Shadows (Book Two of the Royals Trilogy)

Chapter Fifteen

EMMA

“I can’t believe you would keep this from me, Devion!” I yelled at my supposed-beloved, he looked at me neutrally which only infuriated me more. We were in his study, where he was pretending to be occupied instead of helping Benjamin and me find a cure for Ethan’s sickness.

“It was never my intention to tell you,” he responded nonchalant and it only made my blood boil.

“Oh, marvelous, you weren’t even planning on saying anything!” I yelled back but he didn’t even flinch at my tone.

“No, I did not believe it would please you to hear that nor did it concern you,” he said as he looked back at his laptop as if signaling me that the discussion was over. But he had another thing heading his way. I closed the laptop harder than I meant to and forced him to look at me.

“How dare you say that? This concerns me more than all of you. Ana is my sister,” I said through gritted teeth. Devion’s expression didn’t change, I hadn’t expected it to, he didn’t know what the bond between siblings was since he basically used his brothers to his advantage.

“Not anymore, her family now are the Hunters and they pose a threat to my family and more directly, at you considering you’re my beloved and they will target you at any chance they get,” he said, and he got up to serve himself some whisky on his glass.

I looked at him, stunned, “I never asked to be your beloved, I never asked for any of this,” I whispered under my breath, but I knew Devion had heard it since I saw his body stiffen and his expression hardened.

“Sadly, for you, you’re stuck with me for all eternity, don’t worry, once we rule the whole world you won’t have to fear anything, and we can finally be at peace with one another.” My eyes widened, he was really delusional, I had gone willingly with them because we were in danger and they were a danger to my sister, well, all except for Ethan, but with each day that passed I became more preoccupied about him. He was very ill.

“I don’t know what else to say, Devion, you were wrong not to tell me. Ana is my sister and she would never do anything to hurt me, she was pushed against the wall and the sword by your actions,” I said tightly, and then I turned around and exited the room. I headed over to the room Benjamin was using as a lab to make serums and experimental substances that could help Ethan.

When I walked in, the room was empty but there was a small machine mixing a couple of tubes with a purple liquid inside. I sighed and decided to wait for Benjamin to come back, in the meantime, I looked through the different test results we had obtained from different substances, all containing different amounts of supernatural materials such as wolfsbane and another lethal plant that primarily affects vampires; Nightlocke.

It was stressful to see that all of the results concluded in failure. None of the serums lasted for more than a couple of hours and as time passed, we would have to inject more serum into his system to suppress the beast inside of him. I heard the door open and I saw as Benjamin walked in, he looked frustrated and thoughtful. “Emma, you’re here,” he said sounding surprised, he probably thought I was back in my room writing letters I would never send or reading through books about supernaturals.

“I am, I want to help with more of the practical stuff. I need to distract myself,” I confessed softly, and Benjamin nodded and didn’t push the subject. When he and Ethan had revealed the truth about Ana being a Huntress, I couldn’t believe it and I was mad at them for keeping that small detail to themselves, but I knew that deep inside they wanted to tell me but Devion had demanded otherwise. “What should I help you with?” I asked nervously after Benjamin stayed quiet for longer than I felt comfortable with.

“I was just coming back to check on the tubes, this is the new serum we developed, it’s not much and we still don’t know for how long it will work but we have to try. In fact, it’s about time Ethan has had another dose,” Benjamin said quietly as he stopped the machine and looked at the tubes.

“Now? Didn’t you give him his last dose a little over an hour ago?” I asked in shock and he nodded disappointedly. I could see he cared about his brother and didn’t want to be the one to put him down if things got out of hand.

“The last serum started to lose effect last night, that’s why I think we should try it with this one to see how long it lasts,” Benjamin said sadly, and I nodded. He handed me the purple liquid in a vial, and I grabbed a small carryon bag that contained all the supplies I needed to be around Ethan. “I am going into town to meet with another supernatural that provides me with the supplies we need, I’ll be back after dark and I’ll check up on him, so you don’t have to stay up all night watching him.” I nodded and exited the room.

I walked down the hard steps to the dungeon underground. It was chilly down there and it reeked of humidity. It was also dark and quiet, a little too quiet. I was thankful that the building had electricity through all the house as I turned on the lights and looked through the small window on the dungeon’s door for any sign of danger. It was all clear.

I hesitantly opened the door and peaked inside, it was still too quiet, normally we could hear Ethan’s screams and growls all the way to the main floor but this time the only sound was coming from my ragged breathing. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. “Ethan?” I whispered softly but there was no reply.

Hesitantly, I walked towards his cell and gasped when I saw Ethan laying on the floor with his shirt ripped open and dried blood on them. He looked weak and in pain, as he breathed very slowly and creased his forehead as he fought off the monster inside. “Ethan, what happened?” I asked desperately as I tried to find the key to his cell from the keychain I carried with me.

“No, w-wait,” he said weakly and tried to extend his arm towards me. “Don’t open it, first inject me. I don’t want to hurt you Emma,” he managed to croak out and it pained me to see him so weak and frail, he had been the only brother I had gotten along with first since the car crash and now he was dying and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I did as he said and stopped, I gently took his arm in my hand and took out the vial with the liquid along with a syringe. I cleaned the place I was going to insert the needle through and with my two hands I filled the syringe with the serum and got ready to inject him. Ethan only looked at me and the light that was normally in his eyes was now fading and I could see the monster right behind that glow.

Decisively, I inserted the needle and pushed the serum through. Ethan hissed in pain and I saw as the serum burned through his arm before it disappeared under his clothes. He laid still for a couple of moments, breathing raggedly and clenching his jaw tightly. I waited patiently for the serum to kick in and then I opened his cell and walked inside.

Ethan looked ready to object but I gave him a look that said I wasn’t going anywhere. He closed his mouth in surrender and nodded. I opened a small drawer that was in his cell containing cloths and clothes for him. “Do you want to go ahead and take a shower?” I suggested, I wouldn’t be taking him up to the main floor but thankfully there was a bathroom with a shower in the dungeon. Ethan only nodded and I helped him get onto his feet and he leaned on me as we walked over to the bathroom. “I’ll be waiting right here,” I said gently as I handed him his fresh clothes and he nodded with a faint smile before limping inside and closing the door after him.

I let out a sigh and crossed my arms in front of me, how had my life changed into this? In what moment had I been stripped from my life? Since the car crash or before? I shook my head and listened to the water streaming from the showerhead. I was now a vampire and I could hear more than I would have been able to as a human. Since I never completed the ritual like Devion pretended and only fed on animal blood, my abilities were still weaker and not entirely developed, I knew there could be things I could do if I only drank human blood but that was where I crossed the line.

“Emma, I’m coming out now,” Ethan said weakly and I waited for him outside, ready to help him walk back to his cell. Once he was locked inside, I sat on the floor, right in front of Ethan. He was sitting on the floor too, leaning on the concrete wall. “I heard you were fighting with Devion,” he said hoarsely, and I blushed, embarrassed.

“I didn’t think I was yelling too loud,” I said sheepishly, and he smiled.

“I understand that you’re mad at him, I am too but there is no point on fighting about it. When I am gone you will need someone to talk to, someone to trust and even though I know that now you get along with Benjamin, I can see you don’t trust him completely. Just remember Devion is your beloved and even though it doesn’t seem like it, he cares about you and will do anything to keep you safe and happy,” his truthful words sunk into my stubborn self and I tensed when he talked about the future and taking himself out of the picture.

“Don’t talk like that Ethan, you know that there is always a possibility of us finding the right combination for the serum or, the easiest and most beneficial way to cure you, might be to bring Ana here, with us,” I suggested even though Ethan had already turned down the offer before.

“Emma, we already discussed this, and I will not change my mind. Ana doesn’t belong here, and I don’t want her to see me like this. Besides, I have already hurt her before and I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me, she deserves a great life, a great chance at love,” he spoke sadly as he looked at his hands.

“But she is your beloved, she will understand everything after you explain it to her and-,” I insisted, and Ethan stopped me with a glare.

“You come here speaking of beloveds when you don’t even practice what you preach with yours,” he said angrily, and I froze. When he saw my shock, his expression relaxed and he let his head fall in defeat, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to say anything of that. It’s the monster inside of me that is making me feel so angry and frustrated all the time.” I nodded in understanding and reached for his hand through the cell’s bars. He needed a friend and I would be there to try and help him get better.

“I understand, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. You’re right, by the way, I should try to give Devion a chance, even if it’s a second-chance, he’s my beloved and we should at least be able to be kind to one another,” I said, and Ethan didn’t say anything.

“I can’t believe she’s a Huntress,” Ethan murmured to himself, it looked like he was thinking out loud.

“Ana? I can, that girl is fiercer and braver than she ever knew, and she wants to make things right. Although, if she finds us, I don’t know what’s going to happen, she’ll have a duty to uphold as a Huntress,” I voiced my thoughts out loud and Ethan looked blankly at the wall in front of him.

“I hope she never finds us, I hope she stays safe and far away. I’ll be gone soon, and I am scared to forget about her, that is why I think about her all the time when I can, she helps me get through the day.” He looked at me with so much sadness in his eyes that it made me cringe. “You know, I never expected to meet my beloved this way, in fact, I never expected my beloved to be a human, much less my brother’s beloved’s sister,” he continued and smiled faintly, and I returned the smile. “Things would have gone a lot different if Devion hadn’t been in the picture.”

I frowned and shook my head, “you’re a good person Ethan, you just need to see that,” I whispered truthfully, and he didn’t meet my eyes. I was about to continue when I heard the door slam open and I felt Devion’s presence in the room.

I quickly pulled my hand back to my side and looked at Devion as he walked towards us with a tense and angry expression on his face. “What are you doing here, Emma?” he asked through gritted teeth and I gulped. I didn’t like it when he got mad because of his jealousy, it made me want to scold him for not trusting me and for being so insecure.

“I was giving Ethan his treatment, and I stayed for a little bit to talk to him. He shouldn’t be treated like a prisoner, he is family, your family, you should at least try to make an effort to be there for him in this dark time,” I said confidently as I stood up and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

Devion’s expression hardened and I heard Ethan try to get up, “Emma, stop,” he suggested, it was best to keep Devion on his good mood. I sighed and backed down and nodded at Ethan.

“I was just leaving,” I said coldly, and I grabbed the stuff I had brought with me and walked past Devion.

“Emma, meet me in my room, please, I want to talk to you,” I heard Devion say but he didn’t even turn my way, so I didn’t respond. I let him stay down there in the dungeon with Ethan, hoping the two brothers could talk and put aside their differences once in for all.

I left the medical equipment at the lab and headed over to Devion’s room, even though we were beloveds, I preferred to have my own room since sometimes I couldn’t tolerate him, of course my decision infuriated him, but he didn’t push me to do something I didn’t want. It was a good thing about Devion, he respected my boundaries.

I reached his room and sat down on a desk in front of his bed while I read a book about supernaturals, and I waited patiently for my beloved’s arrival.