Taste of Vengeance ✔

Chapter 18

The moment Juice had returned to the dark castle and transformed back to his human form, he grabbed the first thing his hands could find and smashed it against the wall, screaming angrily. Glass scattered, pottery broke, wood cracked. He didn't care. Whatever came within reach ended up against the wall, fell on the floor, broken, just as broken as he felt. 

Ephraim just stood there, one shoulder leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. His calmness only stirred up his anger. There was nothing left to throw at the man, and so he crossed the last meters to what felt like his arch enemy right now. He tried to grab the man's throat. 

The moment their skin made contact, a hellish pain shot through his fingers as if he had pressed them against a glowing cooker. His knees collapsed and touched the floor. 

"Don't act foolish, Juice."

"You should have let me leave with her!" he yelled. "She needs me, she —"

"Yes, she needs you. But not as her pet. You will need more than dog teeth to protect her."

"Against who?!" he snapped. "I don't get it! I fucking don't get it! Why don't you bring her here if she is in so much danger!"

"The time is not right yet."

"The time is not right yet," Juice repeated dismissively. "Then what are you waiting for? Until it's too late?"

"I don't owe you an explanation."

"You do! You turned me into this... this monster!"

"I can let you die too. Would you prefer to die?" His once so understanding voice sounded dark now. 

Juice was keen to say 'yes' — at least all this bullshit would be over. But now he had seen Abigail, now there was a chance to hold her again one day, he didn't want to give up on her. Frustrated he turned his head away; he didn't want to admit that this was better than dying. 

"I understand your frustration, Juice. There however is no point in directing it at me. I did not harm you."

He took a deep breath, realizing Ephraim was right. It would give much more satisfaction to see Jax cry, to see him bleed, to hear him scream — to see him break. 

Jax was the source of all his pain — but he wasn't the one who had touched every inch of his body with filthy hands, who had whispered poisonous words in his ear and who had raped him night after night. 

 "Get Tully."

"I'm not your sugar daddy, Juice. If you want to achieve something, you'll have to work for it. You have to train yourself mentally until you are able to transport someone to this place yourself."

"Fine," he grumbled. "How?"

"The boundaries of life nor death limit our powers. You're capable of more than you will ever understand, but you'll have to learn to control your emotions to find your inner peace. This anger you feel — this is a remnant of your humanity. You have to learn to rise above it."

"How?"

"Cut the ties. Accept what happened to you; your past will never change. We are vengeful creatures, Juice. But take this from someone who walks this earth for over seven centuries; you get nothing out of revenge. It doesn't fill the void, it only turns us into the ones we've come to despise."

Juice squeezed his eyes. "You don't want me to repay at all, do you?"

"I tell you it won't liberate you. It won't help you to get Abigail back."

"Scarlett told me I can never be with her anyway."

"Scarlett is just like you. Vengeance is her motivation as well. It however keeps her bound; it stops her from reaching her full potential. Remember that we are serving the Light, despite our dark nature. Acts of violence are a necessary evil, and not something we should glorify."

"If you're so opposed to Scarlett's methods, why don't you intervene?" 

"She has to follow her own path, to make her mistakes and learn from them. Just like you, Juice. That however doesn't mean I can't give you any advice. It's up to you what you'll do with it. But keep this in mind: it's your love for Abigail, and even more, its Abigail's love for you, what made you as you are now. That should be your nutrition. There are two masters you have to choose between: Love and Hate."

Juice took a deep breath. 

It felt like both masters were pulling at him and he was about to be ripped in two.