Page 2 of The Shadows of the Dawn

“The answer for the both of you is one and the same,” Trish answered patiently. She studied her opened hands before curling them into fists. “I have remarkable powers of emotion. That’s why Meredith chose me a few months ago—she was curious how a psychology major with a penchant for empathy would fare as a Moon. I don’t mean to brag, but that’s how I’ve been keeping Liam tethered. And it wasn’t difficult distracting you two, so you didn’t notice us.”

Nikola could hardly believe it. There had to be more to their story. He inclined his head at Moss and said, “What part do you play in all of this? The nocturnal world is no place for a mortal.”

Moss answered unflinchingly. “I am Liam’s partner. Trish didn’t know about me when she decided to completely change his life without his consent.” Trish grimaced but said nothing in her defense. “All I knew was that Liam vanished for a week. But it’s Grander. I assumed the worst.” Their green gaze flashed back and forth between sister and brother. “I’m still figuring out if I want to roll the dice—would I want to risk being a blood-thirsty monster? No offense, Liam.” The Blood shrugged, as if to say, “None taken.” Moss added, “Plus, I have some surgical and hormonal plans in my future, and I’m not sure if I want to get trapped in an unchanging body.”

Kat frowned. “There are measures you can take to make body modifications permanent.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes. And not just with tattoos and piercings.”

Moss’s vibrant eyes almost seemed to shine brighter amidst their excitement. “We should talk later,” they said.

“Partner, eh?” Asher spat, ogling Liam in disbelief, his upper lip curling. Nikola’s eyes shot up toward his hairline. What bad blood is between these two? “That’s real ironic, Liam.”

Liam’s lips pursed. “High school. It was high school.”

Asher’s laugh was sharp and high-strung, bouncing off the walls. Nikola knew what usually came after that sound and prepared himself to intervene. “And one of my last human memories, asshole.”

“What,” Moss vocalized Nikola’s thoughts, “are you two going on about?”

“Aw, does your little redemption arc not know about what you did to me during my last mortal days?” Asher pretended to pout. “Should’ve considered that before begging me for a favor.”

“To be fair, none of them had expected me to see through their illusions while they were eavesdropping in the hallway,” Kat said, giving Trish a thin smile. “A humbling experience, I imagine.”

Not able to hold Kat’s intense stare, Trish looked away. “We just needed a destination, I guess.”

“Well, you made it,” Asher sneered, extending and retracting his claws subconsciously. “There’s a whole city to explore. Get to it.”

Katsuki held up a palm. “Slow down. This city is not acclimated to vampires or ruled by those capable of influencing its government. And I’m unsure if I trust Trish’s hold over her brother to last.”

“Hold on—” Trish started defensively.

“Ah, I’m not done.” Kat threw a glare at Trish akin to a parent scolding their child. She promptly closed her mouth, alarm flashing across her expression. “It would be in our best interests to stick together. To put it plainly, so that I can help leash this Follower before he causes Chicago to sound the vampire alarm.”

“He won’t—” Trish tried again.

It was Francis to cut in next. “Though I personally hate to admit it, I must agree with Katsuki. If a Blood is nearby during our stay, I’d prefer him in my sights.”

“Nah, fuck this.” Scarlet iris searing brightly, Asher spun toward the nearest window. Nikola would’ve laughed at the classic Asher move if not for the bolt of anxiety striking his nervous system. The last time Asher had fled out of a window had been all too recent.

Nikola snatched his wrist. Asher froze, goosebumps rising across his flesh. He took a deep breath and looked Nikola in the eye as he said, “I just need a second, okay? I’m not... I’m not running away. Never again. I promise. Trust me?”

Nikola did. With his entire hybrid heart. Through all the noise and confusion that plagued the world, one thing would always ring clear and true. Nikola Kingston trusted Asher Black.

With a sigh, Nikola let him go. But not without a swift kiss. As they broke apart, Nikola breathed, “Return soon, my love.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Asher replied in that nonchalant fashion that’d enamored Nikola from the very beginning. His chest ached as he watched the troubled vampire climb out of the tenth-story window.

That ache churned into a deep-seated anger. The short temper caught Nikola off guard, but he did not question it. He directed it at the source of Asher’s grief, an easy target.

Nikola whirled on the Blood Follower, approaching slowly so no one would immediately try and restrain him, physically or psychologically. All the same, Liam shrunk under Nikola’s glower as he loomed over him. “Explain yourself,” Nikola commanded, pouring power into the words, breathing air into his chest to puff it out.

“Can we not—” Trish whined.

“I believe it only fair to know Liam’s relations to my Asher if you lot are here because of said relations,” Nikola snapped at the girl. She winced at his tone. Normally, he would’ve regretted the coarse attitude, but he blamed his sour mood on the evening’s events. “Are we in agreement?” When no one disputed, he prompted, “Well?”

He sensed the blade of guilt and shame cutting into the Follower’s heart. Nikola purposely pushed the mental knife deeper until he reached into the realm of penance and confession. “Speak.”

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