Obsession

Chapter 10

Ten

R en discovered the complex power dynamics and ruthless games the so called brothers played with each other and those around them. The ways they’d twist common sense behavior with warped and malevolent intentions that played on the emotional beliefs of others.

Many times, scenes of violent outbursts and manipulative schemes between the brothers played out in front of her, often leaving her in a state of fear and confusion.

There was always a certain level of needing to be the best or the most…whatever the creme of the crop scenario was for that century. Be it the wealthiest landowner, the most successful general, or just the most whispered about man about town, they never stopped. There was and always will be a competition between these men. In reality, no one could ever rise to the levels that they held. Masterful in nearly every challenge they placed upon themselves.

A great deal of history as she had learned it was intertwined with the actions of these men. Often wars were fought and countless lives snuffed out over meaningless quarrels between them and the world at large.

Grayson was especially adept at these little games, toying with Callum and Bastian.

She'd overhear his hushed conversations filled with veiled threats from Bastian toward Callum and broken promises from Callum to Bastian. It all made sense to her now why they would say terrible things about and to one another, their voices betraying the rage Grayson expertly crafted.

It made sense when she would hear a low growl that echoed through the mansion's halls.

A roar of beasts almost more than that of men, something primal. The constant frustration of spending an eternity with your enemies as your closest allies; as close as brothers and as embittered as foes.

They were much like a family in its rawest form, fitted together not by choice, but by the bonds of blood. Their immortal blood. They had no real relation to one another. Only the ties of the immortal curse. The curse to watch everyone and everything they love disappear to nothing more than the dirt they walk upon. The need to become more powerful, the only thing that they could hold onto after so many centuries. The last light in their unyielding lives.

As she continued to learn from the books and collections, she found truths that were almost comical, proof that they were, in many ways, just men after-all.

Grayson's strategic mind revealed his internal streaks of evil, a stark contrast to Callum's seemingly compassionate demeanor.

Bastian, however, remained an enigma, his leadership, only by default it seemed, veiled by his brooding personality. Each collection of parchment and tomes seemed to have a trinket box filled with jewelry and loose stones. One box was just a small crystal flute with a smear of red lipstick on the edge.

How could a man so powerful be so easily won over by meaningless and temporary items of such minimal value? He’d been taken advantage of by countless women seeking only status and wealth, time and time again.

Bastian clearly had eyes for things like precious metals and jewels. His lust for women was obviously blinding, never learning the lessons from experience. He repeated the same failures time and again. Taking a woman from a powerful man only to have her killed or take her own life once she learned the truth of his nature.

The written history proved that he was always the jealous type that he would have needed the richest of lifestyles to prove his worth. So perhaps those women were the perfect fit for him after all.

Still, Ren could not understand why they would continue to fight amongst themselves.

Even when Grayson paraded false representations of valuable trinkets before him, Bastian would succumb to the trappings every time.

According to one of the stories, Bastian was once mesmerized by a false ring painted in gold, made from lead, with a diamond that was made from cheaply carved glass. It was hewn in just the right way to refract the light with brilliant sparkle. But when Bastian attempted to trade it as collateral in a negotiation, he learned it was merely worthless. He was still a fool after so many centuries of such a ponderous existence.

Callum was always so easily convinced that the blood spilled in battle was for the betterment of humanity. So he continued to participate in the great battles and wars that plagued the centuries of human history.

Only Grayson seemed to be aware of their truth, hate is the real nature of love, and nobody loved themselves more than this little trio.