Page 72 of Halfblood Deceived

He wasn’t surprised to find Kamilla and Kerian waiting for him outside.

“She had a panic attack,” Zeydan said, noticing the tightness in his voice. “She’s asleep now.”

Kerian breathed out a curse. “They sure did a number on her, didn’t they?”

Icy pain and scorching rage collided in Zeydan’s chest. “They abused her aside from almost killing her.” He had told them this before, but he had withheld a crucial detail because it felt like betraying Aella’s privacy, but she needed help he couldn’t give her. “The bruises on her body and her initial reaction to us…” He cursed, swallowing thickly. “I’ve seen those bruises and felt that fear before in survivors of sexual assault. And I have the feeling that fucking bastard who married her was the one who raped her.”

Kerian closed his eyes for a second, throat bobbing. “Alright, now I understand why you want him dead so badly.”

Kamilla’s eyes shifted, teeth grinding. “I had the feeling that was the case. I noticed the bruises and sensed that particular brand of trauma through my empathy as well.” She shook her head. “Aella is braver than she gives herself credit for.” The fury breaking through her usual calm sent a tingle down Zeydan’s spine. “I would love to impale that bastard and then set him on fire.”

The statement was unsurprising. That was the royal family’s favorite form of killing. And Zeydan couldn’t agree more with Kamilla, but he had the feeling there was a but.

Kamilla gave Zeydan a meaningful look. “But killing him is not worth leaving Luce without her father. Because you and I know Andreas would follow you to Hell itself.”

Zeydan rubbed his forehead, blinking at the ceiling for a moment. He knew that, but he still didn’t understand why. Yes, he’d taken both Andreas and Luce into his family, but he hadn’t been that good at keeping them safe, had he? Luce had almost died at the hands of those fucking gargoyles. Luce, Mari, Gabby, and the baby would be dead without Aella.

Zeydan met Kamilla’s and Kerian’s sober gazes. “I meant what I said. I won’t go after them and jeopardize my family. But once we are settled somewhere safe, I would like to learn your methods, as you called them, and see if I can avenge Tatsuki, Anna, Aiko, and Aella as well without dying.”

Kerian arched a brow. “You are settled somewhere safe.”

Zeydan took a surreptitious deep breath, pondering how to phrase his discomfort without offending his cousins. “I know, and I am grateful for your hospitality. But, with your permission, I’d like to find a residence for my family in this city, so that we can give you back your privacy as soon as possible.”

Kamilla crossed her arms. “Have we been such terrible hosts that you are so eager to leave?”

“Of course not, Kam,” Zeydan hastened to say. “But we can’t outstay our welcome.”

“You are all welcome to stay for as long as you want, Zeydan,” Kerian argued, unusually serious, brow tight with confusion. “And I mean that by immortal terms. So anywhere from a month to a century.”

Zeydan’s stomach dropped.

Kamilla blinked. “Why does that sound so horrifying?”

He would definitely offend them if he put into words the reluctance he’d felt since he considered asking for their help months ago.

But Kamilla’s raised eyebrow left no room for half-truths or lies.

Zeydan sighed. “Because I don’t want you to have power over me and mine. Because Gabby and I fought for years to be free and I don’t want to be under the rule of another royal and be reminded of my place.”

The twins gawked at him.

Kamilla’s nose wrinkled in an uncharacteristic, embarrassed gesture. “Alright, I shouldn’t have flaunted my fucking title when trying to persuade you not to go on a suicide mission, but…” she cursed. “I don’t mean to impose my will over yours at every turn, or at all, for that matter. I did it for your sake and your family’s. You were not being reasonable.”

How many times had Zeydan heard something like that before?

I am doing this for your sake, Ju-long—his father—had said before beating his mother in front of him after he had caught her and Zeydan trying to run.

You are being unreasonable, Ju-long had claimed, when Zeydan had refused to partake in the kidnapping and murder of a wealthy human family. All because they hadn’t bowed down to Ju-long’s whims.

You will dishonor me if you don’t obey me, his father had threatened when Zeydan showed reluctance to his arranged marriage.

And fuck, he knew Kamilla and Kerian wouldn’t try to force him to marry someone he didn’t even like, that they would never order him to kill all the men of an innocent family and turn the women into blood slaves. He knew it because it had been Kerian and Kamilla who had forced his father to obey the most recent vampire laws that forbid slavery and senseless killing. He owed Gabby’s, his mother’s, and his freedom to the twins and their struggle to make the vampire world a more civilized place.

But he couldn’t shake off the fear of finding himself trapped as he was for the first decades of his life. He would never allow Gabby to be treated as a heartless weapon to wield. He’d rather die than see someone hurt his oldest friend again.

“This is why you delayed asking for our help, isn’t it?” Kerian asked, voice gentle, expression reflecting understanding. “You were afraid we’d impose our authority on you and your family. You were afraid we’d treat them like Ju-Long treated you and your mother.”

Zeydan’s stomach turned. He looked away from his cousin’s empathic gaze. “I know you aren’t like my father.”

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