Chapter 17

Summary: Harry finally hits the point of no return…(and Sean and Nick don't know whether to be worried or to cheer on the destruction).

Notes: Things have slowed down for a bit now…still working on that Newspaper though because the big boss isn't happy. I think it's version 9.0 or something already.

I have to finish it tonight so hopefully, I can finish this update after. Other than that I am sick lol, but I won't be able to stay home without having to go to the doctor so everything is much slower due to my head feeling as if someone used it as a stuffing or cotton holder.

Harry

Harry sighed as he trailed invisibly after Sean. Sean had asked Nick to stay outside the compound with Monroe and Rosalee just in case and Harry had managed to place a bubble version of the Notice-Me-Not spell over the area to ensure that no one came near them.

He kind of regretted voicing his idea as he picked up on the wicked thoughts of the people around them whenever they saw Sean. He knew he wasn't going to leave any of them alive after everything went down but for now he had to curb his bloodlust to ensure that Sean also saw what he saw unless the man already knew and that was why he'd been so nonchalant when he spoke about taking them out?

Harry wasn't sure, but he had to physically push himself to lean against a wall as they entered a meeting room that kind of reminded him of Voldy's old throne room. Sean's half-brother had been chained to the chair like a dog and even Harry started to feel sorry for him as it soon became apparent that the man's mind was completely broken. Though whether the family had caused it or whether the man had done it to himself, Harry didn't know.

He also didn't want to delve into the man's mind to find out. He glanced at Sean and saw how tense he was, so he lightly allowed himself to squeeze the man's shoulder, a move that they had spoken about beforehand to ensure that Sean would know he was still there.

The man immediately relaxed more and he determinedly stepped towards an oldish-looking man, "Your Highness, I have found the Tomb to which the keys led, and I have brought you the treasure from within…"

The king seemed to notice his hesitation and although his eyes were now filled with greed, he nodded as if in thought before he spoke, "You have done well, my son." Harry noted the angry and irritated twitch of the queen's mouth as she entered and heard the address, but the next words caused her to eye Sean with even greater greed than the king's and Harry wanted nothing more than to have the both of them suffer, "Depending on what you may have found in the tomb, I will reward you greatly."

Sean swallowed as if nervous as he removed the red stone from his pocket and revealed it to the king even as he bowed his head, "All I ask is to be accepted as a member of the Royal household."

Both the king and queen could see and feel the power that the stone held and Harry saw them share a look before the queen nodded, but he did not miss the bloodthirsty look that passed over her features as she looked at Sean.

The king spoke once more, drawing Harry's eyes to the way the man subtly indicated for one of the guards to move from the door behind Sean. The man slid away a panel and pressed a few buttons before opening a vault and removing an old scroll and a pouch, which he then placed before the king.

The old man completely ignored Sean as he proceeded to make a mixture in a goblet before dropping the stone into it and Harry stepped closer to find that the scroll held instructions for the elixir of life. Unfortunately for the old man, it was one that was compatible with the corrupted stone and the liquid turned golden as soon as the stone touched it.

The old man drank most of the goblet before the queen unceremoniously wrestled it from his grasp and drank the rest, though Harry found it strange that not one servant raised a brow at the odd behavior.

He tried to read the guards' minds as they stood by the door, but they were blank as if they were mindlessly doing their duty. He also tried the same with the maids and received the same result. His eyes widened as his gaze fell back onto Sean's half-brother and his current state and everything clicked into place.

His stomach protested harshly at the knowledge of how far the Royal family would go to protect their secrets and he sensed that he needed to get Sean out of the mansion as fast as possible.

Sean himself had backed up a few steps as he watched the king and queen with a thinly-masked face of disgust, but he stopped the moment the king turned towards him with a manic glint in his eyes, "My son, you have returned with a great gift and you shall be rewarded for it…"

Harry saw Sean's eyes widen as the old man made a second batch of the elixir and then walked towards him, "I had another son, I know I did, but his name escapes me at the moment. The slave chained to the throne pretended to be him, but he finally broke and admitted he wasn't once the guards were through with him. The royal family needs an heir, even if I am to be king forever. Drink, my son, and join us in our immortality."

Harry saw Sean freeze as if he was thinking about it despite knowing the consequences and then he glanced at where Harry had been before he slowly reached out a hand to the goblet, and Harry felt his world shatter at the thought of betrayal.

Sean

He watched in horror as the king and queen's true colors showed themselves, but he'd known about it from the tales from his mother so he wasn't too surprised, what did surprise him as he glanced around was the emotionless faces of the servants before his gaze jumped to the emotionless-looking face of his half-brother and then back to the king and queen.

The goblet seemed to radiate with power though and he concentrated on his eyes only to have his new powers focus on them and his eyes widened in shock when he realized that the demon of the stone merely fed the evil inside of them.

He knew he needed to get the stone away from them before they turned the entire Wesen community into slaves, but there was only one way to do that and he hoped that Harry understood his intentions as he made a signal with his fingers before the king walked towards him.

The man's words left a bitter taste in his mouth but he forced himself to reach out to the goblet and even go so far as to bring it close to his lips before he tried to glance to the side to signal Harry, only to find the man watching him with an expression of betrayal and anguish on his face as the cloak slid off to reveal his form to the room.

Sean immediately realized that Harry had missed his signal and that he'd messed up as the queen screeched and the king wasn't far off as he demanded Harry's death due to the intrusion. He threw the glass goblet onto the floor and heard the screams of demented demons and tortured souls, but that was nothing compared to how his own soul cried out as he saw someone about to run Harry through with a dagger, so he acted on instinct and intervened by placing his own body in the path of it.

The pain struck, but a glance back made him smile in relief as he realized that Harry was still alright before he closed his eyes and tried to breathe through the pain…something cold flared up around him and he looked up in awe as Harry's visage was taken over by shadows.

A commotion had him glancing to the side and his eyes widened when he saw Nick, Monroe, Rosalee, and even Hank standing frozen in the doorway, not that it helped much as the pain rose to a new level but he gritted his teeth and shakily laid his hand on Harry's shoulder, despite the cold shadows that now surrounded the man.

Harry's gaze snapped to him from where it had been glaring at Sean's relatives, and Sean wondered why he looked resigned, but Sean merely leaned forward to whisper, "Give them hell…", before he started seeing stars and felt someone catch him as his legs gave in.

Nick

Nick didn't know what to expect as Hank suddenly pulled up in a car close to them and rushed towards them, but the device he held up more than covered it as the man mumbled under his breath about always leaving him behind.

Nick didn't have time to question it, as a cold feeling enveloped them and he suddenly had a dire need to see Sean and Harry.

He rushed in and the others didn't even hesitate more than to ensure they were armed before they followed. No one stopped them and the servants they came across looked more like dead dolls than anything more.

They finally made it to the origin of the cold and Nick felt his heart drop as he saw Sean's impaled form coupled with Harry's enraged one. He heard Sean say something, but couldn't make it out as Harry suddenly disappeared and he sprinted forward to catch Sean as he saw his legs buckle.

A part of him wanted to scold Harry for leaving Sean instead of tending to him, but then he saw the sheer number of guards that Harry was fighting against and realized that there hadn't been another way.

Harry looked as if he was possessed by something as he was both swift and deadly while dealing with those that tried to kill him. Immediately after, Nick also noted that two royal-looking people lay convulsing at his feet, but he didn't seem to be bothered in the least.

A shard of light suddenly escaped from the middle of the battle and Nick thought for a moment that it was an attack, but then he saw the warm glow settle over Sean's wound and the light slowly pushed out the dagger before disappearing into the wound.

Nick winced as he thought about the pain Sean must feel, but instead, the man's breathing became less labored and he seemed to relax before he slightly opened his eyes to glance around groggily before he spotted Nick, and then turned to the side as he watched Harry fight.

It seemed almost like a dance until the man they'd grown close to finally lost his patience and a green glow enveloped those closest to him, only to fall down dead at his feet. Nick almost wanted to protest the unnecessary loss of life, but the dead eyes of the staff he saw told him that it couldn't be helped.