Chapter 31

Alex slept soundlessly—lips parted slightly, hair mussed against the pillow, having passed out from sheer exhaustion.

Reid couldn't blame her. He was exhausted himself, but unlike everyone else in the apartment, sleep evaded him.

Caleb had fallen asleep on the couch with Sarah tucked under his arm, as if having her anywhere other than right by his side was too far. Pogue lay sprawled in the chair, eyebrows furrowed even in his sleep.

Reid's gaze moved from Alex's face to her hand that lay inches from Tyler's, like she was reaching for him in her dreams. Reid's stomach clenched in guilt, wondering not for the first time if they would still be together if not for his jealousy and selfishness. And because he just couldn't accept the fact that he didn't get the girl, Tyler lay unconscious as he had been for the last handful of hours. How much longer should they wait to take him to the hospital? It's not like they risked exposing the Covenant secret anymore.

As if in second nature, Reid flexed his hands then balled them into fists at his sides, but Power no longer hummed through his veins, waiting to be summoned.

This is good, he tried to convince himself. This is what they wanted. No more struggling with addiction, no more fear of premature aging… still the sudden lack of Power was alarming. His arms slackened as a hollowness settled in his chest.

Who was he without the power of the Covenant?

Caleb watched as morning dawned, painting the sky shades of pink, orange and purple. He watched as the colors faded into a clear cloudless day. The wind blew mildly, warmer than the previous day, but Caleb found no joy in it.

Tyler had not woken from his strange coma, though he stirred as if he were merely asleep. Guilt tugged at Caleb, at all of them, for not being there for the youngest Son, for not realizing his struggles were more than they seemed.

"He will wake up."

He turned to Sarah as she approached the patio railing and rested her head against his shoulder. She inhaled deeply, letting the breath out in a rush.

Caleb kissed the top of her head, grateful for her optimism while he himself was beginning to lose hope.

A raised voice pulled his attention back into the apartment to see Pogue, eyebrows pulled together, with his phone to his ear.

"Kate," Sarah answered his unspoken question. "She's been calling and texting all night. She knows something is going on but you know Pogue..."

He nodded, feeling pity for both Pogue and Kate. He understood why Pogue didn't want Kate to know anything. Especially after what all happened to Sarah after the Harvest Dance this past Fall. However, his secrecy seemed to do more harm than good. Kate was a smart girl, and after so many times of her questions being brushed off as nonsense, she turned jealous and suspicious. It seemed she trusted him as much as he did her anymore.

With a yell of frustration, Caleb watched Pogue throw his phone onto the couch and ran a hand through his hair. His hazel gaze locked on Caleb before crossing the living room to slide the patio door open.

"I swear to God if she shows up…" Pogue held his hands up, his shoulders raising in a shrug. "I can't handle it."

"One problem at a time." Caleb reached up and squeezed Pogue's shoulder as he stepped back into the apartment, gently tugging Sarah's hand to follow. "Reid, Alex," he called down the hallway.

The blonde Son of Ipswich appeared moments later—dark circles rimmed his bloodshot eyes. Clearly he hadn't slept.

"Where's Alex?" he asked instead of pointing out his friend's need for sleep.

"Sleeping." Reid jerked his head toward the hallway. His tone suggested he wouldn't be the one to wake her… nor would anyone else.

Fair enough. Alex had discovered the truth of the Sons of Ipswich, found Tyler, and learned the history of the Covenant all in one night. The girl was more than deserving of a few hours of uninterrupted rest. To be honest, she took it all impressively well. He wondered if it weren't for Tyler being in the state he was in now, if she would have run screaming in the opposite direction. Though Alex seemed to take everyone at face value, so maybe, like Sarah, she would have believed their family's legend.

"Well, we can catch her up when she wakes." Caleb took a seat on the couch and gestured to the others to sit. Sarah sat next to him, her hand resting on his thigh.

"Catch her up on what exactly?"

Caleb turned his dark gaze to Pogue, who still stood with his arms crossed.

"Our power is gone, and Tyler hasn't woken up." Pogue's lips pressed into a thin line. "What if he doesn't?"

"He will," Reid snapped. His blue eyes narrowed on the long-haired Son. "He has to."

Pogue opened his mouth to reply but Caleb cut them off, saying firmly, "He will."

"It's been half a day, Caleb," Sarah said gently. "Maybe it's time we…try a medical approach? Let the doctor's look at him."

Caleb's brow furrowed as he contemplated. He had thought of just that since the moment they found Tyler, but how would they explain his current state? Even though there wasn't a covenant to hide from the world any longer, there would still be questions. Questions none of them could answer without raising some sort of suspicion. With a deep breath, he decided it was worth the risk.

"Okay," he said, grabbing Sarah's hand in his. "Okay, but we need to tell his parents first." He looked to Pogue and Reid, who shared a quick look before shaking their heads nearly in unison.

"Not it," Pogue huffed.

Reid's crystal eyes found Caleb's dark gaze, his shoulders tensing. Before Caleb could let out a sigh of resignation at being the one to make the call, Reid stepped forward.

"I'll do it. I found him, I'm partly to blame for…for everything. So, I'll do it."

Sarah reached for him, whether to offer support of his decision or to squelch the guilt on his face, Caleb didn't know, but before her fingers grazed his arm, Reid stepped around them, phone in hand. The door leading to the small room Pogue used as his library snapped closed with finality.

Caleb let out a rough breath and pulled his own phone from his pocket to make his own phone call. His mother needed to know what was going on as well. But first he would check in on Tyler, maybe make one last attempt to wake his unconscious brother. He kissed Sarah's cheek then moved down the hall to Pogue's room and pushed the door open.

His heart stalled at the sight before him—Alex sat over the youngest Sons, her hands on his face as Tyler thrashed on the bed. Her teary-eyed gaze snapped to his, still heavy from sleep.

"Help him!"

It was a strange thing, dying.

There was no pain. No drawn-out moment where one wished for death to escape the agony or spike of fear that maybe they wished to live after all.

Tyler had only wished for escape from himself. From the all the hurt he'd caused. Maybe that was why he was able to mutter the words so easily. He wanted his family, his friends, not only free from the cursed life of the Covenant and the power that came from generations before them, but also from him.

Yes, they would mourn him. Yes, they would be angry and hurt but they would be able to live normal lives. To have children and not fear that their lives would be lost to the addiction of power.

Tyler smiled to himself, a strange peace settling over him as he turned, weightless in the hazy dreamscape of blurry shadows of black and gray.

Is this what it was like after death? An empty, dark void where he'd spend eternity? Or was this some sort of in-between where judgement would be determined? He had no time to ponder as the shadows around him began to stir.

He kept quiet, the feeling of peace shifting to anxiety, and as the seconds ticked by a form began to take shape. He sucked in a breath, realizing he wasn't alone.

"Who's there?" His voice echoed and absorbed into the shadows all at once.

Laughter responded, the sound familiar to him now, having heard it hundreds of times in the last few months. The hairs on the back of Tyler's neck stood on end as the figure emerged, pale-skinned and blue-eyed, before him. For the briefest of moments, Tyler thought he stared at himself. Maybe the darker side of himself, or the part of him that had whispered to him so seductively for nearly the last half year. Goosebumps broke across his skin as his vision cleared and focused.

Disbelief flooded him, because before him stood…

"Hello, Brother."

Tyler's heart thudded against his chest. Any feeling of inner peace now gone. Dread filled him.

Had… had his choices sent him to somewhere far worse than what he had left behind?

"Chase…" The name was a breath on his lips. "You're dead."

The laugh that left the fifth Son was hollow, yet the sound had the hairs on Tyler's arms standing on end. And as Chase began to walk, Tyler matched his steps, never taking his eyes off the man before him.

"How?" Tyler asked. How had he ended up here? Wherever here was, Tyler should not be in the same place as him. Chase had killed in his scheming to get more power, to sate his addiction… Tyler hadn't.

"But you could have," Chase said as if reading Tyler's thoughts. His eyebrows pulled together in mock concern. "A head wound can be a dangerous thing…you could have killed Sarah that night at the Dells. Could have killed Reid that night at Nicky's, or Caleb or Pogue each time you erupted in anger."

Chase stopped his circling and fully faced Tyler. "You could have killed them all. Your Power," the word was a sigh on his lips, a yearning, before his voice hardened, "You were so close to self-destruction. All you needed was on more push."

Tyler began to shake his head but deep down knew his anger, his rage had become nearly uncontrollable. Even in his small confrontations with Reid he had felt the spike of adrenaline, to release that anger, to hurt his brother for his selfishness. The need to Use had been almost overwhelming. Addiction had dangled like a string before him, that voice in his head always taunting him, pushing him towards release, towards conflict…

How had he known about those conflicts? Where and when they happened? He spoke as if he were there—

Tyler's heart sputtered in his chest as his gaze snapped back to meet Chase's cold blue eyes. Chase smiled, a picture of cruelty and madness, as he raised a hand slowly and tapped a single finger against his temple as he said, "I've been here all along."

It was like lightening striking. All at once everything clicked into place—the reoccurring dreams, the nightmares of the fifth Son, the voice in his head. The feeling of never being alone…because he hadn't been. Not since the night of Fall Harvest at the Putnam Barn.

Before his eyes, like a movie playing in his mind, he relived that night where nearly six months ago, he had trailed Caleb with the intention of helping him rescue Sarah and handle Chase. But minutes after his arrival, as he slowly approached, the barn exploded in result of Caleb's newly received Power from his father. The blast had sent Tyler careening backwards, and the next thing he knew, he was blinking against the glare of a roaring fire. Putnam Barn was destroyed and the fifth Son was gone. Dead.

Or so they had thought.

But when Tyler had woken to the flames and destruction, there had been a heaviness to him. And that feeling had lingered, and the voice started. Occasionally, infrequently enough that Tyler thought it had been his own madness, slowly giving over to the pull of Power, to addiction.

"Imagine waking without a body. Imagine being attached to an enemy with no escape, brother," Chase spat out, the last word a growl between clenched teeth. "Imagine existing but not really living." The fifth Son motioned to their surroundings then pointed a single finger at Tyler. A smirk spread across his lips. "But your mind became a very interesting thing to behold. To see what you saw, feel how you felt."

Nausea churned Tyler's stomach and found himself speechless, frozen as Chase opened his arms wide. "I got a front row seat to everything."

He paused, either for dramatic effect or to let Tyler stew, but only few moments passed before he continued, "Soon I realized that I could speak to you, influence you in the smallest of ways. But it was enough, after a while. So, I waited, I nudged, I guided you without the slightest suspicion. Even without my Power being my own, I still had a bit of control."

Everything. Chase had seen, heard, and felt everything. The good and the bad.

Though dread filled him, Tyler felt a small amount of relief in knowing his actions weren't solely his own doing.

"What was the end game?" Tyler asked.

Chase's blue eyes flashed with fury and a muscle ticked in his jaw as he ground his teeth together. "For you to succumb to the Power of your beloved Covenant and lose control. To kill your family. Pogue, Reid, Caleb—especially Caleb, sweet Sarah, and even Kate. Hell, I would have settled for you taking the life of your little girlfriend." He laughed again, a single, short sound that held no humor. "I wanted you to suffer..."

His grin turned feral. "But you succeeded my wildest expectations. Wallowing in your self-pity and guilt, driven to depression by the loss of that girl and your best friend. Putting a wall of solid iron between yourself and your brother's, wow!" Chase clapped his hands, the sound gobbled up by the swirling mist around them. "You did most of the work yourself, honestly. My nudging was just enough for you to fall over the edge, for you to sacrifice yourself to the stone. You yourself have delivered my vengeance on a silver platter. Your death will cause them more suffering than the others together. Oh, the guilt they will feel in your loss, unable to save you."

Tyler nearly fell to his knees in anguish. For a handful of blissful minutes, he believed his sacrifice was for the good of the Covenant, to protect his family. Yet, every word that fell from Chase's mouth held true. His death would haunt them forever.

"I…I saved them."

"No," Chase replied. "You didn't."