Page 55 of Light in Your Eyes

“Luca and his boys once threatened me to give them different tattoos.” Stas scoffs in disbelief. “They wanted me to persuade Kellan and Jaxon to give them tattoos with red streaks. In their dreams.”

That fact surprises me. “They requested such tattoos? Do they want to change their tattoos?”

“Oh, yeah. They do,” Stas says. “They want it so badly. They threatened me with a gun and offered me money. But those greedy people can’t have it. I’ll always be loyal to Magnus, not them or even Fenrir.”

I swallow. I glance at Zoe, whose expression turns to worry and fear because she doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her father. I don’t want Stas to encounter such danger either.

“The only reason I still want to work here is Magnus’ sons, Jaxon and Kellan,” Stas says proudly.

“Were you friends with Magnus?” I ask.

“Yes,” Stas says. “He was such a great man.”

I nod. Stas has been so loyal to Magnus. Indeed, he must have been a great man.

“About your tattoo,” Stas starts again. “It’s the first time Kellan assigned a Black Wings tattoo. You’re the first person he ever gave tattoo, and he gave you a gold one.”

My heart feels warm at that realization. I will always remember this thoughtful gesture from Kellan.

“Remember, Layla.” Stas gives me a firm look. “Don’t judge Kellan yet. You haven’t seen the real him. I’ve always hoped that you could break down his walls, and he would return to his true self, who knew happiness like he used to be, before the accident happened.”

I nod again. It’s what I want too. I want Kellan to behappy.

Sometimes, I got a glimpse of that happiness in his eyes. That light. But then it dimmed again.

“Losing his parents, Inez, and his sight—all in one night—must have been very traumatic for him,” I say. “Those people he loved were gone, but I’m sure that if they still lived in this world, they would want Kellan to be happy.”

Stas sighs. “Inez body was never found.”

His words shock me. My eyes widen in surprise.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“It’s top secret, but it’s the truth,” Stas says. “The body was never found. Why do you think Fenrir was gone on a secret mission for such a long time? It was to find Inez.”

“Do Jaxon and Kellan know about it?” I ask again.

Zoe nods at me, signaling that the answer is yes.

“Of course, they do,” Stas says. “Kellan told me about it. But the search has been carried out for years without results, so it was devastating for both brothers. And then one day, they just stopped having faith. It was less painful for them to accept that Inez had rested in peace rather than believing something that was almost impossible.”

My heart stings. It must be very painful for Kellan and Jaxon to hope for a miracle for years, only to be disappointed repeatedly.

Speaking about faith, there’s one important thing I want to know about Kellan.

“Do you know anything about Kelan’s blindness?” I ask Stas and Zoe. “Is it really permanent? Or is there any hope that one day, Kellan will see again?”

Stas stares at me for a long moment. “I don’t know. Itall depends on Kellan. But I surely know something from Jaxon.”

“Can you tell me?” I ask.

Zoe’s brows furrow, a sign that she hasn’t heard about this either. Curiosity skates all over her face.

“Years ago, when Jaxon and Kellan were very young, Jaxon came to me to talk about Kellan,” Stas begins. “After the accident, Jaxon once overheard Fenrir’s conversation with the doctor who treated Kellan in the hospital. He said that Kelan was blind because his corneas were damaged because of the accident.”

I listen intently, waiting for him to say more. Beside me, Zoe also gives her full attention to her father.

“The damaged corneas caused Kellan a complete vision loss, but it still can be treated through a cornea transplant,” Stas says. “Jaxon told Kellan about it, but Kellan was too scared to hope. He said that Jaxon was wrong and that he was going to be blind forever.”