Vengeance (Hybrid Book 3)

by Nick Stead

  When he stepped away, she looked calmer again, though not entirely happy with the notion that I was a murderer. I prayed she wouldn’t dwell on things long enough to connect me to Mel’s death, or that she wouldn’t start pressing me for more information on Dad. I’d deliberately made it sound like the Slayers were to blame and I hoped she’d just accept that, rather than reaching the terrible truth of what had happened that night he’d died and I’d just disappeared without warning or any explanation. I’d never intended to find myself in the situation we were in then and I cursed David for making her go through all this, though I was grateful the vampires were able to make things easier on her than they otherwise would have been if we’d been alone. The last thing I wanted was for her to be scared of me.

  “So does this mean you believe me now?”

  “I don’t know, Nick. Everyone says there’s no such thing as werewolves. Maybe you are just crazy and you need help.”

  “Then let me prove it to you.”

  I’d deliberately been putting the moment off to show her the transformation while I tried to convince her with my words, afraid of how she might react to it. But I knew it was the only way to get her to truly believe, short of having Zee use his power again. And I felt I’d rather be in my hybrid form ready for the next fight than risk being caught unawares as a human, now that it was no longer just my life on the line but Amy’s as well. Death probably wasn’t going to let her slip through his grasp a second time and she alone was truly defenceless amongst us, so I had to be ready to defend her from any threats David sent our way.

  Locking eyes with my sister, I let the primal fury and hunger of my bestial side burn through until they turned lupine. Doubt turned to shock as bone began to strain beneath my skin, pushing outwards and forcing my skin to stretch with it, fur sprouting from my pores once again. She watched in a kind of morbid fascination while my body shifted into the very monster I’d so often pretended to be in our childhood games. I dread to think what her reaction might have been if it weren’t for Zee’s hold over her, but his power kept her from feeling any revulsion or fear at the sight of her human brother becoming a nightmarish beast, for which I was grateful.

  Renewed strength surged through me as my body turned lupine once again and settled into that hybrid form I’d come to favour in most fights. Amy seemed to be speechless and just stood gawping at the impossible she was witnessing. I hoped she couldn’t see my predatory instincts stalking behind my eyes as I wrestled a fresh wave of hunger and reminded myself she was not prey. But she was to the curse of my lycanthropy, which desired human flesh above all other animals, and I knew I was going to have to work harder than ever to keep my self-control firmly in place. If it was becoming too uncontrollable I supposed I could have Lady Sarah or Zee place me in mental chains to prevent me from hurting my sister at least, though I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. Perhaps it was no more than foolish pride but I still wasn’t a fan of subjecting myself to the vampires’ power.

  “I don’t mean to break up the family reunion but we should be on our way now,” Gwyn said, breaking the spell.

  Amy looked at him, then back at me. “God, Nick. Is it really still you in there?”

  “It’s me,” I growled, startling her with my ability to speak through my lupine jaws. “And I swear to you I’m going to get us out of here in one piece, and get you back to Mum. Gwyn’s right though, we should be making a move.”

  “Okay,” Amy answered, trying to pick herself up. She was visibly trembling from the effort, her limbs unable to take her weight.

  “Is she going to be okay to move?” I asked Selina.

  “It will take some time before she’s strong enough to walk.”

  Inwardly I cursed. Carrying her through the rest of the dungeon was less than ideal since David no doubt had worse things waiting for us beyond the current chamber, not to mention the big fight with the dread creature I’d guessed was at the end of it. If the design of the dungeon had been kept to the type of video games I’d grown up on, it was only going to get harder and more challenging the closer we got to the end.

  “Having to carry her will be a significant handicap in the fights still to come,” Zee commented, voicing the thought for me.

  “Agreed, I think we should leave her here and then come back for her when it’s safe to do so,” Lady Sarah interjected, finally standing and re-joining us after seemingly being lost in her own world.

  “No!” I snarled. I’d still been crouched by Amy after transforming but I stood to face the vampire, my anger quick to take over again. “I’m not leaving her till I know she’s back safe with Mum. If we leave her in here, how do we know the Slayers won’t just send something in to kill her while she’s alone and defenceless? Then all the dangers we’ve faced saving her will have been for nowt.”

  “I think I have an idea that might work,” Selina said. She closed her eyes and seemed to be deep in concentration, but only moments later the barghest materialised by her side, apparently no worse for wear after our fight with Death, though it still bore the gash across its ribcage.

  Following some unspoken command, the shadow beast padded over to Amy and hunkered down beside her. My sister didn’t seem to know what to make of the creature, though at least Zee’s power kept her from panicking once again. She looked to me for guidance.

  It didn’t take me long to realise what the witch’s idea was. “Seriously? You’re offering your familiar for her to ride like some monstrous pony?”

  “Well, do any of you have any better ideas? He’s big enough and he will guard anyone I ask him to as fiercely as he would guard my own life. Our bond runs much deeper than with any mortal animal companion and their human.”

  Lady Sarah spoke up again. “I trust my sister’s judgement. If she thinks this will work then I think we have to try it. At least the rest of us will be free to fight unhindered.”

  “I suppose,” I growled, kneeling to help Amy climb onto the shadow dog’s back. Despite being a creature of spirit, as ever he was very much there physically speaking and my sister was able to sit up on him, resting her hands on either side of his neck to help her balance. I was still doubtful, knowing full well she’d had no horse riding experience before, unless she just happened to have joined a riding school in the time since I’d left.

  “Don’t worry, Varin will take care of her. Your sister is far safer on his back than any earthly animal.”

  “Varin?”

  “It means shadow. I needed something to call him by so I could summon him, and names have power. Once you give someone or something a name, you can use it to forge a much stronger connection, whether good or bad.”

  Ordinarily, I would have been interested to know more about her familiar and the bond they shared, but I was still acutely aware that time was of the essence so I kept my questions for later once again. Amy might have been saved from any immediate danger caused by the wounds I’d dealt her, but if we lingered too long David may well send more enemies after us and it wouldn’t be wise to let ourselves be caught unawares. I wouldn’t relax until we’d found a way out of the dungeon and taken my sister back to the human world where she belonged.

  “Shall we?” Gwyn said, gesturing at the door.

  “Yeah, let’s go,” I growled. “Lead on.”

  Despite the misgivings I still had over placing my trust in the Welsh spirit, he was the only one of us with any knowledge of the layout of the dungeon we were trapped in. I knew he was our best chance of making it out as quickly and safely as possible. And he had shown some concern for my wellbeing through the dangerous undertaking of facing Death himself, which was more than could often be said for Lady Sarah. I just hoped it was genuine this time, unlike the others I’d placed my trust in who had ultimately proven to be false.

  There were no other doors in or out of the chamber as far as I could see and no evidence of the opening through which the coffin had entered the room with my sister inside. Gwyn led us back the way we’d come and d
own the section of the intersecting tunnel where I’d been looking for Zee after presuming Lady Sarah to be dead and leaving her ruined body in the chamber with the holy water. But the Welsh man didn’t take us all the way along to the dead end I’d found, instead stopping by another nondescript section of wall on the opposite side to where the hidden passage to Selina and Amy had been. He pushed a piece of stone jutting out and as it slid inwards another secret panel rumbled into life, again so well hidden that there was no wonder I’d missed it when I’d first rushed down that passage.

  Another prison style door waited at the end of the passage, similar to the one which had barred our path to Amy and Selina except the small window set in this one had a panel of glass set into it rather than bars. Gwyn paused briefly before we reached it, warning “I don’t know what’s waiting for us on the other side of that door. Like I told you before, I did see this place being built so I know most of the layout well enough and I learnt about most of its secrets, and I did get a look at the plans which had some details of which rooms would imprison each of you. But there was nothing in the plans about this next one or at least not while I was still free to roam around. Maybe something was added after they discovered me and locked me in my own chamber, which was originally going to house more zombies, according to the plans. I guess zombies must be easy to come by when they have their own necromancer to raise them.”

  With that, he pushed another hidden button and the door swung open. I didn’t know whether we’d have been granted such easy access to Selina and Amy if we’d have given Gwyn the chance to reveal such secrets he’d learnt in his time down in the converted mines, or whether that door was always going to require brute strength to smash our way through. Maybe David had never even meant for us to successfully break it down and the window had been there to add to our suffering, allowing us to see how close we were to our loved ones but unable to reach them. Or maybe he’d counted on our combined supernatural strength being enough to reach them, but had wanted to make it more of a challenge. I was beginning to think I’d never know the truth of the demented thoughts that had gone into the planning of that place, unless I could tear them from the mastermind himself.

  Regardless of what David may or may not have intended, thanks to Gwyn we were able to pass effortlessly into that new chamber and face whatever unknown horrors awaited within. But it was the scent it contained that brought us to a standstill that time, rather than the shock of any sights. That scent hit me the moment the door opened, somehow stronger than it had been at any other point in the dungeon, slithering through the overpowering death stench and coiling round my olfactory senses so that all else faded into the background. And I wasn’t the only one affected.

  The vampires came to a stop beside me, the three of us fixating on the human at the other end of the room. She lay there in a pool of her own blood, that crimson temptress with her seductive scent which set my nose twitching and made the nostrils of the vampires flare as they breathed it in. Still alive, the thundering of her heart filled our ears, calling to us. With each pump it seemed to be saying “This one is for you, and only you. Don’t think; just give into it and set me free. Take my strength and add it to your own; let me feed your hunger – I beat for you.”

  I knew the vampires were hearing similar voices as they wrestled their own predatory desires. And I was dimly aware of Selina just behind us and Varin with Amy on his back. I had a vague sense of the barghest moving closer to his mistress, the witch no doubt recognising the danger to my sister the instant we’d frozen in place.

  Some part of me knew it would still be unwise to accept any offering given seemingly freely by the Slayers, since David was only interested in our suffering. He had no desire to see us enjoy even the briefest of moments of pleasure, thus the meal to satisfy our hungers just waiting there in the chamber with no apparent obstacles or torments to endure to reach it had to be more than it seemed. Some part of me knew that. And yet, even with the greater self-control I’d so recently gained and for all my reasoning, I was still slave to my hunger.

  My predatory instincts roared through my mind in response to the allure of our sanguinary mistress and her call to the hunt, until any sense of caution or reason was drowned out. The vampires were surely fighting losing battles as well, hungry as we all were since none of us had been allowed to truly satisfy our unnatural appetites. But it was my resolve that crumbled first. It didn’t matter that I knew the human laid out on that crimson platter. I had no empathy as I looked into familiar eyes, even when they widened with terror at the realisation that she was about to meet a brutal and painful end. As with so many others before her, she had been reduced to no more than prey, no more than a feast of raw flesh and viscera indistinguishable from every other human in the world. And she was mine for the taking, this girl I had been so against killing before. I lunged for her, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop me.

  Chapter Twenty One – Irresistible Bait

  “Hannah!” Amy screamed.

  The fact that my sister also knew her didn’t even register while my most primal instincts seized control of my being and drove me onwards. Nor did any surprise to find her still alive after Gwyn had claimed to have seen her body. There was only the need to hunt and kill, and feed on the fresh meat I’d been offered until the gaping hole of my stomach filled with the slippery goodness of raw flesh, and the sickly ache of hunger retreated once more. Hannah was doomed and she knew it, though she was apparently still under Zee’s spell, at least to some extent, preventing her from screaming and falling into a complete panic.

  I was too far gone to consider why the Slayers had made an offering of her a second time. They clearly wanted one of us to kill her, or they wouldn’t have spilled enough blood to make her irresistible to all three of us predators. And there was no doubt the Slayers had spilled that precious fluid, the wounds from which it leaked too deliberate to have been an accident, the flow too callously calculated so that it would be enough to tempt us, but not too much as to kill her before we discovered this latest unfortunate victim caught up in a world she didn’t belong in. Her suffering seemed to be as insignificant to the Slayers as it was to my predatory nature, the bastards yet again revealing the true monstrous nature of humanity. For what else could the acts they’d committed against another living being (and one of their own kind this time) be considered as, other than monstrous?

  Truly innocent or not, the poor girl probably didn’t deserve the cruel fate the Slayers had doomed her to. She had no hope of escaping the bone crushing might of my jaws rushing ever nearer, chained in place as much by the agony she’d been left in as the shackles around her wrists.

  A large red square cut into her abdomen with the precision of a surgeon’s blade glistened in the flickering flame effect light just above her body. In case the blood wasn’t enough, here was a piece of fresh meat freed from its protective covering to tempt me further, the skin peeled back as if it were no more than a layer of plastic over a freshly bought steak. As for that crimson flow, it leaked steadily from a gash in Hannah’s right side. Her shirt had been ripped away to reveal the two wounds, though it was still intact from her neck down to her chest, preserving her modesty even on her deathbed.

  Threads of drool splattered the floor as I ran, my mouth watering in anticipation of the meal my enemies had presented me with.

  “Nick, no!”

  Too late, the witch caught a flash of metal and screamed her warning. I was already pouncing on my prey, the world reduced to a red haze as it had so many times before when the bloodlust took me. Coupled with the hunger, I would have been too far gone to take any notice of my allies, even if there had been time to abort the kill.

  Hannah just had time to speak before I was on her, though it also held little meaning for me. Her voice was weak and filled with pain, her last words spoken so softly that even the vampires with their supernatural hearing might have had trouble catching them.

  “I’m sorry. They threatened my
family…”

  Then my maw was clamping down on her throat and I shook my head with all the primal savagery called into being by the hunt: that most ancient of urges felt by the predator in me. Not that it was much of a hunt when my prey was injured and bound, unable to flee before my bestial might. A part of me loved nothing better than the thrill of the chase, but that darkness in me tied to the bloodthirsty side of my humanity was all too happy to be given this free offering to rip and tear to my heart’s content. And rip the life from her I would, my fangs severing through muscle and tendon and the fragile bone of her neck which snapped so easily, taking the life from my prey long before blood loss ever could. But not before she plunged that length of metal Selina had spied deep into my own neck.

  I roared as cold steel bit into my flesh, the pain briefly distracting me from my meal. This was a pain I’d known well enough in my human life, one I’d always hated to the point where I would fight against it until nurses and sometimes my own parents had been forced to hold me down to keep me still. Not the blade of a knife plunging into my neck but the length of a needle and the aching sensation of fluid being forced into my bloodstream. A pain that paled in comparison to the many agonies I’d endured in my relatively short time as a werewolf, but one I still despised nevertheless.

  At some point in those moments of chaos something else happened, preventing my friends and allies from rushing to my aid. Metal bars fell from the ceiling and clanged into place, forming a cell to trap me and Hannah in. Assuming they weren’t electrified like the bars of the cell I’d been imprisoned in the first time I’d found myself captive of the Slayers, they wouldn’t keep my companions out for too long. Perhaps the vampires could still use telekinesis to break me back out, even if they did have a current running through them. But it would be enough to delay them momentarily, which was perhaps all the Slayers needed. I didn’t much care at that point, with the bloodlust coursing through my veins and driving me to ever greater acts of violence.