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But Saint wouldn’t. Like he’d said to Octavius, he had no wish to ruin the Brotherhood. He never had.
“Saint?” Jay, on the bed, propped his head up on a hand. “Are you all right?”
“No.” He really wasn’t. He couldn’t say any more. There was too much to explain anyway. Jay wouldn’t understand it. He knew what Saint was, knew him asvampire, like the human myths, but those myths did little more than scratch the surface of the truth.
Jay shuffled backward on the bed and threw off the sheet, exposing half a space on the double bed beside him and inviting Saint over. He wore only a fresh shirt, and his handsome body had regained its golden sunbaked glow. Saint crossed the room and lay next to him, fully clothed. At times like these, just being with someone kept him grounded, kept him from spiraling out of control.
Jay wrapped a leg around his and tucked his arm under Saint’s, then hugged him to his chest. He shuffled down, pulling Saint close. “We can fuck if you want.”
“No,” he said again. He needed to think, and as pleasurable as Jay’s body was, he’d too readily lose himself in sex.
Jay’s fingers stroked over Saint’s heart, through his shirt, until he fell asleep once more.
The day Saint had escaped Atlas, the electronics had failed, opening his cell door. Perhaps it had just been a fluke he’d survived. He’d fled, mindless and elated, but also racked with grief. In all the months, years, centuries that he’d been hidden, he’d hoped Mikalis would come to him. Mikalis never had. Not once.
Nobody betrayed Mikalis and lived. Even those who loved him.
CHAPTER9
Octavius
Octavius paced.
Mikalis sired Saint? The revelation was almost too significant to comprehend.
It explained why Saint was so powerful. He was ancientandsired by Mikalis. A double blow of potent nyktelios genes. It also explained why Mikalis hadn’t killed Saint before now, and instead had kept him locked up. Might even explain his secrecy around Saint. But when had he sired him? Was it before the Brotherhood? It had to be before because of the rules the Brotherhood all abided by. They never made more nyks. Ever. They didn’t care, and they didn’t drink from the vein. Simple rules, but powerful ones. What if Mikalis had broken all of them while overseeing the Brotherhood?
No, that wasn’t possible. Why was Octavius listening to Saint? If anyone was lying, it was more likely to be him than Mikalis.
If only Octavius could pick up the phone and call Mikalis, and trust he would listen. Unfortunately, his apparent betrayal had burned any grace with Mikalis.
But Octavius could still call Raiden.
He paced the room, plucked Janice’s stolen phone from his pocket, and dialed Raiden’s number. After three rings, he answered.
“Hello?” His cheery, neat voice did something to Octavius’s heart, made it shrink then pulse back to life.
“Hi.”
“Octavius,” he gasped. “Where are you?”
Octavius laughed a little. He wasn’t going to tell him that, not yet. “I er… I didn’t expect this to be so difficult,” he whispered, so Saint didn’t hear through the thin walls.
“Are you all right?”
Octavius dropped onto the end of the bed. He almost sobbed, which was ridiculous. Why did this hurt so much? “No.” Gods, he’d had all these things he wanted to say, but now, hearing Raiden’s voice, he didn’t know where to begin.
“Come in.”
“He’ll kill me.”
The line fell quiet. Raiden knew it to be true.
“Raiden, I… I just wanted to say some things I never got to say—”
“I’ll meet you somewhere.”
“Listen, we… had something. I know we did. Something… more. And I’m sorry I ruined it. I didn’t betray you, you have to believe me.”
