They all sat around the living room while Servon's eye sat in the center of the table as Damien began to explain.
"The orb Kai claimed he just found lying around... it wasn't just lying around."
Zephyr and Anya both turned to look at Kai. He sat with a man spread on the couch, growing visibly bored with their judgmental stares. Kai rolled his eyes and shrugged. "What? I killed a boy's aunt, and I took their orb, big whoop!" There was indifference in his voice, he was over whatever Damien wanted to pull off.
Zephyr was stunned. "You what?" he muttered with disbelief. Anya, on the other hand, wasn't surprised. She sat quietly.
Damien, on the other hand, was furious. "You don't get it, do you?" he said, glaring at his brother. "That kid's aunt... it's not just some random person you killed. How do you think I got this information?"
"Enlighten me." Kai said with feign concern.
Damien hesitated before saying the name. "Harlan Stonehart."
Kai's eyes widened at the mention of the name. "Harlan?" he repeated.
Zephyr shook his head. "No way. It's not possible. Harlan's in the city. What the hell is he doing in Burdly?"
Damien sighed, rubbing a hand across his forehead. "I got a call from Harlan not too long ago. He wants the boy's aunt back, or else Kai's going down... and he made it clear that if Kai goes down, we go down with him."
The room went quiet for a moment before Zephyr swore under his breath. "Fucking hell…"
Kai scoffed. "Fuck Harlan! If he comes for me or either of you, he will meet the same fate as his precious girlfriend. RIP to her."
Damien's face twisted in disgust. "You sick bastard!"
Kai sneered. "Do you really think all this bullshit Harlan is spewing is supposed to scare me? ME?! Harlan should be the one quivering in his boots! Harlan should be afraid of ME! I'm Kai Crimson goddamit!"
Damien was furious. "Have you forgotten our father is dead, Kai? We have no army to protect us, no vampires who will blindly follow us and help keep Harlan or our enemies at bay!"
Kai's eyes were filled with rage as he yelled back, "I don't need our father! As long as we bear the Crimson name, all supernaturals will bend the knee!"
"Enough!" Zephyr shouted.
Zephyr lowered his voice as he continued. "When father was killed, half our kind went along with him, those were the ones who were loyal to us and to father."
"The rest of us are being hunted, killed, or forced into hiding. The few that remain are elated the Crimson brothers are out of the picture, and they'll do anything to keep it that way!"
The room went silent again as Zephyr paced around the room. "That is the unfortunate situation we find ourselves in, as such, this isn't the time to play power games or point fingers. We need to find a solution."
He turned to Damien. "Did Harlan give you a timeframe for when the boy's aunt needs to be returned?"
Damien nodded. "We've got less than 10 hours."
Zephyr inhaled deeply, looking at each of them. "Then let's use that time wisely, and figure this out. We can't waste it fighting."
"No."
Zephyr froze, then he turned back searching for who opposed. It was Anya.
"What?"
"I said no," Anya repeated firmly.
Kai stared at her, confused. "What do you mean, no?"
Anya stood up with her eyes locking onto Kai's with a look of pure disgust. "Kai has to face the consequences of his actions. He killed that boy's aunt. If they want his head, they can have it."
Kai's gaze darkened as he stared back at her. His eyes were filled with disdain, but Anya didn't back down. She looked at Damien next. "Do they have any idea where we live?"
Damien nodded, hesitant. "The boy does. He told Harlan everything. My guess is after our time elapses, we're gonna have company."
"Kai, did you compel this boy to forget everything after you took his aunt?" Zephyr asked.
Kai leaned back, crossing his arms with a defensive scowl on his face. "I did. But I didn't know I was fucking with a witch's nephew, did I? Something magical must've broken the compulsion, or I wouldn't be in this mess."
"That's why I hate sparing lives." He muttered with bitterness.
Damien shook his head, muttering, "This is a disaster...This is worse than a disaster, Kai. You've doomed us all, and for what? Killing that boy's aunt—what did you even gain from it?"
Kai shrugged. "They wouldn't stop snooping around the estate. And besides, she was bleeding from the tear of a rose bush and I was hungry."
Damien clenched his fists. "Hungry? What happened to the blood bags we stocked up in the fucking freezer, huh? What happened to the vow we made two years ago after father died? Do any of our sacrifices even matter to you?"
Kai's expression hardened. "I didn't feed on her."
Zephyr narrowed his eyes. "Then why did you kill her, Kai?"
Kai's tone was flat, almost dismissive. "Like I said, she and her nephew wouldn't stop snooping around the estate."
Kai's tone softened now. "I've never broken our vow. Trust me, brothers."
Damien's distrust in Kai was evident, but Zephyr, who always like the peacekeeper, stepped forward after a brief moment of silence. "I believe him. Kai wouldn't break our vow. Not after everything we've been through."
Anya let out a brief, mocking chuckle. The sound drew everyone's attention. Damien turned toward her. "Why'd you laugh?"
Anya shook her head with a smirk on her lips. "I'm laughing at all of you," she said. Then, she became serious. "Kai lies through his teeth. He's broken your precious vow fifty times. Fifty. And if he fed on that boy's aunt, that makes it fifty-one."
Damien and Zephyr turned to Kai, their faces were filled with shock and disappointment. Kai's face was painted with fury. His fists clenched as he glared at Anya, with rage coursing through his veins. "You promised to keep that between us!" he said through gritted teeth.
Anya didn't flinch. She stared back at him. "I'm just a useless orphan girl, right? Why would I keep your secret?"
Their gazes at each other were both filled with undeniable hatred.
Zephyr asked with a soft tone, "Kai... is this true?"
Damien didn't wait for an answer. He sighed, shaking his head and walking away to sit down.
Kai was seething now. His anger finally exploded, and with vampire speed, he grabbed Anya by the throat, lifting her off the ground. His grip tightened, and her face began to turn red as she struggled for air. Zephyr stepped forward. "Kai, release her. Now!"
Damien added, "Calm down, brother."
Kai ignored them both, his eyes were fixed on Anya as she struggled in his grasp. "You're not our savior, you're a weak, useless orphan girl," he spat with disdain. "All your precious Nyx powers will be gone with just one bite."
"Stop this madness, Kai!" Damien's voice rose with desperation.
Zephyr pleaded, "Think about what you're doing, Kai."
Kai's gaze turned to his brothers. "She's not the Nyx who will save us. There are others, and even if it takes years, we'll find them."
Damien shook his head. "They're fucking rare, Kai. If you kill her now, her dreams—her visions—will be our fate."
Kai's eyes beamed with fury as he sealed thier fate. "Then so be it!"
Just as Kai leaned forward, ready to sink his fangs into her neck, with fear and faith, Anya muttered under her breath, "Dominare."
Kai's body suddenly convulsed. His grip loosened as he dropped her to the ground. She fell to her knees, gasping for air, while Kai continued to convulse, unable to control his own body.
Damien and Zephyr watched in shock. Neither of them had ever seen such power from Anya before. She had just brought Kai to his knees without even touching him.
Damien stepped forward, "Anya… don't."
Anya adjusted herself while trying to catch her breath as she stood up from the floor. "He attacked me. He threatened to take my abilities from me." She said with a ragged breath.
Zephyr took a cautious step towards her, holding his hands up, with his palms outward in a gesture of peace. "Anya, we get it. We understand. But you don't need to do any more than you already have. Look—" he pointed at Kai, who was groaning on the ground, "—he's learned his lesson."
Anya's eyes turned to Kai. "Has he?"
Damien, who was now standing beside Zephyr, swallowed hard. His usual cool demeanor now shifted because of the situation before him. "You've shown us your power, Anya. But please, don't make us watch our brother die. We're not your enemies."
Anya turned to look at Damien. "You're not my enemies? But he is." She nodded down at Kai. "And if I let him live, what's stopping him from coming after me again?"
"We won't stop you," Zephyr said with desperation. "We'll keep him in line, I swear. But killing him... it'll start something you don't want to be a part of."
Damien nodded quickly. "He's our brother, Anya. He's an arrogant, reckless bastard, but he's still our brother. You don't want to have his blood on your hands."
Anya's eyes flickered with doubt for a moment as she considered their words. Something in Zephyr's voice—his genuine plea—made her hesitate. She glanced down at Kai again, who was too weak to move. And immediately, Kai finally stopped convulsing.
She walked over to where Kai lay and he glared up at her with fury and pain in his eyes.
Leaning down slightly, Anya said with a calm voice. "Don't ever underestimate your savior, Kai. I may be an orphan, but I'm the one holding your fate in my hands."
"Remember that before you ever try to attack me again."
Kai said nothing, his eyes still burned with hatred, but there was something else in them too—fear.