Blood Secrets

Bloodshed In The Border

For a millennium, Sebastian had always been the one to fix his siblings' messes. He hated it at first but his family was very attractive and attracted to trouble that they didn't have any problem making one. He always finds a way to fix everything even if he had to kill to protect his family.

Ngunit alam niyang iba ang sitwasyon ngayon. He will be up against his siblings--one of the few he swore to protect. A century ago, it wouldn't have been a problem. It was easy to handle because Grey and August are scared of Lorcan but it doesn't seem to be the case now.

He stood in the middle of the road. The vampires who had been watching there were gone as he sent them away. They wouldn't be able to handle Grey and August. Not in this state.

Alam niya ang kasalukuyang panganib na maaari nilang harapin. Grey and August are not like they were before. They were deprived of blood for a hundred years and their hunger just worsened. He is not sure how bad but he is certain enough it's going to be way worse than the Montenegro m******e.

He looked far ahead as he fixed the cuff of his coat. The air had turned bitter and as seconds passed, he could smell the sweet smell of blood. He instantly knew who's coming. He didn't bother to look behind him.

Easy footsteps echoed across the road. As a vampire with impeccable hearing, he could hear it like a whisper right into his ears. He knows them too well even though they hadn't spent much time with each other.

"How many did you kill before you got here?" tanong niya at saka siya humarap sa dalawang kapatid. And true enough, their mouths were red with blood. It dripped from their mouths, down their chin, and down to their clothes. They didn't even bother to wipe it off. Sebastian stuffed his hand into his coat to get two handkerchiefs. He knew they were coming here so he brought two.

He tossed it in their direction and the twins caught it. Grey was smirking as he slowly wiped his mouth using the handkerchief he gave.

"Just two. One for me and for August."

Sebastian tilted his head slightly as his eyes went from their blood-stained clothes and down to their blood soaked hands. Grey looked pleased. Sa kasalukuyan, what Sebastian wants to do is to stop this madness ngunit alam niyang hindi magiging madali iyon. If there is one thing Grey and August are best at, it's holding grudges. They just don't hold their grudges. They coddle it. Kaya naman hindi na siya nagtaka na nangyari ito.

"If you're curious, we didn't rip those human's hearts. Right, Augie?" said Grey at naningkit ang mga mata niya sa sinabi nito.

"We ripped the hearts of those vampires you sent to stop us," August continued.

Sebastian looked at his brothers. There was an easy calm in them that he wasn't able to see before. Was this because they have been sleeping under a Renegade's magic? Or has deprivation really changed them? Either way, both are not good news.

"Where are you going now?" tanong niya sa dalawa. He stuffed his hands inside his pockets as he faced them fully.

"I think you already know why we're here, Sebastian," saad ni Grey.

"You're here to kill me, is that right?"

Grey's answering smile was wicked.

"If you're gone, this family will not function as it had before. You're the one who anchors it. You're the one who anchors Lorcan and Eleanor--"

"And you do realize that without that anchor you're talking about, it's going to send Lorcan to the edge and you also know too well how he's capable of destroying this world if it means finding the two of you."

"Lorcan being on the edge is his weakest state, Sebastian," said August. "As soon as you're gone, he will be lost. This family will crumble."

"I am certain you realize that pushing Lorcan to the edge is not something I would advise you to do. Lorcan may be pushed off the edge but that doesn't mean it's going to stop him from hunting you even to the edge of the world."

He saw the hesitation in their eyes but it seemed that their determination to stop Lorcan from going after them was way stronger.

"Your fear drove you to do this. He has established this fear for centuries and it had been what protected this family. You are his family. There is no need to fear Lorcan."

"His family only involved you and Eleanor. He never treated us as part of the family. When we were kids, it has always been the three of you." Grey scoffed. "Somehow the table only fits you and there were always no extra seats. So don't you dare lecture me on being family because you never treated us as one."

"That is not true, Grey—"

"He would have never daggered us in the first place. He should have never left us desiccating for a century." August looked at him with an unknown hatred.

"He did that to all of us, Grey."

"And I still don't understand how you remain by his side, Sebastian. After all that he did. He has failed and disappointed you in many ways he knows and yet you're still here, defending his honor."

"Lorcan is family. He is my brother. He is your brother. We have been together ever since our parents left us. Ever since we were cursed. We went through all of that together and we shall remain together, so please..." Sebastian took a deep breath before he continued, "...stop this madness."

Tahimik si Grey at August habang nakatingin sa kanya. Sebastian is good at reading people but he couldn't read the look on their faces.

Sebastian has lived all his life so far staying with Lorcan, being his anchor when he is so close to the edge of destroying this world. And if he has to do the same to Grey and August, he will not hesitate to do it.

"You have to control your urges. Blood is bad for you and this has been the curse all along. The curse is not just about us turning into vampires. It's about you not able to drink blood as much because it will turn you into a monster you never wanted. And it is a curse for the rest of us because we will have to witness how this is consuming us. The witch has cursed this family and if you don't learn to control your urges, she is going to win."

"That witch was already winning even if we try, Sebastian. She will always win. Especially that you let her only descendant live."

He knows who they were talking about. And he knows what they want to happen. Ngunit hindi niya hahayaang mangyari iyon. Not because she cares for Nadia the way Lorcan does. If Nadia dies, it would mean that the magic of the dark witch inside her dies too. If the magic is gone, their vampirism will be cured and all the vampires in the world are going to become humans again. But a hundred-year-old vampire that will be turned into a human is not going to work well. Age will eventually catch up and would kill the man in a matter of days.

Grey and August plan on dying.

"I can't let you do what you wanted to do," he said. His voice was still the same. He never really needed to raise his voice to inflict his authority and right now, it isn't working with his brothers. "This is not what you want, Grey, August."

"You don't know what we want, Sebastian, because you've never been in our shoes," said August. "You have never experienced immense hunger. You have never experienced fighting with yourself not to drink the blood. You and our other siblings may think we loved being vampires and that we worshipped it, but you're wrong." August looked at him and he could almost taste his wrath.

"You have no idea how we hated being like this. How we hated drinking blood and hating ourselves as we liked it. Sinasabi mong kontrolin namin ang mga sarili namin? We did. You have no idea how many times we did and how hard it was for us to control ourselves and fail every time. But of course, you wouldn't have any idea. Because all of you think that we relished being a vampire. Between us, I think you liked being a vampire more, Sebastian. It's the reason why you are planning on stopping us."

"If you want to die, then I would give death to you," he said. Nakita niyang bahagyang nagulat si August sa sinabi niya but it was just a fleeting moment. It was gone as soon as it came. He doesn't know what's going to happen next but he doesn't want it to end in bloodshed. But seeing his brothers, he knew his wish is going to be impossible.

Before he could utter another word to try and convince his brothers, they both disappeared in front of him.

***

Lorcan was driving his car. Even with his vampire speed, he wouldn't be able to arrive on time. The border is almost an hour away and Sebastian is alone with the twins.

When it comes to Sebastian, he is not going to best Grey and August. He won't be able to hurt his brothers.

It was Sebastian's nature. Family always comes first to him and if thinks he could convince Grey and August, he will try his best to stretch out his patience. Violence is the last thing he would ever do.

He wasn't worried about Sebastian. He's worried that if Sebastians is loose enough, the twins will be away from their grasps once again. Kailangan na niyang makuha ang mga ito at ibalik sa Whitburry kung saan sila nararapat. This time, he is not going to wake them up. They will desiccate forever for all he cares.

He took a sharp turn and a few meters ahead he could see three figures standing. He knew instantly who they were.

Grey and August stood in front of Sebastian. The next moment, they were at arm's length from Sebastian. Grey's hand wrapped around Sebastian's neck and August held both of Sebastian's arms. The latter did not even bother to get away. His car wasn't fast enough somehow so he ditched it. Just when he was about to run, he stood a few feet from them as he watched what Sebastian did next.

Everything happened so fast. Not that it was unexpected but Sebastian truly moved with deadly speed that Grey and August were not able to react as fast. In an instant, Sebastian's hands were buried straight to Grey and August's hearts. Nanatili doon ang kamay ng lalaki and Lorcan, being someone who has squeezed someone's heart several times, knew what Sebastian was doing.

He was probably squeezing their hearts just enough to imply that he is not playing around and that if left with no other choice, he will tear their hearts out.

"If you aren't my siblings, I would have ripped you off your hearts," Sebastian said.

"What's stopping you, Sebastian? That's where you're good at, right? Discarding us?" August said.

"Sebastian is accomplished in many things but abandoning his family isn't one of them," he finally said habang naglalakad siya papalapit sa gawi ng kanyang mga kapatid.

"Sebastian will not let you experience the same thing you have inflicted on those people you murdered many years ago," patuloy niya.

"Kill us," said Grey. Although his words were almost a whisper, he heard them clearly. At that moment, he wanted to be the one squeezing his brothers' hearts.

"Kill us and get rid of this curse we have on us," August seconded. "We would have been happier if you do that. Kill us and you wouldn't have to mind us ever again."

He gritted his teeth and Sebastian was looking at him. His eyes were inscrutable and he doesn't know what his brother his trying to tell him but he couldn't give a damn about it. With one swift movement, he took August away from Sebastian's hold. The sound of blood and flesh squelching was too painful to hear but he couldn't care less. Nakikita niyang naghilom ang sugat ng kapatid but he took a dagger and buried it deep into his gut. Grey's eyes widened at the pain. He twisted the dagger and Grey gasped.

"Lorcan--"

Hindi na niya hinintay na makapagsalita pa si Sebastian. He leaned in until he was face to face with Grey.

"You wish to die?" he asked. "You wish to leave this world and be where? Somewhere peaceful and unbothered?" Nagpakawala siya ng mahinang tawa.

"You can't die that easily, brothers. You will have to go through me. And then Sebastian and then Eleanor. See, the thing is, I am selfish." He gritted each word as he continued. "I will not give you the happiness you seek. If it is death you want to find, you will not find it here or anywhere in this world for that matter. I will hinder you to whatever it is you wish to have because I can and I will. So quit rambling about death and dying. I could easily give it to you but where's the fun in that?"

Binitiwan niya ang kapatid at napaatras naman ito. Sebastian took his hand away from August's chest. And just when August's wound started to heal, Sebastian and Lorcan were quick to move behind Grey and August before they snapped their necks.