Snippet #2406704

As soon they arrived back at the Manor from the Ball Sam retreated into her study saying she had much to think about, her tone clearly disencouraging questions. Luckas frowned watching her walk up the stairs; he wanted to follow, but Amber was already dragging him towards the kitchen by the shirt. “Come Lukey, you haven’t eaten anything at the party... Which is good, because I poisoned some of it for kicks...”

Luckas let himself be led to a dining table and not too long after Amber and himself were sitting with Lizzy and Adam amongst empty bowls of stew, passing around their second bottle of some strong liquor that Amber was purposely passing to Lizzy a bit more frequently than the others, making the woman even more talkative than usual, Amber seeming to get a bit of a kick from Adam’s annoyed glances as she went on about their assignment in Newhaven and then on about past assignments, until they reached the topic of how and when they all received their imprint.

“I don’t remember my childhood.” The woman stated with a simple shrug. “Adam and I were imprinted at age thirteen, that’s as far as I can go back. It’s a common side effect; memory loss, but I don’t mind... I doubt there was anything important there to remember.” She concluded, taking another shot and grimacing slightly. “You’re all just trying to get me drunk aren’t you?” She giggled.

A small wave of chuckles escaped Amber, her features now changed to ones of a brown haired girl of about sixteen. “Yes, Lizzy, dear. We’re all just waiting to take advantage of you, ain’t that right?” She asked, nudging the tall blond man that was seated next to her.
Lizzy giggled softly. “Don’t listen to her, Addy, sweetie... She’s just messing with you.” She passed the bottle and the shot glass to Adam and the man mumbled something under his breath before pouring a shot and drinking it.
“Adam! That so rude!” Amber replied as if she had heard Adam’s words, letting a very convincing shocked expression cross her delicate features, followed closely by a delighted giggle. “Bad, bad, Adam... Do you kiss your sister with that mouth of yours?” He teased, snatching the bottle from Adam and drinking a large gulp straight from it, passing it along to Luckas. “How about you, hmm... Lukey, hun... A little birdie tells me you were imprinted as a young puppy, isn’t that so?”

“Three or four years old.” Luckas replied, passing the bottle along to Lizzy untouched. “Odd though, I thought only two people were aware of that... One of them being the Mistress herself... So, should I just assume Zeke is a bit of a gossiper?”
Amber arched an eyebrow amused. “Oh, wow, busted...” She snickered. “Yes, Lukey... She told me all about you. All girls like to talk about their boys, you know.” She smirked.
“Fair enough... So, how do you know her?” Luckas asked, a slightly intrigued look in his eyes. “I thought that was a rare privilege.”
“Well, I’m a rescue puppy, like you. Actually, about four years ago I was wearing grey and being kicked around the halls.” Amber grinned. “Luckily... I kicked back hard enough to catch someone’s attention.”
“Mhm... Amber was offered an imprint by the Mistress herself, even though she was only a Lesser... That’s not something that happens very often... It was quite a shock for some people.” Lizzy stated
“I’m sorry, but I believe no other Lesser has ever been granted an imprint before. I am THAT special.” Amber corrected. “It was a bit of a surprise, won’t lie... Three Prospects were kicking me around and such... I got sick of taking it quietly, so I jumped on one of them, bit his ear right off. Of course I paid the price, thought they were going to beat me to death, but I woke up in the sick ward and she was there. I’m not one for loyalties, but I’m just about sane enough to appreciate when someone saves my life... And how easily they could’ve taken it away at certain moments... I surely broke enough rules to make my death justifiable, and yet here I am.” She smirked
“Alright, let me ask you something then, since you are such an expert on rule-breaking...” Luckas asked, this time accepting the bottle as it reached his hands. “...What would be the punishment for killing a Prospect?”
“For you?” Lizzy asked, a hint of choked laughter escaping her. Amber kicked her hard under the table and glared at her as though she had said something she clearly shouldn’t have, even though Luckas couldn’t really see what it was.
Amber took a moment to reflect on the questions before answering. “Well, for you there’s one important thing to consider; never, EVER, use your red-eye-touchy thingy to kill another within the Brotherhood. Using your imprint in some other way shouldn’t be too much of a violation, but that would depend on the Rank of the Prospect and the odds of him actually getting imprinted, if he’s pure and has a good record of service he’s a good candidate to imprinting and so he’s a greater asset to the Order; greater consequences for killing him.”
“Huh... That’s... Awfully helpful.” Luckas mumbled, a bit taken aback by how well Amber knew the hierarchy and rules of the Order.
“Gotta know the rules to break the rules, hun.” She smiled.
“When it comes down to rule breaking Amber surely takes the crown, Lizzy snickered nodding knowingly. Think... I’m good and drunk as it is...” She giggled softly, standing from her chair and immediately stumbling onto the floor at the first couple of steps, laughing silly. Adam sighed in annoyance and picked up his sister, groaning something that sounded vaguely with ‘goodnight’ as he carried her away over his left shoulder. Luckas chuckled as he watched the annoyed expression on the man’s face. “That guy’s patience never ends does it?”
“Not when it comes to Lizzy, no... You wouldn’t want to piss him off though, I’ve done that; I know. Always mind the quiet ones, Lukey... Always... Trust me.”
“Trust you?” Luckas snickered. “Never.”
“Suit yourself.” She chuckled.
“Hey, Amber... Now that it’s just you and me here...” Luckas mumbled, taking a swig straight from the bottle and sliding it across the table to her. “What is the deal with Zeke? I mean... He... You know what I mean, right? What’s his story?”
“Hm... Zeke... I don’t know whether or not to pity that man... Most days though I just want to rip his heart out.”
“Oh? I didn’t know you disliked him this much... You seem to somewhat respect him.” Luckas asked, a bit intrigued by the girl’s reaction.
“I do respect him, but that doesn’t make me hate him any less. Zeke was... My handler... I’m sure you still remember things enough to know what that means.” Amber responded, shrugging as though the fact was unimportant.
“Alright, so why would you pity him then, if you just said you hate him?” Luke questioned, waiting for Amber to pass the bottle along to him, noticing how she had simply kept drinking instead.
“I already said a bit too much, but oh well...” Amber smirked. “Zeke is Sammy’s little lapdog. He’d do anything to get her praise and her attention, and she knows that. The guy lives to serve her, and nothing more. That’s just pitiful, but then you can’t say he didn’t choose it.” Amber shrugged. “Neither one of them will talk about it, but rumor has it Zeke was the one who offed the old man.”
“Sam’s father?” Luke leaned back in his seat, staring up at the ceiling. “You know... I remember him... Well, his voice... He was always shouting at her... Sick son of a bitch... He was lucky to die before I got to him.”
“Aaaw, listen to you all protective and stuff...” Amber giggled, finally passing the bottle back to Luckas with only a bit left at the bottom. “You... Need to watch yourself around Zeke though... I know he’s just trying to find a way to get rid of you. He won’t hurt you were Sammy can see it, but he’ll try to harm you in anyway he can.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Luke stated, finishing off the bottle of liquor. “Now, if you’ll excuse me... I need to go tend to my rule breaking.” He said, a smirk crossing his features as he started to walk out of the kitchen; halting as a sudden thought hit him. “Hey, Amber, remember you owe me a favor?”

[Next Morning]

Luckas was leaning casually against the windowsill of the library, his expression empty as he looked down on the servants in grey clothing as they dug a grave in the back of the property. He had kept away from the commotion, acted as though he didn’t care to know what was happening in the house that morning, and carried on with his usual routine. Only when Adam didn’t show up for what was to be their first training session had he bothered to go around and ask what the problem was. The death of a Prospect was never something to draw this much attention; they weren’t very important overall, but this guy for what Luke heard was pretty close to getting a brand, Zeke was personally handling his basic training, and the manner through which the young man met his end was, until this moment, something unseen amongst the Brotherhood’s ranks.

“I’m impressed.” Zeke’s voice echoed through the empty room, amongst the rows of dusty books; a menacing sharpness to it, enough to make any other man in Luckas position flinch at the sound of the heavy doors closing. Luckas didn’t move a muscle, he held still as a statue, almost enough to convince Zeke that he wasn’t listening. Almost. “I know you did this. I’m not sure how, but I know... I can almost feel it... How pleased you are with yourself right now.”

Silence lingered following Ezekiel’s words, Luckas let a faint hint of a smirk cross his features as if to get it out of his system before he was forced to look the other man in the eyes. “I’m not sure what you’re accusing me of exactly, Zeke, but it doesn’t matter... If you could prove it you wouldn’t have come to me with it.”
“Gavin wouldn’t have killed himself that way... The man wasn’t capable of that level of remorse... It makes no sense.” Zeke muttered out. “Look at me, kid; why did you do this?”
Luckas couldn’t help a slightly mocking snicker from escaping past his lips at Zeke’s words. “I didn’t do anything. What are you suggesting, hm? That I commanded him to hang himself? I think Sam would be able to tell if I had outright attacked the man, so you have no reason to think I would try that... After all, it was made perfectly clear to me that any lethal use of my abilities against anyone inside this house is strictly prohibited.” Heaving a long deep breath Luckas turned to face Zeke, leaning against the open window almost as if daring the angered man to reach out and push him over. “I did not command him to take his own life, if that is your accusation.”
“Maybe not, boy, but... You did it somehow.”
“You know... There was a caretaker, in the orphanage where I was taken after, you know, I was left in a stinky dark basement to die, well... The man had it in for me. Every little thing that happened out of the ordinary was my fault. Alright, maybe he was somewhat justified in his paranoia, but often he punished me for things I had nothing to do with... A lot of the other kids got away with things too, because kids are quick learners and it wasn’t exactly difficult to figure out that all it took was to point a finger at the weird boy. Well, about a year after me and my brother got out... I found him... Broke into his home... And punished him for everything he did and didn’t do, just like he’d done with me. It was a concept that grew on me in time; why bother waiting for people to do things they are bound to do eventually when you can punish them now, right? It saves a lot of time.”
Zeke’s eyes lit up in yellow momentarily before returning to their dark green a silent wave of understanding and rage passing through his dark features. “Where is the Lesser girl, Luckas?”
“Who, now?”
“The girl that Gavin wrote about in his suicide letter, Luckas... The little girl he wrote a lengthy and painfully detailed confession about raping and murdering and burying in the woods in little tiny pieces... The kid whose face he claimed was haunting him to a point where he could no longer bear the guilt. THAT Lesser girl. Where is she?”
“For what you just said... Buried in the woods, supposedly in little tiny pieces.” Luckas shrugged dismissively. “Are you accusing me of killing her too now?”
“He never killed the girl, you planted those memories in his mind, didn’t you? You planted them well enough to convince him they were real, made them persistent enough to break him into insanity... You are clever, boy, but you don’t fool me.”
Luckas smiled calmly at Ezekiel’s claims; they were absolutely accurate, of course. “Funny, I thought you said your little pet was not capable of such levels of remorse. That I know of, my imprint is in no way related to empathic abilities of any kind so I don’t see how I could instill any kind of emotion on anyone. Even less one I’m so... Sooooo... So very unfamiliar with. The fact remains, reality remains, the same; he killed himself because he chose to.” Luckas stated, his eyes were finally beginning to show the childish joy he was experiencing from what he had pulled off, it was a very clear statement of his involvement in the whole thing, almost just as clear as the confession Zeke knew he would never actually get. As he pushed himself away from the window and started to walk past the older Branded a wicked satisfied grin started to spread across his face; almost as if he was saying out loud what he was thinking. He did it, but there was no way in hell Zeke would ever prove it, Sam wouldn’t just take his word for it, he had already gotten away with it completely.
“You smug... little... traitor... piece of shit...” Ezekiel growled turning to glare at Luckas’ back as the young man passed him by towards the door, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and pulling him back with all his strength, causing him to fall to the floor.
Luckas felt himself be dragged backwards forcefully enough that he lost his balance and fell right on his ass. It barely bothered him. Zeke wanted to hurt him, he knew it, but he could barely be bothered to do anything but smile cheerfully up at the furious man. He was absolutely ecstatic and the man’s rage only made him feel more pleased with himself. “Now, now... Easy there man... You don’t really want to kill me, now... Do you?”

The following moments were an absolute blur. All Luckas could really do was protect his head from Zeke as he snapped at him and started to pour down furious blows to his torso. He wasn’t sure how long the man was at it before someone bursted through the library doors. Luke could catch a glimpse of Adam struggling to pull Zeke away from him. He could hear Sam was shouting things, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of laughter. Luckas had a vague awareness of the fact the laughter was his own, but he couldn’t really feel himself laughing... Or will himself to stop... When all went silent he wondered momentarily if he had managed to stop laughing or if he was slipping out of consciousness. The answer came to him within seconds as everything disappeared into a comforting darkness.

It was a while later when Luckas woke up in the sick ward... Again. The same lady in blue who tended to his stab wound was there, seeming very annoyed for seeing him again so soon, wordlessly wrapping tight bandages around his torso. She was just about done when Sam entered; she didn’t make a sound and Luckas couldn’t see her where she stood, but he could feel her presence in the air. “How much trouble am I in?” He mumbled, not trying to turn and face the woman, oddly enough deciding against disrupting the healer’s work. Silence lingered until the woman in blue seemed satisfied with her work, at which point she left closing the door behind her.

Once the door was closed Sam locked it, her green eyes were cold steel piercing right through Luckas as she stared at him in silence. Luckas didn’t hold her gaze for more than a few seconds, pretending to search around the room for his shirt. After a few moments Sam moved from the doorway to a chair near the bed. “Luckas... What the hell is your problem? What am I to do with you, huh?”
“What would you like to do with me... Mistress?” He whispered softly, turning to look her in the eyes.
“Don’t give me that.” She protested.
“If you’re calling me Luckas, then I have the right to be formal too, don’t I?” He asked, a fake polite tone in his voice.
“Fine, you got me... I know why I’m angry... Why are you?” Sam asked, looking at him with interest.
“I’m not angry.” Luckas shrugged, wincing a bit at the pain. “Except for the fact that you don’t let the blue woman heal me fully.”
“Your fractured ribs are all mended, you’ll be fine in a few days... Don’t be a baby.” Sam sighed. “What the hell happened in that library, Luckas?”
“Zeke accused me of killing his puppy and then beat the shit out of me.” Luckas stated, finding his shirt and slowly and painfully starting to slip it on. “I’m pretty sure he already told you all about it.”
“Ezekiel is being held in the dungeons at the moment. The only question is for how long and whether or not you should join him.” Sam stated calmly, staring at him as though awaiting an answer.
“I think those decisions are yours to make, aren’t they Mistress?” He responded, groaning as his head went through the collar of the shirt. “What do you want from me?”
“Lukey... Please stop... This is serious. Zeke’s accusations are serious ones. Especially the accusation that you smuggled a servant girl out of the Manor.”
“I don’t know about any Lesser girl, Sammy!” Luke retorted.
“Zeke sent her to get you when we were leaving for the party and the last anyone saw her was last night.” Sam stated calmly. “Granted, it could be that Gavin killed her as he claimed in his suicide letter... I don’t put it past him at all... I do have to admit that the timing though... It’s just suspicious.”
“I didn’t smuggle anyone out of the Manor, Sammy, I swear.” Luckas stated. “I was in my room the whole night last night. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”
“I was in my study all night, I had some things to reflect on... Fine, Lukey, I believe you.” She nodded, leaning back on her seat. “You didn’t tell me why you are angry though.”
“I said... I’m not angry.” Luckas retorted, looking away from her for a moment. “Lizzy told me what she was doing in Newhaven. The Council member she went there to silence... I recognized the voices of a few Councilmen when I accessed the city Warlord’s memories... You kept things from me, Sammy.”
“Yes, yes, I did keep things from you... My father’s businesses in Newhaven are... A mess we’re still trying to clean up; that’s why I sent Lizzy and Adam there to see the head of their Council... And remind him to keep quiet.” She paused, heaving a long sigh. “My father was making me build him an army to sell to the man in charge of the City at the time, Lukey... That’s why when I gave you and Matthew the imprint, your abilities were a bit more... Dangerous... Than it would be prudent. I was trying to give my father what he wanted, but I had never imprinted before. In doing this, Father exposed us greatly, several of the Councilmen were aware of their deal, once my father was eliminated I had to make sure they remained silent; some of them needed to be neutralized over the years... It’s possible George Bennett will be next.” She smiled. “No, you can’t go after him yourself... I don’t want you near Newhaven right now.”
“Fair enough.” Luckas agreed, not making any comments on the explanations Sam had given him about her father’s plans. “Tell me something though, Sammy... How did your father die exactly?”
“Well, Lukey... He was punched... In the throat... With a dagger... That’s how he died exactly.” Sam answered, her tone not making clear if she was serious or not. Slowly she rose from her seat and opened up a smile. “Take it easy Lukey... I Have to go deal some punishments now, but I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Sure Sammy.” Luckas chuckled. “Have fun with the punishing.”


=====================================================================

[Wolfpack Camp - One day after the Ball, early afternoon]

It was close to noon when Sean arrived at the Wolf’s camp after the party, soon enough he was surrounded by several assassins telling him of things that had happened while he was away. He really didn’t want to, but he listened to them all before finally managing to get some time to himself to organize his thoughts; once he had it though, he really didn’t know what to do with it as nothing he had to think about really made sense. The next day was spent mostly in the confines of his bedroom, cabin doors closed for the first time in a very long time, keeping track of the encampment and its movement through Franklin’s telepathic reports, not answering anyone’s calls. It was only when his sister knocked on the door that he answered, opening the door wordlessly to let her in and sitting on his bed to watch her close the door behind her and settling down a basket onto the office table. “Are you losing it, Sean?” She asked simply, sitting by the table. “I’m just wondering, you know... If you you’re going to maybe start running around naked wearing your pants as a hat... Or something...”
“Whoa, I lock my door for half a day and suddenly I’m naked wearing a pants-hat?” Sean laughed, shaking his head. “where do you get stuff like this from, huh?”
“Oh, I’m weird.” Katie smiled. “But I make you laugh at least. Here...” She started, pointing to the basket. “I brought you food... And booze... Everyone already thinks you’re getting drunk anyway.”
“Oh, well... Since my reputation is already ruined...” He chuckled, moving to sit by the table with his sister. “I’m not losing it, I think... I’m just reevaluating some things.” He mumbled, running his fingers through his hair and sighing. “Everything is just... Falling apart, Kate... And I’m not so sure I can do this anymore.”
Katelyn sighed, staring at her brother intently for a moment before pulling the bottle of liquor from the basket and pushing it towards him. “Sean... Tell me about mom.”
“Tell you about mom?” Sean mumbled, opening the bottle and taking a large gulp. “You are a lot like her, actually. She was way too kind, incredibly stubborn, and particularly talented in making me feel guilty for my wrongdoings... I don’t think I ever heard her raise her voice except for the night she died.”
“You still blame yourself, don’t you? You’re just never going to let this go...” Kate sighed, taking the bottle from his hands and taking a sip, coughing slightly as the alcohol burned its way down.
“If I hadn’t been there she would have fought him.” Sean stated simply, taking another swig.
“It probably wouldn’t have mattered. All the others fought him too... It didn’t save them.” Katie argued. “She wanted to protect you, why is it so hard for you to just accept that?”
Sean slammed his open palm on the table, nearly knocking over the bottle of alcohol and startling the girl. “I didn’t want her to protect me, I wanted her to fight! Even if it didn’t save her! She deserved a chance to fight! She didn’t have to die that way!” Sean sighed softly, lowering his head until his forehead was pressed against the wooden table. “Can we not talk about this anymore? I’t pointless.”
Katie sighed, taking another sip from the liquor bottle and reaching out to run her fingers through her brother’s hair in a soothing manner. “Sean, what would you do protect me?”
“What...” Sean turned his head so he could look up at his sister. “Kate... You know I’d do anything for you. I can’t stand the thought of you hurt. Why are you asking me this?”
“So that maybe you understand Sean... I think you need to, you know, forgive her, and move on from this... All this rage you’re holding inside is keeping you from seeing things clearly.” She sighed. “Listen, brother... Everything is falling apart, but so what? It’s not the first time things fall apart, it won’t be the last, and I know you... All the things you’ve done, Sean, they may have been questionable or just outright atrocious, but no one can deny the fact that no one else could have pulled off what you have. It took an insane amount of courage and discipline to take down an Alpha. Whatever is going on now, you’re going to find a way to get through it. You’re a fighter Sean, I know you didn't come this far to give up.”
Sean nodded slowly, taking in his sister’s words. Of course, Katie had a point; he’d gone too far to just give up now. He had sacrificed too much for that. “Kate... I need you to leave...”
“You want to be alone some more?” Kate asked, ruffling up his hair and leaning back in her seat.
Sean nodded, sitting up straight and facing his sister. “No. I meant I need you to leave the camp.” He stated. “You’re right, about mom and... I don’t know how or why just yet, but I’m sure things are going to get ugly soon and when it does... I need to fight, I can’t... I don’t want you to get hurt because of this.”
“I understand, Sean. I really do. That said... I’m not going anywhere. I’m not a child, and if things are going to get as ugly as you say, it doesn’t matter where I am. I won’t be safer with the healers than I would be with my family.” SHe took another sip from the bottle and smirked. “Besides, if I leave, who’s going to take care of you?”
“Hmmmph...” Sean mumbled. “Maybe I should take a wife then. Would that ease your conscience, sis?”
Katie shot him a playful glare. “No. It would not. Any woman crazy enough to marry you would probably just be cause for more concern.”
“Fair enough.” Sean laughed. “Fair enough, sis.” He fell silent for a moment, looking around the empty cabin. “What time is it now?”
“A couple of hours past noon. Why?” Katie asked.
“Do me a favor... Tell Franklin to make it so the children are all gathered at the diner at sundown for story time before bed and give the Actives and Instructors the night off.”
“Okay. I’ll tell him. Are we celebrating something?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow at him.
“Nah... I’m just letting them enjoy an evening before we start making some arrangements.”