34. You really believe you're immortal, don't you?

**Kieran**

"How long has it been?" Wasp, apparently my new partner, speaks up and hands me the rest of the weapons.

It's not that I don't like the new guy; I just don't trust him yet. Working with my brother was easy. We moved together like a well-oiled machine, capable of predicting each other's movements.

It's always a strange feeling to get a new partner, especially when you meet him for the first time.

I understand why the Elite took action and separated me from Octavius, but our disagreements wouldn't affect the quality of the work we're supposed to do. If there's one thing we never argue about, it's assignments.

Besides, Octavius is far too good to work with beginners.

But that doesn't matter. The Elite forced him to take time off. Even though I'm responsible for the mess, he's the one who's being let go for the time being. Maybe that's why I feel so damn guilty.

We've known each other for so long, and not once there was someone who could stand between us.

Until her. Until Ocean.

Ocean is the only one I see and the only one I want to know. She has so much power over me, I didn't think it was possible. Everything I do, I want to do for her. Everything I could learn to love glistens in her eyes.

She's my everything, the one who holds my dead heart in her hands. But no matter how much she means to me, these days, I feel like a thief- I took her away from Octavius.

I hope the Devil hates me more than I could hate myself.

Octavius wanted her first, but I showed weakness and let myself feel something. I was the one who broke down and gave in to temptation. In doing so, I destroyed whatever was left of the good relationship I had with my brother.

Did I make a mistake? Is she worth it?

Maybe, for the time being, she is, but what happens after a few decades? Or after months, when I grow tired of her presence?

Even if she manages to maintain my obsession, there's no telling how long she'll live. If Ocean dies, I will lose everything I have now. I've lost my brother, and her time is limited.

Is this what I went for? Is this what I should prepare for and expect? An eternity of loneliness and emptiness?

"Earth to Kieran, where are you, my guy?" Wasp calls out again, and this time, I give in. There's no point in ignoring him. Unlike other vampires, this guy doesn't notice even the most obvious clues.

"Just thinking," I mutter and shove the weapons inside the bag.

We still have a long way to go; night can't come soon enough. As we move, Wasp is too busy whining about how done he is with the job, but at least he doesn't question me.

Daytime is a new level of misery next to this guy.

"About?" He jumps in front of me.

Wasp is an interesting specimen. He's shorter than any vampire I've met, and his complexion reminds me more of a goblin than a beautiful, graceful immortal.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons why I enjoy working with my brother so much. Octavius is a prime example of an ancient vampire- perfect in every sense of the word.

Shit, there it goes, my fucking sanity. Why is it that I can't stop thinking about him? That's what I wanted. I wanted her all to myself, and I had no remorse when he found out what I'd done. But why the hell can't I get over the look on his face?

I shake my head to get rid of these thoughts. I can't focus on Ocean or Octavius right now; there are more important things to worry about.

Once I'm done packing my bag and ignoring the little shit Wasp, I scan our surroundings and sniff the air. We're out in the open; no one knows if the fleabags won't try to cross us.

Fucking disgusting, barking carpets.

Wasp nudges my chest to get my attention. "Whatcha' thinkin' about, ol' man?" I'm not sure what annoys me more- the damn fake accent or that he keeps pushing the matter.

"About the fact that you only have two brain cells, and they're both fighting for third place." I snap.

Enough is enough. If Wasp doesn't watch what he says, he won't make it out alive. I have so much on my plate; I shouldn't let his ridiculous behaviour add to my problems.

Wasp takes a step back and places a hand over where his heart is supposed to be. The look on his face is a mixture of anger, astonishment and shock. "Woah, my guy, there's no need to insult me. For my part, I think I'm a pretty smart guy, so calling me stupid won't do anything."

I roll my eyes, grab the bag and throw it over my shoulder. The sun is setting; we have about five hours to get through this and return to the Invictus. "I didn't call you stupid, did I? Besides, you're not the dumbest person in the world, but you better hope they don't die because you're really darn close to taking the title. Drop this brotherhood shit and grab your bags; we're about to hit the road."

Fortunately, Wasp doesn't push his need to talk any further.

I can't spill my problems to every person who gets in my way. This is the first time we have met. I haven't seen him in the houses of the Elite, so I'm sure someone from the higher-ups sent Wasp to investigate me.

As soon as the sucker is ready, we leave our hiding place. Sometimes the silence feels like a curse of loneliness, but now, it's a blessing from whatever God might be out there.

The only sounds he makes are a few winces as we cross the swap territory. Our sources have given us specific instructions on where to find the group of humans who were wandering around Invictus a few days ago. Elite wants them, so Elite will get them, even if I have to kill some bastards along the way.

Still, something's not right. I'm not quite sure what, but something doesn't feel right. Maybe it's the silence I praised a couple of minutes ago, perhaps it's the stench of emptiness around us, but something's about to go down.

I should be able to pick up any scent- the humans that crossed the swamp or some barking carpets roaming the territories seeing out their foolish destined mates.

Soon enough, it hits me. Far too late for my liking, but eventually, I figure out what's happening. This is a trap.

I stop in my tracks, and a moment later, the tiny moron runs into me. "Tank?" Wasp whispers.

His voice shakes as if he's caught on to my distress, so I can only assume he's unaware of what's really going on.

I reach for my knife and whisper, "Why were you sent here with me? What's the purpose of this mission?"

Wasp wastes no time answering my question with one of his own, "Is this the right time to discuss it? Can't we get this mission over with and talk about it later?"

I can hear the irritation in his voice, but even that can't hide his fear. It was clear from the start that Wasp isn't someone who has much experience in this field, but I never thought that Elite could be so reckless as to send a newcomer out.

I take a deep breath and whisper-yell to him, "No. What's the fucking purpose?"

If it were any other circumstances, I'd pin his ass against the three and beat the answers out of Wasp. However, I'm not as reckless as to give away our exact location in a potentially deadly dangerous situation, so I have to stay calm.

"I disrespected someone from the Elite. It wasn't intentional; I just ran into this man and didn't recognize him on the spot. They stripped me from guard duty two days later and told me I'm going out with big guns to redeem myself."

Ah, now I understand what this is all about. He's not here to monitor me; he's here to die. Unfortunately, if Wasp dies, I die too.

There's a reason Elite sends out the guns in pairs. One is in charge of surveillance and spotting any potential danger. Octavius, or Falcon, used to be my right-hand man. I'm strength and power, hence the nickname Tank.

Together, we were an unstoppable force, but it seems Elite has had enough of both poor Wasp and me. We're heading straight for a suicide mission.

Instead of moving forward straight into potential danger, I settle down and look to the sky. We need a plan of action if we are to get out of here alive.

"I'll take a wild guess and say this isn't anything I thought it was, right?" Wasp sits down next to me and buries his face in his palms.

I take a moment to study him. Until now, I hadn't noticed how young he seemed in both human and vampire years.

The boy couldn't have been older than sixteen or seventeen when he was turned into a vampire, and that happened less than a hundred years ago. He's inexperienced and pretty much unaware of how dangerous the Elite actually is.

If I had to guess, I'd say he still believes the Elite was created to protect younglings like him. Poor, naive creature.

"What do you think?" If someone were watching us, they might think Wasp was asking me about something we discussed, but that's further from the truth than anyone could imagine.

A slight smile spreads across my lips as I think of those bastards. If there's any way I can get out of here alive, I'll get rid of them one by one. Messing with other vampires is one thing, but pissing off the one on whom the whole Invictus depends is a dangerous game to play.

"I believe you were sent here to die. To be fair, I found it suspicious that the Elite sent an inexperienced man to join me, but I didn't pay much attention to it at first. They always have reasons for what they do. But now," I glance at Wasp. "Now, I can't shake off the eerie feeling. This place is too peaceful; there are no scents or sounds. A perfect shelter for many monsters. And since I know why you were sent, I'll take a wild guess myself and claim that they want me dead as much as they want you gone." I chuckle at the words. Dead. Would I reach my doomsday at the very peak of my career?

Wasp groans and runs his fingers through his hair, "Why would they want you dead? You're literally the only one who never fails a mission, their best of the best."

"Because I might be getting in their way; why else? You see, sending a youngling to accompany someone on a mission like this is a death sentence, but sending you here with me means only one thing- it's a trap." I shrug, silently letting my gaze wander around our surroundings. We could sit and discuss the matter for hours, but we must stay alert. No matter what happens next, I won't go down without a fight.

"A trap?"

"Mhm," I hum.

"How?"

Since we're still alone, and no one seems to be hiding in the shadows, I turn to Wasp. I'm not sure if he understands the severity of the situation, but it appears that Wasp has forgotten some important details. Or any information on the procedure, at that.

Before I can decide if he should know more, Wasp jumps up and starts rambling, "I'm not afraid of death, Tank, but I still don't understand why they want to get rid of you. No, damn it, how could they get rid of you in the first place?"

"We're about five miles from the target, right?" As long as I can get Wasp to focus on our whereabouts, I don't have to explain why the Elite wants to get rid of me.

He pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket, scans the drawing and nods, "Approximately, yes."

I place my hands behind my neck and lie on my back, "Do you sense anything near us? Do you hear anything?"

"No?" His uncertain but far too quick reply makes me smile. As expected, Wasp has little to no experience, but he's just as hot-headed as any other young vampire.

I chuckle and close my eyes, "We're in the enemy's circle. It's perfectly thought out; no one gets out of here alive, not even the humans."

"So what now?" Once he stops pacing back and forth, Wasp sits next to me and patiently awaits an answer. He might be silent, but his gaze almost burns the side of my face.

"Now we wait for flea carpets to come here and tear us to pieces." The statement leaves my lips as if it were the most natural thing to say.

In reality, saying that doesn't put me at ease- I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to Ocean or see her, and if I die tonight, the last time she saw me would be the one I was responsible for her injury.

Wasp breaks my trail of thoughts as a bitter laugh leaves his lips, "Ha, ha, great joke. I'd like to see a werewolf kill a vampire."

I can't believe that little shit. Has the Elite really brainwashed him to the point he doesn't know how fucking strong some of these creatures are?

"You really believe you're immortal, don't you?" Although I try to sound like I'm questioning him, I'm sure my words remind an accusation.

"No. But you are." Wasp pokes my side, causing me to open my eyes and look at him. As calm as he is, I can see the fear and panic in his eyes.

I let out a deep sigh, sit up and throw an arm around his shoulders. "Not if it's a pack of Alpha lones."

"Alpha lones? What's that?" Great, not only is he brainwashed, pretty stupid and inexperienced, now, it turns out he doesn't know things that might save his fucking life. Now, I'm absolutely sure we were sent on a suicide mission.

"A rogue wolf pack that consists only of Alpha bloodline werewolves who lost their pack or were banished for whatever reason." I try to watch his emotions, but as soon as the words cross my lips, the fear and panic in his eyes turn into a full-blown need to fight for survival.

"A-And you can't fight them off?" Wasp stutters.

Just a few hours ago, he seemed like an annoying little fuck, but the more he talks, the more questions he asks, and the more emotions he shows, all I can see is barely a child. A terrified child.

Perhaps it would be best to opt for a lie, but I'd rather tell the truth and see how far Wasp is willing to go. But then again, it doesn't matter much anymore- if we carry on the road, we're fucked, and if we try to escape- we're fucked. Either way, the outcome is the same. "I could fight off hundreds of wolves, pretty sure I can handle ten, maybe fifteen Alphas, but I'm no match for fifty or more feral Alphas."

"I see. What do you intend to do now, Tank?"

I point my finger at the night sky, "Relax, look at the stars, and enjoy my last few hours."