Cain's Identity(27)

Cain stepped inside ahead of Marcus, while he clandestinely familiarized himself with his surroundings. He found himself in a large entry hall with a sweeping staircase leading to the upper floors, doors to rooms on the left and right, and walkways to either side of the staircase leading to the back of the house.
“Witch!” somebody screamed all of a sudden.
Cain cursed in frustration and whirled around. He saw how one of the two house guards leapt at Wesley, while Marcus tried to block him. All three tumbled to the ground.
In vampire speed Cain crossed the distance and pulled the attacker from the heap, gripping him by his shirt’s collar, then slammed him against the door frame, flashing his fangs at him.
“The witch is with me! You harm him, you’ll be dust.” Then he turned to the other house guard. “That goes for you, too.”
The vampire dropped his head obediently. Cain released the guard and set him back on his feet.
Meanwhile, Marcus had helped Wesley up. Wesley now dusted off his pants and readjusted his T-shirt. He took a step closer to the vampire who had attacked him.
“Jerk!” Wes ground out.
The vampire snarled.
“Shut it, Wes!” Cain ordered.
But before Cain could say anything else to reprimand the witch not to get too cocky, he heard footsteps of several people behind him.
The commotion at the door had obviously attracted the attention of the palace’s residents.
“What the fuck is going on here?” an authoritative voice demanded.
Slowly Cain turned and faced the man who’d spoken. The vampire was dressed in expensive designer clothes that gave him a sophisticated look. His hair was dark, his brown eyes piercing, his body muscular yet not beefy. Cain saw the resemblance immediately. He had no doubt: this was Abel, his brother.
Abel froze, his gaze locked on Cain. His chin dropped, his chest heaved, and for a moment nobody spoke.
“Cain.” The greeting was issued on a shaky breath and wrapped in disbelief. Abel took one hesitant step toward him. “But . . . we believed you were dead.” He blinked, seemingly composing himself. “Brother!”
Abel closed the distance between them. Instantly Thomas and Haven were by Cain’s side, ready to interfere if need be. Cain motioned them to stand down.
Abel glanced at the two then looked back at Cain. “Oh God, we missed you!” He opened his arms and pulled Cain into a hug.
Cain remained stiff until Abel finally stepped back and released him. “Abel,” he greeted him coolly.
“What happened to you?” Abel asked. “We all thought you’d been killed. Heck, there was evidence!”
Cain nodded. “I know. I killed one of the assassins, but the others took me prisoner and made it look like I was dead.”
His brother’s eyes widened. “Prisoner? Who took you? What did they do to you?” He eyed Haven and Thomas suspiciously, before his gaze fell onto Wesley. Abel inhaled visibly. “What the—”
Cain raised his hand. This was getting old pretty quickly. “They’re all with me.” He pointed to his friends, introducing them. “These are Thomas, Haven, and Wesley. All three were instrumental in my escape from that hole where they kept me and tortured me. Without Wesley’s magic I would have never survived. Nobody harms the witch.”
The lies rolled off his lips like water down a fast flowing stream. Emphasizing Wesley’s witchcraft and making him seem more powerful than he was had been Haven’s idea. It would make sure the vampires wouldn’t want to cross him and draw the witch’s wrath on them.
Abel inclined his head toward the men from Scanguards. “I’m grateful to you for bringing my brother home. Consider yourselves our guests.”
“They’re not guests, they’re my guards,” Cain corrected his brother with a firm voice. To reestablish his rule, he had to make sure Abel knew who wielded the power. He couldn’t show any weakness, not even for a second.
A perplexed expression spread on Abel’s face. “But you have your guards here.” He pointed to the men who’d brought him to the palace. “Surely you can’t possibly want to have strangers guard you.”
Cain narrowed his eyes. “The king’s guards guarded me before, and look what happened: I was kidnapped under their watch. I hope you don’t mind, my dear brother, that I’ve picked new guards to protect me.” He stared his brother down, leaving him with no doubt that his words weren’t meant to ask for permission, but to issue an order he expected to be followed without questioning.
“As you wish,” Abel finally said.
“Good, then . . .” Cain stopped himself.
A scent suddenly drifted to him. It was subtle, but nevertheless caused his heart to beat erratically. His entire body reacted to it because, unlike his mind, his body recognized the scent. He felt it in every cell of his being.