Being that I was the first born, I was granted first access to meeting my newest sibling. Cara and Delaney hated it but it was a tradition that my parents weren't about to change. It's not as if hours would pass, just a few minutes where I would get to say hello without my two sisters complaining that I was taking too long.
As I poked my tongue at them, I earned a scowl from Cara and a wobbling bottom lip from Delaney. That worked on my father but not me, so I ignored the both of them and walked into my parent's bedroom.
My mother was seated on the lounge in their sitting room, the baby in her arms. I didn't even know the gender yet. Secretly I was hoping for a brother, if only to even things up around here. Sitting beside her, I watched with quiet awe as the baby was put into my arms.
"Well big brother, what do you think?"
Another one to annoy me, to borrow my things and not so surprisingly forget to return them, another one to make my hangovers worse.
"Yeah, great."
I looked up at my mother, she restrained her amused smile.
"Emilio."
"Hey, you're a dude." I said to my brother. "About bloody time."
"Brannon." My mother chided.
"Oh look, it's sunny outside." My father said, turning from the view. "Brannon must be happy."
Happiness until I remembered Emily. The view of the sun beating down on the underworld was ripped away, replaced by a storm that was the worst I'd ever seen. My father turned with a look of shock, gazing to the fierce storm that had burst out of nowhere.
"Brannon, I understand that you are struggling with your thoughts on the Emily situation but hell cannot be subjected to such abnormal activity. Please restrain your emotions and settle it down to a mild storm."
There was little control that I had for the weather, it was bound to my mood and the only thing that would alter my mood was knowing what was going on. At least, that's what I thought. Emilio made a noise, my attention was dragged down to him and in an instant the mood was changed. I found a need for this, for myself and for Emily.
"Good grief." My father groaned. "There's flowers in hell."
"At least the rain is gone." My mother offered.
"Flowers, Sarah!" He snapped.
"I know, so sweet of our son to give us a glorious show for the birth of his brother."
He growled, his menacing frown turned to us.
"Hell does not have flowers Brannon."
I shrugged, unable to offer anything else.
"Think I'd prefer the raging storm." He muttered.
Wandering over, he let Cara into the room. She plonked herself between my mother and I, taking Emilio as soon as she was settled.
"He's so cute." She cooed.
I looked up at my mother, she offered a sweet smile that was filled with a lot of sympathy.
"It's going to be okay Bran, no matter what the outcome, you will always be okay."
With a nod I stood, offering a smile that was only for show.
"Just going to go for a walk."
"Don't be long, Nick and Rowan are visiting and you should be here for it."
"Sure." I mumbled, walking out of their room.
Delaney perked up as I walked out.
"Is it my turn yet?"
"Nuh, Cara said she's going to take forever."
She crossed her arms with a scowl, the frown so deep I could barely see her eyes watching me as I passed her.
"Bran, what's the baby like?"
"It has horns."
Her eyes widened as she stared at me.
"And a tail. Kind of like you when you were born, only you had fur."
"I did not!"
"You did, I was there Delaney, I held you like I did with that baby."
Slowly her head tilted to the side, the worried frown pressed hard as she thought about it.
"That was until you sneezed and shot fire out at me. I lost a lot of hair that day, so thanks a lot."
"You're lying Brannon. I can't sneeze fire."
"Maybe you just forgot how to."
Then I turned away, grinning as I listened to Delaney trying to sneeze.
"Ugh, Delaney!" Cara groaned. "Mom, Delaney's got snot everywhere."
I chuckled, turning the corner to wander down the stairs.
As I walked out into the bright sunshine, I took a deep breath in and tried to find a place in my mind that would continue the good mood. Maybe I just needed a little bit more trouble. Stepping down to the front courtyard, I saw Cerberus and the wolf. They were on the grass, growling at each other as they fought playfully.
Blowing a kiss of lust to them, I smiled darkly as the play fight turned into something a whole lot naughtier. Reaching the gate house, I heard a window open at the castle and my father yelling at the two misbehaving creatures to stop fornicating on the front lawn.
"You're a bad boy, Brannon Dremain."
I turned to the soft voice that purred lust, wrapping around me and filling me with need. Chloe was leaning on a tree, looking at me with her own hungry need. She was like nothing I'd seen before. Normally she was dressed in the latest fashion, all of it from the greatest of couture designers. But now, she was something else. Something darker.
Looking like she'd changed her persona, Chloe wore ripped black jeans instead of the mid-thigh skirts she usually wore. Her cleavage was pushed up and barely held in by the tight red brocade corset, topped off with a black leather jacket.
She was sultry, a smoking hot vixen that oozed carnality. I didn't want to seem shallow but this Chloe was far more enticing than the previous.
"I am the son of the devil." I offered with a devious smile.
Chloe grinned, behind the pink gloss lips was two deadly fangs. I'd always wanted to know what it was like to have a vampire bite me, to feed on me but I couldn't have that. My blood was addictive and I didn't want anyone looking at me like I was the only one that could sustain their life.
Crossing the gap, I could feel my heart beating harder. Adrenaline surged through me with the tempting thoughts of the creature before me. She was beautiful, I had always thought that but she was in the no-go zone because of our past. But I was at the point in my life where I no longer cared.
"How come you're here?"
Chloe turned her gaze, shifting her body slightly so that she could see the rest of her family as they approached the gate house. When my mother said that Nick and Rowan were coming I didn't realise that she meant this soon and that they would bring their entire family.
"You look so different Chloe."
She shrugged, trying to be aloof.
"What can I say? I changed because my outlook on life altered."
Ah, that might be the deity that rejected you and was now of the belief that he might have made a mistake. I was torn up; I didn't want to be this shallow. I didn't want her to think that a change of clothes and attitude would make me want her. But the sad thing was, it had happened that way. The more I looked at Chloe, the more I wanted her.