"Julian, breathe."
Ren's voice was terrifyingly calm. He stepped forward, reaching out to touch Julian's arm, but the younger man recoiled as if Ren's skin were made of fire.
"Don't touch me! Don't lie to me!" Julian's chest heaved, his blonde hair disheveled. "I saw the way he looked at you at the tailor's. I saw the mark on your neck. And now... he clears the house of me? On our wedding night? It's too much to be a coincidence, Ren. Tell me he didn't."
Ren felt the weight of the black turtleneck against his throat. He could feel the phantom heat of Vane's mouth still lingering there. He looked at Julian—the boy who represented safety, kindness, and a life of simple, shallow sunshine—and he felt a flicker of the "Pretty Boy" he used to be.
"He is your father, Julian," Ren said, his voice dropping into a soft, manipulative silk.
"He is a man who thrives on control. Yes, he lied to you. Yes, he sent you away. But do you really think it was because of me?"
Julian paused, his eyes wide and bloodshot.
"What are you saying?"
"He wanted to test you," Ren lied, the words flowing with a terrifying ease. "He wanted to see if you would abandon your husband for the family business at the first sign of trouble. He told me today in the car... he was disappointed that you left so easily. He said a Blackwood should know when a distraction is just a distraction."
Ren stepped closer, this time closing the distance before Julian could retreat. He took Julian's shaking hands in his.
"He didn't touch me to hurt you, Julian. He touched me to warn me. He wanted me to know that if I distracted you from your duties, I would be the one to pay the price. He's been trying to scare me away from you since the day I arrived because he thinks I make you weak."
It was a masterpiece of a lie. It turned Vane's predatory obsession into a cold, fatherly lesson in power. It gave Julian a version of the truth he could actually swallow—because the alternative was a reality that would shatter his mind.
Julian's face crumpled. "He... he was testing me? He ruined our night just to see if I'd obey?"
"He's a monster of a father, Julian. We both know that." Ren leaned in, resting his forehead against Julian's. "But I am here. I am your husband. Don't let his mind games tear us apart. That's exactly what he wants. He wants to prove he has more power over your marriage than you do."
Julian let out a broken sob, pulling Ren into a crushing embrace. He buried his face in Ren's shoulder, weeping with the relief of a man who had been told the nightmare wasn't real.
"I'm so sorry," Julian choked out. "I'm so sorry I doubted you. I just... I'm so afraid of him, Ren. Everyone is."
"I know," Ren whispered, his eyes looking over Julian's shoulder toward the doorway.
And there, standing in the shadows of the hall, was Vane.
The door was cracked just an inch. In the sliver of light, Ren saw the flash of Vane's eyes. He wasn't angry. He was watching Ren lie to his son with a look of profound, dark admiration. He was watching Ren become exactly like him: a manipulator, a predator, a keeper of secrets.
Vane raised a single finger to his lips—a silent command for Ren to keep going.
Ren closed his eyes, his grip tightening on Julian. He is dangerous, Ren thought, the words now a rhythmic pulse in his blood. But why do I feel like I'm falling? He wasn't falling away from Vane. He was falling into him. By lying to Julian, Ren had officially crossed the line. He wasn't the victim anymore. He was Vane's accomplice.
"Go to sleep, Julian," Ren murmured, his voice cold and steady even as he held the weeping boy. "I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere."
An hour later, Julian was finally asleep, drugged by exhaustion and the false peace Ren had given him.
Ren stepped out of the room, closing the door silently. He didn't have to look for Vane. The scent of cedarwood led him down the hall to the balcony.
Vane was leaning against the stone, the moon casting his face in silver and bone.
"That was quite a performance, Little Bird," Vane said, not turning around. "I didn't think you had it in you to be so... cruel."
"I learned from the best," Ren said, walking up to stand beside him.
Vane turned, his gaze raking over Ren with a heat that made the cold night air vanish. He reached out, his hand sliding under the black turtleneck to find the mark he had left.
"You told him I was testing him," Vane murmured, his thumb pressing into Ren's pulse. "A clever lie. It keeps him underneath me. It keeps him afraid to ask more questions. But you and I know the truth."
"The truth is that you've destroyed him,"
Ren said, though there was no heat in his voice. "He'll never be the man you want him to be. He'll always be a shadow."
"I don't need two kings in this house, Ren," Vane whispered, leaning down until their lips were inches apart. "I only need one. And I need a masterpiece who knows how to keep his mouth shut and his heart dark."
Vane pulled Ren into the shadows of the balcony, his hands possessive and heavy.
"You're one of us now," Vane growled against Ren's lips. "Welcome to the family, Ren. There's no way out now."
Ren didn't struggle. He didn't pull away. He reached up, his fingers tracing the sharp line of Vane's jaw, and accepted the fall.