Stephan's Monster

by Shelby Rhodes

  “Anyway…what I was going to say was that if he can’t control it, then maybe there’s a way for him to do it legally.”

  Liam’s eyes lit up with understanding. “It may work.”

  “It might, but there are a few landmines for us to dodge.” At a familiar scent, he paused and inhaled deeply. “I smell blood.”

  Liam nodded. “A lot of blood.”

  Up ahead, Stephan could see light breaking through the trees—an outcrop lying just beyond. The closer he got, the stronger the scent of blood. At one point it overwhelmed his senses.

  Breaking through the trees, Stephan gasped. It was like a scene from a slasher film—body parts and blood everywhere. A scene of great violence, and not something he’d thought Jayden capable of.

  The man tortured and even killed, but it was usually done coldly.

  Stephan would even say Jayden was meticulous in his task. The scene before him was nothing like that. It was the aftermath of uncontrollable fury.

  Oh God, had he done this? Had Stephan pushed Jade to this? Had he driven him to such violence?

  Jayden was sitting against a tree. The sun shone on him as he stared blankly into the distance. The blood covering him stood out

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  starkly on his pale skin. It didn’t appear as if he had heard them, or anything at all for that matter.

  As Stephan slowly approached, stepping around the carnage on the ground, Jayden’s head snapped up.

  “Did you see what I did?”

  “Yes…Jade, you mentioned a girl…” Stephan’s voice faltered.

  He lifted his arm and pointed. “Behind that tree.”

  Stephan looked back at Liam. The man nodded and started toward where Jayden had pointed.

  Crouching, Stephan took one of the man’s blood-soaked hands in his.

  Jayden jerked violently away, screaming, “Don’t touch me!” He ran his fingers through his hair, pulling on the strands. “God, just don’t…I don’t want it to get on you.”

  Stephan grabbed his hand firmly this time. “Jade, it’s dry. Don’t worry. It won’t get on me. Even if it did, it’s okay.” Gently he coaxed,

  “Jade, what happened?”

  “I had to get away…the city. It was too much. I wanted to be alone. That’s all I wanted. And usually, it’s fine. But it wasn’t this time. He was here. The little girl was here…and the screaming, she was screaming. I had to help. I wanted to do it your way. I wanted to be good, but I couldn’t. He showed me that. He told me the truth. We couldn’t hold back anymore.”

  Jayden’s words confused him. As far as he knew, besides Liam and him, the man didn’t have any other friends. “Who…who told you?

  Who are you talking about?”

  “My monster.” He laughed and tapped his head. “He’s in here. I saw him, heard him. He’s real, Stephan. He’s real. He’s me. I knew I was crazy, that I was a monster. I just hadn’t realized he was me, yet not. He told me to tell you he’s sorry, that he couldn’t hold back anymore.”

  Stephan clutched his chest with his free hand, his heart stuttering for just a moment. Breathlessly Stephan asked, “You heard him?”

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  Jayden nodded.

  Guilt assailed him. Had he done this? Stephan had heard of it happening. He’d heard of inner entities being created during times of great trauma or stress—it had even been documented.

  Had Stephan done this? Had he backed Jayden into a corner? Did his meddling bring forward a part of Jayden that had been hiding?

  Oh God, what had he done? Instead of putting him back together, Stephan had just broken another piece off. He knew Jayden couldn’t stop. He knew it! In his denial, in his push to make Jayden normal, he had ignored what was staring him in the face. He’d ignored what Jade had been trying to tell him. Stephan had ignored the very reason why Jayden did what he did.

  It wasn’t out of a need for justice. No, it was out of a need period.

  The young man Stephan met all those years ago hadn’t seen anything wrong with what he was doing because it was something he needed to do.

  Stephan had beaten his own rage. He had locked it away, refused it. But Jayden’s had consumed him—become him. It would never go away. Stephan should have been looking for a solution that would work for Jayden, instead of one that worked for him.

  In his selfishness, he had forced Jayden to swallow his rage, leaving him with no way to release it. It had built and built until it created another part of him. And then all that anger had released and created the scene around him.

  “I’m sorry, Jayden. I shouldn’t have pushed you so hard. I did this…and I’m sorry.”

  Jayden sputtered. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I pushed for the impossible. I should have looked for a solution that worked for you.”

  “Stephan, this isn’t your fault. None of this is. It’s me. I’m a monster.” He slapped his chest. “While I never meant to go this far, I feel nothing when I look at it. No horror, no disgust, no regret at all.

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  The only thing I regret is upsetting you and letting you down. Do you know what I’m thinking right now, Stephan?”

  “No…”

  “I’m thinking about the mess I made. That next time, I’ll have to take more care. And, I’m telling you now, there will be a next time.”

  “I know.” Stephan released Jayden’s hand and stood up. “But I’ll fix this, an—”

  “Fix what?” Jayden bellowed. “Look around you, Stephan!

  There’s nothing here you can fix!”

  Determination filled him. He could fix this. He could do it. While piecing together a body would be hard—not to mention something Stephan had never tried before—he just knew if it was for Jayden, he could do it. And he would, he would fix everything. Stephan would make it right.

  “I can do it…and then I’ll fix the mess I made. Bring the pieces over,” Stephan demanded.

  Reluctantly Jayden did as he was told. With all the energy he could muster, Stephan did the seemingly impossible—he put the dead man back together.

  The longer the process went on, the more lightheaded Stephan began to feel. He swayed, black spots bubbling at the edges of his vision.

  It took the last of his energy to finish his task. And then his world tilted, closing off around him.

  “Stephan!” Jayden cried out in panic.

  He felt a brief flash of pain as he hit the ground, but then there was nothing.

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  Chapter Ten

  Jayden had never actually stepped foot in Stephan’s room—the most he’d done was peek his head in. For one reason or another, he had avoided it for the last ten years—especially when his feelings toward the man became sexual.

  So Jayden would assume that under normal circumstances, he’d feel some discomfort being in here.

  However, the circumstances right now weren’t normal, and the atmosphere in Stephan’s sitting room was…depressing and strained.

  Shifting uncomfortably in his chair, Jayden rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve some of the tension.

  Liam, who was sitting in the chair across from him, appeared the epitome of calm. Well, until you noticed how tightly his hands were clutching his knees.

  Neither of them spoke. The uncomfortable silence that had formed between them had gone on for about thirty minutes now. Not that Jayden was very talkative to begin with, or even Liam for that matter, but it had never been dead silence.

  Fear stilled their tongues. Both were terrified of what had happened—what still may happen. It was a horrible feeling and something Jayden only experienced when a certain someone was involved.

  Stephan was hurt, and it was all his fault. It being his fault made him feel…he couldn’t even describe how it made him feel.

  To make matters worse, his monster had reappeared. Appare
ntly, he was going to be a permanent fixture in Jayden’s life now—yippee for being crazy.

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  At least this time he wasn’t asking for blood. But his rantings were getting annoying. Jayden’s monster was frustrated. It wanted to know what was going on.

  He and his monster shared a feeling of helplessness as they waited for the healer to finish examining Stephan, waiting for the bedroom doors to open.

  Jayden couldn’t hear anything. The spells around the man’s bedroom were too powerful—the strongest he had ever run into, put in place specifically to keep him out.

  Spells had been placed on both his and Liam’s bedrooms, as well, though the ones on Jayden’s were slightly different than theirs. His went both ways, keeping his thoughts in and others’ out. Stephan had wanted to make sure he had a place where nothing would bother him.

  At the time he hadn’t cared. Mental walls, for most, took effort. It was well known that being asleep weakened them. So, Jayden had understood their wish for privacy. But right now, he was cursing it.

  “What’s taking her so long?” his monster screamed. “She should be out by now. I don’t trust her. What if she’s hurting him? We should bust in!”

  “Liam trusts her. She won’t hurt Stephan,” Jayden hissed inside his head.

  “So what!”

  God, Jayden really didn’t need his monster’s panic on top of his own. “Hush,” he muttered softly.

  Liam jerked at his soft murmur. “Did you say something?”

  Forcing away a flush, he rubbed his neck. “No.”

  In Jayden’s head, eyes that mirrored his own narrowed—what do you know, his monster’s trust issues were worse than his.

  Jayden wrinkled his brows—did he trust Liam? Apparently, he did. How special, he now trusted a total of two people.

  “Well, I don’t!”

  Jayden shook his head at his monster’s grumblings. Then the bedroom doors opened, and his monster quieted in his head, waiting.

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  He and Liam stood in unison.

  “How is he?” Liam asked.

  “Weak. I still think it would be pertinent for me to know what Mr.

  Everwood was doing before he collapsed.” The woman paused as if she expected them to confess something, but continued when no one did. “Whatever Mr. Everwood was doing, he overexerted himself. I would not suggest he do it again. Using that much energy could be fatal for someone so young.”

  A shudder ran through him at the thought of losing Stephan.

  Liam nodded. “What do you suggest we do now?”

  “Bed rest for a few days. Increase his intake of fluids and food to build his energy back up. Blood included. Speaking of blood, I would like to take a sample and test it to see if it’s possible that something else contributed to his collapse.”

  “No, that won’t be necessary.” There was a hard edge to Liam’s voice as he spoke.

  The healer narrowed her eyes, but nodded and left. Tilting his head, Jayden listened, making sure the woman actually left. While in the good healer’s mind, he also made sure she hadn’t taken any blood before even asking—she hadn’t.

  “She’s gone,” Jayden announced.

  “I’m going to go make something for Stephan to eat. I’m sure he’ll be hungry when he wakes. Why don’t you go sit with him?

  There’s a chair.”

  “I wouldn’t think you’d want me near him after what happened…

  After what I did, that is.”

  “You won’t hurt him. And I think we all can take some blame for what has happened. Now go.” Liam shooed him toward the bedroom.

  Gulping, he walked toward the door the healer had come out of.

  He entered and froze in horror, his mouth dropping open at what he saw.

  Jayden’s left eye twitched. Pink—he was surrounded by pink.

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  Cotton-candy pink and silver created large floral patterns on steel-gray walls. Every single piece of furniture was either pink or had a bit of pink on it—in the design, the cushions, or the frilly doilies on top.

  His gaze roamed around the room until it zeroed in on the king-size bed in the center. Tucked in the middle of a sea of blankets the color of strawberry ice cream was Stephan. The man was completely surrounded by pink pillows and stuffed animals. It was a miracle he hadn’t suffocated under an avalanche of fluff.

  Dear God, he had known the man loved the color—he just hadn’t realized how much. Not that Stephan wore it much in public.

  Actually, now that Jayden thought about it, he only wore it when he wasn’t working. The man was almost always working. As young as Stephan was, he had to maintain an air of professionalism to be taken seriously by some of the old bastards he worked with. Probably the only thing that was always out of place was his mass of unruly curls.

  An unmanly whimper slipped out as Jayden really looked at Stephan. Oh God, he looked so small and fragile.

  After walking over, he sat stiffly in the chair beside the bed.

  Jayden took one of Stephan’s tiny hands in his. They were soft, nails perfectly manicured and coated with clear polish.

  Jayden bet, if he could get away with it, the little man would have painted them pink. It was sad that Stephan couldn’t be himself because of his job. The man had riches that most couldn’t even dream of. He shouldn’t need to impress anyone. While Jayden didn’t pay much attention to Stephan’s work, he did know the man had more than proven himself. They should be begging to work for or with him!

  His gaze lifted to Stephan’s face, traveled over his plush pink lips, slid up the slope of his button nose, and settled on his closed eyes.

  The man’s long lashes were feathered over his cheeks.

  Stephan was beautiful, so beautiful. No one else could even compare—at least that’s what Jayden thought. It was a bit sappy, but he was a monster in love.

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  “It’s not sappy if it’s true!”

  Apparently, his monster was still there—he had just stayed quiet.

  “Of course I am. Where else would I be?”

  Sighing, he snapped, “Do you mind?”

  “Fine!” His monster huffed. “But I’ll be back if something happens!”

  In his head, his monster faded away. “Who knew finding time alone would be so difficult,” he muttered to himself.

  Not that he was alone right now, as Stephan was here, but it was close enough, as the man was asleep.

  What was going to happen when he woke up? After what Jayden had done, what now? Jayden hadn’t been lying when he said he would kill again. He wouldn’t be able to hold back anymore—especially not with his monster voicing all Jayden wished to do.

  Was Stephan finally going to wash his hands of him? Would he now abandon him? He should—any sane person would.

  The thought of Stephan leaving him was painful, but it was the only outcome that made sense to him. Who would want to stay with a murderer who never planned on stopping?

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  Chapter Eleven

  Stephan’s eyes fluttered open. Through the blurriness of sleep, he recognized his bedroom. Home, he was home—he must have passed out, as he couldn’t remember leaving the forest.

  Knowing that he’d probably caused both Liam and Jayden to worry, Stephan felt a bit guilty.

  However, a small part of him—minuscule, really—was happy that he hadn’t had to trek back through the forest.

  Okay, that was a lie. It was a large part of him. Stephan detested being in nature. Loved looking at it, hated being in it. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad if his hair didn’t catch on everything—

  doubtful.

  Blinking a few times, Stephan tried to focus. He attempted to wipe the sleep from his eyes, but the hands gripping his prevented it.

  “You’re awake,” stated a deep
voice he instantly recognized.

  Peering to the right, Stephan found his gaze traveling over a well-defined chest outlined in a black T-shirt. His focus continued to travel up, over a strong jaw, thin lips, a sculpted nose, and high cheekbones to finally settle on the man’s empty black eyes.

  Blushing, he looked away. Stephan knew better than to examine the man so thoroughly. It had been stupid of him to do so now—his attraction to Jayden was something Stephan had forced himself to ignore. It brought forward feelings he couldn’t handle. And as they terrified him, his sexual desires were something he spurned.

  Pushing the thoughts away, Stephan used his free hand to wipe the gunk from his eyes. “Apparently…”

  “How are you feeling?”

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  “Tired. I guess I overextended myself…could you help me sit?”

  Jayden’s brow wrinkled, but he did as he asked. Stephan squealed when his body was abruptly jerked up.

  “Sorry. I keep forgetting how tiny you are. You weigh like nothing. Are you eating enough?”

  Stephan glared. “Well, excuse me! Not everyone can be a behemoth like you.”

  “According to the healer, you could have died, Stephan. You shouldn’t have done what you did.”

  He blinked at the sudden subject change. Jade had never been very subtle—or he just didn’t care enough to bother. Knowing him, probably the latter.

  “Yes, well, I probably shouldn’t have done it all in one sitting.”

  Jayden growled. “You shouldn’t have done it at all!”

  Stephan fidgeted slightly under Jayden’s anger. He really didn’t want to fight right now. He was tired, and Jade wouldn’t have liked his thoughts on the subject anyway. Truth be told, even if he had gotten hurt—if it meant helping Jayden—Stephan would do it again.

  He licked his dry lips and murmured, “It’s fine. I’m fine. Is…is your, um, monster still there?”

  “Yes, apparently he’s permanent. Which is just one more reason for us to finally end this.”