarded the plane.”
When his lips tightened, I half regretted the way I was acting, but then I remembered all the things he’d withheld from me and notched my chin higher.
“I should have,” Forge said. “I withheld information from you because I knew the truth would spook you. While you thought you knew me from stories you’d heard, there is no way to prepare a human for the level of violence that exists in my world.”
I finished my sandwich and looked longingly at the plate across the library. “You could have at least tried, Forge. What would have been worse? Me having some idea of what was coming, or to be completely blindsided?”
“I agree.” He lowered his head. “I should have trusted you. I should have allowed you to make the decision. I didn’t know whether I could trust you yet.”
“Now look where we are,” I grumbled, finally crossing the room for another sandwich. “I don’t trust you anymore,” I told him flatly, then watched his face as I nibbled away at the crust. “To be honest, I don’t know if I ever can.”
Instead of looking guilty, he looked eager, his face showing a trace of anticipation. “I said you could ask me anything,” he reminded me. “I meant it. What do you want to know?”
My list would take all night, but I settled for the one thing that was still a complete mystery to me, yet seemed to take precedence in the Forge is a total liar department.
“What is a Chosen, and who appointed you my… What did you call yourself? My Immortal Keeper?”
His eyes widened slightly, and he rose to stoke the fire.
He’s already thinking of a way around it, to explain it away. I checked my phone. Forty minutes to go, and I wouldn’t even look back.
“The Ouroboros Society is very old, and not exactly in the public eye. We have nothing that holds us together except for our philosophy. We believe in nurturing and developing special abilities in humans. Anyone from a skilled cellist to a stem-cell researcher—when we come across a deserving human, we protect them. We teach them, whenever possible.”
“Which means you only agreed to help me because I had an ability you wanted to exploit.”
“No more than you wanted to exploit my friendship with Ambrose to get what you wanted.”
Stalemate on that one. While on the surface, Forge had my motives right, there were a hundred other reasons I’d gone to him, and would probably—given the circumstances—make the same choice again. Not that I was proud of what I’d done, but nor had I lied about everything.
“What, exactly, is a Chosen?” I lifted the pendant. “Do we all wear one of these?”
“Yes, all Chosen wear the pendant.” He turned away from the fire and walked to the desk, giving me a wide berth. He pulled something out of his pocket and set it on the table, the gold glinting in the firelight. “Patrons wear something similar. It’s usually quite subtle—these cuff links, for instance—but the jewelry will always have the symbol on it.”
“You’re like my…patron?” That term sounded almost benign, nor did it mean the same thing as “keeper.” Maybe I’d gotten the wrong impression from Forge’s over-the-top reaction, when he’d practically claimed me as his in front of the others.
He put his hand over his heart and gave me a half-bow. “At your service.”
I ignored him, but it was becoming harder to keep my hatred burning bright.
“Does this make things dangerous for me in any way?” I remembered how the Elder had looked at me, as if he couldn’t wait to sink his claws into me, and how Dobson had leered at me.
“An enemy would recognize it, yes. But allies will also protect you if they know you are Chosen. All the members don’t know each other, but that symbol unites us in purpose.”
“My abilities.” I veered off onto a wild tangent: “Are they from Ambrose, or are they completely random?” I held my breath as Forge considered this.
“No. Ambrose had a way about him, but wasn’t blessed with your specific ability. His gift was knowing what someone was thinking—but it was only a feeling, he said, not the capability to read thoughts word for word, as you do. He and I certainly never communicated mentally. Still, his intuition came in handy when we arrived in the new world.”
“Why don’t all vampires employ someone with this kind of ability, then? I’d think they’d all have someone who can read minds by their side, if only to even the odds.”
“Your kind is so rare that most of my people have never seen your like. Most vampires despise humans, and so, would never form an alliance with them. They think of your kind only as sport and food.” Forge shot me a pointed look. “Especially the vampires who attended Assembly.”
If he thought he was being forthcoming, he was wrong. This was even more reason for me to be mad at him for withholding the truth and letting me walk into a freaking bloodbath.
“Some of us, though, are intrigued by humans. The society is proof of that.” He rubbed his hands up and down his thighs. “I know you don’t trust me, Selena, and you have good reason. I should have been more honest with you, but I haven’t interacted with humans in
