Unconscious Bodies

Damien watched as Harlan turned his back on him. He couldn't let it end like this. Not now. Anya wasn't ready. Neither were his brothers. And a war—one they weren't prepared for—would destroy them all. With vampire speed, Damien caught up to Harlan before he could take another step.

"Harlan, I'm sorry," Damien whispered.

Before Harlan could react, Damien snapped his neck. Harlan's body slumped lifelessly in his arms, and for a moment, Damien stood frozen, with guilt. He quickly dragged Harlan to his car, placing him in the back seat.

There was no place to take him, no plan formed in his mind, but Damien knew one thing—he couldn't leave Harlan here. He slid into the driver's seat, glancing over his shoulder at Harlan's unconscious form. "I'm sorry," Damien muttered again with heavy guilt.

With full speed, Damien drove towards Crimson Estate.

Meanwhile, Zephyr roamed Burdly, searching for what Kai needed—human blood. It was late at night, and the streets were nearly deserted. His frustration intensified with each empty corner and silent street. Kai needed this, and time was running out.

Just as he was about to give up, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye. A boy, climbing down from a window. Zephyr stopped, watching as the boy struggled down the side of the house while a girl leaned out, whispering urgently.

"Hurry up," the girl said. "Don't make any noise!"

The boy grinned up at her. "I'm going, I'm going."

She pleaded, "I wish you could stay."

"I wish I could too," he replied softly before he hurried the rest of the way down. The girl waved him off, mouthing a silent "Bye-bye."

As the boy reached the ground and moved towards his car, Zephyr appeared in front of him with vampire speed. The boy froze, with his eyes widening in terror as he took in Zephyr's black-veined eyes and extended fangs.

That was the last thing the boy saw before he collapsed, unconscious at Zephyr's feet.

Zephyr exhaled slowly, he had finally found someone for Kai. He bent down, picking him up and loading him into the back of his car. Then, he drove off, heading straight back to Crimson Estate, his thoughts were already on Kai and what this sacrifice would mean for both of them.

Damien and Zephyr reached Crimson Estate at nearly the same time, both stepping out of their cars, each dragging an unconscious body with them. Damien glanced over at Zephyr, noticing the boy slumped over in his brother's arms.

"Harlan?" Zephyr asked, raising an eyebrow as he took in the body Damien was hauling.

Damien nodded. It was an awkward sight, both of them carrying their respective burdens, but they decided not to talk about it. Without another word, they headed inside the mansion.

Damien took Harlan to an empty room, setting him down in a chair. He worked quickly, tying Harlan up, making sure every knot was tight, and he gagged him. 

Meanwhile, Zephyr made his way to Kai's room with the unconscious boy. Kai's eyes lit up when he saw Zephyr.

"Brother," Kai greeted with a smirk, "you've outdone yourself."

Zephyr gave him a small smile. "Just don't kill him."

Kai's eyes gleamed with hunger as he grabbed the boy and sank his fangs into his neck, feeding eagerly. Zephyr stood by, watching his brother feed on the innocent boy. The sound of Kai drinking was unsettling, and it wasn't long before Zephyr noticed Kai wasn't stopping.

"Kai," Zephyr called. "Don't fucking kill him."

Kai didn't respond, with his body still pressed against the boy's as he continued to drink. Zephyr moved closer, and his hand reached out to pull Kai back, but before he could intervene, Kai looked up, with his countenance going calm all too quickly.

"Relax, brother," Kai said softly. "I'm not going to kill him. I'm not a monster."

Zephyr hesitated, searching Kai's face for any sign of deception. Slowly, the boy slowly regained consciousness beneath Kai's hold. His heart rate spiked as his eyes opened. His panic was immediate—his breathing ragged and loud, and his body trembled violently.

The boy's mouth opened, preparing to scream, but Kai locked eyes with him.

"Shush," Kai whispered.

The boy's eyes widened in fear, but he nodded frantically, obeying Kai's order. His lips remained pressed together as Kai resumed feeding on him, though gentler this time.

Zephyr watched, he wasn't a fan of what he was watching. The fear in the boy's eyes was hard to bear. He turned his gaze back to Kai.

"Just don't fucking kill him," Zephyr repeated. Without waiting for a response, he left the room, not wanting to witness more of the horror.

——————————————————————————-

Damien stood with his arms crossed, staring at Harlan as he waited for him to wake up. The room was quiet. Eventually, Harlan began to slowly regain consciousness, groaning against the ropes that bound him. 

His eyes shot open, and immediately, they were filled with fury as he realized his situation. His body thrashed against the chair, and his rage was muffled by the gag.

Damien watched silently, with a stoic expression on his face. Finally, he stepped forward and removed the gag from Harlan's mouth.

Harlan took a deep, furious breath, but when he opened his mouth to speak, he couldn't. For a moment, he couldn't form a single coherent sentence. Finally, he calmed down, and he glared at Damien.

"Why?" Harlan demanded.

"I'm sorry, Harlan," he said quietly, "but I can't let anything happen to my family—not now."

Harlan's jaw clenched. "Where am I?" he asked, with his eyes scanning the room. 

"You're in Crimson Estate," Damien replied.

Harlan's eyes batted with realization, and he muttered under his breath, "So Justin was right."

He raised his eyes back to Damien. "Where are your brothers?"

"They're busy," Damien said with indifference.

Harlan scoffed with a smirk. "Busy?" he repeated with a mocking tone. "You mean you want to handle me all by yourself, huh? I wonder why." His smirk deepened as he leaned forward. He lowered his voice. "Is it so Kai wouldn't think of you any less?"

Damien's eyes flickered, but he didn't respond.

"Or maybe," Harlan continued, "so Zephyr wouldn't look at you differently? The golden brother, always playing the protector, right? You wouldn't want him to see who you really are."

Damien's jaw tightened, but he remained silent.

"Or let's not forget your dear old father," Harlan sneered. "Even though he's dead and rotting in the ground, or wherever you buried him, you still care, don't you? You still worry about what he'd think of you. What a disgrace he'd find you."

Damien's fists clenched at his sides, he was angry, but he suppressed it, forcing himself to remain calm.

"None of that is true," Damien whispered through gritted teeth.

Harlan laughed, his contempt for Damien and his brothers was evident. "You think I was born last night, Damien?" he asked. "You think I don't see through you?"

"It's not true," Damien repeated, louder this time, with his patience wearing thin.

Harlan's smirk disappeared for a second before it returned, it was colder this time. "I don't buy it. You abandoned me because you were ashamed."

"No," Damien said with a firm voice. "I didn't abandon you because I was ashamed. I did it because my father fucking threatened me!"