My steps stopped midstride by the door as I watched the small pre-teen boy repeatedly punch the hard wall over and over again in rage. His screams of agony echoed loudly across the room while I watched from afar Eryx and his father, Mason tried to calm the boy down but it was no use. It was as if Kaemon was unable to stop his fit of rage that pushed him over the edge and to seek violence to cure the grief he tried to refute from his mind from losing his mother months prior.

I look over at Zyron who takes hold of my hand, which trembles against mine. I place my hand on his shoulder as tears slide down his face.

"How long has your brother been doing this", I ask as Zyron places his head against mine as if the scene in front of me was becoming emotionally unbearable to handle on his own. "He has been doing this a month after my mother passed away".

Losing a parent probably could have been the worst thing to happen to the Vallea men, being that Mason or Eryx, were incapable of nurturing Zyron and Kaemon in the right capacity so that they could heal and be able to function properly. Although I have only known Eryx for a short time, it seems he shies away from being too vulnerable. He has shared bits of his life with me, but some things still have yet to discover about him.

Mason is sitting on the floor with his head resting in his hands, his forehead is creased with wrinkles and a grimace covers his face. He looks as though he is seconds from having an outburst himself. Eryx is standing behind Kaemon with his hands firmly on his shoulders, as he yells to his little brother to stop. I glance down at Zyron before walking further into the room. Eryx takes notice of me as I stand near him. He quickly shakes his head.

"Verena get back you do not need to see this".

Rather than be afraid of the emotional and physical outbursts Kaemon is having it gives me confidence to try to help him calm down and take a different approach than the men in the room have been doing. I take a step toward Kaemon, but Eryx places his hand around my arm firmly holding me in place. I look up at him as I take in the warning in his eyes. In his eyes, I see that he wants to protect me.

I then reach my hand out and place it against his chest, "Let me help...please". Eryx shakes his head trying to refrain from interfering in the emotional quarrel taking place in the room. "No, I have everything under control". I am sure Eryx is used to being in control of things maybe as a businessman, but right now I see that he is struggling to come to terms with what is going on in front of him. His brother is grieving and he is calling out for help.

"No, you do not Eryx. It is okay to let go. Let. Me. Help".

I then take hold of his hands that are placed on Kaemon's shoulders and remove them slowly, breaking the defense mechanism Eryx has placed around himself trying to protect me. As if he has been carrying a huge weight, on his broad shoulders he sighs releasing tension from his body as I motion for him to move back. Eryx leans down until his lips nearly touch my ear as he whispers, "If he hurts you, I am taking you out of here. Do you understand?". It was comforting to see how protective Eryx was over me although we only have been acquainted with each other for almost a month and a half now.

I am not afraid of Kaemon possibly hurting me. If anything I wanted him to stop punching the wall and release the demons he is fighting with now. I watch as Eryx takes hold of his brother's, and Zyron's hand as they both take seats near Mason on the floor.

"Kaemon", I say softly as I stand next to him as he continues to punch the wall, I notice his knuckles are red and swollen, and blood spills down his hands, some of it has dried up and smeared against the wall. The wall has several medium-sized holes in it. I glance at the grief-stricken child as silent tears cover his face. I numb down my emotions so I do not break down and cry from witnessing the turmoil Kaemon is facing right now. I need to be strong and fearless like my mother raised me to be.

I place my hands over his fists and firmly place my body in front of him, his punches to the wall cease as he looks up at me, his breath is labored.

"It is okay to grieve. I cannot imagine what you are going through". my voice settles into a tone of reassurance and patience so that this child understands I am here to comfort and nurture him, not fight with him whatsoever. He tries to tug his hands, free but I firmly hold them in place and gaze into his ginger eyes, which are filled with sadness.

"Let me help you heal. Let me help you find a better way to cope.". His eyes shift from being fearful to hesitant, unsure of what action he wants to take. Rather than become impatient with Kaemon, I repeat my words until he finally lets go and releases the pain that has been carrying.

Each of the words I speak with my mouth is slow and direct as I place my hands against each side of his face lifting it so he can understand that I will falter away from my stance of wanting to help him heal. His eyes then close as more tears pour down his face. I can sense that he is fighting with himself and allows me to comfort him.

"Why did she have to be killed", he says as I wrap my arms around his body as he places his head against my chest. His tears wetted the front of my mini-dress, but I did not care.

"I do not know sweetheart, but I do know that she always lives here", I then point to his chest, where his heart is resting.

He looks down at my hand and then back up at me.

"You are a strong young man. Both you and your brother. You have so much to live for. Your mother would want you to be happy wouldn't she". I then wipe Kaemon's tears from his face with the back of my hand. I embrace him once again, speaking life and love over him.

After a while Kaemon manages to calm down as we take a sit on the edge of his king-sized bed. Kaemon leans his head against my shoulder as Zyron sits on the other side of me. Mason stands in front of me and takes hold of my hand.

"Thank you for helping my sons".

He looks at me in awe as if he cannot believe I was able to help Kaemon. I nod and then look across the room at Eryx who stands not too far from me, his eyes are trained on me. His stare is one I am unsure of. It is void of any emotions whatsoever.

Mason then tells the boys that he will get the chef to make them something to eat for dinner, as they walk out of the room to give us some privacy. I am still sitting on the edge of the bed as Eryx continues to stare at me.

"Did I do something wrong", I say moments later, trying to break the silence.

Eryx grunts, "No Cherie, you have done the opposite. You have done everything...maybe even more".



This might be my favorite chapter I have written because you get to see how much love Verena truly has for children. She is quite remarkable.