Chapter 45The venom was impossible to stop. There was no cure. There was no stopping the victims from dying.Brandon had already tried to save a life and had instead aided in taking it....There was nothing he could do......The moment Brandon looked at the wound in Ezekiel’s stomach he knew all of this to be the truth, but he refused to accept it.“No....They can’t have you too!” Brandon whispered into his hands.He wouldn’t allow this to happen!Without thinking about what he was doing Brandon tore the gloves off of his hands, dropped down in the sand and grass and shoved his hands against Ezekiel’s chest.Both he and the Shifter were soaking wet from their dip in the lake so Brandon was forced more than once to reach up and dash water from his eyes that was dripping lazily from the strands of his bangs.Then with all of the will power in his body Brandon tried to make the Flame do as he commanded. He tried his hardest to make it heal. He let it out of his soul. Bliss kissed his eve
Chapter 46With his cat eyes unsure and speckled with the stirrings of unconsciousness, Ezekiel suddenly reached forward. His hand closed around Brandon’s wrist and lifted it to his lips as he opened his mouth.His canines slowly elongated and Brandon strangled his immediate reaction which was to pull his arm back from the intimidating sight and instead he pressed his arm against the pointed teeth, using the points to help the blood flow out of the cuts he had made with Ezekiel’s claw.A few fat rapid drops fell into Ezekiel’s mouth after that, seeming to get his attention.A growl of pure need.....and satisfaction wound its way up and out of Ezekiel. The sound was like a caress, igniting and stroking Brandon’s own pleasure and confusing him as well.Whoa, I feel like I can’t breathe.Brandon thought to himself, realizing that he was in fact holding his breath in anticipation. His whole being was zeroed in on the feeling of Ezekiel’s breath on his skin, his hot palms grasping him, and
Chapter 47Brandon sat on the bed, and quietly downed an entire bottle of water. He’d been vomiting on and off for hours now. Weakness, nausea, they always came running up right after a huge loss occurred inside of him. It was inevitable that after each outpour of his strange power, he fell severely ill, it was like an emptiness inside of him grew where the power once resided for a short time.Most of the time he prayed for separation from his power. He spent every minute of every day hoping it would leave him in peace....but the sickness that followed was not a pleasant alternative.Unfortunately coupled with the unbelievable hunger, and pain inside of him there was a mountain of things weighting on Brandon’s mind to keep him from wallowing in sorrow.The escape...was a miserable failure that sat like a guilty blot across every one of Brandon’s interaction with Ezekiels family.....even though none of the Guardians treated him unkindly seeing as his actions had almost gotten their sib
*First off thank all of you so much for your time and support and your reads! Please tell me any thoughts you have so far about Brandon and Ezekiel. I would love to hear from you guys. Now lets end this!* Chapter 48 Ezekiel turned around from the wall that he had nearly walked into and began to walk in the opposite direction. He soon came to the other wall in his room and turning he began the whole thing all over again. Pacing. It was a nervous anxious device that people used to elevate the pressure of insecurities. Pacing is something Ezekiel had never done before. To wake up in the early hours of the morning and pace the ground in worry? It was so against his nature to worry. It was also against the nature of a Guardian, a nature that his father had trained into him from the moment he was old enough to hold a blade. To protect his Clan and those that he cared for. His father had always taught him to be composed and filled with surety, but still he found himself bothered endlessly
Are you deranged like me?Are you insane like me?Do you call yourself a fuc-king hurricane like me?-GASOLINEThe Guardians didn't return for days. Following the dispatch of the beasts that had nearly killed them all, for now Brandon had been left alone as Ezekiel and his Brothers went out to hunt.It had been two days since then. Plenty of time to plan an escape. Plenty of hours to scheme on how Brandon would get away from Glen and out of the Pine Forests that surrounded the Leopards home Land's, but to risk an escape was to risk something Brandon just couldn't let himself accept.It wasn't any care that he had for Mantilo's rules, or of the Clan Heads retribution should Brandon be caught that kept him from making a move.It was only the torture of those two days that held him captive. Two days that Brandon spent in imposed isolation, locked in the bedroom, denying all the food that Glen tried to give him....because during that time all he could think of...all the flame inside of hi
Chapter 2Shoe-less and long traveled, with eyes and teeth just this side of beastly, he took one look at Brandon sighed and leaned against the frame of the doorway."So How is it...?" The Guardian began to ask him, his eyes, slit and feral, traveled across Brandon's face. "That I'm the one who's been out in the wilderness, hunting and eating thin air. While you...You look like you're the one who's about to fall over from starvation?" A clawed fingertip reached out and gently brushed a string of hair back from Brandons right ear sending a ridiculous ripple of awareness straight to his spine.The act of leaning on the door frame brought him nearly face to face with Brandon so that the ever present scent of pine that clung to him was easy to catch as well as the smell of soil and sweat. The rumble of his voice....the slight hiss that tried to undercut his words....even the grace of his eyes....Brandon was instantly caught up in it all, like a shot of sugar to his system, a wealth of rel
Chapter 3Unexpectedly the kitchen was already occupied when Brandon and Ezekiel came into it. Lander, Nate and Walter stood in the middle of the dining room. Half eaten breakfasts consisting of scrambled eggs and toast called to Brandon as he made his way into the room on Ezekiels heels.With his eyes only for the stove Brandon didn't exactly notice anything amiss until he and Ezekiel had both pilled on fresh eggs, crispy bacon and more bacon onto their plates and taken seats at the counter-top. Brandon took a moment to glance at the brothers.They were all gathered with their tall backs turned away as they all looked at something Brandon guessed was extremely compelling.With Nate standing just a few feet in front of his other brothers. All of the brothers looked, fresh from the hunt. And much like Ezekiel, they carried a restless, frustrated air that circulated just beneath the calm and playful expressions on the three brother's faces. The buzzing live wire nature of predators read
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
*First off thank all of you so much for your time and support and your reads! Please tell me any thoughts you have so far about Brandon and Ezekiel. I would love to hear from you guys. Now lets end this!* Chapter 48 Ezekiel turned around from the wall that he had nearly walked into and began to walk in the opposite direction. He soon came to the other wall in his room and turning he began the whole thing all over again. Pacing. It was a nervous anxious device that people used to elevate the pressure of insecurities. Pacing is something Ezekiel had never done before. To wake up in the early hours of the morning and pace the ground in worry? It was so against his nature to worry. It was also against the nature of a Guardian, a nature that his father had trained into him from the moment he was old enough to hold a blade. To protect his Clan and those that he cared for. His father had always taught him to be composed and filled with surety, but still he found himself bothered endlessly
Chapter 47Brandon sat on the bed, and quietly downed an entire bottle of water. He’d been vomiting on and off for hours now. Weakness, nausea, they always came running up right after a huge loss occurred inside of him. It was inevitable that after each outpour of his strange power, he fell severely ill, it was like an emptiness inside of him grew where the power once resided for a short time.Most of the time he prayed for separation from his power. He spent every minute of every day hoping it would leave him in peace....but the sickness that followed was not a pleasant alternative.Unfortunately coupled with the unbelievable hunger, and pain inside of him there was a mountain of things weighting on Brandon’s mind to keep him from wallowing in sorrow.The escape...was a miserable failure that sat like a guilty blot across every one of Brandon’s interaction with Ezekiels family.....even though none of the Guardians treated him unkindly seeing as his actions had almost gotten their sib
Chapter 46With his cat eyes unsure and speckled with the stirrings of unconsciousness, Ezekiel suddenly reached forward. His hand closed around Brandon’s wrist and lifted it to his lips as he opened his mouth.His canines slowly elongated and Brandon strangled his immediate reaction which was to pull his arm back from the intimidating sight and instead he pressed his arm against the pointed teeth, using the points to help the blood flow out of the cuts he had made with Ezekiel’s claw.A few fat rapid drops fell into Ezekiel’s mouth after that, seeming to get his attention.A growl of pure need.....and satisfaction wound its way up and out of Ezekiel. The sound was like a caress, igniting and stroking Brandon’s own pleasure and confusing him as well.Whoa, I feel like I can’t breathe.Brandon thought to himself, realizing that he was in fact holding his breath in anticipation. His whole being was zeroed in on the feeling of Ezekiel’s breath on his skin, his hot palms grasping him, and
Chapter 45The venom was impossible to stop. There was no cure. There was no stopping the victims from dying.Brandon had already tried to save a life and had instead aided in taking it....There was nothing he could do......The moment Brandon looked at the wound in Ezekiel’s stomach he knew all of this to be the truth, but he refused to accept it.“No....They can’t have you too!” Brandon whispered into his hands.He wouldn’t allow this to happen!Without thinking about what he was doing Brandon tore the gloves off of his hands, dropped down in the sand and grass and shoved his hands against Ezekiel’s chest.Both he and the Shifter were soaking wet from their dip in the lake so Brandon was forced more than once to reach up and dash water from his eyes that was dripping lazily from the strands of his bangs.Then with all of the will power in his body Brandon tried to make the Flame do as he commanded. He tried his hardest to make it heal. He let it out of his soul. Bliss kissed his eve
Chapter 44With little to no problem Brandon managed to keep up with the grueling pace that Ezekiel instantly set.Panting Brandon risked a look back and with a grim breath he reported. “They are following us. Both of them are following us....We're weaponless....and running nowhere.”Ezekiel glanced back getting a quick glimpse of two Ghouls loping after them at break neck speed. One of the Ghouls, the largest, nearly seven feet tall, had skin the color of dead leaves, and heavy thick claws and fangs that were so over developed that some talons curled and some of the fangs shot strait up through its own snout.The second Ghoul was smaller at only about six feet and had flesh the color of cardboard. It also now had a giant knife handle sticking out of its brain that was leaking a furious fountain of blood down its face and jowls to mix into the black goo that dripped thickly from its jowls.Ezekiel glanced away from the disturbing sight, glanced at Brandon and shook his head. “Were not
Chapter 43OK....so far so good....” Brandon thought to himself as he gazed out over the expansive area and the mountains sitting like black and gray sentinels miles out in the dimming sunlight.After a week of planning Brandon had come to the easy conclusion that the norther part of the Leopards Lands would be the best place to attempt his escape from. The entirety of the north was vastly wild brush, tall grasses, bodies of water and thick pine tree canopy’s.Brandon had picked the best time to make his escape. The mid-day. Knowing after weeks in the mansion that none of Ezekiel’s family members were at home during the midday and were instead off in the villages healing the sick, or doing farmers work.“Brandon stop!”Brandon jumped and quicker than anyone would have believed possible, he had dropped his pact to the forest floor and pulled a long, slim kitchen blade out of the belt at his waist.He had stolen the simple blade form the kitchen. “Ezekiel? No please dont do this now!” h
Chapter 42The mortal was as crafty and stubborn as Ezekiel gave him credit for....maybe even more so.After the attack on the Clan Celebration and their falling out Brandon refused to budge. And Ezekiel refused to continue to pretend like he didn’t have suspicions.So he had no choice but to pull back and give Brandon the space that he acted desperate to have.Ezekiel didn’t chase after answers he was dying to have. He didn’t question and dig....and he physically had to stop himself from trying to touch the man all the time.And the fact that Ezekiel could barely stop himself for reaching for the mortal at any given hour....or when they accidentally connected gazes.....should have frightened him....but all it did was make Ezekiel more frustrated with their current standoff. Why did Brandon insist on turning from not only Ezekiels company....but the mutual attraction they felt was confounding.And the dreams!There were no words to explain the confusion the sensual, hot dreams he suff
Chapter 41Brandon felt a momentary hesitation of guilt settling over him as he found himself standing outside of Ezekiels bedroom door. It had been five hours since the attack on the village.Brandon had no idea what was going on outside, or what Ezekiel and the rest of the Guardians had had to suffer in the last few hours, but he knew that Ezekiel would not only be exhausted...but also not in the mood to talk.Which was perfect.Brandon knocked on the door and in moments it was opened to reveal the mostly unclothed body of a god.Ezekiel was all defined muscle and flawless skin, long arms and thick legs, none of which was easily hidden by the short pair of blue boxers that the Shifter answered in. Brandon was practically powerless to stop his eyes from dancing down between the Guardians pecks, past his lickable ribs and belly, to settle for a moment on the small dusting of slightly golden hair just below his navel that summoned a little ridiculous curl of heat in Brandons thoughts a
“Another LOCK DOWN!!!” Brandon screamed minutes after running into his room and slamming the door shut between him and Ezekiel’s sharp gaze.He didn’t care if he was heard. He screamed because he couldn’t bring himself to break down and cry again like he had shamefully just did in Ezekiel’s embrace.“This can’t be fucking happening to me....NOT now!”Brandon walked across the room and slammed his fist into the lamp. The heavy glass toppled swiftly in wake of his frustration and shattered, splaying shards all across the wooden floor. And Brandon didn’t stop there. He kicked the mattress, forcing the heavy wooden frame to shift half a foot, then he swiped his arm across the top of the drawer knocking every item atop it to the floor including the pack he had received from Glen and a decorated box of mahogany and lace that held smooth stones and beadsMORE GHOULS HAVE APPEARED! PEOPLE HAVE DIED. AND TO TOP IT OFF THE FUCKING LOCK DOWN HAS BEEN REINSTATED!! IT’S ALL JUST MORE WASTED TIME!