Sanctuary

Chapter Twenty Three

Trembling, Onyx reached out and embraced them both, forcing her own tears back. Two of her brothers were missing, but the other two lost their mates. What right did she have to cry when she should be tracking or supporting Jake and Cahya. So, pushing her sobs into a cold, hard rock in her chest, Onyx did her best to comfort the two.

"It's going to be okay. We've almost caught up with them, and then we'll find a way to bring Dae and Raven home." Murmured Onyx, holding the younger vampires shaking forms closer. "No matter what, we're still a family, and we'll pull through like always." Despite her best efforts, a single tear fell from her green eyes, followed by another, and another, until they were all just sitting in Jake's bunk, crying and holding each other.

Nobody needed to pretend to be strong. They were all breaking inside, and bottling it up was tearing them all apart. Out of choice, they were a family, and they'd be damned if any of them were left to suffer. As the sun rose, and the three fell asleep, as was their biology, they made a silent but potent promise to one another. They were going to bring their family back together, no matter what.

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"JAKE! CAHYA! ONYX! RAVEN!"

"Jake!"

Daegel ran. He ran and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. His muscles burned and he could barely breathe. His heart, his very human heart, was beating so fast that Daegel was sure it would explode any moment. Tears of fear and exhaustion rolled down his cheeks.

Where was he? How was he human again? Where was Jake? He needed Jake, he needed his mate. Needed to make sure Jake was safe. Where was the pack? He needed to find Jake.

Finally his legs gave out and he tumbled to the ground. Screaming out as his muscles protested to the sudden stop in movement. Whimpering in pain, Daegel tried to get up as more tears fell from his eyes. He was shaking badly and his feet were numb. "Jakey..." he whimpered.

Footsteps caught his attention and he looked up. He then cried out in terror as his father reached down and dragged him up by the hair. No, no, why was he here? Even though this was his past, Daegel still fought against the man who was supposed to raise him.

Suddenly he was a young man again, the people he used to call friends hurling objects and abuse at him out of reach of the chains he was restrained by. Men who would do unspeakable things to him as 'punishment' before kicking the shit out of him. Young children taught to hate him before they knew his name. Women who would hurl words that could peel paint. It was all confronting him, the past he had spent centuries running from.

A face he knew all too well sauntered up, gripping his long black hair and lifting. "Useless little bitch!" Daegel cried out as he was shaken, still gripped by the hair. "Couldn't even keep a damn vamp happy, could you faggot!? A newly turned one at that!"

Daegel couldn't fight the tears or the terror as the men from his old village abused, sodomised, and beat him while the women jeered. Helplessly, he cried out. Though he struggled and fought he was once more reduced to that broken human, no longer able to fight as he had always prided himself on. Not able to speak as his throat was stripped raw from screaming, Daegel simply begged silently for his brothers and sister, for Jake...

"DAEGEL!"

Daegel's eyes snapped open and he snapped his head around, sweating and aching. His vision cleared and he cowered at the sight of Amos standing above him. Those cold, dead eyes stared straight into him, impassive and cruel.

"Hm. Disappointing. But there is yet progress to be made." Once, he nudged Daegel's prone body with his boot like the injured and emotionally exhausted vampire was a carcass. Then he simply left, locking the door behind him with a click that may as well have been a brick to the chest.