Page 141 of Eternal Craving

“No more than most who’d like to slash my wrists and then burn me up.”

“Now it’s me being rude.”

I burst into laughter.

Archer smiled. “You’re not what I expected.”

“Really?”

“You have a serene presence. I really am interested in?—”

We both froze. Someone lingered outside the door.

“They’ll be wondering where I am,” he said.

“The Creda have turned the tables.”

“In what way?”

“They have a secret rendezvous tomorrow night to discuss your downfall.”

“Where?”

I frowned. “Perhapssecretwasn’t the best word.”

“What time?”

“First, you must swear that you’ll not try to capture me.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“I offer you the elite vampires of London, the opportunity to annihilate every last one, and you decline the offer?”

“When something sounds too good to be true, it very often is.”

“I hear the Creda’s plan includes the destruction of Stonehenge.”

Despite his attempt to look disinterested, he failed. “Impossible.”

“In or around 2800 B.C., the Welsh were hired to construct the monument.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“They plan to hire the Welsh to deconstruct it.”

“What do you gain from betraying your own?”

“A way back to being mortal.”

He looked surprised. ‘“And how do you plan to do that?”

I reached for his hand, pried it open, and dropped a small object onto his palm.

He closed his fingers around it. “What is it?”

“One more thing to document in your collection.”

Archer opened his fingers and stared down at the small, black carved rook. “You play chess?”