The Executioners: Book 1

by Vanora Belmont

  ‘Yeah, you can do this room. Alex can help me. Sorin and Zane will be with you. Send Zane through if you find anything interesting,’ he said before leaving the room.

  I turned my attention back to the woman on the floor. I knelt down and examined the wound on her neck as Zane did the same with the male. Sorin looked slightly out of place.

  ‘You all right?’ I asked.

  ‘Yeah. Just not quite sure what I should be doing. I don’t do this,’ he said waving his hand around the room. He was right. Being a bodyguard, he didn’t deal with this kind of situation.

  ‘We don’t come across scenes like this very often, thankfully,’ I said. ‘You just have to get on with it.’

  I continued inspecting the woman’s neck. It was very obviously a bite wound, though a very messy one. It was a few inches long and mainly two deep holes. Definitely a vampire. This was a new vampire though. A more experienced vampire’s bite would have been clean and tidy. They knew just where to bite and when to stop. These vampires didn’t. New vampires tended to bite down in a few different places until they got into the position they liked. Blood lust drove a new vamp wild.

  I stood up and turned to Zane. ‘We’re looking for a newly-turned vampire,’ I said loud enough that everyone in the room could hear. Zane came over to inspect the woman’s neck.

  ‘Two vampires. This bite diameter is different to the one on the guy by about half an inch.’ I didn’t question him. He would be right.

  ‘Okay, so we’re looking for two vampires,’ I said.

  ‘I’m picking up a vampire scent,’ Sorin admitted. ‘What about you?’

  ‘Not strong enough to track,’ Zane said. ‘All I can smell are the humans downstairs and blood.’

  ‘Okay. Zane, go tell Kace what you’ve found out,’ I said. ‘Sorin and I will start tracking those vamps. I’ve got my mobile. Text me when you finish up here and I’ll give you our location.’ I added. It was time to hunt.

  Chapter Four

  The scent that Sorin followed led us to the outskirts of the woods. No surprise there. Since we had tracked on foot it had taken a good twenty minutes to get there. Sorin led the way as we walked into the dark. The only sound came from the owls calling to each other and the twigs snapping under our boots. I wasn’t in the best condition to fight vampires due to being sore, but if it came to it, I was sure I would manage.

  Sometimes it didn’t end in a fight. On rare occasions vampires could be talked into coming in and paying for their crimes. Just like humans found guilty of murder, the vampires were locked up. However, unlike humans, if they didn’t come quietly they would be killed. Though I hoped we could simply talk it through when we found these vampires, I seriously doubted it would happen.

  As we walked, I debated asking Sorin about himself. I wanted to know more. But I also didn’t want to distract him from the scent. So, we continued in silence. Whilst I wasn’t paying close attention to what was going on around me, I knew Sorin was.

  We had been walking for ten minutes when he stopped.

  ‘This is where they split up,’ he said.

  ‘Okay. Then we split up,’ I said.

  ‘No chance,’ he said turning to face me. ‘We either stick together or we wait for the rest of your team and then split into groups. I’m not letting you out my sight.’ I was going to argue with him, but when I saw the determined look on his face I instantly knew better. It didn’t matter what I said. He wasn’t going to listen.

  ‘Okay,’ I said, ‘which way do you want to go?’

  ‘The scent’s weaker on the left but I shouldn’t have trouble tracking it. We can leave the stronger scent for your friends to follow.’

  I nodded in agreement and quickly sent a text to Zane telling him our plan. Slipping my phone into my back pocket I turned to Sorin.

  ‘Lead the way, Mr. Dalca,’ I replied. He turned and started walking along the dirt track. The scent eventually led us off the track and into the trees. Usually I knew the forest like the back of my hand, but that was during the day. The silence was deafening. I hated it. ‘So how long have you worked for the queen?’ I asked. Curiosity had gotten the better of me.

  ‘Be almost twelve years now,’ he said.

  ‘Really!’ I didn’t bother hiding my surprise. ‘You must have been young when you joined her team.’

  ‘I was twenty-two. So not that young. She often sent me back to handle business in America, so I spent the first few years travelling between there and here. It’s been the last five years that I’ve been staying in England as her personal bodyguard. I’m not originally from the US, though,’ he said.

  ‘I don’t think I’m cut out to be queen,’ I admitted to him. The comment felt out of place, but I needed to get it off my chest. I didn’t know him very well, but I knew he wouldn’t repeat anything I told him. ‘If I don’t become queen I’m sure someone else will.’

  ‘There would be an election if you stepped down. Anybody could get it. Do you really want that?’

  ‘I don’t know what I want,’ I said as we continued to make our way through the dense trees.

  ‘If you’re not in charge you’ll have no say in what happens to our people. If you are in charge, though, you could change things,’ Sorin said. He was right. It was worth thinking about. But right now, I still had to think about what I was going to tell my friends. So, I didn’t reply. And he didn’t question my silence.

  ‘Is that a house?’ I asked as we came into a clearing. Someone suddenly appeared at the front-most window. Sorin grabbed my arm and dragged me into a nearby bush. It was only a shadow, reflected by what may have been candles. If it was one of the vampires we couldn’t stay hidden long. He would pick up our scent eventually. An older vampire would have already.

  Considering they were inexperienced, taking down this vampire would be easy. Sorin would have no trouble taking a vampire on. He could probably even do it on his own. But we had to give this vamp a chance to hand himself in first. I stood up, brushing what felt like half the forest off my trousers.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘Just keep an eye on him in case he’s does a runner,’ I said as I walked with determination towards the house. I was aware that Sorin was following me. When we reached the door, I turned the handle and pushed it open. The inside was dusty and rundown. I walked carefully, unsure if the rotten floorboards would hold my weight.

  ‘Get out or else!’ a voice shouted from upstairs.

  ‘We need to talk!’ I shouted back. ‘You either come down here or we’re coming up.’ I watched as he appeared at the top of the stairs. The vamp appeared to be in his early forties. The blood on his chin, neck, and top were a tell-tale sign he was a new vampire. ‘We’re here to take you in for the murder of four humans tonight.’

  ‘And if I don’t come quietly?’ He smirked and I couldn’t help but smile back. He didn’t have a clue.

  ‘You’re a young vampire, so let me tell you what’s going to happen here,’ I said ‘You feel strong, unstoppable. You’re going to try and attack us and then you’re going to get a reality check. I’m a witch and my partner’s a superhuman. There’s no way in hell you’ll beat us. You’ll die. So, it’s your choice to come with us and turn yourself in. Or die. Those are your only two options.’

  ‘I’ll take my chances,’ he hissed. I shrugged my shoulders and stepped forwards, ready to take him on. But Sorin placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

  ‘I’ll deal with him. You’re still recovering from your last fight,’ he said. I knew he was right, so I stepped back and allowed him to take over.

  Sorin pulled out his knife, the same one he had used to kill the human mutation. I knew this was going to be a quick fight. From what I had seen, Sorin was very experienced, maybe on the same level as Kace. And he had been doing the job for a decade longer than Sorin.

  The vampire reached the bottom of the staircase quickly. His hand found Sorin’s neck in seconds, but Sorin didn’t bat an eye. He simply prie
d the vamp’s hands away from his neck and twisted them round. I heard bones snap. The vampire screamed in agony as he stumbled backwards. Vampires heal fast, so it would only buy us a few minutes.

  ‘Last chance,’ Sorin said. ‘Next time I won’t just snap your wrists.’ He flashed the vampire his knife. I watched as the vampire attempted to snap his wrists back into place, but they were both sitting at an odd angle.

  Yelling, the vampire charged Sorin with his teeth bared. This time, Sorin ended it. I watched as he swung his hand out and embedded the knife in the vampire’s chest. He fell to the floor. Unlike the Hollywood vampires there was no puff of smoke or pile of ashes. There was just a body. At least someone would have a body to bury once the police found out who he was and where he’d come from. Once I had killed a four-hundred-year-old vampire. Within a minute of his death there was nothing but a worn-out skeleton just as he should have been had he not turned.

  Hopefully Kace had kept his vampire alive for questioning since ours wasn’t going to tell us much now. I turned to look at Sorin. He had a relaxed expression on his face, his eyes soft as he turned to look at me.

  ‘You all right?’ he asked me.

  ‘Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?’ I asked pulling my phone out and texting the clean-up crew the location of the body. He never responded, striding past me, out the door, and back into the forest. I followed him.

  I suddenly wondered why the others hadn’t been in touch. I pulled out my phone again, checking for any new messages. But there were none. I didn’t want to phone. They could be busy or trying to stay silent. But the lack of communication worried me. We always stayed in close contact when we were separated.

  We walked further into the forest, Sorin leading the way. My thoughts were still on my teammates. Why weren’t they replying? I had sent them four messages now. I had no way of knowing where they were until they got back in contact. I could ask Sorin to track them, but I felt that if I asked, I would just be taking advantage of his senses. I wasn’t even sure where he was leading me. ‘Where are we going?’ I asked.

  ‘Out the forest,’ he said. ‘It’s not exactly safe in here at this time of night.’ I stopped walking. We had to find the others.

  ‘We can’t leave,’ I said. Sorin stopped walking and turned to face me. ‘We need to meet up with the rest of the team.’

  ‘My job is to keep you safe. Your friends are more than capable of looking after themselves,’ he said.

  I didn’t even try to hide my anger at his words. ‘So, you’re saying I’m not capable of looking after myself, you have no idea what I’m capable of.’

  ‘Believe me,’ he said striding towards me. ‘I know exactly what witches are capable of. I’ve been at the receiving end of witch and warlock magic more times than I can count. But I was given orders and it’s my job to follow them through.’ He was standing close, towering over me.

  ‘And what exactly where your orders?’ I asked as I looked up at him. His glare made me uneasy. I wanted to take a couple of steps back from him, but I held my ground. I couldn’t be intimidated by him. He was harmless, despite the look on his face.

  ‘Kill what I need to. Protect you at all costs,’ Sorin said. ‘If I let you run into the forest looking for your teammates then I’m not doing my job.’

  ‘If I don’t go looking for them then I’m not doing my job,’ I snapped. My temper was starting to flare. ‘They’ll be expecting me to find them. I’m an Executioner same as they are.’

  ‘Maybe if you’d told them who you really are they’d want to keep you safe as well. Maybe that’s why you don’t want to tell them.’

  ‘I don’t want things to change,’ I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Sorin’s eyes softened as he took a step back.

  ‘Things will change. You can’t stop that. You’ll just have to embrace it,’ he said. ‘Will you please come back to your base with me? I promise that if your team doesn’t make it back within an hour of us I’ll go out and look for them myself.’

  I gave in. I knew I couldn’t win this argument. ‘Okay. I’ll talk to them once they’re back.’

  ******

  True to his word, Sorin went out to look for the others.

  I was sitting alone in the main communal lounge wondering how I was going to tell them. I had been thinking about it a lot. But now that it was actually happening…My hands were shaking as I stood up and walked over to the window. I wished the headlights of the car would come up the road. But I also wanted to know why they hadn’t been in contact.

  Would they think I’d been deceiving them? My thoughts were interrupted by the flash of white light coming up the drive. I heard doors open and shut as everyone exited the car. Within a few moments everyone was walking through the lounge door.

  ‘Sorin says you’ve got something important to tell us,’ Kace said as he made himself comfortable on the couch. Everyone else spread themselves out onto the remaining seats to get comfortable as well. It could wait a few more minutes.

  ‘First things first,” I said. ‘Where the hell were you?” My eyes landed on Zane.

  ‘My phone died. I never realised how low on battery it was,” Zane said.

  ‘Couldn’t have used Kace or Alex’s?” I replied.

  ‘We didn’t have our phones on us,” Kace said. “That doesn’t matter right now, though. What did you want to tell us?’

  ‘You all right, Anora? You’re looking a bit pale,’ Zane said. I must have looked as sick as I felt. I took a deep breath.

  Just spit it out, I told myself.

  ‘You know how I told you all that my parents had died when I was young and that my grandmother had brought me up?’ They all nodded. ‘Well, I wasn’t honest about who my grandmother was.’

  ‘Anora whatever you’re trying to tell us…just say it,’ Alex said.

  ‘My grandmother is the queen,’ I said quickly. Silence.

  Kace stood up, he brushed a hand though his hair as he turned his back on us. We all watched him. After a minute he turned back around and looked at me.

  ‘So, Queen Cora Lammont is your grandmother. You’re next in line for the throne?’ Kace asked. He seemed…calm. Too calm considering the news I had just sprung on him. ‘Why didn’t you tell us sooner?’

  I looked at Zane and Alex, both sporting shocked expressions. Even Zane didn’t speak and that wasn’t like him.

  ‘Because I wanted you to treat me like you would anyone else. I liked things the way they were,’ I said.

  ‘Things will change,’ Sorin reminded me.

  Kace turned to look at Sorin. ‘You knew, didn’t you? It’s why you’ve been sticking to her like glue.’ Kace walked towards Sorin, who simply nodded. ‘So, what, you’re her bodyguard? How long have you known each other?’ Kace asked him.

  ‘I’ve known about her for years, but I’ve only known her the same amount of time I’ve known you,’ he replied.

  ‘I don’t want anything to change. I don’t want you to treat me any different than you do just now,’ I said. ‘But apparently my grandmother is moving back to Scotland.’ I looked to Sorin for confirmation. He gave me a small nod and I continued, ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen when she gets here.’

  Kace just looked at me like he was in a daze. I knew he would want answers, but he seemed off, like he no longer knew how to react around me.

  ‘Are you leaving the team?’ Zane finally asked. I turned to look at him now. His normal trademark high-energy attitude was gone. He looked exhausted.

  ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen. I haven’t had a proper conversation with her since I joined this team,’ I told him. ‘I don’t know what she’s got planned. I’ll find out when she gets here, I guess.’

  ‘You’re next in line to the throne, though,’ Alex said. ‘She’s going to want to train you to be queen, is she not?’

  ‘Just because I’m next in line to the throne doesn’t mean I need to take it. I do have a choice,’ I said.

  ‘Until you find o
ut what’s going on I’m cutting you from the team,’ Kace said.

  ‘What? Why…’

  ‘Because I can’t have you getting hurt if our queen is on her way here to see you. I don’t think she’d be very happy if you weren’t in one piece when she arrived. I’m sorry, Anora, but I’ve made up my mind,’ he said as he turned to look at Sorin. ‘You’re to keep an eye on her. Not that I need to tell you that.’

  ‘No, you don’t,’ Sorin said. ‘And just so we’re clear, I only take orders from Anora and the queen.’

  Kace simply nodded. I could see that Kace and Sorin were never going to be friends. They were both leaders and strong-willed. Far too much alike.

  ‘Kace, she knows I’m here. She knows I’m an Executioner. If she was worried about my safety that much then she wouldn’t have let me join to begin with,’ I said.

  ‘If I had known who you were to begin with, I would have never of let you join,’ Kace admitted. ‘I can’t have you on the team just now. You’re going to put us at risk.’

  ‘How am I…’ I began, but Kace interrupted me.

  ‘You’re our princess. What kind of man would I be to let you run around the forest with us? Now that we know who you are, we’d want to protect you at all costs. The rest of the team could get hurt doing so,’ he said softly. ‘I’m sorry, Anora. Until I get confirmation from the queen, you’re off the team.’

  I nodded in understanding. He was right. I didn’t want to be responsible for anyone getting hurt. With nothing more to say, I turned and left the room, I walked to the lift and stepped inside it, attempting to hold back tears. That hadn’t gone as well as I hoped. But was it ever going to go well?

  I pushed open my bedroom door and changed out of my uniform and into a long shirt. Ammon was nowhere to be seen, but I had left the window open, so he was probably taking himself out for an adventure.

  I sat down on the sofa and put the TV on for background noise. I sat there with only my thoughts for company. It was just as I had feared; they were treating me different. They had known me for ages, but they were still treating me different now that they knew who I was. Kace kicked me off the team. I guess I could understand where he was coming from, but it still hurt. Sorin had been right. There would be changes, and I would just have to deal with them.