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Octavius had been so damn wrong about so damn much that he didn’t even know where to begin with untangling it all.
“I’m more robust,” Octavius said. “Just concentrate on staying fed and”—he couldn’t believe he was saying this—“feeding me.”
Jayden’s smile turned sly and a touch of color flushed his face and neck, making his spray of freckles shine. “I guess we’ll be getting real close for a while then, huh?”
He was genuinely handsome, just not in a way Octavius had cared to notice. He couldn’t afford to notice now, or things could get far more complicated. “Something like that.” The idea of being intimate with a human would have repulsed him less than a week ago. Now, things had changed.
In fact, everything had changed, and so fast.
Their trio was special. He hadn’t had time to consider what it all meant, just that they were together and were stronger for it.
This was more than necessity.
Octavius cared for them both just as much, if not more, than he cared for the Brotherhood. He’d break every and all rules to keep them safe.
“I’llget the groceries,” Octavius said, grabbing his hooded top. He needed to get outside, get some air; he needed space to think this all through and understand who and what he was. “Stay out of Saint’s room, Jayden. He might look harmless, but Saint has never been more dangerous.”
He saluted. “Got it.”
With any luck, and a bit of time, they might save Saint in time to see the end of the world.
CHAPTER24
Zaine
“We’ve got nothing.”Zaine sat at the meeting table with the laptop churning away off to one side. Eric sat beside him, and Storm loomed at the far end. Aiko was on his way back from London, and Kazimir and Felix were inbound. They’d arrive on US soil within a few hours.
“I’ve got an APB out on Raiden,” Eric said, “but if he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be.”
Storm simmered, arms crossed, cheek twitching, as pissed off as Zaine had ever seen him. And it wasn’t just Raiden missing that had him on edge. Being kicked from a chopper wouldn’t have been much fun, but that wasn’t it either.
Storm looked… worried. And Storm didn’t do worried. Ever.
“We need Mikalis on this,” Zaine said. “If Raiden is all the things Octavius said, then we’re sitting here with our asses out, twiddling our thumbs.”
“Mikalis is indisposed.”
Zaine laughed, despite how unfunny this shitshow was. “What?”
“It’s just us.”
They needed Mikalis. Zaine’s smile faded. He wasn’t fucking around anymore. This was serious. “Saint can wait. Whatever is on that laptop might not.”
“He’s not coming!” Storm snapped.
Zaine clamped his jaw shut. He caught Eric’s eye, and his slight shake of the head, warning him not to push.
“Are we believing Octavius now?” Eric asked. Storm ground his teeth. “I just… He built Atlas. If we can’t find Raiden, then we should go straight to the source. No? He clearly wants to help.”
“Youwant to ask for Octavius’s help?” Storm asked, eyebrows raised.
“Right, I’m sure he’ll help us, because we’ve all beensosupportive of his situation,” Zaine drawled.
“It’s worse than that,” Storm grumbled, shaking his head. “Trust me, he’s not coming back, and he’s not going to help us.”
Zaine wasn’t so sure. Now he’d come around to the idea of Octavius not being the big bad traitor Mikalis had made him out to be, the prick might prove pivotal in fixing this rapidly worsening fuckup. “Last I saw of him, hewantedback in, he wanted to help. If we admit he was right all along, he’ll come back. I’ll talk to him—”
“That was before Mikalis killed Saint,” Storm said, matter-of-factly.
