Isle of Night (The Watchers 1)

He laughed, but I wasn’t sure if it meant he was amused or angered. “I see you are incapable of lying. Do you know you just saved your life, little Acari? I dislike lies—I kill for less. ”

I swallowed hard. “I’m not a liar. ”

“I had to make certain. ” He gave me a courtly nod, as if granting me a point in a chess match. “Now tell me of this note you found. No”—he stopped me with an upraised hand—“I think I shall tell you. For I know more of it than you do. ”

My belly turned to ice. Had Yasuo been found out? Was he in trouble? “How do you know about the note?”

He shook his head in mock sympathy. “Poor, sad Acari. I will always know more than you do. ”

He studied me, and I wanted to squirm under his gaze. “Though you like that, I think. You’ve always dreamt of being instructed by one who knows more than you. It’s why I wanted you. You relish learning—you’re amused by the not knowing. You are seduced by it. Ever desirous of those moments your curiosity is finally gratified. ”

He made it sound like a sexual thing, and my heart thudded in response. I became aware of his arm pressed against mine. What was happening? I felt out of control. I was drawn to him against my will. Because I didn’t want him. Did I?

“Your note isn’t from young Yasuo. Though I have been watching him. Just what is it about that child that appeals to you?” He tilted his head in brief, almost aggravated, speculation.

“What do you mean?” I asked warily.

Master Alcántara inhaled sharply, visibly shoving thoughts from his mind. “Your note is from Lilac. Yes, she laid a trap for you. ”

Fury flared, roiling like acid in my belly. It made sense now. Of course it’d been Lilac. She’d had someone plant that note.

But then I felt cool relief quick on its heels prickling through me, loosening muscles I hadn’t known I’d tensed. “So Yasuo is safe?”

“You are fascinating to me, cariño. To endanger your life, to risk a prize I know you covet . . . ” His look implied I might yearn for something—or someone—more than just the Directorate Award. “That you’d jeopardize it all, and for someone you met mere months ago. ”

“Yasuo is my friend. I thought he was in trouble. ”

He stared as though I were a particularly entrancing specimen of butterfly. “I value loyalty. And it is why you won’t die tonight. Any other girl caught as you have been would be made an example. But I find I want to spare you. ”

He stroked my hair, easing closer. I became utterly still, thinking for a moment that he might kiss me. I held my breath. Did I want him to kiss me? I didn’t think I did. But still my eyes kept returning to those perfect lips.

Absurd notions flooded my head. Did vampires even kiss? Did they simply bite? Did Master Alcántara have fangs, and how is it I’d never seen them? Would his mouth be soft or hard? I felt my cheeks flame red, fearing he could read my every thought, but I couldn’t stop my mind from its musings.

He licked his lips. As though in answer to my unasked questions, they parted suggestively, flashing a glimmer of fang.

“Don’t be mistaken, querida. ” His whispered words held me in thrall. But this time I was unable to push back, unable to look away. He grazed a thumb lightly over my lower lip. “My mercy has a price. But I’ve decided you shall owe me. ”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

I’ve decided you shall owe me.

The words replayed in my head as I adjusted my sparring uniform, securing the black wraparound top into a snug knot at my waist. They’d haunted me all night, echoing in my dreams. They repeated over and over as I pulled my hair into one long braid down my back. As I tugged on the metal mesh face guard and gauntlets.

Watcher Priti had announced that today’s class would be spent practicing for our final combat tournament. Today’s weapon would be a Celtic short sword, with an additional dagger strapped to each student’s calf.

I did a few squats, making sure everything was in place. I generally felt good about my sword work, but Master Alcántara’s words distracted me, and that was bad.

I’ve decided you shall owe me.

Owe him what? I knew enough about vampires by now to surmise that couldn’t be good.

And then there’d been our weird conversation. His declarations had been almost intimate—that he’d sought me, that he’d chosen me. I’d found him mesmerizing. But creepy, too. The guy was technically dead, and yet he’d touched me like we were on some kind of date. Stroking my hair, cupping my cheek, rubbing his thumb along my lip. I shivered.

“You scared, Charity?”

Lilac. All day, I’d been trying to ignore the feel of her eyes boring into my back. Heaving a sigh, I faced her. “Of you? Hardly. ”

She was silent. If Master Alcántara hadn’t told me already, the look on her face would’ve spilled the truth. She’d been giving me the same suspicious glare since we’d woken up.