Semua Bab His Straight Pet: Bab 41 - Bab 50

Raymond’s POVAnd you knew?""Yes."I stood. Fury bubbled up in my chest."And you didn’t tell me? You let me think I was just losing it? That these visions were side effects or dreams or whatever else you decided they were?""Because you weren’t ready!""That’s not your decision to make!"He stood too. The room felt small now."I’ve kept you alive. I’ve protected you. Every day since the night you were marked, I’ve kept the entire underworld from tearing you apart. You think you know what you’re carrying, Raymond? You have no idea.""Then tell me!"Jude looked at me, and something flickered in his eyes. Guilt. Pain. Something else.He sighed."The Flamebound were wiped out centuries ago. Hunted. Feared. They weren’t just powerful, they were... catalysts. Everything they touched changed. Every city they entered either rose in glory or burned in ruin. They didn’t follow prophecy. They broke it."I felt cold. Even with the heat in my chest."So what am I now?"Jude shook his head. "Some

Jude’s POVBefore I could say "Jack," I was already halfway down the drive, the wheels of my car spinning with fury, gravel spraying like shrapnel behind me. The gate opened with a hiss and a groan, and I didn’t bother waiting for it to finish swinging wide—I squeezed the car through like a man possessed. Because I was.I was losing it.The streets blurred past me, buildings folding into shadows, and streetlights flickering like they feared the storm I brought with me. The warehouse wasn’t far. A few turns, a bridge, a drop into the lower district where the Veil grew thin and the shadows liked to whisper.But I didn’t need shadows. I brought my own.I looked to the passenger seat. The leather bag sat there, plain black, smooth. No markings. But I knew what was inside. Tools. If you know, you know. The kind that don’t get sold in stores. The kind built by hand, bathed in salt and silver, enchanted with ancient agony.Torture tools.Not the kind you use to make someone scream. The kind

Raymond's POV"Hey, what’s that?" one of the guards barked.My heart skipped.I turned slowly, swallowing the heat rising in my throat. One of the guards—Dren, the nosy one with the crooked nose and sharper eyes than most—was pointing toward me. Toward the envelope I still held in my hand.Shit."Nothing," I said quickly, trying to sound calm. Bored, even. "Just trash. Probably something blown in from the wind."He started moving.Too fast.Before I could think of what to do, the envelope shimmered. Just for a second. As if the ink inside it remembered its own magic.Then it was gone.Vanished.Right in my hand."What the hell?!" I whispered under my breath, blinking at my empty palm.Dren paused. His eyes narrowed."I saw something," he muttered. "What were you holding?""I told you. Nothing," I said, louder this time, sharper. "You must be seeing shit."Another guard walked up, one from the western courtyard rotation. "We all saw the flash."Now I was surrounded. Four of them. Eyes

Raymond’s POV"We are at the alley," the driver said, his voice low and casual, like he was pointing out a bus stop or a 24-hour diner.I leaned forward in the back seat and looked out the window.And there it was.The alley.Same cracked pavement. Same flickering streetlamp overhead that buzzed like a dying insect. Same rusted dumpster leaning against the graffiti-stained wall. Even the dark wet mark on the brick—blood or oil, I still didn’t know—was still there, like time hadn't dared touch this place.The exact spot I was attacked.The same alley where I should have died.Something clenched inside my chest. A deep, cold grip that slid between my ribs and squeezed. But I didn’t let it show. I couldn’t."Thanks," I said, pushing open the door."How much?" I asked as I stood halfway out, my foot on the cracked curb.The driver looked at the meter, then back at me. "Fifteen dollars."I reached into my pocket, pulled out a slightly crumpled twenty, and handed it to him. "Keep the change

Jude’s POVThe tires crunched into the gravel like they were chewing bones. My knuckles were tight around the steering wheel as I pulled through the gates of the mansion. The security wards shimmered faintly in the air, reacting to my presence. My car glided to a stop, headlights cutting through the gloom of the evening like blades.I sat there for a few seconds. Breathing. Trying.I wasn’t calm.Not even close.The vampires hadn’t given me everything, not yet, but the symbol—the twin serpents—that had been enough. That symbol belonged to ghosts. To ruins. To an order that should’ve been erased from every corner of this world.But now they were here. Moving.And they’d gone after Raymond.That was their first mistake.I opened the door and stepped out. The night air brushed against my face, carrying the scent of dew, grass, and faint ozone. The scent of blood still clung to me, though. It was dried now, flaky in the creases of my fingers. I hadn’t even noticed it until the wind brough