Erin POV
I came to learn the two men brought in were Jacob, a teacher at a Schola, and some guy who'd rented a house to a hunter. Which explained taught young dhampir, wulfen, loup garou and so on. He told me about another Svetocha that Kerboros was hunting with the help of the Maharaj. Her name was Dru Anderson, her mother was a Svetocha, and he said she'd be about twenty five by now.
He told me what the date was, which meant my birthday would be in a few weeks. I'd been imprisoned here for five years. I couldn't believe it. Well i could, but it seemed like i'd been here for decades.
"Do you know a Broken called Kade?" he asked, when we'd both been locked up together again.
Sometimes we were too hurt to talk, and most times we weren't even in the same part of the building. Jake was still here, they wanted information and he wasn't giving it. But we talked as much as we could. I found him amusing, and i had been so surprised with how mad he'd gotten the first time i came back from, 'training'. We'd never actually seen each other, but it was unnerving to realize he cared.
"Why?" i asked evenly.
"He's been trying to get to Dru, but he hasn't actually seemed to kill her, it's strange," he said quietly.
"Kade is my family, along with another Broken. Kale is here, Kade has been missing. Kerboros thought i knew of his whereabouts."
"Are they your brothers or something?"
"Or something."
He was silent for a moment, "can you?"
He wanted me to sing something for him. He asked me to sing almost every time we saw each other. Sometimes i was in too bad a condition, but i did whenever he was in bad shape.
I'm dying to catch my breath
Oh why don't I ever learn?
I've lost all my trust,
though I've surely tried to turn it around
Can you still see the heart of me?
All my agony fades away
when you hold me in your embrace
Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear me down
You've opened the door now, don't let it close
I'm here on the edge again
I wish I could let it go
I know that I'm only one step away
from turning it around
Can you still see the heart of me?
All my agony fades away
when you hold me in your embrace
Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear it down, what's left of me
Make my heart a better place
I tried many times but nothing was real
Make it fade away, don't break me down
I want to believe that this is for real
Save me from my fear
Don't tear me down
Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Don't tear me down for all I need
Make my heart a better place
Give me something I can believe
Don't tear it down, what's left of me
Make my heart a better place
Make my heart a better place
It was silent for a while after that, "we'll get out of here. I promise."
I woke up, pitching forward and gasping. "What's wrong?" Jake's voice called.
"There killing Kale," i said, standing up. I could feel something stirring in me.
"Why?" I was getting angry, that's what that feeling was. I wasn't used to so much emotion, considering i hadn't felt much other then emptiness in the last few years.
"I dont know, but i can feel him, he's fighting them, but he's hurt pretty badly."
I pounded on the bars hard enough to dent them. "Kerboros!" i screamed at the top of my lungs. The door flew open, and my 'teacher' appeared.
"What can i do for you?" he asked giving me a dark smile.
"What are you doing to Kale! Leave him alone!"
"The thing is, Kale knows where Kade is, were simply trying to get him to open up about it, that's all, dont worry your boyfriend will be just fine in a few weeks." I slammed my fists against the bars, a growl ripping through the air.
"Then tell him to go get him! If you kill him then you'll be left with nothing! Your strongest little pets will be gone," i spat hatefully.
"Well now, i suppose that's true," he said thoughtfully. "But little boy blue doesn't want to come back."
"Kale can convince him too, you know he can," i said pleadingly, "dont kill Kale! Please, i'll do anything!"
"Anything?" he asked grinning darkly.
I nodded, feeling the dread settle in my stomach. "I'm sorry, has our little hybrid svetocha loup garou finally broken?"
I swallowed thickly, and looked away. "Just dont kill him." Before when they'd tried this trick, i said no. I knew they wouldn't kill them, Kerboros knew i wasn't going to be that easy to break. He would never bow to anyone and i was no different. But now with them, finally actually killing Kale? That scared me. More then it had in a long time.
Kale and Kade were partners, they always were. I'm we all would've been, but we were allowed out together, or more i wasn't allowed anywhere with them. When they got separated and Kade went missing, that left Kale vulnerable. He'd almost been very difficult and moody to handle lately. They were just so used to relying on each other, and with Kade missing, that left Kale twice as vulnerable and even more alert, because he was the only one left to help me if something happened.
"Why dont we go talk to your new master, shall we?" he asked, unlocking the doors.
He held out his hand for me, and i accepted it. Jake said nothing, whenever someone else was in the room we were both silent. We didn't want to let on that we talked, as we weren't allowed to.
The moment i was out the door, i smashed my open palm up and straight into his nose. He collapsed, and i twisted his neck in a quick lethal motion. I grabbed the keys, unlocking the door and releasing him. I was struck with how beautiful he was. Both of us stared for a moment, and then he wrapped his arms around me. "Your even more beautiful then i'd dreamed," he whispered lowly.
I wasn't too sure what to say to that, so intead i just released him from the bone crushing hug and we ran for the exit. "Do you know what your doing?" he whispered, as i picked the lock on the door.
"Nope," i said honestly, and then we took another door. "When we get in there, i'll cause a distraction."
"What? No way, let me," he said, "besides, if i fail, then at least you'll be safe."
I hesitated and he gave me a look, and i relented reluctantly. He seemed to determine to do this, he had said svetocha were like queens or something. Although, that thought made me kind of nauseous. Queens meant standards, which i rebelled against totally, it meant all kinds of things that i held contempt for.
We went separate ways and as he cause some kind of crash and i waited as everyone filed out of the room. Or so i'd thought. There were six suckers restraining Kade. He made a whining sound and then three of them were rushing me. I side stepped, and then struck out and then one collided with me. We tumbled and as we did, i hit him as hard as i could in the nuts.
I turned to get up and then dropped back as someone pounced on me. I pulled my knees to my chest as they met my feet i kicked out hard, shoving them straight into a stone wall. Kade was on one in an instant. Another one rushed me and a white hot pain shot through my back. I turned and back handed them, then grabbed there head and smashed into the wall, and bits of stone crumbled to the ground. The next vampire collided with me, and the knife sunk almost all the way into my body. I cried out and Kade roared in fury.
The vampire disappeared a moment later and i was frozen. Kade tore him to shreds and i whimpered and even that sent utter pain coarsing through me. I turned my back on him, and he leaned forward, his teeth cut into my skin slightly and i moaned, and i felt him clamp down on the end of the blade. I tensed even more and then he ripped out.
I screamed and fell backwards, and onto the ground. He whined, whimpering and then licked my face. I nodded at me, and he nudged me, urging me to get up. I grabbed onto him, and he helped me up, letting me lean on him for support.
He guided us out once we found Jake, after i insisted we go back for him. He was unconscious when we found him, though he'd managed to kill a room full of nosferatu, he'd even gotten out of the room.
"i think i can carry him," i muttered, he gave me a look, and i sighed. I lifted him up painfully and set him on Kale's back.
"You look like a pack mule," i muttered to him and he snorted at me.
We made it out of the building, having cleared the way. It was late, maybe three in the morning, by the looks of it.
We got about four blocks away when we realized they were catching up quickly. "Stay here, i'll double back," i hissed at him.
A low rumble fell from him and i sighed. He was impossible sometimes. I lifted Jake from his back and then pressed him against the wall, hoping to god no one found him.
We went back as quickly as we could, but once we'd dispatched the following monsters, he was gone when we returned. Then i heard sirens, he growled at me again and i nodded, "yeah, your right, okay, he probably got up and left anyways. At least he's safe."
Jacob POV
When i'd woken, i wasn't sure how i had arrived in the back of an alley. I remembered fighting and then passing out in corridor. But i was sure that Erin had escaped the hold of Kerboros.
I stood up, smelling a Broken, the svetocha and loup garou, but the scent was heading in the direction they must've brought me in. I shook my head, and then heard a strange burning sound. I turned, i pushed away from the wall usnteadily, only to see a flaming dog rush me from the down the entrance of the alley. I ran, i wasn't in the condition to fight a hexed animal.
I got back to the Schola Prima as quickly as possible, rushing in and through the doors, practically knocking people over as i rushed to find the only other living svetocha. She was in training with Graves when i entered the gym. They broke apart, and Dru rushed towards me.
"How have you been freed?" she asked in shock.
"There's a girl, svetocha, she's been imprisoned, i dont know how long. But she freed me, and i know she got out, but i couldn't track her."
"You lost her?" Graves asked in disbelief.
"She got out, but i was surrounded and i lost consciousness, she must've returned for me. She has a broken with her, that's why the other one is here! He's been trying to take you to her, he knows you can help her," i said in rush.
"Like Ash?" she asked, "how can you be sure he isn't just a Broken?"
"Because they were imprisoned together, there like family she said, she has another one with her, Kale. They were going to kill him and she just went ballistic."
They shared looks, "send Christophe, he can find anyone," she said slowly.
Erin POV
I woke up to Kale purring in my face. I stared at him, blinking as he continued to sleep soundly. I was surprised we'd slept so long, i could see total darkness outside. Once we'd gotten three states, driving for days on end, we'd finally stopped. Well i drove, he stayed in the backseat as a hulking ball of black fur.
When we'd gotten the room, i'd crawled into the bed and he'd jumped on right after me, laying right next to me. I noted how he'd laid between me and the doo and window, shielding me in case of an attack and all i could do was smile and sleep.
"Kale," i breathed, suddenly smiling brilliantly. His eyes shot open and he blinked at me curiously. "I missed you brother."
He made a whining sound, and then nudged me and licked my cheek. I felt my eyes water and my arms shot around him, holding him to me. "God, how i've missed you. Were free, were free. Everything is going to be okay."
He made a happy rumbling sound and we stayed like that for a few minutes. "We should ditch the car, we can pick up a cache from that old house we had in Los Angelos."
He made a sound of agreement and i nodded. "Do you have any idea where our brother is?" i asked curiously.
He made a whining sound, "do you think he's with the svetocha?"
He tilted his head, "i dont think we should go there."
He looked down at me now, unhappy. "if he's there and they know he's Broken, why have they not released him?"
He whimpered a little and i nodded. "We'll pick up the cache and then go from there, but it's okay we'll but him out in no time, saving each other is what were best at."
