Page 46 of Midnight of Ashes
Guilt gnawed at me, digging its claws in and twisting. “I needed to get away for a while.”
“To your cabin?”
I tensed. “Who told you about it?”
Hayden didn’t pull back as if my harsh tone had hurt her. She studied me as if she was really trying to understand, to see. “Is the cabin supposed to be a secret?”
“No,” I mumbled. “But not many know about it.”
“Knox told me. He knew I was worried about you and wanted me to know you were okay.”
Of course, Knox would be concerned about Hayden first and foremost. He’d been all in from the first moment. I envied my brother for how he’d seemed to defeat his demons. He didn’t let his past twist him.
I rested my elbows on my knees and braced my head in my hands. “Sometimes all the voices in the house get to be too much. I need quiet. Space.” Time to let the rage flow out of me. To shift and fly for hours, burning out the anger.
“What did the council do?” Hayden asked softly.
My head jerked up, tension stringing my muscles taut. I wanted to snap at her, but I couldn’t. I’d already caused Hayden too much pain. And maybe if I explained it, she’d see why this could never be. At first, I’d thought it was just fear of losing my job, but it was so much more. Those demons were still haunting me from the deep.
“They didn’t do a damned thing when the Corbetts killed Niecy.”
Hayden tensed. “Niecy was your…girlfriend?”
I let out a long breath. In for a penny, in for a pound. “Yes. She was my first…everything.”
Hayden tried to hide the flicker of hurt, but I didn’t miss it.
I didn’t know how to explain that there wasn’t anything for Hayden to be jealous about. “She was a childhood crush. Those bumbling firsts. But even back then, the Corbetts knew I’d be powerful. They wanted to quelch that.”
Hayden’s brows pulled together. “You grew up around here?”
I nodded. “A few hours north, almost to Oregon. I was a part of a very small horde. But it was a good one. Niecy was a dragon, but she didn’t have the ability to shift. She should’ve been safe. But not when the Corbetts wanted to send me a message. I was a sophomore at Evergreen when they left her broken body on the hood of my car.”
Tears glittered in Hayden’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Maddox.”
“I was living the high life in college. I’d turned into a shitty boyfriend. I didn’t cheat, but I was so excited to be away from home. There were classes I’d only dreamed of.”
Hayden’s lips curved the barest amount. “Always the brainiac.”
The corner of my mouth kicked up. “From birth, I’m afraid.” That smile slipped. “She deserved so much better. We wouldn’t have made it to the end of that year, but at least she would’ve been free to find a mate who loved and cherished her.”
“Maddox,” Hayden whispered, her voice carrying with it pain that was my own.
My hands fisted. “I didn’t know I’d landed on the Corbetts’ radar. Not until it was too late.”
“And you went to the council to tell them what happened.”
“Yes. I smelled the Corbetts’ scent all over Niecy’s body. But the council said that wasn’t proof they were the ones who killed her. She could’ve been visiting the horde.”
“Liars,” Hayden gritted out.
“They only care about two things: money and power. It’s all they’ll ever care about.”
She worried her bottom lip. “Was the council made up of the same members as it is now?”
I pulled back, studying her. “No. Nolan is the only member who’s the same. Why?”
Hayden gave her head a shake, making her blonde hair cascade over her shoulders. “Nothing.” She leaned forward and took my hands in hers. “It wasn’t your fault.”
