Kylo sank into the embrace, nestling his head in Conrad’s neck, breathing slowly and deeply.
“I know you’ll find this difficult to believe, my strong and capable mate, but your parents will be safe with Selina. They won’t be able to get free without our help, I should imagine. They will be safe.”
Kylo stiffened. That was not what he expected to hear. “How can you even say that? She’s a trained assassin, just like you, and her brothers and her father before her. You, more than anyone, have to know what she is capable of.”
“That’s right,” Conrad agreed quietly. “Which is why I believe Selina won’t hurt your parents. You see, the trainers, the scientists, the council members who were in on the scheme—all of those evil people—every last one of them was terrified that the killers they’d created would turn on them.”
Kylo thought that was a fair enough concern. It was like owning any wild animal capable of tearing a person apart—eventually that animal would turn on the hand that fed them, especially a cruel hand.
“There was a failsafe in their training methods,” Conrad continued. “They taught us to fight, maim, and defend ourselves just for the right to survive. But part of the program included a form of aversion therapy, I suppose you can call it, when it came to taking a life. I saw so many lost boys, as Marvin calls people like me, killed because they didn’t have those restraints, and they turned on people for no reason.
“That aversion therapy is why we assassins can be in a group of people and not just go on a bloody rampage because someone bumped our drink. We cannot kill without a reason. We will not kill without a reason.” Conrad went to say more, but then he snapped his mouth shut.
“What?” Kylo pushed. “I can see there’s something else. What is it?”
Kylo’s chin was tilted up, supported by Conrad’s solid finger, so he met his mate’s eyes. “I think the reason they subjected us to aversion training was in part because of James. It’s just a hunch, and this information has to stay between you and me, and no one else, not even your parents or brothers. From what I can gather, James is over a hundred years old—he’s likely one of the very few assassins left from earlier training efforts. From the brief things Duron and Beaumont told us, and what I saw…”
“When you saw him with Wyatt,” Kylo prompted when Conrad hesitated again.
“Exactly.” Conrad nodded. “It’s my belief that James has skated on the edge of madness for a very long time. I saw that for a brief second in his eyes. It would not surprise me to learn that James didn’t escape but rather killed all of his trainers, the scientists, and everyone else associated with his original abduction. From what Todd Thalassa has found in older records concerning the assassin training program, none of those safeguards I was trained with had been put in place until a lot later.”
The curious part of Kylo wanted to know what a trained assassin would have to go through that would prevent him from killing indiscriminately, especially when, from what he’d learned, the assassins had been trained to kill since they were children. People like Selina and her brothers, or Nico and Teilo—they were actually born in a lab specifically for assassin training. He wanted to argue that surely the reason for killing someone could vary, and provided the assassinbelievedhe or she had reason enough, they’d do it, anyway.
Conrad was one of those trainees, too, with firsthand experience of the methods he referred to, so Kylo nodded. “Mom adores Selina. She’s going to be gutted about all this.”
“Your mom might prove to be our secret weapon against Selina,” Conrad said, holding him tightly for a second before letting him go. “Remember, Selina has never had a mom. If nothing else, she’s going to be curious about what makes your mom tick.”
“Do you have any good memories about your mom?” Kylo wanted to kick himself for asking when Conrad’s jaw tightened. Then, just as quickly, his mate relaxed.
“Not enough to go tracking her down,” he said tightly. “We need to get outside. Now I have her scent, it’s time to work out what Selina has been up to since she set us up to be shot yesterday. With luck, we’ll find your parents before dinner.”
Kylo prayed his mate was right.
Chapter Thirteen
Conrad
Conrad knew he was different and accepted it. It was just sometimes he wished he could be like everyone else and have happy memories from his childhood.
He quickly shook off the mood he seldom let get the better of him and went after Kylo. The sound of an engine and gravel spitting everywhere heralded the arrival of Kylo’s brothers.
Mao, Nori, and Felix all wore matching pissed expressions that suggested them leaving without any discussion wasn’t the best thing to have done.
But Conrad didn’t have time for tantrums and held up a hand when Mao’s lips parted as he exited the car before Nori pulled to a stop. “Nope, we don’t have time for that shit. I have the scent of Selina, and I am going to track her from the air. I suggest you four follow on foot.” To Kylo he said, “It’ll be safer.”
Kylo snorted. “I wasn’t planning on riding your dragon again anytime soon.”
Muffled laughter came from Nori as he looked between them, his hand over his mouth.
“Don’t even.” Kylo didn’t give his brother a chance to reply as he stripped and plonked his clothes inside the car. “You lot coming?”
Quickly Conrad did the same, liking that Kylo stood in front of him to conceal his naked body. “You’re so cute,” he murmured and kissed Kylo’s hot cheek before stepping back and letting his dragon out. He was going to have to mollify his lion, who was roaring in his head at not being the one to help.
I need to scent from above. In dragon form, I’m able to breach the wards easier.
Kylo stilled, his eyes narrowing on Conrad.Are you talking to me?
You heard that?
