Page 24 of Dance of the Phoenix (Cloak of the Vampire #3)

Ragnor

He’d given her time. More time than he would’ve given anyone else.

But when Aileen refused yet again to tell him about the nature of her relationship with Logan Kazar, Ragnor was through.

If she didn’t want to give him answers, then he’d seek them out on his own.

Now, he stared as Logan walked into his office, his posture stiff as he closed the door behind him. He moved toward the desk and took a seat on the other side, facing Ragnor. “Good evening, my Lord.”

Ragnor nodded as he studied the boy. He was barely out of high school when Ragnor gave him the Imprint. More than three years later, he was now a full-fledged Gifted vampire of Ragnor’s League, one of the top Troop members, and a decent man all around.

Ragnor’s hand clenched into a fist under the desk as he cut to the chase. “You and Aileen Henderson share a past.”

At once, the cautious soldier before him transformed. Logan’s turquoise eyes widened, his skin paled, and he looked down, his shoulders tense. “Yes,” he grated out.

The reaction made Ragnor wary, but he kept his face blank as he continued. “She mentioned that your parents fostered her for a while.”

Logan gave a jerky nod, still looking down at the floor, hiding his expression from Ragnor.

Leaning back, Ragnor made a calculated decision. He pushed his inner ire aside and used his magic. Spreading out his aura, he made sure to keep it as calm as possible, like a still lake in the middle of a forest. He channeled the calmness surreptitiously, so as not to raise Logan’s alarm.

Moments later, Logan relaxed and raised his head to look at him. Ragnor peered at him closely and said, “Tell me about your relationship with her.”

Despite the effects of his aura, Ragnor could see Logan tensing up. “I was under the impression that once you become a vampire, your human life should be left in the past.”

“It’s true,” Ragnor said carefully, “when it comes to new vampires who need to acclimate to the vampiric society. However, you’re long past that phase.”

Hearing Ragnor’s meaning, Logan took a deep breath and looked away. “Aileen and I were in ... in a relationship,” he said, almost spitting the words out, his voice was so bitter.

While Ragnor had suspected this was the case, the impact of Logan’s words made an ugly, unwelcome feeling crawl inside him. It made him want to tear Logan’s head off. It also demanded he go and reclaim what he believed was his.

But with things as they were, Ragnor did everything he could to maintain as much composure as he could.

Even if his insides felt raw and bruised.

“How long?” he asked before he could think twice about it.

Logan’s gaze slowly turned to him, and to his irritation, Ragnor saw realization dawn on the boy. “Four years,” Logan responded quietly, cautiously. “Excuse me for asking, my Lord, but are you, perhaps ...”

Before Ragnor could stop himself, he growled, “Yes.”

Logan froze, eyes wide and glowing neon green. “Please pardon my impudence, but I feel compelled to tell you the following,” the boy said, speaking far too formally for Ragnor’s liking. When his subjects spoke in that manner, it usually meant they were trying to overstep.

And of course, as Ragnor predicted, that was what happened next.

“Whether your relationship is purely physical or emotional as well,” Logan said, a soft tremor in his voice, “Aileen is ... she’s a mons—I mean, she’s ...”

“You wanted to say ‘monster,’ didn’t you?” Ragnor asked, voice deceptively soft. Because he almost couldn’t believe his ears, and if he wasn’t careful, his spread-out aura would change from soothing to the complete, horrifying opposite.

Logan clamped his mouth shut and looked away, trembling. “I apologize, my Lord, but I believe you should hear this because I respect you. She might look pretty and innocent, but don’t let her fool you, my Lord.”

Ragnor’s growl erupted out of him, making Logan flinch and pale further. “Do not talk about her like this, Logan,” he snapped. “I won’t allow it.”

Shaking from head to toe, Logan attempted to meet his gaze and looked away at once, swallowing hard.

Still, he did not bend under Ragnor’s pressure and said, “With all due respect, my Lord, you don’t know her as well as I do.

” He whispered, “The terrible things she did to me ... Those things couldn’t have just disappeared. She’s ... she’s a demon .”

Ragnor’s aura shifted, and he immediately drew it back before Logan could suffocate under his uncontained rage. He was on the verge of asking him what exactly Aileen had done to him when a part of him told him to stop.

You’ve heard enough, the voice of reason murmured in Ragnor’s head. If you ask any more than that, you’ll truly betray her trust by going behind her back.

But hadn’t she broken his trust first by refusing to tell him any of it in the first place?

Gritting his teeth, Ragnor rose to his feet and rounded the desk. “I understand,” he said, with his back to Logan’s trembling figure as he headed to the door. “You may leave.”

He got out and slammed the door shut behind him, feeling angrier at Aileen Henderson than ever before, but also feeling pity.

What the hell had she done to Logan?

Ragnor would’ve asked her, but he knew she would not give him a proper answer.

A notion that sent him spiraling all over again.

When he arrived at his suite, prepared for an ugly fight with his Alara Morreh, he found it empty.

Thinking she might come back later, he took a quick shower that did nothing to soothe his anger, sat down on the sofa, and attempted to read a book while waiting.

But as the hours passed, there was no sign of Aileen. More confused than angry, he left the room and searched for her. First in the Troop gym, then at his office, the infirmary, and even the greenhouse.

She was nowhere to be found.

Until the next morning, he saw her walking into the cafeteria with her two friends. And he finally realized Aileen had chosen to sleep elsewhere.

And his anger with her reached a breaking point.