Page 111 of Visions of You

Home…

Jaron glanced at Malkira's dead body and winced.

He was going to have to find a new home for himself and for his siblings. He was not returning Casca and Fei to the care of his parents.

"Hey," Keegan said as if he could tell that Jaron's thoughts were spiraling. "We'll figure it all out, okay? One thing after another."

"Right."

Keegan smiled at him. "I see happy things in our future."

Jaron gave him a brief kiss, shorter than the one he really wanted to indulge in, and then he got up and got started, safe in the knowledge that whatever came next, he wasn't going to be facing it by himself.

CHAPTER 27

Jaron sat on the edge of the bed, watching his brothers sleep. He ran a hand through his hair, the exhaustion of the past few days catching up with him. They'd left Ceska, Altair, and the others to deal with the authorities so they could 'go home and rest.'

Right now, 'home' was Keegan's room.

But Keegan had gone to the kitchens to get him something to eat, leaving Jaron alone with his thoughts—and his worries.

He'd talked to the task force's medics and they'd looked at his brothers and told him they were fine, just sleeping, but what if they were not?

He couldn't help but feel responsible for what had happened. He should have noticed something was off with Malkira sooner. Maybe he could have stopped her before she'd taken Casca and Fei.

Maybe if he'd listened to his mother…

No, that was not a thought he would allow himself.

And, speaking of the devil, his phone buzzed again.

Jaron glanced at it. His parents had been trying to reach him since he'd shot them a quick message saying that he had Casca and Fei, that they were fine, and that he would drop by in the evening to talk.

That wasn't enough, of course. They wanted answers, and explanations, and Jaron didn't have the energy to give them.

They'd kept him in the dark about shit for years. They could stand to wait a few hours now.

He turned his phone off.

A soft groan drew his attention, and Jaron's head snapped up. Casca was stirring, his eyes fluttering open. Jaron was at his side in an instant, helping him sit up.

"Hey," Jaron said. "How are you feeling?"

Casca blinked, looking around the unfamiliar room. "Where are we?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"We're at Keegan's place," Jaron explained. "Keegan is my vampire friend. You and Fei are safe now."

Casca's eyes widened as the memories seemed to come flooding back. "Malkira," he whispered, his face paling. "She… she did something to us."

Jaron nodded, his jaw clenching. "I know. But it's over now. She can't hurt you anymore."

Casca looked at Jaron, his eyes filling with tears. "I was so scared," he admitted, his voice breaking. "I thought… I thought we were going to die."

Jaron pulled Casca into a tight hug, holding him close. "I'm so sorry," he murmured, his own eyes stinging. "I should have protected you better."

Casca shook his head, pulling back to look at Jaron. "It's not your fault," he said firmly. "You saved us."

Jaron managed a small smile, ruffling Casca's hair. "Yeah, well, I had some help."