Page 17

D ante examined the tall young man following behind Liam. He was probably about a few inches over six feet, and muscular. And if you could get past his eyes, he was handsome.

Those eyes—wow! It had been a while since Dante had seen eyes so empty—dull, lifeless, colorless, black holes. Interesting that the person he’d last seen with eyes like that was also in the room.

The young man was powerful. He could just feel it. Dante would have to be careful. Dropping his mental walls would be unwise.

At the moment, all he felt was a gentle push—like fingers brushing and tapping against glass, testing it.

Jayden wasn’t trying to enter his mind. It was just his natural abilities spreading out, trying to peek inside of whoever was close by.

If the young man had actually been trying, Dante was sure, with some effort, he could still block him—as long as it was from a distance, that is. While he would probably still be able to block most, even if Jayden touched him, Dante had no doubt the man would pick up at least something.

So exciting!—He couldn’t wait to tell King Adrian about what had happened today.

Would the young man allow him to read his mind? Well, Jayden would eventually have to, if he wanted to join Dante’s group. But would he get to now? He hoped so. The suspense would be too much if he was forced to wait.

Then again, suspense was fun—just thinking about spreading it around had Dante’s heart racing.

When Jayden was near enough, moving to Stephan’s side even while remaining standing, Dante stood and held out his hand. A bit stupid considering Jayden’s powers, but Dante was curious if the man would try anything.

“Jayden, is it? I’m Dante Kozen, head of the Kozen Zaytari. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The young man stared down at his hand. “I’m sure,” Jayden deadpanned.

Dante couldn’t help but grin. Ah, the man didn’t believe him—if only he knew.

Jayden’s focus didn’t stay with him for long. Nope, the younger vampire was peering down at Stephan, and he apparently did not like what he saw. While his eyes remained empty, the rest of the man’s face filled with anger, and interestingly enough, worry.

Hmm, not so emotionless then , Dante thought. Of course, considering what Jayden had done, anger was to be expected. The concern he saw, however, was surprising. It confirmed his suspicion that Stephan was the blood elf they were looking for—someone who, he would guess, Jayden had tried to stop killing for.

Dante likely should have suspected that the man was involved. Who else would have the resources to hide a murderer so easily? Not to mention, Dante had some inkling of what Stephan was years ago…

When Jayden’s gaze shifted back to him, the man’s rage was easy to see.

“Jade, I’m fine,” Stephan assured. “There was just…a misunderstanding.”

“If you say so,” Jayden sneered, before plopping down next to the elf.

Dropping his hand, Dante sat down as well, leaving only Liam standing. “I’m so happy to finally meet you, Young Man. You’ve had many of us stumped for years.”

“I don’t see a need for small talk, Mr. Kozen. We all know why we’re here. Now, why don’t we get on with it?” Jayden was the one to hold out his hand now, staring vacantly at him while waiting.

Dante looked at the stretched-out hand and clucked his tongue—the young, always so impatient. Of course, the king could be just as bad—or worse.

“I would ask that you not read me. There is information that you have no business knowing.”

“That’s not something I can promise. If we were to do this from a distance, sure. Physical touch, however, pretty much cancels out any control I have. I can promise I won’t tell anyone what I learn. Though that's not much of a struggle on my part. I’m not very sociable.”

Dante found the admission slightly troubling. Were Jayden’s capabilities really that strong? He had assumed he’d been living with Liam and Stephan for years. Surely, Jayden had learned some sort of control…a matter to think on later, he supposed.

Without a word, Dante grabbed Jayden’s hand and slipped inside the vampire’s head. The first thing he saw was Jayden’s cute little monster. It didn’t want him there, and felt exposed. It was an interesting find, as it wasn’t very often another entity manifested inside an immortal.

Ignoring the creature’s anger and rantings, Dante searched out Jayden’s memories.

He started from the beginning, going through the horrors of the young man’s childhood, what led him to kill, and how he ended up here. The memories…of the vampire’s parents were somehow missing. Or it was more that who they were, and what they looked like, was so vague that, despite seeing them, he wouldn't be able to pick them out of a crowd.

Aside from those memories, Jayden’s mind was an open book. Dante could hear his current thoughts, and feel his displeasure at revealing what Stephan was—the man wanted to protect him. As he feared, Jayden was also seeing blips from Dante’s mind.

As more memories flooded in, Dante was honestly shocked at all they had missed. There seemed to be quite a few bodies they’d have to dig up.

However, from what he had seen so far, except for one incident, Jayden hadn’t hurt anyone who was innocent. Which would help his case.

Maintaining his connection, Dante pulled back just a bit from the man’s memories. “You’ll have to make some amends to Mr. Helven.”

Jayden stilled, and Stephan gasped.

The young businessman glared at the other man. “Jayden, what is he talking about? What did you do?!”

Still inside the young man’s mind, Dante knew Jayden felt absolutely no guilt for what he had done. Dante made a mental note to warn his people to keep their hands—not to mention sexual comments—to themselves.

It was clear that Jayden loved Stephan. The man had almost killed another for just hitting on him. And that had been before they were even together. The sense of ownership coming from Jayden told him things had changed since then. Dante had no interest in finding out what he’d do now.

Jayden growled. “The pig is still alive. Isn’t that all that matters? It’s his own fault anyway. He’s lucky he’s still breathing after the way he talks to you.”

Stephan huffed. “Jayden!”

“Yes?” the vampire asked sweetly.

Ignoring them, Dante slipped fully back into Jayden’s memories. What he saw next caused his blood to boil—anger at his own failure filled him. How had they missed this?

“His uncle.” He winced when the words tumbled out before he could stop them.

Dante shouted in pain as he found himself being violently thrown out of Jayden’s mind. His head throbbed—it felt as if he had slammed it against a wall repeatedly.

While Jayden and Liam stared at him in fury, Stephan had become unnaturally rigid.

“Uncle…w-what…what is he talking about, Jade?” Stephan croaked out.

“I didn’t want him to know!” Jayden raged, before turning to Stephan, his expression softening. Grasping one of his small hands, the man proceeded to fumble his words. “Stephan, he—I’m sorry!”

Stephan yanked his hand away, before grabbing onto the front of Jayden’s shirt, as he hissed, “What? What are you sorry about?”

“He betrayed you! He betrayed all of you! I couldn’t let him live… I couldn’t…”

Stephan’s grip loosened and his hands slowly dropped into his lap, but he said nothing. And for just a moment, the young man’s face was completely empty. That emptiness vanished swiftly, his eyes flickering twice before turning black. The tears starting to run down Stephan’s face did nothing to hide his rage.

Suddenly, the air around them surged, flowing angrily throughout the room. The furniture rattled, and windows began to crack, some shattering, unable to handle the immense power undulating from the young man. That power lashed out violently, sliding over them like hundreds of small blades, slicing through clothing, and into skin, each time it rose up and crashed over them like a wave.

Dante stared wide-eyed at the ball of uncontrolled fury that Stephan Everwood had become, the transformation was truly startling.

Sending a murderous glare his way, Jayden plucked Stephan up. Cuts formed rapidly on the young man as he strode away quickly.

Once out of reach of Stephan’s powers, Dante’s body began to heal. Taking a shaky breath, he peered at Liam. As if nothing had happened, the man walked over and calmly sat on the couch across from him.

He grimaced, feeling more than a bit ashamed at his clumsy handling of the situation. “I’m sorry. I hadn’t meant to say anything.”

“I figured. You were always bad at keeping your mouth shut when reading someone,” Liam said stiffly.

Dante winced at the anger in his friend’s voice. “You knew.”

It was a statement, but still Liam answered. “I did.”

“And you helped him.”

“I did.”

Dante loosened his tie, then grabbed a few napkins from the tray and wiped away some of the blood the healed cuts had left behind on his face. “How did you find out?”

“You didn’t see?”

“I was shoved out before I could.”

“About two years ago, Stephan’s uncle came for a visit. The way Jayden looked at him… Well, to be honest, once Jayden came along, I trusted that he would stop Grant from pulling any bullshit, and usually made sure I wasn’t there when the annoying gnat visited.

“You know I’ve never liked the man. And thinking about it now, I likely hadn’t seen Jayden react to him until that moment. But when I finally did…never had I ever seen such hatred shine in that young man’s eyes.

“In fact, before then, I’d never seen any type of emotion in his eyes at all. The rest of his face, sure, but his eyes had always been empty. I’m sure he feels his own brand of hatred towards his other ‘victims’, but the way he looked at Grant, it was…”

“Terrifying?”

Liam chuckled. “To most, it would have been, I suppose. Jayden would have known what Grant had done the minute he met him. Yet he held back, saying nothing. That is something he would only do for Stephan. But I understood why he didn’t want Stephan to know. I didn’t either.”

He sighed and crossed his legs, before continuing. “By the time I found out, he must have already found a way to beat his tracker. I distinctly remember Mr. Helven having an ‘accident’ only a few weeks before. Jayden probably had plans in motion to kill him, not to mention the woman who helped him get away with it.”

“Would you show me?” Dante asked. “I know it’s not exactly right for me to ask, after what I revealed. But I doubt Jayden will allow me back inside.”

He could practically see the wheels turning in his friend’s head. Liam had never been one to share.

It wasn’t as if Dante was asking to read him. He just wanted the vampire to share the one specific memory. In Liam’s case, it would be sharing an in-person escapade. Personally, he preferred it that way. Dante lamented the fact that he could only show memories as if they were a film.

Projecting a memory was less invasive than allowing another into your mind. For the one invading, unless skilled, it was difficult to search for a specific memory without seeing everything that was even slightly related—useful or not. Later thoughts of the events could sometimes tint or influence the actual memory. Of course, that was something easily avoided, as long as you knew what you were doing.

For the person being read, it left them vulnerable. It was difficult to stop someone from doing more than reading once they were inside. Vampires were semi-resistant, but not infallible.

Other immortal species did not possess the ability to share memories, so, unfortunately, it was the only method that could be used on them. For vampires, the method was usually only used on criminals. Of course, there were the rare individuals who just couldn’t be read at all .

As for entering Liam’s mind, it had been years since he’d last done so. Definitely an experience Dante would never forget, and one he did not wish to repeat.

Liam may not have a solid entity like Jayden did, but there was certainly enough darkness inside him to create a little monster of his own. Whatever was there, Dante had no interest in facing it again—it hadn’t liked him, and he hadn’t liked it.

“I can. However, I do not think Jayden has much left to show you,” Liam said at last, before holding out his hand, mirroring what Jayden had done earlier.

Dante clasped his hand and allowed the memory to pull him under.

L iam suppressed a yawn as he watched Stephan giggle and gossip with his Uncle Grant. Ugh, it was…disgusting.

He didn’t want the man here—or anywhere near Stephan, for that matter. After the custody battle, Grant was permanently on Liam’s shit list. Not that the elf had ever been likable. Aston Everwood’s little brother had always been an asshole.

He was also an idiot. Honestly, it was the only reasonable explanation for the bastard thinking Liam would have ever let him get his grubby little hands on Stephan—or Stephan’s money.

He rubbed the back of his neck as an odd sense of dread filled him. The air tasted bitter, and there was a feeling of pure hatred. It wasn’t his though.

Looking around, his gaze zeroed in on Jayden, who was leaning against the wall to his right. Waves of hostility emanated from the young vampire, and Jayden’s eyes, usually so void of emotions, were…filled with rage. So easy to see, it was startling.

Following his gaze, Liam found himself, once again, staring at Grant. Then again, who else would Jayden be looking at? Certainly not Stephan.

A side of him that he kept deep inside shivered and rose at the implications of Jayden’s glare. Liam could feel his eyes starting to bleed black.

Slamming them shut, he swallowed painfully as he forced it away.

Letting a small hole form in his mental walls, Liam allowed Jayden a peek inside, for just a moment.

“Jayden, I wish to speak with you alone. Now…” he said in his mind.

Message sent, Liam closed the opening. Jayden’s head snapped toward him—in a single blink, the burning hatred was gone, and his eyes were just as empty as they usually were.

Waving his hand toward the entryway leading to the stairs, Liam walked off, but didn't get far before he heard Jayden begin to follow.

The young man looked utterly confused when Liam directed him into his bedroom. Confused or not, Jayden went in, and they soon sat across from each other in the small sitting room at the front of his bedroom.

With his brow raised, the man asked, “So, what are we doing here?”

“What did he do?”

“What did who do?” Jayden drawled.

Liam narrowed his eyes. He had no patience, no willingness to hold back his anger. The deaths of his best friend, and the man’s wife, a woman he had grown to love almost as much as the man, not to mention the torture Stephan had been put through, all of it had left a permanent stain on his heart. As much as he cared for Fay, Stephan’s mother, Aston had meant everything to him—Liam had barely survived losing the man. That they’d never found who planned it all had been infuriating, and left him crying out for vengeance. A vengeance that had never been satisfied.

“Grant! What did Grant do to warrant such a look of hatred?!” Liam snapped. “And do not lie to me!”

Jayden gaped as Liam willingly let his eyes bleed to black. “There is a monster in all of us, Jayden. Some are just better at hiding it. Now, tell me!”

The fury that Liam had seen earlier returned almost instantly. “He’s responsible for everything! He took away Stephan’s parents, his childhood! He destroyed his sense of safety! And, for what?! GREED! It wasn’t like he needed money! No, he just wanted all his brother fucking had. And for that greed of his, he will pay!”

Liam knew as soon as he saw the look, but hearing it… He had always suspected, and it wasn’t like he hadn’t looked for proof. Liam just hadn’t found any. And as much as he couldn’t think who else would have been responsible, without proof, he’d done nothing… “I want in.”

Jayden jerked. “What?”

“I want in, and I don’t want Stephan to know any of this. I know how to turn off the tracker without him knowing, but I will only do so if I’m allowed to help. I’ll even let you kill Grant, as long as I can watch. But there was another person involved, wasn’t there? It's them I want, because they knew, but did nothing!”

Black eyes pierced his, as Jayden tilted his head. “You’ve blown away my previous conception of you. You’re hiding some pretty interesting secrets, aren’t you?”

Liam smirked. “Aren’t we all? ”

Instead of asking questions, Jayden confirmed his suspicions. “You’re right. There is someone else. A woman named Jill Kaln. She’s part of the Zay ? —”

“Zaytari,” Liam growled. The darkness inside him screamed for blood at being betrayed by one of his own.