Chapter 5
LORENZO DEVON
N ever had I been bored at a post before. Sometimes, there was danger. Other times, there were problems that needed to be resolved. But neither were happening at the Sephtis mansion—it was as if two-hundred and fourteen guardians were posted here for ghosts, to waste time staring off into space and pretend like they weren’t breathing beings. Lace had assigned me here to keep an eye on Nina. Besides her feeding habits—which she had fixed with Lace’s care package—nothing had been out of ordinary. . .except for her random sneak-aways when no one was watching.
I’d only caught her twice in the past week. But three was a lucky number, right?
Nina lurked into the employee quarters, bright white lights similar to the CEG’s gleaming against her swaying long braid.
I sprinted to her and caged her in my arms. She kicked with half of her force as I lifted her into the air and onto my shoulder. Thankfully, this place was always deserted in the middle of the day. “Didn’t think you’d want to run those laps already.”
Her legs halted mid-air, and for a split second, I thought she wouldn’t retaliate. But who was my cousin if not a fighter with the snarkiest comments?
Sharp fists pounded into my shoulders blades until I placed her on her two feet. “You’re insane.”
There it was .
“With those actions and language, I might as well double it.” Although my words were coated in seriousness, I couldn’t help but break into a smile as warmth spread in my chest. “But I’ll be lenient because we’ve been apart for five months.”
“Wow, sir. You are too kind, sir. Thank you for sparing me you, kind, considerate, most?—”
Yup, definitely missed this.
“You’re still giving me those two laps. But training will do for now.”
While exercising was an expectation for guardians, I didn’t see it as a chore. With movement came resilience, and the best form was through running or weight training. Years of bodybuilding taught me so. And beside me, my huge build also seemed to shrink Nina.
Underneath a tight long sleeve, veins popped through, my bicep the size of Nina’s head as I wrapped it around her neck. She was average height and had a muscular build that wasn’t obvious to the eye. But that didn’t mean she was weak. While she didn’t have my hulking sturdiness, her strength met mine as I dragged her. Each turn, from the common area and cafeteria to the stairs, was met with pressure from her grip.
She could throw me over and drive me into the floor at any second—just like I had taught her.
The training floor was as empty as the first floor. Murmurs and hums from the televisions filled the space, but it didn’t erase the stretched silence between us.
“How have you been?” she asked as she began her angled bench press, her tone soft. Careful. The mirrors reflected how she tried not to look at me.
“I visited Mom’s grave.” Even though Nina never asked about her aunt, I forced myself to talk about her. If I didn’t, the memory of her would be lost. She’d be reduced to only my mind, to a blurry figment of my imagination.
No. She’s more than that.
Hesitancy coated Nina’s voice. “How was it?” Her and Lace had a bad habit of tiptoeing around the topic of my mom. Lace because he didn’t know how to go about it although he tried his best. But my cousin? Without fail, her muscles tightened as if mentioning her was a threat.
It was why she never visited Mom’s grave.
Irritation lined my face, but I hid it through a scoff. “Her grave? Practically buried. I hire monthly cleaners, yet they still do a shit job. I might as well make the walk and do it myself.”
“You blabber it but never do it. So much for being a man of your word.” The uneasiness in her muscles loosened as she smiled.
Before I could debate it, I muttered, “I also tried tracing our old house while up there. All I stumbled on was an abandoned hospital.”
Our life before the CEG was a blur and for one, Nina barely brought it up. What was the point when Lace gave us everything we needed? But one day, I’d arrived early to pick up Nina at a CEG-facilitated medical center. Before they switched her to medicated treatments, she used to have behavioral therapy sessions that went on for hours. I’d gone to check in on her and overheard mentions of her dad—my uncle—only meant for her and her doctor.
“Every time I get like this , I always think of him. I don’t know why but. . .I think his death might be the reason.”
Her words had stuck out to me, but her voice had clutched my chest in a way I still felt to this day. The low, shaky tone completely lacked the confidence my cousin always had.
A fire I didn’t know existed ignited that day because, like her, I didn’t remember him. But he was real. Just like Mom. Hence why the search for a piece of our past continued.
“Watch it. I know that face.”
She shook her head as if that removed the inquisitive expression I knew too well. “What face? I’m not making a face. You are.”
Pictures flashed against the mounted television on the corner wall and a red headline appeared underneath the news anchor.
Company of Essential Guardianship: Who will essentially take over?
With Lace’s phone calls decreasing, the missions stopped. It wasn’t unheard of, but silence wasn’t always good.
Especially when he wasn’t picking up my calls.
“His father is close to deciding on the CEG’s shares and inheritance.”
“Is Lace going to inherit the company?”
I nonchalantly gripped the heaviest dumbbells. “With the guardians vouching for Lace, maybe. He’s been sufficient and competent compared to his brothers.”
I’d run into them a few times. Lace spoke highly of them, their work proven in the success of the CEG, but his brothers were more like puppets with distressed gazes than the supposed geniuses they’ve been displayed as.
“The Bureau is trying to meddle?” Nina asked as her eyes were glued to the screen. “Of course, they are. At least the Vampire Ministry is staying out?—”
“You can catch up on politics later.” Politics that Lace doesn’t want anyone to know about. “There’s something else we need to talk about.”
She settled into her set with weights but suddenly stopped any movement when I spoke. “I know about the scheme the Sephtis boys pulled on you, Nina.”
Maybe it wasn’t the best way to bring up the conversation, but if it weren’t for me, she’d never talk about it.
She scoffed. “And I thought Lace sent you here to reunite us.” She dropped the dumbbells on the mat floor.
“He did. But I also know of your non-feeding habits.”
“I’m not up for a lecture right now.”
I grabbed her wrist before she could run away. “Listen, you settled a situation like a guardian would. But that doesn’t hide the fact that you weren’t feeding while taking stronger medication. The situation could have escalated.”
Her strength overpowered mine as she tugged away. “Okay, okay! I get it. Lace wants me to have a babysitter to make sure I eat. Fine. Do you need to sniff my mouth every day to make sure I do?”
Gross. And she’s missing the point. “No, Nina. If those Sephtis guys do something else, it’ll affect the CEG and Lace. Nothing can happen until his dad makes the final decision.” I sighed. “We can’t ruin Laces’ shot.”
Lessons came with being a guardian. One, in particular, being not to argue with Lace. He was older by a few months, which made him think he had all the wisdom in the world. Maybe he did in our friendship. But at the forefront at work, I listened to him as my boss. Sometimes, the two intersected, and it benefited me more often than not. . .like when it came to posts.
While I was here as an outdoor guardian, in charge of observing the exterior premises, and as Nina’s support, my posts were conditional. Through Lace’s orders, I stepped in when short on the ground or whenever I desired. Most nights, I did my job since I was hired to do so. But some nights, when the shimmering moon was set in the dark depth above me, I checked up on my baby who hadn’t been touched since my arrival.
Tonight was supposed to be the night I broke her out for a ride. But— there it was .
The powdery-like scent, weak within the crisp rain. A smell that didn’t belong in the earthy musk that coated the forest. It trailed like a shadow behind me for the past week.
And the beast hadn’t let go of it.
Claws itched against my fingertips, but I tightened my fists, the tips digging into my palms. Heat vibrated off my skin as a cool breeze passed through, irritation lining my muscles as the scent persisted.
A crawling sensation hovered over me like a blanket, weighing each calculated footstep I took.
It’s time to put a stop to this.
I followed the dirt path from the Sephtis mansion to the cave. It was a few kilometers away, an hour on human feet. But, for me, it was accessible within minutes. Instead of partaking on my usual runs, I drew this journey out to study my prey. Why not test their limits if they were testing mine?
The air swelled when I passed the second kilometer, sharpening the clean scent against the damp mud. Light flickered against the dissipated river. Within the short distance, the beast sprinted awake—to lure out our prey.
Wind rushed past me as feet pounded against the ground. My senses focused, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Leaves crunched, twigs snapped, heavy breaths echoed in the distance. Fuck. The chase wasn’t raising my hairs in notice. They were raised by the excitement of instigating whoever stalked me. To the thrill of inviting the prey to follow the predator.
At the speed of light, my body turned into the dark cave, concealing itself in the deepest corner until the body entered. I pounced without hesitation.
My arms wrapped around a slender body and turned them into my chest. Strands of platinum blonde poured as they came undone from their braid. Their back crashed onto my chest and their head slammed onto my shoulder.
The prey I held wasn’t a stranger. It was him.
My doll.
“How did you fucking find me?” I bit out, each word rougher than the last. There was no controlled gruffness in my tone. It wasn’t mine anymore. It was other. Amplified. Brusque. Growly.
The beast’s.
Magnetic sage eyes held mine captive. The refined powdery smell drowned my nose, straining the strength I seemed to lose with him on me. It was like that night, when his plump lips had met mine. When his face and that. . . kiss infiltrated my mind during the day.
In and outside my dreams.
Fangs flashed underneath the hint of muted light as he huffed. “You came onto our territory to work directly under us. Tell me, who found who?”
“What are you talking about?”
Although I had only been posted at this assignment for a week, gossip confirmed what I’d already suspected: the Sephtises barely left their tower. Some did visit a nearby hospital, but as a whole, they mostly stayed inside.
There was no way he was one of them. How was he able to trail behind me without alerting the other guardians across the grounds? And escape under their radar?
Then, it hit me. The parlor, his stiff demeanor, the similarities in his chiseled features to the Premier’s from all the news channels back in the CEG?—
“Fuck.”
Sharp pain shot through my abdomen as an elbow jabbed into my skin. While it deterred me, it wasn’t enough to make me lose my balance. But it gifted him the perfect opportunity to twist me around onto the wall, sharpened limestone stabbing my back as an arm pressed against my throat.
The roles reversed. I couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or awe that burned my ears as I glanced at the cockiness across his expression.
“You owe me a debt, Lorenzo Devon.”
I sneered. “With what proof?”
“You’re my guardian.”
“One of hundreds, for you and your brothers. Doesn’t mean I’ll follow you like a lost dog, Mr. Sephtis ,” I emphasized.
His face suddenly hardened, fangs elongating, erasing the small sliver of entertainment that had flashed across his gaze. “Under our manor, you follow what we direct. And you, Mr. Devon, will call me by my name.”
“And what is that, Doll?”
His eyes sharpened as his hold tightened against me, blocking any air from entering. Awe heightened the heat on my skin. “Christopher.” With a final push, he took multiple steps away from me, his broken composure fixing itself back into the pompous fuck I recognized from the parlor.
The very one I fucking kissed and haven’t stopped thinking about.
Fangs vanished as he said, “You’re going to help me find Sylvester.”
“And what makes you think I’ll say yes to that?”
“Because I have proof of your attack that night.” He fished something out of his pocket. Photos? Not in the best resolution, but I could make out Mallory’s face and my height.
Lace had insured they had all been disabled, so how was this possible?
Unless he lied.
No. Lace would never do that.
“You’re bluffing.” Me or him? I wasn’t sure as fear crawled up my spine and crushed my chest.
“Bluffing holds no place in my existence. The CEG, however, continues to poison it. With the proof I possess, I’ll be rid of one pest.”
His voice was grounded—his heartbeat as steady as a vampire’s could be. Of course he was telling the fucking truth.
“How do you expect me to find that fuck?” He’d vanished like a ghost after my visit. Lace confirmed it. But he was the only one who knew. Christopher could twist the truth and ruin Lace’s chances of getting what he had been working for his whole life, to erase how much guardians had been vouching for him.
I couldn’t have that.
He pulled out an envelope with a sheet of paper. “You’re the Hound, are you not?”
Silence densified the air. My answer was clear as day and the motherfucker knew it.
With a humorless sneer, he said, “You are to tell no one. We begin tomorrow,” and vanished.