Chapter One
Ah'Taria - The Orlando's Ballroom
Anthony stared down the stairs of the Orlando's home and frowned. Bored he walked down to see why Kevin sat mumbling to himself. "Why are you sitting on the stairs?"
Kevin shook his head as he stared up at the stars, "I'm just admiring the view while waiting for Isaiah and Celeste to arrive."
"Liar," replied Anthony as he watched Kevin absently rubbed his ankle. "You tripped up the stairs, or down them, and hurt your ankle."
Kevin turned to stare at Anthony with laughing hazel green eyes. "Aren't you the perceptive one?"
Anthony walked slowly toward him with a grimace. "I still remember Auntie telling me stories about you. I always thought she was exaggerating about how clumsy you are." Anthony reached out to clasp Kevin's hand hauling him to his feet. "And how is it possible that you hurt your ankle tripping?"
"Hmm," smiled Kevin as he stood. "Did I mention the side effects of the serum you let me inject you with," asked Kevin as he limped up the stairs.
Anthony shook his head as he sighed, "Oh goodness! Now I'll be clumsy, prone to breaking bones and have anger issues like Kaelen resulting in me needed to meditate five times a week."
"Nope," laughed Kevin as they reached the landing. "You won't be able to break a bone but damn will it hurt if you twist one."
Anthony took a deep breath as he tried to understand Kevin's sense of humor. "You're a very strange man," remarked Anthony without emotion.
"You know you should really lighten up a bit," complained Kevin as she took in Anthony's pale skin, gray eyes and black hair. "It's like you strive to be darkness personified." Kevin stared down at his twisted ankle as he rotated it. "Don't you think you're too young to be so fearsome?"
"No," responded Anthony emotionlessly as they walked through the front doors of the Orlando's home.
Kevin frowned as he looked around the foyer, "It's remarkably quiet for a party. Where's the music, the talking and laughter?" Kevin and Anthony walked to the double doors and paused as they waited to be announced. After several minutes passed and the doors didn't swing open Kevin gave them a push and stared befuddled at the unconscious bodies thrown all over the floor.
"What in hades," yelled Anthony as he ran down the stairs toward Acadia who laid motionless on a broken table. "Auntie!"
"She'll die just like all of you," whispered Sebastian as he appeared behind Anthony.
Anthony turned in time to avoid being speared by Sebastian's grotesquely long nails. "What's happening," he yelled add he saw Lucas and Jacob. "How many men were able to get in here," he yelled as saw them fighting multiple silver haired men.
"One! He can multiply," screamed Kaelen as he punched on of the replicas in the face. "Be careful!"
"Careful!" Anthony dodged the claws that were aimed at his face. "Who the fuck is this? Why is he attacking us?"
"Give me my cousin," screamed Sebastian loud enough to make the walls of the room shake as his power level spiked. "Give her to me," he yelled anxiously as one clone tried to spear Anthony while another threw Kaelen so it could reached for Xara.
Kaelen jumped quickly to his feet to grab the clone. “Damn it," mumbled Kalen as snapped the neck of the one that reached for Xara. "Where is the real one," Kaelen yelled as he looked around barely dodging another attack. "We need to kill the real one."
"No shit," yelled Jacob as he threw one off his back as he tried to reach Ebony and Kayla. "We have to get the kids out of here!"
Lucas turned to see Kayla and Ebony standing behind a puzzled Lucca and Mekhi as they both struggled to project a shield to keep a clone of Sebastian at bay. Lucas threw several clones out of his way as he tried to get to their children. "He's attacking the children!"
"Give me my cousin or I'll kill them also," yelled the clone of Sebastian as he destroyed the shield.
Mekhi brow furrowed as his eyes changed, "Bad man!" The clone splashed to the ground as Layette and Lucca projected another shield.
"Lucas they are doing a better job than we are," yelled Jacob as he watched Mekhi make another clone turn to green goop. "We really need to find him!"
*****
Kevin surveyed the ballroom silently, from his perch, as he wondered where the real Sebastian was. He lips curled up when he saw a flutter by a decorative curtain where no window stood. "I know where he is," whispered Kevin. With a self-depreciating chuckle Kevin tapped his injured foot and time stood still. "As if I wish to hear them mock me because I sprained my ankle. They can be so childish even during times like this."
Kevin hobbled down the stairs, curses fell from his lips as he gripped the banister tightly. Once on the main floor he paused and waited for the pain to ebb away. With a shake of his head he walked unsteadily to where the real Sebastian stood cloaked by an illusion. "Here you are," sighed Kevin as he stood beside the real Sebastian. With a double of tap of his foot time resumed and he slapped the back of the man's silver head which sent him to the floor.
"What the hell," pouted Jacob as the illusions around him disappeared. "I definitely need to learn how to do that!"
Sebastian jumped to his feet and glared at Kevin. "Old man you need to give my cousin or I'm going to gut you," snarled Sebastian as he pointed his nails toward Kevin.
"Are you serious," asked Kevin with a blank face as he stared Sebastian up and down. "How fucking old are you to be calling me old man?" Kevin extended his hand toward Sebastian and cocked a brow as the boy fought as he was dragged toward him. "How old do you think I look?"
"30 something," growled Sebastian as he tried to wrest himself from Kevin's grip. "I'm going to kill you so don't worry about it though."
Kevin chuckled as he stared amused, "Did you say 30 and old in the same breath?" His fingers dug into the nape of Sebastian's neck he gave him a harsh shake.
In disgust he stared at his bright gray hair. "Why would anyone change their hair to this ghastly color intentionally?" Kevin raised his hand and smacked Sebastian with enough force that the spell keeping his hair silver broke.
Sebastian growled in anger as blood dripped from his lip. Enraged Sebastian ran toward Kevin and swiped his nails across his face.
Kevin frowned as he raised his hand to where a wound should have been. He smirked as the wound closed before blood could spill out.
Sebastian gaped as he realized the person in front of him wasn't like the other three men he was fought. "What the fuck," yelled Sebastian as he threw he his hands wide to push Kevin away from him.
"Oh now you show some common sense," laughed Kevin as he reached out pulling Sebastian into his grip. "Maybe you should have given this more thought," he said jovially as he applied more pressure to his neck.
"I'm not afraid of you," bluffed Sebastian as he swung wildly at Kevin.
"Oh my gods!"
Kevin looked up to see Isaiah and Celeste both with looks of shock and anger as the stared around the room.
Sebastian used the momentary distraction to knee Kevin in the groin and yank himself free. He ignired the two late arrivals as he ran toward his cousin. "Xara, I've come to save you!"
"No you're not," growled Kaelen as he slammed his fist into Sebastian's chest.
Sebastian landed heavily on his back dazed but swiftly recovered in time to move as Kaelen brought his foot down to stump him in the chest. "Shit," muttered Sebastian as he rolled to his feet.
Kaelen smirked as he appeared in front of Sebastian taking him by surprise. "She's our prisoner and you can't have her." Kaelen landed several swift punches before he laughed, "I can't do your cute little tricks but I can beat your ass with no problem."
Sebastian tried to back away as Kaelen landed several more punches to his torso and face. With the last punch Sebastian landed on his knees as blood dripped into his eyes. He waved a hand in am attempt to eliminate Kaelen by blowing him up only to feel Kaelen's fist connect with the side of his head
"Stop," cried Xara as she struggled to rise to her feet. "Don't hit him anymore!"
"Why," replied Kaelen irritated as he picked the bloodied Sebastian up by his neck. "He's a killer and a traitor to the Alliance. By the order of the third chair he is being sentenced to death."
Xara moaned in pain as she watched her cousin try to fight against Kaelen's grip. "Stop! Stop it! Please don't," cried Xara as she struggled to get to them.
"Kaelen stop," came Kevin's calm voice. "You know his sentence needs to be determined by the council."
Kaelen whipped his head to stare at Kevin as if he were insane. "The council decided he will die!"
"Kaelen," yelled Kevin as he jerked his head toward Xara, "think long and hard before you kill him."
Kaelen stared at Kevin failing to comprehend why he kept looking from Xara to Ebony. With a roll of his eyes he turned to stare at Jacob speaking quietly to Ebony and smirked. "Really," he laughed as the tossed Sebastian's unconscious body to the floor. "You believe I shouldn't kill him for her," he spat.
"I think it should cross your mind," came Anthony's calm reply as he walked pass Kevin and bent down to check Sebastian's pulse. "Think of how gracious she'd be if you let her precious cousin live."
Kaelen rolled his eyes as he walked toward Xara. With one hand he picked her up off the floor by the hair, "How grateful would you be if I let your cousin live?"
Xara stared confused as tears streamed down her cheeks, "I don't understand."
"You understand," replied Kaelen calmly as he looked into her eyes as they filled up with tears. "If you don't understand I'm sure I can make it clear to you."
Xara could see the two men lift Sebastian off the floor, "He's just a child!"
Kevin turned to stare at her in disbelief, "There's no way a person with his abilities is a child."
"He's a child," Xara yelled as she tried to snatch herself from Kaelen's firm grip. With tearful eyes she beseeched Kaelen, "I'll do anything! He's a child!"
Kaelen stalked toward Sebastian, never releasing his hold on Xara's hair, to get a better look at Sebastian. "He doesn't look like a child."
"Look harder," chuckled Kevin wiping blood from Sebastian's face.
Kaelen took a deep breath as he gazed at him again. He frowned as he took his features in without the silver hair. "I guess he's like 21 or something?"
Kevin shook his head as he waved a hand removing the enchantments on Sebastian. "I'd say he's 15 or 16 years old."
Jacob pushed Anthony out the way so he could stare at him. "You have to be shitting me! We should kill him just for making us look like asses!"
Kevin rolled his eyes as he mocked Jacob. "Maybe if you and Lucas trained more you would be able to do some of the things he can do."
"Trained more," scoffed Anthony as he shook his head. "If we trained anymore we'd be monst-." Anthony stopped to stare at Sebastian. "Oh my gods how much training could he have done in 15 or 16 years."
"How much," whispered Kaelen maliciously into Xara's ear as he shook her head. "How much training does he do?"
"I don't know," cried Xara as tears streamed down her face. "Julius never said anything about Sebastian being trained. I don't know what you're talking about!"
Kaelen reached out to wipe away her tears, "He better have the answers or both of you are going to die."
"Don't you think you're being a little harsh," laughed Lucas staring at the bruising grip he had on Xara.
"No," shouted Kaelen as he shook Xara. "If he doesn't have the answer neither of them is worth the air they are breathing."
Xara stared around anxiously, "Don't let him kill us!"
"He's not," yelled Ebony add she jerked free of Jacob. She walked quickly toward them, "He is not going to kill you. I am on the council and will vote against it"
"But C-Bass," cried Xara as Kaelen's grip tightened. Xara turned back toward Kaelen, "Please he'll have the answers." When Kaelen just stared at her coldly she frowned as she raked her mind for what he wanted. "I'll do anything," she cried.
"Good," smirked Kaelen. "You'll be moved to the palace prisons with your precious cousin."
Kevin shook his head, "I don't think that's a good idea. The prison can't contain him and the guards will not be able to detain him. We'd lose both of them within a matter of minutes."
"They can stay with Jacob and me," offered Ebony while she tried to ignore the glare from Jacob.
"Ah," laughed Kevin as he took in Jacob dark scowl. "I believe Kaelen has room with Clarence and Jael Quin away."
"I do," replied Kaelen flatly.
"It's decided," clapped Kevin as he stared at Kaelen's grip in Xara's hair. "Xara, Sebastian and myself -."
"And me," drawled Anthony. "I can't stay another minute at Phoenix Crest Manor. I'm not sure who the bigger child is Jacob or Mekhi."
Jacob pouted toward Lucas, "Did you hear him reject my hospitality?"
"I did," laughed Lucas as he smiled down at Kayla. "This is going to be amazing," he chuckled as he turned to stare at Kaelen. "I believe it's time Kaelen gets to feel our pain," mocked Lucas toward Jacob."
"Yes," laughed Jacob as he watched Kevin. "He'll definitely know what being by dollar is."
Ebony gaze collided with Kayla as she suppressed a laugh. "It's not by dollar Jacob. Why don't we go home and discuss it with my pregnancy that you seemed hades bent on not telling me about."
"Ah," smirked Jacob. "We can also discuss us going to my solicitor's office too!"
Kevin beamed as he looked around the room. "I guess it's time for everyone to wake up." Kevin released a visible sigh that trailed from his mouth and floated around the room. Within seconds the occupants of the ballroom started to regain consciousness as they staggered to their feet and whispered amongst themselves.
"Okay I take it back," said Kaelen as he watched Acadia rise to her feet. "There is obvious something more to you then tripping.”
“Really,” laughed Kevin, “if you really think that I’d appreciate if you let go of Xara’s hair and retract your fangs before you bite her.”
Kaelen frowned not realizing his fangs had dropped. “What the fuck,” he mumbled as he threw Xara toward Kevin to reach up and touch his descended fangs.
“This is going to be so much fun,” laughed Jacob as he stared into Kaelen’s swirling gold eyes. With a smile he bumped Kaelen, “Make sure you tell us how that meditating is working when she’s under the same roof with you.”
“Whatever,” mumbled Kaelen as he turned to leave. “Kevin I don’t know what you’ve got planned but I will kill both of them without second thought.”