[ Gabriel ]
Waiting in the shadows of the buildings, Gabriel’s striking form couldn’t really keep him inconspicuous. He lowered his head and moved closer to the alley, but passersby still glanced at him and did a double-take, cheeks blushing.
But he didn’t pay them any mind, more irritated at their attention as he blanked them further, focusing solely on what was happening at the hunter’s HQ, remaining on standby, listening carefully.
The moment he saw his brother descend from the edge of the rooftop, Damon and Esme dashed into the building. They, too, were listening to all that had transpired in there. He watched his little she-wolf a moment longer, worry pinching his brows together, though his eyes softened as he remembered Esme could take care of herself.
Cassius landed elegantly on the pavement; he adjusted his cufflinks and straightened his suit jacket, though the blood coating his sleeves and splattered across his attire and lengthy white hair certainly stood out. Gabriel glanced around. What was his brother doing?
The city was teeming with humans, rushing to and from places like work, meetings or late lunch. A few gave Cassius a wide berth, continuing conversations on their phones and accepting whatever the bloodied man had done; others, however, stopped and stared. One woman even stepped up to him, asking if he was okay.
His brother smiled at her charmingly, using a hint of compulsion in his voice as he responded, and she left, asking no further questions.
But that didn’t stop people from gawking and getting their phones out to either take a video or photo or..
Gabriel snatched the phone out of a man’s hand, instantly declining the call to the emergency services before it dialled through and connected. "Continue with your day. There is nothing here to see worth noting. Forget you saw us," Gabriel compelled the man, and not just him; the vampire pushed his powers out to those surrounding them without looking at them.
People put their phones away at once and continued, not even looking in Cassius and Gabriel’s direction.
"Aww, thanks, bro!" Cassius slung his arm over Gabriel’s shoulder. He immediately shook it off, glaring at him and his outfit. Cassius pouted and then smirked, finding delight in irritating him. It was behaviour he was once used to, but a long time ago.
"What are you doing?" He hissed, glancing at their surroundings again at the new set of people walking their way and stopping. "Get out of sight!"
Cassius chuckled, looking at him in amusement and began walking back towards the Hunters Association Headquarters. Dumbfounded by his brother’s lack of attention, Gabriel strode after Cassius, stopping in front of him. Cassius despised him for what he did to Amelia, to what he did to him, so how was he so quickly turning his back on him?
"I thought you wanted me out of sight?" Cassius stepped towards him, tilting his head to the side, lowering his voice and drawling. "Or have you come here to distract me, brother?"
Gabriel didn’t fall for his little trick. He mirrored Cassius, tilting his head to the side. "Now, why would I do that?"
A grin spread across Cassius’ lips, his eyes lighting up with a malicious gleam, directing it towards the sky. No, towards the building. "I don’t know.. you tell me." His eyes remained on the rooftop. Gabriel followed his line of sight and expanded his mind, listening with shock and horror as Aila’s wolf was trying to fight through Aila’s foggy mind.
"Stop! It’s our mate!" Malia screamed through Aila’s mind, but it only echoed back like her wolf had been shut out by an invisible metallic wall.
Aila had lost herself to bloodied memories and couldn’t hear Malia telling her to stop. Her mind was hazy and full of blood lust so strong Gabriel could almost feel the sensation here now.
"What have you done?!" Gabriel hissed, grabbing Cassius’ collar and pulling him towards his face, snarling.
"Easy on the shirt, Gabe." Gabriel tightened his hold, knowing it would crinkle and piss his brother off even more. Cassius sighed and looked at him through bored eyes. "I set Aila free. Her vengeance and desire for blood.. it needed letting out."
Gabriel released Cassius’ shirt as his crystal blue eyes flicked between his brothers. "You knew we were here.." He didn’t need to mention Damon. Cassius knew already. "You didn’t.. brother.. Aila wouldn’t do that to.."
"To her mate? Oh, I don’t know about that. We will see.." Cassius straightened his shirt, sighing at the mistreatment of the fabric, as though he hadn’t set a mated pair on each other.
Of course, Cassius knew Damon and the rest of the gang had been following them. He waited and schemed. Cassius was nonchalant at Gabriel’s sudden appearance because it wasn’t sudden at all; he had planned it. He wanted Damon gone so he could claim her wholly.
Gabriel’s lips twisted in disgust; he didn’t know how his brother had turned into this. He did. He was to blame. "You have no idea how mates are, Cass. If she ends up killing him, she will despise herself, possibly even kill herself, and she will loathe you. Aila’s not dumb; she’d work it out that it was all a part of your plan."
"I won’t let her kill-"
"She is NOT AMELIA!" Gabriel roared, his voice bouncing off the buildings. "Let her go, Cass. Whatever this is-"’
Cassius burst into a peal of laughter with a slight tinge of madness before he stopped, wiping at his eye. "Amelia has nothing to do with this. Ah, it’s a wonder how much you’ve forgotten from the past. Before we were on earth, that is." He waved his hand nonchalantly like Gabriel’s memories were not so bothersome.
It was only recently that Gabriel remembered his past, the past where Gabriel and Cassius lived among the gods. In fact, they were gods. But what did the underworld have to do with this?
"This though.. this is for Amelia." Cassius struck Gabriel’s face, his head whipped to the side, and he took a step back, accepting his brother’s violence. "Did you think I came all the way here only to help Aila’s revenge? Come now, Gabriel. I’ve never been that simple."
He raised his fist again, but this time Gabriel blocked it. "Are you saying you wanted to lure me out, brother?" He asked, dodging another swipe, grabbing Cassius’ wrist and flipping him to the pavement.
People scattered from the scene of the two brothers as Cassius lunged towards Gabriel’s legs and tackled him to the ground, shattering the pavement beneath them before climbing over him and wrapping his hands over Gabriel’s throat.
"I don’t give a damn about Amelia now," Cassius spat, his fingers tightening, cutting off Gabriel’s airways. "You locked me in a tomb. A tomb! My own brother!"
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Gabriel shoved Cassius off him just as he released his neck. The pair stood again, facing each other, eyes locked on the other. Both glaring at the other.
"You deserved it," Gabriel replied simply, though his gaze was murderous. "I do not care if you loved her before me or you simply fancied and fucked one another. YOU hurt me, broke my trust, and put that whore before me." He zipped forwards, punching Cassius in the chest, causing him to fly back into a wall. Cracks began to splinter through the surface where the vampire’s body moulded into it.
"MY brother," Gabriel snarled; he strolled towards him, his steps echoing softly against the pavement, his hands in his pockets, uncaring now of onlookers. They’d already made a scene, and it wasn’t something he could simply compel away now. "Amelia brought out the worst in you.. And she wasn’t even your mate.
After killing her, I knew you’d be nothing but trouble and the hunters would find you and kill you in your sorry state."
He leaned over Cassius, who watched him silently, no sneer, no amusement, eyes open, listening to Gabriel. "You deserved it.. And I saved your sorry ass from becoming.." he scoffed, looking him up and down. "This. Because you’re my brother." His lips pulled back at that, fangs glinting, but he composed himself once more.
Cassius was silent for a moment before pushing off the ground and patting himself off the dust, avoiding Gabriel’s searing gaze. "I find myself at a loss for words, Gabe. I was not expecting an explanation.. I lured you out here, you see.." He flicked his gaze at him, holding his stare. "Because you’d be nothing but trouble until I complete what I came here to do."
Gabriel frowned. "And what is it you plan to do, pray tell, dearest brother?"
Cassius smirked, his usual arrogance returning before his eyes flicked over Gabriel’s shoulder. "That is a story for another time," he murmured, his attention still behind Gabriel, and he nodded once.
Gabriel looked behind him and froze, eyes widening as he tried to move against an invisible force. Red electrical bands of magic formed around his arms and legs. He looked up to see a man holding his hand into a claw, the same reddish glow formed into a ball. A warlock. He was trapped inside his magic.
"Meet Zephyr, or Zeph. I’m sure you’ll have plenty to talk about." Cassius stepped around him, careful not to get too close to him. Gabriel kept struggling against these restraints, but the only sign he was trying was the bulging of his muscles and the strain ticking in his jaw. "And I’m doing this because you’re MY brother."