Chapter Twenty Four

A knock on the door woke both Adam and Edynn from their sleep.

Breaking his hold he had on Edynn's hand, Adam rubbed his eyes as he sat up. The male made sure his back was facing the bed so he take his time reaching for his shades. A piece of paper fell from his chest. Still rubbing one of his eyes and unfolding it, Adam noticed Rebekah's signature at the bottom along with her newly adjusted sentencing. The female wrote that he had paid for what he had done and was no longer bound to his sentence. Smirking to himself, the male placed the note aside as he rubbed his eyes one more time.

Adam placed his shades on when the door opened. In the doorway was Ahnger which made perfect timing. After talking to Edynn about his past, Adam figured it would be best to tell the others about what he wanted to tell them six weeks ago. The male knew it was time to tell them what he had been running from and why.

"Ahnger, perfect. I need to talk to Wrath."

"Maybe later. He's calling a meeting and wants everyone present."

Giving his friend a nod and watching him close the door, Adam stood up and stretched his back when he felt like he was being watched. It didn't surprise him when he found Edynn watching him with worry. She must've know what he meant about talking to the kind.

"Tis time."

"Do you still want me there?"

"Nay. I believe I can do it on my own."

Edynn stared at him with her worried gaze for another minute before smiling. His words told her he was now strong enough to tell the Brothers on his own. And it was all thanks to her that he could.

Hesitating at first, the male took Edynn's into his and squeezed. She didn't flinch away. Instead, she squeezed herself as he began to head towards the door. Rebekah walked in as he was about to open the door and the two stood frozen for a while until the female rolled her eyes and bumped past him not in a mean way. Edynn caught Adam smirking as he left the females.

Quickly making his way to the study, it turned out the male was the last to arrive. All of the Brothers were accounted for including Xhex, Payne, Gabrielle, Victoria and Sam. Apparently no one knew of this sudden meeting because there was some not so quiet murmuring buzzing in the air. Adam found Ahnger hanging around the edge of the crowd so he made his way over to his friend when the doors opened and closed.

The murmuring ceased when Rehvenge entered the room.

Adam had met the male once and that had been three months ago. It was during the raid on the lessers where he had met him. He didn't know much about Rehvenge except that the Brothers knew him.

"I got everyone here," spoke Wrath. "Mind telling us why."

Rehv tapped the tip of his cane against the ground. "It turns out we've got an old trouble maker back in the colony," he answered.

Leaning close for Ahnger to hear him, Adam asked, "What colony?"

His friend looked at him like he lost his mind. "Don't tell me you don't know about sympaths?"

"I am afraid to say I do not. What is a sympath?"

Ahnger shook his head in disbelief and kept his voice low so the others wouldn't hear him. "Sympaths are like a race similar to the vampires but considered dangerous. They have this ability to get into their victims minds and make them do anything. Kill themselves if the sympath feels like it. And they're not much to look at. I've only come across a couple during the decades and the sight still scares the crap out of me."

"What do they look like?"

"Well, they have this reptilian appearance to them. They have double knuckles in each finger and forked tongues. Then there's the fact that it's difficult to tell the sex from the males and females since they appear to be the same characteristics. Bastards are immoral and self that they do whatever the hell they want. And what's adds to the creep factor is their eyes. All sympaths have red eyes. I guess the best way to describe them is—"

"They sound more like demons."

"Actually, that just about sums them up. They kind of are like demons."

"And Rehvenge? Is he a sympath?"

"Half. He's half sympath. And he's the king so he keeps them in line."

The male went quiet so they could continue to hear what Rev wanted to talk about.

"A sympath by the name of Rheaper returned to the colony a couple nights ago. No one's seen him in over four hundred years."

"And how is this sympath our problem?"

"Rheaper left the colony and is now somewhere in your city."

Some of the Brothers began murmuring again. As for Ahnger, he was about to say something to Adam only to find the male quiet. His attention was on Rehv who was waiting for the room to quiet for him to continue.

"The sympath had attempted to remove the previous king so he could be king himself but failed. I remember that day because Rheaper swore that he would return one day and complete what he started. That was over four centuries ago and now he's back. Sympaths loyal to him have gathered and the numbers aren't something to joke about. I attempted to confront him when I arrived at the colony but he had already jumped the border with his followers. All I know is that Rheaper's here in Caldwell so I knew it would be best to tell you before you found a bunch of sympaths causing trouble."

"How did he plan to take his vengeance?" asked Adam. Some nodded in agreement to his question.

"From what I've heard, Rheaper told his followers that he had produced an heir who goes by the name Mihsery. He is said to be more powerful than any sympath ever to exist. I don't think he's lying. There's a sympath out there who might be strong enough not only to challenge me but you if Rheaper chooses to. He wouldn't have returned only to bluff."

Wrath leaned back in his throne as he took in the news. None of the Brothers said a thing. The study was quiet. Rehvenge just told them there was some kind of evolved sympath serving the enemy of the king and could possible sic it after Wrath. This threat had to be dealt with fast but carefully or things would go to hell.

Thinking for a while, Wrath stood up as did everyone who was sitting. Taking off his wraparounds and rubbing his eyes, the king blindly looked across the room and placed them back on.

"I want everyone to get ready. We won't be going after sons of bitches tonight because we need to form a plan. Tomorrow night will be the night all of you go on a sympath hunt. Stay close to each other and hunt smart. If those fuckers get in your head that's it. We don't need any Brothers dying on us because some piece of shit is claiming himself to being the rightful king and his so-called heir."

Once the king finished, everyone began heading to the doors. They had their orders. Now it was their turn to formulate a plan so they could take down this Rheaper before things got out of hand. Rehvenge stayed in his spot as did Wrath. The two kings must've had more things to discuss about this situation.

Ahnger looked at Adam who was now staring at the floor. The male couldn't tell what was bothering his friend. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't know much about the vampire society considering he was half human and had been raised in a human world. One could only assume he would feel out of place amongst his own people because of his lack of knowledge. Figuring that was the case, Ahnger clasped Adam on the shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry, man. We'll figure this out like always."

"Aye."

Then Ahnger remembered his friend wanted to talk to Wrath. When he was about to ask him, Adam just shook his head and shouldered Ahnger's hand off. "He is busy. I can wait until he is available."

"Sure thing. He might have some time later tonight. You going to be with us?"

"Nay. I shall be with Edynn. You may find me there when the king is ready to speak."

This time Adam gave his friend a pat on the shoulder as he left the study. The male didn't once look up from the floor as he made his way through the door and down the tunnels. It was when he stood in front of the infirmary did he raise his head and took a deep breath to steady himself. He then pushed open the doors to find Edynn and Rebekah talking about something before they stopped to look over at him.

"So what's going on?" Rebekah asked.

"Tis seems there is trouble with a sympath."

Both of the females looked at each other with wide eyes. Before they could worry further, Adam assured them the Brotherhood was taking care of the problem so they wouldn't have to worry. Rebekah shook her head and said how much bull he was. The female then claimed she would get her own source of information as she stormed out of the room. Adam and Edynn didn't miss on who she was referring to. They both knew Rebekah would hunt down Sam to get her answers.

Taking his seat next to Edynn's bed, Adam rubbed his hands against his pants and would've continued if he hadn't stopped when Edynn reached out. The warmth of her fingertips on top of his skin was so welcoming. Her touch almost made the male's worries go away.

"Something's troubling you."

"Just a bit out of my depth on this one," he admitted. "I have not seen a sympath so I was a bit confused during the meeting. Tis thanks to Ahnger who helped me understand. Now I just hope I will be helpful on this hunt."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. Besides, you have the Brotherhood with you. They'll be there if you ever need help. Did you get to talk to Wrath?"

"Nay. He was busy speaking to Rehvenge over the matter. I will more likely catch him later tonight."

Adam rotated his hand around and wrapped Edynn's hand in his. Feeling how he hand fit in his felt good to the touch. The male rubbed his thumb over her skin as if to remember what it felt like to touch her.

"Adam?"

"Tis nothing." The male rubbed her one more time before standing up. "The Brothers are preparing for tomorrow night. I will be with them so send word if you need me."

Edynn smiled as she gave him a nod. He gave her a kind smile as well when he turned to leave. Stopping in the doorway and looking over his shoulder, Adam was still smiling at her as he walked off.

"Well, I'd say you're doing better than I thought."

Jane had been checking Edynn's leg with Rebekah in the room when she spoke of her improvement. The female didn't mind Jane touching her because she was wearing gloves as she examined her leg. There was a tingle around her ankle but it didn't bother her at all. Jane brought Edynn's leg up to bend and stopped when Edynn stiffened.

"The bone seems to have healed properly and I can't feel any damage. I'd like for you to keep on the splint just to be sure. But from what I'm seeing, you might actually only have to wear it for one more day." Jane lowered Edynn's leg back on the bed and held up her hand. Holding up her hand in the splint, Jane took it off and began massaging the bone. She smiled when the female didn't flinch. "And I think we can take this thing off as well. Your wrist feels fine."

Edynn looked over at her cousin who was grinning over the top of her magazine. She grinned back as Jane began to strap the splint back on her leg. Only one more day and she would be free of the extra weight.

As Jane threw away her gloves, the door opened and Ahnger came in. His eyes scanned the room and looked disappointed like he didn't find what he was looking for. When he stepped inside, the male turned around as if something was behind him. Turning back around to the confused females, he ran his hand through his hair as he did one more search to make sure he wasn't missing anything.

"Have you guys seen Adam?"

The male's question confused Edynn. She looked at her cousin who lowered her magazine. After getting a second opinion from Sam, Rebekah told her that what Adam said was true and that there was a sympath by the name of Rheaper running around. Because she wasn't a Brother, the female couldn't join in on the hunt. Since Rebekah complained about her being benched, her cousin told her that Adam had left not long after her to join the Brothers to make plans.

So why was Ahnger asking about his friend's whereabouts if he was with him?

"Adam told me he would be with you if I needed to find him. Wrath said he's now got time to talk to him."

"Is he not with you?"

Ahnger's bright eyes darkened and he stopped messing with his hair. "No. He said he would be here. With you."

"He told me he would be with the Brothers preparing for tomorrow night."

"Well, he's not with us. And from the looks of things, he's not with you."

The male didn't bother asking what he was really thinking. Rebekah and Edynn were already thinking of it. Adam told his friend he would be with Edynn while he told her he would be with Ahnger. So if he wasn't with one of the two, where was Adam?

Before Ahnger could ask another question, the door flew open and an exhausted Vishous leaned against the frame with his phone blinking in his hand. The male was panting like he had been sprinting.

"The fire alarms just went off for the cabin."

"What?"

"You're fucking cabin is on fire!"

All of the Brothers materialized right in front of the cabin but backed up as soon as they arrived. The wind was strong which added more fuel to the burning cabin. And it wasn't only the cabin on fire. The greenhouse was burning as well. As everyone backed up, Ahnger scanned the area for any sign of life. Something crunched under his boots. With his hand over his face to protect himself from the heat, the male lifted his foot to see what he stepped on and broke.

It was Adam's shades.

"What the hell is going on?" shouted Nightmahre.

"I don't know," Mehrcy shouted back to his son. "But it's too late to contain this fire. Human authorities are probably sending the fire department as we speak."

"We should—hit the ground!"

Everyone headed Ahnger's warning when two trees fell from the sky.

The males began taking shelter when the wind kicked up from a constant breeze to hurricane winds. As tree fell from above and winds almost lifting everyone off their feet, it long before the sound of voices came from the forest. There were shouts and screams coming from the same location of the wind.

The scent of baby powder was carried by the strong gusts.

Taking out their guns and staying low, the Brothers forgot about the fires and advanced into the forest. They didn't get far when a blast of wind came slicing down their path and blasted the trees up into the dark sky. As the trees came crashing down, there was more screams and shouts. The males must've been close because they could make out the shouts. They jumped when two gun shots went off followed up by a terrifying roar.

"You fucking idiot! Our orders were no bullets!

"But he's—shit!

Whoever was talking was silenced as a blast of wind as tall as the trees came ripping in their direction. Because the blast was so close, the Brothers ducked when lessers came crashing through the trees. They covered their mouths when the bodies were nearly sliced in half from the wind. V, who was closet of the group, hid behind a tree when another body wrapped around the tree and dropped dead in front of him. He looked around the trunk to see the body and shouted a curse that the others looked to see why.

At his feet was the body of a sympath.

More screams came along with powerful gusts of wind which were ripping trees from the earth like nothing. Soon bodies of both lessers and sympaths were flying in every direction that the Brotherhood forgot about shooting and held onto the tree for dear life. Light from the fires grew to where it casted dark shadows through the forest as a sign it had made its way to the outer trees. With a fire growing behind them and a hurricane in front of them, the Brothers were stuck in the middle with nothing to do.

There were less screams and more roars coming from the winds. Ahnger dug his claws into the wood when he felt his body begin to lift up from the ground. It seemed he wasn't the only one to do so because Mehrcy and Sohrrow were using their own claws to stay grounded. The male felt hands grab onto him and he looked over his shoulder to see some of the Brothers were using him as an anchor just like his father and brother.

There were many screams at the same time but they were silenced as one. That was when the wind ceased as well. Blasting one second and stopping altogether the next, there wasn't so much as a breeze. The silence ended when trees began falling like bombs. The males got down to the ground when trees landed all around them. Someone was counting out loud and when they reached fifty-two was when the last tree landed.

Now that the hurricane was over, everyone stood up from their spots only to find out how close they were to the source.

A newly created field was littered with lesser and sympath bodies.

Someone stood in the center of the destruction.

Clutching their bleeding arm, the person's ragged breathing could be heard across the field. The earth and surviving trees were splattered in black and blue. None of the Brothers moved forward but they brought their weapons out again just in case. The person stumbled in their direction and everyone got ready for an attack. They almost dropped their weapons when they saw the person's wild face.

It was Adam.

Clouds drifted over the full moon and covered the male in shadows as he brought his gaze up to look at them. When the light of the moon flooded over the field, the Brothers couldn't believe what they were seeing.

His eyes were red.

Far from the field was a lesser and a sympath. The lesser lowered his binoculars and looked at his companion. The creature was smiling in victory.

"Couldn't your kind just have gotten in his head?"

"No. Turns out he inherited a mental block which prevents any sympath from entering his mind. His mother had it and so did his fucking grandfather."

"You sacrificed many of you followers."

"They were weak. Besides, I wanted to see if that block of his could withstand multiple attacks. Seems it's impenetrable from the show we just received. What about you? You used up many of your lessers."

The lesser grinned. "Guess two minds thinks alike. Those guys were new recruits. I wasn't losing anything when we made this agreement. And I wanted to see if you held up on your end of the bargain. You were right. The Brotherhood came running to his aid. Now all we have to do is get our hands on him and the others will follow. We're going to have to come up with a plan."

"Don't worry. I know how to draw him out. After all, thanks to his killings these last six weeks, he's already mine. You just need to be ready to take out the Brotherhood when they come to his rescue."

As the sympath began to walk off, the lesser called out for him to stop. "If we're going to be partners, the first thing you can do is tell me your name."

The sympath laughed as he said, "Rheaper."

"Mr. R. And I have to ask. How do you know about this sympath?"

Rheaper smirked to himself as he walked into the dark forest. Once the shadow engulfed him was when he spoke.

"Because Mihsery is my son."

"I swear I didn't know."

No one believed Ahnger when he repeated the same sentence over and over. The Brothers had returned with an unconscious Adam in toll and had Jane look at him. Then they hauled Ahnger's ass to the study where Wrath and Rehvenge were waiting for him.

Adam was a sympath. It didn't take one second before everyone began to think of him as Mihsery. The male was clearly Rheaper's son. He must've been spying on the Brotherhood until his father came back to town to claim the sympath throne. Hearing Rehv talk about Rheaper must've been some code for the male to get out and join up later. That had to the explanation of the decent numbers of sympath the Brothers found in the forest. Things probably went out of hand when the lessers showed up, causing Mihsery to kill his kind when he went out of control.

Ahnger was corned with accusation after accusation. Everyone believed he was part of this because he had been with the male for so long. They didn't believe him once when he said he had no clue about Mihsery's identity. There was no way in hell the male could've been so blinded about his friend unless he got something out of it. But Ahnger wouldn't admit it. He just said the same thing to every question.

"I'm telling you the truth!"

"And what would that be?" roared Wrath. "You not knowing you were in company of a sympath or that you could get away with it?"

"I swear to the Scribe Virgin. I had no clue whatsoever that Adam was a sympath!"

"Mihsery," corrected Rehvenge. "His name is Mihsery and the son of Rheaper. The son of the sympath who will most likely come after your king once he's done with me."

"Fuck! How many times do I have to say it? I. Did. Not. Know!"

"I'm getting tired of this. I don't believe you and I don't—"

The doors to the study creaked.

Forgetting about Ahnger, Wrath hollered out for whoever was behind the doors to enter. No one came in at first. Then one of the doors opened and a teary Edynn stepped forward. She must've heard everything by the way how she sniffed and blinked back her tears.

"Is it true?" she asked. "Is Adam really a sympath?"

"It seems so," answered Wrath. He shot a dark gaze at Ahnger, reminding them they weren't done. The male actually lowered his head under his king's gaze.

Edynn looked over at the other Brothers who turned away. She eyed the king and Rehvenge since they wouldn't look away. Their stern looks were all they needed to tell the female. She reached up for a lock of her hair and began messing with it just the way she did so long ago.

"Can someone please esc—"

"He wasn't working for his father."

This time everyone faced Edynn. With her hands still and no longer sniffling, she nodded to her statement. "He wasn't working with his father," she repeated more confidently.

"Edynn, we know you're attached to Adam but it's true. And his name's not Adam. It's Mihsery."

"It's Adam!" she snapped to the king.

Wrath stood but Edynn continued before he could say anything. "Adam was going to talk to you. He was going to tell you about his past. He was going to tell you how he had been running from this great evil of his past for so long and how he feared it would find him one day. I convinced him to tell you when he was afraid to. He was afraid of whatever it was to tell anyone for so long."

"You should stop where you're at," warned Wrath. "You don't know what you're saying."

"Adam told me the day I was taken that I was the first person he spoke to about his past in four hundred years!"

"Four?" Rehv asked.

"Yes. He said no one knew of his secrets for four hundred years." Then it clicked. Edynn dropped her hands as her eyes widened over the realization. "He's been on the run for four centuries. He's been running from his father."

"Now that's speculation," argued Tohr. "How do we know he just didn't make that up?"

A buzzing went off in Vishous's pants. Pulling out his phone, the male looked like he was about to decline the call when he decided to take it. He then placed the call on speaker and everyone heard it was Jane on the other end.

"Now's not the time, Jane."

"I know, I know. But I had to call you before you guys send Adam to the gallows. When I was tending to his arm, I found out it wasn't his wounds that knocked him out. The bullets were flesh wounds. So I ran a blood test and found signs of antipsychotic. He didn't pass out from blood loss. He was sedated. And before anyone says anything, I checked out the lesser guns you brought back and found they were all loaded full of tranquilizers."

"That can't be a coincidence," commented Edynn.

Guns loaded with tranqs and Edynn's strong claim over Adam's innocence, one had to think about the evidence. There had been hurricane winds and trees sailing around not out of randomness but more like fighting something off. One of the Brothers then mentioned in a low voice how they heard one of the lessers said their orders were no bullets. The lessers must've been ordered to used tranqs on Adam for some reason. And there hand been many lessers there along with a good number of sympaths.

The male had told his friends and Edynn he would be with the other so no one could come looking for him. He had lied so that when someone would begin to question his whereabouts, no one would know where to start looking. It was the perfect escape plan. And that was what it was. An escape plan.

"He didn't leave to join Rheaper and the sympaths," Edynn said with strength. "He left because he was going to make a run for it."