Chapter 31
Thirty-One
Killien
Ididn’t think Damien would be so easy to convince. It all happened too fast. I had to tell him what I was feeling, even if I thought it would end up in a fight. But that wasn’t the case. Far from it, he showed genuine remorse.
My brother was never capable of such things before.
Have I softened him? He has definitely toughened me up, so that could very well be it.
We complement each other in a way that can’t really be explained.
And, even if we know each other better than anyone else could, he still found a way to surprise me.
I smile as I watch him scroll on his phone, his legs crossed and foot dangling as if he’s anxious.
He looks tiny on the huge sectional that takes up most of the living room space.
It’s definitely fancy, upholstered in a black velvety fabric.
Like everything else in this apartment, it was already here before we got in.
We’re not sure for how long we’ll be renting it, so it’s convenient.
The huge TV on the wall casts a faint light over us as it plays Bad Omens music videos. Damien’s choice, of course. He sings along absentmindedly, not at all noticing my relentless stare.
This place suits him, I think. It’s the kind of thing he’s always strived for. Modern and fancy, with warm hardwood floors, expensive black and white furniture, and a kitchen covered in black marble that we’ll never use.
The floor-to-ceiling windows that take up an entire wall of the living space show an impressive view of the skyline of Downtown Las Vegas. The sun is setting in the horizon, painting the sky in orange and purple hues.
Jacob should be here soon. Fortunately, he agreed to come see us. It seemed like a better idea than us going back to Phoenix. Although he said that no one has been asking around about Owen. Not yet, at least.
“Killi?” Damien interrupts my thoughts with a soft, shy question. It’s not like him to speak like that, but he’s been acting weird all day.
“Yes?”
“Do you have feelings for Jacob?”
The question throws me off so much that I freeze. I didn’t see that coming, not in a million years. I turn my head to meet his gaze, sinking deeper into the plush cushions as I do so.
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because why not?” He shrugs. “You seemed really into him the night he fed us . . .”
I hesitate for a moment, but decide that being honest is probably best. “Well—yeah.”
What’s the point of lying? I always thought Jacob was attractive. It’s one of the reasons why I felt out of place when he and Damien were together. He just seemed like a better option than me in every possible way. The truth is, Jacob intrigues me in ways no other man has before.
“You’d fuck him, wouldn’t you?”
Oh my God. What the hell is he thinking?
“Damien—this is your ex-boyfriend we’re talking about . . .” I feel my cheeks heating up.
“And so what?” His malicious grin terrorizes me as much as it turns me on. He’s up to no good and I’m totally into it.
The memory of Jacob’s blood burning its way down my throat makes my heart flutter.
I remember exactly how much I desired him right after.
That feeling stuck to the back of my mind.
Occasionally, it slithers out of its hiding hole, making me wonder what it would have been like to have sex with him and Damien that night.
A shiver runs down my spine, but I force myself to stay still.
My brother’s eyes are studying me carefully, looking for any sign of weakness.
He can already tell I’m nervous, Damien knows me too well.
He’s made me into a horny monster that can’t get enough of his dirty games.
My mind is already racing and conjuring images of Jacob stuck between us.
For fuck’s sake. I can’t with him.
Damien laughs softly while he rolls one of his lip ring with his tongue.
Maybe I should try to dissuade him from whatever he’s planning to do.
But once my brother gets something in his mind, there’s no stopping him.
He’ll go at it until he gets what he wants, one way or another.
As bad as it is, I can’t help but love it.
“We invited him here to apologize,” I remind him, tapping my fingers on my thigh as I try to calm myself down.
“And we will. Don’t worry about that.” The smile on his lips tells me that I should probably worry a bit more than I actually am. But I don’t, obviously.
This is way too uncomfortable. Damien insisted on sitting on my lap, no matter how many times I tried to push him off gently.
Having Jacob see us like this feels wrong.
Although he hasn’t said anything about it, the pain is palpable in him.
I can tell it’s hidden in the depths of his dark brown eyes.
We’re on the armchair while Jacob sits on the sectional in front of us.
The vibe of this apartment suits him just as well as it suits Damien: dark and edgy, contrasting soft fabrics and smooth, cold surfaces.
A ray of warm light hits the white marble top of the coffee table and reflects back onto Jacob’s face.
He’s glowing, like some kind of goth God.
It seems like I’d forgotten how handsome he actually is; I’m almost hypnotized by him.
The day we met him comes to my mind, just about a month before Ledger took off.
Our maker drove us to Jacob’s shop so that Damien could get his tongue pierced.
He’d tried by all means to talk my brother out of it, but failed.
It wasn’t a surprise for me, obviously. I suppose Damien basically forced him to introduce us to Jacob.
As soon as their gazes met, Damien was lovestruck.
It was clear as day to me; I’d seen him fall for so many other men before.
But it wasn’t just him, was it? My first thought was that Jacob seemed too handsome.
Kind of imposing and intimidating, since he looked strong, unlike Ledger.
But there was something deeply alluring about him, and it captivated me.
Jacob was a sight to behold; dressed in all black, with a soft button-up shirt, tailored trousers, and boots.
The silver buckle of his belt, chain bracelets, and stack of necklaces stood out as much as his visible tattoos: the red roses on his hands and fingers, and the phoenix on his neck.
But his kind smile and polite demeanor intrigued me, since they contrasted so much with his overall appearance.
Thinking about it now, I see how the way my eyes lingered on him was a lot more than innocent curiosity.
His leather-and-musk scent instantly lured me in, and the mystery of his tattoos had me wanting to peek underneath his shirt since my gaze fell on him.
He was probably the first man I ever found attractive. Besides Damien, of course.
Jacob sighs, bringing me back to the present.
He flips through the pages of the notebook I took from Owen’s home.
His expression is serious as he tries to figure it out.
It seems like some things are written in code, but there are lots of descriptions, locations, and prices.
I’m pretty sure that one of the last entries actually refers to me, which makes my blood run cold every time I think about it.
“It’s worse than I thought,” Jacob says, shaking his head. “I should probably try to get a word with someone who can help us with this.”
“What do you think it is?” Damien asks.
“Human and vampire trafficking, unfortunately. But, judging by this information, the little shit didn’t rank very high in the organization.”
I shiver at Jacob’s words. It’s exactly what I thought. Owen was in some deep shit, and I was way too close to him. I don’t really want to think about it.
“This here—” Jacob leans forward and shows us one of the last pages. “I think this was about you, Killien.” There’s a certain weight to his words, as if he feels guilty for it.
“I thought so too . . .” I whisper.
Damien’s eyes widen as he snatches the notebook from Jacob’s hand and brings it closer to his face. I never told him, because I didn’t want him to worry.
“Ginger, exotic taste, almost unused . . .” Damien reads, his voice trailing off at the end. I know the words by heart, I don’t need him to keep reading to know what comes next, but he reads it out loud anyway. “Suitable for auction.”
“Fucking hell—” Jacob lets out a long, heavy sigh as the room goes completely silent. The sun still casts an orange light on his face, slightly diffused by the reflection on the marble.
There’s a knot in my throat as I stare at Damien reclining back onto my chest as if he can’t hold himself up, making me sink deeper into the soft velvety fabric.
His hands tremble, eyes fixed on the page, lips slightly parted.
I tried so hard to protect him from this information, but I knew he’d eventually find out.
“I’m sorry,” Jacob sobs, startling both of us. “I’m so, so sorry, Killien . . .”
Damien drops the notebook beside us and jumps out of my lap. His footsteps are light on the hardwood floors as he hurries to sit on the sectional beside Jacob. “What the hell are you apologizing for?”
I should be jealous watching my brother wrap his arms around his ex-boyfriend and pull him closer, but I’m not. If anything, I’m fascinated by them.
“I failed you—” Jacob’s voice breaks and I find myself jumping to my feet too.
Damien kisses the top of Jacob’s head, his eyes meeting mine and encouraging me to comfort our broken friend. Hesitantly, I slide on the empty seat on Jacob’s other side and place a hand on his shoulder. To my surprise, he seems to lean into my touch while he wipes away the tears from his face.
“No, you didn’t,” I say. “None of this was your fault, you didn’t know.”
“But I should have—” Jacob keeps his head down, as if he can’t look me in the eyes. “I let my guard down and I exposed everyone to a danger that is far too big for me to control.”
“Well, you said it yourself,” Damien chuckles. “This is far bigger than you, Jacob. You couldn’t have known.”
“I should have read the signs,” Jacob insists. “They were there, I just missed them.”
“It wasn’t just you he tricked, though,” I say, finally getting him to meet my gaze. There’s so much pain in his eyes that I just want to hold him. “Everyone bought his act. And you’re not responsible for anyone else’s actions. I should have never picked him to feed from.”
“Abby was a much better option . . .” Damien looks at me through the corner of his eyes, as if he’s scolding me. But it doesn’t bother me; I know he’s right.
“Still, I’m sorry, Killien.” Jacob’s hand rests on my knee and I feel my body heat up under his touch.
It’s not a reaction I was expecting to have in such an emotional moment, but I don’t fight it.
Instead, I embrace it. I guess I got that from Damien in the past weeks.
By now, I already know that I’m into Jacob.
I always was; it just took a while for me to process it.
As usual, I’m slow as fuck in that department.
And I’m done resisting my impulses and desires.
“Don’t apologize.” I smile at him, letting the warmth of his hand sink into me through the layer of fabric that separates our skin. “It’s over now, anyway.”
“Yeah . . . it might be. But you should watch out anyway. What happened must have pissed some people off. You removed a pawn from someone’s chessboard.
” Jacob sighs again. “Do you mind if I keep this notebook? If I find someone who moves in more powerful circles and can help, I should show them this.”
“Sure, I’d rather not have it, anyway.” I shrug, wondering if I should give him the cash too.
It’s dirty, and I want nothing to do with Owen’s disgusting business, but Damien and I have no income right now.
We’re not even hunting humans or doing anything illegal.
We’re just lying low until we figure things out.
“Did you find money with this?” Jacob asks, almost as if he’d read my mind.
Damien goes tense, his eyes quickly darting towards me, silently begging me not to tell. But I can’t lie, can I? I don’t want to break Jacob’s trust now that we have him back.
“Yeah,” I say, staring at my brother while he shakes his head in disapproval.
“Okay.” Jacob nods. “Keep it, but don’t waste it. If you don’t use it, someone else will. Even if you think it’s wrong, you should take it as compensation for the damage done to you.”
I’m frozen by his words, getting lost in his dark brown eyes and how the orange ray of sunlight that hits half of his face makes one of them much lighter than the other.
I look for any sign that he’s joking, but no.
He’s staring back at me with a lot of hidden emotions, but all of them are serious and heavy.
“Oh—I love your clever brain, Jacob!” Damien laughs, which quickly lightens the mood.
“I guess the years have taught me many lessons, and that’s one of them.” Jacob shrugs, finally dragging his gaze away from mine.
Maybe he’s right. A couple hundred grand isn’t even that much in the big scheme of things.
Although it’s much, much more than I’d ever thought I’d have.
We should probably figure out what to do with it, invest it in something or whatnot.
I don’t want to live off whatever I can snatch from humans anymore. I’m ready to leave that behind.
“So, Jacob—” Damien interrupts my thoughts. I don’t miss his mischievous tone, and I’m already scared of what he’s going to say next. “Why don’t you stay over tonight? We miss hanging out with you.”
There are a few seconds of silence. Jacob seems slightly startled by Damien’s invitation at first, but he soon nods and smiles, looking at his ex-boyfriend first and then at me.
“Yeah, I suppose I should stay. The journey is far too long for me to go back today. I don’t like driving that much.”
Damien’s evil grin distracts me from the warmth and kindness in Jacob’s gaze. As soon as my eyes land on my brother’s, he mouths the words got him and winks at me.
I’m not sure how, but we did.