Four Centuries (Damned and Cursed Book 7) (48 page)

A branch not far away splintered and fell as a bullet sawed through it.
 
They looked down to see one of the witch hunters, aiming up at them.

"I found them!" he shouted.
 
"They're in the trees!"

"Shit," Zoey said.
 
She was strong and agile, but she wasn't sure if she could leap through the treetops carrying Kevin, especially with an injured leg.
 
But she had to try.
 
Pulling him close, she hugged him with one arm.
 
"Hold on tight."

He shook his head.
 
"No, it's okay.
 
Go.
 
I'll be right behind you."
 
He pulled a feather from his pocket.
 
"Don't worry."

Zoey nodded and moved past Kevin.
 
She leapt from one tree to the other.
 
The men gathered below, trying to track them from the ground.
 
Looking over her shoulder, she saw Kevin move with amazing dexterity.
 
He ran across a thin branch, one that actually shouldn't have supported his weight, and jumped to a limb above her.
 
He moved across the trees as if they were solid ground.
 
Zoey struggled to keep pace with him.

The men moved below them, barking at each other and taking aim.
 
Zoey yelped when the shooting began.
 
She'd already been shot once.

They continued to move through the trees.
 
Kevin fell behind, as he couldn't see in the dark.
 
Despite him telling her not to, she paused between jumps, waiting for him.
 
She could see the trees opening up ahead, and heard the sounds of the ocean.

The shooting slowed as the men fanned out.
 
She realized they'd lost track of them, at least for the moment.
 
Hopping to one final tree, she stared out at the beach and ocean ahead.
 
She couldn't appreciate the beauty, the waves gently pushing against the sand.
 
There were people in the distance, but not many.
 
A man walked a dog, and a couple lay together on a blanket.

A hand grabbed her from above.
 
She'd jumped and nearly slipped before steadying herself.

"It's me," Kevin said.
 
"I don't hear them.
 
Are they still here?"

"I can hear them, and smell them.
 
They're not far.
 
Where are we?"

"I don't know.
 
I didn't know the beach was this close."

"Well, that means stores, right?
 
A phone we could use?
 
We can get help."

"I don't see any stores.
 
Damn, I don't see any houses.
 
I guess that's good.
 
No one will get hurt."

Zoey couldn't believe her ears.
 
"
We
might get hurt, Kevin.
 
We have to do—"

The shot rang out.
 
Her shoulder felt like it was torn apart.
 
She didn't see the hunter settle in beneath them and take aim.
 
Kevin called out her name as she fell.
 
Her head slammed against one branch, which spun her stomach-first into another.
 
Vampire or not, her body throbbed when she hit the ground.
 
Her lungs refused to work as she gasped for air.

The man stepped on her wounded shoulder, sending spikes of discomfort down her arm and side.
 
She opened her eyes to see the barrel of a rifle pointing at her forehead.
 
Supposedly, a point-blank range gunshot to the head wouldn't kill her, but she panicked all the same.

"You should have given up the witch," he said.
 
"I'm sorry."

Zoey gasped when Kevin landed on the man from above, having jumped from the tree.
 
They struggled, with Kevin on the man's back.
 
He snaked an arm around the hunter's neck, but he wasn't a match for him physically.
 
The hunter flipped him aside easily and raised his fist to strike.

He never got the chance.
 
The pain made every movement difficult, but Zoey jumped to her feet.
 
She wasn't even aware the fangs had grown in her mouth.
 
Spinning the hunter by the shoulder, she lashed out with her good arm, connecting with a hand that was no longer human.
 
Her fingers were elongated, curved, and sharp.
 
They ripped through the hunter's face, leaving a bloody mess behind.
 
He fell to the dirt, the fight all but gone.
 
He tried to crawl away, flesh hanging from his cheek.

She stared at her hand, amazed.
 
Only once before did she remember turning her hand into a claw, without even realizing.
 
It was the night she attacked Alex in the alley.
 
At least this time she'd actually helped someone.

Kevin winced when he noticed her shoulder.
 
He nearly touched it, but drew his hand back.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah," she said, not sure that was true.
 
She willed her wand to turn normal, but her fangs were another matter.
 
Her speech was slurred.
 
"I just need a second."

"I'm not sure if we have one.
 
They have to be close by."

He moved to her non-injured side and put an arm around her waist.
 
She nearly pushed him away, her pride getting the better of her, but her legs wobbled.
 
Using his shoulders for support, they stepped foot onto the beach.

A minute nearly passed.
 
They moved as quickly as possible, wanting to put as much distance between them and the witch hunters as they could.
 
The sand and saltwater filled her nose.
 
Kevin angled them toward the water, the waves nipping at their feet.

Dread took over as her gaze fell on the horizon.

"Kevin," she said.
 
"Look."

Dawn was approaching, doing its best to push aside the night.

"I see it."

"I'm going to die."
 
The thought came calmly, which surprised her.
 
She even smiled slightly at the irony.
 
"I thought I was going to die earlier tonight.
 
But I guess I was just a few hours off.
 
At least I'll get to die on the beach."

"No, you're not.
 
No one's dying while I'm around."

It almost didn't sound like Kevin.
 
The strength in his voice, the confidence, wasn't something she expected.
 
She glanced at him, admiring him.
 
Jack had sent her to help him, but it was he that was helping her.

A new scent cut into the wonderful beach.
 
She could almost see them in her head, leaving the woods.

"Fuck."
 
She didn't dare look over shoulder.
 
"They're behind us."

She tried to pick up speed, her leg feeling good enough to run.
 
Kevin didn't budge, keeping his arm tight around her waist.

"It's okay.
 
Don't run.
 
If we run, we stand out.
 
We're just a couple walking on the beach."
 
He gestured to the young couple on a towel near the fence.
 
"Like those two packing up over there."

To her astonishment, Kevin stopped to pick up a seashell in the sand.
 
He bent over to collect saltwater as a small wave came in.
 
Only then did Zoey risk a look behind them.
 
Like she thought, the men had all left the woods.
 
They jogged along the beach, like a scene out of a war movie.
 
Two of them pointed in their direction, but kept their weapons lowered.

"Kevin!" she hissed, her fangs finally gone.
 
"What are you doing?!"

"It's okay.
 
Grab a handful of dry sand, please.
 
Make sure it's dry."

She did so, not asking any questions.
 
They walked together once again, their arms around each other.
 
She no longer needed his help to walk, but they kept up the illusion of a couple.

"How are you so calm?" she asked.

"I'm not.
 
I'm scared out of my mind.
 
But, believe it or not, this isn't really new for me.
 
I've done this before."

The scent of the hunters behind them grew stronger.
 
She could hear them.
 
Whispering, trying to figure out if the young couple walking ahead of them were their targets, or if they were still back in the woods.

"The sun will be up soon."

He patted her side, gesturing to an empty parking lot with a brick building behind the beach.

"That's where we're going."

"What is that place?"

"I don't know.
 
But it'll keep you out of the light."

"We'll be trapped."

"One thing at a time.
 
Give me some of that sand.
 
And get ready to run."

"What are you doing?"

He said nothing as he poured sand into the seashell, mixing with the saltwater.
 
After shoving his feather inside, he stuck a finger inside the shell.
 
Zoey watched as the water inside glowed bright green.
 
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several hunters had broken from the group to investigate the couple on the towel, while the rest headed in their direction.

They'd finally recognized them, and raised their weapons.

Kevin tossed the shell in their direction.

Zoey's jaw dropped as the seashell exploded, knocking the hunters down.
 
The sand stopped and swirled around them, like a sandstorm that would have been more at home in a desert.
 
They tried to cover up and protect themselves as she lost sight of them in the walls of sand.

The sight was so odd she'd forgotten to follow Kevin's simple instructions.
 
Run.
 
He was already halfway to the building when he stopped to face her.

"Zoey!" he shouted.
 
"Let's go!
 
That spell won't last long!"

She caught up to him as they reached the back of the building.
 
There were no doors or windows.

"Go around," she said.

He grabbed her arm.
 
"No.
 
No time."
 
He felt the pockets of his jeans.
 
"Shit, I lost the marker."

His eyes fell on her shoulder, as if noticing her injuries for the first time.
 
She stepped back and looked down at herself.
 
Her entire body was covered in dirt, with the bottom of her jeans and the front of her shirt soaked in blood.

"What?"

"Don't freak out," he said, and reached for her.

He gingerly poked at her shoulder wound with his finger.
 
Snatching his hand, she squeezed harder than she meant to, drawing a wince from him.

"Hey!
 
What are you doing?"

"Just trust me."

It was strange to watch someone deliberately soak their fingers in her blood.
 
Kevin was gentle, although he moved with urgency.
 
He drew a medium circle on the wall, going back to her shoulder several times.
 
He only looked up from his task once.

"The sandstorm is fading."

Zoey felt the heat on the back of her neck.
 
She didn't need to ask about the status of their second problem.

After the circle was complete Kevin placed his hand in the center.
 
The brick wall faded, revealing an office.
 
A startled woman spun in her chair.
 
The portal wasn't large enough to walk though.
 
Kevin climbed through first, one leg at a time.
 
He reached out to help Zoey.
 
She took his hand and pushed her injured leg in first.

The sun rising over the horizon found her.

The back of her neck seared, and she felt her skin blister and ripple.
 
Pulling with all his might, Kevin yanked her through the portal.
 
She fell on top of him on the floor.
 
He quickly turned her over and dove for the portal, closing it shut.

Zoey couldn't help the tears.
 
She held the back of her neck as she struggled to sit on one knee.
 
There was no fire, but smoke did rise from her neck and scalp.
 
Kevin hugged her gingerly with care and concern as he looked up at the speechless woman trembling in her office chair.

"There-There's no one else here," she stuttered, letting out her own tears.
 
"P-Please, don't hurt me.
 
Take whatever you want."

"You need to leave," Kevin said firmly.
 
"It's not safe here."

The woman didn't budge.
 
It took Zoey lunging forward, fangs and amber eyes exposed, to loosen the woman from her chair.
 
She screamed as she left the office.

Zoey regretted her decision to send the employee fleeing.
 
She could have used a quick sip of blood.
 
Using the desk for leverage, she slowly pulled herself to her feet.

"Where are we?"

Kevin glanced around the tiny office.
 
"No idea."