Kayden's smirk fades. He glances at Asher. Clearly, they didn't expect that kind of answer.
Kayden scoffs, shaking his head. "Environmental causes? Draining vampire blood to save the trees? I didn't see that one coming. That's… ironically noble."
Asher lowers his gaze, thoughtful. "I've heard whispers. Rumors. I didn't think it was a real operation." His eyes flick up to mine. "If it's run by non-humans, that explains the secrecy. Who's behind it? You mentioned a name—Darius. Is he the boss?"
My gaze slides to the window at the sound of that name. Some instinct deep in my bones expects him to appear whenspoken aloud. But there's nothing outside, just wind, rain, and the bone-rattle of thunder.
I finish my drink, set the glass on the table, and ask, "Can I get another?"
"By all means," Kayden says, rising with a theatrical sigh. "Let's keep the lady comfortable while she's under interrogation." The sarcasm's smooth, but his eyes are still watching me closely. Like a cat circling a cornered bird. He moves to the bar, still listening.
"Yes. The leader of the whole operation is Darius Hawthorn," I answer Asher.
Asher's brows lift. "The billionaire?" Then a quiet nod, the pieces aligning in his mind. "Right. Green tech. Carbon-neutral economy. Big political ties, deep pockets, whisper-clean reputation. I remember now."
"You know a lot about some random rich bastard," Kayden mutters, returning and handing me a fresh drink.
"I keep up to date with major developments," Asher replies flatly. "Some of us like to function in this century."
Kayden grunts a dry laugh and drops back on the sofa, one arm draped across the top cushion, his presence coiling around me again like smoke. It takes effort not to shift away.
"He's non-human, too, I'm guessing," Asher says.
Interesting. He's still not asking whatIam. But we're circling closer.
"No. He's a satyr," I say, letting it drop like a stone.
They blink. That got them.
"Oh, a satyr?" Kayden drawls, voice thick with sarcasm. He leans forward, elbows on his knees, the grin returning with that hungry glint in his eyes. "What's next? The whole court of Oberon hiding in Silicon Valley?"
"I've met a lot of creatures over the centuries," Asher says, though doubt lines his voice. "We've got coyote shifters, abanshee, even a valkyrie in town. But satyrs? Leshy? Never outside myth."
I shrug. "Because creatures of life, of nature, don't mix with beings like you. It's dangerous for us."
I didn't even know they existed six years ago. But now I'm one of them. And we're good at hiding. Better than anyone realized.
"Seems like knowing you is more dangerous tous," Kayden says, lips curling into that wicked smirk.
I turn to him, wary. "What happened to the two leshy who pursued me?"
He stretches lazily. "They won't be a problem for you or anyone else. I can give you the gory details if you're into that kind of thing."
I glance away, swallowing hard. I was never close with the leshy, especially those two—Eastern European transplants loyal to Darius first and foremost. But that doesn't mean I wanted them dead.
And Darius… he'll feel the loss. And he'll make someone pay.
"No need." My voice tightens. "That's why it's dangerous. Vampires are stronger than most of us, and our blood…" I stop myself, too late. The words are already hanging in the air, heavy with implication.
Kayden catches the slip like a scent in the wind. He leans forward, his eyes lit with something far more complex than hunger. "Now we're getting to the crucial part, sunshine," he says, voice low and coaxing. "What are you, exactly, among your eco-friendly supernatural bandits? You're not leshy. That I know. Their blood tastes like sap and bark. Yours was…" His gaze drops to my lips, then back to my eyes. "Different."
The way he says it, it's not just about the taste. There's something deeper behind it. Something that rattles me more than I care to admit.
I sit back, dread coiling tight in my stomach. Doesn't matter if I confess now or later, they were always going to ask.
I swirl the amber liquid in my glass, avoiding both their eyes. "If I tell you… you'll kill me."
A bitter flash cuts across my memory. Vampires who caught me before I even understood what I was. The bites. The agony. The way they drained me dry. I would've died if Darlene hadn't found me when she did.
