"You remember me?" Why did that make me feel special, somehow?

Dahlia staggered to her feet, her face cut and bleeding. "You!"

"You may leave now, Dahlia. I am quite finished with you." He didn't look at her, until she opened her mouth to protest. Then he fixed her with a piercing glare. "Unless there is something else you wish to offer me?"

She backed to the door, her eyes wide with fear, and left us alone in the study.

As if he hadn't just threatened to steal a person's soul right there in front of me, he beckoned me closer. "Come here, let me get a look at you."

I went to him, drawn by some invisible cord that seemed to bind us. Nothing like the blood tie. It was pure charisma.

"Of course I remember you. You were my son's… well, plaything seems so crude."

"Because it is." But I don't know why it didn't offend me.

"Pity, what had to occur between you. But you weren't suited to each other." He reached out, gripped my wrist.

"You re much too strong for him."

"Is that a compliment?" It was hard to tell It was hard to think at all. His hand burned where it touched my skin.

"It's an… observation." He lifted my wrist to his lips. I didn't resist him, even though it seemed certain he would bite. Instead, he pressed a kiss there, and I shuddered. "When you killed him, that created much trouble for me."

"Did it?" I pulled my hand back slowly, actually reluctant to break contact. "I won't apologize."

The Soul Eater chuckled. "I wouldn't expect you to."

"Because you know me so well?" I heard the sarcasm in my voice, but I didn't feel the conviction that bolstered my words.

He laughed again. "I can see why my son enjoyed your company. Please, sit. Talk with me. After five centuries, the days grow tedious, especially with such… pointless companions."

"And you two seemed to get along so well." I sat on the couch, where he instructed.

He righted the chair and turned it to face me before sitting. "She has her uses. I must admit, I found her enjoyable for a time. But I grow tired of people so quickly. It's a character flaw on my part, and I accept it. So, tell me. What have you come for?"

"I want to know where the Oracle is." There was no point in hiding it from him. I doubted I would survive to make it out of the place. If I could get the information, maybe I could relay it to Cyrus or Nathan. "The Oracle has my friends. Tell me where they are."

He laughed. "Now you underestimate me, Carrie."