Loyalty by Naomi M-B (books to read for 13 year olds TXT) 📕

pretty much given up on the idea. It was too late. For the most part now, he just tried to not think about Cassius. It was hard. After Kyan’s curse circle had taken effect, Isaac had fallen into a nightmarish coma that lasted about two weeks. Cassius would be returning any day now.

As the nurse fussed, the tension abated and Farah slumped back in his chair. “You should really lighten up,” Lucinda told him.

“I don’t wanna hear that from you,” he growled. But there was no venom in his words. She had a point.

“It’s been ten years,” Lucinda pressed. “A decade since you and Kyan-”

“Since me and Kyan what?” he demanded, keeping his voice low. “Since we broke up? Ten years since he got me torn apart by vampires? Or maybe ten years since he turned me into one?”

Used to his outbursts, she just raised an eyebrow at him. “You need to work things out with Kyan. And you need to stop comparing him with every boy you meet.” As Farah spluttered, she turned her attention to the nurse. “How soon can our brother come home?”

“It won’t be too much longer,” the nurse assured her. “The curse’s magic will slowly wear off and his natural healing abilities will begin to kick in again. The doctor’s would like to keep him under observation for a little while longer just in case. However, all things going well, he should be in full health by the end of the month. Of course, it would be quicker if we knew the kind of curse it was.” Her eyes hardened slightly. “But it doesn’t matter in the long run.” After a little more fussing over Isaac, she was gone.

“She knows we’re lying,” Isaac said.

“She also knows that we know she knows,” Lucinda added.

“You still haven’t explained why we have to lie,” he reminded them.

The pair glanced at one another and Farah scowled. “It’s complicated.”

“Oh really?” Isaac scoffed, raising a sceptical eyebrow. “Well you need to uncomplicated it because when my pack comes for me, Cassius is gonna find out what I did and-” Blood draining from his cheeks, he balled his trembling hand. “I need to be at full strength when he does.”

Standing, Lucinda crossed over to the window sill and leaned against it. Her eyes were narrowed in concentration as she worked things through in her head. “If you knew the consequences, why did you risk it? Why did you betray him and warn us?”

“Because-” he broke off, staring down at his lap. “Because… Look, I love my pack and my Alpha. They’re everything to me but… sometimes your loyalty has to be to more than just those close to you. It has to be to every living thing. To be silent, to stay safe in our little hide away, would feel more like treachery than spilling my Alpha’s every secret.”

“The Shades’ experiment is that bad?” Farah asked. Brows furrowing, he gazed at Isaac with fresh eyes. It was easy to just see the argumentative brat that always found a way to irritate him. Ridiculously easy. What was harder to see was the golden streak of true nobility that ran through him. Sure, he didn’t act very noble at times. Underhand tactics weren’t beyond any of them after all. But he had the selflessness to risk his place among those he loved to save the world. After all he and his pack were in no danger or at least they hadn’t been…

“It’s worse,” Isaac said quietly. “Worse than anything I’ve ever seen.”

Lucinda looked at Farah and Farah let out a snarl. “No.”

“You don’t even know what I’m going to say,” she snapped.

“You’re going to say ‘Why don’t you get Kyan in to help?’” he growled. “And my answer is no.”

Annoyed, Isaac jabbed a finger at him. “Look, just get me healed or you’re gonna have to fight a pack of angry werewolves.”

“We’re going to have to fight them anyway,” Farah exclaimed.

“What?” For the second time in less than ten minutes, Isaac was stumped. “No. That’s not how it works. I get healed and then I meet with them when they come. Then I stop them hurting any of-”

“And turn yourself over to Cassius just like that, huh?” Irritated, Farah leaped to his feet to clip Isaac around the ears. “So that you can be… executed or whatever they do to traitors?”

“Yes!” Isaac exclaimed. “That’s exactly what’s going to ha-”

“You seem to be forgetting your place,” Farah cut him off. “You’re our prisoner, remember. And therefore our responsibility. We’re not going to let anything or anyone hurt you, do you understand?”

“Unless they’re Kyan?” Lucinda pressed.

With a growl, Farah glared at her. “Fine! I’ll call him. Dunno if the bastard’ll even pick up.” He continued grumbling to himself as he dug his phone out of his pocket. Slamming it against his ear, he proceeded to glower at the skirting board. “It’s me,” he snapped as Kyan answered.

There was a pause. It was followed by loud beeping indicating Kyan had hung up. Spluttering in outrage, Farah gestured at Lucinda then at the phone. Unimpressed, Lucinda just stared at him.

After five more attempts, Kyan actually spoke. “Stop calling me,” he ordered.

“I need to talk to you,” Farah snarled. “Now stop hanging up and-” Beep beep beep. “I’m gonna rip his throat out.”

Finally, Kyan conceded. “If I listen will you leave me alone?”

“Yes! Now shut up!” With a huff, Farah did his best to ignore Isaac’s poorly suppressed laughter. “Look, your curse was a bit too well done and we need you to remove it.”

Moody silence was followed by a surly, “Why?”

“Because we need you to.” If Isaac knew how to piss Farah off with a word, Kyan knew how to do it without breathing.

“But he can’t run away like this,” Kyan pointed out. “It’s what you asked me to achieve in the first place.”

Farah glanced at Isaac again. “He hasn’t got anywhere to run to,” he said, calmer. “Not anymore.”

“He could be lying.”

“He’s not.”

There was a light laugh. “Always so quick to be enamoured, Farah.”

“I’m not-”

“I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Don’t kill anyone.” This time the beeps sounded resolute. Final.

*

“Is this going to hurt?” Isaac demanded as soon as Kyan walked in.

“No,” Farah assured him. Why he felt the need to, he wasn’t entirely sure.

“Yes,” Kyan said. He was a tall and willowy young man. A light welsh accent added to the serenity of his appearance. “I used a forbidden curse to bind you, they don’t have an exact cure so I’ll have to use another one to remove it.” Sitting beside Isaac, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “You might want something to bite down on.”

Metal never tastes good. But the metal stand for the drip was the closest thing they had that might stand a chance against his teeth. Securing it in his mouth, he nodded. “Now,” Farah whispered.

White hot agony ripped its way through Isaac’s body. Teeth crunching straight through the metal, he screamed. Writhing and twisting, he tried to get away from Kyan. Away from the hands that burned. That slashed. That tore into the very substance of his being. There was nothing else. Nothing but those hands and pain. Sheer, intense pain. It ripped the world away, filling his mind with nothing but-

A warm hand sought his. Latching onto it, he squeezed. So tight the fingers snapped and snapped again. He didn’t care.

Neither did Farah.

Day 26 - Howl

Sunday dinner was always one of the week’s highlights. With seven people in the house now, the rotor meant they each cooked once a week. Competitiveness forced them to always try and outdo the last person. So, by the time they got to Sunday it was usually spectacular.

Tonight, it was Isaac’s turn at a Sunday.

“Isn’t this cheating?” Isaac demanded as Farah chopped the onions with expert speed.

“Do you want me to let you suffer alone?” Farah asked, an eyebrow raised. When Isaac pouted silently, he laughed. “I’m not doubting your cooking abilities… Well actually I guess I am.”

“You’re supposed to be encouraging me,” Isaac snapped, jabbing him in the side.

“Don’t jab me!” Farah exclaimed, poking Isaac in the gut. Yelping, Isaac slammed a hand down on the side to support himself. As his breathing hitched, Farah looked away guiltily. It was easy to forget. Kyan’s second curse may have restored Isaac’s healing but it had also filled his nerves with fire. Every move ached and burned. While he hid it well, any extra pain was a burst of pure agony. “I’m sorry, do you-?”

“I’m fine,” Isaac snapped, swinging himself into a chair. “Just… give me a second.”

Silence.

Farah really hated silences. There’d been too many in his life. Too many long and empty silences filled with unspoken words. Things that should have been said or should have been done. Silence always seemed to bring out the wasted chances. Highlight them. Throw them in his face.

“I heard, by the way,” Isaac told him. “In the hospital. About why you hate Kyan so much.”

“I don’t hate him,” Farah grumbled. “He saved my life by turning me. I just… I just wish he didn’t… I hate that he hates me now. Because I’m a monster. It was his fault in the first place.”

Another silence.

“What happened?”

Placing the knife down, Farah turned and leaned against the sideboard. “It’s not that much of a story, really. Ten years ago we were… together, partners in both work and… other stuff. Anyway, there was a group of rogue Dusk vamps. They’d been able to get hold of this ancient spell, druid I think though it might have been Faerie. It made them resistant to the sun so they went on this massive killing spree. Just Dawn vampires at first but later everything that went near them. We were doing recon, keeping track of them. But we lost them in this maze of alleyways. So... Kyan sent me down to follow them on foot while he co-ordinated from the roof tops.” He paused, glaring at the floor. “I dunno how long it took me to realise but… eventually I saw that I wasn’t following them. They were following me and Kyan knew full well. They’d split up so he was using me as bait to get them together in a big group again for an attack. Turns out there’d been a big plan which I hadn’t been informed of.” Biting his lip, he looked up again. “Needless to say, they tore me apart as soon as I got into the open. Kyan went crazy and unleashed his super powerful soul destroying death magic thing. It’s now bound of course but back then no one knew about it. Then he dragged one of the corpses over to me and squeezed its blood into what was left of my mouth. Now here I am today.”

Apparently unsurprised, Isaac nodded slowly. “Yeah, that’s the same as what he said.”

“Wait, what?” Annoyance flared. “You already knew?”

“Kyan told me,” Isaac explained. “Sort of. After I stopped screaming, we kinda had a telepathic chat thing. It was interesting. He seems to think that you hate him.” He chuckled lightly. “You’re both so similar, it’s funny.”

“You think this is funny?” demanded Farah as his mind whirled. Kyan didn’t hate him? But that was impossible… incredible.