This one is a bit short, I guess you can say 29 was part A and this is part B (I don't normally split chapters up like that because it seriously knocks me off balance so humor me please). Happy reading!

Chapter 30

"Hello, baby boy."

Tyler felt the blood run cold inside his veins and he couldn't stop the frightened whimper that emitted from his covered mouth when he recognized the deep voice of the person behind him.

He struggled against Caleb's grip but the older boy merely chuckled and tightened his arms as he dragged the youngest covenant member to the center of the room. Tyler fought the entire way, kicking and wiggling. He managed to land a few kicks into Caleb's leg, making the taller boy swear painfully as he threw the boy onto one of the beds roughly. Tyler let out a grunt and tried to roll over and defend himself with his powers but Caleb's hand slammed down on his throat the instant the Tyler's blue eyes turned black.

"I've already had my ass kicked today, thank you." The older boy growled dangerously as he loomed over him.

As he moved into the lighting Tyler finally got a clear look at Caleb's face, feeling his body freeze when he saw the large scratches across the older boy's face. The fingers that were wrapped around his throat had large stains of dried blood on them and from the way Caleb was slouched over, it was obvious he was seriously injured. The sight turned blurry a moment later and the light in the room where starting to fade out until Caleb loosened his grip enough for air to enter his throat.

Caleb seamed to enjoy watching the younger suffer and leaned over him with a cruel smile. "Aw, come on, baby boy, you can do it. Use your powers."

A chocked gasp emitted from Tyler's mouth as he tried to remove the hand wrapped dangerously tight around his throat but he couldn't pry the steely fingers from his neck no matter how hard he tried.

"What a shame." Caleb pretended to sigh as he reached down and grabbed Tyler's hand.

More struggling came from the younger boy as his hand was pulled upwards but it stopped a moment later when Tyler felt the familiar warmth travel up his arm. He looked at the tips of his fingers, they were glowing red even though he wasn't summoning his healing abilities and when moved his eyes towards Caleb he saw the other boy's eyes were black; Caleb was controlling his powers!

He could only watch as Caleb raised his hand to his scarred face and ran the younger boy's fingertips along the scratches. They faded into his skin almost instantly from Tyler's touch, despite the boy silently willing his powers to halt, but his strength was quickly dropping. After a few seconds, the scars were completely gone from Caleb's face.

When he was finished, the older boy released his grip on Tyler's hand and watched as the limb fell to the bed with a soft thud. The youngest covenant member was beyond exhausted from having all of his energy burned out of him and Caleb removed the hand around his throat.

"Now that's a handy little gift you have there." He mused and leaned over him once again. "Tell me, does it stop the aging?"

He wasn't expecting an answer so it wasn't much a surprise when all he received was a soft moan as Tyler's eyes drifted closed. Chase just smiled and rose to his full height. No doubt the boy would be out cold for a few hours so he might as well make himself comfortable.

After all, with Pogue and Reid both wounded and that old man was too frail to leave his house, he had all time in the world. Plus, Tyler's gift would be well worth the wait.

--

Pogue felt his eyes open and it took a few moments for all of his nerves to catch up with him. The room was spinning around his eyes and a slight burning pain had settled near the side of his head.

When he regained his senses, Pogue forced himself to sit upright. A moan came from his mouth as the spinning inside his head caused his stomach to turn and he rolled his feet to the floor before the sensation could make him vomit. The pain in his head eventually dulled as did the turning in his stomach, and he felt well enough to raise his head.

He was still inside the small bedroom Gorman had placed him in earlier and when he turned his head, he saw the other bed was still occupied by Reid but something else quickly grabbed his attention. The walls and even a few areas of the bed he was sitting on had large black spots burned into its surface.

Pogue frowned and raked his brain for answers but found none. He remembered waking up a few short hours before, feeling sick and light headed but nothing else. Did he pass out again? Confused, he inched to the edge of the bed and gingerly slid off, hoping his legs would support his full weight.

They did, and despite a slight dizziness, Pogue was able to stand upright without feeling weak and, as his head cleared he was able to feel the emotions and presence in the air around him. Relief swelled inside of his chest and he sighed happily. Even though he normally hated his powers, he couldn't deny the fact that he felt empty without them.

Another thought then entered his mind; Chase. He used his powers to feel out the house and dropped his shoulders in relief when he didn't feel Chase in the air anywhere. But he tensed up after a moment and speed from the room.

(The pendent!)

The wooden floors of the colony house groaned and creaked loudly as he dashed down the hall and through the foyer. After using his powers to throw the door open, he jumped down the short stairs and paused when he saw his bike sitting outside the gate, right where he left it. Tyler's Hummer was gone but Pogue didn't let himself be bothered by it as he dashed over towards his bike and dropped to his knees near its side. His hand shook as he raised it near the bike's flank and his fingers started feeling under the bodywork, hoping they'd bump into something small and round.

(Please let it be here.)

His heart leaped when his hand found the long gold chain he hurriedly closed his hand around it and pulled the small gold pendent out from where he hid it. Its surface glittered in the mid-afternoon light as he held it in his hand and after a quick moment – fearing that Chase was still in the area – he tucked it into his pant's pocket and started towards the house.

He made sure he double locked the front door after him, even though he knew that little scrap of metal wasn't going to prevent Chase from entering the house once again, and leaned against the wooden frame for a moment, letting the hard wood support him.

The air around him wasn't spinning anymore but he still felt weak so he used the moment to let himself rest. While he was tempted to crawl back onto the bed and sleep for more then a year he dismissed the thought. The more time he wasted the stronger Chase grew and the more Caleb suffered. The instant he mentioned Caleb's name, memories begin stirring inside of his head and images of himself and the older boy fighting replayed themselves behind his eyes. His stomach lurched when he remembered the bone-curling scream Caleb emitted when Pogue's powers cut into his face and it wasn't long before he felt his throat tighten.

He'd wounded Caleb; he hurt his best friend again. What had Caleb done to deserve the hell he was currently trapped in? Was there even a way to free him? Was there even a way to kill Chase without Caleb dying?

His mind cried out for answers but he couldn't find any. He knew nothing about the ritual thingy Chase was trying to do, The Ritual of Blood – it took a moment for him to even remember the fucking thing's name– or even if the fucking thing even worked.

A thought occurred to him just at that moment. He didn't know anything about the ritual by maybe some of his ancestors did. He rose to his feet and walked through the foyer towards the rear of the house in search of the entrance to lower level of the house where the Book of Damnation and other early records of their history laid.

He caught a glimpse of himself in the cracked mirror Gorman kept near the staircase and slowed to a stop when he glanced at his appearance.

(What the fuck?)

At first, he almost didn't recognize himself; he looked like he'd aged a few years. The skin around his face was tighter and the tips of his hair were a few shades lighter but the sight that bothered him the most was his eyes for they weren't his normal green color, they were an eerie pale blue shade.

The change to his face was more then enough to frighten and enrage him – who the hell had the right to change his appearance but himself – Pogue forced the matter to the back of his mind. He had more important things to do then bitch about his looks. He turned towards the stairs and shuffled down them, ignoring the heavy chill that always seamed to linger inside this dark room. The stairs turned from wood to heavy stone as he treaded downwards.

The candles lit with a quick flash of his eyes, even though he was reluctant to use his powers after the change to his body- and the dark stoned walls echoed with a bronze glow. Pogue lingered at the bottom of the stairs for a moment, letting his eyes slowly run across the room.

The last time he was in this room was the night Caleb told them all about Chase and he hadn't set one foot inside its cold depths since that terrible night. The heavy chill slowly sank into his skin and Pogue shivered slightly and wrapped his arms around his chest tightly as he made his way over towards the dusty bookshelves.

(There has to be some answers here somewhere...)

--

Tyler's eyes rolled under his closed eyelids and opened a short time later. His dorm room soon came into focus around him and, feeling groggy, he tried to raise a hand to his eyes but his arms wouldn't move for some reason.

His eyes sharpened enough for him to realize he was on the floor by his bed and when he raised his head, he saw his hands were lying near his stomach and bound with a thick cord. He shifted his arms and tried to slide his wrists out from the cord's grasp but it was wound too tightly.

"Oh good, you're awake."

Tyler froze when he heard Caleb's voice once again and turned his head in the direction it came from. The older boy was sitting on Reid's bed, his dark eyes watching his every move closely as Tyler struggled to sit up.

"What do you want Chase?"

Caleb eyed him for a long moment before he shrugged lazily. "You'll find out soon enough."

Tyler glared at him as he sat up and leaned against the bed behind him.

"Where's Reid?"

"Not here." Caleb replied somewhat amused. "I wouldn't be too worried about him if I were you though."

The youngest covenant member didn't like that answer much and drew his knees close as the older boy kept staring at him darkly. Caleb watched with amusement and silently slid off the bed and crawled towards him.

"You know, you have a very special gift, Tyler." Caleb purred as he raised a hand to the younger boy's face. "Very special."

Tyler flinched from the contact and tried to wiggle away but he was held in place by the other's grip. "What do you want?"

Caleb's lips curved into a dark smile. "Your powers."

Fear settled heavily inside of Tyler's gut and he hastily moved away from the other boy. Caleb watched him with a grin and got to his feet a moment later. His dark eyes moved about the room and settled on a picture frame on Tyler's desk. Intrigued, he approached the desk and eyed the picture nestled in the silver frame.

"How quaint... you four look so happy together."

Tyler remained quiet and kept his eyes focused on the far wall. It was obvious the boy was frightened, Chase could tell that much without being an empath and he relished being the source of Tyler's fear; it made his chore of getting the boy's powers much easier. Maybe Tyler's share would even be strong enough to silence William once and for all. He was really growing tired of the old man interfering all the time; sometimes controlling Caleb wasn't even worth the trouble of putting up with that annoying old man.

With a smile, Chase set the picture back on the desk and turned his attention back towards the youngest covenant member.

"Now baby-boy, we can do this the easy way...or the hard way."

Tyler didn't look at him for the longest time and when he did turn his head, he didn't say anything. Chase merely shrugged and sighed.

"The hard way it is."