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Jaden sighed. “I’m doing the best I can. I should get some credit for my efforts.”
“Which means the shield isn’t going to protect them in that cell.” Panahasi began to walk away. “Keep an eye on them or the Keeper is going to have one hell of a fit, and when the primal source is pissed, monumental things break.”
Jaden scowled. “He’s all powerful, so he can do all of us a favor and kill the Slayer. Instead, he stuck me and my reapers with the sole responsibility of keeping that beast caged.”
Panahasi turned and looked at Jaden. “The Slayer is the result of mankind’s depravities. He revels in making others believe his lies and then punishes them for it. He is the living embodiment of pure, undiluted evil, so the only logical defense is Death watching over him, though I doubt even you guys can hold him back if he keeps growing in strength. And even if you do manage to kill him, another Slayer will only take his place because most people are too hellbent on destruction to live in peace.”
That was the damn truth. Jaden couldn’t begin to count how many atrocities he’d witnessed in his lifetime. It was as if people thrived on misery and chaos. “I already knew everything you just told me.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“I didn’t ask what the Slayer was or how he’d come to be. I merely stated that Aldrin is powerful enough to rid us of him. Then again, we could just wipe the planet clean and start over. Problem solved.”
“The Slayer just might grant your wish,” Panahasi said before he walked around the corner and out of sight.
It wasn’t something Jaden truly wished for. He just thought it unfair that his reapers had to bear the burden of keeping the creature sealed away, even if they had no idea that they were the only line of defense keeping the world from being destroyed.
Aldrin should be responsible for dangerous beings. He was in charge of the underworld, after all. He should have just shoved the Slayer in a cell and lost the key instead of giving him freedom to roam around a lush forest, plotting ways to escape.
No matter what Panahasi said, Izel had been the first domino to fall, weakening the Slayer’s prison. Jaden felt it in his gut.
If he had the ability, he would grab his mate and leave this planet behind. As long as he or Panahasi didn’t die, the world would go on spinning for however long before the Slayer finally escaped and rained hell on earth. He would destroy everything in his wake, taking great joy at unleashing on mankind the very thing that had breathed life into him.
Chapter Nine
Orion closed the bathroom door, needing a moment to himself. He felt a deep connection to Duncan and Izel, but if he hadn’t come here to visit Santee, none of them would be in this mess.
This was why Orion had run from them, had refused to entertain the idea of mating Duncan and Izel. But… Orion didn’t regret bonding with them. He’d had his reservations, plenty of them, but when he’d decided to have sex with the two, Orion knew there was no going back.
Closing the lid to the toilet, Orion sat, pulling out his cell phone. The only friend he really had was Santee, and right now, Orion didn’t want to lay all this crap on the guy’s shoulders.
Santee already felt guilty about Orion’s attack. But Orion needed someone to talk to.
He jumped when his phone rang, interrupting the silence. He’d been avoiding talking to his mom since yesterday, and oddly enough, she hadn’t called him to hound him about coming home—not since she’d left those texts and tried to called him the night before. He couldn’t keep putting her off because, as crazy as she was driving him, Orion realized how much he needed her right now.
“Hey, Mom.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
Orion frowned. “For?”
She sighed. “I know I’ve been a pain in the ass lately. That wasn’t my intention. I didn’t mean to drive you away, Orion. It’s just that…the attack. I can’t get past the fact that you were hurt so badly and I wasn’t there to protect you. I could have lost you.”
Orion pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead and closed his eyes. “You didn’t drive me away, Mom. I get why you have been on me lately.”
“Just tell me you’re okay,” she said, her voice a bit strained. “You don’t have to tell me anything else. I only want to know that you’re okay.”
“I’m at the Lovato house.”
She was quiet for a moment. “Where Santee lives now?”
“Mom.” Orion sighed.
“I’ve been giving this a lot of thought,” she said. “You’re right. Santee isn’t responsible for his brother’s actions. I need to give you more credit for your intelligence. You’re not going to put yourself in harm’s way.”
Fuck. If she only knew the trouble he was in. If only his problems were about Santee. Orion could deal with that. The Slayer? Orion had never been so terrified in his life. Not even when Marvell had kidnapped him and beat him senseless.
They were talking about some ancient creature that had targeted him. He noticed how his hand shook when he pulled it away from his forehead. As badly as he wanted to tell his mom what was going on, how scared he was, and how badly he needed a hug from her, Orion didn’t want to worry her even more than she was already.
