Justin’s stomach summersaulted at Aberdeen’s confession. His heart hammered at the thought of someone training a rifle on Demetri.
“I’m sorry,” Justin said as he held up the cuffs. There was no way he was risking Demetri’s life. But oh how he wanted to take those heavy cuffs and beat the brakes off of Aberdeen with them. Justin wasn’t a violent person, but he’d beat Aberdeen to a bloody pulp if he could.
“Don’t be,” Wulf said, but he wasn’t looking at Justin. He kept his gaze locked on Aberdeen. Justin had never seen Wulf look so serene and murderous at the same time. His eyes were filled with lethal promise. Justin was thankful that look wasn’t aimed at him. Wulf was one scary man right now.
“What did you do with Caleb?” Justin demanded once more. Visions of his best friend lying somewhere hurt or dead wouldn’t stop plaguing his mind. He desperately wanted to go to Caleb, to make sure the man was okay. If Aberdeen had truly lost it and had a rifle trained on Demetri, there was no telling what he’d done with Caleb.
The cuffs clicked into place, and that was when Justin noticed symbols engraved into the iron. He had no clue what they were, but their etched lines were perfect, and their structure was stunning. So flawless, yet he somehow knew that no machine had put those designs there. The symbols looked old, as if they’d been there for hundreds of years.
“He’s visiting with his grandfather,” Aberdeen confessed. “How excited Hans was when I brought him Caleb.”
“You fucking bastard,” Wulf snarled as he took a step forward. “You know Demetri never wanted Caleb near that man.”
Aberdeen seemed delighted in Wulf’s anger. “Then he should have never kicked his son out. He basically handed the brat over to me.”
Justin’s stomach rolled at the thought. Demetri would never forgive himself. Justin wouldn’t forgive himself because he was the one who had given Demetri the idea. He spun on his heels, his hands fisted at his sides. “You are an ungrateful old coot. How can you turn on the man who has done so much for you?”
“All you wanted was a cock in that tight ass.” Aberdeen waved the gun at Justin as his eyes hardened. “Was that your plan all along? Did you plan on seducing your daddy figure in order to gain his money?”
Justin was going to be sick. His body began to shake as he pulled his lips back from his teeth, hissing. “You are truly sick, Aberdeen. I was a young boy who only wanted a family. I didn’t look at Demetri that way, and I never wanted his money.”
“I’ve watched you throw yourself at him for years,” Aberdeen said with a touch of madness. “How you watched and lusted after him. I could deal with that. But when you ordered me away from the only home I’ve ever known, I knew I had to kill you. How dare you send me away from my beloved king!”
“But you agreed!” Justin could see there would be no reasoning with the assistant. Aberdeen was off his flipping rocker.
“What did you want me to say, that I didn’t want to go, that I have been in love with Demetri for a very long time until some snotty-nosed human showed up? He used to look at me tenderly until you came around here. After that, he never gave me a second glance.”
Justin gaped at Aberdeen. He’d never seen Aberdeen look at Demetri with love in his eyes. The assistant had never acted as if he’d hated Justin. He knew there had been something off about the guy. Justin had always had a feeling that Aberdeen was creepy, but to know that the assistant had been in love with Demetri made him want to puke. “You are one delusional man, Aberdeen,” he said. “You were the one who suggested Demetri take me to bed and make me his.”
“I suggested he take someone with experience!” Aberdeen curled his lip back. “Demetri was the one who automatically thought of you when I was clearly thinking of myself.”
“Get over it,” Justin said.
“Enough!” Aberdeen backed up until he was at least three feet from the door and then waved his hand and nodded his head. “Go, get moving. We have a little trip to take.”
Justin winced as he moved. His shoulder was killing him where he’d been shot, and he was losing a great deal of blood. He wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to last before his hunger started to gnaw away at him. With the loss of blood, his body was going to want to replace it. The idea of feeding from Aberdeen made Justin want to puke, but tearing the man’s throat out had its appeal.
I have to find a way to escape. I can’t let Aberdeen haul us away. Demetri will never know where to find us. And Caleb. God, Caleb. What have I done to my best friend? I sent a lunatic with him.
“Get moving.” Aberdeen waved the gun toward the door. “No tricks.”
Justin spotted the sun patterns on the floor and knew it was still shining brightly. Its beams flooded through the arched windows high above the door and made Justin hiss as he backed away. “I can’t go out there.”