Chapter 156: The Felt Presence

The Felt Prescence

Dylan’s POV

Liam and I hurried downstairs hand in hand, still laughing from upstairs. The moment we reached the bottom step, the laughter faded.

Rosalie was standing in the living room with a man I had never seen before. They weren’t talking so much as arguing. Neither of them was raising their voice, but the tension between them was impossible to miss.

The man looked up first and noticed us. The second our eyes met, an uneasy feeling settled in my chest. I couldn’t explain it, but something about him made every instinct inside me scream to be careful.

Before I even realized what I was doing, I hurried over to Liam and wrapped both arms around him. He blinked in surprise, then slipped an arm around my waist, silently asking if I was okay.

Rosalie noticed us and let out a quiet sigh. The frustration on her face softened as she walked over.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have introduced you both properly. This is Ken.”

The moment I heard his name, my heart nearly stopped.

Ken. I’d heard that name before.

During my time in captivity, Ethan’s men had mentioned him more than once. Just hearing it again brought back memories I wanted to forget. My body went stiff without me meaning it to, and I felt Liam’s hand tighten around mine.

Ken must have seen the fear on my face because he took a slow step forward, making sure not to get too close.

“I know what you’re thinking,” he said gently. “Yes, I worked with Ethan for a while, but I was never loyal to him. Everything I learned, everything I heard, I passed straight to Rosalie. That was the plan from the very beginning. I only stayed close to Ethan because someone had to keep an eye on him.”

I looked at his face as he spoke, searching for any sign that he was lying. Instead of arrogance or guilt, I only saw regret and quiet honesty. Little by little, the knot in my chest loosened.

“I came here because I wanted to spend some time with my sister,” Ken continued. “It’s been too long. I also wanted to reconnect with the rest of the vampire community.”

Liam frowned in surprise before looking at Rosalie.

“Sister?” he repeated. “You never told me you had a brother.”

Rosalie shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“You never asked,” she replied with a small smile. “I didn’t think it was important.”

Liam let out an amused laugh, and I couldn’t help smiling too. The heavy feeling that had filled the room only moments ago slowly disappeared, replaced by the kind of warmth that made everything feel normal again.

By the time we all sat down for breakfast, I couldn’t stop smiling. I wasn’t even sure why anymore. Maybe it was because the morning had turned out better than I expected, or maybe it was simply because Liam was beside me.

Whatever the reason, he wasn’t making it easy for me to focus on my food.

Every time I reached for a plate or a glass, his hand would gently rub my knee beneath the table. His fingers traced slow, absent-minded circles over my cock through my shorts as though he couldn’t help touching me. He snuck in and started stroking gently. Each stroke sent a warm shiver through me, and before long I was paying more attention to him than the breakfast sitting in front of me.

When I finally glanced at him, he was already looking back at me with the smallest, most innocent smile, as if he had no idea he was distracting me at all.

I shot Liam more than one warning look, silently begging him to behave, but he only answered with that smug little smile that always got him into trouble. Instead of stopping, his fingers continued tracing lazy circles against my cock, as though he was enjoying watching me struggle.

I had to press my lips together to keep from laughing. Everyone else was busy talking over breakfast, completely unaware of what he was doing under the table. When our eyes met again, he looked so innocent that I wanted to kick him. Instead, I shook my head, trying to hide my smile as I reached for my coffee.

After breakfast, we said goodbye to Ken. He explained that he had business to take care of before he could settle in, and after exchanging a few final words with Rosalie, he left the house.

The rest of us started going our separate ways, ready to return to our normal routines, but before Liam and I could leave, Rosalie stopped us.

"Can the two of you come with me?" she asked quietly.

There was something in her voice that made us follow without asking questions.

She led us into her office and closed the door behind us. Liam's hand remained wrapped around mine the entire time, and somehow that simple touch made me feel calmer.

Rosalie looked at us for a long moment before speaking. The confidence she usually carried was gone. In its place was a woman who looked weighed down by guilt.

"I owe both of you an apology," she said softly. "For everything I put you through... and for not trusting either of you the way I should have."

Neither Liam nor I said anything right away. There wasn't really anything to say.

I felt Liam squeeze my hand, and when Rosalie opened her arms, we both stepped forward without hesitation.

She pulled us into a hug, holding us tightly. For a long moment, none of us spoke. We simply stood there together, letting the silence say everything our words couldn't. It felt like we were finally putting down a burden we had all been carrying for far too long.

When we finally pulled away, Rosalie looked lighter somehow, as though admitting her mistakes had taken some of the weight off her shoulders.

Liam glanced at me and smiled.

"I have a surprise for you."

Curiosity immediately replaced the emotion from a few moments earlier.

He took my hand again and led me outside, guiding me toward an old building standing alone near the edge of the property. It looked worn with age, but it had been well cared for.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"It's our training center," Liam replied. "Now that your abilities are changing, you'll need somewhere safe to learn how to control them. I thought this would be the perfect place to start."

I smiled, grateful for the thought he had put into it.

The moment I stepped through the doorway, my smile disappeared.

Something felt... wrong.

A heavy presence settled over me so suddenly that I stopped walking. It wasn't something I could see, but I could feel it all around me. The air seemed thicker, pressing against my chest until it became difficult to breathe. Every instinct inside me went on high alert.

"Dylan?"

Liam's voice sounded strangely distant, almost as if he were standing at the end of a long tunnel instead of right beside me.

I tried to answer, but no words came out.

I couldn't move.

My eyes searched the room while every muscle in my body remained locked in place. Whatever I was sensing felt powerful, and far too close.

"Dylan."

This time his voice was louder.

A warm hand landed on my shoulder, giving me a gentle shake.

"What's wrong?"

I swallowed hard before I finally found my voice.

"I... I feel something."

My words came out as little more than a whisper.

"There's someone else in here. I don't know what it is, but I can feel it."

Liam's expression changed immediately.

He stepped in front of me and carefully searched the room, and even scanned the ceiling as though expecting someone to be hiding there.

Several long minutes passed before he finally let out a slow breath and turned back to me.

"There's nothing here," he said gently, though I could tell he was still being cautious. "I think your senses are still adjusting. Your hearing and instincts are becoming stronger every day. You could be picking up someone's heartbeat or another vampire's presence from somewhere else in the house."

I wanted to believe him.

I really did.

But the crushing feeling pressing against my chest hadn't disappeared.

If anything, it felt even closer than before.