“That’s great news!” Haven said.

“It is. But that’s not everything. I think I know now who is behind the assassination that caused my amnesia.”

Haven took a step toward him, stunned. “It’s Abel, isn’t it? That bastard.”

“It’s not him. It’s John,” Cain interrupted.

“John?” The question wasn’t just asked by Haven, but also echoed by Gabriel, Blake, and Wesley.

“But that can’t be,” Blake protested. “He saved you and came back for you.”

Cain glared at his human friend. “Then why did he send me into a trap?”

“Hold it,” Gabriel cautioned. “Tell us exactly what happened back then. Don’t leave anything out.”

Cain felt Faye squeeze his hand in reassurance and exchanged a quick look with her. “Faye and I were in my suite. It was around sunset when I got a text message. It was from John. He asked me to come to the plantation kitchen, alone. He wrote that he’d uncovered a conspiracy and that I could trust nobody. And that we had to act quickly before the guards involved in it could cover it up and destroy all evidence.”

Faye nodded, addressing the men from Scanguards. “I knew something was seriously wrong when Cain got the text message. He said that heads would roll that night before he rushed out of the suite. It was the last time I saw him alive that night.”

“And you’re sure it was John texting you, not somebody else?” Gabriel wanted to know.

“Absolutely. It was his name on the caller ID. It was John luring me there.”

“What happened when you got to the kitchen?”

“It was empty. John wasn’t there. When I turned to leave, a vampire I’d never seen attacked me. We fought.”

“Were you armed?”

Cain nodded. “Yes, but I never got a chance to even draw my weapon. He was strong. I knew it was a fight to the death. I’d thought I’d gained the upper hand, but then a second person appeared. It was John. I turned my head, and saw him. I told him I knew it was him, and then he aimed his gun at me and pulled the trigger. I felt the impact in my skull and everything went dark.”

Haven shook his head. “A silver bullet would have killed you. Yet you’re not dead. And apparently the remains of a vampire were found there.”

“That’s true. Even though nobody in the palace remembers hearing any shots, we found the ash,” Faye said, putting her hand on Cain’s forearm. “It was unmistakable. And since both you and John are alive, the assassin must have died. John must have killed him.”

“Yes,” Cain bit out, “to cover his own ass, so nobody could testify against him.”

“Then why didn’t he kill you, too, if that was his intention in the first place?” Gabriel challenged.

Cain shrugged. “Maybe he got cold feet in the end and couldn’t do it. And when he realized that I’d lost my memory, he simply carted me off to another part of the country with me being none the wiser.” While it was a possible explanation, there was however none for why John had then come to bring him back to the kingdom. Cain sighed, frustrated. He knew something didn’t add up. However, one memory was crystal clear in Cain’s mind: John had aimed his weapon at him and pulled the trigger. “I have to confront John. I need to know the truth.”

He stared at his friends and issued his orders without hesitation. “Gabriel, Haven, you two come with me. Blake, Wes, stay with Faye.” Cain stalked to the door, but it was opened before he reached it.

Thomas and Eddie marched in. “Hey,” Thomas greeted them, his eyes glancing at the assembled. “Did we miss something?”

“Cain has his memory back.”

“Excellent!” Eddie exclaimed and smiled.

Cain nodded. “Yes, and I believe that John was the one trying to kill me. He lured me into a trap with a text message where I was ambushed by the assassin.”

Thomas and Eddie exchanged a quick glance, before Thomas whistled through his teeth. “Well, that would explain why Nicolette has disappeared. We can’t find a trace of her. He must have stashed her away somewhere, expecting trouble.”

“You sure?” Cain asked.

“Absolutely. She hasn’t been seen since the night we arrived in New Orleans. We followed every lead, and used a little mind control on the neighbors to make sure we got the truth from everybody. Nobody saw anything, which makes me think that John made sure to wipe the memory of anybody who’d seen him usher Nicolette away.”