Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Chapter 130

Darius’s pov

My attempt at taking Lysander during his honeymoon failed, so now I had to resort to the last plan.

It was a dangerous plan but an effective one. Imagine my surprise when my man didn’t come home. It was a slap to my face.

When I thought of this plan, it took all my self control to ignore it but I couldn’t. I was desperate and there was one other person more desperate and vindictive than I am.

I pushed open the door to the hidden cabin, letting it slam shut behind me to block out the storm.

"You’re trespassing, Darius."

The voice came from the dark corner near the window, low and raspy.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend?" I purred, stepping further into the dim room. "Or should I say... a ghost?"

The figure didn’t turn around immediately. His hand rested on a stack of surveillance photographs scattered across a worn desk, long-distance shots of Drake’s new cliffside estate, bathed in the light.

When he finally turned, his dark eyes burned with malice.

Julian.

Drake’s former lover. The legendary beauty who was supposed to end up with that bastard. Most talked about and also, faster forgotten.

Looking at him now, the glory was gone. His skin was translucent, lined with the quiet bitterness of a creature who had fed on isolation for far too long. But beneath that ragged exterior, his obsession was as sharp as ever.

I used to hear stories when I worked with the vampires, they were legendary lovers till Drake turned Julian to a vampire and Julian dumped him. I suppose there was still some unsaid words between them that still should be said.

"How did you find me?" Julian asked, his voice dangerously quiet.

"I have eyes everywhere, my lord," I said smoothly, wiping a stray drop of rain from my lapel. "And when my informants reported that someone was buying high-grade necromantic reagents on the black market, reagents linked to an ancient royal bloodline, I decided to follow the trail."

I bounced on my feet, "And here we are, is there a reason you have come back from the dead?" I cocked my head to the side in a teasing smile, "Did you miss Drake that much?"

Julian’s hand tightened on the desk, his knuckles turning stark white. "Get out before I tear your head from your shoulders."

"You could try," I chuckled softly. "But then you’d miss the solution to your little problem."

Julian’s gaze flicked to the photographs of Lysander on his desk, his jaw clenching. "I don’t have a problem."

"Don’t lie to me," I said, dropping the light tone and pointing at the scattered photos. "You’ve been rotting in this hole for a while now, waiting for Drake to come looking for you. But he didn’t. Instead, he bought a private cliffside estate for a pretty, golden-haired twink."

His posture stiffened. "He doesn’t love him. It’s a passing distraction."

"Is it though?" I tilted my head. "He built him a private sanctuary. He laid double-layered blood wards around the property just so the boy could paint in peace. You have the picture, Julian. Did he ever fuck you like that?"

Every word was a poison needle, and I watched with quiet satisfaction as each one sank deep into Julian’s chest. His dark eyes flickered with raw, agonizing desperation.

"What do you want, Darius?" he rasped out.

"I want the same thing you want," I said, making my tone warm and sympathetic. "I want Drake back where he belongs, and I want that hybrid out of the picture."

Julian sneered. "Drake is bonded to him. The hybrid isn’t going to just walk away."

"That’s where you’re wrong," I said, stepping closer. "Lysander isn’t as devoted to Drake as you think."

Julian frowned. "What are you talking about?"

I lowered my voice to a whisper. "The boy had a lover before Drake took him or should I say thousands of lovers. He is a whore and can never stick to one man."

Julian searched my face for a lie but I smiled inwardly, he wouldn’t catch me in a lie. "If he loved this Gideon so much, why is he in Drake’s bed?"

"Because Gideon died," I said smoothly. "Or rather... Lysander thinks he died. Drake simply swooped in while he was vulnerable and claimed him."

I let the lie settle into Julian’s desperate mind. In truth, Lysander’s bond with Drake was growing stronger by the day, and my son was just a ghost from his past. But Julian didn’t know that. Julian was starving for hope, and he would swallow any bait I offered.

"Lysander’s heart still belongs to Gideon," I lied. "If Gideon were standing in front of him right now, Lysander wouldn’t hesitate. He would throw away his love, break the mating bond, and run off with his true love."

Julian’s breath hitched. "If the boy leaves... Drake will be alone again."

"Exactly," I purred. "Drake will realize the hybrid was never truly his. And when he’s sitting alone in that empty house, mourning the betrayal... who do you think will be there to comfort him?"

I lightly placed a hand on Julian’s shoulder. "You. His original mate. The ghost returned from the grave to heal his heart."

Julian swallowed hard, his gaze locking onto mine. The desperation in his eyes completely drowned out his intellect.

"How do I not know you are lying? You sought me out so you must be desperate too." He rasped.

The smile vanished from my face, "that’s where you are wrong, I came because you need my help. Consider us partners."

He eyed me for a second before he nodded.

Julian reached under the desk, pulling out a heavy, iron-bound ledger filled with blood-inked runes. "I can pull Gideon’s soul back from the abyss. The ritual is dangerous, but Gideon will walk again."

"Do it," I urged. "Revive Gideon. Let him haunt the hybrid’s shadows and pull Lysander away from Drake, piece by piece, until the bond shatters."

Julian stared at the ledger for a long moment. A dark expression settled over his pale face.

"If this is a trick, Darius... I will personally bleed you dry."

"No tricks, my lord," I said, stepping back with a low bow. "Bring the boy’s lover back to life. I’ll make sure Gideon knows exactly where to find his precious Lysander."

I turned and walked out into the rain, listening to the sharp, frantic rustle of pages being turned inside.

I let out a low laugh into the night air as I made my way down the muddy path.

Gideon will come back to life after the ritual, I thought, a dark smile spreading across my face. And while Drake and Julian fight over the ghosts of their past, I will break Lysander myself even if I have to kill my son again.