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"Damn it, man," Adam said as Brian removed him from the car and dragged him into the darkened building. "Where are you taking me?" Brian sighed. "I told you a million times, your presence has been requested by the head of the Camarilla," Brian answered. Adam struggled against his bonds. "But why?" he asked. Brian shook his head. "Don't know exactly," he said as he opened the large door and threw Adam into a room. As he shut the door, Brian said, "all I know is I was called by Sean, and I had to remove you from your family." Securing the lock, Brian said through the small window, "just wait here. Someone will be along to get you shortly."

Adam looked around the small room. There was a lantern hanging on the wall high above his head. In the corner was a cot. Adam noticed there was a large form lying there, huddled up in a ball. Hearing the lock engage, the large man turned over. Looking at Adam through his blonde locks, he said, "just sit down and keep your mouth shut. Won't be long."

Adam turned to the man. "I'm Adam," he said. The man snorted at him. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" he asked. Adam walked to the opposite wall and sank down. He was angry - angry at Glenn for the trouble he had caused, angry at Matt for finding a new mate, angry at Jay for forcing him to resort to such violence. But, most of all, he was angry with himself, for being the way he was and not allowing the others to do as they pleased.

Adam closed his eyes and suddenly, his mind was filled with all sorts of beautiful images. A smile crept across his lips. Shannon. He missed the little one already. No matter what, Shannon had always made things seem so much better. Across the room, the other man turned and looked at Adam. "Pretty," was all he said. Adam looked up. "What?" he said, searching for the man's face.

The man turned on the cot and sat at the edge, looking over at Adam. "I said, he's pretty," the man spoke. He laughed at the confusion on Adam's face. "Yeah, I can see inside there," the man said. He ran his hands over his face, smoothing his beard. Adam studied him. He was big, close to seven feet tall. His long hair was a mixture of blonde, brown and gray. His light beard was speckled with gray as well. His eyes had seen many years, Adam could tell.

He stood. Adam noticed his hands were bound as well. He walked over and sat down next to Adam. "Name's Kevin," he said. Adam nodded. "I guess 'nice to meet you' isn't exactly appropriate right now, huh?" he asked. Kevin laughed. "Guess not," he said. There was a moment of awkward silence, then Kevin spoke again.

"What are you here for?" he asked, turning to look at Adam. Adam closed his eyes and remembered what had happened to him over the last few months. He really didn't want to talk about it. After a few minutes, Kevin looked at him. "Wow," Kevin said. "Pretty intense." Adam looked back, then recalled that Kevin had said earlier that he could see Adam's thoughts. Adam nodded. "Yeah, guess I really screwed up," Adam said. "I wonder what they'll do to me."

Kevin looked away. "Well," he began, "first, they'll probably assign you to a master. He'll train you, teach you how to deal with your problem, and your family. You'll learn a few other things too, but those aren't as important. Then, if you pass the tests, you'll get to go home." Adam thought about this for a moment, then said, "are you sure?" Kevin nodded.

"And what if you don't pass the tests?" Adam asked. Kevin turned to Adam as the door opened.

Kevin looked up as the men entered. He knew them well. "I guess it's time, huh?" Kevin asked. They nodded. Kevin turned to Adam. "Good luck, kid," he said as he was taken from the room. Brian entered and motioned for Adam to stand. "Come on," he said. "They want you to see this." Adam looked confused. "See what?" he said as he followed Brian down the corridor. Kevin was in front of them, being guided by the two men. As they reached the end of the hall, the door opened and Kevin walked in. Brian turned to Adam. "What happens when you break the rules," was all he said. They entered the room as well.

Candles and torches lit the large room. There were about a dozen men in the room, most of them standing. At the opposite end was a large chair, carved of stone and covered in velvet pillows. A large blonde man sat in the chair, watching as Kevin stood before him. Adam stood back, not leaving the spot where Brian had placed him. Brian walked forward to stand next to Kevin.

The blonde in the chair motioned for Kevin to kneel. He did so quickly. Standing, the blonde walked to him and placed a hand on Kevin's head. Looking over at Adam before speaking, he smiled, but it was not a warm smile. It spoke of years of pain, years of seeing death, destruction and murder. He turned to the other man next to Kevin and said something Adam did not hear. He nodded and turned toward the door.

He was the same size as Brian, with the same dark hair. He was dressed similar to Brian as well. He opened the door to allow two more men to enter. They nodded at the blonde and took their place against the wall. "Bryan!" the blonde called out. The other man turned and looked at him, much to Adam's confusion. As he walked by, Bryan looked down at him. "Confused, are ya?" he said, rejoining Brian at Kevin's side.

The blonde spoke. "Kevin, you disappoint me," he said softly. "Twice, you tried to kill your mate, and twice, we tried to reform you." Kevin cast his eyes downward. The blonde continued. "And now, after exhausting every measure we have to cure you of your jealousy, you are back in front of myself and the council. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Kevin raised his head slightly before answering. "I'm sorry, Grel. I was foolish. But, he chose another mate! He's mine! I had no other choice…" Grel slapped Kevin hard across the face. "No other choice?" he said loudly. "What about letting him go?" Grel said, jerking Kevin's head back so that he could look into his eyes. "What about letting him have a life of happiness?"

Kevin clenched his teeth. "But, he was mine!" Kevin said. "I made him! I saved him from that wolf and loved him!" Adam's eyes widened. Brian turned to look at him, making sure that Adam realized the significance of the conversation. Grel spoke again. "Yes, Kevin you saved Scott," he continued. "And you sired him. These things are all true. But, you never loved him. You loved the thought of having him. And when he chose to love another, you tried to kill him…three times!"

Kevin tried to look away, but his head was held in place. "I tried to be lenient with you. I gave you every opportunity to love someone else, but you refused. And what about poor Michael? I give you a beautiful master, and you kill him! For that, Kevin, you too must die." Kevin flinched at the harshness of the words. "Fine then," he said, trying to maintain a cocky air. "Stake me."

Grel laughed. "It's not that simple, my dear Kevin," he said. "You of all people should know that staking won't kill you." Turning to Brian, Grel said, "prepare him." Kevin was pulled from the floor by Brian on one side and Bryan on the other. Walking to the opposite wall, they unchained his hands and shackled him to the wall. Adam watched in fear. Grel walked over to a small table and picked up a bottle. Turning it over in his hands, he said, "this will hurt me more than it hurts you, Kevin."

Opening the bottle, he splashed the contents onto Kevin's chest. Smoke begin to rise from him as his flesh burned. Kevin screamed in agony. Small red welts begin to form on his massive chest. Adam winced and tried to close his eyes, but Grel turned to look at him angrily. "No, boy," he said. "You must watch this." Adam nodded. Looking back, he watched as Kevin was again doused with the contents of another bottle. More screams, more smoke, more angry red welts.

Brian walked to the table and picked up a black leather glove. Turning to Grel, he slipped it on his hand. Grel thanked him. He moved to the table and opened a wooden box. Reaching in, he removed a large golden cross. Slowly, he moved toward Kevin, whose eyes were wide with fear and pain. He placed the cross against Kevin's skin, tilting his head back to avoid the smoke. The only thing Adam heard was the screaming.

The torture went on for what seemed like hours. Kevin was begging for mercy. Finally, Grel relented. "Enough," he said. He walked back to his chair. Bryan released Kevin from his bonds. Grel turned to him and said, "place him in the sunroom." Bryan nodded at him and together the two men removed Kevin. As they left, Brian turned to Adam and said, "it won't be long now. Just watch your mouth." Adam smiled weakly at him. He wondered about the fate of his new friend, but did not dare ask.

Grel motioned toward the far wall and two men approached him. One was very large, almost Kevin's size. His long red hair flowed as he walked, and he crossed the room in long strides. The smaller man had long blonde braids and wore a kilt. His chest was bare. There was something about him that was very familiar to Adam, but he couldn't place it.

They stopped in front of Grel. The smaller man knelt on the floor in front of him. "Very good, Scott," he heard the taller man say to him. Adam barely heard his whispered reply, "thank you, Mark." Grel looked to Adam and motioned for him to join them. Adam approached the group slowly. When he had reached the chair, Grel said, "Adam, you are here because of your behavior toward members of your family. I know that the incident with Matt was not of your doing, but you were responsible for the well-being of your family after that. However, you chose to allow your jealousy and possessiveness to override your protectiveness. For this, you have been brought to the council for rehabilitation."

Adam nodded slowly. He was afraid to speak, so he stood, waiting for Grel to continue. "You will be placed with a trainer, if you will," Grel said. "He will teach you to think with your head as well as your heart. He will also teach you how to accept the changes that are occurring within your family. After your training, if you successfully learn these lessons, along with whatever else he feels you need to know, then you can returned to your home, if your family accepts you. If not, then you will belong to your trainer, and you will do his bidding. Do you understand?"

Adam swallowed and tried to speak. Nothing came out. He opened his mouth again, and said, "I…I think so." Grel nodded. "Good," he said. "I want to introduce you to your trainer. This is Mark." Adam turned to look at the large man. He smiled wanly. Mark stopped stroking Scott's hair and pulled on it slightly. Scott rose and stood next to Mark. "This is Scott," Mark said. "He'll be helping you." Adam nodded again. "We'll stay here until sunset tomorrow. Not enough time to make it home now."

Grel nodded. "He can stay in your room tonight, Scott," he said. "Yes, master," Scott said. Grel looked to Adam again. "You understand why you had to witness Kevin's punishment," he spoke. Adam managed to squeak out a "yes" before Mark grabbed his arm. "Let's go, boy," Mark said, turning toward the door. Scott hurried ahead of them to open the door. When he turned to face Mark, Adam stopped in his tracks. "You!!" he screamed. "I thought you were dead! We killed you!!" Mark barely had time to grab him before Adam wrapped his hands around Scott's throat. Read Part 2 of 13 of Alegria