Chapter Ten

Around noon, I finished packing Leo's clothes, toiletries, and books. Aside from those items, he had the furniture in his office. The rest of the house was fairly empty since we'd planned to furnish the place after renovations.

Needing a break from intermittent crying and dismantling my life, I pulled on my thick white sweater and decided to walk down to the deli to buy a sandwich. It was a foggy day, the air filled with drizzle and sad shades of gray. I hated when it was overcast, and somehow today was worse than any other.

See, another reason to move.But to where? Anything I did from here on out had to be for myself.

I stepped out the front door and ran straight into a man about to ring the bell.

"Ooph!" I stumbled back, but he grabbed my shoulders to keep me from falling on my ass. He was tall with thick black hair and intense gray eyes. He wore a sleek black suit that said he either had money or was good at pretending.

"I am looking for Draco," he said.

No apology for startling me?Nor did he introduce himself, and those two things made my mind stall. Was this the person Draco had stolen all that cash from? Was he here to hurt him? Or me? Because this guy had a hard, displeased look in his eyes that instantly set me on edge.

"Who are you?" I asked, tipping back my head to see his face. A mistake because his pronounced cheekbones and elegant masculine features—perfectly straight nose, well-defined jaw, strong lips—instantly mesmerized me. He looked almost too perfect, like he'd been airbrushed. Real, but not from this world.

A cold shiver rolled through me.

The man ignored my question and advanced a step. "If you know what is good for you, Piper, you will not hide him. You will tell me exactly where Draco is."

He knew my name.

I swallowed down a thick lump. "What do you want?"

"Draco is unwell. I am here on behalf of his family to see he gets the treatment he needs."

I took another step back, foolishly thinking I'd somehow be safer standing inside my house. "Why? Is he dangerous?" Like you?

The man stared coldly. "Very."

Of course, a part of me already knew that. I'd just been so overwhelmed by the Leo situation—his getting fired and dumping me without warning—that the entirety of Draco's sketchiness had been pushed into the background of my mind. Strange, because that wasn't like me. I'd always been na?ve, or unrealistically altruistic, when it came to romantic trust but not when it came to everyday safety. I'd lived in New York. I saw what happened to people who didn't pay attention. But for reasons I couldn't comprehend, I'd let a stranger into my home, into my life. I'd told him he could stay as long as he liked, even after our odd run-ins.

"Tell me where to find him," said the man.

"I don't know," I replied.

"Piper, look at me. Look hard at what you see."

I was looking. I saw a man who terrified me, and I didn't know why.

I blinked, and suddenly we were in a dark room. Draco lay bleeding from the neck on the concrete floor behind me.

"Move, Piper," the man ordered.

"No. I won't let you kill him. He's like this because of you! You and Jeni. You turned your backs on him. You locked him away where no one held him or loved him. Who the fuck does that to a baby?"

"He'll be the fucking end of everything, including what is left of your family, if I do not stop him. But there is more at stake than those who survived his night of terror. There are the ones who have earned their eternal peace, and he will take them, too. All to fuel his thirst for power."

I lifted my chin in defiance. "You never gave him a chance to find another path. You owe him that. Because the great King, of all people, should know we make our own luck. We make our fate."

The intense rage in his eyes flickered for a moment, only to return more determined. "I am sorry, Piper. Move out of my way, or your life ends here. With his."

"Piper," Draco gurgled out his words, blood flowing from his mouth, "remember."

"Remember what?" I blinked and was back in my foyer, staring at the man in the black suit.

"You're his…" I tried to form the next word in my head, and then it went away. A blank slate.

"I am his what?" the man asked.

I shook my head. "I-I don't know." My temples were pounding.

"Enough games, Piper. I am your king. You are a Spiros. You will do as I say and tell me where Draco went."

What the hell was he talking about?

"I'm calling the police." I moved to shut the door and lock it so I could dig out my cell, but the man rushed after me, slamming the door behind us.

His hand dashed to my throat and squeezed. "Why are you disobeying me? I have returned. I am the rightful king. You are compelled to obey…" His cold eyes narrowed, staring deeply into mine. He released me. "You are not a Spiros. Not by blood."

How did he know I was adopted? And why did being a Spiros make him believe I'd obey him? He'd said he was my king.

He continued staring. "And you have the Seer gene." He looked like he'd been punched in the gut. "I do not understand. Draco's mother was supposed to be the last."

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if you don't leave in two seconds, I'm calling the cops. I have cameras all over the property, which means they'll have your photo." The security system had been Leo's idea. Half the time, I forgot it was there.

I stared at the man's unusually handsome face, and something sparked. He looks like Draco.

"Miss Spiros, I can tell from your ignorant thoughts that your family has done you a great disservice and concealed many facts. So trust me when I say you are in over your head."

"Who are you?"

"I am King. The man who has avoided hell for thousands of years. Now decide. Do you wish to join me there on my final journey? Because if you help Draco, that will be your fate. One last time, Piper, where is my son?"

Draco

Yesterday, after I had explored Piper's memories, I discovered that the prior owner of the house had also owned a warehouse and building downtown. I went to the county recorder's office and persuaded the young man who worked there to check for more information. It was all public record, but truth be told, I did not know how to use a computer. I could barely make a call with my phone. On, off, dial, send, and end. That was the extent of my experience despite having memories of owning a cell phone in my dream life. Perhaps I should have stuck around for that documentary.

After obtaining the information on the properties, I went to visit both. They were owned by a company called TC Holdings, but there was little information on what the company did.

I anticipated needing to use my skills on the current occupants to have a look around; however, when I arrived at each location, the buildings were vacant.

So I broke in.

Nothing.

Between the two properties, there wasn't a scrap of paper, furniture, or otherwise. Whoever had occupied these buildings made sure to clean thoroughly.

It was suspicious, but not surprising.

Like I already knew, my family had gone to great lengths to conceal who they were, their motives, and where to find them. Which was why I questioned the breadcrumbs left behind at the records office. A trap perhaps?

Whatever the case, it was all I had besides my dreams of Piper and that house. I had to go visit TC Holdings of Los Angeles.