Ever since my nightmare where my meeting with Elias went sideways, I've been obsessed with learning how to wield my power. I know Cane said he'd help me, but I'm not quite sure I trust him yet. However, I do trust him enough to snoop in his office. Meaning I don't think he'll rip my head off if he catches me.

He has all kinds of books in here; the walls are covered in them. The white bookcases are so tall that they require a ladder to reach the top. There must be something in at least a few of them that will teach me about Dreamwalkers. Many of them look to be antiques, and some of them look like they've never even been cracked open.

I have gathered a pile in my hands and I'm almost ready to go back to my room and dive in when I hear someone clear his throat behind me. I almost jump out of my skin and turn around, nearly dropping the books onto the floor.

"Shit, Cane. You scared the hell out of me."

He leans against the door frame with his arms crossed. His dark tan skin and black hair are a sharp and beautiful contrast to the white and earth tones found in his office. I always pictured vampires in a place like Evermore with gothic architecture and gloomy hues. It shouldn't surprise me that Cane is prone to break the mold.

"What are you up to, coelhinha?"

"I was just—I wanted to find..."

In a few long strides, he crosses the room and reads the spines of the books in my arms. One side of his mouth ticks up in a smile. "Already bored with all those romance novels you bought on my account?"

I want to melt into the soft beige rug. Some of the items I bought with his account, I made known, wanting to annoy him with how frivolously I've been spending his money. But the books I bought, they were truly for my enjoyment. I can only hope he didn't read the descriptions of any of them.

But I've never been one to be ashamed of my reading habits, and I don't want to start now. So I straighten my spine and lift my chin. "Nope, I still have a stack of spicy why choose romances to get through, but I thought I'd give it a rest and come down to do some research on my powers."

He quirks a brow. "Why choose romances? What the hell is that?"

My face reddens and I roll my lips between my teeth. That one may be hitting a little too close to home right now, I realize, so I just shake my head. "Nevermind. Anyway, I'm not sure that I have the right books for what it is I need to do. Can you—" I take a deep breath and do the thing I planned on never doing. "Can you help me?"

He eases several books out of my stack and places them on the glass top of his desk. Sliding his hands into his pockets, he strolls the room until he finds a thick book that looks like it might hold every answer in the universe within its pages. He hands it and two more large leather-bound volumes to me before moving behind his desk. I noticed earlier that the books stored along the far wall appeared ancient, so I steered clear of them. The last thing I wanted was to somehow ruin some priceless tome.

Cane eases a thin tattered book from the shelf and returns to me. He places his last selection on top and taps the cover with his fingertip. "This is the most important of all of them," he says.

I stare down at the weathered edges, not finding anything remarkable about it. The book doesn't even have a name on the cover. "Why? What's it about?" I ask.

"It contains detailed instructions on how to kill and nullify the magic of a vampire."

"What? Why would you give me this?" My shock is evident in my tone; there is no explanation I can think of that makes any sense.

He shrugs one shoulder and saunters to the door before looking back at me. "You wanted to know if you could trust me. I think this is the best way to prove that you can."

*****

I've been reading the books I got from Cane's office for almost a week, and I haven't come out of my room except to pick up my deliveries from the doorstep. Ruth brings me my lunch every day, and she has dropped her glamour with me now. I love seeing her in her Yeti form, and she answers all of my questions, which I'm sure she finds asinine. But she's definitely too kind to show it.

Anything to keep my mind off Elias. He is a whole other issue that I can't even think about right now. I'm still sad about being away from my home—missing my parents terribly—but the more I learn about my powers, my feelings toward the situation with Elias are slowly morphing from sadness to anger.

He kept so much from me. And not to mention...I was putting little pieces of the puzzle together last night and I realized something. He never even told me I am capable of physically harming people in my dreams—of killing people. Cane is the one who told me that. That night in the window seat.

Even back then, Cane thought I could handle more information than Elias. How fucked up is that? Not to mention all the things about the bonds that he kept from me. Especially the primal bond. The fact that he isn't acknowledging it even now, when it could save me, is so fucking hurtful.

Our relationship was a whirlwind at best, and to top it off, he kept the most important details of his past and our bond to himself. What does that mean for our relationship?

He hurt me. And I don't know if it's something we can work through or not. And we definitely aren't going to figure it out in the middle of a dream. The reality is I have to get away from his brother, and I can't concentrate on that and worry about the past with Elias. He fucked up, and it is what it is.

But to be honest, between Ruth and reading Cane's books, I have little time to think about anything but my master plan, which is coming together nicely. Everything I have said to Cane since that night I apologized for prejudging him (an apology I meant, by the way) has lulled him into a false sense of security.

Cane giving me that book today confirmed my theory. He thinks I'm becoming complacent, just enjoying being tucked up here in the mountains, spending all his money, reading my days away.

And more than all that, he trusts me. He just handed me all the ways to kill him, and I could do it right now if I wanted to.

Not that I would. I don't want anyone's blood on my hands. Even Cane's. He hasn't done anything to hurt me; in fact, it's been quite the opposite. Even though he's a total smartass and he gets on my nerves, he hasn't laid a hand on me. And somehow I know he won't.

Why did he give it to me, then? I told him I wanted to work on my powers. What does this have to do with my powers? The questions about the damn book have been eating away at me all day. I don't think I can absorb any of this information until I understand what is going through his head.

I throw the old slender book on the bed and rip my blankets away from my legs. Before I can think better of it, I'm marching down the stairs. Again, Cane sits at the kitchen table with blueprints spread out in front of him. He has a pencil in his hand, one tucked behind his ear, and a triangular ruler pressed to the parchment paper.

He glances at me from the corner of his eye and says, "Oh, you do live. I was going to finish up this last measurement and call the morgue to pick up your rotting corpse before it stunk up my house."

"Ha-ha," I say, rolling my eyes and plopping down in the chair across from him and plucking the pencil from behind his ear, twirling it between my thumb and forefinger. "Seems like you'll be the one needing the morgue if I end up reading that last book you gave me and learning a new trick or two."

He hums and draws another straight line on the plans. "Good to know my suspicions were right and you are devising a plan to kill me. Remember in the end that I was helpful."

"Why? Why did you give me that book?"

"I told you: I trust you. The rest should be obvious."

I snatch the other pencil out of his hand. "It's not. What is the rest of the reason?"

With that pure annoyed expression, that I believe he saves just for me, he leans back in his chair. "Because you believe you are weak, that you need a bunch of books to tell you how powerful you are. I'm giving you your first upper hand over my kind. You have the knowhow to kill us. That is if you read the book." He leans in and rests his hand on the table, holding me under a scrutinizing gaze. "Why haven't you read it, Delia?"

I lean forward and mirror his posture, our fingers centimeters away from each other on the tabletop. "Because I couldn't give a fuck's care less of how to kill you, Cane. That's not what I'm interested in. I want to learn how to use my powers. That's all. I want to be in control. I want to block Elias from my dreams so I don't have to see him anymore. It hurts too fucking much. I want to learn how to call my dad into my dreams because I miss my parents. I want to find out what all I can do, strengthen myself. I don't want to use them to hurt you," I finish in a low voice, sounding far more emotional than I intend to.

He licks his lips like a predator that just backed his prey in a corner. "You could ask me to train you, you know."

"And why would I do that?"

Being the smartass that he is, he looks around the kitchen, stretching his neck this way and that. "Because I'm the only one here."

I let out an exaggerated gasp and place my hand over my chest. "Oh my god! You are? I had no idea!"

He rolls his eyes and holds out his hand for at least one of his pencils. I place one in his palm and just stare at him as I tap the other on the tabletop. I don't feel like questioning him anymore about his reasoning, but I don't really trust his motives. Why would he want to do something that could ultimately make it easier for me to escape?

"Eh, I think I'll pass," I say, tucking the pencil back behind his ear. "But thanks for the offer. By the way, I'm not planning on killing you. But it's nice to know I have the option, you know...just in case."

He shrugs, but I catch the flash of disappointment in his eyes. He wants to train me... badly. I don't have much time to dwell on it with his next words. "You should have dinner down here tonight. With me."

"Why?"

"I see we have a new favorite question. Because Ruth leaves after she is done cooking and I want someone to help me do the dishes. And before you ask why, it's because I have sensitive skin."

The laugh that escapes me is more of a snort, and I can't even pretend I'm not actually amused by him. "Sensitive skin? Oh for Hades sake, that is the lamest excuse I've ever heard of. Just tell me you enjoy my company, and I'll consider dining with you," I say, sitting back in my chair, swinging my foot back and forth as I cross one knee over the other.

He places his pencils in a neat row, rolls up his blueprints, and folds his hands on the top of the table. Several heartbeats pass as he stares at me. I'm convinced we are in a fierce round of the quiet game when he finally says, "Dearest, most beautiful Cordelia. I am but a lonely vampire forced to spend my days in a coffin and nights as a bat. It would honor me greatly if you would grace my dining room tonight and share a meal with me. I promise to Satan himself that you will not be the main course." I open my mouth to reply but a sly grin spreads across his face. "Unless you would like to be."

My cheeks heat and I almost come back with a compromise of being the appetizer instead, but thank Athena and every other god and goddess, I catch myself. What the fuck am I thinking? Before I can blurt out something reckless, I shift the mood to goofy instead. "Very well, good sir, I'll join you for dinner, but I'm not wearing a corset or one of those hoop skirt things."

Mischief sparkles in his eyes. And I swear the filthiest thoughts are flashing through his head. My assumption is confirmed when he says, "Fine. Naked it is. I'll see you at seven, coelhinha."

My mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water, never finding the right comeback. Cane dips his head in a slight bow and exits the kitchen, leaving me with the next move in our battle of the wits. I'm highly considering showing up for dinner naked just to get his reaction.