Page 29 of The Midnight Order (The Thorngray Vampires Duet #1)

Jasper

The airport on the outskirts of town is quaint.

Blackmoore isn’t a tourist destination and is magically hidden on all maps, so it’s only used by those of us at Thorngray Manor when necessary.

I called Tony last night to ensure that the regular upkeep on the Boeing has been maintained, as we haven’t used it in quite some time.

While Tony was shocked to hear I was leaving Blackmoore—let alone the country—he assured me that the jet had been kept up to par and was ready for such a trip at my beck and call.

We pay him enough. I would have been disappointed had it not been ready, and I would have been even more disappointed to have to let him go. Since no one leaves Blackmoore alive, it would’ve been a pity to set fire to a valuable member of the community.

The car pulls up beside the jet, and I see the pilot and two stewards standing diligently, awaiting my arrival as I step out.

It’s a misty morning. The weather is changing, and the dew seems to hang on a little longer after the sun rises lately. Any other day, I’d breathe this weather deeply and relish the idea of getting the hell away from this place, but today isn’t like that.

Leaving Silver asleep next to Lowell felt wrong. It felt like I was leaving a piece of myself behind. It’s illogical, and I can’t allow feelings to breed for the woman I know will soon be a memory.

We cohabited with Soliel for years after Lowell announced he couldn’t proceed with her testing, even though he adored her.

Thinking of keeping the vivacious Silver hidden away to rot in Blackmoore, as Soliel did, however, makes my stomach turn sour; the smoothie of O Negative, mixed with pomegranate juice before I left, churning as I grab my briefcase and head for the jet.

My bags will be loaded before we leave, which will give me time to have a couple of stiff drinks before takeoff.

Even as old as I am, I can’t get behind the idea of flying through the sky at what feels like thousands of miles an hour.

“Sire,” the pilot says, bowing his head in servitude as I approach.

“As you were. Pre-flight checks are all good?”

“Yes, sir. Everything is ready to go when you are.”

I swallow. “Give me a few before taking off, yeah?”

As if he can sense my nerves, he grins. “Not a fan of flying, huh?”

“Not particularly, no.”

“I’ll give you time to get comfortable before we leave. But if we want to stay on schedule, we’d better get a move on.”

His hurrying me doesn’t bother me since it’s in my best interest, so I make my way into the private liner and find the first drink I can get my hands on and down it.

The bourbon burns down my throat, and I close my eyes against its fingers that knead away any of the fear laced within my undead flesh.

By the third drink, I grow worried we won’t remain on schedule because we haven’t lifted off.

Hell, they haven’t even shut and sealed the door yet.

I’m about to set my drink down and investigate when I hear a ruckus behind me and turn to find the damning eyes of Silver. Her arm gripped tightly in Tony’s hand, his disheveled uniform telling of the fight she gave poor Tony.

“We have a problem.” Tony flicks his eyes toward Silver, and she rolls her eyes.

“I’m hardly a problem.”

Part of me wants to laugh, but the saner portion of my brain knows that Lowell forbade her from coming on this trip, and therefore, he’ll be losing his fucking mind right about now.

I don’t want to be on the other end of that anger. I can’t afford to be.

“How did you get here?” I ask her.

When I left, she was in bed with Lowell, tucked beneath him like she always belonged there. It was sweet to see, if not disturbing.

“I’ve been here most of the night,” she says, eyeing Tony as she shrugs off his hold.

“Give us a moment,” I tell him, and he nods, giving Silver a backward glance filled with ire before scoffing and exiting the jet.

“You were with Lowell this morning.”

Her cheeks fill with blood, and her heart races.

“Who exactly was with Lowell?” I prod.

“A pillow.”

I rub my temples, knowing I will need the entire bottle of bourbon before this is over. “Didn’t he tell you that you couldn’t come?”

“He did.”

“And you decided to damn us both and come anyhow?”

“He won’t do anything to you. I will be to blame. I’ll take his punishment.” She juts her chin up in defiance and misguided pride.

It’s cute, it truly is, but it won’t save her.

“No, he’ll kill me and burn the pieces and then punish you after he’s made you watch. I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with, Silver.”

Genuine fear finally enters her eyes, and it’s not misplaced. Lowell is far older than I am, and he’s my maker. I physically can’t go against him, nor do I have the will to.

But he’s well within his rights by vampiric law to kill me for disobeying an order.

“I should be allowed to go. It’s me you’re going to learn about. It’s my business.”

“While I sympathize with your plight, Silver, I have to uphold Lowell’s wishes, and he told me you weren’t allowed to go.”

“I’m not a five-year-old, Jasper. He doesn’t own me; I can go where I please!”

“Can you?!” A snarl rips through the jet, and it has my knees itching to bend in respect as I look over Silver’s shoulder to see Lowell prowling closer.

Silver turns, taking a step back into me as she takes in a form I haven’t seen in nearly a century.

We affectionately refer to this part of Lowell as Slayer . His eyes are black, devoid of emotion or even a drop of humanity. His fangs are fully descended, and every vein in his body thrums at the surface of his flesh, anger filling the room as it radiates from him.

“Did you bring her here?” he asks me, and I swallow thickly.

“No, sire. I did not. I hadn’t the faintest idea she was here until Tony brought her aboard.”

Silver glances over her shoulder at me, and the look could kill.

But it’s not as painful as what Lowell promises if I say one thing wrong, so I ignore her and keep my eyes locked on my maker.

“Silver, I forbade you from coming here. And yet, here you stand.”

She keeps silent.

It’s the first intelligent thing I’ve seen her do.

“You snuck out of my bed, replaced your warmth with a pillow, and disobeyed a direct order,” he continues.

Silver’s breathing hitches, but there’s an undercurrent coasting through her that I can’t quite put my finger on. Well, I can put my finger on it, but I can’t believe it.

There’s no way this little minx has caused all this and dares to be aroused by Lowell’s anger. Is there?

One deep inhale of her perfume tells me my assumption is wrong, and I don’t know if that will help or harm her case, but I hope for the former.

“You don’t own me, Lowell. I have the right to learn about myself. I only wanted to be there when Jasper was researching.”

Lowell ignores me behind Silver as if I’m not here, and I’m fine with that.

I’d love to keep my head, even if it has a cursed mask.

He’s chest to chest with her now, looking down at her through black eyes as his lip curls up over his fang. “I don’t own you?”

I hear her swallow, even though it wasn’t audible. “No. You don’t. I give myself to you four freely, but it doesn’t give you the right to boss me around.”

“What have you given me freely?” he deadpans.

“My blood, my body, my soul.”

The last one stings through me like a heated blade, and I see my maker shift on his feet as the words also throw him off. They’ve hit the mark Silver aimed for well.

“Relationships are about much more than feelings. There’s some compromise, Lowell. Just because you’ll miss me while I’m away doesn’t mean that you can keep me prisoner.”

Fuck me if Lowell doesn’t seem to consider her words, as if she’s breaking through his rage and bloodlust.

“Compromise,” he murmurs.

“Yes. I’ll only stay away for five days because I know you’ll be upset that I’m gone.”

For a second, I consider that she might get her way. That she’ll get him to bend to her wishes.

Folly. Pure folly.

“No.” It’s to the point, and his tone says it’s final. He crouches, lifts her off her feet, and tosses her over his shoulder.

I’m ready to drown in a bottle of bourbon and finally ascend to the skies when Lowell turns toward me on his exit. “You’re not going either. Research and complete your tasks from home. It’s the only way this works.”

His order is absolute, so I deflate and take a seat, finishing my drink as I hear the plane engines being shut down one by one and my luggage being loaded back into the trunk of the car.

Silver’s cries of anger grow distant as Lowell runs through the surrounding forest with her in tow, and I take a deep breath.

That could’ve gone much worse than it did.

I thought she was getting through to him for a split second. That she was softening the male I’ve known almost my entire existence.

Even though he held to his command, I saw the flicker of a waver in his eyes.

Lowell Thorngray has met his match in Silver Tenebris, which might be the saving grace of us all.

It also might be our demise.