It turned out Roran's "someplace safe" was a dark, slimy cave behind a waterfall. A tattered old hammock hung in the back tied between two stalagmites, but the rest of the space was pretty bare. The only indication that he spent any time here was the small stack of sharpened stones and various bones that were in the process of being fashioned into weapons.

I swallowed hard and questioned the logic of trusting this man (for about the hundredth time in the past few hours). If he had the strength to take down three huge wolf men then he would have no trouble making mincemeat out of me. Perhaps that had been his plan all along. Maybe he had lured me here to kill me and eat me!

"Calm down, Thea. I'm not going to hurt you."

My eyes widened. "How did you know what I was thinking? Can you read my mind?"

I backed further away from him, the spray of the waterfall hitting the back of my neck.

He chuckled. "I don't have to. You look like you're about to faint."

Letting out a half-hearted scoff, I crossed my arms and tried to look brave. "Pfft. No, I don't."

Smooth, Thea. I bet he is super impressed with your witty comeback.

As if reading my mind, which he claimed to be unable to do, Roran smirked and shook his head. He sat down and leaned back against the wall and motioned me toward the opposite side of the cave.

His eyes glowed brightly in the dark, and much like a moth; their glimmering flame drew me forward almost against my will. Before I even realized I was doing it, I had walked forward and was sliding down the wall to sit across from him. His features were partially shadowed, but it was the first time I had been able to really look at him face to face. His deeply tan skin stood out in stark contrast to my own, which looked to have gotten even paler during my stay here. His features were masculine and rugged, and despite his unnatural eyes, Roran was still the most attractive man I had ever met.

He cleared his throat and I realized I had been staring. Quickly averting my eyes, I stared at my hands in my lap and tried to figure out something to say.

After several awkward seconds Roran spoke up. "Look, you want answers, right? Why don't you let me explain things to you."

"So talk," I somehow got up the courage to say.

"Where do you want me to start?" he asked in return.

I shrugged. I had so many questions that needed to be answered, but they all seemed too ridiculous to say out loud. Eventually I decided it was probably best to figure out what type of monster I was dealing with.

"Start with the question you never answered earlier. What are you?"

Roran frowned and hesitated. It seemed like he disliked that question, but I wasn't letting him off the hook.

"Well?" I prompted.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face. "I'm what your kind refers to as a phoenix."

"A phoenix?" I asked in disbelief. "So you're a giant, flaming bird?"

Roran looked offended. "What? No. Is that what you think phoenixes are? Birds?"

"Um, yes, Einstein. Because they are birds!"

"No. We're not," he replied, his tone filled with anger. "Phoenixes are a humanoid species just like all other monsters - vampires, lycans, skin-walkers, goblins, and demons. We are all mutations of ordinary humans. Or at least that's the popular theory."

"Then why are there tons of stories depicting phoenixes as birds?" I asked, still skeptical.

"I wouldn't know. I've been here for...What year is it now?"

"2014."

"I've been in purgatory for about 500 years now. So my best guess is that all of the real phoenixes are here or in hiding and the humans have no idea what we actually look like."

I can't help but stare at him in an attempt to figure out how he could possibly be different from me. He looks so...human. Ordinary. Well, exceptionally fit and strong, but ordinary.

"So vampires suck blood and never age, lycans turn into furry wolf men and are super strong. What can you do?"

Roran picked up a stone blade from his weapons pile and I shot up from the floor, ready to bolt.

"Skittish, aren't you?" he asked, laughing at me under his breath.

I glared at him, but relaxed once I realized he was only sharpening it to keep his hands busy while he spoke. I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart and sat back down.

"Phoenixes are a lot like vampires in that we never age, but unlike vampires it's not because we are undead. Upon reaching adulthood, phoenixes gain the ability to continually regenerate and heal, so our bodies don't deteriorate over time."

"That's awesome!" I interrupted, trying to look apologetic when he looked up and glared at me.

After a few seconds of awkward silence he continued, "As I was saying, phoenixes heal constantly so it is incredibly difficult to kill us. It can be done, but only by someone who knows our weakness. We only have one—"

"Well obviously someone figured it out or you wouldn't be here," I pointed out, not caring that I had interrupted him again.

Roran frowned, but didn't reply to my observation. Instead he continued where he had left off, like I hadn't spoken at all.

"--but there are so few of us that every death impacts our kind greatly. And if what you say about humans being unaware of phoenixes is true, then there may be no more of us left at all."

He sighed and tossed the blade back to the pile. For several minutes he sat unmoving, staring at the ground like he wanted it to open up and swallow him. I didn't want to disturb his self-loathing, but I was more curious than ever and I needed answers.

"So why do your eyes glow? Does it help you see in the dark? I thought I would be able to see in the dark once I found out I was a vampire, but I think I'm pretty much the same as I always was. Well, aside from being undead," I rambled, unable to stop the word vomit from spewing out of my mouth.

"And aside from drinking blood, you mean," Roran replied, grinning slightly.

I shook my head. "No, I haven't done that. I mean I've kind of noticed that I want to, but I managed to stop myself in time."

Roran stared at me, doubt written all over his face. "You have to have drank some blood. All vampires do."

"Nope. Not me," I argued. "And I don't plan to if I have any say in the matter. It's disgusting."

"You won't have any say in the matter," he said. "The thirst will take over eventually and you won't be able to control it."

I shrugged, refusing to believe it. There was no way I would let that happen.

In an attempt to change the subject I said, "You didn't answer my other question. Why do your eyes glow?"

Roran rolled his eyes. "It's just how my kind are born. And, yes, we can see in the dark. Can I continue with the lesson or are you going to keep interrupting?"

I gave him a sheepish grin and asked, "Can I please just ask one more question?"

He grunted and I took that as affirmation.

"How do you speak modern English if you've been here for over 500 years? You don't sound like you're from the medieval period. And where do you get all your leather clothes, is there a market or something?"

"That was two questions, Thea," he snapped. "But fine. I speak many languages. In purgatory you have to adapt to survive. If my enemies are speaking a language I am unfamiliar with, it puts me at a disadvantage. So I learn. And I'd rather not tell you what I have to do to get my clothes."

"Do you skin people and wear their meat suits?" I ask, my eyes wide.

Roran stares back at me like I'm insane. "No, I don't skin people! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"You're the one who said I wouldn't want to know how you got them! It's not my fault you made it sound so ominous!" I argue, my cheeks red from embarrassment.

"I thought the idea of me stealing the clothes off dead bodies would make me seem immoral and make you trust me less! I never thought you would think something like that!"

"Oh." I look around the cave, too embarrassed to meet his eyes. This is why I don't have conversations with people. I always say inappropriate things and everyone thinks I'm a freak.

"Look, let's just continue where we left off earlier," he said, trying to diffuse the tension. "What else do you want to know about purgatory?"

I hesitate, afraid to ask him something else inappropriate, but after a few seconds my mind settles on a safe question.

"Is there a way out of without agreeing to the king's soul bartering deal?"

Roran snorted and shook his head. "Do you think I would be here if I knew that? No, I haven't found a way out yet. Moroi is the only one who knows, and every time I corner him and try to force the secret out of him he sends in his loyal followers to attack me and escapes."

I held up my hands to stop him from talking while I processed that information. "Wait, wait. You mean you've tried to challenge him? The King of purgatory? What if he had killed you?'

"He doesn't know how. It's my main advantage over him. Besides, at the time I wasn't worried about dying. To be honest, death would be a relief after spending so long down here," he replied.

Roran returned to his self-loathing position, staring at the ground with sullen expression. I wanted to say something positive, but for the most part I agreed with him. Spending eternity here would be a special kind of hell.

Without warning he stood up and made his way toward the cave exit. I watched him carefully; still not convinced I could trust him.

Looking back at me he said, "I'm going to find you some clothes, since the ones you have don't look like they'll last much longer," he said. "No matter what you hear stay in the cave. If anything other than me walks through the waterfall use one of those blades and kill it. Are we clear?"

I nod, but then immediately shake my head. "Why can't I come with you? Wouldn't I be safer that way?"

He shook his head and walked closer to the waterfall. "No. The water masks our scent from any other monsters patrolling the area, so you should be perfectly safe here. If you were with me you would slow us down and probably get yourself killed."

I crossed my arms, deciding that if he could be bad-tempered I could too. "It's not like you would care if I died. I don't even know why you've brought me here," I grumbled under my breath.

Roran sighed and shrugged. "Most of the creatures here are evil. They deserve to be here, to suffer for the things they've done. It's just nice to finally find someone in purgatory who isn't a monster."

For some reason his odd compliment made me smile. But just as he began to step through the veil of water a new question came to my mind.

"Roran, what exactly happens if you die here? I mean, technically we're already dead."

"No one really knows for sure, but my theory is that we simply stop existing," he replied.

And without another word, he turned and walked away leaving me to contemplate the possibility of my future nonexistence.