Page 24 of The Monster I Am

Not like Rhys, who tried so hard to be a good person but failed.

Jared clutched the clothes to his chest, wiping at his tears. He started to awkwardly get dressed without standing up, something Rhys didn’t correct. “Yes, sir,” he whispered.

Rhys exhaled slowly. “All right. Stay in here. I’ll get you when it’s time to go.” He couldn’t stand to be around Jared right then, not when he felt so raw. He returned to his room, changing out of his bloodied shirt and into something more formal. He wanted to at least feel like he was on even footing with the others when he arrived.

He’d need every advantage he could get.

Chapter 7

Rhys

Rhys didn’t recognize the office building they arrived at, which was unusual. Normally, they had some measure of a routine when he met with Elizabeth’s proxies, but this wasn’t a typical situation… which meant he’d be meeting with Elizabeth and Sebastian in person.

Fuck.

He’d known as much was possible, even probable, but that didn’t mean he was prepared for it.

The driver brought them into the parking garage, and they got out on the fifth floor. He helped Jared out of the car, concerned by the slave’s silence. Jared hadn’t said a word since before they’d left the house, and he looked dejected.

Resigned.

Rhys sighed. He was tempted to reach out and grip him by the upper arm and guide him into the building, but this was another world entirely. Here, Jared would have to stand up for himself.

Rhys hadn’t said a word to Aidan on the way there, either; what else was left to say? He had confirmed that he was every bit as much of a shitty supe as the rest of them, and he’d have to say goodbye to a friendship he’d valued.

Well, it might not matter for much longer.

Jared silently followed along as Aidan led them into the darkened office building, using a key card to get into a secured area.

“Leave him here,” Aidan said, opening the door to a small conference room.

Rhys rested his hand on Jared’s arm. “Go sit down,” he said. “Sebastian will meet with you shortly. I’ll…” His lips twitched in a humorless smile. “If I don’t see you again, Jared… know that you’ve done well. All right?”

Jared looked miserable. “Yes, sir,” he whispered. He went into the conference room.

Aidan closed the door behind him before locking it with a whispered spell.

Rhys fell back into step with Aidan as they walked through the hall, and he only glanced briefly at his friend when the other witch opened the door to a room where Elizabeth Ivers waited on the other side.

He hadn’t had to report directly to her in a while. Even before this, he’d wanted to tell her about Alastair personally. Some things were best left out to intermediaries, lest they start some sort of panic. He squared his shoulders and stepped inside, resting his hand on the back of the chair across from hers at the conference table.

“Sit,” Elizabeth instructed.

Elizabeth Ivers was a formidable woman. For all that she was the black sheep of the Ivers family, she’d done well for herself, and she’d done a great deal for this cause, too. He respected her, though he was still wary of her.

She had a great deal of power.

Rhys inclined his head in a nod, then sat down in the chair. “Where would you like me to start?” he asked without preamble.

“Start with your report, we’ll go from there,” Elizabeth said calmly.

“All right.” Rhys settled in his chair. “I attended Dominic Bancroft’s party, as we’d agreed. Onyx Rayne is still alive. He showed no signs of injury or distress that I could see. There were perhaps fifteen of us?” He listed off the names of the other witches who’d attended the party. “I’m unsure as to whether Alastair Bancroft remains in New Orleans, but if he is…” His jaw tightened. “He’s a monster among monsters. Even Dominic seemed to dislike him.”

What else was there to say? He gave his report of what he’d gleaned about the Rayne witch and Dominic’s relationship, informed her of the others’ reactions to Alastair’s torture, and sidestepped speaking about Jared entirely.

Until he couldn’t put it off any longer.

“Dominic gifted a human to me. I accepted and took him home, despite knowing that he could be a spy or a plant. I used him, as was expected, and abused him, also as was expected,” he said flatly.