BloodBorne Ch. 01

"You are not strong enough."

"Fuck you. You don't know me." The boy fisted his hands as his temper intensified.

Liam continued to approach, unsure of how to step in. Hell, he should have gone home at this point; this was none of his business. But he hated seeing such a young child have to fend for himself against such a group of demons. There was a vulnerability in those brown eyes, a fear Liam knew well. The boy had something to lose.

Liam was only a few feet away when the attack started. One moment the boy was yelling and the next, he was launched backward as one of the Dickindron demons punched him back. Shock kept him on the ground for only a moment before he kicked himself up and resumed his role as a fighter. The boy didn't waste a second of opportunity as he stepped forward to deliver a right hook to the nearest demon. The other demons wasted no time jumping into the fight. A particularly large Dickindron demon on the left tried to connect a right hook, but the boy had quick reflexes; he grabbed the arm aimed at him and pulled the demon forward. At the same time, he pulled a long dagger from the demon's waistband and quickly spun into the opponent. A second later, the demon's blood coated the boy's back as he thrust the blade into its neck. An ear-piercing yell sounded as the other demons rushed forward. The sound pulled Liam out of his shocked stupor. He spurred forward to help and grabbed two demons by the scruff of their necks. He pulled them back, knocking their heads together in the process, then kicked back a third demon that rushed after him. Liam threw the two unconscious demons to the side a second before knocking his wrists together. The action caused his protractible wrist blades to shoot out in time to slice open the neck of the demon he kicked back. He heard shouts from a forming crowd and cursed inwardly at the attention that had been attracted. He continued to fight, forcing his way toward the young boy who showed no mercy as he used the demon knife to slice through every single one of the group that tried to attack.

Liam spun around to strike when he felt hands on his back. Momentary shock made him pause as he looked up into the bruised face of the Wantalon demon the young boy fought inside. The demon's focus was the boy and Liam was sure that it wanted the chance to take him down. He was proved wrong when the Wantalon viciously snapped the necks of the two demons poised to attack the young boy's back. If Liam was confused by the Wantalon's actions, he was given clarity the second the demon quickly shifted forms to a tall man. Tribal markings on his face and arms identified him as a Magori demon, demons known for their shape-shifting abilities. Abilities Wantalon demons did not possess.

The little shit really did cheat.

There was no time to yell about the fight he'd been thrust into; Liam continued to fight the demons surrounding him and the boy. He uppercut a particularly fierce Dickindron using his wrist blades to pierce the bottom of the demon's chin. Death was instant.

The boy's shout of pain forced Liam to turn right and watch a Dickindron demon pull an identical blade to the one the boy held out of the child's shoulder. An unbelievable wave of rage shot through Liam as he rushed forward. One roundhouse and a wrist blade to accent a hard back arm swing had the demon clutching its neck as it died. The Magori demon stepped in to fight back two more of the demons. He fought bare handed and ignored the slices that connected with his flesh. His goal seemed to be focused on getting to the boy. His goal also left him open. With an aggravated growl, Liam pushed harder to protect the Magori's back. Three demons would have killed the Magori had Liam not stepped in. "Mind your fucking surroundings!" he shouted to the absentminded fighter. The warning only served to distract the Magori; he turned away from the fight to look toward Liam and it was then that a predatory Dickindron demon shoved its blade deep inside the fighter's chest. There was a still moment of shock as realization of what was happening hit the young boy. In a matter of seconds, the naive excitement that brightened the boy's eyes faded and was replaced by a dark rage too advanced for his young age. A malicious fighter emerged, viciously slaughtering the remainder of the demons that had joined the fight Liam continued to help, but the shock of the boy's radical change made him slack. The remainder of the fight was quick, and once he was sure that there was nothing else to kill, Liam rushed forward, grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him through the throng of spectators to his car. "What in the fuck were you thinking, cheating at a Dymos?" He barely looked around as he opened the car door and shoved the boy inside. There was no telling how many more demons were around, ready to tear them to shreds and Liam was not in the mood for round three. He was quick to get into the driver's side of the car and get moving. "Are you just dumb or stupid? Those Dickindron demons had every right to try to skin you alive. Don't you know what would have happened if I wasn't there to save your stupid ass? What if it was a Rotma demon? Or a Treveon?" Liam shook his head as he pictures the fight with the two vicious demon breeds. The kid wouldn't have had a chance.

Liam glanced over to the boy and frowned at the quiet wide-eyed passenger. "Hey." There was no response. Wonderful; the idiot child was in shock. "Hey, kid." Nothing. Liam growled in frustration as he stopped at a red light. It was times like this he wished he smoked; he needed something to ease the tension knotting his stomach. Yelling wouldn't help; they boy remained seemingly catatonic. This would have been the perfect time to have his brother Caleb on hand; his ability of telepathy would have afforded a look into the boy's mind. "I'm not going to keep driving you around until you snap out of it, so you'd better start talking." Liam sighed when there was no audible response but he did lift a brow when the boy quietly turned his head to look at him. The agony in those brown eyes caused an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. "What's your name?" Liam didn't expect an answer and wasn't given one.

What the hell was he supposed to do? Liam grunted in frustration as he continued to drive. "Can you at least tell me where you live?" The last thing he wanted was to chauffer a catatonic child around town all night. He stared at the quiet streets of the suburban part of town, at the simple houses filled with people ignorant to the kind of life he lead. Those people wouldn't survive a minute in his life. He'd probably be bored to tears in theirs. "I'm not fucking driving until you say something to me." He glanced at the boy in time to see the flash of rage in his eyes. At least the little shit wasn't completely catatonic.

There was only one thing to do. With another frustrated grunt, Liam spun the car around and headed toward the only logical place to take the boy. Fortunately, it wasn't a long drive from this particular part of town. The boy shifted his attention to the quiet streets; Liam figured he'd never seen the affluent sector of town. What else was there to be expected; humans that participated in Dymos' never came from well-off families. The fights were quick money, even if it did mean certain death in most cases. Whatever money was won went to whatever vices competitors had. In the boy's case, his vice had to be clothing; custom leather pants, not cargos as Liam originally thought, did not come cheap. Neither did imported fighting boots. This boy wasn't the amateur Liam thought he was.

He was simply a cheater.

"I can't believe you'd fucking cheat," Liam mumbled, "I risked my ass for you." There was still no answer and the frustration that rushed over him made him push down on the gas. As much as he wanted to relieve himself of the burden the boy put on him, he couldn't leave the child on his own. Within a half hour, he had his car parked and sat back in his seat. This wasn't what he was looking for when he decided to look in on the Dymos. He'd get one hell of a lecture for that; another for ignoring his brother, one more for joining a fight that wasn't his concern and countless more for bringing the little shit home. "Fuck it." He was already screwed. He might as well get it over with.

Liam was quick to exit the car and walk around to the passenger side. The boy was in a deep sleep, a result of the protection spell put on the grounds to keep enemies at bay. He didn't bother to wake the boy, merely opened the door and lifted him out. It was easier this way. Liam quickly carried the sleeping boy inside and through the empty kitchen, then down the hall. Quiet murmurs led him to the solarium, the normal location of his brothers at this time of night. Seated in the high-backed chair near the blazing fireplace was Alexis, the unspoken head of the family. He only raised a brow at the sight of Liam and his guest and closed the book he held in his hands.

"What did you do this time?"

Liam only narrowed his eyes at Draco, the outspoken brother seated on the chaise. Instead of answering, he moved toward the chaise and placed the bruised and bleeding boy on it. Draco was quick to move and aided in repositioning the boy's body.

"What happened?" Alexis asked.

Liam crouched beside the chaise as he pulled off his gloves. "I went to a Dymos. The kid fought a Wantalon."

"And won?" Draco asked. He was amazed that a skinny boy could defeat such a demon.

"Yes, he won." Liam took the boy's hands in his and allowed his healing abilities to take over. He felt the rush of power go over him and through his hands before flowing into the boy's body. "Dickindron demons cornered him outside and accused him of cheating."

"Did he?" Alexis asked.

"What do you think?" Liam replied. His brothers remained silent, allowing him the opportunity to concentrate on his work. It took a few minutes, but finally, he'd managed to heal the wounds and bruises. A weakened breath later, he looked down at the child and nodded in satisfaction at seeing the color return to his olive skin.

"He has some balls," Draco murmured. He stared down at the boy and appreciated the fine lines that sculpted the angular face. A strong face. "You actually helped him?"

"Don't ask me why."

"What are you going to do with him?"

"Fuck if I know, Drake." Liam stood and crossed his arms over his chest. He moved to stand beside the fireplace to distance himself from the situation. "Wait for him to wake up and take him home."

"Simple enough," Draco said on a shrug.

Liam glanced at Alexis, who seemed transfixed with the boy's arm. It was then that Liam noticed the nearly flesh colored marks that marred his skin. "What the fuck is that?"

"I've seen that mark before." The intricate series of semicircles covering the skin of the boy's arm from shoulder to wrist almost looked like a maze. At just a shade darker than the boy's skin, each semicircle bled into another, interlocking in a pattern too complex for even the most talented tattoo artists.

"Where, Lex?"

"I can't place it."

"Well that's just fucking nice," Liam mumbled, "It probably doesn't even mean anything. Just a stupid mark on a stupid child."

"You don't even know him," Draco defended.

"Thanks."

The men shifted their attention to the chaise where the boy struggled to sit up, muttering every Spanish profanity known to man. Liam was tempted to step forward and help, but told himself that the child could take care of himself.

"Where the fuck is this place?"

"Oh, so now you can speak." Liam shook his head slowly, ignoring the way the boy cautiously rubbed the back of his neck. The little shit didn't even look scared; not that he had reason to be, but Liam figured that waking in a strange place would put anyone on the defensive. He looked at the boy closely, noticing his slow reaction to his surroundings. The boy looked around the modestly lavish room and for a moment seemed as if he wondered if he was dreaming. It was entirely possible considering the fact that he'd probably never seen such wealth before. He was good at masking his true feelings, Liam noticed, and went so far as to study his brothers closely. At Draco's odd stare, the boy only raised a brow. When their eyes made contact, Liam was surprised to find that he identified with an unspoken secret in the boy's brown eyes. It was almost as if his thoughts were on the brink being revealed, but were held back and only seen in his eyes. Those were the eyes of a fighter, a survivor. The eyes of purpose.

It was difficult for Liam to mask his surprise at the dangerous scowl the little shit gave Alexis. Who did the little asshole think he was? Had anyone other than his brother received that look, Liam might have smiled like a proud father. But it was his brother, and he wouldn't stand for it. "Fix your fucking face." He narrowed his eyes when the boy shifted that scathing glare at him and quickly stepped forward, ready to show the little prick how to respect his hosts.

"Liam, back down," Alexis calmly ordered. He continued to stare at the boy's arm, ignorant to the angry glares shot his way. "I've seen those marks before." He shifted his focus to the surprised brown eyes that still somehow managed to glare and simply raised a brow in reaction. "You are no ordinary human."

"You don't know shit about me."

Liam watched as the boy shot up. His eyes darted around the room, searching for the quickest exit. The panic in his young eyes didn't seem in character with what he knew about the piece of shit so far. "I know that you need to sit the fuck back down before I make you." Liam almost laughed in shock when the boy actually seemed willing to make him follow through with his threat. The dare in the boy's eyes was admirable.

"Liam, can't you see that-" Alexis shifted his shocked eyes to the boy as realization seeped in. "You're Esmali."

"What the fuck is that?" Liam asked. While he'd been alive for centuries, there was still much about the paranormal world he did not know, mostly because he couldn't be bothered to sit and read as Alexis always did.

Alexis stared at the boy for a long moment before simply saying, "The Esmali are a huge umbrella of guardians. Which sect do you belong to?"

"If you don't know, you don't need to know, Scarface." The man's, Alexis' brow quirked again, which caused the sickle-shaped mark on the side of his face to tighten. The serious set to his face seemed permanent, almost scary in its intensity. The disarray of his brown-black hair did nothing to take away from the tone of his aura, but it did enhance a straight nose and semi-thin lips. He had a nice goatee and mustache that made him seem European in a way, but at the same time made him look the part of a western cowboy. Alexis also had an odd skin tone; while not pale, he couldn't be called tan either.

"We kind of do," Draco replied. He stepped closer to Alexis as move to remain physically relevant in the conversation.

"Say's who, baldy?" The reaction was priceless; his black eyes went wide with shock as he unconsciously ran a hand over his bare head. The nostrils of his thick nose flared and his lips thinned in a pensive line. The feature only emphasized his cream-and-coffee skin as he stared. He looked very different from the one called Liam who had bright red hair and very pale skin. "Why don't you take a picture? It lasts longer."

"Says three members of The Brethren," Liam answered. He almost smiled at the disbelieving look the boy shot him. Yes, it was time the arrogant little bastard realized that he was with giants.

"You're the infamous Brethren?" The redhead's bright blue eyes gleamed in pride. "The half High Council demon fighters that make things that go bump in the night shit their pants?" Liam nodded and his strong, square shaped face seemed to glow happily at the recognition. He needed that perfect nose of his punched in. After shifting focus to stare at the three men in the room for a few moments, only one thing could be said. "Well, that's just disappointing."

"Excuse me?" Liam murmured dangerously.

"I mean the biggest of the bad is supposed to shit bricks when you're around. I don't see why."

"You don't see why?" Liam knew that he was flushed with anger. How could he not be when the little- "Well how about I show you why you little dumb-ass, can't-win-a-fight-fairly, piece-of-shit little boy!"

"You really don't want to fuck with me, right now, Carrot Top."

Liam ignored the slow and calculating way the boy stood up from his seat. He was ready to lunge. Good. The asshole needed to learn a lesson. "While I am not a fan of ruining my own work, I am going to enjoy beating the shit out of you."

"Liam, dude, he's a kid," Drake protested. A very rude and curious kid, but a kid nonetheless.

"A spanking's just not going to cut it." He matched the boy's threatening step forward, ready to engage in the impending battle.

"Enough!" Alexis quickly took control of the tense situation by stepping between Liam and the boy. "You know better," he said to Liam.

"The son of a bitch-"

"I have a name and it's neither 'piece of shit' nor 'son of a bitch,' Cabrón."

"It should be," Liam said with a grin. As much as he wanted to pummel the child, he couldn't help but appreciate his nerve.

"Fuck off, Caspar."

Alexis held up his hand for silence before Liam could reply. "What is your name?"

"Xan."

"Well met. I am Alexis."

"Yeah."

"I'm Draco," Drake said as he stepped forward. "But you can call me Drake"

"What I'll call you is 'eyeless' if you keep staring at me like that."

"Like what?" Drake asked innocently.

"Don't play with me."

"Xan, I'm sure you're already familiar with-"

"Liam. Yea, stalkerazzi over there said his name already. Listen, are we done here? I have someone waiting for me at home."

"Liam will drive you."

"I'd rather crawl through poison coated glass shards."

Alexis only turned his head enough to stare into defiant brown eyes. Xan was determined to win, but no one was immune to Alexis' deep stare. No one. Alexis fixed the child with a harrowing gaze, searching for the moment when he could take no more. It didn't take long for him to get his way.

"Fine, he can take me home. But if he comes back dead, you have no one to blame but yourself."

Liam shook his head in exasperation as he waited for Draco to stop laughing. He motioned toward the exit and waited for Xan to pass him before saying, "That little shit's death is on your hands."

"You could have left it to the Dickindron demons."

"I'd like to get back home before I go grey."

Liam grumbled low in his chest as he stormed out of the solarium. He'd be happy to have the little bastard out of his hair. This night served him right for going to the Dymos. "I should've just gone home," he said as he stormed into the garage and into his car. He would have been spared this headache of a boy. He didn't bother to glance over to the passenger seat; it might lead to Xan saying something that would start another argument. And with Alexis far enough away...

Liam slowly shook his head as he started the car. ___________________________________

So I'm back - kind of. This installment still isn't completed but I thought it would be unfair to keep you guys waiting any longer. As always, your votes and comments make my little world go round.