His poor collection was now displayed on built-in shelves along one side of their bedroom. It wasn’t fair. He just wanted to cuddle
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with all the fluff. If Jayden would just try it, Stephan was sure the man would understand.
Grinning, Jayden sat next to him and wrapped his arm around Stephan’s shoulder. “Still pouting about your stuffed animals, pudding pie?”
“No—” His words froze in his throat as he realized what Jayden had just called him. “P-pudding p-pie?”
“I thought I’d try it out. Liam said nicknames are a must for couples.” The man’s head tilted. “What about cupcake?”
“You’re not calling me a pastry good!” Stephan screeched.
“What’s wrong with sweetheart?”
Jayden stared at him vacantly. “Liam pointed out it wasn’t cute enough. I thought about it and decided I agree.”
“Why the hell does it have to be cute?”
“You’re cute.”
“I am not!” Stephan snapped.
Completely ignoring his protest, Jayden snapped his fingers and said, “Honey bunny!”
Stephan gasped in horror. “You cannot call me that!”
Jayden nodded and grinned. “I like it. Honey bunny it is.”
“Jade!” he whined.
Liam, that bastard. He did this! Oh, Stephan was so going to make him pay.
Kissing him on his forehead, Jayden continued to smile. Stephan sighed. Well, at least he was happy.
It was something the man was doing a lot lately—smiling, that is.
Not that he hadn’t smiled before, but they had been snarlier, more like sneers.
Jayden seemed to be happier than ever before. It may have been a bit conceited on his part, but Stephan thought it was because they were together. Well, he hoped it was, as Stephan was happier, as well.
His fears also seemed to be lessening. Stephan felt more comfortable with his desires now. Though they still hadn’t had
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intercourse—not that they hadn’t done a lot of other stuff. Not that he hadn’t tried for more. Jayden had wanted to wait, though, insisting Stephan wasn’t ready yet.
To be honest, considering when he asked, Jayden had probably been right. However, now he was ready. Stephan wanted to join with him—even if he still wasn’t sure if the man would fit.
“That’s the last of it, right?” Jayden asked.
“For now. We’ll have to move the books once the library renovations are done, but that’s about it. All the spare rooms can be finished over time.”
Jayden grunted and pulled him onto his lap, then rested his chin on top of Stephan’s head.
At a knock on the door, Stephan called out, “Come in.”
Liam walked in. “It’s time for you to meet the group.”
* * * *
Jayden’s insides tightened as they followed Liam over to Dante’s place. He didn’t like people and he hated crowds. It was something Jayden was sure would never change. Being crowded, for him, was a hellish experience.
The fact that he was willingly—reluctantly—going to a meeting that would be focused on him was crazy. Yet Jayden was still going.
He fought to keep his face blank as he walked through the doors.
Jayden’s shields were wavering. Though, it seemed what he’d learned from Sabriel Argent—who turned out to be a councilwoman—was actually helping. Walking into the packed mansion was a little less painful than the first time. However, it was still pretty terrible.
They were surrounded the minute they passed the threshold, and every single fucking person was talking at once. As their voices mixed in with their thoughts, Jayden was only able to distinguish a word here or there.
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His monster—now named Bow, courtesy of Stephan—roused and stared wide-eyed in horror. Then he started to panic.
“Flee! Flee! It’s not safe!”
“Oh for the love of…calm down, Bow,” Jayden snapped.
“Run!” Bow dropped to his knees in the darkness and covered his head as he continued to scream.
Great. Just great. Well, it was on par with what he had learned about his monster. Bow seemed to have most of Jayden’s emotions.
However, the bad ones were ramped up—his pesky trust issues, his urges to kill and torture…his hatred of most people.
But, being crowded seemed to cause a level of fear in Bow that Jayden couldn’t ever remember feeling. The last time he visited Stephan at his office in the city, Jayden had learned elevators were a big no-no.
At times, his monster seemed to be more child than adult. And Jayden could swear his monster was smaller than when he first appeared. All in all, it made him wonder when exactly Bow had been created and how long he had hidden away.
Which was not something Jayden had time to think about right now. Nor could he with all the distractions.
Jayden let out a heavy sigh and tried to stifle the noise in his head by ignoring everything. He felt a bit better when Stephan gripped one of his hands.
A husky yet still feminine voice rang out. “Would you all back the fuck up? You guys are so annoying. Move!”
The crowd around him became dead silent, and the horde backed up and parted. A tall woman wearing jeans and a tight black top that showed off every curve walked through the space.
Damn, Jayden was pretty sure she was taller than him. There was a no-nonsense look on her face, and her green eyes were piercing.
Interestingly enough, a man shorter than Stephan clung to her.
He wasn’t getting anything from her. Not a single thought, which was nice for a change.
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Jayden couldn’t hear the thoughts of the little man beside her either. But it didn’t feel as if the man was particularly powerful.
Over the past few years, he’d begun to be able to tell the difference between those who were powerful and those who had never been powerful but had instead gained from aging. As immortals aged, their healing abilities, mental walls, etc. tended to grow stronger.
The small man was old—older than even Dante. Not that Dante was young, but he had both age and natural power.
The skill Jayden had developed was pretty useful. It helped him pin down the truly dangerous individuals. For instance, the king—the man was a damn powerhouse. King Adrian had been born with strong abilities, and age had just made them terrifying. If Jayden were to guess, the small man was probably around the same age as the king.
His eyes widened when the woman let out an unflattering snort and said, “Dante, you’re fucking useless.”
The little man beside her giggled. “Baby, that’s not nice.”
Jayden peered at Dante out of the corner of his eye. The man looked unfazed by the insult. In fact, he looked amused.
Smiling, Dante announced, “Well then. This lovely woman here is Lily Wolfhart, my second-in-command.” She flipped him off at the lovely comment, but he ignored it and continued. “The man suctioned to her side is her husband, Asa.”
Well, well, what an odd couple, Jayden thought. Holding out his hand, he murmured, “Name’s Jayden. Nice to meet you.” He forced a smile but was pretty sure it came out more as a grimace.
While the physical voices were gone, the thoughts were still there, not to mention Bow seemed to be having a complete breakdown.
Jayden was actually getting a bit worried. The poor thing was curled into a ball, screaming and crying. Everyone was still too close for him to calm down.
Lily looked down at his hand and then back up. “You’ll understand if I don’t shake, right?” she asked, suspicion in her eyes.
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He dropped his hand, a real smile sliding onto his face. Ah, she didn’t trust him—his kind of woman.
Tilting his head, he replied, “I understand perfectly. I wil
l say I wouldn’t have tried to read you.”
It wasn’t a lie. Jayden wouldn’t have tried. That didn’t mean he could have stopped it from automatically happening. Yeah, his control still sucked. Apparently, those lessons would come after Jayden learned to block better.
“I know enough to know that it wouldn’t have mattered.”
His smile widened. “Beautiful and smart.”
A loud throat-clearing and a tug on his hand had him looking down. Stephan’s bottom lip was sticking out and he was glaring. Was his little honey bunny jealous?
Jayden slipped his hand free from Stephan’s, placed his palm in the middle of the man’s back, and brought him forward. “This adorable man here is Stephan Everwood. My boyfriend.”
There were a few gasps from the until-then silent audience surrounding them. He guessed they didn’t meet one of the Second Realm’s richest men every day.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lily. You, as well, Asa.” Stephan beamed.
Dante clapped once. “Well, now that that’s out of the way.
Everyone, this is Jayden…” The man trailed off.
“Everwood!” Stephan piped up.
Jayden’s jaw dropped.
“Ah…yes, Jayden Everwood. He will be our new executioner.
Liam, who most of you know, will be helping him adjust to his new position. I want all of you to welcome him as if he were of your blood, as family. He is one of us now.” Dante’s eyes became cold, and his next words were sharp. “As it has been a few years since we’ve had an executioner, I’m going to remind you to keep his identity a secret. I suggest you keep the punishment of revealing him to those you shouldn’t firmly in mind. Jayden will be known as an enforcer to the public and nothing else.” The cold look seeped away as if it had never
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been there, and the man smiled cheerfully. “Now, feel free to introduce yourselves and ask questions. Without crowding him, of course.”
They descended on him quickly, throwing names out. Jayden really had no chance of ever remembering all of them. As he was sure he’d see a lot of them, the only ones he locked firmly in his mind were the four enforcers—Violet, Lizzy, Hunter, and Rain. Jayden was grateful to find out that they all seemed to have strong walls.
He ignored most of the questions because, honestly, his life was none of their damn business. The ones Jayden probably could have answered, he hadn’t found himself able to concentrate enough to do so, as he was still trying to calm Bow.
It was slow to wind down, but it did eventually, and most were accepting of him not answering shit. Many now just stood quietly in the large room, waiting as the remaining Zaytari members introduced themselves.
Jayden thought he was being rather good. He hadn’t scared or raged at a single person as they battered him with questions. With their thoughts still crowding his mind, and Bow freaking out, Jayden deserved at the very least a pat on the back.
“Why do you even deserve to be our executioner? It’s a bit ridiculous for you to just come in and be given such a high position.
You haven’t even worked for it!”
But of course, one little shit had to ruin it. The snarky comment came from a man who was tall but lacked the necessary muscle to benefit from his height. From the man’s thoughts, Jayden picked up that the guy was a bit of a bully—not to mention an asshole.
While a few others had called out in agreement, their hearts weren’t in it. The guy in front of him, well…he was just a self-entitled prick who never really had to work hard for anything in his life until now.
In a well-practiced move, Jayden slowly tilted his head. He stared into the idiot’s eyes, his face void of any emotions. “Do you want me
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to show you? I can. I, of course, can’t guarantee you’ll enjoy it, but I know I will.” Jayden’s words came out flat and detached.
The man swallowed. “Is that a threat? The Zaytari are the law.
You’re supposed to protect, not threaten.”
Jayden let loose a sharp burst of laughter. He ran his gaze over the others in the room. “Let me make something clear before there are any misunderstandings. I’m here so I can torture and kill.” He smirked and added, “Legally, for once.”
“Jade!” Stephan whisper-yelled.
Jayden crossed his arms. “I’m not a friendly person. Matter of fact, I just don’t like people. I would suggest you not test me, as you won’t like the outcome. To be honest, out of all of you, Lily and Dante are the only ones who would have a chance against me.”
Jayden peered at the two in question. Both stood there silent.
Dante was smiling stupidly as if his mind was elsewhere. Lily looked as if she approved—ah, they would get along well.
* * * *
Dante knew some of his younger members would be cranky.
Actually, now that he thought about it, at twenty-five Jayden was the youngest. Though, in Dante’s opinion, what the man had been through had added a few thousand years.
Overall, the situation was going as he assumed it would. Jayden was going to put them in their place—he expected no less. While Dante wanted his members to get along, he wouldn’t hold his breath.
Some personalities just didn’t mix well.
Jayden was their executioner, and in the Zaytari power structure, he ranked directly under the second-in-command. The only others close to him in the power structure were the ones in charge of Dante’s branch offices located around his territory. Jayden’s position of power would draw plenty of jealous hotheads, like a fly to a light bulb—well, in Jayden’s case, more like a bug zapper.
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“Ha, you’re full of it!” Ryan snapped.
Dante rolled his eyes—the boy really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut. He was perfectly aware the young man thought too much of himself. Too rash and he spoke and acted before thinking. If this persisted, Dante would have to talk to him. Otherwise, Ryan was going to get himself killed.
“Oh, Ryan, if you only knew.” Jayden chuckled wickedly.
“You’re ju—” Ryan cut off and jerked in shock. “How did you know my name? I never…”
“Right, see, now you’re trying to remember if anyone called it out.
They didn’t.”
“What…” the man muttered dumbly.
Jayden curled his lip. “Yes, I’m in your head. You can feel it, can’t you?” He hummed. “Then again, maybe you can’t. Your mental abilities are a bit lacking.”
Ryan took a step back. “D-don’t l-lie! You can’t. You’re not even touching me!”
“Oh, but I can. And that’s not all I can do,” Jayden purred. “Can you feel it now? The loss of control. The feeling of helplessness.”
Dante had never seen the man in action—besides the memories, of course. But that was from Jayden’s perspective. Not to mention he had skimmed through a lot.
Right now Jayden was just standing there, staring with his oh-so-vacant black eyes. It was as if he had done nothing, but his words spoke of action.
There should have been some kind of change in him. Some evidence of what he’d done. It took energy to take over someone’s mind—to control someone completely. Yet, Jayden didn’t appear taxed at all. He was perfectly relaxed. It was truly astounding.
Dante’s mind raced—his bloodline, there must be something there.
Individuals could be born with power, but this…this was something far beyond that. He shifted through his extensive knowledge on the
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subject, but nothing fit. It had to be an old one, one they’d thought died out. Dante would have to look into it.
Thoughts on Jayden’s bloodline made him realize he’d never seen the man’s parents die. Were they alive? Dante needed to find out. It would be easier if Jayden’s memories of his parents weren’t so hazy—a common issue with memories of
early childhood.
No…it was more than that. The memories were there. What they did to him was there. But their faces were gone. The details that would have helped locate them were gone. No images of his parents’
home. There was nothing. Had the man blocked it out to protect himself? Why their faces? Why not what they had done? Ah—another mystery for later!
Dante peered at Ryan. The man was unnaturally still, his lips unmoving, but his eyes showed panic.
“Can you feel it now?” Jayden repeated, his mouth curved into a wide smile. “Why don’t you tell everyone what you’re feeling, Ryan?”
The man’s lips parted, no doubt now free of Jayden’s control.
“Can’t move,” Ryan croaked.
A few of Dante’s people gasped at the words—mostly the younger ones. His older members looked on with wariness.
Jayden’s black gaze traveled over everyone. “I will say this only once. Don’t fuck with me. Some of you are thinking of testing me, with some ridiculous need to prove yourselves. Don’t. You won’t like finding out what else I can do.”
The man blinked, and suddenly Dante could feel him. He could sense Jayden’s power as he had the first time. Dante shivered as it brushed against him—he hadn’t even noticed its absence. Now that he thought about it, it hadn’t been there any of the other times Jayden and he had met.
Damn—Dante should have noticed. He must be losing his wits in his old age. Had he only felt Jayden the first time because the man wanted him to? It seemed so.
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His group could feel it, as well—their quick inhales and nervousness told him that.
And then Jayden blinked again, and it was gone. Ryan gasped and fell to the floor in a heap, free of the man’s powers.
“I think we all understand each other a lot better now. Don’t you?” Jayden purred evilly.
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