The Forbidden: A Huntress Novel (The Huntress Series Book 1) (27 page)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

My father stood from my bed holding my dagger in his hand. “How did you just suddenly appear?”

I didn’t know what to say. I was afraid of revealing Violet and Lucas to him knowing I was in no position to escape him and the reapers. If I did, he would kill me then go after them and I wanted to keep them safe.

“Why are you in my bedroom holding my dagger like you are about to kill me?”

A sinister smile crept up on his lips as his brows raised. “Kill you? Not yet.”

My stomach twisted in knots as my body pricked from the fear, alerting my reaper.

“So I guess this means you have found me out.”

“How does it feel to love a murderer?”

“His kind are not as violent as you make them out to be. You are misleading every hunter in this manor having them believe that vampires aren’t like humans, but yet they think and feel just like us. They only became the enemy when they killed mom, but I suspect there is a whole other story to that.”

“And why would you suspect that there is a different story to what I told you?  Did your boyfriend poison your mind and make me out to be the enemy?”

“He did nothing to turn me against you; you did that on your own.”

He walked closer to me, his knuckles white from clutching the dagger so tight.

I took a step back, pointing my finger his way as my eyes blurred. “Stay away from me,” I warned.

He gave a smug smile. “Ah, you must be threatened by my presence. I have caused your reaper to surface.”

“I’m not afraid of you and if I am left with no other choice, I will kill you.”

“You are just like your mother.”

“What really happened to her? Did you kill her?”

His eyes burned with anger. “That is enough!” He snapped.

As he took another step forward, I took a step back, bumping into the wall. He held the dagger in front of my face. I realized then that it wasn’t even my dagger. It was the same color, but my design was different.

My body tensed as I realized what he was about to do. “You did kill her.”

He took a step back as I swung at him. He grabbed my shirt and shoved me against the wall.

My eyes widened and I gasped as his eyes turned orange…the reaper eyes. I was stunned. He never told me that he was a hunter. I was under the impression that he only controlled us and left the hunting to us reapers.

“You’re a reaper.”

“Retired reaper.”

I grunted in pain as he drove his dagger into my stomach. I dropped down to my knees as the blade began to electrocute my insides. My stomach burned as I clenched my fists together, screaming as the pain became too much to bear.

“Your mother was a vampire whore. Like mother, like daughter.”

He yanked the blade from my stomach and kneed me in the face. I fell backward hitting my head on the wall. Everything went blurry as I fought to stay awake, but as the black spots swarmed over my eyes, I fell into a sea of unconsciousness.

****

Pain…so much pain stabbed through my stomach. It was so excruciating that I didn’t know whether or not to scream, cry, or vomit.

“Come on, you have to hurry. I don’t know when her father is coming back.”

Isaac, he was here…but where was here.

Everything was hurting. My head was groggy and throbbing, and my body ached.

I groaned as I slowly blinked my tired eyes open. The bright light from above shot pain through my eyes forcing me to close them once more.

I could hear machines. The heart monitor was beeping close to my ear.

“She’s waking up.” Dr. Reed said.

The doctors were here helping me…I must be in the hospital wing.

“Put her back to sleep.” Dr. Johnson said.

No! I didn’t want to go back to sleep. I had to get out of here. It wasn’t safe for me to sleep knowing my father had plans to kill me.

A wave of drowsiness took over my body. I fought to stay awake, but my body was too exhausted to fight for long.

****

“Athena!” Isaac’s voice was urgent, filled with trepidation as he shook me awake.

I groaned as I forced my heavy eyelids to open. Isaac hovered over me, sweating and panting like he had been running and was trying to catch his breath. His reaper was out and his anxiety radiated off of him.

“I have to get you out of here. We don’t have much time.”   

I slowly sat up, wincing from the soreness in my stomach. I was sitting on the hardwood floor in a dark, empty room.

“Where am I?”

“Your father put you in one of the empty room’s in the manor after he stabbed you. I took you to the doctor’s when your father left for a while so the doctors could take care of you. Your dad has plans to kill you in front of everyone.”

I exhaled in exasperation. Brody must have found out that my father knew about Lucas and I. That was the reason he came running into Violet and Lucas’s house. It was a warning for me to not return home, but he was too late. I couldn’t stop the potion from taking me to my destination. Lucas must be going out of his mind right about now and without a doubt planning to break me out of my prison.

“You are the last person I expected to show up and help me.”

“We may argue sometimes, but that doesn’t mean I hate you and want you dead. I still care for you and I’m not going to sit back and watch your father kill you.”

I slowly stood and gasped as my weak knees gave out. Isaac caught my arm and helped me stand up straight.

“I’m going to have to carry you out of here aren’t I?”

“No, I can do this.”

He let go of me and backed away with his arms stretched out ready to catch me if I fell.

My body felt weak and brittle. All I wanted to do was sleep, but sleeping was not an option, especially since my life was being threatened.

“Where are Chelsea and Taylor?”

“Causing a scene so we can get you out of here.”

“No, they will get themselves killed and I will not have them dying because of me.”

“Right now is not the time to play hero, let them do what is necessary to save your life.”

He grabbed my hand and led the way as we quickly walked into the hall and to the elevator. Well, he walked in a haste while my legs struggled to keep up the pace. As we stepped into the elevator he sighed and pressed the third floor. The foyer was on the first floor and since that is our only way out of the manor I assumed we would be headed that way.

“Where are we going?”

“I know what I am doing, just trust me.”

“I am inside a manor with every reaper on this estate wanting me dead, so excuse me if I don’t trust you.”

“I’m not against you. I may have been your father’s favorite, but he and I don’t agree when it comes to your fate. Family is sacred and you are supposed to protect them and love them unconditionally. He crossed the line when he attacked you.”

The elevator door slid open; Isaac grabbed my hand and cautiously eased his way into the hallway. It was abandoned as it echoed the sounds of a battle down below.

“Good, the plan worked. Let’s go, we don’t have much time.”

Pulling me out of the elevator, he shoved me inside an empty, dark room. The only light that shined in the room came from the closet.

“What now?”

“Give me a second.”

He kneeled on the wooden floor and lifted up the floor board where a black lever laid.

“Hey, I didn’t know that was there.”

“There are a lot of things I know that you don’t.”

As he switched the lever down, the wall began to slide open and revealed a pair of steps.

“What is down there?”

“Our way out of here.”

He grabbed my arm and led the way. I shivered as the cold air chilled my body. The steps led to an empty, spacious room, with a fireplace.

“How do you know of this secret room?”

“Well, the room that leads us to this place used to belong to me when I was a kid. I found this area on accident, so I used it when I needed to be alone. As I grew up, I became closer to your father and he insisted that I be moved to a more spacious bedroom, one that had a bathroom with a proper tub. A tub I could practically swim in. Come on, I need your help.”

“What do you want me to do?” I asked as I followed him over to a rectangular window.

“It’s too high for us to reach, so I am going to give you a boost.”

He held out his hands as I placed my foot in them and reached for the window. I flinched and drew in a breath as a pain shot through my abdomen.

“How are you doing?”

“I just need you to lift me a little higher.”

As he boosted me higher, I grabbed onto the latch and unlocked the window and slid it open. Grabbing onto the windowsill, I removed my foot from his hand and placed it on his shoulder as I pushed myself up.

He grabbed the back of my leg and helped lift as I pulled my body out of the window. Kneeling on the ground, I leaned into the window and reached my hands down to help him.

“Come on, hurry.” I said.

“You won’t be able to lift me.”

“I will try my best.”

He took a step backward and leaped into the air as the tips of our fingers brushed against each other. He slid down the wall and landed on his backside.

“Try again.”

He stood on his feet and stepped away from the wall as he ran. He shoved his foot into the wall and pushed himself up. I grabbed his arm and pressed my lips together straining to pull him out of the window. My feet dug into the grass as I pulled with every ounce of strength that I had left. His hands gripped my pant leg as he helped himself out of the window. I fell backward, grunting in pain as he landed on top of me, pressing his weight into my injured stomach.

“Sorry.”

He pushed himself off of me and pulled me to my feet. He grabbed my hand as we ran to the front of the manor where a blue truck was parked in the driveway.

There were hunters by the manor door on guard. We ran past them as they came after us.

Isaac flung his truck door open and I jumped inside and crawled over to the passenger seat. The keys were already in the ignition and I knew then that the plan to rescue me wasn’t a rash decision, it was well thought out.

With shaking hands I turned the truck on as Isaac battled it out with the two guards. Punching one of them, he grabbed the other by the shirt and flung him against the truck. I gasped and held onto the dashboard as the truck shook. Taking a punch to the gut, Isaac grabbed the only standing guard’s head and slammed his own into his. The guard’s eyes rolled in the back of his head as he fell to the ground.

Isaac jumped into the truck, put the truck in drive and sped off as he turned around and drove down the driveway away from the manor.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Drops of rain sprinkled on the windshield as Isaac and I drove farther and farther away from the manor. As we drove down the winding roads, I had the urge to look behind me every few minutes because of my paranoia.

“There is nothing behind us, relax a little.”

“I can’t. I know my father, he will come for me.”

“He isn’t going to find you where I’m taking you.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“I’m following Chelsea and Taylor’s orders and taking you to Taylor’s cabin.”

Oh, the infamous cabin where Chelsea and Taylor have their weekend getaways.

“Are they supposed to join us?”

He nodded as he glanced my way while biting on his thumbnail.

I sighed and looked behind us once more before laying my head back.

“What if they don’t make it?”

“Then we go on with the plan without them. Your protection come first, mourning over their death comes last.”

“It’s all my fault.”

“Technically, it wasn’t. You didn’t get yourself caught, a vampire named Eliana came looking for her sister thinking we had captured her and had her locked away. She told your father of your betrayal in exchange for her sister, but it was too late she was already dead.”

“What about Eliana?”

“Your father let her go because she revealed your secret.”

He can release her all he wants, but she will face the wrath of Lucas.

There is no surviving, even if I do live. He will find her and take vengeance.

“Did you know my father was a reaper?”

His brows raised as he looked at me in surprise. “No, I had no clue.”

I narrowed my eyes. “ I find that hard to believe, you know everything about him.”

“I may be close to him, but he doesn’t tell me everything.”

We turned into a long, narrow driveway as a big, wooden cabin came into sight.

“Are you sure we’re safe here?”

“We are miles away from the manor in a cabin with trees surrounding us, if he does succeed in finding us it won’t be a simple task.”

I got out of the truck and climbed the steps to the porch. A white swinging bench rocked back and forth as the wind blew.

“He has the determination to find what he seeks, so I wouldn’t doubt him one bit.”

Isaac leaned down and lifted the welcome mat, retrieving the key to enter the cabin. As he opened the door, I stepped inside as I was engulfed in darkness.

“Just stay by the door while I find the lights.”

I stood where I was while he slowly eased his way into the cabin. I stifled a laugh as I heard him trip over something and cuss.

“Doing okay there, buddy.” I asked.

Knowing I was being a smartass, he mumbled something I couldn’t make out under his breath.

As the light from the black glass lamp lit up the room,  I took in my surroundings. There were silver framed pictures of Taylor and his sister when they were babies, Taylor with his father on a yacht holding up a fish when he was older. Chelsea was even on the wall, however there were no pictures of his mother, which didn’t surprise me at all considering what she did to the both of them.

I sat down on the black recliner couch and turned on the flat-screen television that hung on the wall. Isaac grabbed a red traveling bag and pulled out a pair of pajama pants and one of my band tees.

“You went through my closet?”

“No, Chelsea and Taylor planned this weeks ago just in case your secret got out. Your clothes have been here this whole time, but you haven’t noticed anything missing because you’ve been preoccupied with your boyfriend.”

He handed me the clothes as he took in my attire. “Besides, I’m sure you will feel more comfortable wearing your own clothes.”

“What’s wrong with his clothes?”

“They’re a bit baggy on you and your blood is all over them.”

I looked down at the rip in my shirt and the blood that stained my shirt and pants. “Well, without the blood they are still comfortable. Besides, I like the fact that I am wearing his clothes.”

“Let me guess, because his clothes touched his body.”

“That’s part of it.”

He rolled his eyes. “Females are so weird, Cameron said the same exact thing.”

“If you haven’t figured us out by now, then you never will. I’m going to get cleaned up.”

“Trust me I have already given up on figuring out the female species,” He said as I climbed the hardwood steps.

I chuckled and shook my head. “Species.”

I stood in the bathroom debating whether or not I wanted to relax in a nice, hot Jacuzzi tub or make it fast and jump in the shower. I placed my clean clothes on the vanity and started to strip my clothes off when Isaac came walking in.

I gasped and covered my breasts with my shirt. “Don’t you know how to knock? It’s a good thing I wasn’t naked and in the tub.”

“I forgot to give you your toothbrush and I’ve already seen your body before so it doesn’t matter.”

“You saw my body a few times and it’s not appropriate anymore because we are both with different people.”

“I’ve seen your body more than two times.”

“Yeah, don’t remind me.”

I pushed him out of the bathroom, shut the door and locked it this time. I turned on the water and pulled off my clothes. Looking down at Lucas’s shirt a longing to be with him flooded my heart. Hugging his shirt to my chest, I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. I needed him with me more than ever now. My life was in danger now, and I was afraid that I would never see him again. I was worried for his well-being also, because I knew that he wouldn’t let my father or any of the hunters harm me. My only hope is that he doesn’t go to the manor.

I placed his clothes on the vanity next to mine and stepped inside of the tub. I laid back and sighed as the hot water instantly relaxed my tense muscles. Holding my breath I slid underneath the water, hoping it would help relieve my racing mind.

I heard the door open and close as footsteps grew closer. Isaac was the only one in the cabin that I knew of, thinking it was him, I sat up and covered my body.

“You’re okay!” Chelsea said as she threw her arms around me. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing she and Taylor were safe. “I was so worried.”

She sat on the edge of the tub and removed my hair from my face. “I knew this would happen, so Taylor and I made an escape plan.”

I looked away not liking the sight of my friend. Her clothes were torn and bloody. Her jaw was swollen and bruised and she had cut marks and bruises on her neck and arms.

She was hurt because of me. She didn’t deserve it, she didn’t betray anyone.

“I’m sorry. You could have died because of me.”

“No, I would’ve died because of me. It was my decision to save you.”

She sighed and pulled her hair back in a ponytail. “Why couldn’t you stay away?”

I bowed my head. “You don’t understand.”

“You’re right, I don’t understand and yet I’m here trying to save your ass. Make me understand. I’m finally ready to listen.”

“I have never had so many strong feelings for anyone until I met Lucas. Lucas and I, we were meant for each other. I fell in love with him the second our eyes met. I had no control over it, in fact, I tried my hardest to stop my feelings for him. I tried to stay away from him, but I couldn’t stand to be away from him for too long. When I’m not with him I feel so lost and I feel like a part of me is missing. Chelsea, he isn’t a monster like you think. He is just like us. He is sweet, and funny, and he has empathy for others. Yes, he feeds on humans, but that is his only way of surviving.”   

“Don’t you think that maybe he is manipulating you to bring us hunters down. What if he only wants you for your blood?”

I shook my head. “No, you are wrong. He can heal with his saliva, he’s already healed me twice. Instead of giving into the temptation my blood caused, he fought against the urge. He wouldn’t hurt me, he loves me.”

“I don’t know, Athena. I really want to believe you, but after everything we were taught it’s so hard to trust that Lucas is as good as you say he is.”

I was determined more than ever to have Chelsea understand that there is good in vampires. I just had to do it in a different way. Empathy, she has to be able to feel what I am feeling. That will get her to understand.

I laid back and sighed. “Okay, imagine this. Taylor is a vampire and you are in love with him. You agree to go to his world where you are in his home surrounded by a bunch of partying immortals. There is an ex-girlfriend of his there who is all over him trying to provoke you into a fight. When you have had enough of her you attack her. Taylor’s sister comes after you for attacking her kind and you get into this nasty fight with his own sister. Instead of Taylor defending his sister and his own kind, he protects you and even kills one of his own people for you. He takes you to his room where he licks your bleeding cut to heal it. Instead of giving into the blood lust, he walks away and fights to keep his composure. Then you spend the rest of the night laying in the comfort of his arms. If you were in my position, what would you do?”

Her brows pulled together as she looked down. “I would be in a position where I wouldn’t know what to do. I love him, but I know he is no good for me because of what I am.” She bit down on her lip as she gazed up at me.

“He really defended you?”

I nodded. “He snapped one of the vampire’s neck because he was licking my blood up from the floor. He scared them all away so I wasn’t in harm’s way anymore.”

“I can’t believe that an immortal would do all of those things for an enemy.”

“I’m not an enemy. He doesn’t see me that way. He’s a good person and he doesn’t do any harm unless he’s provoked.”

She let out a breath. “This is a lot to take in. We were taught differently then what you are telling me.”

“If we get out of this mess alive, then you can meet him and see for yourself that he is trustworthy.”

“Making peace with a vampire? Yeah, that shouldn’t come anytime soon.”

“You would do it for me though, wouldn’t you?”

She gave a half-smile and shrugged. “I’m not sure.”

“Please, don’t make me choose between the two of you, because if you do, you will lose me. I won’t live without him.”

“You would choose him over me?”  She looked hurt, surprised even.

“If I asked you to choose between me and Taylor, who would you choose?”

“That’s not the same thing, Taylor isn’t a vampire.”

“Sure it is, answer my question.”

“That’s a hard decision to make. We have been best friends since childhood, so it would be difficult to walk away from our friendship.”

“But I know you can’t live without Taylor.”

“That is true.”

“And if I can’t see us being friends if you stay with him, what would you do?”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “I would choose Taylor, but I wouldn’t like having to choose between you two.”

“Okay, so now you understand why I would choose him over you. There aren’t any hurt feelings still?”

“No, besides it wouldn’t be fair for me to make you choose.” She stood, leaned down and kissed my head. “I will consider making peace with the vampire. I will let you take your bath in peace.”

I only hope now that she is able to use what I told her about him and see past him being the enemy. I need her to understand why I betrayed my kind. I need her on my side.