Chapter 4 - Sensitive Secrets

Chapter 4

"Whoa! Ummm, Brandon...?" Nate suddenly interjected as the heavy silence persisted after his hastily blurted question. The wolf smirked and shook his head pointing a thumb at his elder brother. "Bad move. Walter NEVER talks about his abilities. Like NEVER! And the less you know about them the better!"

"O...oh..." Brandon muttered somewhat deflated and confused.

But...to everyone's surprise Walter did start talking at that exact moment.

"Calm down Nate. He did not know." Walter cut in, his voice like cold honey dripping slow measured and cool to the ear.

The larger brother frowned, his brown eyes glancing over to Brandon making the man sit up straighter in attention as if his gaze demanded such a thing from Brandon.

"I will answer you. Truly It is not my favorite subject to speak on, but since everyone else is being so....open...." Walter rumbled, silencing Nate who started to object and receiving surprised glances from both Lander and Ezekiel as the statuesque brother spoke to all of them for the first time that morning.

With an unhurried air Walter looked at them all then back at Brandon and continued.

"In the interest of hospitality I'll quickly tell you what everyone else knows, Brandon." A small thrill went through Brandon as the elder brother used his name and centered his enigmatic gaze on him.

"Basically, I tell other people what to do and they obey me, without hesitation or free will. Thats my ablity."

The words were so simple and delivered with such an impassive air Brandon felt they could have been speaking about the weather.

"Okay?.....So let me try to simplify this. Um...basically you hypnotize people or something to that effect, right?" Brandon asked.

He tried to supply the answers to the gaps that Walters's short sentences left in his understanding. But instantly finding his imagination lacing, Brandon thought to ask the brother to "Show"....if he didn't want to "Tell"

"Um....Walter, will you show me what you can do maybe?" He asked. "Can you do a demonstration, like what Nate kinda did?"

He wasn't too surprised when all Walter did was laugh him off. The sound dead and short. Zero mirth or joy.

"No, Brandon. I would never use my power if I can help it." Walter let out a soft dead hiss. His dark brown eyes seeming as still as a frozen pound.

He shifted in his seat, his large body making wood groan.

"Be content with this....I don't hypnotize people....I break them and they stay broken." He softly replied, no emotion in his face or voice. His words making Brandon's skin crawl with disquiet. "Do you understand? Good. Because that's all you need to know."

In the silence that followed, Walter calmly stood up, grabbed his plate and took it over to the sink. Nothing about his movement was hurried or self-conscious. He could have been alone in the room for all that he paid them anymore attention. As the splash of water cut through the silence, Brandon sighed and looked towards the last of the brothers.

To his surprise Lander seemed to be waiting on him, because the moment Landers eyes connected with his, the Guardian smirked and said. "Go on. Ask me."

With his invitation, Brandon thought for a moment then he leaned his elbows up on the counter and said. "So Nate can't use his power when he's Shifted.....Do you have the same limitations on your mind reading abilities?" Brandon asked him.

"Nope...." Lander shrugged in reply. A cock smirk on his handsome face as he brushed a hand across his blond scalp.

"See, out of everyone here, excluding Walter..." He began to say. "I have one of the strongest abilities. With no inherent weaknesses to it." Lander bragged sending Nate a small smile, before he finished. Crossing his thick arms over his chest Lander stood up off the countertop. "Basically I read minds...and I can even feel people's emotions and unlike the rest of these pussies I can control my Ablity to read minds at all times even when I'm shifted."

Trying not to roll his eyes Brandon tried to have his first and only civilized conversation with the green eyed ball of testiness.

"Hmm...that's interesting. " Brandon made a soft sound as he leaned on the counter top and pointed a finger to himself. "So you read minds...and you fell other people's emotions, but some people you can't seem to read at all. Right? Like me?"

"Right." Lander replied, it was instantly apparently that he didn't like being reminded of this because he let out a small growl.

"But normally...." He leaned on the countertop confidently. Muscle rippling as he flexed his hands on the marble.

"The person I want to read has to have a really strong mind and body to block me out. So far that has only meant older more powerful individuals like Walter and my Dad for example. My mother can even pull it off sometimes. But aside from them and you, freaks of nature, I can feel everything and evrybody. I can read everything. All the time." Lander replied even though he slightly hesitated at the end.

And perhaps it was this hesitation that niggled at the back of Brandons mind.

I can feel everything. I can read everything. All the time.

Hmmm....

Brandon thought to himself....Something about the way Lander drew out the words at the ending of his sentences.

All the time. I hear everything?

Once more Landers words echoed in his thoughts, but this time something clicked in Brandon's mind and a sudden theory formed.

"Hey....Lander I've got an idea." Brandon said, catching everyone's gaze. "On three I'm going to shout a random word, but I'm going to do it with my mind. I want to test a theory."

"Okay. Fire away!" Nate quipped seemingly up for anything in that moment. Ezekiel nodded in understanding.

"Wait? What theory? Hey! What are you talking about!?" Lander inquired with a suspicious squint of his eyes in Brandon's direction.

Ignoring him Brandon closed his eyes and started to count out loud. "ONE! TWO! THREE!" he cried.

"Wait damn it!" Lander tried to growl.

Brandon mentally screamed the first word that he could think of into his thoughts and directed it at Ezekiels brother.

LANDER!

Landers eyes shot closed and he roared in agony, as he stumbled back, actually knocking his chair to the floor this time in the process before stumbling into the wall behind him and sinking to the ground.

A twist of worry went into Brandon's stomach as he feared that he may have hurt Lander in some way. Until Lander opened his mouth.

"Oh, you stupid mother fu...." Lander tried to growl, then stopped and groaned slightly. He was clutching his temples as though he had to hold his head intact or it would somehow shatter. "Fuck you, you candy pants little bastard!" He shouted in misery. "If you do that again Ill destroy you...!"

And just like that the twist of guilt in Brandon's stomach turned to a hot poker of revenge.

Brandon closed his eyes and conjured a image in his mind. A diabolical image that he hoped Lander choked on. He fashioned it in his thoughts just as he had Landers name then he sent it at Lander as hard and loud as he could think to send it.

"Oh....Oh gross!" Lander gaged in horror, Brandon opened his eyes just in time to see a hand flying to Landers mouth. And not two seconds later Brandon felt an evil smile spreading across his face.

Hell yeah! Looks like his strength....is also his weakness. Suck it!

Brandon thought to him self with a dark satisfaction, felling far to vindicated to realize the hole he was digging himself into.

All of the brothers were reeling from Landers extreme reactions and instantly confused by the horror on his face Ezekiel and Nate both called out to him "What!? What is it!? What did you do to him?"

" Lil pervert! He sent me an image!" Lander snarled, still holding a hand to his mouth, like he was on the verge of vomiting.

"He did what Lander? What does that even mean?" Nate asked his face screwing up in a puzzled frown.

At this point Landers hand was balling up into a large, tight fist, which he lowered from his mouth and slammed into the wall. "He sent me an image OF HIM KISSING ME! That fucking ....!"

Walter who had seemed mostly uninvolved until then started to choke on the drink that he had just put up to his mouth, before a heavy laugh bubbled up past the coughing. Nate howled with laughter beside him.

While a shocked look settled over Ezekiel's face. "What!?" he asked Lander appearing upset, but Nate was already talking over him.

Nate hit the table top with his fist twice and said. " please please Brandon you've got to tell me! How did you do that? I need to know!"

Ignoring the murderous growls floating out of Landers chest Brandon replied with a cocky shrug and said. "I just figured that Lander had to have some kind of problem, I mean the rest of you all have these problems with your abilities. For Lander his ability IS the problem. It works too well. After that I just ran with it."

Nate clicked his tongue. "That's amazing! I think I just died and went to heaven." he cried, nearly yipping like a dog. "Hey!" He suddenly laughed, casting Lander a dark smile before he looked back at Brandon.

"Do it to him again! Please! Ill love you forever!" Nate urged. Not thinking, and secretly enjoying his revenge for all of Landers boorish behavior, Brandon smiled back at Nate, closed his eyes and that's when everything went downhill.

"No! No more!" Lander snarled and rushed up to the counter top, the thunder hit of his foot slamming into the base of the counter top made Brandon jump and open his eyes.

Only for him to come face to face with burning green eyes and fangs that over lapped Landers drawn back lips. Lander slammed his foot into the base of the counter top again, before he swiped out with his claws making Brandon flinch backwaards as he snarled at all of them in real fury.

"IF this little fagot even looks at me again.....I'm going to rip his fucking head off!" At this point all laughter had died down and everyone was either on their feet or seconds from standing. Lander sneered in disgust at all of them, especially Brandon. "You all think that shits funny?" He snarled in question. "So what if I'm too open to everything. I'm not nearly as pathetic as the rest of you useless assholes who can barely get a grip hald the time!"

All of the brothers sobered quickly at the venom in Landers words.

Nate released a low rumble into the air, while Walter flashed a disapproving frown and leaned forward.

"Watch it Lander. Dont say something you'll regret...." Nate commanded for the first time anger glowed in his eyes, but Lander was unpaused by his younger brother's words and simply leaned forward on the counter and snarled back at them all. In challenge.

"No, you watch it, Wolf-y." He replied in a callous tone, before flashing a fang-y evil grin. "You're just mad that you're too fucking weak to harness your abilities you little mutt! Out of us all YOURE the one that needs to be laughed at!" He spat in Nate face earning him a snarl, that sounded like a full grown wolf was about to appear.

"Lander...stop it..." Brandon tried to interject. He hadn't meant to send the emotional brother into a lather or hurt his pride. But Brandon had to admit to himself that maybe he had taken things a bit too far.

Shit! I didn't mean any harm...

Brandon told himself as he tried to placate his conscious, but a voice whispered back at him.

And yet you managed to uncover one of his biggest issues and then you tortured him with it! Stupid!

Brandon tried to catch Lander attention but all he received was his wrath. "Lander look I didn't mean it..." he started to call out only for Lander to shout at him.

"Shut the fuck up!"

Nate shouted back at him, before Brandon could get a word in otherwise.

"Lander grow up!" The Wolf flashed his fangs and teeth in threat. "Your being an asshole!"

"Seriously! Thats enough! Sit down!" Ezekiel snarled standing up from his stool.

Instantly Brandon felt the situation spiraling out of control and he didn't know what to do to stop it.

"No its not. Ita not nearly the beginning!" Lander simply smirked at Ezekiel ignoring his approach, as he turned a snarky sneer at Walter and coldly remarked. "And what the fuck are you looking at? Some Leader you are. Not even going to try to stand up for me? You're nothing special Walter. You're always silent because you're nothing but a coward! You're just too much of pussy to use your real power. Like me!" He said to his elder brother.

Walter didn't respond or back down, he simply sent Lander one of the coldest smiles that Brandon had ever seen. It was cold enough to chill him to his core and to stroke Landers ire.

Lander growled nastily and went to lunge and take a step in Walter's direction snarling. Luckily Ezekiel snatched his arm and pulled Lander back and using his momentum he flung him a few steps away.

"Get off! Don't touch me Ezekiel! Don't act like your better than me!" Lander snarled knocking Ezekiels hand off of his body as he spun and slammed his arms into his chest, shoving him back in return.

"Your nothing but a child. And your definitely more fucked up then all of us! You're a fagot for one!" Lander snarled in a cruel tone as he steeped towards his brother in challenge, obviously trying to goad him into a fight. "And you've got all that nasty Reaver toxin boiling inside of you....OH YEAH!!?" Lander laughed in a condescending manner as he shot Ezekiel a look that seemed slightly teasing. "AND you do like to dream nasty little dreams too."

Instantly Brandon was confused by this last statement. The way Lander spoke it sounded like a veiled threat, but there was no way for Brandon to be confused or miss the way that Ezekiels entire body went still after Lander spoke. And as Ezekiel and Landers eyes connected, something heavy passed between them.

Pure violence.

Lander took another step closer his voice becoming more and more mocking as he spoke.

"I know. I've seen how you like to dream about someone real special." He hissed in Ezekiels face, not looking anywhere else. "In fact..." Lander quipped with a nasty smile. "You were dreaming about that person just the other night."

"Lander...shut up!" Ezekiel snarled at his brother, it was an easy sound to read. Stop. Stop now it said. But Lander wasn't stopping. He wanted this fight.

"You know it's someone who's standing in this very room...." Lander almost sung continuing to jib his brother.

Brandon didn't know what the two of them were talking about. But he clearly sensed the tension between them growing. He felt an urgency to act, so he stood up from his seat thinking to intervene in some way, but before he could Walter suddenly got up and snatched him backwards by the left arm.

Lander took another step closer to Ezekiel, his sea green gaze burning with violence, as he came inches with in Ezekiels face and grabbed his shirt in his claws.

He whispered at him in a tone that was still easily heard. "Hey Ezekiel maybe I should tell it all? " Lander chuckled. "Do you think I should tell them, exactly what you were dreaming about? The dirty shit you were doing in that dream....Let's see what everyone thinks about it?"

Lander sent Ezekiel a sharp wink of his right eye and turned his head right to Brandon...

***

And that was the final straw for Ezekiel.

Ezekiel snatched his brother up by the collar and shoved across the room.

Ramming Lander back into the table with enough force to move the heavy wood slide a few inches across the floor. A single glass shattered as glasses rolled and crashed to the floor.

The harsh rattle of kitchen ware being knocked around and the shocked exclamations of Brandon, and his other brothers were a mild buzz beneath the anger. Lander struck him in the jaw hard and laughed.

"Im going to rip you apart!" Ezekiel started to lay in to him with his fists and they roared at each other even as a louder heavier roar overshadowed his own.

And Landers vindictive laughter rung in his head.