Damien sat in stunned silence, gripping the phone tighter than he realized. Harlan Stonehart. It had been years since they last spoke. He remained quiet, still processing the sudden call when Harlan's voice shattered the silence.
"Not going to say anything?" Harlan's tone was almost mocking.
Damien blinked, his voice stumbling over the words as he tried to respond. "Harlan… how are you?"
"I'm not calling for pleasantries or chit chat," Harlan cut him off coldly. "There's a problem."
Damien swallowed the sting from Harlan's words and asked, "What problem?"
"Kai."
"What about Kai?"
Harlan's next words came quickly. "He's got a boy's aunt in custody."
Damien frowned, he was confused. "What? That's not true. We vowed—Kai vowed—we'd stick to blood bags ever since our father died. There's no way he would have a human in custody."
Harlan's laugh was humorless. "Lizzie's a witch, and she and her nephew were at the estate because an orb led them there."
Damien's heart dropped as his mind flashed to the memory of Kai entering the mansion days ago with an orb in his hand. He had thought nothing of it at the time, but now… He shook his head with disappointment.
"How'd you know it's even Kai?" Damien asked.
"You really think Kai would ever keep to a vow? Fuck, the kid didn't even have to tell me it was Kai, but I know what Kai is capable of. He's the most unhinged out of the Crimson brothers."
Damien went silent for a moment.
"You have too much faith in your brother. Start expecting nothing from Kai. Expect disappointment, Damien—so you won't get disappointed."
Damien's jaw clenched. "Is that all?"
Harlan's next response came in the form of a threat. "If Kai doesn't return Lizzie in 24 hours, I'll spread this news to every known supernatural, every witch, the hunters even Agatha; and you know what that means."
Damien's breath hitched. "Harlan, hold up. That's too much. You can't—"
Harlan's voice turned cold. "Too much? No, Damien. What's too much is that I'm even giving you this chance. I could've gone straight to Agatha, but I didn't. You've had your time to play family with your psychotic brother. But that time's up. If she's not returned, I will burn you both to the ground. I'll expose Kai for the monster he is, and I'll make sure the world watches him burn. And when I do… I'll smile."
Damien felt his heart race, but before he could form a reply, Harlan's voice softened slightly, almost as if mocking him. "Good to hear from you again, Damien."
The line went dead before Damien could respond. He stared at the phone. What the fuck had his brother done?
Harlan's words bothered Damien. How could Kai break the vow they all solemnly promised to keep. Damien couldn't confront his brother just yet. So he decided to do some investigation first.
Damien's mind raced as he stood in front of Kai's bedroom door. He needed proof. Although Servon's Eye was proof enough, Damien didn't want to make anything of it just yet. He had to know for sure.
Silently, he entered Kai's room, glancing around as he carefully checked the drawers, then the wardrobe. Nothing. He moved to a door at the far end of the room, his hand was just about to twist the knob when Kai's voice startled him.
"Looking for something?"
Damien had his hands on his chest, turning to see Kai standing by the doorway, dripping with wet hair and a towel wrapped around his waist and another around his neck. Damien collected himself, clearing his throat, but the look on his face was pure disdain.
"Where is she?" Damien asked with a lowered tone.
Kai furrowed his brow, he was clueless. "What are you talking about?"
Damien stepped closer. "Where is she, Kai?" This time, his voice was colder.
Kai held his gaze for a moment. "I don't know what the fuck you're on about."
Without warning, Damien slammed Kai against the wall, pinning his arm to Kai's throat. "Don't lie to me," Damien growled. "I want the truth. Where is the lady you took captive."
Kai gasped, he now understood what his brother was talking about. "I… can't… breathe."
Damien's eyes gleamed with rage. "As soon as I let you go, you'd better tell me everything."
Kai let out a heavy breath as Damien finally released him. Rubbing his neck, Kai's eyes went dark. "Fine. You want the truth? I just hope you can handle it."
"Where. Is. She?" Damien asked again.
Kai smirked. "Which woman are you looking for?"
Damien's face twisted in disgust. "Which? So, what? You've got more than one?"
"Not per se…" Kai replied, his smirk faded as he avoided Damien's gaze.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, KAI!!!" Damien's voice thundered through the room. "Where is the boy's aunt, Kai?"
Kai winced slightly at the question. Damien's voice dropped low, almost a whisper. "Kai… where is she?"
Kai hesitated, his eyes flickered with something that looked like guilt before he muttered, "She's dead."
Damien's rage exploded in an instant. Without thinking, he threw a hard punch into Kai's face, the punch sent Kai staggering back. Blood spurted from Kai's nose, dripping down his chin.
Damien stood there for a moment, breathing heavily before storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Kai groaned, touching his nose gingerly. He felt the blood staining his fingers. "Fuck," he muttered.
Meanwhile, Zephyr lay beside Anya on her bed, his expression went soft as he glanced over at her. She looked so sad, and her eyes were distant. He shifted closer, hoping she would open up to him. "Anya," he murmured gently, "talk to me. What's wrong?"
Anya hesitated at first but then moved toward him, resting her head on his chest. Zephyr smiled slightly, wrapping his arm around her and caressing her arm softly. "You can tell me anything," he whispered, trying to coax her into speaking.
She stayed silent for a moment longer before finally saying, "It's Kai… He's the devil himself."
Zephyr's brow furrowed as he looked down at her. "What do you mean?"
Anya sighed. "When I couldn't control him… when I failed… he said awful things. He told me that maybe that's why my parents left me at Abernathy's, because I was useless." She paused, then her voice cracked slightly. "It hurt. It hurt a lot."
Zephyr's eyes shut closed for a second, he was disappointed. "Kai said that?" His voice was quiet, but the anger was there. "How could he…" He sighed deeply, then said, "I'm so sorry, Anya. That's—"
"Stop it," she cut him off, looking up at him. "You don't need to apologize for him. He needs to face the consequences of his actions. You can't keep covering for him, Zephyr."
Zephyr frowned as his hand gently stroked her hair. "I know. But… he's my brother. That's all I can do, in hopes that one day he'll change."
Anya looked at him with her eyes filled with frustration and sadness. But as she stared at him, something softened between them, and slowly, they began to close the distance between their faces. Just as they were about to kiss, a loud yelling came from down the hall.
They both froze.
"What was that?" Anya aske with her brows furrowed.
Zephyr sighed, shaking his head. "That came from Kai's room," he said, sitting up. "We should check it out."
Anya groaned softly. "I really don't care what's going on with him…"
"I know," Zephyr said with a small smile, "but let's just go see."
Reluctantly, Anya agreed, and they left her bedroom, heading down the hallway. As they approached, they saw Damien storming out of Kai's room with his face painted in anger.
"Damien?" Zephyr called out with his voice filled with concern. "What happened?"
Damien stopped and turned towards them. He was infuriated. "Kai," he said, "he's fucked us up once again."