Stephan's Monster [Vampires of Vadin 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Shelby Rhodes

  Dear God, the man was insane. Stephan should have asked another group. In his opinion, compared to Dante, Jayden was almost normal.

  Oh, but Stephan had heard such good things about the man. It had been the reason he’d contacted him. People had told him Dante was kind, compassionate, level-headed. A good man, they said—fucking liars, all of them.

  Something so important and he had screwed it up! Looking down, Stephan tried to calm himself, but tears still welled in his eyes. Clenching his hands into fists, Stephan dug his nails into his palms as he tried to keep them from falling.

  “I see you still suck at reading the mood, Dante.”

  At Liam’s words, Stephan popped his head up, and Dante’s laughter ended.

  “Sorry, sorry, old friend. It’s just the implications are astounding. A great mystery has just been solved! Can you feel it? The excitement, ahh, it’s wonderful.”

  Arms crossed, there was a look of disapproval on his godfather’s face. “It’s not me you should be apologizing to.” When Liam nodded toward him, Stephan dropped his head back down.

  “Ah, I apologize for my behavior, young man.”

  Still struggling not to cry, Stephan continued to look down and said nothing. The couch shifted, and Liam’s familiar scent surrounded him.

  His godfather laid his hand on one of Stephan’s. “Stephan, I apologize. I should have warned you about how strange Dante can be. He really didn’t mean to upset you.” Liam tsked in disgust. “It’s just how he is.”

  When Stephan peered up at the man, Liam smiled softly and wiped the forming tears away. “Though I am curious about what caused his reaction.”

  “I apologize. Again, I didn’t mean to undermine the importance of what you’re telling me.”

  Gathering up his courage, Stephan spoke. “Yes, well…it’s not something to laugh about.”

  “Yes.” Dante rubbed the back of his neck—the man appeared embarrassed. “The reason I laughed…well, it’s because I know all about your friend’s victims. But who exactly he is has remained a great mystery. We were at a loss when no more showed up. For five years the case has been cold.”

  “It’s not cold anymore.”

  “I see…where is he?” The man hummed, tapping his fingers against his legs.

  “Can you make that promise now?”

  Dante grinned. “I believe I can. Though, whether or not I can allow him to join my group is up to the king. Usually, it wouldn’t be necessary, but considering everything, he must be informed.”

  Stephan’s heart skipped a beat—he hadn’t even considered the possibility. What if the king decided Jayden couldn’t be saved? What if he ordered his death? Stephan wouldn’t allow it! He refused!

  “I wouldn’t be too worried. King Adrian will not make a snap judgment, and I guarantee he will do what is best for all involved. He also happens to already know all about the case.”

  “If…you say so…” Stephan wrung his hands nervously. “Liam, could you go get him?”

  Liam nodded and left. A few moments later, he returned with Jayden in tow.

  “Dante, this is Jayden.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dante examined the tall young man following behind Liam. Probably about a few inches over six foot, he was muscular. And if you could get past his eyes, handsome.

  Those eyes—wow! It had been a while since Dante had seen eyes so empty—dull, lifeless black holes. Interesting that the person he’d last seen have eyes like that was also in the room.

  The young man was powerful. He could just feel it. Dante would have to be careful. Dropping his mental walls would be unwise.

  At the moment all he felt was a gentle push—like fingers brushing and tapping against glass, testing it.

  Jayden wasn’t trying to enter his mind, though. It was just his natural abilities spreading out, trying to peek inside of whoever was close by.

  If the young man had actually been trying, Dante was sure, with effort he could block—as long as it was from a distance, that is. While he would probably still be able to block somewhat even if Jayden touched him, Dante had no doubt the man would pick up at least something.

  So exciting—he couldn’t wait to tell King Adrian about what had happened today.

  Would the young man allow him to read his mind? Well, Jayden would eventually have to if he wanted to join Dante’s group. But would he get to now? He hoped so. The suspense would be too much if he was forced to wait.

  Then again, suspense was fun—just thinking about spreading it around had Dante’s heart racing.

  When Jayden was standing beside the couch Stephan was sitting on, Dante stood and held out his hand. A bit stupid considering Jayden’s powers, but Dante was curious if the man would try anything.

  “Jayden, is it? I’m Dante Kozen, head of the Kozen Zaytari. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  The young man stared down at his hand. “I’m sure,” Jayden deadpanned.

  Dante couldn’t help but grin. Ah, the man didn’t believe him—if only he knew.

  Jayden’s focus didn’t stay with him long. Nope, Jayden was peering at Stephan, and he was apparently not liking what he saw. While his eyes remained empty, the rest of the man’s face filled with anger, and interestingly enough, worry.

  Hmm, not so emotionless then, Dante thought. Of course, considering what Jayden had done, anger was expected. The concern he saw, however, was surprising. It confirmed his suspicion that Stephan was the blood elf they were looking for—someone who Jayden would try to stop killing for. He probably should have suspected that the man was involved. Who else would have the resources to hide a murderer so easily? Not to mention, Dante had some inkling of what Stephan was years ago…

  When Jayden’s gaze shifted back to him, the man’s rage was easy to see.

  “Jade, I’m fine,” Stephan assured. “There was just…a misunderstanding.”

  “If you say so,” Jayden sneered and plopped down next to the man.

  Dropping his hand, Dante sat down, as well, leaving only Liam standing. “I’m so happy to finally meet you, young man. You had many of us stumped for years.”

  “I don’t see a need for small talk, Mr. Kozen. We all know why we’re here. Now, why don’t we get on with it?” Jayden held out his hand and stared vacantly at him, waiting.

  Dante looked at the stretched-out hand and clucked his tongue—the young, always so impatient. Of course, the king could be just as bad—or worse.

  “I would ask that you not read me. There is information that you have no business knowing.”

  “That’s not something I can promise. If we were to do this from a distance, sure. Physical touch, however, pretty much cancels out any control I have. I can promise I won’t tell anyone what I learn. Though it’s not much of a struggle on my part. I’m not very sociable.”

  Dante found the admission slightly troubling. Were Jayden’s capabilities really that strong? He had assumed he’d been living with Liam and Stephan for years. Surely Jayden had studied with Liam…a matter to think about later, he supposed.

  Without a word, Dante grabbed Jayden’s hand and slipped inside Jayden’s head. The first thing he saw was Jayden’s cute little monster. It didn’t want him there and felt exposed. It was an interesting find, as it wasn’t very often another entity manifested inside an immortal.

  Ignoring the creature’s anger and rantings, Dante searched out Jayden’s memories.

  He started from the beginning, going through the horrors of the young man’s childhood, what led him to kill, and how he ended up here.

  Jayden’s mind was an open book. Dante could hear his current thoughts and feel his displeasure at revealing what Stephan was—the man wanted to protect him. As he feared, Jayden was also seeing blips from Dante’s mind.

  As more memories flooded in, Dante was honestly shocked at all they had missed. There seemed to be quite a few bodies they’d have to dig up.

  However, from what he had seen so far, except for one incident,
Jayden hadn’t hurt anyone innocent. It would help his case.

  Maintaining his connection, Dante pulled back just a bit from the man’s memories. “You’ll have to make some amends to Mr. Helven.”

  Jayden stilled, and Stephan gasped.

  The young businessman glared at the other man. “Jayden, what is he talking about? What did you do?”

  Still inside the young man’s mind, Dante knew Jayden felt no guilt for what he had done. Dante made a note to warn his men to keep their hands—not to mention sexual comments—to themselves.

  It was clear that Jayden loved Stephan. The man had almost killed another for just hitting on him. And that had been before they were even together. The sense of ownership coming from Jayden told him things had changed since then. Dante had no interest in finding out what he’d do now.

  Jayden growled. “The pig is still alive. Isn’t that all that matters? It’s his own fault anyway. He’s lucky he’s still breathing after the way he talks to you.”

  Stephan huffed. “Jayden!”

  “Yes?” the man asked sweetly.

  Ignoring them, Dante slipped fully back into Jayden’s memories. What he saw next caused his blood to boil—anger at his own failure filled him. How had they missed this?

  “His uncle.” The words tumbled out before he could stop them.

  Dante shouted in pain as he found himself thrown violently out of Jayden’s mind. His head throbbed—it felt as if he had slammed it against a wall.

  While Jayden and Liam stared at him in fury, Stephan had become unnaturally rigid.

  “Uncle…w-what…what is he talking about, Jade?” Stephan croaked out.

  “I didn’t want him to know!” Jayden raged and turned to Stephan, his expression softening. Grasping his hands, the man fumbled his words. “Stephan…he…I’m sorry.”

  Stephan pulled away and gripped Jayden’s shirt. “What? What are you sorry about?”

  “He betrayed you! I couldn’t let him live…I couldn’t.”

  Stephan’s grip loosened and his hands slowly dropped away, but he said nothing. And for just a moment, the young man’s face was completely empty. That emptiness vanished swiftly, his eyes flickering twice before turning black. The tears running down Stephan’s face did nothing to hide his rage.

  The air around them surged angrily. The furniture rattled and windows began to crack. Some even shattered, unable to handle the immense power undulating from the young man. Lashing out violently, it slid like hundreds of small blades over them, slicing through clothing and into skin at each rise.

  Dante stared wide-eyed at the ball of uncontrolled fury that Stephan Everwood had become. The transformation was startling.

  Sending a murderous glare his way, Jayden picked Stephan up. Cuts formed rapidly on the man as he strode quickly away.

  Once out of reach of Stephan’s powers, Dante’s body began to heal. Taking a shaky breath, he peered at Liam. As if nothing happened, the man walked over and calmly sat on the couch across from him.

  “I’m sorry. I hadn’t meant to say anything.”

  “I figured. You were always bad at keeping your mouth shut when reading someone,” Liam said stiffly.

  Dante winced at the anger in his friend’s voice. “You knew.”

  “I did.”

  “And you helped him.”

  “I did.”

  Dante loosened his tie, then grabbed a few napkins from the tray and wiped away some of the blood the healed cuts left behind. “How did you find out?”

  “You didn’t see?”

  “I was shoved out before I could.”

  “Two years ago Stephan’s uncle came for a visit. The way Jayden looked at him…never have I seen such hatred shine in the young man’s eyes. In fact, before then I had never seen any type of emotion in his eyes at all. The rest of his face, sure, but his eyes had always been empty. I’m sure he feels his own brand of hatred toward his other ‘victims,’ but the way he looked at Grant, it was…”

  “Terrifying?”

  Liam chuckled. “To most, it would have been I suppose. Jayden would have known what the man had done the minute he met him. Yet he held back…that is something he would only do for Stephan. I understood why he didn’t want Stephan to know. I didn’t either.” He sighed and crossed his legs. “By the time I found out, he must have already found a way to beat his tracker. I distinctly remember Mr. Helven having an ‘accident’ only a few weeks before. Jayden probably had plans in motion to kill him, not to mention the woman who helped him get away with it.”

  “Would you show me?” Dante asked. “I know it’s not exactly right for me to ask after what I revealed. But I doubt Jayden will allow me back inside.”

  He could practically see the wheels turning in his friend’s head. Liam had never been one to share.

  It wasn’t as if Dante was asking to read him. He just wanted the man to share the specific memory. In Liam’s case, it would be sharing an in-person escapade. Personally, he preferred it that way. Dante lamented the fact that he could only show memories as if they were a film.

  Projecting a memory was less invasive than allowing another into your mind. For the one invading, unless skilled, it was difficult to search for a specific memory without seeing everything that was even slightly related—useful or not. Later thoughts of the events could sometimes tint or influence the actual memory. Of course, that was something easily avoided as long as you knew what you were doing.

  For the person being read, it left them vulnerable. It was difficult to stop someone from doing more than reading once they were inside. Vampires were semi-resistant, but not infallible.

  Other immortal species did not possess the ability to share memories, so, unfortunately, it was the only method that could be used on them. For vampires, the method was usually only used on criminals. Of course, there were the rare individuals who just couldn’t be read at all.

  As for entering Liam’s mind, it had been years since he’d last done so. Definitely an experience Dante would never forget, and one he did not wish to repeat.

  Liam may not have a solid entity as Jayden did, but there was certainly enough darkness inside him to create a little monster of his own. Whatever was there, Dante had no interest in facing it again—it hadn’t liked him.

  “I can. However, I do not think Jayden has much left to show you,” Liam said at last, and held out his hand, mirroring what Jayden had done earlier.

  Dante clasped his hand and allowed the memory to pull him under.

  Liam suppressed a yawn as he watched Stephan giggle and gossip with his Uncle Grant. Ugh, it was…disgusting.

  He didn’t want the man here—or anywhere near Stephan, for that matter. After the custody battle, Grant was permanently on Liam’s shit list. Not that the man had ever been likable. Aston Everwood’s little brother had always been an asshole.

  The man was also an idiot. Honestly, it was the only reasonable explanation for the bastard thinking Liam would have ever let him get his grubby little hands on Stephan—or Stephan’s money.

  He rubbed the back of his neck as an odd sense of dread filled him. The air tasted bitter, and there was a feeling of pure hatred. It wasn’t his.

  Looking around, he eyed Jayden, who was leaning against the wall to his right. Waves of hostility emanated from the man. Jayden’s usually empty eyes were filled with rage. Following his gaze, Liam found himself staring at Grant. Then again, who else would Jayden be looking at? Certainly not Stephan.

  A side of him that he kept deep inside shivered and rose at the implications of Jayden’s look. Liam could feel his eyes starting to bleed black.

  Slamming them shut, he swallowed painfully as he forced it away.

  Letting a small hole form in his mental walls, Liam allowed Jayden a peek inside for just a moment.

  “Jayden, I wish to speak with you alone. Now…” he said in his mind.

  Message sent, Liam closed the opening. Jayden’s head snapped toward him—in a single blink, the burni
ng hatred was gone.

  Waving his hand toward the entryway leading to the stairs, Liam walked off, but not far until he heard Jayden begin to follow.

  The young man looked utterly confused when Liam directed him into his bedroom. Confused or not, Jayden went in, and they soon sat across from each other.

  “So what are we doing here?”

  “What did he do?”

  “What did who do?” Jayden drawled.

  Liam narrowed his eyes. He had no patience, no willingness to hold back his anger. The deaths of his best friend and his the man’s wife, the torture Stephan had been put through, all of it had left a permanent stain on his heart. Aston had meant everything to him—Liam had barely survived losing the man. That they’d never found who planned it all had been infuriating and left him crying out for vengeance. A vengeance that had never been satisfied.

  “Grant! What did Grant do to warrant such a look of hatred?” Liam snapped. “And do not lie to me!”

  Jayden gaped as Liam willingly let his eyes bleed to black. “There is a monster in all of us, Jayden. Some are just better at hiding it. Now tell me.”

  The fury that Liam had seen earlier returned. “He’s responsible for everything! His greed took away Stephan’s childhood! His innocence! And for that, he will pay.”

  “I want in.”

  Jayden jerked. “What?”

  “I want in, and I don’t want Stephan to know any of this. I know how to turn off the tracker without Stephan knowing, but I will only do so if I’m allowed to help. I’ll even let you kill Grant as long as I can watch. But there was another person involved, wasn’t there? Them, I want, because they knew but did nothing.”

  Eyes piercing, Jayden tilted his head. “You’ve blown away my previous conception of you. You’re hiding some pretty interesting secrets, aren’t you?”

  Liam smirked. “Aren’t we all?”

  Instead of asking questions, Jayden confirmed his suspicions. “You’re right. There is someone else. A woman named Jill Kaln. She’s part of the Zay—”