Dawn of Vengeance

Chapter 24 - The Past

Jake's POV:

Jake was sitting in Father Matthew's chair with his hand to his head as if he had a severe headache which wasn't too far off of how he was feeling. He wanted to take a nap after the kind of day that he'd had and looking at the clock in the study he saw that it was nearly midnight which made him feel all the more awful. Sister Mary's funeral was tomorrow and he needed to get some rest before he traveled to Aeria tomorrow, but this day seemed like it was just refusing to end. First he had to go and deal with Father Matthew attacking him, and then he had to go and put up with Luis telling him to get lost after he tried to save his pack. He was arrested for murder and found a blood relative of his who told him of his birth mother dying during child birth of his sister, and requested that he attend her funeral for an eight year old boy who turned out to be his brother. And now Lance drops by with another version of himself and claims that he has even more news which Jake had no choice but to listen to seeing as he was the only acting Saint in the city.

"Okay so you have a twin," Jake said as he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger while Lance stand before the desk expectantly. "And you want me to enlist him as a Saint? Lance, do you have any idea how hard it'd be for him to learn our ways? I mean no offense to your brother but there's no way in hell that he'd be able to learn everything we've learned in our lifetime before the cut off age."

"Look Jake I'm not asking you to do that for him I just want you to keep him in mind for when Father Matthew gets back here so that you can talk to him." Lance said putting his hands on the desk as if he were trying to prove his resolve for this action but when Jake looked up at who he still considered his former partner; he saw only fear splayed across Lance's face. "But that's not why I'm here Jake... As much as I'd like to get to know my brother he's second priority at this point because something happened at the harbor after you left."

That made Jake perk up a little as he sat slightly straighter in his mentor's chair. Did Luis finally see reason in Jake's attempt to move them to Aeria, he wondered looking at Lance. Though he was hopeful for that to be the case Jake had a feeling that it wasn't due to the look on the werewolf's face. It wasn't the look of someone who was bringing good news making Jake's heart sink again as this day continued to go on. He slumped back against the chair and awaited Lance's report which he knew couldn't have been very good.

"A man named Stark showed up at the harbor." To that Jake shot right back up nearly knocking the heavy chair over with how fast he got up. Was it possible that Alaric was right in his assumption that Stark would wipe out all those who knew of his being here? As if to answer his question Lance spoke again. "He along with a woman he claimed as his wife led a large number of Strigoi against the Los Lobos and the Wolfhounds, and they slaughtered almost the entire group. Luis- Luis and Merrick are dead, killed by Stark himself."

"And you waited until now to tell me this?" Jake demanded moving quickly around the large desk and rushing out of the study with Lance on his heels. The wolf boy asked where he was going which Jake answered with a stern; "To call Father Matthew!"

As Jake stormed out of the study he passed by Issac who informed Jake early that he wished to take up residency in the church. Jake had told him that he could for now but it wasn't up to him and the final decision rest with his mentor Father Matthew who Jake knew wouldn't receive a vampire asking to stay with them too well after what happened. Pierce, Lance's twin brother poked his head out of Lance's room with a set of his brother's clothes on looking so much like his twin that if it weren't for the part in his hair Jake would've thought he was Lance.

"Jake wait you can't!" Lance said with a hint of desperation in his voice as he tumbled after Jake who hardly even slowed down as he passed Pierce.