Page 144 of Burn for Her

Dorian lived his life, or so he thought, with no secrets at all. “What about Stryx?”

Lucian groaned. “Skipping ahead.” He rotated his finger in a fast-forward motion. “Stryx and his boy toy, Bram, had run off like Marius thought. But they got separated. The Rogue, which, by the way, was what that whacko actually was, took Stryx and then Bram. Thought he’d got a two-for-one special, is my bet. A royal and a weaver.”

Lena’s lips pursed, “What’s a weaver again?”

“One who can spell Savag-Ri bone dust for us to use as protection against them. They’re rare and having one enslaved would be a major boon for that whack job and would have put a crippling dent in our armor.”

“Was that the powder all over the floor in his cabin?”

“That was almost all lime, sweetheart.” Lucian’s nose crinkled. “It did nothing to keep the rancid stench down in there either.”

Dorian’s head started throbbing again. “Where’s Stryx now?”

“Reunited with Marius. He’d been altered like you. His memories wiped clean of anything before the Rogue took him.”

Even now, his fath… no, not father, the monster, had no name.

“A Rogue?” Made sense considering they lived without a House. He’d never thought about that until now.

“He was most likely the longest living one in our history. You have no idea how lucky you are to have survived so long in his clutches.”

Yes, he did.

“Once the Rogue died, your altered memories should have restored. That’s how it works.”

Dorian nodded. He knew how it worked. He stayed clear of creatures with that gift and never gave anyone reason to use that violating trick on him.

“So back to Stryx,” Lucian cleared his throat. “You gotta stop derailing my story, man. You’re fucking it all up and I practiced my delivery countless times this week.”

“Forgive me.”

“Forgiven. Now shut up.” Lucian started pacing. “The Rogue was compelling Stryx. But since the young prince was twenty-two, he was so close to maturity and was also a pure-blooded royal, his higher-level instincts kicked in at some point recently. The Rogue wasn’t able to keep him compelled as long as he could a younger vampire… say, someone around the age of ten or so.”

About the age Dorian had been when he was abducted then.

He thought he’d been with that animal for two decades, when it had only been one. It felt like a hundred.

Lucian sighed. “Bram was a pawn the same way your mother had been. He was used to keep Stryx in line. Only you blasted his head off, which cut the game short.”

Well, shit. Dorian felt a little sorry about that now since Bram was most likely being compelled too.

“Stryx was forced to follow you and report back to the Rogue. Apparently, the old vampire was obsessed with reminding you of where you came from but wouldn’t come close to you. He even had Stryx convinced you were his long-lost brother.” Lucian rubbed the back of his neck, “That Rogue did fucked up shit to Stryx’s head.”

That vampire did fucked up shit, period.

“The dead wolf was the Rogue’s work. Stryx had nothing to do with it.” Lucian went on. “Apparently, the bastard had also become fixated on Emily.”

Dorian’s lips peeled into a snarl as he growled viciously.

“Trust me, you aren’t the only one who had that reaction, man. I’ve already spoken with the Woods family about all this.”

“Good thing this guy’s dead.” Lena sighed. “He’s made a mess.”

“You have no idea, Lena,” Lucian’s eyes burned with rage. “You two saved four species from a killer who seemed to defy all odds. A fact Malachi is making all Houses and Lycan clans aware of even as we speak.”

“He never used reflections either,” Dorian murmured, no longer paying attention to Lucian. “My fa—” Shit, he couldn’t get used it, “that Rogue would coat his blades in blood or grease to keep them from showing a reflection. And I was the one who always had to get water from the river or well. It most likely helped him prolong his life… and spurred his madness.”

Lucian’s shoulders slumped. “I’m so sorry for all this. I spent two minutes with the guy, and he made my balls wanna do the tuck and run. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for you.”