Page 76

“Two,” Kenton said.

So he did remember.

“The girl couldn’t have been more than twenty—”

“A woman. But yes, she was young.”

And beautiful. Not to mention alone in the world, her arousal in some ways like Alessandra’s. She had not known her parents, so the abilities she’d begun to acquire had confused her. Frightened her. She hadn’t had time to master them.

“Do you regret it?”

It was the question he’d wanted to ask since coming back to town. If Kenton truly had joined their side . . .

“No.”

Not the answer he was looking for.

“Not taking her life? Not any of them?”

“Will my regret save her? Or any of the Cheld I killed?”

“No, but—”

“It would only serve to tear away at my soul, little by little. Every Cheld. Every kill . . .” He shook his head. “I can say I’ve never killed one who had not been able to defend themselves. I can rationalize that, over time, they attempted to end my life as well. But I realize now, those are excuses for my actions. I can’t regret the past. But I can learn from it. Or, at least, learn from the present.”

“From Alessandra, you mean? We spent centuries telling you not all Cheld were bad—”

“And I spent centuries believing it didn’t matter. That I’d do anything to protect my brothers from the fate that took my mother’s life.”

Torr surprised himself by feeling for him, at least on that account. For centuries, the Morleys had been together, but now both brothers were estranged from him. He couldn’t imagine how painful that must be.

“Have you heard from either of them?”

Kenton sighed, took another sip, and shook his head.

“No. I’ve given up trying to contact them. Neither will return my calls.”

“With good reason.”

Kenton looked up.

“You’ve betrayed them.”

“Jesus, Torr. You berate me for being on the wrong side but also for—”

“I’m not berating you,” he said, meaning it. “I’m stating a fact. At least, they believe you betrayed them. Neither sees Alessandra as you do. To them, she is one of the enemy. No matter that she would never join the Sect.”

“Rowan will kill her,” Kenton said flatly. The youngest Morley brother had witnessed his mother’s murder, her head removed by a Cheld. And he’d become the most ruthless of all of them because of it.

Torr pushed his glass toward Kenton and nodded. His nemesis refilled it, and he drank deeply again. He’d gone much too long without blood.

“And Drake?” he asked.

There it was again. The ever-so-slight tug on his heart at the utter desperation on Kenton’s face.

“I don’t know. But luckily, Alessandra’s instincts are strong—”

“I’ve never met a stronger Cheld. And after tracking them for so many years, I’ve met plenty.”