Shadows (Book Two of the Royals Trilogy)

Chapter Eight

ETHAN

Growls and hisses, those were the things I kept on hearing as the beast inside tried to break free. I covered my ears with my hands in vain, there was no use, the sounds kept echoing in my head and a darkness in my mind blurred my thoughts. The chains around me rattled against the concrete floor as I moved, the sound was cold and unwelcoming, but it was a sound I was soon getting used to.

I had recently decided to aisle myself from the others, the last time I had lost control, Benjamin almost payed the price. I didn't want to hurt him, or any of them and that is why I had decided to move to the dungeon of the building. There it was cold and dark, but I always had a light on to see, even if it was just a bit.

I spent most of my time trying to keep my head occupied, writing about my transitional experience, or the trials that my brothers put me through, I even wrote letters to Ana. I knew she would never read them, but it gave me some comfort to know she was safe and that maybe Emma could deliver those letters one day, much after I was gone. Ana, my sweetest Ana, it was getting harder to remember her with each day that passed, she was the last thing pulling my humanity back and I was forgetting her as the monster inside of me suppressed her memory from my thoughts.

Suddenly I heard whispers coming from the entrance of the dungeon. Devion and Benjamin had left the door open and I could her that they were discussing something urgently and thanks to my heightened senses I could hear the conversation. "Devion this is mad, stupid really, there's nothing to discuss. Tell her to bring Ana here," I heard Benjamin whisper loudly.

Ana? My beloved? Why were they involving her in all this, I didn't want her to see me like the monster she feared I was, she had been so fragile and hurt the last time I had seen her.

"Ben, it's a bad idea, she's one of them now," Devion spat back, it almost sounded like a growl. He was angry, but I couldn't figure out why. "I won't put us all in danger."

"You already are, brother," was the last thing I heard Benjamin whisper before his footsteps began to sound more distant. Devion sighed and walked into the dungeon.

He saw me staring at him, but he didn't say anything before sitting down in front of the cell. "How much did you hear?"

I shrugged, my focus was on the bag of blood Devion had brought with him. It disgusted me, I had never craved blood like that before. My brother realized what I was looking at and he threw the bag at me. Faster than light, I grabbed the bag and drained all of its contents. I looked back at Devion, he had a shocked look on his face.

I cleared my throat and wiped my mouth with a piece of cloth my brothers had once given me for my fevers. "I heard something about Ana and that you said she was one of them," I said calmly but in reality, I was anxious for answers.

Devion eyed me as he hesitated and debated on whether or not it would be prudent to tell me the truth. "Well Ethan, I don't know how to say this. You're probably going to blame me for this and I understand," he stopped talking and I nodded for him to go on. "It turns out your beloved is now a Huntress working on a case to find us."

"What? Are you sure?" I asked incredulously, and my eyes widened, Ana a Huntress? I couldn't believe it, I had always seen her as a delicate flower but then again, some flowers have thorns. Devion nodded and all I wanted to do was grab him and hurt him, I wanted to blame him. But I couldn't, not fully, he didn't have all the blame. I hadn't wanted to bring Ana into my world, not like this at least, but Devion had pushed me and in consequence I had pushed my beloved into doing a reckless thing like joining the Hunters. She didn't understand what she was getting into.

"That's why I am going to have her killed," I heard Devion say and the words took me out of my thoughts and I turned to look at the monster I had once considered a friend, a brother.

I stood up and pressed myself to the door of the cell. "You will do no such thing," I growled threateningly. "Who is your informant?"

Devion glared at me and threw salt to the bars. I hissed in pain as the salt burnt through my skin and I let go of the door. "I will do what I have to do Ethan! I am your superior and you will not question my decisions. Dalia has made it very clear that Anastasia Drew is a threat."

"Dalia?" I asked as I looked at him. "Why does that name sound familiar?" I could feel the memory of that name in my mind, but I couldn’t wrap my head around why. She sounded important.

Devion kept a blank face and didn't say anything. Instead, he made his way to the door and left without looking back. I was left alone in the darkness once again. I sat on the cold, dirty floor and took out a picture of Ana her sister had given me. I couldn't picture her as a Huntress.

I don't know how much time passed but then I heard footsteps approaching. I turned to look at the door and expected Devion to be the one to step through, instead, I saw Benjamin and Emma. "How are you feeling today, brother-in-law?" asked Emma with a teasing tone. She had begun to call me that after I had told her Ana was my beloved.

"Not great, Emma but I'm hanging in there," I said with a soft chuckle that was then replaced by a frown as a creeping feeling loomed over me.

"Well, you look horrible," said Ben as he took out a syringe from the box he had been carrying along with a bottle with green liquid inside. I sighed and extended my arm, so he could work on injecting the solution. There was a silence as Ben worked and inserted the needle into my skin. "There," he said as he wiped my wrist. I nodded and sighed, defeated.

"There's still time, Ethan, just try to hold on a bit longer," said Emma softly. I shook my head and turned to look at my beloved's sister.

"I think there's less time than we originally thought," I said sounding defeated. The serum my brother had made helped me hold on a little bit longer to my humanity, it numbed the beast and even though it burned inside of me, it was worth it. The effect of the solution had begun to fade faster with each day and Emma and Ben were in a deep end, it was only a matter of time before the serum didn’t work and I would lose myself.

"Yeah well, Emma and I were thinking about bringing Ana, or some of Ana's belongings to give us more time," suggested Ben as he passed a hand through his short hair.

I shook my head making me feel drowsy because of the serum. I was now sweating and feeling faint but at least the dark voice inside my head was gone. "No, I don't want her involved in all of this, I already hurt her enough as it is." Emma rolled her eyes at me and frowned.

"She could help you, us, find a cure and maybe you use that as an opportunity to get to know each other," said Emma nervously and with a hopeful look in her eyes. But I wasn't going to negotiate on the matter. I had already hurt Ana enough as it was and besides, she was now a Huntress, her mission was to kill us and for some reason I was guessing Emma didn't know about that.

"Does she know?" I asked turning to look at Ben who was now shifting his weight uncomfortably. He only shook his head and Emma looked at both of us with a confused expression.

"Do I know what?" she asked cautiously, and I saw as her body began to tense.

“My brothers have been keeping something from you, dear sister-in-law,” I said under my breath and she crossed her arms in front of her as she looked at us expectantly.