Jayden blinked. He hadn’t meant to say that. Under his breath, he snidely muttered, “Why don’t you just tell him your whole life story?”
“What?” Stephan asked, his gaze returning to focus on Jayden. No doubt the man had heard him and was just being polite. At times like this, Jayden wished he were surrounded by humans. As annoying as they were, at least their senses sucked.
“Nothing.”
“Are you going to kill him?”
Blinking, he replied, “Yes.”
“Don’t.”
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Jayden eyebrows rose. He’d never heard a single word sound so insistent. Careful not to stab himself, he crossed his arms and asked,
“And why not?”
“There are other ways. Don’t let him make you a monster.”
Jayden laughed darkly. “I’m already one.”
“I don’t believe that. You would have killed me.”
The man sounded pretty confident. Stephan was either stupid or insane—mentally unstable himself, he was leaning toward insane.
“And how do you know I’m not going to?”
“You’re not a monster.”
“Well, Stephan, I hate to break this to you, but he’s not the first.
The others are already dead and buried. It’s a little late to be stopping now,” Jayden stated flatly. “You should leave.”
After turning to go back to his “victim,” he was only able to take a few steps before Stephan grasped his hand, forcing him to a stop.
Having had enough of whatever this was, Jayden reached out for Stephan’s mind.
His eyes widened when instead of slipping in, he found himself banging against a giant mental wall. While all immortals had walls of some kind, Jayden had never run into one he couldn’t breach. That he had now, when his night had already gone to hell, was beyond aggravating.
Perfect, just perfect. Jayden couldn’t wait to find out what else would go wrong.
“There are other ways to make him pay, ones that don’t involve murder. You don’t have to do this. Let me help you. I know it’s hard to fight the anger, but you have to. The monsters win if you don’t. All they do is take. Don’t willingly give them more.”
“You don’t know anything about me! How could you ever help?”
Glaring, he snapped, “Leave while you still can!”
Stephan’s walls suddenly dropped, and the man’s current thoughts became his. Images of violence and blood flashed in his head. Ones of a younger Stephan, ones of agony and loss, the loss of his innocence
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and all that he loved. The last memory was of bloody bodies falling—
a vision of death.
He blinked, a shiver running through him as the images cleared away. “You killed them all.” Jayden wrinkled his brow. “Then you should understand why he needs to die.”
Stephan’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “My rage killed them.
But it didn’t change anything. It didn’t make me feel better. It didn’t tell me why they had taken so much from me. It didn’t bring my parents back. None of what you’re doing will bring anyone back.”
“Wow, I’m relieved. For a minute there I thought I was in trouble,” Jayden sneered. “I’m not here to bring anyone back, Stephan.
I’m here to make sure he doesn’t come back. Not to mention, release a little built-up tension.” He tugged free and turned away.
Jayden sighed heavily when Stephan grabbed on to him once again.
Clutching tightly, the man pulled him back around. “Let me help!” His voice was rushed, higher than before, and slightly panicked.
“We can turn him over to the authorities, the Zaytari. Evidence! We can find evidence and turn it in. You’ve been in his head, haven’t you?”
Jayden scowled at the hand on his arm—he wasn’t a fan of being grabbed, and Stephan seemed to be doing it a lot. “I have.”
“Then we’ll know where to find proof,” he insisted, completely ignoring Jayden’s irritation.
“Stephan, if you haven’t noticed, poor Richard here is a little banged up. A bit hard to play it off as nothing, don’t you think?”
Jayden nodded toward the bloody man.
Nose wrinkling, Stephan hesitantly said, “I can fix that…the only issue would be his memories. We would need someone to get rid of them.” He nibbled on his bottom lip. “I may be able to hire someone.
I just need time.”
“I can do it.”
“You can?” Stephan sounded surprised.
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Running his fingers through his hair, Jayden grimaced.
Apparently, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut tonight.
What was wrong with him? Jayden had no intention of letting Richard leave here alive. Ugh, his whole night of murderous fun had been shot to hell.
Who was Stephan anyway? Not to mention, why the hell was he believing everything Jayden said? Was the man really that naïve? It didn’t make sense. He shouldn’t be, not with what he had experienced.
Was this a trap?
It would have been nice if Jayden had a way to find out.
Unfortunately, the man’s mental walls were solidly back in place.
Eyeing him suspiciously, he asked, “Who are you?”
“What?”
Jayden stalked closer and invaded the man’s personal space, brushing up against him. “Who are you, Stephan? What are you doing here?”
Stephan released his arm and staggered a few steps back. “I own this building. A construction crew is coming to tear it down in a few days. I wanted to make sure no one was living here. As for who I am?
I’m not sure how to answer that.”
Stephan’s words were a mixture of truths and deceptions. “I don’t like being lied to, Stephan. I would suggest…” Jayden trailed off when something clicked into place.
He hissed, jerking as the walls and floors of the warehouse were suddenly drenched in blood with bodies scattered on the floor all around him.
It wasn’t real, just a phantom hiding what was actually there. A vision brought on by a memory—one that faded away moments later.
Jayden hated having these visions. They left him defenseless and unaware of his surroundings. While this one had been short, others had lasted hours. When he was locked into a memory, someone could stab him, and he wouldn’t even notice—until he pulled free, that is.
And he knew that for a fact, as it had happened.
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God, why couldn’t Jayden have been born just a little bit more normal? He was almost positive that the average vampire didn’t have to deal with shit like that. At least he didn’t think they did—Jayden didn’t really have any friends.
“This is where it happened, where they hurt you, where you killed them…”
“Yes…”
“How could you afford to buy it?”
The man laughed bitterly. “My parents were rich.”
“I see.” He struggled to find something else to say.
Stephan’s shoulders slumped and his bottom lip began to tremble.
The man seemed so sad, and for some reason that angered him.
Jayden glared down at the ground. Why was he angry? He shouldn’t be feeling anything. Was it the man’s past? Jayden rubbed his chest at the uncomfortable feelings running through him. He had the strongest urge to run away.
Maybe if he humored the man, he would leave—no harm in that, right?
Jayden gave Stephan a tight smile. “Let’s try it your way…however, if it doesn’t work, I will kill him. Though with how much blood Richard has lost, it’s probably too late anyway.”
“I can do it.”
Jayden stepped back and gave a mocking bow. “If you say so.”
Arms hanging loose, Stephan closed his eyes. He tilted his head back and took a deep breath. When he opened his
eyes again, his pupils had been replaced by solid pools of lilac.
Jayden gasped, a cold shiver running through him as power swirled around the room. There was so much of it, and all of it was coming from Stephan. The very air was shifting—he had never felt anything like it. Hair standing on end, Jayden felt he should run away—to not trust the force around him.
Suddenly the air settled. The power hadn’t vanished, though. It was still thickening the air. His lungs stuttered as he struggled to draw
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in a full breath under its weight. Whoever Stephan was, he was dangerous.
God, how had Jayden missed it? The man’s memories should have told him that.
No…no, the only memories Jayden had seen were about what happened to Stephan five years ago. He only knew what Stephan had known at the time. And at the time, Stephan hadn’t known what he’d done. He hadn’t understood.
Jayden shuddered as Stephan’s power slid over him—it felt odd, as if something was buzzing against his skin. He looked down and his eyes widened. The blood staining his skin was fusing together and starting to drift into the air. What had soaked into his clothes and dried began to liquefy and form into large drops.
His gaze darted from one droplet to the next—Jayden was surrounded. Blobs of blood floated all around him, moving as if suspended in water. No, not water. It looked as if he were in a lava lamp—except the lamp part was missing.
Hand trembling, Jayden slowly reached out to touch one. But before he could make contact, it shot away.
Spinning around, Jayden watched in amazement as all the blood converged on Richard. With one last jolt, it surged into the man.
Richard cried out as his body convulsed. Every injury Jayden had inflicted began to heal. Wounds stitched together and bones snapped into place, until the only evidence of what had happened was the man’s tattered clothing. When no blood remained, Stephan’s power dissipated.
Breathing heavily, Jayden turned and stared wide-eyed at the man.
“What are you?” he asked in awe.
Stephan flinched at his words.
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Chapter Two
Buttermilk biscuits, bacon, eggs, toast, French toast, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, crepes, and so much more covered the long wooden table before Jayden.
He rubbed his rumbling stomach, his mouth watering as he eyed the food—it all looked so good.
He ended up filling his plate until food began to spill over the sides. Staring down at it now, he wasn’t sure where to start—part of him was skeptical that it would taste as good as it smelled.
He picked up a biscuit, then slathered it with butter and took a bite.
A moan slipped out as the flavors burst across his taste buds—oh God, it was good. Soft with just the right amount of crunch. Jayden licked the butter off his lips and took a sip of milk.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten something so delicious. Of course, Jayden couldn’t remember the last time he’d even eaten breakfast.
Food was scarce on the streets. Most of the money he found, some taken from his victims—not like they could use it after he was done anyway—went toward blood. He could survive longer without food than he could without blood. Not that he could live on it alone.
Jayden peeked at the man eating quietly across from him. Dressed casually, Stephan wore another loose, oversized sweater—though this one was striped black and pink. He also had on tight black cotton pants…and if his eyes hadn’t lied to him, fluffy watermelon-pink slippers.
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Speaking of pink, Jayden was currently wearing pajama pants the color of a pink highlighter. They were comfortable, but dear God, the color was awful. Stephan had loaned them to him last night.
The house he was currently in also belonged to the man. No, not house, mansion—too big to be called a house. It smelled clean and there was a scent of lavender in the air—so different from the musky, stale, and spoiled smells in the places he usually stayed.
Appearance-wise, the place was a mixture of blues and creams.
The floor was white marble, though much of it was covered with a soft rug of some kind.
The furniture seemed old, but most of it was comfortable. The artwork on the walls appeared expensive. Surprisingly, none of it was gaudy. It said “rich” without screaming it.
As nice as the place was, when Jayden had first woken up, he had seriously questioned his recent life choices. For one, why the hell had he followed a stranger? Jayden was almost positive it wasn’t normal to sleep at the home of someone you just met—not that he was normal.
He could only assume that it wasn’t. Stranger danger or some shit like that.
But not only had Jayden slept over, he had slept well and through the night. Usually, he just took naps—Jayden hadn’t had a full night of sleep in years. Though, the fact that he mostly stayed in empty or abandoned warehouses could probably explain his sleeping habits.
Getting robbed or attacked was always a risk. Not to mention, no matter how many years he’d been doing it, sleeping on cold, hard concrete was still pretty uncomfortable.
Last night Jayden hadn’t worried about anything. With a lock on his door, and Stephan giving him the master key, he’d felt safe. Stupid, really. The door could have easily been broken down. Even so, Jayden had felt safe last night, not to mention comfortable.
His bed had been feathery soft—Jayden had fallen asleep moments after his head hit the pillow.
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At this point, after a full night of sleep, and now the pile of food in front of him, Jayden couldn’t find it in himself to care why he had stayed.
Nibbling on a piece of bacon, he shifted his gaze to the only other person at the table. Stephan had called the man “Liam.” He wasn’t sure what the man was to Stephan. Butler maybe? Whatever, Jayden couldn’t read him either—of course, he hadn’t tried touching him.
Probably only an inch over six feet tall, Liam was willowy with sharp facial features and short black hair. He appeared perfectly put together with his black button-down and black slacks. Not even a single hair was out of place.
When the man focused his jeans-blue eyes on him with an eyebrow raised in question, Jayden grunted and looked back down at his plate.
For some reason, Jayden’s instincts were telling him Liam wasn’t someone he should mess with. Every time the man looked at him too closely, a shiver ran down his spine.
It wouldn’t be easy to hide things from him, that’s for sure. Not that Jayden intended to stay long enough to have to hide anything. In fact, he planned to leave the minute Richard was taken care of.
His mind now focused on Richard, Jayden couldn’t help but think of what had happened the previous night. Last night had started off normal—well, normal for him—but had quickly devolved.
Stephan’s abilities had been shocking. Jayden still wasn’t sure what the man was, and Stephan had refused to tell him.
After the freaky floating blood and healing, Jayden had erased all the memories of him, Stephan, and the warehouse from Richard’s mind. Though, he had left behind what he’d done to the man—Jayden wanted him to suffer. Not to mention, it would have been a damn shame to waste perfectly good torture.
But last night Jayden had managed to do something he hadn’t even realized he could—he put Richard’s memories on repeat. It had been satisfying to see the man writhe in agony and fear.
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It had, however, forced him to knock Richard out—the constant screaming would have drawn attention. Jayden had woken him up after they dropped him off, though. And they’d had help dropping him off, not to mention transporting him.
Stephan had made a call, and moments later in walked Liam.
Without a single question, the man picked Richard up and carried him to the SUV parked outside.
&nbs
p; They dropped Richard off a few streets away from one of the local Zaytari posts. The man’s screams of pain and terror echoed behind them as they drove away.
After dropping Richard off, Liam drove to Stephan’s mansion—
which was why Jayden now sat across from them, eating breakfast.
The past twenty-four hours had been completely insane.
* * * *
Watching the young man through his lashes, Stephan absently cut into his waffle.
At this moment, he was sure most people would think he was crazy. And even Stephan would freely admit bringing home a young teen who’d confessed to multiple murders was not the sanest thing he’d ever done.
His knife stilled. Was he crazy? The thought was a bit worrying, but it wouldn’t be surprising after what happened. Stephan wrinkled his brow. He didn’t feel crazy. Then again, he doubted many insane people thought they were insane, either…
But still, Stephan thought he was pretty normal. He rolled his eyes—as normal as anyone who’d bring home a murderer…
Catching sight of his own plate, Stephan grimaced at the mess.
His waffle was a loss—the poor thing was mangled, the pieces too small to even poke with a fork.
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Out of the corner of his eye, Stephan saw Liam scrunch his brows up in disapproval. Blushing, he pushed his destroyed breakfast aside and grabbed a new plate and waffle.
Liam Valence, his godfather, had had a few choice words to say to him last night—he had been furious. A close friend of his father’s, Liam had taken his duties as his godfather very seriously after Stephan’s parents died.
Which was why the man had been a bit upset last night. It hadn’t been a pleasant conversation, that’s for sure. But at least his godfather had given in—after about two hours of arguing, that is. Though the warning had been clear. Liam would intervene if the young man tried anything.
The teenager was powerful, sure, but Stephan wasn’t helpless.
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