John cast a curious glance at the human before turning his head back to Cain.

“I have my memory back,” Cain announced without preamble, watching John’s facial expression intently.

To his surprise, his personal guard appeared pleased about that fact. His words only underscored that impression. “That’s wonderful! What happened?”

“That’s not important right now,” Cain cut him off.

Clearly taken aback by the brusque tone, John’s forehead pulled into a frown, but he didn’t comment any further.

“I know what you did, John. I remember every second of the night I was nearly assassinated.” Cain paused, waiting for John’s face to show that he was caught. But it appeared that John was a better poker player than anybody else Cain had ever met. “What have you got to say for yourself, John? Why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

Cain shook his head. “I never expected this from you. We were friends. I trusted you.” They’d always had each others’ backs when they’d both been guards. Cain had trusted this man more than he’d ever trusted his own brother. This betrayal felt like a stab in the gut.

“What the fuck are you talking about? If you have your memory back then you know what happened.”

Frustrated about John’s refusal to confess his crime, Cain lunged at him and slammed him against the wall, pinning him there. “You lured me into a trap, and then when the assassin couldn’t finish me, you aimed your gun at me and pulled the trigger. Damn it, you shot me!”

“I didn’t shoot you!”

Cain flashed his fangs at him. “Stop lying and stand by your actions like a man, and not like a sniveling weasel. You betrayed me!”

“Never!” John ground out.

“You lured me into that trap.”

“No!”

“Then you’re denying that you sent me a text message that night to inform me about a conspiracy?”

“What?” John’s forehead creased and his mouth twisted in disbelief. “I never sent you any text message that night.”

“I have proof!”

John pushed against him, causing Cain to release him. “You have no fucking proof, because there is no proof. Because I didn’t do anything!”

“Give it up, John. I found my old cell phone. I can prove it was you!”

“Then show it to me! Because you’ve got nothing. I’m innocent! I came to rescue you!”

Cain scoffed. “By fucking shooting me? That’s a funny way of rescuing me.”

John continued facing off with him stoically, his jaw tight, his shoulders stiff. “Show me your proof and I’ll show you that you’re wrong. I aimed at the assassin, not at you. I killed the assassin to save you. You have to believe me.”

Cain searched his former friend’s eyes. Was he lying? Or was there really something to his claim that he was innocent? Cain had thought that having his memory back would make things easier, but it didn’t. Knowing his history with John, how they’d fought side by side, how John had stood by him to defeat the old king and save the imprisoned vampires, Faye included, made it impossible to condemn John outright.

Cain sucked in a long breath. “Follow me.”

***

Faye looked over Thomas’s shoulder as he powered on the cell phone that was currently connected to a charger. Thomas sat at the little desk in his room and had already booted up his computer and was typing away on it until the screen of Cain’s old cell phone finally lit up.

“Well, let’s have a look then,” Thomas said calmly as he picked up the phone and swiped across it with his finger. He looked up at her. “No password. Interesting.”

“I’m sure he had a password on his phone previously,” Faye replied. She’d seen Cain enter it many times, though she didn’t know the combination.

She watched as Thomas swiftly opened the message app and navigated to the last message the phone had received. “Here, that must be it.” He pointed to it.

Faye read it. It was exactly like Cain had told them. He’d received a note that he should come to the old plantation kitchen to find out about a conspiracy. Her eyes drifted to the top of the small screen. “John,” she read aloud.

Thomas nodded, a disappointed look on his face. “I’d hoped Cain was wrong.”

Faye shook her head. “I always blamed John after Cain’s presumed death. I blamed him because he didn’t keep him safe for me. But that John is actually behind this is so hard to believe. They were such good friends.”