46. (DANE POV)

(DANE POV)

I put my hand on Deirk's shoulder, guiding Jo closer until she was nestled securely against my chest. "Close your eyes," I instructed, preparing to share the shadows of my recent past with them.

Needing to show Deirk just how far Magness had already fallen back into the hole, the memory began with Magness and me in the bedroom. We watched as I observed Magness as he fed from the femoral artery of a blond guy, eerily similar in appearance to me.

I caught Deirk's reaction of disgust and explained, "Towards the end, this became almost an hourly occurrence. I think Magness was trying to torment me, trying to invoke jealousy by lavishing attention on someone who resembled me."

"Where do these guys come from?" Jo questioned.

"Some willingly I believe, but most are from auction blocks," I replied.

The scene shifted to a dimly lit room, the site of an interrogation. A girl, the infiltrator from the school, was tied to a chair opposite a battered and bloody man. Despite the man's d