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

by Shelby Rhodes

  “Zaytari,” Liam growled. The darkness inside him screamed for blood at being betrayed by one of his own.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Reddish-brown spots stained the covers beneath them, stains identical to the patches on Jayden’s skin and clothes.

  They were both a little bloody, him more than Stephan. As the blood was all his, it made sense. At least the thousands of cuts Jayden had received were healing—though his clothes were a loss, as were Stephan’s.

  The man’s powers had quieted, but his eyes hadn’t returned to normal.

  While Jayden’s heart ached at the loss, if the beautiful lilac never returned, he would still love Stephan. Dante Kozen, of course, would die slowly for his part in causing the change.

  Though…Jayden might still kill the man, even if they did revert back.

  “There is no might. We will kill him!” his monster snapped.

  Ignoring the voice in his head, he tried to coax Stephan back to him. “Sweetheart…Stephan, I’m sorry.”

  Stephan tilted his head up, looking at him. When lilac began to wash away the darkness, Jayden sighed in relief.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I didn’t want to hurt you.” Staring down steadily, Jayden threaded his hand into Stephan’s curly strands. “And I knew him disappearing would hurt you less than knowing what he did.”

  “I had a right to know.”

  “You did…but I still didn’t want to tell you.” Hesitantly, he divulged, “And Liam felt the same.”

  As Stephan already knew the worst of it, telling him about the man’s involvement now felt like the right thing to do.

  The man’s eyes widened. “Liam knew?”

  “Yes, he also helped. He killed the woman involved. His eyes, they turned black when he found out what your Uncle Grant had done.”

  Stephan scrunched his nose up. “Black, but that’s…” His words trailed off.

  “What did Liam do before coming here?”

  “My father…I think he said Liam worked for the Zaytari. He dropped everything to take care of me.”

  “How did you know Dante Kozen’s group had no executioner?”

  “What? Liam told…”

  “I suppose if he had been the previous one, he would know.”

  * * * *

  Could Jayden be right? Had Liam been the executioner? Did it matter?

  No, Liam was still Liam. It didn’t change anything. Besides, the fewer people who knew what the man had done, the safer they were.

  “Stephan…I know this is a stupid question. But are you all right?”

  He laughed bitterly. “No, not really. Not only was Grant my last blood relative, but he was responsible for my parents’ deaths. I let my parents’ murderer into my home.” Stephan swallowed back the bile that formed at the thought. “The man wanted me dead. They…they were supposed to kill me, as well, after they were done.”

  “I know. I read it from his mind.”

  “I have no family left.”

  “That’s not true. You have Liam. While he’s not blood-related, he does love you. And then…there’s me. If you’ll have me, that is,” Jayden murmured warily before kissing the top of his head. “I love you, Stephan. You’re not alone.”

  Stephan let out a sob and plastered himself to the man. Jayden cupped his face and leaned down to place a soft kiss on his lips.

  He needed this, to feel something, something other than the betrayal plaguing him.

  After scooting up his body, Stephan deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue past Jayden’s lips. As he hardened, he whimpered and began to rub his erection against Jayden’s abs.

  Growling, Jayden rolled them and pinned Stephan beneath him. The man sucked on his bottom lip before pulling away completely.

  “We should stop,” Jayden rasped.

  Stephan’s voice cracked when he asked, “Why?”

  “It wouldn’t be right…you’re upset. I won’t take advantage of you. It would make me as bad as them.”

  They both knew who “them” was. Even so, Stephan wanted him. He wanted to be with him, even if he was scared.

  “I want you…I don’t want to wait, please,” he begged.

  “No, not now. Later, yes. But not now. Once you’ve rested and your mind has cleared.” Jayden bent down and gave him a quick kiss. “It may be selfish, but I can’t. Not this way. I need to know that you’re with me, not because of shock, but because you want to be. Because you’re ready to be.”

  “You want me though, right?” Feeling uncertain, he asked, “You don’t think I’m damaged?”

  “No! I would never think that. You’re perfect! There is nothing wrong with you, don’t ever think there is. I love you, Stephan, and I will always want you.”

  Biting his lip, he nodded. “Okay.”

  Jayden slid off of him and began to tuck him in. “Now, you should rest.” He paused. “Though…maybe you should take a bath first. You’re a little bloody.”

  “Later…”

  “Well, I’m going back out there to talk to our…guest.”

  The word “guest” ended in a growl—it didn’t bode well for Dante.

  “Okay.” Stephan sniffled. “But don’t hurt him.”

  Jayden huffed. “I won’t if that’s what you want. Even if I really, really want to.” He leaned down and kissed Stephan’s cheek. “Now rest.”

  * * * *

  After closing the outer door of Stephan’s room, Jayden started down the hallway toward his own. Thanks to the dry blood, his dress clothes were even more uncomfortable than before, plastered as they were to his skin. He fully intended to change before dealing with Dante again.

  Once in his room, he kicked off his shoes and quickly stripped away his ruined clothes. Jayden strode nude into the bathroom, then grabbed a washcloth and wet it in the sink. He wiped down, trying to get as much blood off as possible.

  After throwing the bloody piece of cloth into the trash, he re-entered his bedroom.

  “Now, what do I wear?” Jayden murmured to himself.

  He could put another dress shirt and whatever on, or he could go for comfort. Considering what Jayden wanted to do to Dante at the moment, he didn’t feel talking to him warranted nice clothing.

  Jayden opened his dresser and grabbed a pair of black boxer briefs, black jeans, and a black T-shirt. Once fully dressed, he looked around for his slippers—over the years he’d been living with Stephan, Jayden had gotten into the habit of wearing them.

  “You threw them away a few days ago because of all the holes,” his monster reminded him.

  “Shit, I forgot.”

  “You don’t have to talk out loud for me to hear you. Just think words at me. Oh, there’s always the pink ones Stephan got you for your birthday?”

  Jayden snorted in disbelief. “I know that, but I prefer it when we’re alone. And you can’t be serious.”

  “But they’re so fuzzy! Also, I bet Stephan would be happy if we wore them.”

  Apparently, not only did his monster share his homicidal tendencies, but also his love for Stephan.

  “He’s mine, as well! You have to share! Be fair!”

  Considering that his monster was a part of him, he supposed…nothing, he supposed nothing, as he had no interest in closely examining his monster’s claim.

  Sighing, Jayden pulled the fuzzy pink slippers out of his closet and slipped them on. After leaving his room, he closed the door behind him and started off toward the staircase.

  “I want a name. I don’t like being called ‘monster.’”

  Eyebrows rising, Jayden mumbled hesitantly, “I’ll think about it.”

  “You do that…we should kill him.”

  “We can’t.”

  “Why not?” His monster whined and stomped his foot.

  Jayden caught himself as he stumbled on one of the steps, his eyes widening at his monster’s childish display. “We can’t kill him. It would ruin Stephan’s plan.”

  “What if the man
refuses and tries to hurt Stephan?”

  “Then we’ll kill him.” Jayden chuckled darkly.

  Almost to the living room, he picked up the conversation going on.

  “So you killed Jill,” Dante surmised. “We always wondered what happened to her. No clues and no body.”

  Liam laughed. “I couldn’t leave a body behind.”

  “No, I suppose not. The methods you used to torture and kill her would have led us right to you.” The man sighed. “Even if you didn’t trust the rest, why didn’t you come to me? You know I would have made them pay if I had known, Liam.”

  “I couldn’t. You know what would have happened if what Grant had done had become public. Such a high-profile figure, there would be questions. And then on top of having to deal with his anger and grief, Stephan would have been hounded by reporters. Reporters trying to break him down just for a story,” Liam snarled. “Not to mention, it would lead you right to Jayden.”

  “There is some truth there,” Dante agreed, but the man sounded hurt.

  “So I was right. You were an executioner at one point,” Jayden drawled as he sauntered in.

  The two of them were a mess—both as bloody as he had been. Jayden found it a bit strange to see Liam so out of sorts.

  “I was,” Liam confirmed. “But as I’m sure you’ve figured out, I retired when Stephan needed me.”

  Sitting next to Liam, he narrowed his gaze on Dante. “Mr. Kozen, to be honest, right now I want to kill you.”

  For some reason, the man smiled and said, “No doubt.”

  “However, Stephan told me not to, so, for now, I won’t. But I would suggest we get on with this before I change my mind.”

  “Yes, well, your anger is to be expected. I apologize for revealing what I did. Unfortunately, I do need to finish reading your mind.”

  Of course he did. Jayden snorted. At least it should go quickly—there wasn’t much left for him to see.

  He grabbed Dante’s hand. The man jolted in surprise but quickly calmed, his eyes glazing over as he slid into Jayden’s mind.

  Monitoring Dante’s progress, he pulled away before the man could see his moments in Stephan’s bedroom.

  Dante’s green eyes cleared. “That body in the forest is going to be a pain to find. Though, I believe there was a little more left for me to see.”

  “It’s nothing you need to know.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Jayden growled. “Positive.”

  There was no way in hell he was going to let Dante see Stephan in his frilly pink panties. That was for his eyes only. The man’s moans were his, the smell of his arousal, his declaration of love. Jayden would share none of it.

  Dante’s gaze on him was probing, but the look soon fled as the man relaxed. “I believe you.”

  “So what happens now?”

  “Now, I contact the king and a few others to tell them what I’ve learned. Believe it or not, I see no problem with you joining my group. Skills like yours are very useful in my line of work. The job of executioner would fit you quite well. The final decision, however, will be the king’s. I believe King Adrian will want to meet with you both.”

  Somehow, Jayden didn’t think the king would appreciate his work. Then there was Stephan…the societal implications of being found out would be devastating. Plenty of idiots out there were still prejudiced against Lydus blood elves.

  “I don’t want Stephan involved. If what he is, is found out, his businesses will be ruined. Stephan would lose everything, not to mention his life would probably be in danger. Then there’s the fact that he hid a murderer for ten years.”

  “I assure you, Stephan will not be punished. As for the registry, that’s another matter entirely. But I’m sure King Adrian will figure something out.”

  “If you say so,” Jayden muttered dryly.

  * * * *

  A little while later

  Dante absently watched the scenery go by out the car window. Everything he had learned kept turning over in his head. The information he’d received was beyond his imagination. Dante felt positively giddy with excitement.

  God, they had found him—after ten years of searching, they had finally found him. The public could never find out what he had done. Despite who Jayden’s “victims” were, to this day, there were still some relatives screaming about conspiracies.

  If Jayden became his executioner, and he would if Dante had anything to say about it, his activities should probably be kept secret, even from Dante’s people. Though, considering his signature methods of torture, Jayden would be found out quickly.

  He could possibly tell the older members, as they already knew more of the intimate details about the cases. Dante snorted—not that the younger members wouldn’t find out anyway. His people gossiped as much as the old women in the First Realm…or was that old men?

  Once secluded in his study, Dante pulled out his cell phone and called the king. Adrian answered after a few rings.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of this call, Dante?”

  Dante’s mouth curved into a smile at Adrian’s less-than-thrilled tone. The king just didn’t appreciate his flair for suspense—a shame, really.

  “I just had a rather interesting meeting.”

  Adrian let out a heavy sigh. “About what?”

  “Some old cases.”

  “I swear to all that is holy, Dante, if you don’t get to the point, I’m going to track you down and shov—”

  Adrian’s voice cut out and a deeper one spoke. “I apologize, Dante. Adrian is a bit…grumpy tonight.”

  Dante laughed. “Don’t worry, King Xavier. I’m not offended.”

  “I would suggest, however, getting to the point. My man hasn’t been sleeping well lately.”

  “Oh, I see. Well then, I’ll be quick about it.”

  Dante heard Adrian snarkily say, “Doubtful,” in the background. He couldn’t help but grin—the man was as feisty as always.

  “Thank you. Here’s Adrian.”

  “You know those kidnappings that stopped five years ago?” Dante asked in excitement.

  Adrian grunted. “Yes.”

  “I found him!”

  He could hear covers rustling over the line. “You found him?”

  “Yes, I met him in person. He let me into his mind. The man is simply extraordinary. We were right about him being young, by the way. However, he is more powerful than we even imagined.”

  “And why did he let you read him?”

  “He wants to join my group.”

  “I see…well, it appears we should meet. I imagine it’s a conversation better held in person.”

  “Yes! There’s so much to tell!” Dante shouted passionately. “About Stephan Everwood, and believe it or not, Liam Valence. Not to mention Grant Everwood. We also missed quite a few bodies. Oh, and there was a betrayal in my group. Then there’s the young man in the middle of it all. Jayden is his name, by the way. God, wait till you see him. His eyes th—”

  “Dante!” Adrian snapped. “Calm down. You can explain everything when we meet.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Jayden scanned Stephan’s sleeping form—he looked so peaceful and innocent. Though…the dried blood on his face ruined it a bit. Jayden gently wiped away the smudges with a wet washcloth.

  Stephan’s eyes fluttered open. “Jade,” he rasped.

  Pulling the cloth away, he murmured, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  The man cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes. “It’s okay. How…how did it go?”

  “I don’t know.” Jayden sat down on the edge of the bed. “Okay, I guess. We have a meeting with King Adrian and King Xavier in a few days. According to Dante, if it goes well, I’ll be his new executioner.”

  “The kings?” Stephan fidgeted. “I’m sure it’ll be fine. I mean, Dante did say King Adrian already knew about you. Well, what you’ve done, that is. I’m not sure if that’s true of King Xavier. Though, Adrian is who we have to impress, as technical
ly Xavier is only a consort.”

  Jayden tilted his head in confusion. “Consort? Why do so many call him ‘king’ then?”

  “It’s a show of respect. His position would have been equal to Adrian’s if he had been a vampire. Or at the very least come from a vampire’s line. From what I heard, for a while, it caused a rather big rift between King Adrian and the council.”

  “I see…” Wanting to change the subject, he asked, “Would you like to take a bath?”

  Stephan wrinkled his nose. “I think I would. The dried blood is a bit itchy…sorry for hurting you earlier.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Why don’t you bathe while I change the bedding?” Jayden paused. “Where is your bedding? I’ve never seen this before now.” He waved at the bed. “I believe I would have noticed so much pink.”

  “It’s…it’s in the closet in my sitting room.”

  “I see,” Jayden said, chuckling.

  As he headed toward the door, Stephan called out to him. “Wait! I…”

  Pausing, Jayden turned back. “Is something wrong?”

  “Could you…” Stephan bit his lip. “Could you…umm…”

  He raised his eyebrow in question. “Yes?”

  “Take a bath with me!” The man quickly looked down in embarrassment.

  The request left Jayden speechless. He opened his mouth, only to snap it shut.

  “Never mind,” Stephan said, his voice squeaking. He threw back the covers and fled toward the bathroom.

  Jayden grabbed the man’s arm and pulled Stephan against him. Looking down, he pushed some stray strands of Stephan’s hair back. His hand lingered over the top of one of Stephan’s flushed ears. The pointed tip twitched under his fingers, and the man shuddered. Sensitive—Jayden grinned at the discovery and filed it away for later.

  “Stephan, that’s a request I would never be able to say no to.”

  Stephan peered shyly up at him through his lashes. “Really?”

  “Really.” Jayden gave the man a quick kiss and released him. “Why don’t you go start the bath, and I’ll join you once I’ve changed the bed.”