27. A Tale of Two Brothers

Silas has served us tea and some tramezzini sandwiches by now. It was kind of amusing to watch him argue with Marcellus who offered to help, but apparently the man is hopeless in the kitchen. Now that we are more comfortable, Silas finally tells us more about what he knows.

"Aloysius and I led one of the biggest covens together," he explains. "I will spare you the details, but we had a huge fallout not too long ago. I believe that we don't own the world just because we are old and immortal. While Aloysius thinks every other being is below him and downright trash. That's the short version of it, and we went our separate ways. I took my most loyal followers with me; some that were in between chose their own paths, and the elitists and hardliners stayed with him," Silas says.

"What was it about?" Annie asks. "Your fallout. You said you want to spare us the details, but it seems like your brother has always been a hardliner. What made you finally pull away from him?"

"I'm not going to lie," Silas says. "For a long time, I agreed with him that we are better and stronger than everyone else and that every other being should serve us. Then, however, Aloysius actually impregnated a human woman. He was very promiscuous, and for a long time he only slept with vampire women. Never with the full-blooded ones, as he deemed them too worthy to tarnish, but he did get a whole bunch of lower vampires into his bed. When he got bored, he started to bed other species. A human girl he slept with got pregnant. He killed her right after she gave birth, before killing the baby." He pauses. "That's when I knew that he was insane." His lips tremble a bit, but soon he is back to being all collected and stoic. "He killed his own child without blinking even once. There was no way I wanted to associate myself with this amount of insanity. In a way it made me wake up."

His eyes cloud over, and he looks sad for a moment. The rest of us remain quiet, digesting what he just told us. His brother must be a monster to be capable of killing his own child, an innocent baby on top of that.

"But why?" Raffy finally asks, completely shaken by what we just heard.

"Why did he kill his child?" Silas asks. "Because he doesn't want to have dirty half-breeds as his offspring," he says bitterly.

"And you are sure it was him?" Annie asks, sadness flashing in her eyes.

"Yes, I had a gut feeling he was up to no good and followed him. I came too late. But that was it for me. There was no going back anymore. We are old, very old, and I doubt this was the first time he killed his offspring."

"And the man in the photo is working for him?" Annie asks.

Silas nods. "He is one of his most entrusted men. A guy he sends to do the dirty work for him."

"Peachy," Jun mutters. "What a nice specimen you have as a brother." The moment he said it, he almost looked flustered. "I didn't mean to insult you—"

"You didn't," Silas interrupts him. "My brother is a murderer, and he has fun bringing pain to others. I saw the vile smile he had while he drained the air out of the infant's lungs."

"May I ask why you didn't kill him the moment you saw what he did?" Annie asks. "I understand you came too late to save the baby, but you saw your brother do something so heinous…"

"I can't," he says. "It's as simple as that. I yelled at him; I even fought him, but I can't kill him. And he can't kill me. We are from an ancient lineage of vampires, the first one to exist. Many years ago, my siblings and I swore an oath and bound our fates to it. It was the logical thing to do back then when we were young and getting more and more powerful. It was to prevent each other from backstabbing each other, but from today's perspective, it was stupid."

"You mean you physically can't kill him?" Raffy asks.

Silas nods. "It's like a curse or a spell, depending on the way you look at it. I can fight him, but the moment I move to do the fatal blow, an invisible power would push me away. Worst case scenario… I would die too."

"Can't it be broken?" Marcellus asks. He hasn't said much up to now. I assume he knows most of Silas's story anyway.

"I don't know," Silas admits. "From my perspective every spell done by someone can be undone in one way or another. But we did the oath ourselves; we bound ourselves to it. I have no idea how to break out of it."

While the others talk, I can feel my heart thumping in my chest, faster and faster in fear. "Did he ever," I say. "Sleep with a werewolf woman? I mean, your brother, Aloysius."

Silas looks at me surprised. "A werewolf?"

I nod.

"Just once," he says. "She was on the run. She was pretty, smart, and fun to be around. Very pleasant. She wasn't his type, but he made an exception for her. He provided her with shelter for a while… almost a year. I wasn't sure if they ever got intimate, but he certainly wouldn't have missed the opportunity. I think her name was Candance."

I can't allow myself even a second of shock as I have to make a swift decision. Do I trust this man or don't I? He said his brother killing his child made him wake up and see the light, but can I entrust him with Charlie's secret?

Silas wouldn't be the intelligent ancient vampire he was said to be if he didn't catch on. "Why?" he asks. "Why do you want to know that?" He looks from me to Annie and then back to me. "The teenage hybrid?"

"She is my niece," I say. "Her father is unknown. Her mother—my sister—died. The mother's name was Candance."

Silas stares at me in honest shock. "He has a child out there!? That's why he is constantly on the lookout!"

"He can never know that Candance bore his child," I say. "I'm sure she knew something was off. Maybe she heard him say something."

"But how does he know that she was pregnant?" Jun asks.

"This is just a wild guess," Silas says. "But maybe he doesn't. During the last couple of years, he has been obsessed with keeping his lineage clean, and he has sought out every woman he had an affair with to see if any of them had a child from him."

"You think Candance was on the list?" Annie asks.

"I think it's highly likely. I'm not going to lie. If he knew about Charlie, she would already be dead," Silas says.

"Never!" I hiss. "I won't let that psychopath lay a finger on her."

"Of course you won't, and I won't either," Silas says. "I already saw him kill one of my nieces once. I won't let history repeat itself."

"Do you have someone on the inside?" Marcellus asks. "Maybe someone who stayed with Aloysius just out of comfort but wants a way out?"

"I don't know if there is anyone I could trust enough," Silas admits. "All my trustworthy men and women followed me when I left."

"Killing an infant is a huge thing," Marcellus says. "Even for those who feel loyal to Aloysius, it might cross a line."

"I just can't believe that Candy didn't make sure that we would know of the danger surrounding Charlie," I point out. "It makes no sense that she made sure that Charlie was hidden somewhere safely, but she wouldn't leave any more hints."

"Maybe she thought any hint would be dangerous?" Raffy asks.

"That's a possibility. She must have been completely paranoid at that point—rightfully so—but still, she left nothing for Charlie."

"Did she though?" Annie asks. "Are we sure she really didn't leave anything? Just think about your parents. No one thought they had left you something, but they did. Secretly so. Did she really have no allies?"

I tilt my head, frowning when I remember how Dante and I went to look for Charlie. "Lorenzo," I mutter. "He was the only one she accepted help from. He knew our dad."

"Time to get in touch with him then," Silas says. "Luna Annalise is right. If Candance left something for Charlie, we need to find it soon. There is no way she didn't know who the father of her child was."

"How can we protect Charlie for now?" Annie asks Silas. "What can we do?"

"Is there a spell to protect her?" I ask.

"Momentarily, yes, but we need to find something that will protect her for real," Silas says.

"Like make Aloysius believe she isn't his daughter?" I ask.

"That's going to be difficult," Silas mutters. "We need a plan for that."

"We will think of something," Annie says with finality in her voice. "There is no way I will let a crazy vampire harm my pack. Charlie is one of us now, and no one takes her anywhere."

"I'm sorry my brother gives you such a headache, Luna," Silas says.

"It's hardly your fault," she says.

"What else can you tell us about him?" I want to know.

"He is intelligent, sly, hard to trick," Silas says. "Just like I am. But his polite exterior is just a pretense. He will not hesitate to kill someone in his way."

"How come we don't know more about that?" Jun asks. "If he is so violent, he must have already attacked other packs or covens."

"I think you misunderstood me," Silas says. "And him. Aloysius is ruthless, but he is not stupid, and he doesn't care for anyone but his own kind," Silas says. "Everything he does is controlled and with intent. Randomly attacking packs wouldn't be controlled."

"But if he hates us so much, why doesn't he try to wipe us from the planet?" Raffy asks.

"That's a very human thing to ask." Silas chuckles. "Aloysius likes the comfort, he likes the blood, he likes the luxury. If he kills everyone who isn't a vampire, the world would collapse. He has no interest in that. He wants the humans and the other species to exist so he can leech off them. He likes to toy with them like he does with the women he beds. I think he might even care for one or another person outside our species… in his own twisted way. Aloysius is all about keeping the pretense. Even if his actions sound crazy to you, they aren't. He isn't insane. He wouldn't just kill Charlie for no reason. After all, every murder might make him a target too. But if she is his daughter, it's reason enough for him."

"Wow, what a charming fellow," Jun mutters.

"I wish I could say I hate him," Silas says. "I hate what he has become and what he did. But he was my brother for many centuries. A part of me still has empathy for him."

"That's just normal," Marcellus says. "Empathy is what makes you a good person."

"But I wouldn't hesitate to off him if I could," Silas clarifies. "I cannot forgive him."

"Say, you mentioned blood." I look at him thoughtfully. "Is blood something Charlie needs?"

"As a hybrid, no," he says. "You will want to have some blood transfusions prepared for while she is still growing. She might suffer from bleedings and blood loss occasionally. With vampires it's different than with other hybrids," he explains. "With hybrids the vampire side is always weaker. This is why my brother is so obsessed with not having any offspring that is not a full-blooded vampire."

"So, her wolf side will be dominant?" I ask.

"Yes." Silas smiles. "Don't worry. She will be a strong werewolf. I hope you allow me to meet her?"

"Of course," I say. "It will be good for her to have someone to talk to concerning her vampire side."

"I just hope she won't hate me for who her father is."

"I doubt she will," I say. "She is a very compassionate person and not judgmental at all."

"I have a question, Silas," Annie interrupts us.

"Of course, Luna."

"You said your brother goes around to hunt down the children he might have produced," she says. "Did it ever come to your mind that you could do the same? Find them and save them?"

Silas stares at her, clearly stunned. "No," he mutters. "Never once did I think about that." He brushes through his long hair, sighing. "I was so preoccupied with focusing on my brother and how to stop him that I never thought I could use my knowledge to my advantage." He pauses, tapping his lips. "Saving his child, in case he has one." He smirks. "Luna, you are brilliant. I'm not surprised Alpha Liam cherishes you that much. He always has this dreamy expression when he talks about you."

Annie blushes. "He is a wonderful mate," she says.

"As you deserve," Marcellus says. "Our Goddess given mate should always cherish us, and vice versa." His eyes cloud over with sadness, but he recovers fast.

It's silent for a while until Silas stands up and rummages through a cupboard. "Here, take these," Silas says, handing us a bag with purple candy.

"What are we supposed to do with that?" Annie asks.

"I always have a stash of them for the wolves here," Silas says. "In case Aloysius decides to plan something shady. It helps you keep your senses up in case you are in a vampire's aura."

"Aura?" I want to know, while taking one of the candies, deciding to try it. I don't want to poison Charlie. So, if I survive, she will too.

"We have powers," he says evasively. "If you are in our proximity, it can be dangerous for you. Aloysius's power works like a love spell, if he wants to. He can charm anyone, and it might make you let your guard down too fast."

Before any of us can say anything, a loud whistling erupts in the air. Marcellus is up on his feet instantly, his eyes darkening. Out of mere instinct I'm up too. "What's happening?" I ask.

Marcellus is already halfway out the door, but Silas answers for him instead. "An attack!" he says, a hint of anger in his otherwise controlled voice.