Love Thy Enemy

Chapter 8

The new situation Brone found himself in, made him rethink everything he thought he knew about vampires. From his personal experiences, he'd found vampires to be cold, callous and uncaring but these vampires were different, it bothered him to realize he may have been judging the whole species on the actions of a few. Brone didn't realize that he'd been walking up the stairs until he heard the voices of Case and Lucy. "You’re going to have to face him soon Lucy." He heard Case say and he walked closer to their door. "But what if he hates and rejects me like he did Evolet? It will kill me if my brother hates me." She worried, on the verge of tears. Brone swallowed hard and knocked on the door. All talking ceased and Case answered the door. "Brone. It's good to see you up and walking. For a while there we thought you might not make it." Case said and Brone nodded with a soft breath. "For a moment there I didn't think I would make it either." He answered. "Can I speak with Lucy?" Brone asked and Case stepped aside hesitantly.

Lucy looked like she was ready to run. She had her hands clasped in front of her and she was shifting her weight from foot to foot. It took him a moment to notice her slightly swollen belly. He was going to be an uncle. "Hey Lucy. Jake told me that Evolet saved your life." He stated softly, afraid to spook her. "She had to give me her blood in order to do it." she told him, and he nodded. "Her blood changed you somehow, didn't it?" he questioned, and he saw tears shining in her light blue eyes. "Yes. Her blood made me a hybrid." She challenged, barely above a whisper. Pain lanced through Brone's chest. Not because she was half vampire now but because she feared that he wouldn't accept her. "Who knows, maybe before everything that has happened you wouldn't have." Trey commented, making him flinch but he couldn’t disagree. Instead of saying anything, Brone pulled his sister in for a tight hug. Lucy sobbed when Brone pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "You are my baby sister Lucy, no matter what you are now, and I would rather have you alive as a hybrid than not at all." He reassured her softly and she cried even harder.

Evolet heard Brone walking up the stairs. She could sense him all the time if she was being honest with herself. Before he'd seen her, she closed the door to the room she was using. Lucy needed to talk to her brother and Evolet wasn't sure if she was ready to face him. She wasn't sure she ever would be able to face him. Every time she thought of Brone, her mind took her to that moment on the front lawn when she’d tried to rip her own heart from her chest and tears filled her eyes. Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, Evolet willed her tears back. She and her clan would only be there for another week. Just long enough to help the pack get back on their feet and then Nikolai would take control of the clan while Evolet went on the hunt, her quarry, Missy and the rogue alpha. Pain shot through Evolet when she heard Lucy and Brone talking. He told her he would rather have her as a hybrid than not at all and it was like he shoved a burning hot knife right through her heart and twisted. It hurt that he could accept his sister as a half vampire, but he hated his true mate. Evolet raked her claws down the wall beside her leaving deep bloody grooves as the jagged pieces of wall cut into her fingers. She was angry at herself for being jealous of Lucy. Angry at herself for giving a damn about what Brone thought of her. Shaking her head, Evolet opened the door to her room and nearly collided with the bane of her existence.

Brone held Lucy until her sobbing eased. Then she smiled at him and told him about her pregnancy. Brone was so happy for her, and Case and he told them so. He’d just left and closed the door behind him when Evolet left her room which was right across the hall. She seemed surprised at first, but her expression darkened and then went blank when she realized it was him, she'd nearly walked into. Brone had no doubt that she'd heard what he was talking about with Lucy and even though her face gave nothing away, he could feel the pain and rejection she felt. He took in Evolet's body. She was so tiny compared to him. Jake told him how she'd ripped the doors off to get to them. How she'd destroyed the dungeon to get him free of the silver burning his skin. Jake also told him how Evolet lifted and carried him as though he weighed nothing all the way to the pack hospital. Brone had a hard time picturing her carrying him. His eyes travelled from her unique eyes to her lush lips. They followed the trail down her neck to her delicate collarbones. She had curves in all the right places with a tiny waist and strong athletic legs. When his eyes reached her hands, he saw that her hands were bloody. "You're bleeding." he spoke, his voice filled with concern and tried to reach for her hands. Evolet hissed at him and pulled her hands away. After she'd composed herself, her face returned to being stoic, unreadable. "Don't act as if you care Brone." She sighed softly and then disappeared past him. She moved fast but he hadn't missed the pained expression or the tears that begged to fall.

Evolet reigned in her gut clenching reaction when Brone attempted to touch her and schooled her emotions. It hurt when he showed he didn't give a damn about her, but it was soul piercing agony when he pretended to care, and Evolet couldn't handle that. She rushed past him just as her tears threatened to fall in front of him. Evolet ran until she was at the treeline. She used the tree to help her stand when all she wanted to do was collapse to the ground and sob until she could no longer produce tears. Evolet flinched when Des lay a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright Ev?" she asked softly as she glanced behind her where Brone was just leaving the pack house. Evolet quickly wiped her tears away with harsh strokes and nodded. "I will be once we are gone from here." She replied and Des nodded.

It’d been a couple of days since Brone had run into Evolet in the hallway and it hadn't happened again. She was making it her mission to avoid him at all costs. Lucy tried to talk to her, but she shut Lucy down every time. Every day that passed Evolet withdrew deeper and deeper into herself. She didn't feed as often; she rarely spoke and when she did it was only a few words. Lucy and Case watched her carefully each day. "What is wrong with her Case? What is happening?" Lucy asked in desperation once and Case sighed sadly. "She may have rejected Brone because he didn't want her, but he didn't accept her rejection and he still hasn't accepted her as his mate. Evolet only has three options now Lucy. One either she goes insane and must be hunted. Two, she goes into another deep slumber so she may attempt to outlive the mate bond, or she can end herself." he told her honestly. Lucy didn't understand what he meant by ending herself. "I don't understand, what do you mean she would need to end herself?" she inquired. Kali appeared beside them, Jake with her. "Her clan would never kill her they are too loyal, and we are of her blood now. We can’t kill her unless she goes feral. She would have to rip her own heart out." Kali explained and Lucy flinched, a sob catching in her throat. "But she can't, how can she do that?" Lucy demanded her tears running down her cheeks. "She won't. Not before she hunts down and kills that she-wolf and the rogue. That will be her final act. To avenge her mate and then she will do it. Somewhere nobody will find her body." Kali told them softly, barely above a whisper. Just as she said that Evolet looked up into the night sky, almost as if she were praying silently to the blood goddess for strength. The wind blew and whipped her long dark red hair around her body and her skin seemed to shimmer in the moonlight.