Blood and Reign (Blood and Ruin Series Book 3)

RION

I’ve been searching through the rooms in my parents’ house for what feels like hours. The cold dark mansion has as many rooms as it does dark secrets, and I’ve still only gotten through half of them so far. Most were empty with the exception of a couple of wandering dark spirits.

Something that isn’t a surprise considering what went on here.

If it wasn’t a party full of killers and politicians, then it was a summons, a trial, or a massacre.

Nothing went on in House Dufort that wasn’t over the top, extravagant, or full of bloodshed and mystery.

And usually tipping the scales between the two wouldn’t take much.

I remember hiding in my room most nights, preferring to starve than be around their friends. None of them had a kind bone in their body and if it wasn’t for the Dufort name attached to my own, then they wouldn’t have thought twice about gutting me purely for their entertainment.

It wasn’t until I was older, did I garner their respect… and fear. Fear because of what I did and what I became.

A cold-blooded killer that hunted down any and all of their enemies. In the end, I realized what I really was… their personal assassin.

They manipulated me until I believed all their lies. Until I couldn’t tell the difference between the two, even when it was staring me right in the face. Even when my basilisk tried showing me the truth.

I ignored it all, and for what? For their love that I never received. For their care or kindness, that was never shown.

The truth was, I wasn’t their son, but a weapon they could wield. One they didn’t care if it lived or died.

If it wasn’t for Kai, I’d still be here playing their dutiful son, killing those who wronged them. And although most of the people I hunted were corrupt and vile beyond words, most did not need to die by my hands simply for going against my parents.

Only one was innocent, but by the time I realized it, it was already too late.

I shake off my past and move along the long hall to the next bedroom, pausing when I spot a shadow shift out of the corner of my eye.

Grabbing my dagger, I swiftly turn, ready to attack, but there’s no one there.

On silent feet, I move forward, checking the spot where the shadow last was, but it’s gone, leaving no trace behind.

Keeping my eyes peeled, I move into the bedroom just as it shifts beneath my feet.

The moment the movement stops, and I glance around at my surroundings, I instantly know where I am… Or where I once was.

My parents’ basement.

The last time I was here was when I killed that innocent man… Or at least helped kill him.

The room is as dark and cold as I remember. Empty, with only two high arched windows in the basement, shedding barely any light into the room.

A man in his early thirties with dark brown hair is bound and gagged to a chair in the middle of the room. His eyes are covered by a white cloth, but I know they’re as blue as the deep sea, his wide eyes never leaving my memory.

Younger me walks in; his eyes empty with not a speck of warmth in them.

Just before he reaches us, I reach out and try to grab the man’s shoulder, but my hand goes right through him, just like I expected.

Sighing, I stand back and watch my past unfold in front of me.

Younger me is as silent on his feet as I am now. The man doesn’t know I’m in the room until I bend over, placing the hilt of the knife to his chin.

I feel the shift beneath my feet again, but instead of the room moving, I do. This time I’m inside my younger self, but only as a spectator as I dig the hilt of the blade further into his skin.

“Tell me who your boss is, and I’ll think about making this quick. Attempt to lie to me, and I’ll make sure you know the true definition of pain.”

“I don’t know… I swear. They set me up.” I narrow my eyes on him, hearing nothing but lies. Even though deep down I know there’s something different about him than the others I’ve killed. Something in my gut telling me this isn’t right.

But back then, I only believed what my parents told me. Never questioning their motives. Too naïve and stupid to think they would lie to me.

“If you’re not going to tell me anything of value, then there’s no point in wasting my time.”

The sound of the blade as I unsheathe it rings out around the silent room, making the man cry out and beg for his life. I ignore his pleas, moving the sharp edge to his throat.

He passes out.

Just before I swipe it across his neck, I freeze, my head whipping up to one of the windows just as Kai pushes it open and jumps down from it, landing on his feet.

I feel the anger bubble up inside me the closer Kai gets, remembering how my blood boiled, seeing him appear out of nowhere after all this time.

He was no longer my family. My only family are my parents now.

“Leave, Kai. We’re no longer family.” Anger laces my voice as I try to get control of my emotions. I remember hating myself for letting Kai’s presence alone evoke something inside me when I could usually push every other emotion away to focus on the tasks laid before me.

Kai stays calm, his face never changing from the peaceful negotiator he always is. “We’ve always been family, and that will never change. No matter how far apart we are or how long it may take us to come back to one another.”

Lies. I remember thinking, just as I start to shake from the build-up of rage inside me needing an outlet.

Kai continues, not seeing how volatile I am at that moment. Or he does, and he doesn’t care. “I should never have let you all go. No matter what your families wanted. We should have stuck together.”

“What does it matter now? It would never have lasted. We’re all too broken to put back together now that Kiarra has left. Let’s leave it that way and move on.”

“No.”

One word that sounds more like a command than a statement, and I want to turn my blade on him. “My place is not your choice. Now leave.”

Kai opens his mouth to reply, but pauses, looking at something over my shoulder. His eyes narrow to near splits as he snarls toward the spot.

“Yes, leave.” I turn my head to my mother just as she walks into the room, followed by my father.

She gives me a disapproving look; one I’m used to by now.

“I’m not leaving without Rion,” Kai grits out.

My mother doesn’t reply to him, instead she looks at me, raising a brow. I nod my head as she turns back to Kai, a slight smile now on her face.

“I’m not going anywhere with you, Kai. Not now, not ever. My place is with my parents.”

Kai frowns. “The parents who don’t give two shits about you? They’re using you, Rion. Why can’t you see that?”

“Nothing but lies,” my mother tells him, raising her chin.

Kai’s eyes pulse red. “I’ve never lied to Rion.”

“You brainwashed him,” my mother snarls, losing her composure while my father merely rolls his eyes. Already over this.

“We gave him a family. Something you never did. One who cares for him… loves him.” Kai looks at me, his eyes softening. “You’re my brother, Rion, no matter what our blood says. And nothing about that will ever change.” The vehemence in his tone shakes something inside me, but I push it away.

“Don’t believe a word he says. He left you. We never will, son.”

Kai winces before shaking his head. “They didn’t tell you, did they?”

“They didn’t tell me what?” I’m over Kai’s games, but something in the back of my mind niggles at me, telling me to hear him out.

Kai nods his head toward the unconscious man. “That he’s innocent?”

My mother cuts in before I have time to reply, scoffing at Kai. “In this world, there is no such thing as innocent.”

Kai narrows his eyes on her with nothing but hate in his. Surprisingly, it doesn’t bother me as much as it should.

“In my world, the real world, there is.” Kai looks at me. “The others they made you kill were criminals, dirtbags, and vile creatures that never should have walked the earth, but this man did nothing but call your parents out on their own vile behavior. And now they’re using you to cover their tracks and do their dirty work for them.”

No. They would never set me up. This is just Kai trying to get me back to where he wants me. I freeze for a moment just hearing what Kai really said.

“How did you know about my other… jobs?”

Kai looks at me as if I’m an idiot. “You didn’t honestly think I wouldn’t check up on you guys.”

I frown, sensing nothing but honesty in his voice. “Why—”

“Who cares if the boy followed you around? None of this matters now. Just kill the man and let’s be done with this.” My mother gives me another one of her disapproving looks, making me sigh.

“Of course, Mother.”

“Rion, stop. You don’t want this on your conscience.”

I shake my head at Kai, disappointed in him. “You never really knew me then. Because I’ll go to great lengths to protect my family.”

“Our family would never send you off to kill an innocent man, and you know it.”

I ignore his words even when they strike a chord deep within me, pulling until it tightens against my chest.

I ignore him and everything else as I step forward, only to freeze at his next words.

“They’ve been having you tailed.”

There were a few times when I thought someone was following me, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn’t find any evidence to back it up.

Was I right all this time?

I turn to Kai. “What are you talking about?”

Kai wastes no time telling me. “Should you not fulfill their duties, they’ll pull the plug on you. They have someone following you to make sure you go ahead with your… jobs.”

Why would they…

I turn to my parents, giving them a questioning look. “Is this true?”

My parents share a hesitant look, giving me my answer. My mother looks worried but quickly covers it. “At first, we needed to make sure we could trust you to do what needed to be done. That’s all.”

I tighten my hand on my blade. Trust? After everything I’ve done for them.

My mother continues not noticing the shift in me. “Trust takes time. Something you need to earn.”

“Have I not earned it, Mother? Have I not killed enough of our enemies to satisfy your blood lust?”

She raises her head, a haughty look on her face. “There’s always room for improvement. Besides, those friends of yours brainwashed you. Do you know how many times Xavier had to work with you to get you to this stage?”

I freeze, the blood in my veins turning to ice. “What are you talking about? I never worked with Xavier.” Xavier was a warlock who liked to dabble in the black arts. He was double my age and loved playing mind games, especially when he made them do things they didn’t want to do. But he was never able to deceive me, my mind not weak enough for him to command.

Or at least, that’s what I thought.

My mother blanches, turning white before trying to cover it with a laugh. One that’s hollow and fake, it seems just like her. “Of course, you did. Maybe you’ve simply forgotten about it.”

“Tell me!” Both my parents flinch at the rage in my voice. But it’s my father who answers.

“With your abilities, you could be anything you wanted, but you were always too soft. The more time you spent with your little friends, the less you wanted to take on your responsibilities here.”

I hear Kai scoff. My father ignores him, continuing. “But when you came back to us, you were different.”

Yes. I’d lost everything, including the one thing that makes this world worthwhile.

Kiarra.

Without her, everything fell apart.

“You were more… subdued.”

Kai snarls at him. “You mean easier to control.”

“I was broken. Weak. Just what you needed to use Xavier on me.” My voice is as hollow as I feel. I stare down at the blade in my hand, its weight feeling a lot heavier than it did a moment ago.

“How did you do it?” I wanted to know exactly what happened when my and Xavier’s paths crossed sometime very soon.

“At night. When you were sleeping.”

“Still, I should’ve been able to block him…” Xavier was strong, but even in my weakened state, I should have been able to at least mentally fight him off.

“And you were, so we slipped you a little help to ease you into it.” My father’s words hit me like a physical punch to the gut. My eyes widening when I realize what they’d done.

“The teas you gave me to help me sleep.” I couldn’t sleep when I came home, barely getting a couple of hours, so when my mother suggested a herbal tea to help me, I jumped on it, thinking they finally cared.

And just like that, everything starts to fall into place, and why they suddenly changed their attitude toward me. Why they were more attentive, and what I thought was caring. My eyes close as my shoulders drop.

They never really cared, did they?

My heart aches deep inside my chest proving to me that it’s not made of stone. All while the world I built slowly crumbles around me making me realize just how alone I really am.

As if Kai can hear my thoughts, he steps forward, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I’m here now, and I’ll never leave you again. You have my word. Our family will be back together. And this time, none of us will leave one another again.”

I frown as Kai looks at me, his eyes full of hope. But before I can agree, something stops me, making me pause.

Could I just go with Kai and forget everything? What about the others?

“This is all very touching, but you still have a job to do,” my mother states as if the last few minutes never happened.

“Is he innocent?” I ask, not able to look at her.

She sighs loudly, as if put out by the question. “What does it matter if he’s innocent or not? He needs to be disposed of for the family. Our family, and that’s all you need to know.”

My stomach churns at her words. I glance up at Kai and see my pain reflected in his eyes, followed by guilt and sorrow.

But I’m the one who should feel remorse, not him. I’m the one who killed all those people just because my parents told me to. I knew many of them were not good people, but I never questioned whether any were innocent.

I craved their love so much that I turned a blind eye to what my gut had been telling me all along.

That this is wrong.

But no more. No more will I be their personal assassin. No more will I be their… son.

I never was to begin with, anyway.

Glancing up at them, I look them both in the eye. This time I’m the one wearing the disapproving look. My mother narrows her eyes on me, opening her mouth to speak, but I’m done with both of them and their lies.

Throwing my dagger to the ground, I glare at them. “I will not kill an innocent man. I’m done being your personal killer.”

My parents’ faces grow shocked before anger leaks out around them. I turn to Kai, ready to get out of here, when I hear the clank of steel.

Whipping around, my eyes widen as I watch my mother use my dagger to slice the man’s throat, all while wearing a satisfied smile. The man chokes on his own blood, dying instantly.

“If you don’t go with us, then this innocent man’s death will be on your hands.” My mother shares a smile with my father, making me feel nothing but disgust.

How did I let them get inside my head when their true colors are as obvious as the day and night?

Kai steps up beside me wearing his own smug smirk. “You don’t think I’d come here unprepared, do you? I did a little digging on the Dufort name and couldn’t believe my luck when I ran into an old friend of yours, a demon named Hyde.”

My mother turns white, this time staying that way. This man, Hyde, was obviously someone she feared.

“We had a nice little chat. Apparently, you owe him something. A life.”

A life… I stare at my parents and watch as my mother leans against my father for support, both of them now truly fearful.

Kai looks at me. “Did you know they were eventually going to trade your life for theirs? All to cover up their little secret.”

My life. Not theirs. They were willing to sacrifice their only son so they could live.

Finding out your parents would give you up to save themselves is a step further than simply not caring.

Any love or respect I felt for them shrivels up and dies in that instant.

Kai continues to push them, oblivious to my own inner turmoil. “It seems you like to play games. Especially with those that are well out of your league.”

“If you’re mixed up with demons, you’re no good for—”

I laugh, but there’s no amusement in it. “You were going to trade my life for yours and yet you still think you have a right to question who I spend my time with.” I shake my head, feeling like an idiot for how blind I was to them.

“Hyde will come after you,” my father tells me like a threat. Kai steps forward as they take a step back. My amusement flares seeing two grown people fearful of someone a lot younger than them.

“Only if you try sending him to us. But I’d advise against it. Hyde and I already had a little chat, and he doesn’t dare want to cross a descendant of Cerberus, no matter the price you give him.”

My head whips to Kai at his little reveal. Something I didn’t know about either.

He turns to look at me as if sensing my eyes on him. He gives me a look telling me we’ll talk… soon.

I nod as he turns back to my parents. I guess I wasn’t the only one that had a few revelations while our family was apart.

“You’re a… you’re a…” My parents back up, making us follow them until they’re at the basement door.

Kai grins a wicked smile. “From the bowels of Hell itself. Or as the saying goes. So, here’s what’s going to happen from here on out. You’re going to leave Rion alone.”

My father opens his mouth to object when Kai gives him a sharp look, his red-rimmed eyes pulsing again, making my father snap his mouth shut.

“And if we don’t?” My mother’s hands dig into my father’s arm as she stares down Kai. Or at least, attempts to. The fear leaks from her in droves and we all can smell it.

Kai’s grin widens. “Then I’ll set my hounds free and drag you to the Underworld itself. I’m sure there are more than one or two demons you’ve crossed that might want to settle a score.”

My parents’ eyes widen just before they scramble out of the basement and hopefully out of my life for good.

Kai turns to me, a soft smile on his face. I open my mouth to apologize, but he raises a hand, stopping me.

“We cannot change our past, but we can make sure we have a better future. Now let’s go get the rest of our family back.”

I nod and follow him out just as the ground shifts beneath my feet.

The world around me stops as I’m brought back to the bedroom it all started in. I look up and catch my reflection in the long-standing mirror in the corner of the room. I’m no longer younger me but I don’t feel completely back to myself either. I feel… unsettled.

The memory of finding out my parents never cared about me, and the blood of the innocent man still sits with me, as fresh and as raw as if it really happened moments ago.

How could I have been so blind?

I shake my head at my stupidity. After what happened that day, I promised myself that I would let no one use me again. I was meticulous with everything, training myself to be two, three, and ten steps ahead of everyone else, so history did not repeat itself.

But still, that day has never truly left me. The fault still lies with me.

“You’re right. It was your fault.”

I narrow my eyes on the ceiling, the spot where the voice came from.

“Who are you?”

The voice ignores me as I search the room. But there’s nothing but old furniture and dust. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to work harder than that if you’re trying to deceive me. I learned my lesson the first time.”

The voice still ignores me. I move to leave the room when it once again speaks, but this time it sounds like Kai making me freeze.

“You’re a killer.”

“I am,” I tell whoever it is. It’s the truth, after all. I have killed many people.

“Your hands are filled with each of their deaths.”

Again, I agree with the voice. “There’s nothing you can tell me that I don’t already know.”

The voice changes from Kai to Luka. “You deserve to stay in Hell.”

I raise a brow, taking another look around the room. “More than likely. It’s something I’ve already accepted. Try again.”

I smile as the voice keeps going, changing from Axel to Jax and back again.

My smile freezes when I hear my mate’s voice, my heart stopping as I wonder where she is and if she’s okay.

“Would you kill for me?”

I answer without hesitation. “In a heartbeat.” Whether it’s Kiarra or not, it’s the truth. I’d kill for any of my family.

If I’m a killer, then I’ll gladly be one to protect my family. Something I will always do to keep them safe. No matter what.

Instead of the voice’s words trying to mess with my head and make me believe I’m still the cold-blooded killer my parents made me, it gives me a sense of calm knowing that I can and will go to great lengths to protect my family. And that gives me strength.

My parents said I was a cold-blooded killer but instead of feeling cold, I feel warm.

I let that warmth fill me up, thinking of each of my brothers as they add kindle to my blood. I then focus on Kiarra, my mate, my Siren. I let her light up every piece of me as a blaze of flames rushes through my veins.

The room around me grows darker, but a sense of peacefulness settles over me. As I finally accept myself for who I am, I feel the light inside me and the warmth of it giving me strength. I slowly disappear, smiling into the dark as it swallows me whole.