Page 85 of Love Lives
But she had, and she'd told their parents.
Reagan understood that now, as he watched his mother react to the news of Liam's death. "That's a shame," she said. "But it's really nothing to do with us." She scrunched her nose up ever so slightly, as if there was a foul smell in the air but she didn't want to admit to noticing it.
"How can you say that?" Reagan demanded, his eyes narrowing. "His family has been working for us for generations." Even if his mother didn't care about Liam in particular--which was deplorable in itself--, she must have some sympathy for what his family was going through. Shemust.
"They don't work for us anymore," his mother said in a dismissive tone of voice. "Your father took care of that this morning. They will be vacating our property shortly."
Reagan's mouth fell open. "You fired them?"
"It had to be done."
"Why?"
His mother gave him a long look. "You know why."
Reagan did know why. He also understood why Liam was no longer alive. Because Reagan had kissed him. Because his little sister had seen, and because she hadn't kept her mouth shut. Because his family had decided to fire Liam's over it. And Liam had decided that it was all his fault. That was just the kind of person he was. If he'd thought that he'd driven his family into ruin...
He wouldn't have been able to bear it. It didn't matter that it was actually Reagan's fault. That it had been Reagan who'd made the first move, that it was always Reagan who instigated... and that it would have been hard for Liam to say no, because he'd been in Reagan's employ...
Reagan didn't want to think that he'd abused that fact, but maybe he had. Maybe Liam had never had a choice and now... now he was dead because Reagan couldn't keep his hands to himself.
Because no one in this family cared at all about what happened to anyone else.
"It should have been you who died," he said to his mother, even though what he was really thinking was,'It should have been me.'
His mother stared at him, disdain coloring her expression.
Then, the image fell apart, dissolved in front of his eyes. It had only been a memory, he realized. Something long buried that should havestayedburied. He was plunged into a different scenery now. A dark street, miles from home. This was a different town from the one where he'd grown up. He'd come here because he'd heard they had a vampire problem.
He was going to find one of those vampires, and then, everything would change. He would be able tomakethings change.
Aldrich yanked himself out of that memory. He had no intention of watching himself die. What was the point?
The room around him felt strangely foreign when he opened his eyes again. Remy stood leaning back against the wall, his face only inches away from Aldrich's, watching him with an unreadable expression. Aldrich wondered how much of what he'd seen he'd understood.
Right this moment, he wasn't even sure how much he understood himself.
"You killed your family because they fired someone?" Remy asked.
For a second or two, Aldrich considered letting Remy believe that was the reason, but then... he didn't feel like playing games. "Things were different back then. That family had been working for us for a very long time. It meant a lot to them." Aldrich stepped away from Remy, needing a moment to gather himself, to sort his thoughts. Even though that had been himself in that memory, it still felt as if it had happened to someone else. Which made the rage he felt toward his mortal family that much weirder.Worse than that, though, was that kernel of despair that was lodging itself deep into his chest. This intangible feeling of loss at something... someone... that he barely remembered.
It had felt so intense just seconds ago, within that memory. Hard to shake now, even though Aldrich really wanted to. Why should he mourn the death of someone who'd passed half an eternity ago? Someone whose existence he hadn't even remembered mere minutes ago?
He wished he could forget him again. Forget the way the sound of Liam's voice used to make his heart beat faster, forget the way the smell of hay had tickled his nose when they'd shared their first kiss in the barn next to the house, after everyone had gone to sleep.
He was a vampire now, and vampires had no need for such mortal nonsense.
"That's not all," Remy said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Why did your mother fire them?"
"Because I was sleeping with the servant's son."
Remy's eyes grew wide, but his surprise lasted only for a moment, then he scoffed. "Of course you did."
Aldrich almost smiled. "His name was Liam. He was hot. You should have seen him on a horse."
"Did you love him?"
Aldrich should have expected the question, but it still hit him unprepared. "Maybe," he said. "It doesn't matter. He killed himself."
