Knox (Monsters of Veridia #1)

Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

Knox stared out the bus window, his jaw tight with frustration. Caelen had slipped through his fingers once again. Worse, he had taken a human hostage—Daniel, Adrian’s friend. And he’d come so close to grabbing Adrian himself. The thought churned Knox’s insides, a bitter mix of anger and fear.

What would he have done if Caelen had taken Adrian?

He glanced at the mortal who sat beside him, engrossed in his phone. The mortal who might be his mate. Knox clenched his fists, shadows whispering around his knuckles.

"Next time, you’re not coming along," Knox stated.

Adrian looked at him and shook his head stubbornly. "Of course I’ll come along! He’s got my friend!"

"That’s exactly why," Knox’s tone hardened, leaving no room for argument. "I don’t want him to have you too."

Adrian’s mouth opened, then closed. His cheeks reddened, and he looked away suddenly, back at his phone. Why was he still so skittish?

Knox reached out, placing a hand on Adrian’s shoulder, feeling the tension there.

"We’ll get him back," Knox said, his voice gentler. "But Caelen thought he was taking you from me. I can’t let him succeed."

Adrian nodded, though his eyes remained on his phone. After a moment, he licked his lips. "You still need my magic."

For heaven’s sake. Did Adrian still think that was the only reason he mattered? Over Adrian’s shoulder, Knox saw Lyrian and Zev shooting them glances, Zev with that knowing look in his eyes.

Just tell him he’s your mate , he seemed to want to say.

Like Knox was going to have that conversation with him while they were stuck in a metal carriage with tons of other people.

"You’re worth more than the magic you give me," he said instead.

Adrian kept his gaze fixed on the device in his hand. "That’s… um… Thank you."

He seemed uncomfortable and Knox had no idea what to do or say to change that. If only he knew what made this mortal feel so insecure. The fact that his cock wasn’t enormous? Knox didn’t care about that, and he’d thought he’d made that clear.

Maybe not clear enough?

Or maybe it wasn’t that.

Maybe what bothered Adrian was his stated dislike of anal penetration.

But that was also something Knox couldn’t discuss with him right now.

"It’s odd," Adrian said, pulling Knox out of his musings.

"What’s odd?"

"They’re not writing about the convention. I thought we’d be in big trouble for the chaos we caused, but…" He tapped on his phone’s screen. "Oh… Oh shit."

"What?"

Adrian nearly pushed the phone in Knox’s face. The screen showed the image of an orc. At first Knox wasn’t sure what he was supposed to make of that—sure, orcs weren’t his favorite people but he’d never had a problem with them. But then Knox realized that the orc in the picture was walking down a street in Adrian’s world.

"They’ve appeared all over Lancefield," Adrian said. "And not only orcs. Trolls too! They’re breaking into houses and attacking people! And Leon lives around there."

"Who is Leon?" Lyrian asked. "And where is Lancefield?"

"Leon is my friend," Adrian explained. "And he won’t respond to my messages. What if something happened to him? First Daniel, and now Leon too!"

Lyrian rubbed his chin. "Do we think Caelen has anything to do with the orcs and trolls?"

"It’s not his style," Zev said.

"No, it’s not," Knox confirmed. "All the more reason we need to investigate what is happening."

"But what about Daniel?" Adrian cut in, his mind obviously torn in a million different directions. "What will Caelen do to him when he finds out he’s not me? Daniel’s never been good at keeping anything to himself."

"Lyrian and I will go after Caelen," Zev decided. "He doesn’t seem to care much about hiding his presence, so we’ll find him. You and Knox go and fight the trolls."

"I’ll have to rent a car," Adrian said, more to himself.

"One of those metal vehicles?" Knox asked. "Where will we get a driver?"

"I’ll drive," Adrian said, as if it was nothing.

"You know how to command the metal beasts?"

"It’s easy," Adrian claimed.

"I shall trust your expertise."

Secretly, Knox was more than a little impressed.

Daniel woke up in an unfamiliar bedroom, blinking as he tried to focus his thoughts. The room was small and cluttered, with walls painted a soft lavender.

He pushed himself up on the bed, the soft blankets rustling under his weight. His thoughts scrambled to piece together the last moments he remembered—Caelen grabbing him, the chaos, and then… nothing.

"Of all places," he muttered, running a hand through his tousled hair. He’d always imagined that if he were ever captured by a villain, he’d be in some dank dungeon, shackles and all, like he was living out his darkest, dirtiest fantasies. Instead, he was surrounded by stuffed animals. The absurdity almost made him laugh, but a sense of unease settled in his stomach.

Just as he was trying to piece it all together, the door creaked open. Daniel’s heart leaped into his throat as Caelen stepped inside.

"I thought you were waking up," Caelen said, his voice smooth and almost casual, as if they were old friends meeting for coffee.

Daniel looked at him, words failing him for once. He wasn’t often speechless, but this was one of those rare moments. His mind raced, trying to process the bizarre contrast between the hot villain before him and the innocent setting around him.

He should probably stop thinking of Caelen as hot. That was for fantasy bad guys, not real bad guys.

It seemed Caelen hadn’t gotten that memo, though. He was just as stunning in real life as Daniel had always thought he would be when he made up all those fantasy scenarios in his head that usually involved him, Caelen, and a lot of rope.

Oblivious to his thoughts, Caelen moved closer, like a predator approaching his prey. "Comfortable?" he asked, the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.

Daniel swallowed, finding his voice at last. "This room seems very cozy."

Caelen’s smirk widened. "This isn’t exactly my usual décor, but I’m a guest in this house."

Daniel’s eyes flicked around the room again, noting the little details—flower-print curtains, a bookshelf crammed with well-worn paperbacks. "Whose room is this?"

Caelen shrugged. "You don’t have to concern yourself with that. Why don’t we talk about you and Knox? What’s your connection?"

Daniel opened his mouth to say there wasn’t any connection, when just in time, he remembered that Caelen had only grabbed him because he’d mistaken him for Adrian. He must think Daniel was a valuable hostage.

What if he stopped thinking that?

Daniel swallowed hard.

"You don’t have anything to say?" The Shadow King asked.

Daniel had seldom been accused of that.

He forced a grin on his face, masking his nerves. He usually had such a big mouth, time to let it run away with him. "Well, if you must know, Knox is totally my favorite character ever," he said. "I mean, who wouldn’t be obsessed with a brooding hero with a tragic backstory who’s resigned himself to saving the world to make up for his sins?"

Caelen’s eyes narrowed, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face. "People love Knox?"

"Oh, absolutely," Daniel continued, feeling the nervous energy bubble up inside him, pushing him to keep talking. "When we met in the real world, it was like… bam! Instant connection. We just clicked, you know? It was wild."

Caelen took a step closer, the smirk fading as he studied Daniel’s face. "Instant connection?"

Daniel nodded vigorously, hoping his rambling would keep Caelen off-balance. "Yeah, and the sex? Mind-blowing. Like, out-of-this-world incredible. Never experienced anything like it. I mean, Knox is an incubus, right? So, you can imagine."

Caelen’s expression shifted, something dark and unreadable settling in his eyes. "Is that so?"

"Oh, yeah," Daniel said, feeling like he found his groove. He only had to imagine he was Adrian. Easy, right? "He’s got this way of making you feel like you’re the only person in the world. It’s intense, really. But, you know, I guess that’s part of his charm. And it’s not just the sex, though. We have this deep, emotional connection. It’s like we’re meant to be or something."

Caelen’s gaze sharpened. "Are you two mates?"

"Yeah, totally," Daniel said before he could stop himself. Only after the words left his mouth did he take a second to wonder if his claim made his situation worse or better.

"He’ll take a lot of stupid risks to get you back then." The Shadow King smiled. "Good." He reached a hand out to Daniel, touching Daniel’s chin before Daniel could flinch away. "I almost understand why he’s so taken with you. Your energy does taste very good."

Goosebumps raised on Daniel’s arms.

"There’s something about you. I wonder…" He leaned in closer. "Are you as drawn to Knox as he is to you?"

Caelen’s fingers lingered on Daniel’s chin, sending an unwelcome thrill down his spine. He fought the urge to pull away, unsure how Caelen would react. "Of course I am," Daniel managed to say. "We’re soulmates, and all that."

The Shadow King didn’t seem dissuaded by Daniel’s words. "You know," he said, "Knox isn’t the only one who can offer you something extraordinary." His fingers trailed from Daniel’s chin to his jaw, the touch light but charged. "Imagine a world where you could have power, real power, beyond your wildest dreams."

Daniel swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. "What are you saying?"

Caelen’s eyes gleamed with a predatory intensity. "I’m offering you a chance to be more than just a battery for Knox. You could stand beside me, share in my power, my dominion. You have a spark, Daniel. With me, that spark could become a raging fire."

Daniel’s mind raced, momentarily tempted until he remembered all that he knew about the Shadow King. This was what Caelen did. He manipulated people with false promises to get them on his side.

That wasn’t going to work on Daniel. "I know you too well," Daniel said, drawing back. "You don’t mean anything you say."

"You think you know me," Caelen said, his voice low and almost contemplative. "But you’ve only read about me in a book someone else wrote. How can you trust any of it?"

"Because it’s all real!" Daniel argued. He’d thought Veridia didn’t exist, but then Knox and the others came to life and he’d never been so excited about anything. Everything in the story was true.

Wasn’t it?

"Oh, Daniel…" Caelen said as if Daniel was being very silly.

"Wait," Daniel said, feeling an odd sense of wrongness. "How do you know my name?"

Caelen smiled, but it was the kind of smile that made Daniel want to crawl away from him. "Your name came to me when I drank from you. Such a pretty name, it suits you."

Before Daniel could react, the Shadow King moved onto the bed, coming impossibly close to Daniel, who pressed himself back against the headboard, heart hammering.

Caelen reached out, fingers brushing along Daniel’s arm, making Daniel’s skin tingle with a treacherous rush of excitement.

God, why did he have to have a thing for white-haired villains?

Daniel clenched his jaw, forcing himself to remain still. He couldn’t give Caelen the satisfaction of seeing how much he was affected. He couldn’t allow his body to betray him.

Caelen’s hand moved up, fingers carding through Daniel’s hair. "You’re so colorful," Caelen said. "I like that."

Daniel glared at Caelen. "You can look with your eyes, not your hands."

Caelen looked at him with an amused glint in his eyes. "But if I wasn’t touching you, I couldn’t do this."

Without warning, a new sensation washed over Daniel—Caelen drawing energy from him. He’d done it before, at the convention, but he’d pulled so hard then that Daniel had blacked out almost instantly without registering much of what was happening to him. The Shadow King was gentler now, feeding slowly so Daniel could feel it.

Daniel couldn’t compare the sensation to anything.

It was like a slow, seductive pull, a warmth spreading through him that was both draining and intoxicating. Caelen’s hand was not touching anything more than his hand, but his magic enveloped all of Daniel, reaching straight into his soul and taking.

A soft gasp escaped Daniel’s lips.

Caelen’s eyes darkened with satisfaction—and fuck, he looked even hotter that way.

Daniel cursed himself for the thought. He should be hating this, but instead, he was growing hard.

"So delicious," Caelen whispered, leaning close to speak into Daniel’s ear. "You’ll give me all of you, won’t you?"

Daniel’s mind raced, trying to hold onto some semblance of control. But how could he when his body reacted so readily, when the very essence of him seemed to crave Caelen’s touch?

He gritted his teeth. "My friends will come for me," he said, praying that he was right.

Caelen’s smile remained as he drew back. "Yes, I’m quite hoping they will," he replied, his hand finally releasing Daniel’s hair. "But that doesn’t mean I’ll give you up."