Immortal Consequences

by Steven Sterup

  “So what was all the screaming about?” Kal asked while Bree practically shoved him into the room.

  “I had a video of our wedding. Leanne and Mrs. Harper are criers and screamers. Every mushy kiss they cry. Every time they get excited they scream,” Bree explained.

  “So are you and your sister getting along?” Kal asked. He wanted to ask why he hadn’t been woken up but he figured he knew the answer already. Bree and her sister were too busy catching up. He didn’t blame Bree, as a matter of fact, he was happy for her.

  Bree smiled before answering, a good sign.

  “It was going great until you walked in to give her a free show,” Bree complained.

  “I’m wearing shorts,” Kal argued.

  “Yeah, they don’t leave much to the imagination,” Bree said with raised eyebrows. “Get some clothes on.” She headed out the door and gave him a smile before she closed it.

  After Kal was done getting dressed he walked down to meet his wife and find out how well her reunion with her sister was really going. Brianna was a complicated woman. She was stubborn and emotional but if something was bothering her, really bothering her, she told no one and hid it well. He had gotten good at recognizing the signs and he hadn’t seen any yet but he wouldn’t exactly call himself an expert. It was possible Bree was keeping it from him. In her mind it was to stop him from worrying too much, but the truth was, it only made him worry more.

  As Kal reached the bottom of the stairs he laid eyes on the man he never wanted to think about again. The man who still plagued his nightmares, his brother, stood beside Bree and Kal nearly lost it. The anger he felt made him clench his fists to control himself. He could feel his claws taking shape, his fangs were dying to come out and he could even feel the bones in his face screaming to be let loose. But there were too many humans present. Kal wanted nothing more than to rip Ra’s head from his shoulders but, by doing that, he would endanger them, as well as himself. There were five humans, besides Bree, who was exempt. Who knew which way the council would lean? Maybe they would kill the five humans, maybe they would kill him. Either way, fighting Ra here put Bree at risk and that was not a risk he was willing to take, not even to kill Ra.

  Kal steadied himself then continued on toward his wife. He grabbed her arm a little too brusquely and, at first, Bree looked at him angrily but when she saw the pure hatred on Kal’s face she was terrified. The charming man dating her sister really was Ra, Kal’s brother.

  “Rasheed. This is my husband, Kal,” Bree said. She wasn’t sure what to do. Would they admit to being brothers? Would they start fighting? From the look on Kal’s face he would have loved to tear his brother apart.

  “Yes. I know,” Ra said. His accent was pure Egyptian. While Kal tried to blend in, it seemed Ra didn’t bother. “Hello brother.”

  Kal stared at Ra angrily. He could still feel his gargoyle side struggling to come out but he kept it at bay, barely.

  “Long time,” Kal said, his voice clearly upset. “I thought you were dead.”

  “An exaggeration, little brother,” Ra said with a laugh but his stare was full of hatred, just like Kal’s.

  “So Kal is younger?” Leanne butted in. She wasn’t aware of the burning hatred between them but even she could sense the tension.

  “Yes. When Kal was born I was already a man,” Ra said and gave Kal another condescending look.

  “To be fair. Our father called him a man but he was still a boy,” Kal replied.

  Ra stared at Kal and now everyone could sense the tension in the room. Bree grabbed Kal’s arm and wrapped hers around it. She couldn’t stop these two if they were determined to kill each other, not physically, but that didn’t stop her from trying.

  “Did you hear the good news Rasheed?” Bree asked. She beamed up at Kal and his anger faded. He was letting his anger get out of control. Bree was here, carrying their baby. Even Ra wasn’t worth it. Kal had far too much to lose.

  “No. What good news?” Ra asked. He smiled pleasantly at Bree and Kal could swear it was sincere. Ra had never been the kind to mislead people. His mother and sister, on the other hand, they were quite good at it. Ra had always been truthful and straight forward. It was this quality that led to the argument which ended in his father’s death. Ra said what was on his mind no matter who was offended by it.

  “Kal and I are expecting,” Bree said with more happiness than Kal had ever seen from her.

  Kal lost the urge to murder his brother and just stared at the joyful woman who had picked him out of the countless men she could have had. What kind of husband would he be if he attacked his brother in front of her, putting Bree in more danger than she was already in? Ra was faster than Kal. If Ra really was trying to kill Bree he could kill her before Kal had time to stop him. Kal would win, of that he was sure, but he would lose Bree in the process. He needed to get his brother alone and far away from Bree.

  Ra’s look of shock could not have been faked. Not unless Ra had gotten considerably better at lying in the four hundred years they had been apart.

  “But…my brother can’t,” Ra stated. He looked at Kal and instead of anger there was confusion. “How is this possible?”

  “I have no idea,” Kal replied.

  “This certainly deserves a celebration. I’m going to be an uncle,” Ra said and put his arm around Leanne then led the way to the bar. The bar was just off the side of the dining room and, although it wasn’t large, it was stocked quite well.

  The small group fit, but just barely. Once they were all inside Ra opened a bottle of champagne. Then he looked at Bree and Kal could have sworn it was a look of compassion, from Ra, the most evil person Kal had ever met.

  “I’m so sorry, Bree. Leanne, do you have any sparkling cider or something? I completely forgot. Pregnant women can’t drink,” Ra said and he still looked very sincere. Perhaps Kal was going crazy after all. His brother, the warrior, the killer, was actually worried about a pregnant human?

  “Neither can their husbands,” Kal added.

  Bree leaned in and whispered.

  “It’s ok. Have a drink with your brother. I don’t mind,” she said with a smile.

  What was she hoping would happen? One drink couldn’t erase the fact that Ra had killed their father. It wouldn’t make Ra forget that Kal tried to kill him. One drink would solve nothing. In fact, drinking often made things worse but the look on Bree’s face melted Kal’s resolve.

  Despite all his objections and all the things he wanted to say. “Ok, dear,” were the words Kal actually said. And the smile it brought to Bree’s face made it all worthwhile.

  “I’ll take a beer if you have one,” Kal said to Leanne. She eagerly grabbed a bottle from behind the counter and tossed it to Kal.

  “A beer man? I never would have guessed,” Ra said and this time the anger was absent. What had changed? His wife being pregnant was enough to wash away the past? This was an act. It had to be. This couldn’t be the bloodthirsty killer he had known four hundred years ago. That man cared for no one, least of all, a human.

  After removing the cap Kal lifted his bottle and Ra lifted his glass. They both nodded but neither said a word to the other. The anger and hatred was still there but, for one night, they could put it aside. There were too many humans around and, more importantly, they were celebrating the unlikely creation of another family member. Tomorrow would be another story.

  Chapter 13

  After the celebration, and quite a few dirty looks exchanged between the two brothers, Kal and Bree headed back to their room. Bree slipped off her shoes the second the door was shut and sighed with relief as she sunk into the soft bed.

  “This is going to be a long nine months,” Bree complained then put her hands on her stomach and smiled.

  Kal knelt at the foot of the bed and grabbed Bree’s left leg. He started at her calf muscle while she grunted and sighed. As he worked his way down to her foot she sat up and looked at him.

  “You sure he killed your fathe
r?” Bree asked.

  Kal stared at her and the anger from earlier was gone. She could see the truth on his face, he didn’t want to hate his brother.

  “I was there. He did it,” Kal said then switched to her right leg.

  “What was he like? Before all this happened?” Bree asked. She was genuinely curious but it was also a ploy to find out what was on Kal’s mind. She could see the torment on his face but he wouldn’t share it easily. She just had to be creative. She could force him to speak, that was an option, but tact would give her more.

  Early on in their relationship the roles had been set. Bree was in charge, as she was with everything else in her life, and Kal didn’t mind one bit. She could easily order him to tell her everything but, despite this, Bree loved Kal just as much as he adored her. She had always prided herself on being independent and needing no one but, in the five years they had been married, Bree found something she wasn’t looking for and never wanted. She depended on Kal being there every day more than she was willing to admit, even to herself.

  “When we were young he was pretty awe inspiring. They based a religion on him,” Kal said. Bree could see the sadness in his eyes.

  “How did that happen?” Bree asked.

  Kal couldn’t stop the smile as he told the story.

  “You have to understand Ra. This is a story Ra told me. He is quite a bit older than I am. You see vampires are lucky to have a child at all. My parents were extremely old, beginning of time old, but they kept trying and had three. Ra is the oldest, older than me by a long ways.” Kal looked pleased by this admission. “Ra used to love to tell me this story. He found it amusing. Anyway. One day Ra was walking home. He had picked up some supplies our village needed. You see Ra didn’t give human’s much thought. They were just food but he had a soft spot for children.” Kal beamed with pride and Bree could see the love he once had for his brother. “He noticed a young, human boy who had gotten his foot trapped in a rock slide. That boy was bleeding pretty badly. Ra could smell the blood and it took every ounce of his willpower not to drink the boy but he didn’t.”

  Kal released Bree’s leg and sat beside her on the bed. Bree leaned against his shoulder.

  “Keep going,” Bree urged him.

  “Well,” Kal said with a laugh. “It just so happened that the boy wasn’t alone. His father and uncle were standing on the other side of the rock slide trying desperately to find something to move the heavy rocks. When they came back around they found a man holding a boulder over his head. The one that had the boy’s leg trapped.” Kal chuckled again, remembering the way his brother had told the story. “You have to understand how odd my brother was. He used to wear this ridiculous hood. In the desert it’s better to cover your head. Even vampires get dehydration. It’s why Ra was so hungry. Anyway. This hood. It looked like a falcon’s head. It had beady eyes and even a curved beak, right at the bridge. So, as you can see, the two men came around the rock pile to see Ra, The Sun God, saving the little boy. It just escalated from there. Ra tossed out his stupid hood but it was too late. The story spread and soon people started worshiping a likeness of him.”

  “All the vampires knew the truth?” Bree asked.

  “Oh yeah. Ra never lived that one down. If he had just kept his mouth shut. Maybe they would have come up with a different name but no, not my brother, he introduced himself.” Kal’s smile was joyful and loving.

  “How about after that? You knew him a long time,” Bree prodded.

  “I know what you’re doing,” Kal said with a smile. “If it was just that simple.”

  “Maybe it is,” Bree offered.

  “He killed our dad,” Kal said and his joyful smile faded.

  “Did you actually see him kill your dad?” Bree asked.

  “He was pulling the sword out of my father’s chest when I walked in. They had been in that tent for hours arguing. He did it,” Kal said.

  “I’m just saying. It wasn’t guilt I saw on his face. Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?” Bree asked.

  Kal stood and looked down at his wife.

  “They were the only two there. I didn’t see him plunge the sword into my father’s chest but I highly doubt father was committing suicide,” Kal said seriously.

  “Elyssa was there,” Bree interjected.

  “She came in after I fought Ra,” Kal explained.

  Kal’s head turned to the window. He heard a snapping sound like a tree branch being broken, only louder. He started toward the window and heard it again. As he reached the window his eyes grew huge when he saw a full grown tree flying toward the window, trunk first. The tree slammed into Kal’s chest and he was thrown across the room, through the closed door and into the hallway. Luckily the branches caught in the window and the tree stopped before it could keep pushing him. Kal teetered off the edge of the balcony and slowly pulled himself up.

  “Kal!” Bree shouted and rushed to the door, which was blocked by the trunk of the tree. Bree’s anxiety rose when she saw her husband’s face. He wasn’t scared, he wasn’t in pain. He was furious. Kal angrily grabbed the tree trunk and shoved it back through the window with one hand. “Kal wait!” Bree shouted as Kal stormed downstairs. She could see his skin changing color. His eyes were bright red.

  By the time Kal got to Leanne’s door he had reversed his transformation but the fury was still there. He dented the door as he knocked loudly. Leanne opened the door and it was clear that she was terrified.

  “What the hell was that noise?!” Leanne asked.

  Kal’s fury softened as he spoke.

  “Where is my brother?” he growled.

  “He went to town to grab something special for supper tomorrow. What was that noise Kal?” Leanne begged.

  “Did he walk?” Kal asked, struggling to contain his anger.

  “Yes. You know Ra. He said it was only half a mile. I tried to tell him it was snowing pretty heavily but he insisted,” Leanne answered. “What’s going on? What was that noise?” Then Leanne looked out the door. She could see the door to Kal and Bree’s room was smashed outward. She looked up at Kal with confusion.

  “Ask Bree,” he said then turned and headed out the front door of the inn.

  As Kal made his way through the heavy snowfall he fumed. There was two inches of snow on the ground already and soon there would be a lot more. Kal could barely see twenty feet but he followed the road. At a brisk pace he would catch his brother soon.

  When Kal reached the small town, with the single store, he saw his brother walking out. Kal watched carefully. Ra wasn’t acting agitated nor was he acting suspicious. He carried a bag that appeared to have groceries in it. Something strange was going on. Kal decided to follow Ra instead of confronting him.

  Ra took off through the snow after waving goodbye to the man who was closing up his shop for the incoming snowstorm. Kal kept pace with Ra, just far enough away that he could barely see his brother. It appeared that he was heading back to the inn. Ra was acting like nothing was wrong, like he hadn’t just thrown a tree through Kal’s window. Then Ra stopped dead in his tracks. Kal also stopped.

  “Did you want something Kal? No humans around if you want to try killing me again,” Ra said.

  Ra was right. They were half way between the small town and the inn. There were no cars driving during this storm. They were all alone.

  “Why do you want to hurt me? Can you really justify hurting Bree and an unborn child?” Kal asked.

  Ra turned and set his bag on the ground.

  “What the hell are you talking about little brother?” Ra asked. For a second Kal was confused. Ra looked sincere. Then he remembered his father. Ra had seemed sincere then as well.

  “Just like you didn’t kill dad?” Kal asked and walked forward slowly.

  Ra looked annoyed by Kal’s question.

  “I didn’t kill him! You did!” Ra shouted then his voice got quieter. “Though I can’t figure out why.”

  Kal took off at a sprint. Ra’s annoya
nce turned to anger and he sprinted toward Kal. When they collided Kal transformed but Ra didn’t. Ra’s fangs didn’t even come out. Ra bounced off him like he had hit a brick wall. He fell a few feet away so Kal rushed to him, picked him up and threw him at a nearby tree. Ra slammed into the tree and snow fell down from the branches around him.

  After shaking off his confusion Ra got to his feet. He could see Kal running at him and he realized he wouldn’t win in a contest of strength but he was faster than Kal. Ra waited until Kal was almost on him then dashed to the side. Kal couldn’t stop himself and slammed into the tree. The large tree groaned from the impact then started to fall. While Kal was distracted by the falling tree Ra made his move. With incredible speed he zipped to Kal’s side, hit him in the jaw, then moved to the other side and kicked Kal’s feet out from under him. Kal fell flat on his back but was able to roll out of the way as Ra thrust his fist through the frozen ground.

  Once he was back on his feet Kal kicked Ra like a football and his brother went flying until he was stopped by another tree. The sound of Ra’s bones breaking brought an evil smile to Kal’s face. He rushed to the tree but found no sign of Ra. As he turned around a tree branch, thicker than his waist, smashed into his face. His head slammed against the tree behind him and Kal fell to the ground, dizzy.

  Kal watched as Ra walked slowly up to him but he didn’t move. Ra was faster, much faster but he was limping now. Kal had broken the bones in his leg at least, probably more. He needed to catch Ra off-guard and all he had to do was wait.

  “Finally!” Ra shouted triumphantly. “I knew someday you’d mess up and I’d could finally find out why you killed father. I’m not angry any more, I just don’t understand why. Why kill father? Why did you try to kill me?”

  Ra reached down and grabbed Kal by his shirt. He lifted his brother up then realized his mistake. Kal put both hands around Ra’s neck and no matter how hard he struggled he couldn’t overpower his brother. Kal had always been the strongest. Not even he could match Kal’s raw power and there were few vampires left as old as he was.