“You saw things you shouldn't have seen.”

“Tristan.”

The man turned around to me, the usual devilish smile on his lips.

“I don't think you're here to talk to her,” I said, looking at the girl I immediately identified as Larissa's friend. She had the same smell as Larissa, albeit weaker, which made me a little uneasy. Right now, she was here with one of the Blair daughters.

“She knows,” he muttered sternly and came closer to us.

I didn't know what to say, because he could be right.

The girl looked at us, frightened. There was no question that she had seen too much. Actually, I should have reported the attack by Tristan and the other Order member to Bastien, but Tristan had painfully reminded me of our agreement.

That sick bastard.

“You shouldn't even be here,” I said, unimpressed, and moved closer, indicating to the two girls to leave.

They stood up and disappeared.

“Am I not even allowed to visit my own son anymore?” Tristan turned his gaze away from me and looked at Miles, whose jaw was visibly tensing.

If there was a weak point for Miles, this was it. He was ashamed of his father, and you couldn't blame him. It was his father's fault that Miles had already crashed several times.

I gave David a look that told him to leave with Miles. He understood immediately and pushed Miles toward the bar, even though Miles didn't seem to like it.

Tristan seemed to tense up for a moment as he looked after the two of them. Then he looked back at me.

“You know I'm not like the Order.”

My gaze darkened, and I couldn't help the hostility welling up inside me.

He wasn't one of us anymore, and there were many reasons for that. Good reasons.

“Just because you are part of the family, and Bastien shows you so much leniency, doesn't mean I do.”

He didn't seem pleased by my words. Yet he knew he deserved my disapproval more than anything.

“You all kill people for fun,” I continued through clenched teeth. “You're doing something our clan won't tolerate.”

He laughed and looked at the ground.

I wanted to punch him in the face.

Goddammit, how could he be so arrogant and at the same time so naive to show up here. The Tenebris Order was another league, but no one should mess with Nicolaj. Not even him.

“Let me tell you something, boy.” He looked at me insistently. “If you think our clan is as nice and clean as it seems, you're wrong. I'm just a small pawn in a very big game.”

I stepped back. That was going too far. He thought he could talk about the clan like that?

Apparently, he hadn't had enough. “Tell me, how many lives have you taken, Adrian?” I clenched my jaw, whereupon he just smiled again and tapped me on the chest. “This is where the problem lies.”

Tristan triggered feelings in me that I'd long kept from the surface. Feelings. Something we weren't allowed to have if we didn't want to weaken the clan.

Self-hatred fought its way through my veins.

This was my last chance to end this conversation before it escalated.

“You should leave now,” I said with an unchanged expression.

Tristan just smiled.

“As you wish,” he said and turned away. “Don't say I didn't warn you.”

With those words, he pushed his way through the crowd toward the exit.

If he valued his life, he would disappear. For good and forever.

Chapter 63

Mady

I didn't know why I was making myself so pretty. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that everyone I knew was enjoying their time together at the trendiest club in town.

Maybe I would just go to Mia's. She was home alone and had been talking about this party all week. She was only fifteen, so she wasn't allowed to go.

My cell phone rang, and I looked at the cracked screen.

Speak of the devil.

Grinning, I answered it.

“Shall I come over?” I asked and heard Mia groan.

“Listen, Mady. I'm at your door. And I need to go to this party.” I swallowed. “Everyone, just everyone from my high school is there. Only I can't be there.”

I didn't know what to say, so I looked in the mirror, perplexed.

She was far too young for this place. Then again, I had gone everywhere with Vivienna and the others when I was sixteen. The memories of that time hit me painfully.

“Mia, you shouldn't do what everyone else does. It's a club and...”

“Come on, Mady,” she pleaded. “I don't have anyone else to drive me there. The others are all there already.”

It was one thing not to go to a party because everyone there seemed to hate you, but it was another to have all your people there. Mia shouldn't lose touch with her friends like I did. She shouldn't have to carry the same regret that I was carrying.

I sighed. “Give me five minutes.”

Mia groaned in relief. “You're a sweetheart!” Then she hung up.