30. Twenty-Nine

I stared at the back of our escort’s neck as we bumped along the country road, memorizing the stubble pattern, the weathered crease of skin. I imagined my knife slipping between vertebrae—a quick twist, over in a heartbeat.

Eli shifted, thigh pressing to mine, trembling faintly. I glanced at his wide, fearful eyes in the shadows. My poor little rabbit. I couldn’t traumatize him more after what those cult bastards had done.

I unclenched my fists and turned my gaze back out the window at the skeletal trees clawing at the night sky. I wouldn’t kill anyone. For now. But if anyone dared to put their hands on what was mine, I’d bite them off.

The SUV lurched onto a gravel drive, headlights revealing a looming estate. The house sprawled across the hill like a sleeping beast, sharp angles and dark windows. A twelve-foot stone wall ringed the estate, iron spikes on top. Floodlights snapped on as we approached the wrought-iron gate, and I squinted at two rampant lions welded into the metal. Of course Algerone would choose such a remote location for this meeting, far from prying eyes and ears. If he meant to torture me, he’d be disappointed.

The driver rolled down his window and punched a code into the keypad. The gate swung inward with a metallic groan and we continued up the winding drive. I scanned the night, picking out the glint of security cameras nestled in the trees, their lenses following our progress. The forest pressed close on either side, skeletal branches scraping the SUV's sides. If one needed to dispose of a body, it would be all too easy to drag it into the woods and let the scavengers pick the bones clean.

The drive opened into a large circular courtyard, a marble fountain burbling at its center. The driver parked and killed the engine. I glanced again at Eli, taking in his ashen face and white-knuckled grip on his knees. I wanted to reach over, pull him into my arms, and clutch him against my chest, growling at anyone who came near.

But it was like Annie always used to say. Growling was for inside Keres. When I was on the outside, I had to use manners and words and other useless, civilized things.

Our driver stepped out. I tensed, fingers twitching toward my knife, but he only circled around to open Eli's door, offering a hand.

I snarled at him and batted his hand away, only barely restraining myself from growling, “Mine.”

He glared at me, so I glared back. It wasn’t impolite if he was doing it, too.

The driver escorted us to the foyer, passing beneath an arched stone doorway. The click of our footsteps echoed across the marble floors, the sound swallowed by the sensual trill of string music and the hum of muted conversation drifting from deeper within the mansion.

Masked figures lounged on velvet settees and sprawled across Persian rugs, a twisting mass of bare, sweat-slicked skin under flickering candlelight.

Ah, this was one of those parties. I’d been to a few of them, though they were usually Shepherd’s domain. He liked all that high society bullshit, all the velvet, leather, and steel. I’d take a good old-fashioned naked chase through the woods any day over an orgy on a million dollar sofa. There was always too much prey at an event like the one we’d stepped into. It was like sticking my head down into a den full of sleepy deer.

But Eli was less bored with the orgy unfolding in front of us. He slipped his fingers into mine and squeezed. I turned my head and found the pulse point in his neck throbbing faster.

“Are you afraid, little rabbit?” I whispered into his ear.

He stared up at me with his wide, terrified eyes, lips parted, pulse thumping, looking good enough to devour whole.

I cupped his cheek and bent down. He let out a surprised gasp as my teeth closed tightly over the thrumming pulse in his neck and I sucked. Hard. When I pulled away, there was a freshly blossoming bruise where my mouth had been, a perfect mark of ownership for all to see.

“No one else can touch you,” I ground out. “No one else can have you. Be brave for me a little longer, my little rabbit. Can you do that?”

Eli nodded jerkily.

A severe-looking man in an immaculate black suit materialized from the shadows, his eyes cold and assessing behind an ornate silver mask fashioned after a swan. He carried a sleek tablet and regarded us with a curt nod.

“Monsieur Laskin. We've been expecting you,” he said, his French accent as sharp as the blade of a guillotine. His eyes flicked disapprovingly over our attire and unmasked faces before turning on his designer heels. “This way, s'il vous pla?t. He’s waiting.”

“So this is how Algerone likes to spend his spare evenings,” I mused as we followed the little man through a corridor with a long red runner over the carpet and paintings of distorted faces on the walls.

The masked man didn’t comment as he led us deeper into the mansion, past writhing bodies and sighs of pleasure. Our guide stopped in front of a set of double doors and pulled them open, holding one for us. “Do not forget you’re being watched, monsieur. Be on your best behavior.”

We stepped through the doors and into a cavernous study with towering bookcases and a massive stone fireplace crackling with flames. Algerone stood in front of an ornate desk with his back to us, a glass of something amber in his hand. He was clad in an impeccably tailored black suit, his dark hair slicked back, and his shoulders tense.

The doors clicked shut behind us. Tense silence settled on the room, the only sound the delicate clink of ice in Algerone’s glass as he lifted it to his lips. “Gentlemen,” he said in the form of a greeting. “Where the hell is my son?”

“Your son?” I arched an eyebrow.

Algerone whirled around, his glass shattering against the desk. Amber liquid and jagged shards sprayed across the polished mahogany. His eyes flashed with barely contained rage. “Don’t play games with me. I know you’ve had a hand in moving Xion somewhere else. You may think you’ve outsmarted me, Doctor Laskin, but I assure you, this is not a game you will win. So, I will ask once more,” Algerone said, biting off each word. “Where. Is. My. Son?”

Ah, so that’s what this was about. And Algerone believed the triplets were his sons? Interesting.

“He’s safe,” I replied coolly. “And he’ll remain there until I have information leading me to the recovery of my sister from the Children of the Light, and assurances that no harm will come to Eli.”

Eli’s eyes widened.

A vein throbbed in Algerone’s temple. “How dare you,” he hissed. “Xion is mine . My blood. My son. You have no right—”

“I have every right,” I cut him off. “I was there when he cried in the night as a child. I was there when he took his first steps, and when he and his brothers all spoke their first words. I was there the night his reality shattered, and I have been looking out for him ever since. You, on the other hand…Xion doesn’t even know you exist. I have more right to all three of my brothers than you will ever have.”

“I am their father .”

“You may have sired them, but I helped raise them,” I shot back. “I clothed them, fed them, loved them. Where were you? Off playing mercenary soldier while better men raised your sons?”

Algerone's eyes flashed, and he took a step forward. “You forget yourself.”

“I forget nothing. I know exactly what sort of monster you are,” I snapped. “You’re not the first shitty father I’ve put in his place, and you won’t be the last.”

“Xavier, Xion, and Xander are my children,” Algerone said through clenched teeth. “Mine, Shepherd. And I will burn the world to ashes to get to them.”

“Go ahead,” I taunted. “Burn the world. But know if you do, I’ll be there at the end to piss on the flames. You’ll never find Xion. Not unless you help me rescue Daniella first.”

Algerone stared me down, his jaw clenched so tightly I thought his teeth might shatter. The air crackled between us, tension coiling like a snake ready to strike. I met his gaze unflinchingly, refusing to back down. Eli trembled against my back, but I kept my stance firm, shielding him.

After a long, charged moment, something in Algerone's eyes shifted. The rage bled out, replaced by cold, assessing calculation. He straightened his shoulders and adjusted his cufflinks, composing himself.

“You drive a hard bargain, Shepherd,” he said coolly. “But perhaps we can come to an arrangement that benefits us both.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I'm listening.”

Algerone circled back to the bar and poured himself a fresh drink, movements precise and controlled. “Father Ezekiel and his followers have pooled their resources and purchased a large plot of land in Malaysia.”

“Malaysia?” I stood up straighter. Valentine had mentioned he thought they might be trying to move out of the country soon, but all the way to Malaysia? If they moved Dani there, I might never be able to get her back.

Algerone took a slow sip of his drink, savoring my reaction. “They plan to relocate their entire operation there soon. A fresh start, as it were, far from the prying eyes of international authorities. And good timing too, considering the FBI is building a solid case against them. I heard Agent Valentine was even planning a raid. He has a whole list of suspects to round up. I wonder if your sister’s name is on it.”

Damn it! Daniella didn’t deserve to go to prison. I didn’t want to lose her to the FBI any more than I wanted her to vanish into the jungles of Malaysia. Time was running out. I had to get to her. Now.

Perhaps if I knew when the FBI was planning to make their move, I could get there first. But I couldn’t let Algerone know I was planning to move without him. I had to keep stringing him along, let him believe I fully intended to cooperate until I had Dani free. Then all I had to do was keep Eli safe, which would be easy enough once I tore out Algerone’s throat with my teeth.

He glared at me. “Now that I’ve given you something, I believe it’s only fair for you to repay my kindness.”

“Tit for tat it is,” I spat. “Xion was moved from the hospital against medical and legal advice. He is in a safe place where he’s being monitored by professionals around the clock. However, his mental state is…delicate to say the least. His schizophrenia is not well controlled and introducing him to all of this could completely shatter his psyche. I need time to stabilize his mental state with therapy and medication before he’s ready to see you. He needs a better hold on reality.”

Algerone gripped the edge of his desk, knuckles turning white. “You think you can dictate the terms of when I see my own son?”

“With all due respect,” I replied, “you have no rights. Xion is under my protection now, as he has been for years. I will do what is best for him, even if that means keeping him away from you. For now.”

Algerone's face contorted into a snarl. He looked as if he wanted nothing more than to lunge across the desk and tear my throat out with his bare teeth. But he restrained himself, taking a deep breath. “Are you certain that is a risk you want to take, considering the information I’ve just given you?”

“I’ll take my chances,” I ground out.

“Doctor Laskin,” he said, leaning on his desk. “Before we progress, I want to remind you that I have destroyed men greater than you for far less.”

I smirked. “Good thing I'm not a man then. I'm a monster, same as you. And monsters don't play by the rules.”

Algerone's eyes glittered with malice as his gaze slid past me to Eli. “A monster, you say? Well, why don't we ask your little boyfriend what he thinks about being kept by monsters?”

I tensed, a growl building in my throat. Eli's breath quickened.

Algerone circled the desk, each step precise and predatory. “Tell me, Elias, do you know what sort of beasts you've aligned yourself with? The depths of depravity the Laskin family will sink to?”

“Stop,” I snarled.

Algerone ignored me, stopping mere feet from us, his eyes boring into Eli's. “They're murderers, boy. Cold-blooded killers. They hunt down their prey and butcher them like animals. I've seen the bloody aftermath of their little vigilante sprees. Quite the body count they've racked up over the years. And your man has the bloodiest hands among them.”

Eli choked, pressing against my back. I reached back, gripping his hip to hold him steady.

“Rapists, murderers, abusers. That's who we kill,” I spat. “Scum that the system fails to put away. We protect the innocent by taking out the trash.”

“So you admit it then,” Algerone said, lip curling in disgust. “You don’t even try to hide it now that it’s out in the light, do you? But in all the months you’ve had him with you, all the times he’s shared your bed, slept next to you… You haven’t told him exactly how much of a monster you are, have you?”

Eli's fingers dug painfully into my arm, his whole body trembling against me. I could practically taste his fear, his confusion, his doubt. It coated my tongue, thick and cloying.

I refused to look at him, keeping my glare trained on Algerone. If I saw the horror and revulsion in Eli's eyes, I didn't know what I would do.

“The truth hurts, doesn't it, boy?” Algerone crooned, taking another step closer. “To realize the man you've let into your body is nothing more than a rabid dog that needs to be put down.”

“Shut your fucking mouth,” I snarled, baring my teeth.

Algerone smirked. “What's the matter, Shepherd? Afraid he'll see you for what you truly are and run screaming? Though I suppose there's nowhere for him to run, is there? Not with your claws sunk so deep into his flesh.”

I saw red. A roar built in my chest, rattling my ribs. I started to lunge forward, fully intending to rip Algerone's smug face off with my bare hands.

But Eli's grip on my arm stopped me. His fingers dug in hard enough to bruise, anchoring me in place.

“Don't,” he said, so softly I almost didn't hear him.

The effect was instantaneous, like a bucket of ice water dumped over my head, soothing the flames of my rage. The beast inside me stilled, hackles lowering, claws retracting.

I blinked, startled by the sudden shift. It was as if Eli's touch had flipped a switch, transforming me from the snarling, feral creature I'd been only seconds before back into an almost rational human being. I glanced down at where his fingers gripped me, marveling at the way his pale skin contrasted against my tanned, weathered flesh. Such a simple gesture, yet it held an unexpected power.

Algerone's eyes narrowed to slits. “See our guests out, Maxime. We're done here.”

I tugged on Eli's hand, pulling him close as we followed the other man out of the study and back through the decadent corridors. The sounds of carnal pleasure assaulted us from all sides, but they seemed distant, muted, as if belonging to another world entirely.

All I could focus on was the warmth of Eli’s body pressed to mine, the overwhelming urge to cocoon him in safety, to shield him from harm. I was used to looking out for my brothers, my sister—but this was different.

We emerged from the mansion into the cool night air. It was a relief to breathe in something other than the cloying perfume and sweat from inside. The moon hung heavy and bloated in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the estate grounds.

The same driver led us to the SUV. Eli curled into my side, and I wrapped an arm around him, tucking his head under my chin. He fit perfectly, like he belonged there, though his body was stiff.

Fucking Algerone… I was going to kill him.