Cursed Brothers I: Legend

Cursed Brothers I:

Legend

By Emily Cooper

Copyright 2011, Inspired Productions and Emily Cooper.

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4276-5329-1

This is a work of fiction. None of the characters portrayed herein represent actual people, living or deceased. Reproduction or transcription of this work in any form, electrical or mechanical, other than short quotations in conformity with the Fair Use provisions of United States copyright law, is prohibited unless authorized by the publishers, Inspired Productions and Emily Cooper. To contact the publisher or the author, please visit the Inspired Productions website at http://www.inspiredproductions.wordpress.com. Also discover additional titles by Emily Cooper at Smashwords.com:

Magia! – http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/44323

Nicole Sastasha and the Kingdom of Anasazi - http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/77690

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When Trent realized that Jake was not going to make the first move, he lunged. Jake ducked under his arm and waited for Trent to attack again. Trent was happy to oblige; he sent another swing, but Jake dodged it again.

Aren’t you going to fight? taunted Trent. He threw another punch and, just as Jake ducked under, Trent grabbed hold of Jake’s hood with his other hand. He pulled back on it as hard as he could, making Jake jolt to a halt before crashing to the ground flat on his back. Jake was too surprised to react in time to dodge Trent’s punch. His lip exploded, but he rolled, knocking Trent to the ground.

Page 68

Prologue

We all know of the Nosferatu, as well as the Lycanthrope . . .

Yet we misunderstand something that would change our opinion of them. In old stories, it is said that they were immortal enemies that were created only to destroy each other in a never-ending war. While in reality, the nossie and lycan clan were family. Long ago, there lived two men: Damian and Matthias Covyre; they were brothers. Being twins, they were entirely different from one another. It was written that they both wanted to become extremely powerful, but Matthias was more interested in living forever, while Damian only wanted to defeat any who opposed him. While searching for their ambitions, they came upon a dark spirit that promised he would be able to give them all of their dreams. Thinking their patience and determination had paid off, they believed that a god had come down from the heavens to reward them. However, they were fooled. It was not a god offering promises to them, but a demon. The demon kept his promise, in exchange for their proof that they were worthy of such powers. The brothers brought mountains of gifts to the demon until he granted their wishes. The Covyre’s senses were heightened to the point that they were half human. Matthias was able to live forever, but only if he drank the blood of his brother. Damian gained the power to turn into a beast that all men would fear, but he had to be careful not to change unintentionally in case he lost control of his animal instinct. Of course, Matthias could not drink the blood of his brother, who was the first lycan, but, instead, he fed on the blood of others. It did not make him live forever, but by drinking blood, he was able to live longer than most humans ever could. Matthias became the first nossie. At first, the brothers were happy with their new beings, but soon, they realized that they had been deceived. When they sought out the devil who had tricked them, however, he was not anywhere to be found. It was then that the brothers made a pact of secrecy. If the people were to find out what they had become, they would face a whole world of enemies. It was then that they realized that it was not only a blessing; it was a curse.

Chapter One

Beginning

Stephanie entered the hospital with more than just butterflies swarming in her stomach. Beside her were her husband, Jack, and his parents. They had come to support her as well. Several months previously, Stephanie had learned that she was pregnant with a boy. Now, she was getting ready to check into the hospital, knowing that she should be going into labor any day now.

Jack wrapped his arm around her, comforting her nerves. It would be a lie to say that Jack was not nervous. This would be their first child and he knew that it would be difficult. He wondered if he had been trouble for his parents. Besides the usual obstacles of raising a child, this family was . . . more complicated. Their lineage consisted of ‘supernatural’ beings. John, Jack’s father, was a nossie. Also, Meredith, Jack’s mother, was a nossie.

Not all of the myths and lore of the nosferatu, or lycanthrope clan for that matter, are true. For instance, the only way you can become a nossie, or lycan – you know them by the name of vampyre and were-wolf – is if you are either bitten by one, born as one, or, in Matthias and Damian’s cases, dealt with the devil.

Another myth would be about the sleeping in coffins, being destroyed by the sun, unintentionally changing at the full moon, unusually sharp teeth all the time, etc. Even though nossies no longer sleep in coffins, they still like to sleep in absolute darkness. The sun will not physically burn them to death, but it can be very deadly if a nossie was to get too much of it. The rays from the sun can weaken a nossie to the point of exhaustion, so they make sure to stay out of it as much as possible. Lycans have also evolved so that they are in complete control of when they change, sort of. If they were to lose control, if they were angry, then it would be very difficult to stay in their human form. For nossies, their teeth are retractable, meaning that they can choose when to show their fangs.

Anyway, back to the story. Things became even more unbearable once they had checked in and were waiting in the hospital room for the doctor to show up. Since the existence of both the nosferatu and lycanthrope clan was not known, nossies and lycans had to make their own ‘special’ hospital for their kind. The hospital was hidden on a private property, looking like any normal mansion. Of course, it was like that on purpose to ensure no humans would snoop about. Even though they had nothing to worry about, it was still very nerve racking.

John and Meredith waited close by. John looked young for his age and the same went for Meredith, as well. As you might have guessed, being a nossie and drinking blood that enabled you to live a longer life, would do that to you. Also, being nossies, they had all the protection needed from the sun. They wore long pants, long sleeve shirts, a jacket of some sort, gloves, closed-toed shoes, sunglasses, and a hat. Some might think this strange in the summertime, but it was understandable considering it was fall.

Meredith brushed some of her curly, golden, shoulder length hair out of her face as she heard someone approaching their room. Beside her, John shifted anxiously. His short, dark hair had started turning gray from the stress of becoming a grandfather. He looked through his wife’s sunglasses to see the brilliant dark green eyes. She gave him a smile as she returned his gaze. Meredith remembered that his eyes were the first thing that caught her attention. They were a deep blue, almost purple. It was then that she knew he was the one; you could have said it was love at first sight.

On the bed, Stephanie took in a deep breath and instinctively placed her hand on her large stomach. Jack was sitting next to her, so he did not have difficulty noticing her movement. He, too, placed his hand on her stomach, over her nearly trembling fingers.

It’ll be ok, he whispered.

Stephanie gazed up into his dark brown eyes and knew that he was trying to be strong for her. Jack then gave her hand a little squeeze. He hated to see her look so uneasy. She had always looked confident with her waist long, silky, blonde hair and tender, pale, light blue eyes. If not for her, he would have probably married a lycan considering he was one.

At first, John and Meredith had not approved. However, when they had seen how much he truly loved her, they decided that they were, indeed, meant for each other.

The doctor arrived seconds later and did a few quick tests to see if Stephanie was completely healthy. He then asked some questions and was on his way again, assuring them all that this will be a perfect birth and that nothing should go wrong.

A couple of days later, Stephanie went into labor. She had it hard, but she stayed strong and gave birth a few hours later. Stephanie’s parents had been killed years previously, but she knew that they would have wanted to be there. Jack and Stephanie had decided on a name for him several months before they had come to the hospital and, proud, Stephanie gave him his name: Samuel Covyre.

It did not take them long to figure out that Sam was a lycan. Even though he was not able to turn into a full wolf when he was an infant, his eyes would turn bright yellow like a wolf’s when he got angry. Thankfully, his natural eye color was hazel, so there was not a huge difference. Besides his eyes, Jack could tell that Sam took after his father. He had a small tuft of dark hair and slightly pointed nose. Jack knew it would be hard to train Sam not to lose control as a toddler, or a teen for that matter.

Neither Stephanie, nor Jack had thought it would take so much work to take care of a baby. Sam was pretty much like any other infant who cried whenever he needed something, except for the fact that he had a slightly different appetite.

Since Sam was a lycan, he had a craving for meat. Of course, you could not give a baby something as difficult as meat to consume. Instead, the lycan pediatricians highly recommended something similar to baby food, also made by lycans. However, the baby food contained highly liquefied, still-bloodied, meat; it would have to satisfy Sam until his baby teeth came in.

As Sam grew older, he became more aware of his surroundings. When his baby teeth came in, he was able to eat real meat, which made him happy. Around that same time, he was able to say a few words and stumble around on his own.

Of course, Sam could now turn into a little wolf cub if he got angry enough and Jack struggled to try and teach Sam to control himself. As you might expect, trying to teach something so important to a child who had only celebrated one birthday was pretty impossible. Stephanie and Jack just hoped that Sam would grow to understand the dangers.

Jack had no trouble remembering the first day that Sam had been able to change; it made him feel so proud. Sam was out playing in the back yard, under their supervision, of course, and Sam had tripped over a rock. Stephanie and Jack rushed over to him as he began to cry, holding his right knee. Since Sam had landed on cement, Jack and Stephanie were not surprised when they smelt blood in the air.

Just when they began to look over his knee, Sam’s wet eyes flashed a bright yellow. This did not surprise them. What did surprise them was the hair that began to quickly engulf Sam’s body, his bones cracking as they transitioned. A few seconds later, Jack quickly scooped up the little wolf cub in one of his hands, preventing him from pouncing on the rock that had tripped him up.

After a few minutes of rubbing Sam’s back, Jack was successful in calming him down. Stephanie grew worried, wondering if Sam knew how to turn back into his human form. However, Jack knew the area of expertise and helped Sam through the transition back. Then they would be able to take care of Sam’s knee.

It was around this time that Stephanie learned she was pregnant with a baby boy once more. It became even more difficult to help take care of Sam because of how exhausted she became. Luckily, John and Meredith, Jack’s parents, were happy to help them out.

To them, it seemed like no trouble at all to watch their growing grandson. After all, it was their duty to spoil him, was it not?

About eight and a half months later, the family went to the secret hospital for nossies and lycans. While John and Meredith watched over Sam in the waiting room, Jack and Stephanie waited for the doctor in one of the many rooms of the hospital. With nothing to worry about, Stephanie knew she should not be so nervous as the doctor put her through the tests that told him she was perfectly healthy.

However, Stephanie went into labor about a week before her due date, making her begin to stress. She knew that she had felt unwell, convinced that they should stay at the hospital in case something happened.

John and Meredith had been back and forth from the hospital, taking care of Sam. However, when they heard that Stephanie was going into labor, they quickly got Sam ready to go to the hospital. Sam was so excited that he would be a big brother and wanted to see him right that moment. Of course, he had to wait another hour or so before he was able to.

As they walked into the hospital room, Sam quickly walked over to the bed in which Stephanie was lying, holding her baby in her arms. Jack was right beside her, looking on full of love and pride. Sam did not hesitate in walking over to stand in front of his brother, kissing him on the forehead. Stephanie and Jack had never seen a sight so beautiful before. They knew that Sam would be a good older brother.

Jack had suggested naming their new baby boy Jacob since it was tradition to keep a ‘J’ name in the family. Stephanie and Sam liked the name very much, so it was settled.

It was not difficult to find out that Jacob Covyre had turned out to be a nossie. So, they needed to be very careful and make sure that he stayed away from the sun as much as possible.

Sam became the sunlight police, ensuring that Jake was always properly covered from the evil rays. Stephanie often thought that it was comical, but knew that Sam was only looking out for him. He would be the best older brother, after all, and Jake would have nothing to worry about for a long time.

Jake’s infancy was not as difficult as Sam’s because he only craved blood. Since it was a liquid, Stephanie had no trouble in giving it to him. Of course, it was also important that Stephanie gave him milk, so she made sure that he had plenty of each.

As the boys grew, Stephanie and Jack, as well as Meredith and John, noticed that Sam and Jake acted completely different from one another. While Sam did whatever he wanted, acting like a wild child most of the time, Jake was calm. He was very observant while he was an infant. Stephanie noticed that he was also a fast learner. His vocabulary had a greater range than Sam’s had been, and he was able to walk more gracefully.

Sometimes, they would just watch as Sam and Jake played out in the back yard. One day, however, Jack could not help but join in. Stephanie could not figure out why it is so awesome for a father to wrestle around with his boys. For some reason, the sight was perfect.

Jake was two and a half and Sam had turned four a couple of months previously when Stephanie realized that she was pregnant for the third time. It was hard enough raising two special boys, but it seemed harder now that she knew another was on the way. She knew that this would be their last child, and Jack agreed. They had their hands full, even though Jack’s mom and dad would help out all the time. They were a great big happy family.

The whole matter changed when they found out Stephanie was pregnant with a girl. This made them excited for the new challenge. Sam and Jake were especially excited to have a little sister. They could hardly repress it when they left for the hospital.

It was boring at first because they had to wait for their mom to go through all of the tests that informed the doctor of her health. Luckily, they were able to entertain themselves.

She was born perfectly healthy without any difficulties and they all waited to see her. Stephanie was so happy that she had a little girl. She named their daughter Natalie, after her mother.

Sam and Jake were a little shy when they came in to see their sister, and just stared at her. She was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen before, precious. This was their baby sister. As such, it was their duty to watch over and protect her.

Surprisingly to everyone, Natalie was a lycan. Stephanie had thought that she would end up inheriting the nosferatu trait.

So, Natalie had to go through the same thing that Sam had to. Of course, Stephanie and Jack were prepared for that. They made sure to get plenty of liquefied meat. Another thing that surprised them, however, was how well behaved Natalie was. She hardly ever threw a tantrum, unlike Sam, but when she did, it was not a pleasant encounter.

Natalie would seem like Sam most of the time, acting wild, but she was equally calm and clever like Jake.

Stephanie had not expected Jake and Sam to fight over who got to help take care of Nat. She had to come up with a compromise so that they would not make each other angry. She guessed that Sam and Jake would look out for Nat, as well as each other. It made her proud to know it.

It would be a lie to say that the family did not have any difficulties, but they had an easier time because they knew what the difficulties would be.

The largest problem they had, however, was not what they had expected. Ever since Sam had turned five, he desperately wanted to go to school; he wanted to be like everyone else. He would beg, sometimes giving his real puppy dog face and wagging his tail, hopeful.

Stephanie and Jack knew the consequences, however, and refused to let him go.

I want to go, whined Sam. Jake was too preoccupied with making Nat laugh to enter the conversation.

"Don’t you want us to teach you? asked Stephanie. Just because you can’t go to school doesn’t mean that you aren’t going to learn anything. Daddy and I can teach you just like a teacher would at a school."

But we don’t get to go to school with other kids, argued Sam. We won’t be able to make any friends.

You don’t have to go to school to make friends, replied Stephanie. You go to school to learn. Sam huffed, still defiant. However, the subject was postponed for a couple of years.

Naturally, when Jake was old enough to start kindergarten, he begged to go to school as well. Sam and Jake promised over and over again that they would be careful,