Darkening

"Did you force them?" I asked fearfully.

"No." He dismissed. Shaking his head. "There was none of that then. Not from me. I seduced them each and ruined them. Tainted them in my bed as I felt he'd done to my Tarin."

"Tarin was her name?"

"Yes." He said.

"She's the reason you're evil now."

"No." He murmured. Before drawing a steadying breath and focusing on the fire again. "I've no one to blame for that but me. After destroying the Bayall girls, I set out on a mission to drink what spare coin I could from my traps and pelts and to roguishly seduce and destroy."

"You hated women after that."

"I was on a single-minded mission to destroy them all. To have them all. But every woman that landed in my bed only proved to me how little value they had." He said disgustedly.

"Is-is that how you see me, Van?" I asked hesitantly.

He rolled onto his knees before me so fast that it was merely a blur of gray cloak flying.