“You are a prisoner.”
“No, I’m a human—”
“Human. Davy. Prisoner.”
“Yes.” I surged forward eagerly. She was getting it.
“I am human, prisoner. Jiyama.”
“No.” She sighed. “You are a vampire.”
Her lips lifted, and fangs appeared.
“Yes, see. You’re a vampire. I’m a human.”
The fangs slipped back in their place, and she closed her mouth. “Davy. Jiyama.”
“Oh God.” This was going to take a while.
The door burst open again, and Lucan stomped in. “Jiyama, what are you doing? Get away from her.”
She turned, but not before I saw her grin. “I am learning English.”
He stopped and frowned at her.
I expected him to rip into her, chastise her, but when he said nothing, her mouth dropped open. Instead he looked at her in confusion, like she was a puzzle that he couldn’t figure out.
When he continued to stare at her, a laugh ripped out of me. “I can’t believe this.”
His eyes grew dark, and he pointed a finger at me. “You shut up. You don’t understand a thing. Jiyama, we need to go.”
She turned back and reached through the bars again. “Davy. Prisoner.”
The same surge of warmth spread through me again. I gasped and my vision blurred this time. She had healed me before, but this time her magic helped me. Life—something took root in me. The Immortal stirred inside of me, wakened once more. I seized the magic and absorbed it eagerly.
“Don’t!” Lucan yelled.
Jiyama jerked away, but I grabbed her hand before she could pull it out. I yanked her back to me.
Jiyama yelped, but I was blind from greed. I needed more of that magic. The Immortal’s power was starting to build again. It was spreading through me. The more Mori magic I felt, the more my power rose. This time I wasn’t afraid of it. I could do something with this magic. The channel could be opened again. If only—
“No.” Lucan caught my hand.
I salivated for more, but crashed against the cage.
Jiyama stared at me. Her face still looked blank, but something was stirring in her eyes. They had turned from brown to red, a dark red. “I gave you a gift. Something you could not have had, you have now.” She looked down. “But you must protect your gift.” She held her hand out, and another burst of magic came from her. It shot through me, sealing something, but The Immortal slammed against me. She wanted to get out. She wanted the Mori.
“Stop!” Lucan pulled her back. “Jiyama, leave. This is not the one you can learn English from. I have others.” He placed a hand between her shoulders and led her to the door.
She went, but looked back over her shoulder. “Others?”
He nodded. “They are below. They are not dangerous. This one is dangerous. Do not come here again.”
She finally nodded and went into the hallway. His shoulders sagged in relief as he shut the door.
I held onto the cage bars. “You are not their leader, are you?”
His shoulders tensed immediately before he swung to face her. Resigned.
I saw his answer. He didn’t have to say a word. A smile came to my face and I couldn’t stop it. I didn’t want to stop it. “You are a guest, aren’t you? They have no idea who I am, who the others are, or that we’re even here. What are you to them?”
Lucan frowned at me, studying me. “The Mori saved me years ago. Lucas nearly killed me once. They found me and took me in. They healed me and became my family when my real family turned on me.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” I laughed. “They have no idea who you are, what you’re trying to do.”
“What am I trying to do, Davy?” he asked, softly. A keen look came to him, and he started to advance forward. With each step, he asked, “What is it that you think I’m really trying to do?”
“Kill me. Take ultimate power from me. Rule all the vampires.”
He stopped, but sent me a dark look. “I am trying to better the vampire race. I am trying to make it so that we don’t have to hide anymore. Humans can know that we live among them. We won’t have to worry about a war with the werewolves. We will be safe, once and for all. And yes, that means the Mori, too. They can finally come out of their hiding. They can show the world who they are.”
“You’re mad,” I murmured. “I don’t think you even know anymore what you want.”
Everything changed in that instant. His shoulders stood upright. His smirk came back, and he gave me a radiant smile. “I want The Immortal thread. And I won’t stop before I get it, Davy. One way or another, I will figure out how to rip it out of you. When I do, you will die slowly, painfully, and I will enjoy watching it.”