Chapter Five
C hapter Five
Richard
I had officially lost my goddamn mind. From the moment I’d seen Noam sleeping in his bed, I’d been intrigued, but I had no idea I would descend into madness. Had I really stood toe to toe with Giovanni?
Not that I feared him, not physically. But I didn’t want to risk my place in Winterhaven. Giovanni was a pillar in this castle, someone I respected, even when, at times, I didn’t like him.
For five years I had kept my emotions tightly locked away. Yet, in less than eight hours, Noam was unraveling every defense I had built. Jesus Christ.
“What were you doing outside of your room?” I released his hand, ignoring how empty mine now felt.
Noam moved slowly, retreating to the chairs and gripping the back of one as if it were a shield. “You never told me I wasn’t allowed to leave it.”
For my sanity’s sake, I wanted to confide him to it. But I couldn’t bring myself to be so cruel. I’d been on my way to his room when I’d heard the commotion in the hallway. Sticking to the shadows, I’d secretly watched him with Kyson and Dane.
The pure joy on his handsome face had... captivated me. Noam had been reduced to nothing more than survival instincts, yet he’d found the courage to make friends, to seize the moment, and to allow himself some fun.
Just like I once enjoyed life, carefree and rebellious, finding every opportunity to laugh. But that version of Richard had been destroyed by the very things that had once defined me. And now, I was in a position to protect that joy in someone else.
I scrubbed a hand over my face. “You’re not confined to your room. It’s just that—”
“Malachi and Giovanni are dangerous,” Noam finished my sentence.
That was a massive understatement. The brothers were thousands of years old, savagely beaten by their monstrous parents, and molded into beasts even darkness feared. They might’ve softened for the men they loved, but they were still the most lethal vampires to walk the earth.
Instinctual creatures who, if pushed, would bathe in the blood of whoever crossed them. I didn’t want Noam grabbing either of their attentions.
When I’d seen Giovanni crouching in front of Noam’s trembling form, I’d wanted nothing more than to tear him apart. It hadn’t mattered to me that he had sworn his daggers to me. Giovanni would have fought like the warrior was bred to be. But all I’d cared about was protecting Noam, giving him the safety he’d desperately needed.
Even now, my phoenix clawed to get free, to use its talons to shred Giovanni until there was nothing left of him.
As someone who had always been in control of my emotions, actions, and words, I was honestly losing it. And for what? A slip of a man who happened to remind me of the boy I used to be, before I knew how to stand on my own two feet and fight back?
Noam was a straight-up threat to my carefully cultivated… numbness. Telling myself to stay away from him clearly wasn’t working. No matter what task I tried to use as a distraction, I’d found myself gravitating toward him.
I’d fooled myself into thinking I didn’t need to keep a watchful eye on him, that Noam was too afraid to leave his room, which meant I could keep my distance, but he’d just proven, assumptions had a bad habit of biting you in the ass. The human kept surprising me at every turn.
Malachi knew of my past, yet the bastard had still made me responsible for the human. I still wasn’t sure how Noam had entered Winterhaven, a mystery I needed to solve before anyone else appeared in the castle.
Closing my eyes, I shook my head. “A man with a gun is dangerous. Those two are—”
“A man with a temper is just as dangerous,” Noam said, cutting me off, his voice low. “A weapon or wings aren’t threatening unless there’s a temper behind them.”
“And the determination to wield them,” I added, opening my eyes. He was stirring so many things inside of me, things I’d thought I’d locked away, but the bones of what I’d done were beginning to rattle, reminding me there was no escaping them.
No matter how deep I tried to bury them.
“What are they?” Noam asked in such a low tone I almost didn’t hear him. “I won’t tell anyone.” He shrugged. “I don’t have anyone to tell.”
That sentence caused my heart to ache.
“It might be in your best interest if you didn’t know, Noam. Some things are best left in the dark.”
“Where they fester.” He dropped into the chair. “For the first time in my life, I had an amazing time. I felt free, whole, and actually laughed. And now that I’ve had a taste of that kind of freedom, I don’t want to lose it.”
My brow arched. One early-morning adventure with them, and now Noam was confident enough to speak his mind? Even so, I was witnessing Noam make a decision for himself, causing a warmth in my chest to spread.
But I couldn’t allow myself to get attached, knowing what happened when I cared too much. Moving deliberately, I sat in the chair next to his, watching for any signs of agitation. He stiffened slightly but didn’t move away from me.
“I have to leave, Richard.” He glanced at me before looking away, but I caught the yearning in his hazel eyes. “I have a job that I can’t afford to lose, no matter how much I want to stay here.”
Freedom meant staying out of debt. Although his determination to uphold his responsibilities was admirable, I worried about his wellbeing. “And where would you stay?”
“It might be in your best interest if you didn’t know.”
He was slightly trembling, but he’d still thrown my own words back at me. As impressed as I was, his safety still concerned me. If he insisted on leaving, I would keep an eye on him, if only to ensure he wasn’t being harmed.
You just keep digging yourself in deeper. I had been doomed from the moment I’d laid eyes on him, but after hearing his laughter and seeing his unbidden smile, there wasn’t a chance in hell I could keep my distance.
* * * *
It turned out I didn’t have to become Noam’s official stalker. For the past two weeks, I’d taken him to work then picked him up afterward to bring him back to the castle.
Our rides remained mostly quiet, especially when Noam had to work at the crack of dawn. I quickly discovered he wasn’t a morning person, but I wasn’t exactly one either, especially before my cup of coffee.
I reached for my phone when it rang, rolling my eyes when I saw it was Kyson calling me. “Yes?”
“How much longer are you going to surveillance Noam’s job? A guy could starve waiting for you to pry yourself away from him. Does he even know you sit outside in your car and watch the place while he’s working?”
“I’ll have dinner ready as soon as I get home.”
“So you’re not even going to deny you never let him out of your sight?” Kyson snickered. “You got it bad, my man. Bring home some snacks since you’re sitting in the parking lot of a grocery store. Ooh, and some chips and dip. Dane and I need snacks for our card game later.”
“Is that all, or should I bring you some binoculars as well?” I shifted in my seat, my ass numb from sitting in a car for the past seven hours.
“For what?” Kyson sounded confused.
“So you can get an even better view into my personal life.” I hung up and set my phone on the passenger seat.
Kyson was like the pesky little brother I never had, even though I was eight hundred years old. He was a pain to deal with at times, but I cared deeply for him. While he had struggled to put his life back together after being tortured by a demon, he’d spent endless hours in the kitchen, most of the time hiding from Giovanni.
He’d grown on me over the years, although a large part of our time together was spent in silence. He enjoyed my company because I’d never pushed him to talk. I’d just given him what he’d been looking for.
A quiet place where he felt safe.
Until he was attacked and killed in that very same kitchen. My jaw clenched. The demon couldn’t have timed his attack any better. Giovanni hadn’t been home. Malachi was tucked away in his chambers with Dane, and I had lied when Giovanni had asked where I’d been during the attack. What shocked me was the fact Malachi had vouched for me, even though he had no idea why I hadn’t been there.
But I would’ve rather given him the lie about regenerating than what I’d actually been doing. Truth or lie, it wouldn’t have changed the fact Kyson had died a horrific death.
I could find solace in the fact that I’d been able to bring him back to life. Though I hadn’t told Giovanni just how close Kyson had come to staying dead. Time was always of the essence, and his need to clean the blood off the human, to completely erase the attack, had nearly cost him Kyson’s rebirth.
The spirit only lingered in the body for so long before it moved on. Malachi had risked his life with the oath he’d given his brother. If I hadn’t dropped a tear into the wound in time, Kyson wouldn’t have come back, Giovanni would’ve killed me for failing then Malachi because of the oath. Then he would’ve walked into the sun, leaving Dane behind to mourn all three.
That had been one hell of a close call.
I sat up straight when Noam exited the store an hour before his shift was supposed to end and some guy approached him. The stranger had a menacing stance but smirked when Noam looked as if he would shake apart.
Oh, hell no. I was out of the car in seconds, my long strides quickly closing the distance.
Whoever the guy was, he’d picked the wrong person to fuck with. He towered over Noam, his vicious amusement spilling into the air around him. The guy was feeding off of Noam’s fear.
“You really are a morsel,” the stranger said to Noam. He grazed his knuckle over Noam’s cheek, causing the tiny human to stumble backward.
I caught Noam before he fell then tucked him behind me. As soon as I saw the green glow in his eyes, mine instantly glowed in return. “Demon.”
Was this a random encounter, or did Noam know the demon? The creatures were normally charming and seductive when they targeted a human to claim as their victim.
This one had been a little too overt.
The demon swept his gaze over me, the side of his mouth twisting with humor. “And what do we have here?” He sniffed the air, his eyelids fluttering. “I’ll admit I don’t recognize your scent.” He leaned in a little closer. “But I would love to crack you open and find out.”
Noam whimpered.
Was he the one who had broken Noam, making him afraid of his own choices? Lips barely parted, I let the words slip out, soft enough to make him lean in. “Breathe while you can. That luxury won’t last.” The demon actually flinched back, which told me he’d retreated, allowing the “host” to take over.
The guy blinked then jerked back slightly when he noticed how close I was standing. “Who the fuck’re you, and why’re you all in my face?”
It wasn’t in his tone, but the cold flatness of his eyes that told me the host was just as malicious as the demon occupying him.
“Tell your buddy dry-humping your soul to choose a little wiser.” I leaned back, still blocking Noah from view, but noticed how much harder he trembled behind me at the man’s voice.
Noam knew him. Despite the stranger’s larger frame and bulk, there was too much of a resemblance for them not to be related.
I memorized every inch of his features, burning it into my memory.
“You’re a goddamn loon.” The guy tossed an arm up before stomping away.
He could hurl all the insults he wanted to, but I’d seen the glint of cruelty in his eyes. I would bet my fortune he was the one who’d abused Noam.
I didn’t move until he slipped into his pickup and drove away, and I still watched until he was on the street, disappearing from sight.
When I turned, I expected to find Noam in a crouch, arms over his head. But he was still standing, wearing a deep scowl, his hands balled into fists.
That look told me everything I needed to know. He was Noam’s tormentor.
“Father or uncle?”
His gaze slowly rose to meet mine, defiance blazing in his eyes. “Father.”
With a single nod, I’d finally made a breakthrough, but I didn’t like how it had happened. I would’ve preferred it to happen in the safety of the castle. But if the fire burning in Noam’s eyes was anything to go by, that vehemence was here to stay.
Good. I was sick of seeing my petit lupin cower. It was time to start fighting back.
My hand froze on the handle, realizing I’d just claimed Noah as mine.
He was already under my skin. Shit.
* * * *
“ How long has the demon possessed your father?” I asked, my voice barely rising above the gentle rumble of the car engine. I cruised past the town limits, steering toward the old farmhouse nestled in the countryside. Unlike the others who preferred using the shimmer, I enjoyed the simple pleasure of driving—the sensation of gripping the steering wheel, the wind tousling my hair, and the scent of earth and grass filling the car.
It was a tranquil moment, just us and the vast expanse of nature, the open skies beckoning me. When was the last time I’d flown?
Noam glanced at me from the passenger seat. “How do you know about demons?” The sunlight flickered through the trees, casting dancing shadows across his face as he studied me. Some of his earlier anger had dissipated, replaced by a mixture of suspicion and curiosity that lingered in his eyes.
“Do you want the truth that’ll melt your mind, or would you prefer a sugar-coated answer?” I asked.
He glanced out his window, his brows furrowed, as if weighing his options. “I stumbled into a medieval castle through the front door of an ordinary house, was confronted by a dagger-wielding killer, and thought my life was over when Satan strode around the corner. I think I passed the mind-melting phase weeks ago.”
“That didn’t exactly tell me which way to roll.” I had a hard time concentrating on the road when my gaze kept straying to Noam’s profile. Whenever the sunlight filtered through the trees, it highlighted blond streaks in his dark brown hair and made his hazel eyes sparkle.
It wasn’t just his beauty that pulled me in. It was the raw mix of vulnerability and strength, a contrast that struck something deep and unshakable inside me.
“Can you melt my mind while coating it in sugar?” I could tell he was fighting a smirk. The side of his mouth twitched.
I smiled, shaking my head, then grew somber. “I know more about demons than I care to. They’re vile creatures who get off on torture and inflicting pain, but they need a host to possess to conceal their hideous forms.”
Noam seemed to consider this. “I saw smoke.”
“Then you witnessed it either entering or exiting a body.” I hated that he’d been anywhere near a demon. It could have just as easily been Noam, instead of his father, who was possessed.
“Entering,” he murmured. His fingers grazed his cheek, then he looked as if he would be sick. From the demon touching him or the fact the host had been his very own father? I would’ve thrown up if my father… I shut that thought down, my stomach now queasy.
“Do you know what the demon wants?” My gaze flicked to the rearview mirror as a vehicle emerged behind us. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel when I recognized it as Noam’s father’s truck. He was tailing us.
“No, but I heard my dad call him Silo. After he entered Martin, he realized I’d seen what happened and…” Noam squeezed his eyes shut, releasing a slow, trembling breath. “I took off upstairs, and he looked for me, almost like it was a game to him.”
“Demons relish psychological games. It feeds their sadism.” The truck drove steadily behind us, as if observing rather than pursuing. My gaze darted to Noam. “It’s impressive you got away.”
Once a demon locked onto a victim, their fate was sealed. Which was how Kyson and Dane had come to live at Winterhaven. It had been five years apart, but they’d suffered at the hands of the same demon, Osiris.
I’d seen firsthand the torture a demon inflicted on their victims when Kyson had been brought home.
“Barely,” Noam said, interrupting my thoughts. “If the door hadn’t popped open…”
My brows furrowed. “What do you mean it popped open?” I was the only one who used that door, and I always made sure it was securely locked. There was no way it would have opened on its own.
“I was shaking the handle, trying to throw my weight into it.” Noam’s breathing grew shallow, as if he was reliving the moment in real time. “The door wouldn’t budge, and I heard Martin, Silo, on the side of the house, growing closer, and then… I don’t know. I heard a pop sound and the door flew open.”
N oam let out a terrified scream as the car lurched violently forward, the deafening crunch of metal piercing as the car’s tires screeched against the pavement. My heart raced with a thunderous beat as I instinctively flung my arm in front of him, despite the seatbelt securing him, while fighting desperately to regain control of the spiraling vehicle.
The rear end wrenched sharply to the left from the impact, and the grinding resistance beneath us told me one of the tires had been rendered completely useless.
Before I had a chance to correct our course, we were struck again, this time with a force that rattled my bones. The back window shattered, sending a shower of jagged glass through the car, piercing my skin like sharp, vicious teeth.
But amid the chaos, one thing was clear. Noam was my first and only priority.
As the car began to rapidly flip over, my talons shot out. In one swift motion, I tore through Noah’s seatbelt, seizing him with an iron grip and ignoring how right the weight of his small body felt in my arms. Creating a shimmer, we hurled through it at a breakneck speed, the world blurring around us.
The momentum caused us to careen through the air as we entered Winterhaven. With a desperate yank, I pulled Noam tightly to my chest, his eyes wide with terror as I coiled protectively around him. We crashed against the cold, hard marble floor, our bodies skidding down the hallway in a blur of motion and adrenaline. I was too busy hanging onto Noam to even register the pain.
Unfortunately, my luck was about to run out. I steeled myself for the impending collision, fully aware the pain was going to be excruciating. Noam’s grasp on my shirt was like a vise, his fingers digging into my skin with a harsh, panicked grip. He screamed in sheer terror, clutching onto me with a terrifying grip as the wall rushed toward us with merciless speed.
At the last second before we hit, I thrust my head forward to prevent my skull from splitting open when our unstoppable force met the immovable marble.
Unbearable pain exploded throughout my entire body as the deafening sound of bones shattering filled my ears, and then everything faded to darkness.