Breaking Dawn

Chapter 5

"Am I reaching or does he seem much better?" Liam asked when the three traced into the room.

"He doesn't appear as... disordered," Niall said.

As if to prove them wrong, Harry began to mutter unintelligibly in a language Amber had never heard, his gaze darting to the window.

"Why don't you try to talk to him alone?" Zayn said. When Liam nodded, Zayn and Niall left.

Liam set the thermos on the nightstand, then pulled up a folding chair, turning it around to sit astraddle. Amber loved it when men sat that way. His voice low, he said, "Where have you been, brother?"

Brother. She was still startled at the idea that Harry was part of their family. Niall seemed determined and studious, Zayn was quiet and mysterious, and Liam was authoritative like the general he was. In contrast, the madman was aggressive and struck her as dishonorable, as if in a stand-up fight between gentlemen, he'd fling dirt in his opponent's eyes.

"What do you want with me?" Harry abruptly grated. "Why haven't you killed me?"

Seeming surprised by the interaction, Liam said, "That's not our intention."

"What is - to drug and starve me?"

Liam shot to his feet for the thermos. "I've some blood here. Will you drink?" He quickly opened the top and poured into the attached cup.

Amber saw that the liquid was thick and dark. When it made a glug-glug sound, she wondered if it was possible for her to vomit.

"You feeding me blood." Harry's tone was scathing. "How familiar."

Liam seemed to stifle a wince at that, but then he brought the cup to Harry's lips.

Drinking. Blood. Harry accepted obediently, drawing deep.

I want to vomit -

Of course, Amber didn't bother hiding her disgusted expression. Strangely, when Harry's eyes darted in her direction, she could swear he became more restless. Then his gaze slid to the window once more.

"Bagged blood is all you're going to get," Liam said. "If you don't drink it, then you go without."

"I hunt. I feed from the vein. Unlike you unmanned traitors," Harry bit out, facing him again. "I know you hide me from your king. Your Russian king. He'll execute you for this - favored general or not."

"Possibly. So you know the risk we take."

"Why?"

"We want to help you - "

"Like you did last time!" Harry bellowed, wrestling against the chain that trapped him to the bed, those tremendous muscles straining.

Undaunted, Liam continued, "We're going to help you combat the monster controlling you."

"Never." Harry's bloody fangs seemed to sharpen. "No one comes back."

"That is not you talking brother. Your mind is corrupted. We are trying to help you gain control of your life again."

"I am not corrupted!"

"Then did you know that the wound of your neck is the power he's controlling you with? It hasn't healed has it?" At Harry's mildly surprised look, Liam said, "You may not be aware of your mind being control, but we can tell. We will heal you, Harry. And if that means chaining you to a bed and to not feed you as much then that is what we will do."

What did they mean? Harry was being controlled? Was there an actual reason behind his madness?

"Yet what if you could ignore his commands and get rid of the wound," Liam asked. "How much better do you think your life would be without him tormenting you? If we can get you stable, you can learn to hold him at bay."

Harry shook his head sharply. "Your lying. No one could ever tell me mental what to do- "

"Like I said. You don't understand. But I'm not giving up yet. We are going to help you find your bride."

His Bride? Did Liam mean the need for sex?

"And the need to kill?" Harry bit out. "I savor it... ache to end you right now."

"You don't want to kill, the monster controlling you is telling you to, there's one need that's stronger than the need to kill that will help you gain control of your mind."

"And what's that?" Harry sneered.

Liam said only, "You'll know when it hits you."

Harry glanced at the window yet again. "What are you injecting me with?" Sometimes when he spoke, he would hesitate as if even he couldn't believe he'd just sounded sane. He must have been mad for a very long time.

"A soothsayer got it from the witches for us. It's a sedative of sorts. It'll continue to weaken you physically, but after a few days, it shouldn't put you in a stupor."

Attention back to his brother, Harry snapped, "You've no right to drug me!"

"We'll do whatever it takes," Liam said, with steel in his tone. "You were a good man and can be again."

"Not a man! No longer!" He ground his teeth. "I'm a killer, that's all."

"Most in the Lore believe you're lost. That the red automatically means we have no choice but to destroy you. I do not agree. Mark me, Harry. One way or another, you will be cured of the monster controlling you," Liam vowed, his voice fierce, his gray eyes turning black, as if with emotion. No matter what had occurred, she knew that Liam indeed loved his younger brother. "We have resources at our disposal that you can't begin to comprehend."

Liam's answer seemed to be just cryptic and confident enough to intrigue Harry. "And exactly how long am I to be jailed and drugged?"

"A month. We're going to keep you from killing for a month. If there's no change by then, we will... reevaluate."

Any interest in Harry's expression dimmed. "I don't have that long."

"Why? What do you mean?"

Harry didn't answer, seeming to go adrift in his own thoughts, his red eyes skittering in her direction again. She could have sworn he began following her movements, so she floated to the window seat. But he continued staring at the spot where she'd just been.

She saw the exact moment Liam knew he'd get no further because he looked whipped with disappointment. With a grave nod to Harry, he traced out, and seconds later, Zayn appeared.

He turned the folding chair around and sat, leaning forward, elbows to his knees. "We've missed you, Haz," he said quietly. That's new, I like it. This brother seemed weary to Amber, like a man undertaking an arduous journey. And his expression constantly looked as if he'd just, at that very instant, determined he wasn't even halfway there.

"I know you hate Liam and me for what we did to you," he began. "But we can't take it back."

"No matter how you treat us, Liam won't give up on this. Not until he's convinced you're beyond salvation."

Harry smiled, his teeth still bloodied, fangs prominent - the most menacing smile Amber had ever seen. As she shivered, he said, "Convince him then, brother. There's no delivering me from being evil."