Kiss the Villain

Kayden Lockwood, or Kayden Davenport, is the other main character in the narrative and its other narrator. Kayden is described as having “a sharp jaw, features carved with subtle authority, and jet-black hair that’s cropped tight on the sides but long enough on top to be styled back with ruthless precision. […] Faint stubble brushes his cheeks, enhancing the rough edge of his quiet confidence” (45). Son of Rachel Lockwood and Harrod Davenport, Kayden is the youngest son of the family and Grant Davenport’s younger half-brother. While his father is a world-renowned businessman, he was a terrible father and husband, and during most of his childhood, Kayden and his mother were subject to his abuse. At the age of nine, however, Kayden escaped his father for a few months with Rachel and the woman who would eventually become his second mother, Jina. When it became clear that his father would find them again, Kayden made the mistake of calling his brother for advice. Grant notified their father, and Kayden bargained himself to save his mothers’ lives, illustrating that, although he is a morally gray character, he cares deeply for those he loves, to the point of sacrificing himself, if need be. 

From the age of nine onward, Kayden became the perfect son of a ruthless man and an agent for Vencor, a secret organization that has manipulated global power for decades. With time, Kayden became a lethal force in his own right and was made to date Cassandra O’Connor, another Vencor member. Though they married and became great friends, they were sexually incompatible and lived an open-style relationship. After his father’s passing, he and his brother took control of Davenport Corp., one of the largest export and import companies in the world. When Cassandra was brutally raped and murdered, Kayden took a step back from the company to chase the men involved and kill them. He believed Alexander Carson was the last man on his list and had plans to kill his entire family. He targeted Alexander’s grandsons by infiltrating their university, but when he encountered Gareth, his plans were soon quashed as he developed feelings for him. By the end of the narrative, Kayden has abandoned his revenge out of love for Gareth, defied both his brother and Vencor, and proposed to Gareth. He completes his character’s journey, abandoning his guilt over the past and setting aside The Lasting Effects of Past Trauma to embrace his future with Gareth.

Declan O’Connor is a secondary character and an antagonist within the narrative. He is Cassandra’s half-brother, and after her death, he partners with Kayden to avenge her. When he finds out Kayden is avoiding dealing with Gareth’s grandfather out of his love for Gareth, however, Declan decides to kidnap Gareth and torture him. When Kayden eventually saves Gareth, however, he hunts Declan down and kills him for harming him.

Declan acts as a foil for Kayden, highlighting the different path Kayden would’ve travelled down if he hadn’t let go of his past trauma to embrace present and future happiness. Kayden’s reaction to Declan’s betrayal, however, also highlights that he is still intensely possessive of those he loves and willing to resort to violent means to avenge them.

Grant Davenport is a secondary character and an antagonist within the narrative. The son of Harrod Davenport and an unknown woman, he is Kayden’s older and less competent half-brother. Like Kayden, Grant was also exposed to Harrod’s brutal upbringing, and when he attempted to marry a woman he loved, Harrod murdered her in front of Grant. 

While Kayden spent his life hating their father and wanting to escape him, Grant sought to emulate their father and gain his approval. Grant often attempts to control Kayden, as he, too, is part of Vencor. By the end of the novel, Grant attempts to kill Kayden after finding out about his relationship with Gareth. Kayden, however, uses his influence in their shared company to barter a fragile truce between them.

Alexander Carson is a secondary character within the narrative and Gareth’s strongest ally. He is Gareth and Killian’s grandfather and the father of Asher Carson. Alexander is a ruthless and wealthy lawyer who inspired both Asher and Gareth to follow in his footsteps. While Asher and Reina reacted to Killian’s antisocial personality disorder diagnosis with trepidation and concern, Alexander was the only family member to view both his grandsons positively. 

Still, when Gareth killed Harper’s father in cold blood, Alexander attempted to curb Gareth’s natural predilections by forbidding his obsessions and the more violent aspects of his nature. His cover-up of Gareth’s murder of Harper’s father connects Alexander to Kaydens revenge plan: The then-police chief who Alexander bribed to clear Gareth’s name blackmailed Alexander into another cover-up when he and his affiliates raped and murdered Cassandra. While he had left before the assault and murder had occurred, his association with the senator nevertheless marked him as one of Kayden’s targets.

Cassandra Davenport is a secondary character within the novel and Kayden’s deceased wife. Like Kayden, she was part of Vencor, and she married Kayden after an arranged date set between them. A driven career woman, Cassandra would ultimately meet her demise after a senator and his affiliates felt wronged when she refused their sexual advances. They lured her to an isolated home, committed rape, and murdered her.

Although Cassandra never appears in the novel, she functions as a manifestation of Kayden’s ongoing attachment and need for revenge. She is the past that he needs to gain closure and move on from before he can fully invest himself in his relationship with Gareth.

Jethro and Simone are secondary characters within the narrative. They are part of Kayden’s trusted team from their shared time as Vencor’s executioners. While Jethro facilitates Kayden’s technical needs, Simone impersonates a private investigator named Nadine to fool Gareth and control the information he discovers about Kayden. They assist Kayden during Gareth’s kidnapping and safeguard both Kayden and Gareth during Grant’s attack. By the end of the narrative, they show their support for Kayden’s relationship with Gareth.