"It shows less sense that he stayed under your thumb for so long." I let the comment hang in the air for a moment. "Tell me what you did to his mother."

"Stepmother," the Soul Eater corrected. He propped his steepled fingers in front of his mouth, cold blue eyes glinting in the firelight. "She was useless. Perpetually pregnant and useless. I had two daughters by her. Neither of them lived past infancy, thank the Lord for small mercies. But the experience of bearing a child and watching it die… well, it ruined her. Chores were neglected, my children ran wild. All except Cyrus, foolish brat that he was. He doted on her as if anything he could do would break her from her selfpitying spell.

"The day she burned, I'd had enough. I came in from the field—I was a simple farmer then, with no land of my own, toiling day after interminable day for another man's gain. I came into my house, and the fire had died. It wasn't a cold day, mind, but with no fire came no supper, and my bones fairly ached with hunger. I thought of my sons, scattered to the winds, doing God alone knew what while their stepmother wallowed in her sniveling sorrow, and I'd had enough. I went for kindling, built up the fire and when it was large enough, I pushed her into it."

Cyrus's tortured memories flashed through my mind. The loving mother figure, enrobed in flames. His only friend and ally in the cruel world of his childhood, burning to death before his eyes. And Mouse, left to burn away in the desert as he watched.

The Soul Eater made a disgusted noise. "Well, in any case, he's dead now."

So, he didn't know the truth then. How could he? Dahlia had obviously meant to kill Cyrus, and probably reported the deed finished when she'd told the Soul Eater.

"You're a monster," I rasped, still trying to swallow my shock.

"And you're a simpering fool!" His hand shot out to grab me by the throat. Rage lit his eyes and hard lines bracketed his mouth. Still, he wasn't the Soul Eater I'd feared meeting tonight. I hoped that creature didn't show his face white I was around.

He took a deep breath and released me, smiling tightly. "I'm sorry. Forgive me. I have no wish to harm you."

I find that hard to believe, I thought, but said nothing.

"You intrigue me, Carrie." He regarded me with an intensity that burned. "You may have been too strong for my son, and certainly too strong for my fledgling, but you're no match for me, A challenge, certainly. It would take us a long time, I think, to tire of each other."