Page 20 of Broken Souls

“I wasn’t thinking logically then; you aren’t right now.”

My jaw clenches, but I know she’s right. I just want one fucking excuse to kill the guy. He irritates me like no one else can.

“I’ll make him end your deal,” I say. “As part of ours –”

“Don’t.”

I spin back around, and she is facing me now, the wet cloth pinched between her fingers.

“Why not?”

“Because Aleric has a twisted mind. The lotion doesn’t bother me, but take that away from him, and he’ll think of something worse.”

Like a fucking child throwing a tantrum.

“We could back Vlad –”

“He does not wish to lead.”

“Then why is he with him?”

“Aleric had a son once.”

“Did he kill himself?”

“No. Caden killed him in revenge for Aleric killing ours. But his name was Colton, and he was married to Vlad’s sister,” she says. “He stays around because Aleric is all he has left.”

“It would be better to be alone.”

“Agreed.” A small smile flicks the corner of her lips up as I sense the arrival of my brothers.

I clench my jaw. All the other questions I have are going to have to wait. It’s time to make a deal with our enemy.

Eight

HIM

Twenty minutes later, we park in front of Aleric’s multi-million dollar house on Vilano Beach. All the members of his gang who live in the city are on this street, and each house had a vampire on its doorstep, watching us as we drove past in the afternoon sun. It is a myth, started by vampires long ago, that they will turn into ash at the barest touch of a ray. Them being unable to enter a house without permission or not having a reflection are also lies despite the WALL believing them. It makes it easy for a vamp to ‘prove’ they are human.

None of them followed us though; they just watched, so it is only Aleric who greets us here.

He stands in the doorway, his dark-gray eyes lingering on me as Talon, Khalid, and I climb out of the car.He stands in the doorway, his dark-gray eyes lingering on me as Talon, Khalid, and I climb out of the car. Maddox stays in the driver’s seat. We’ve brought him with us just so Aleric knows we’re not sneaking him in as a fly, that this meeting isn’t a trap for him to study his body enough he can shift into him.

A glint of sunlight reflects off the horseshoe earring in his nose, and I instinctively glance away from the bright light. Mygaze happens to go to Talon beside me, and I see all the shit I was smelling in the car – his rush of hormones, of anger and violence and adrenaline, clear in the clench of his fists and the tightness of his jaw. In the daggers he’s glaring at Aleric, no doubt envisioning his death in a thousand different ways.

I know Aleric can sense it too. He looks too damn happy as he leads us into his [slaughter] house. It’s the definition of modern living with dark grays and whites, full of wide open spaces with high ceilings and vast rooms.

Yet, it still manages to feel claustrophobic.

Or perhaps that is just how it feels when entering enemy territory.

Turning to me, Aleric smirks. “It is a new era when the head of the Shadow Domain visits my home,” he says. “And without any guards either.” He glances at my two brothers, making sure the dig hits home. Khalid ignores it, but Talon is damn near ready to kill him for it.

Aleric’s smile widens, and I can see his desire to keep poking the already irritable bear.

“It became a new era,” I reply flatly, “when the Death Hunt started massacring your people.”

“Yes, quite.” He doesn’t seem concerned with it though, but at least it gets his attention off my brother.