Chapter 18

Things couldn't get worse.

When anyone thought that, it usually meant things were going to get worse. Ren knew that and maybe everyone did. But when he snuck out to find Ashton Mantel, he already counted on running into trouble. Though, he hadn't been expecting to meet any of the other Mantels. Maybe he should have thought about that before he set out on this small adventure. It was starting to feel more like suicide when he counted in the Hounds.

Ashton turned. His stoic face made Ren bite his tongue. He wasn't going to say anything, but he wanted to make double sure that he didn't make a sound.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs was a thin, almost pale, woman with short blond hair cut just at her shoulders. She had green eyes, lips the color of a lotus that were pursed in a thin line, and a tall frame that filed out the silk gown she wore. Her arms crossed over her small chest. She narrowed her eyes at them, the faint color of green on her eyelids from the earlier day's makeup.

"Well?"

She almost didn't look that surprised to see Ren, a complete stranger, standing with her son covered in blood. Ashton looked worse off with the gashes in his arms that were barely heeling. Ren would have thought they would have at least scabbed over by now.

"What do you want me to start with first? The dead body or the Hound?"

She snorted. She tightened the belt of her silk robe, tying it off with an angry snap. The fabric made a zipping sound.

"Sit down," she bit out. Without waiting for them to move, she turned around. The bottom of her silk robe and nightgown whipped against her legs. Then, she elegantly moved across the dark room to the plush couch and sat down with a slight fluttering of her clothes.

Ashton was the second to move. He followed her path, an almost copy of her if it wasn't for his clothes, the blood, and the angry look on his face. Ren could see the similarities between them though they were muddied with the striking differences. As close as they got to being one and the same, they were forcibly pushed away in only slight differences.

Ren tiptoed across the room. At just the soft patter from his feet, he caught her icy stare. She glare at his feet as if he'd made the biggest offense in her life. He swallowed down the queasy vomit.

Ashton sat down, falling back on the cushions with an air of no care. The whoosh of him sitting down made the grimace on her face deepen. Ren sat beside him, light as a feather as to not make her notice him further. But he was sure it was hard to not notice the quite large elephant in the room that was him.

It also didn't help that they were both covered in blood.

She raised a brow.

"What?" Ashton didn't look at all frightened by the instance look on his mother's face.

Ren stared down at his hands, fingers fumbling over one another as he tried not to scream.

"Do not talk back to me."

Ren took a side glance at Ashton. His lips were twisted into a frown that made his handsome face look ghoulish. His and his mom were mirror images of another another. Ren felt like he was trapped between two beasts about to fight to the death. The Hounds had been terrifying, but at least they didn't talk.

That he knew of.

Goosebumps rose up his arms. He slowly put his hands on his knees and squeezed them so he wouldn't be tempted to run his hands up his arms to warm them.

Her icy gaze fell upon Ren. "What the hell is this?"

This. What. He wasn't a who.

Ashton didn't answer.

She leaned back. "Nothing? Did you just pick it up on your way home?"

Ren looked between them. His mouth parted, but the words were just air he couldn't form with his tongue. He moved to the edge of the couch.

"Ma'am" She snapped her head toward him. He inwardly cringed at himself. "Um...I—My name is Ren."

He would have knocked himself upside the head if he could. That was what he was going to say to her? That was supposed to make the situation better?

A grin stretched over her thin lips. Her white teeth gleamed in the moonlight.

She reminded him why vampires were so feared by humans. This was the beast they saw in their nightmares.

"Ren," she repeated, testing the name on her tongue. "Why are you in my home?"

That was a good question. Though it wasn't one that he could answer without giving away what had happened up until this moment.

He looked at Ashton, hoping he would save Ren from his stupid decision to poke the lioness.

He was staring straight ahead. As if Ren wasn't sitting beside him at all.

She stood up as elegantly as she had sat down. She drifted across the small space separating them and looked down at Ren. He leaned back in the plush seating, feeling smaller than he'd ever felt before. Her eyes bore into his and though he wanted to avert his gaze so badly, he couldn't.

Ashton cleared his throat.

Her intense gaze looked away, breaking the spell she had over Ren. The brief relief was enough for him to take one deep breath and hold it as her cold piercing eyes landed on Ashton. Ren stared for a moment too long at the space where she'd been. He turned to look at them instead.

"I invited him."

She pursed her lips. "I see."

And with the flicker of her nightgown, she turned and sauntered to the stairs. Like a ghost floating through the wind, she glided up the wooden stairs to the second floor.

Ren panted slightly as he tried to catch his stolen breath. "Is this—"

He wanted to ask if this was fine. If it was okay that he was there in Ashton's home. His mom didn't look happy that Ren was waltzing in there, even if it was with the permission of her son. Ren didn't think his own mom would have liked him bringing in stray strangers in the middle of the night either. She wouldn't like seeing him covered in blood either or knowing that he was going off in the forest by himself.

All those combined would have made her head explode.

"Just keep your mouth shut from now on." He grabbed Ren's wrist and hauled him up from the couch.

Ren stumbled to stand beside Ashton and to follow him in the direction that his mom had gone. Ren hoped she had gone to her bedroom and wasn't secretly watching them in the hopes that she could catch them doing something worse so she would have an excuse to punish them. But as he thought about as Ashton pulled him up the stairs, she didn't need an excuse to do anything. She had power over both of them and it was plain to see in the way she carried herself.

He didn't want to be on her bad side, but he was sure he'd already sealed his fate by coming anywhere close to her home and her son.

The long hallway was illuminated by the hidden moon behind the draping tree outside the round window at the end of the hall. There were five doors, three on the left and two on the right. Ashton didn't hesitate to throw open the second on the left and rush inside with Ren being pulled behind him.

The room was bigger than Ren's living room. Even the hallway which he could only make out by the soft hue of the moon was nicer than his entire house. For it's age, which was obvious by the structure and the furniture, it was in good shape. Ren could imagine this house was run by strict adults. There was not a single thing that stuck out so far that let on that kids had once played here. And though he couldn't ever imagine Ashton being a playful child, he also couldn't imagine that he hadn't wanted to be one.

He had once been free like a child. Young age was like that for almost everyone he thought.

Ashton's room was as dreary as the rest. The colors were dark browns and black. The large bed in the center of the room was made up neatly with the sheets turned down and the pillows fluffed up at the top. The golden ornate swirls looked far from what he could imagine Ashton picking out for himself. If there was one color that fit him best, it was black and the color of dark red blood against his light skin. He was a monster when he was painted in the color and as Ren turned his eyes away from the bed and back at Ashton, Ren held his breath.

Ashton had stripped from his shirt. It was lying on the floor beside him.With his back turned to Ren, he walked to the tall dresser at the far wall. He pulled out a black shirt, slipping it over his head. The blood was still streaked on his arms and face, but most of it was stained into the white shirt.

"Here," he said.

Ren jumped as a shirt flew at him. He caught it with both hands and clutched it to his chest. His eyes were stuck on Ashton's rippling back. He hadn't even looked at Ren.

Ren was thankful he hadn't. Ren's face was flushed and it was spreading down to the top of his chest. His ears were on fire. A lump was stuck at the back of his throat. He swallowed it down as best as he could. It didn't make the burning in his chest lessen.

The black t-shirt in his hand was identical to the one Ashton wore now. Ren slowly pulled his hoodie and shirt off. As he folded the bloody bundle up, Ashton moved to the open door to the left. He flicked the light on and the large bathroom was illuminated in a blinding light. The bedroom was made darker by the sharp contrast. Ren looked away then and sat the bundle of his clothes to the side, away from Ashton's bed and away from anything that looked too valuable.

The shirt was soft against his skin. Once he'd pulled it on, he rubbed the hem between his thumb and pointer finger. The material was of higher quality than anything he'd ever owned or saw.

While Ashton washed in the bathroom—as Ren assumed he was doing—Ren took the time to look around the room.

Next to the large bed was a nightstand that held random bits of folded paper, a tube of chapstick, and a worn notebook that definitely saw better days. To the right, a small writing desk with an apple laptop sitting on top was pushed to the corner. A large bay window connected the nightstand to the desk. It was at least two feet deep and four feet wide, giving enough room for throw pillows and a thin cushion to lay comfortably. The curtains framing the large bay window were pulled shut, but a sliver of the moonlight trickled in.

If he'd taken the time to imagine what Ashton's room looked like, he definitely wouldn't have imagined it to look even remotely like this.

Without thinking, he lifted the collar of the shirt to his nose and took a sniff.

He couldn't name the smell. It was uniquely Ashton though. Ren took another deep inhale.

It smelled good.

The water shut off and Ashton stepped out from the bathroom.

Ren dropped the collar of the shirt like it was on fire.

Ashton threw a damp towel at him. It was with the same force as he'd thrown the shirt. Ren was prepared and caught it in his hand this time.

"Don't touch anything until you're clean."

Ren resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Does that mean after he's clean he can touch anything?

He rubbed the towel hard against his arms. The blood came off in streaks, chipping away like dried scabs. He wanted to throw up. The blood stained the white towel and he wondered briefly if it would be tossed once he was done.

He wondered if Ashton would throw it away because it had been against Ren's skin.

His hand tightened on the said towel.

He wiped his face and then threw it on top of the pile of his dirty clothes.

Fuck him. Fuck his mom and fuck this nice house.

Fuck this whole thing. He wished he'd done what Ashton had said and forgotten about this. But he kept coming back like it was any of his business.

In a way, it was. But he had a way out and he hadn't taken it.

"What am I doing here?" He asked out loud.

Ashton looked up from the book he'd picked up from somewhere when Ren hadn't been looking.

"Do you mean what you were thinking when you went to the forest tonight or do you mean why are you standing in my bedroom?"

Ren scowled. When he said it like that it made it sound like something dirty was going on. They were attacked tonight. Ren couldn't go home and he felt safer with Ashton than on his own in the middle of the forest.

How that came to be was beyond any of his competence.

Ashton resumed flipping through the book.

"How did you know they were Hounds?"

Ren's hands were shaking.

"I read a book," he bit out. He didn't know why, but he wanted Ashton to look at him. He wanted Ashton to at least acknowledge his presence.

Ashton hummed. He turned the book over so Ren could see the inked pages.

"Does this look like what we saw tonight?"

The picture was of a large dog. The hair along its body was spiked and the blackest of blacks Ren had ever seen. The teeth were feral and the eyes were that of the devil.

Ren nodded.

He still didn't know why Ashton need to confirm this with him. They had both been there. There was no way that either of them had dreamed up what had happened.

He looked down at the claw marks on his arms.

He didn't know how long he could hide this away from his mom.

She always saw right through him when that was the last thing that he wanted.

Ashton turned the book back around. He pursed his lips as his eyes scanned the pages once more. He was concentrated on the image and the words that Ren hadn't been able to read. Ren didn't understand why he was so caught up in the book or why he was bringing this up in the first place. Ren had already said that he'd seen them before. Albiet, he didn't know much about them.

Maybe that was what he was reading.

Ashton tossed the book on the bed. "That didn't help much."

He gave a lengthy sigh, running his hand through his lightly damp hair. He looked at Ren out of the corner of his eyes.

"Right. You're still here."

Ren's fingers twitched. "Are we here for some reason or did you just want to flaunt your shit in my face?"

He hadn't meant to burst out like that, but he was getting tired of how Ashton was treating him. He was walking all over him like he was nothing. Not a living being that had thoughts and feelings. Well, he probably shouldn't have expected much from a Mantel. They were known for being righteous assholes that only thought about themselves.

It just fucking sucked that the Mantels were the poster family for what vampires were like. They created most of the stereotypes that Ren had to deal with everyday.

While the the Mantels themselves were hiding away in the woods.

If that didn't scream cowards, Ren wasn't fucking black.

Ashton snorted. He sat on the edge of his bed and leaned back on his arms while crossing his legs. "So you do have a backbone. I was starting to think you had a kink for getting walked all over."

The heat in Ren's chest built up. It was close to the point of exploding out of him. It was the dark thing inside of him that was haunting him. It didn't like Ashton either. Though, there was a hint of something else that made Ren's stomach twist. He couldn't think straight to put his finger on what that feeling was. But he knew that he didn't want to find out. Anything that the anger brought out within him couldn't be good.

Ashton laughed, but it was cut short. He pulled a serious look. "I'm kidding. Don't have an aneurysm."

He waved his hand to the empty spot beside him. "Sit down. Your twitching hands are driving me crazy."

Ren thought again about hitting Ashton upside his head. He squashed the feeling and sat down. He tried to keep a good distance between the two of them. It didn't feel like enough even though the bed was gigantic.

He picked up the book and flipped through the pages. "Why did you even have this?"

When he looked over at Ashton, he swore for a second that he'd seen a light dusting of pink on the tops of his cheeks. It couldn't have been a blush. Ashton Mantel didn't blush.

Ashton coughed. "Homework. I'm homeschooled."

Oh. Right. That made sense.

Ren found the page with the Hound on it. It looked similar to the one that had been drawn in his mom's journal. Almost as if the one in her journal had been referenced from this one. He read the description though it didn't give him anymore information that helped him find out why they had attacked them in the first place.

He put his finger on one line and read it aloud.

"Guards of Hell. Dogs turned by demons—are you sure that we can trust this book?" He furrowed his brows. It was hard to imagine that any of this was real. That being said, humans had thought along the same lines when vampires and witches started coming out of the woodwork.

Ashton grabbed the book. "Yes, I'm sure."

He glared at Ren.

"I was going to help you find your stupid ring, but now I'm not so sure." He stood from the bed.

Ren followed him.

"Wait." He grabbed Ashton's arm without thinking. Ashton looked down at where Ren's hand was touching him. Ren yanked it back.

He awkwardly put his hand to his side. The tremors had at least stopped.

"We need to work together."

Ashton was about to open his mouth but Ren put his hand up.

"I know you don't like me. I'm not asking to be friends." He licked his lips and took a deep breath. "Think about it. The Hunter Society is looking for that girl. Even though we got rid of her body, they're going to pin her murder on someone. Want to take a guess who?"

Ashton crossed his arms. "I think you're trying to suggest my family."

"It's either you or me."

He seemed like he was thinking about it. Ren could only hope that his argument was good enough that it would make Ashton more likely to help him figure out what was going on. This wasn't how he wanted things to go, but he was too deep into this already to think that he was just going to walk out of it. Either he could find out the real killer—find out why they'd been attacked by Hounds—or he could wait for the Hunter Society to come knocking on his door to lock him up for murder.

That would have been okay if his mom wouldn't be wrapped up in it. The Hunter Society were known for targeting people that defended vampires. His mom wasn't going to let him be taken away without a fight and if she did that, she'd be setting herself for the Hunter Society to ruin her life as well.

That was what he was preventing.

"Fine," Ashton said. "I'll help you."

The tension in Ren's shoulders lifted some.

"But it's going to be on my terms." He gave Ren a pensive look. "I can't have my parents finding out about this. They'd ship me off to Sangui if they did."

Ren didn't know why that was such a bad thing. It sounded like paradise compared to Montis. Ashton was rich, good looking, and he was a full vampire. Sangui was where his kind ruled.

"Okay. On your terms."

Ren thought that was where their agreement would be settled, but Ashton crossed the room to his nightstand. He pulled out a switchblade. It was all silver, the handle carved with an ornate design that just screamed high class. He flipped it open.

Ren backed up as Ashton walked toward him.

Ashton grabbed his wrist and yanked Ren's hand toward him. "Don't worry. I'm just making the contract legit."

At that, he swiped the blade across Ren's palm. Ren hissed and tried to pull his hand away, but Ashton gripped him harder to the point Ren thought he was going to snap his bone.

Blood seeped from the cut.

"Hold it there."

Ashton let go of him after making sure that he was going to listen. Ashton cut his on hand. And then, he pressed the cuts together. A swirl of silver light flew around their clasped hands. Once it faded, Ashton let go.

"Whoever goes back on their word dies."

Ren grabbed the bloody towel that was still on top of his clothes. He roughly wiped his hand off.

"Then it's good that I always keep my word."

Ashton just stared at him. Not a word.

Then, there was a knock at the door.