"Is it true you don't have a soul?" The question hung between us. "What's it like not not have a soul?"

Gideon's eyes met mine, and for a moment, the clamour of the pub faded into a murmur. "What's it like to have a soul?" he countered.

I opened my mouth to answer, then paused. It was like asking a fish to describe water. "I don't know. It's, hard to describe," I began. "It's like an anchor in a way, something that ties you to your emotions, your morals. It's what makes you feel joy at the sight of a sunrise or pain when you see suffering."

Gideon nodded slowly, his gaze not leaving mine. "And what about guilt? Regret?"

"They're part of it too," I admitted as I was reminded of the mess with Marcus and what ever what now developing with Gethin. My emotions were tangled. "I guess it's the part that keeps you up at night, questioning if you've made the right choices."

He considered this, the faintest crease forming between his brows. "And happiness?"

"That too," I said with a small smile. "It's warmth. It's that feeling when you're surrounded by friends or when you see your garden bloom because of your care." My thoughts wandered to the plants I had nourished over the years. The roses and lavender and how they seemed to thrive under my touch.

Gideon was silent for a long moment before he spoke again. "It sounds rich," he said quietly. "Full of colour and texture."

"It can be," I agreed softly. The pub's atmosphere had settled into a comfortable background hum.

"And for you?" I asked gently. "What is it like not to have one?"

He looked away for a moment, his gaze settling on the flickering candle on our table.

"It's like being on the outside," he said at last. "Seeing life through a pane of dirty glass. You understand intellectually what others feel, but there's always this separation. A sense that you're looking in from somewhere far away."

The look on his face reminded me of a small, scared child, and I reached across the table without thinking, covering his hand with mine. The contact was warm and surprisingly human.

"You may not have a soul," I whispered, "but Gideon Winters, you are far from soulless."

Cedric's graceful approach was silent. "Mind if I join?" he said. His voice was as smooth as aged whisky.

Gideon and I both nodded, and Cedric pulled up a chair. "You've asked one of the most interesting questions I've heard in years," he said, nodding at me with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

I felt a flutter of nerves being so close to a vampire, concerned I had accidentally offended him. "I'm curious," I said tentatively. "You were once human, weren't you? With a soul?"

He chuckled softly. "Ah, yes. But that was centuries ago. Memories from that time are like mist, there one moment and gone the next. Our minds can only hold so much information and memory. I suspect you would go mad, tortured, and overwhelmed if the past did not fade."

"And having your soul torn out when you were transformed?" Gideon asked, leaning forward with interest.

Cedric's gaze drifted away, as if he could see through the walls and into the past. "It's a violent process," he said. "One moment you're human, flawed, passionate, alive with all the potential of life and death. And then," He paused. "It's like being plunged into icy water. The shock is indescribable. You emerge changed."

He looked down at his hands as if seeing them for the first time, or perhaps the thousandth time. "You remember emotions like echoes in an empty hall. Love, joy, sorrow, they become distant concepts rather than experiences."

"That sounds incredibly lonely," I said.

"It can be," Cedric said with a slight tilt of his head. "But you also gain a certain clarity." He locked eyes with me. "When your existence stretches out before you without end, you see things differently."

Gideon and I shared a look, both of us trying to understand what it must be like to live forever.

"Is there anything you miss about having a soul?" I asked quietly.

Cedric's expression softened. "I miss the warmth," he admitted. "The simple pleasure of sunlight on my skin." He looked up at us again. "But such is the price we pay for eternity."

I wanted to know more. "Is there a way to get a soul if you don't have one?" I asked.

Gideon turned to me. "I'm intrigued now. What brought this on?"

Cedric tensed. He looked troubled, his calm manner replaced by a troubled frown. "There is one way," he said.

My heart raced. "What way is that?" I asked.

He hesitated, meeting my gaze. His eyes were intense. "It involves a warlock," he said. "And a certain mineral."

It was as if he didn't want to say the word arcanite out loud. I could see the recognition in Gideon's eyes. He said nothing, but I wondered what he would do with that information.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked Cedric.

Cedric looked me in the eye. "Because you're part of this village now, Evie," he said. "And I think there are things you need to know."

I took a deep breath. "Cedric, do you know of anyone looking to get a warlock to help them get a soul back?"

Cedric's eyes snapped to mine, the warmth in them replaced by a guarded stare. He raised a hand. "The Enchanted Oak is many things, a keeper of secrets, a place where the otherworldly meet, but even I have to abide by the rules I set for my customers." He leaned in closer. "Asking me to tell you someone else's secrets is a line I won't cross."

I had so many questions, and Cedric seemed like the key to so many answers, but for now, they were his to keep.

"Is there anything you can tell me?" I asked, lowering my voice.

Cedric looked around the pub, as if checking for eavesdroppers in the shadows. He sighed and met my gaze again.

"The ways to get a soul back are complicated," he said. "It's not something that can be done easily, or without a cost."

I nodded.

"And no, I haven't heard of anyone looking for that kind of help. But Evie, if someone was, it would be hidden from sight."

His words weighed heavily on me. Cedric stood up, smoothing down the front of his vest. "Just a reminder that all secrets stay hidden at The Enchanted Oak," he said.

Had I just damaged my relationship with Cedric as well with my curiosity?