by Drako
“I beat you and you know it, little sister,” he told her as he looked down at her. “It’s about time for you to calm down. Our little demonstration is over.”
Victoria huffed but didn’t deny it. “You can get off me now.”
Andreas rolled over and sat on the sand. “So, what has you in such a mood?”
“I’m frustrated. I know who’s leading the rogue wolves, but I’m no closer to finding him.” Victoria sighed. “I needed to vent some of that frustration. You were training so this was as good a way as any.”
“You’ve gotten better, but you’re still a bit slow.” Andreas stood up and extended his hand to her. “Come on, we need to head home.”
She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up as the others joined them. Andreas looked to the twins.
“Did you learn anything?” he asked.
“Yeah, we’re light years behind you two,” Demun muttered.
Brandon rolled his eyes. “We’re not light years behind. We have the power to do most of what they did. Our control isn’t quite what it should be.”
“This close to their transition, the boys are bound to have some trouble,” Ares told them.
Andreas gave him a quizzical look. “How so?”
“Simply put, their powers are tied to their emotions. They’re both in a state of turmoil, and this close to their transition, it’s draining their powers. Brandon is in turmoil over the mortal boy, Adonis, and Demun is in turmoil because his brother is in turmoil.” Ares turned to face the boys. “You know I’m right, don’t you?”
Brandon and Demun looked at each other and Demun smiled sadly at his brother.
“You knew all along, didn’t you?” Brandon asked.
“No, but I know it’s true now,” Demun answered.
Andreas scowled at Ares. “They needed to figure that out for themselves.”
Ares gave him a bland stare. “I know I taught you better than that. You can’t afford to have soldiers at half-strength in the coming war. I merely gave them knowledge. It’s up to them to fix it.”
Andreas was of half a mind to knock his teeth down his throat, but that wouldn’t help matters and he wasn’t exactly at full strength, so fighting the god of war wouldn’t be smart. Instead he looked at the boys.
“The next part of your training is mediation,” he told them. “You clearly need time to figure out things and to come to a solution. For the rest of the day, meditate on what you’ve learned.”
The boys walked away and Andreas turned to Victoria.
“I have a task for you. Go back to the palace and relax. Meditate if you want, but your emotions are getting the better of you. You’re losing focus.”
Victoria opened her mouth to argue but Andreas held up a hand to silence her.
“What did I say? That was an order, not a request or an offer, now do as I say. Overworking yourself won’t help you catch Balthas any faster. Now go, and take Ares with you.” Andreas walked away, followed by Kazarian.
“Why the hell did he tell me to take you with me?’ Victoria muttered.
“Is my company that unbearable?” Ares asked her.
Victoria rolled her eyes. “Just shut up and let’s go.”
Twenty Three
Brandon walked through the halls of the palace alone. He’d thrown his coat back on but was carrying his armor. For a while he wandered alone, lost in his own thoughts. He eventually reached his own room and set his armor down at the foot of his bed. He went to the small kitchen area and took a bottle of water out of the refrigerator before acknowledging the company he had in the room.
“You’re pretty bold, wolf, to be in my room in the state of mind I’m in.” he turned to find Phil standing in a corner. “Shouldn’t you be with Adonis?”
“He’s asleep, and you and I both know I can’t comfort him in this.” Phil stepped into the light. “I’m not nearly as stupid as you think I am.”
Brandon snorted. “That’s debatable. Anyway, what do you want?”
“I want to know what the deal with Adonis is.” Phil watched his face for a reaction and saw nothing. “There’s something different about him. I thought he was a mere human, but now I question that.”
Brandon took a drink of water before responding. “Have you not taken blood from him?”
“You know the law.”
Brandon laughed humorlessly. “I’m aware of the law, and loopholes. So long as he consents and you two are lovers, it’s within your rights to take from him.”
Phil scowled. “No, I haven’t, and I won’t feed from a human. I’m not a rogue, no matter how much you wish otherwise. I obey your grandfather’s laws.”
Brandon downed the rest of the water. “I don’t care if you’re a rogue or not. If I really wanted to kill you, I’d do it and my problems would be solved. I don’t want you dead. And to answer your question, Adonis is no mere human, but yet, he is completely human.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“It means I don’t really know. No one does, but he needs to be protected. We cannot allow him to fall into the hands of your rogue brethren.”
Phil folded his arms across his chest. “I know you know more than you’re telling me. You two were way too close. You bonded with him and you know exactly what he is.”
Brandon narrowed his eyes on him. “I know what I thought he was, and I know that I was wrong about it. But that’s between me and him. It has nothing to do with him being a target. The reasons for him being a target I’m completely unsure of.”
“But you have a guess?”
“The only thing I can guess is that he’s a witch. The problem is, the average witch, especially one with only a couple of years’ experience, wouldn’t be a target worthy of a direct servant of Lucifer.”
The two fell silent for several moments.
“So how are we supposed to work this between the three of us?” Phil asked finally.
Brandon shrugged. “I’ve got more problems than you know, guy. Don’t worry about me and Adonis. I’m just protecting him. Once I take this warlock out, I’ll be out of both of your lives.”
“Can you really just walk away from him like that?”
Brandon turned to walk towards the bathroom. “I have no choice. He moved on, and so will I.”
He went into the bathroom and closed the door. Walking over to shower stall, he turned the water on as hot as it could get and went to undress when he noticed that once again he wasn’t alone.
“Phil said you were asleep, Adonis.” He turned to face his latest intruder. “Why are you here?”
“I wanted to talk to you, and I didn’t want Phil to be around for this conversation,” Adonis answered.
Brandon gave him a dull stare. “You want to have this conversation here, in the bathroom with the shower running and me standing here half naked?”
Adonis actually blushed. “Well, I thought you’d still have all your clothes on when you came in here.”
Brandon rolled his eyes. “Make this quick. I need a shower and I have things to do.”
“Look, I know we’re in an awkward spot but aren’t we supposed to be friends? Is it so wrong for me to want you around?”
“Yes, it is wrong. You know how I feel about you and it’s not fair to Phil to keep me around. You may not want me, but that feeling isn’t mutual and he knows it. The longer you keep dealing with me, the more he questions how you really feel. If you want him, you have to let go of me.”
Adonis glared at him. “Phil and I have an understanding. Don’t bring him into this when you’re the one with the problem.”
“Oh, really? And what’s my problem, Adonis?”
“You still want to be with me and I don’t want you,” Adonis blurted.
Brandon sucked in a breath and instantly Adonis regretted his words. Within a few seconds, Brandon laughed humorlessly.
“Wow, I’m surprised that you actually said that, but I’m not angry. I suppose that needed to be said, and now I need t
o do something to make this easier on me.”
“What are you talking about?” Adonis asked.
“You’ve been studying the Craft, haven’t you?”
Adonis nodded.
“Then you should understand what an empath is. And guess what, I’m an empath. I get all of your strong emotions even after you broke the bonding spell. So standing here, I get every strong emotion going through you right now. All the grief, the anger, the frustrations, everything. And I’m tired of it. Dealing with your crap got my ass kicked in a training session today. Dealing with your crap is holding both me and my brother back. It’s draining me. My powers are tied to my emotions and all the while I’m dealing with yours, I can’t focus properly. There’s a spell to suppress empathic powers, and I’m going to use it. Then once you’re finally safe, you and I can be done.”
Adonis lowered his gaze and said nothing. Brandon narrowed his eyes.
“What now? Does that idea not sit well with you?”
Adonis raised his gaze again. “No, it doesn’t. I’m sorry I said that and I didn’t intend to push you away with it.”
Brandon sneered. “Too late for that, now isn’t it? You pushed the wrong button, so deal with it. The last thing I’m going to do is overinflate your ego more than it already is. Besides, I’ve got no time to deal with this crap anyway. I’ve got a son to protect and raise.”
Adonis’ eyes widened. “What?”
“Oh yeah, I never told you that. I have a three year old son, and now I have to decide how exactly his mother and I are going to continue raising him. So frankly, this just made things easier on me. I don’t have to worry about my sad excuse for a love life, or lack thereof. And now, I’m done with this conversation. Get out or you’re going to see me in all my glory.”
Adonis opened his mouth to speak, and when Brandon turned towards the shower and dropped his pants, his mouth merely hung open. Brandon stepped into the shower and closed the glass door, which didn’t help Adonis much.
“Are you still here?” Brandon asked.
Adonis actually growled before he stalked out of the bathroom. That hadn’t gone as planned at all.
Victoria had showered and changed into a violet sleeveless gown to move about the palace in. Her father was the same as always when they entered the palace. In here they wore this type of attire at all times, until they were ready to leave. She left her room and made her way down to the throne room. Surprisingly, her father wasn’t there.
“If you’re looking for Gramps, he isn’t here.”
Victoria looked to her right as flames burst up and Demun appeared in them. The flames vanished as soon as he was visible.
“Where’d he go?” she asked.
Demun shrugged. “He was gone when I got here. It sucks because I was looking for him.”
The room went dark for a second before Brandon appeared.
“Damn, he’s not here,” he muttered.
“Why are you looking for him?” Victoria asked.
“I needed advice, but I think I’ll just go with what I know,” Brandon replied. “But I need a grimoire to find what I need. And I guess that’s where you come in.”
Victoria raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have one?”
Brandon rolled his eyes. “I’ve been in Shevat. Do you trust anything magical down there?”
Victoria couldn’t argue against that. “Well, I could assign you one, of course. But that would involve a test. Are you up for that?”
“This needs to be done. I’ll do what I have to do.”
Demun studied his twin, finding his mind was currently open to him. He took the opportunity to look for the reason behind his brother’s volatile mood. His search led him immediately to the conversation with Adonis, and Brandon’s solution to the problem.
“Do you really think that’s the best way to go?” he asked his brother.
Brandon looked at him. “Did you enjoy getting your ass handed to you today?”
“No, but there’s another way to solve the problem, isn’t there?”
Brandon shook his head. “Nope, not as long as Adonis still lives and breathes, and despite the fact that he’s a major jackass, I don’t want him dead.”
“Do you care to fill me in on this little conversation?” Victoria asked.
“He plans to seal off his empathic powers to free himself from Adonis’ emotions and therefore restore our control again,” Demun answered.
Victoria gave Brandon a quizzical look. “Are you serious?”
Brandon gave her a blank stare. “Do I seem like I’m joking? I need my concentration in order to be able to protect him and finish this mission so he can get on with his life and mine. Besides, I can’t afford any distractions. I should have known when Anaya and Theo were captured and yet I didn’t have a clue until I got there. My mind cannot be fragmented like this any longer.”
“His course of action is the wisest at this moment, dear daughter.”
The three turned to find Hecate had appeared in the throne room with them.
“I think Father would disagree,” Victoria told her mother.
“Your father has no say in the matter. This is your nephew’s choice,” Hecate replied.
Victoria sighed, knowing that once again there was no way to argue with her mother on this issue. “Fine, so how should we handle this?”
“Well, you’ll accompany him to find his grimoire, of course.” Hecate smiled. “You must guide him through the Rose Realm to find it. And Ares is not allowed to help you in this at all. It will be only you on this journey.”
Victoria frowned at her mother. “Why am I going with him?”
“Because you have something to learn in this too.”
“What about me?” Demun asked.
“You can stay connected with your brother mentally, but you would be better suited to remain here and train with your uncle,” Hecate answered.
“I’ve not been to the Rose Realm in ages, and then I was with you. I don’t really know how to navigate through it.” Victoria folded her arms across her chest. “You’re sending us in virtually blind, Mother.”
“And that’s no different from your father sending you into Shevat. You will be fine.”
“So when do we leave?” Brandon asked.
“Only after you’ve actually rested and Hecate and I have had words.” Jarel appeared beside his grandson, his gaze locked on Hecate.
“Don’t get angry with me. I’m within my rights to offer my aid, especially when given a task from Hera herself,” Hecate told him.
“Hera’s rulings have no jurisdiction in my realm and you know it. Do not test my patience. You’ll find it’s very thin at this moment.”
Hecate waved that off. “I’ve got nothing to do with your foul mood. Besides, I don’t hear your grandson complaining, only our daughter. And she’s bound to complain about anything not related to killing Balthas.”
Jarel glowered at her. “I’ll allow it, after he’s actually rested.”
“You don’t hear me arguing, do you?” Hecate replied with a smile.
“Why couldn’t I have been into men instead of women?” Jarel muttered. “Women are going to be the end of me.”
“What does have you in such a foul mood, Father?” Victoria asked.
Jarel sighed. “Well, I was looking into ways to solve the problem with Anaya. Generally I would rather ask Verlaine before taking charge of someone subject to her rule. However, no one can find her. Not even the angels that are supposed to report to her. No one has seen her in several thousand years.”
“So what does this mean for Anaya and Theo?” Brandon asked.
“They can remain here if Anaya desires,” Jarel answered. “I will never turn her away from here provided she respects my laws. I’ll deal with Verlaine when the time comes. But I’d advise you to speak with Anaya before you leave.”
The room darkened for a second before Brandon vanished.
“Demun, you have matters to discuss with Krazas, do
you not?” Jarel asked.
Flames surrounded Demun and vanished along with Demun himself.
“There’s no getting rid of me, Father,” Victoria told Jarel. “We have things to discuss.”
Jarel nodded. “Yes, we do. Come with me.”
The Black Dragon God turned and walked towards his throne to take a seat. He gestured at the stairs and Victoria sat at the top of them, just in front of his throne while Hecate stood beside him.
“I assume you have something to report to me,” Jarel stated.
Victoria nodded. “Yes, I was given the name of the leader of the rogue werewolves. However, I have no idea where to look for him.”
Jarel waved that off. “There’s no need for you to find him. He’s Fenrir’s responsibility.”
“Technically, Father, he’s not a direct descendant to Fenrir, so the responsibility goes to whoever comes across him.”
“I’m aware of that, but I’ll be assigning the task of finding that wolf to Fenrir. If you should happen to find him first, then by all means, slaughter him.”
Hecate raised an eyebrow at that. “Slaughter him? That’s not your usual terminology is it?”
Jarel glanced over at her. “Who cares? As long as the wolf ends up dead, the wording is unimportant.”
“I’m more concerned with this mission you’re sending me on now,” Victoria told her mother.
“Oh yes, do tell us both why you’re interrupting their current mission to send them into that gods forsaken realm,” Jarel added irritably.
“If you’ll recall, I was the one to assign this mission, and I can change it as I see fit to make sure that it is completed,” Hecate told Jarel.
Jarel merely gave her a pointed stare, saying nothing in response.