Authors: Samantha Towle
Putting a hand to his ribcage, he starts to sit himself up. I take his arm, helping him.
I look at the blood seeping out of his side from in-between his fingers, and my natural instinct takes over. I feel that familiar pang in my mouth. I stop it from happening.
That’s how disgusting I am.
The love of my life is cut and bleeding and my natural reaction is to want to feed. I hate myself in this moment.
Nathan gets to his knees, then his feet. Zeff is just stood here to the side of us, eyes on me and Nathan.
I’m trying to pretend he’s not here. Nathan isn’t. He turns to face him.
“You’re the Original?”
“Zeff,” he nods.
Nathan turns to me. Apparently that’s the extent of their conversation. Can’t say I’m not relieved.
“There’s more of them. I saw two of them make for the barn where dad and Scarlett were.”
His hand is still gripping his side. He’s in obvious pain, though he’ll never admit just how much. I’m worried over how deep that cut goes.
“Where’s Craig?” I ask, in the same instance as I reach my senses out. But Zeff speaks before I even get a read.
“There’s a human, a werewolf, and a shifter, in the barn over there. No vampires.”
The relief I feel is astronomical.
“We should get to them,” I say with urgency.
Much to his protest, I put Nathan’s arm around my shoulder, giving him some support. Then me, Nathan, and Zeff, make our way to the barn. Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say.
Jack, Craig, and Scarlett, walk out of the barn, meeting us on the track.
Craig looks pretty beat up. Jack’s bleeding from the nose. Scarlett looks unharmed, but terrified. Making sure Nathan can stand on his own, I go straight over to Scarlett.
“Are you okay?” I ask her, putting my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
She’s shivering with fear.
“Um … yeah … I think so…” she says quietly.
This is all my bloody fault. I’m so fucking stupid. Of course they would find me here. I’ve almost just let happen again the very reason I left the last time. One of them could have died.
What, I thought Zeff finding me made it okay for me to come back here? In what fucking warped world do I live? I’m so unbelievably selfish. I just can’t see past my own love for Nathan at times.
I glance at Zeff. He’s standing back. His eyes on me.
He knew this would happen. He warned me. And I didn’t listen.
“Thank you,” I say with sincerity. If he hadn’t have been here who knows what would have happened.
He nods, eyes still scribed to mine.
I guess the question is, what was he doing here? Actually, no. I thinkut abloc I already know the answer to that.
“How did you know they were coming?”
“I was nearby.”
“Oh,” I say. His face tells me the rest. I was right in my thinking. He’s been here the whole time.
I don’t know whether to be freaked out or grateful. Both, I think. I can feel Nathan’s unease and anger emanating from my left, but I can’t look at him. Not yet.
Eyes still set on me, Zeff says, “You need to get out of here, and soon. More will be coming for you. A bounty has gone on your head.”
A chill slivers through me. I can feel Nathan’s stare on me, but I daren’t look at him. Not yet anyway.
“A bounty?” my mouth barely forms the words.
“After we killed those vampires … well, let’s put it this way – Elijah doesn’t know I was here - so his assumption is you have help or you took them out alone, either one will scare the hell out of him. He doesn’t do scared, or losing, so basically he’s taking no chances now when it comes to you. He wants you dead. And he’s paying big.”
I slide my arm from around Scarlett and wrap them around myself. I feel like it’s only me and Zeff here right now. How does he do that?
“Every supernatural being you wouldn’t want coming after you, now is,” Zeff continues. “Which means Isaiah will also pick up pace to find you before anyone else does. It didn’t take those ones long to find you. It won’t take the others.”
“Why is it always the bloody vampires that find me?!”I cry at Zeff. Not that I want any of them to find me.
“Because they’re excellent trackers. Vârcolac’s are blood driven, lazy, and mostly stupid. Out for themselves and what they can get. There is no loyalty in my off-breeds.”
“Wow. You must be so proud,” I say, snarky.
He gives me a look. I feel a pang, and realise I’ve actually missed those looks of his. I don’t like the feeling one little bit.
“Not really.” He shakes his head, dragging my eyes in movement with his. “For me they could all be eradicated. I don’t care for any of it – I told you.”
I slide a glance in Nathan’s direction. He’s still holding his wound. I meet his eyes. There’s no real connection in our gaze. I want him to come over to me, to put his arms around me, but he doesn’t. I don’t think I want to know why not.
“Vampires are dangerous because they’re smart and loyal to their makers requests. If they are on a hunt, tracking a mark, that’s all that counts to them, and they will find it without a doubt. You need to leave here, yes, and you can keep running, but running will only be effective if they have no read on you. No way to track you.”
I almost know what’s coming.
“There is something we could try to keep you hidden.” Pause. “I could spell you. I’ve never done it to another before, but it’s worth a try.”
“What’s the catch?” I ask.
He stares at me for a long moment. Almost as if he’s forgetting there are others here. I know I keep forgetting there are.
What is that all about? Is he somehow doing that to me with his magic?
I start to feel uncomfortable under his heavy stare, and I’m about to look away when he says, “You have to stay with the power source.”
Nathan strides over to me, putting a protective arm around my shoulders. Fingers gripping a tight hold of me, staring a hard look at Zeff, he says, “You? No way is Alex leaving here with you.”
I look up at Nathan. I see it all in his eyes.
“
Promise me something?” he said
“
Anything.”
“
You’ll never leave me.”
“
I promise.”
“
Say it.”
“
I’ll never leave you.”
I promised him. I can’t break that promise.
I drag my eyes from Nathan, back to Zeff. “You want to help me. Okay, that’s great. Thank you. But if you spell me and I go with you–”
“Alex–” Nathan butts in.
“Nathan has to come too. You want to help me like you say you do, he comes too. If not, thank you for your offer, but we’ll take our chances alone.” I emphasise the
we’ll
to let Zeff know that’s how I see things. It’s not just me anymore. It’s me and Nathan.
Nathan visibly relaxes next to me.
I see it in Zeff eyes, the discourse. I know I’m risking a lot. I need his help. And by the looks of things after today, I won’t survive five minutes out there without his protection.
I’m just praying on the fact it’s not in him to walk away. If I’m guessing right, he’s been here since I left Italy. He followed me here. It wasn’t exactly a coincidence he was here at just the exact right time, was it. And that tells me all I need to know.
“Okay,” he nods. “The more bodies, the better you are protected.”
He doesn’t mean that for one second. Zeff could protect me fine alone. He could probably take down a small army of vampires single-handed if he wanted to.
“Well, if you and Nate are going, then I’m coming too,” Jack pipes up. I swivel to look at him. “Well, I can’t stay here now, can I? With a shit load of vampires and God knows what else readying to swoop in … so where else am I going to go?”
“Somewhere safe?” I pipe up.
“I’m in too,” Craig says, obviously ignoring me.
“Me too,” Scarlett says from beside me. I give her a confused look. “Well where else am I gonna go?” She shrugs. “It’s either brave the streets, or stay with you guys and go on the run with one of the most powerful creatures on earth who can protect us. Hands down, it’s an easy choice from where I’m stood.where I Iith you
I hear Zeff’s little snuffle of laughter. I fire him a sharp look. He lets out a cough.
“Okay,” he says, composing his features to neutral. “We need to get moving, and now. So grab what you need and be quick about it.”
Chapter 32: Family
I’m in the passenger seat of the Range Rover. Nathan next to me, driving. Our bags in the back.
A horse box is attached to the back containing Honor. There was no way we were leaving them there. Zeff assured us, where we’re going there would be a place for them to stay.
In front of us is Zeff in his car. Behind us, Craig, Jack and Scarlett, in Craig’s truck, the other horse box with Hope attached to it. Nathan’s Ducati is in there too. He wasn’t leaving without her, apparently.
Zeff gave us directions, but we’re still following close behind him. He spelled me before we left the farm. It worked. I think he always knew it would. It was the oddest sensation I’ve ever felt.
Like I was showering in electricity. Now I don’t feel anything. Just back to normal. Well, except for the fact that I’m tied to Zeff by a powerful magical force.
Zeff wanted me to ride with him in his car, because I need to stay within decent proximity to keep the spell active. If I break it he has to respell me.
Not a massive effort, but not something I fancy having done on a regular basis. But still I said no. As long as Nathan stays close to his car, then we’re fine. I wanted this time alone with Nathan because who knows when we’ll be alone properly together, or how long I really have left.
One of two things will happen.
I’ll be taken by Isaiah and they’ll never find me again.
Or, I’m going to die.
The latter is looking most likely considering it’s the vampires who seem to be the best at finding me, and they want me dead. I haven’t really considered the fact Elijah wanted me dead until now. It’s not personal, I know that, but still it’s hard to know that my existence is so pernicious to someone that they’ve put a bounty on my head.
I guess that’s one thing I have in common with both Zeff and Isaiah. Elijah wanted … well still, wants them dead. They’ve managed to stay alive for four hundred years. Maybe I have a chance of surviving the next fifty or so.
Maybe.
Hopefully.
A life lived in the shadows. But a life in the shadows with Nathan is better than no life at all.
I reach my hand out to his side, fingers gently touching the area just outside his knife wound. I hear his sharp intake of breath.
“Sorry,” I say.
A soft smile. The sweet kind which makes me want to reach over and kiss him. So I do. A light kiss on his cheek.
It wins me another smile.
Nathan wouldn’t let me have Jack or anyone stitch his wound up. He said there was no time, and it would heal soon enough. I’m just worried it’ll get infected. He said it wouldn’t, but I think he would have said anything to get me out of the house and moving. I did manage to get to put some gauze on it.
“Is it healing okay?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Is that a yes to shut me up and stop me worrying, or a real yes?”
He slides his eyes off the road to me, momentarily. “A real yes.” He reaches over and takes hold of my hand, bringing to his mouth, he kisses it.
“You feel a little funny,” he says.
“Funny how?”
“Like … I keep getting tiny static shocks from you every time I touch you. I just thought it was static at first, but it’s every time.”
“Oh.” Pause. “It’s the magic.”
“Ah … okay.” But he doesn’t let go off my hand, which makes me feel better.
I inhale a deep breath. “Nathan, is this the right thing to do?”
He looks at me again. “It’s your call. You just say the word and I’ll swing this car around now, and we’ll take our chances alone.”
I can see the glimmer of hope in his eyes. I know he wants to keep me safe, and safe is under Zeff’s spell. But he doesn’t want to be in this with Zeff. I know Nathan, he’s the in charge guy, so I figure this can’t be easy for him. In more ways than one.
We’d just found one another, had settled into something, and here we are again on the run. But this time, we’ve lost the sanctuary of home. And I’ve lost the one remaining place I could run to for safety.
“I know keeping me hidden is the right thing to do,” I say slowly. “What I meant when I said it is, you all coming with me.”
I see the hope in his eyes fade, quickly replaced by hurt.
“And don’t take that as I don’t want you with me. Because I do, more than anything. I just feel like you’re all being dragged, yet again, into my fight.”
“Obviously there was no stopping me. Even if you didn’t want me here, I’d have still come.” He gives me a warm smile. “And seriously, do you really think you would have been able to stop my dad from coming?”