29. Kaden
Chapter twenty-nine
Kaden
The rest of the morning is nothing but a big blur. I couldn’t get past the thrill of my first kill long enough to listen to Ivan and Sergey’s muttering. It was still so fresh, and I wanted nothing more than to keep mutilating the body beneath me.
As I scale the steps of my parents’ mansion, there’s a lightness to me I can’t place. It’s as if years of tension have finally rolled off my shoulders, taking the burdens with it.
I breeze right through the front door, two large bouquets of roses and a fresh iced coffee in my hands as I pinpoint my girl sitting on the sofa.
Mom and Dad are talking quietly in the kitchen, drying dishes as they laugh.
Melody is watching something on the History Channel about plants in the rainforest as I lean over and whisper in her ear.
“For my favorite girl,” I kiss her temple quickly, handing the flowers to her.
She beams, her eyes lighting up as she takes them and turns them over in her hands. “They’re beautiful!” Her gaze flickers to the kitchen. “But what about—”
“I have some for Mom too,” I say quietly. “Don’t worry, Sunny.”
She relaxes, her eyes softening into fondness as she holds the bouquet tightly. “I love them. Thank you, baby.”
“Oh, and another thing,” I smirk, reaching around her shoulder before rattling the ice in the coffee.
Her mouth falls open before she takes it with gratitude. “You’re a lifesaver. Are you trying to butter me up?”
I pinch her chin with my fingers, peering over at our parents to make sure they aren’t watching as I kiss her passionately. “I love spoiling you.”
She lifts a hand to my cheek, her touch chaste but warm. “How did the meeting go?”
“Fucking amazing,” I smile, that guilt slightly tugging at my gut. I don’t like lying to her, but I can’t let this go just yet. Leaving her is a thought that I don’t allow to cross my mind.
It’s bad that I’m still separating myself, but it’s hard to let go of the only girl I’ve ever loved. I don’t want to. I can’t. No matter how hard I try to reason with myself.
I recognize that my behavior is manic. The fact that I can’t even come to terms with leaving Melody is a battle I’ll have to face in the near future, but right now, this time is ours. And I won’t squander it.
“Kaden?” Mom calls from the kitchen.
I whip around to her, holding out the roses as I pad over to the island. “For my favorite girls.”
She takes them with a soft gasp and shows them to my dad excitedly. “Look, Maxwell!”
Dad smiles. “That’s kind of you, Kaden, but don’t you go stealing my job.”
I hold my hands up in mock surrender. “Wouldn’t dream of it. There’s only one woman for me.”
“Do you have a girlfriend?!” Mom asks excitedly.
“I do,” I whisper, smirking so hard that my cheeks hurt. I can feel my sister’s eyes glaring into my back, but I won’t give away our little secret just yet.
“That’s wonderful!” Mom gushes.
“We’ll have to meet her soon,” Dad says warmly.
“Trust me,” I mumble. “She’s closer than you think.”
They don’t hear me as Mom slides a glass vase out of the cabinet and Dad begins to cut the ends of the flowers for her. As if we’re connected, I feel the very moment Melody relaxes. It’s followed by her contentedly sipping her coffee, and I know I’m in the clear.
“What are your plans for tonight?” Mom asks as she moves around the kitchen.
“Whatever you have on the itinerary,” I shrug.
“Date night,” Dad reminds her as he shuffles past. “You kids will have to fend for yourselves. I’m taking your mother out to celebrate her newest store.”
“Don’t have too much fun,” I warn playfully.
Mom chuckles. “We’re still young. Don’t wait up for us.”
I turn to my sister, my eyes darkening. “I think Melody and I can come up with something.”
She grins past the straw tucked between her plush lips, and all I can think about is how they feel wrapped around my cock.
Yeah, we definitely have our own plans.
“You’re going to burn it!” Melody giggles, using her hip to push me aside as she stirs the bubbling alfredo sauce on the stove.
I scoff. “As sous chef, it’s my job to stand here and look important.”
She snorts. “You’re not even holding the spoon right.”
“I’m aerating it,” I flip the handle around, dripping sauce onto the floor.
Melody tilts down, staring at the mess I’ve made, before her eyes snap to mine. “If this curdles, I’m blaming you.”
“You can’t blame me. I sprinkled in love.”
Her hand rips downward, pointing at the mountain of mush I left in my wake. “You dropped half the Parmesan cheese on the floor.”
“It was a sacrifice to Gordon Ramsay,” I smirk.
She elbows me again, laughing at my joke. I clutch my side over exaggeratedly, bending at the hip as if she struck me. “That’s it! Where’s HR?”
She grabs my cheeks in her hand, squishing them. “Look at me. I’m HR.”
I gasp playfully. “My worst nightmare.”
She kisses me before shoving me away. “Okay! Taste test.” She scoops up a generous amount on the edge of her spoon before offering it to me. “It’s hot—KADEN!”
I swallow it, burning my tongue. “Mother fucker!”
She grabs my ear painfully, pulling me down to her. “I said it was hot!”
“Fuck, I think I like it when you’re mad at me,” I say dreamily.
She snorts, shaking her head before she dips out more of the sauce and blows on it. “Here, dramatic. It’s cooled.”
I take a bite, my brows rising. “Holy shit, that’s amazing.”
“Right?” She beams. “Kodi taught me when we moved into our dorm.”
I tilt my head, narrowing my eyes as I stare out into the distance. “Could use a little more—”
Melody shoves her spoon in my face. “Don’t say Parmesan. Your cheese privileges have been revoked.”
“Fuck,” I curse, running my hands through my hair as if the news is devastating. “What am I going to have for a late-night snack now?”
“You could have me.”
My head whips down, eyes wide as my sister continues to stir the alfredo. “Oh, no, no, no…” I chuckle, wrapping my arms around her waist as I rest my chin on her shoulder and begin to trail my lips along her throat. “You don’t get to pretend you didn’t just say that to me.”
“I’m not pretending,” she says matter-of-factly as she cranes her neck to give me better access. “It was only a suggestion.”
“One I’m not going to take lightly…” I suck at her skin, my teeth grazing her pulse as she gasps and rests her head back against me.
My hand slides across her stomach, bunching her shirt up as I press my hips into her ass. I bring my other hand up to her neck, holding her in place as my mouth goes higher, the place behind her ear that makes her weak in the knees. My breath fans her, and her lips part—
There’s a knock on the front door, and we both pause. A record scratches in the air as she peers quizzically over at me.
“Are you expecting anyone?”
“No…” I trail with a frown as I release her. “Stay here.”
She glances at the door, her mood souring into something frightened. “Kaden…”
I hold out a hand to her. “Just stay calm, okay? It could be anyone.”
“Exactly,” she stresses, taking the hem of her shirt between her fingers. “Who could be knocking on our parents’ door at this hour?”
“Stay here,” I instruct pointedly. “I’ll get rid of them.”
She wants to argue with me, but I don’t give her a chance to as I stalk toward the foyer. My teeth grind as I open the door, and the choice words on the tip of my tongue die.
“Are you gonna let us in?” Saint smirks as he leans on the frame.
Ivan stares at me, his eyes half-lidded. “Hope we aren’t interrupting.”
Fuck.
“Ivan!” Melody says from behind me, pushing around to greet my friends. “Saint! It’s so good to see you.”
The future Pahkan’s eyes soften at the sight of her. “Hey, Princess Melody.”
She takes them into a tight hug, unaware of the deadly warning I’m silently shooting my friends. Ivan stares at me, that knowing look never fading. Saint smirks over my sister’s shoulder, his gaze narrowing on me.
They know I haven’t told her.
When Melody draws back, they plaster on kind smiles, keeping her oblivious to the real reason for this visit.
“We were making Alfredo. It’s almost done.” She smiles.
“I fucking love Alfredo,” Saint muses as he pushes past me with a pat on my shoulder.
“I hope we aren’t imposing,” Ivan says, tilting his head at me.
“Not at all,” Melody sings as she dips off into the kitchen, leaving the future Pahkan and me standing in the entrance of my parents’ home.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I whisper with venom.
Ivan’s eyes narrow into something dangerous. “Playing house after your first kill? She has no idea that only hours ago, you proudly wore the blood of the innocent on your hands. Have you touched her?” He steps closer, leveling our faces. “Have those hands been on her, Kaden?”
My jaw flexes. “That’s none of your concern.”
“As your Pahkan, it is.” He says quietly. “I told you not to drag her further into this, but you don’t listen.”
“Are you blackmailing me?”
His chin tilts as consideration passes behind his eyes. “No. I don’t need to stoop to that level. This is a friendly visit—a reminder.”
My brows draw deeply. “A reminder? Of what?”
His lips quirk into something sinister. “Of what you’ll do tonight.”
My whole world stops spinning. Everything slams into stillness as the wind is sucked from me. I don’t think—breathe—before my friend leans close so only I can hear him.
“Midnight,” he whispers. “Enjoy what little time you have left. You won’t be seeing her again.”
His words hit like a stabbing blade, cutting through my chest as I stare unseeingly at the ajar door. My whole world has just shattered before my very eyes, and he knows it.