by Elisha Bugg
“Yes,” he sighed. “I knew she didn’t want me from the first time I met her at the party. The only reason I persisted at the pub was because I liked her and I was drunk. But it worked. Richard thought I was interested and pushed me to pursue her.”
“He was in love with her mother,” Thane informed him, leaning forward in his chair.
“I know. Amelia. He killed all those responsible for killing her, you know. Not that it makes him any less guilty for her death. He was the one who organized the kidnap of them both. Little did he know that the one who held them hated him.”
“How do you know all this?” Thane asked, intrigued. If Richard hated his son, why would he share such information with him.
“I read,” Hugh shrugged.
“I hated Richard. He stood by and let my mum die. He even blamed the shifters for her death, but I found out that was a lie too. It’s why I stopped hating your kind,” he continued, rubbing at his temples.
“I come here often and read through his files, learning all the stuff he wouldn’t tell me, feeding the information to your alliance through another source.”
“You’re the one responsible on informing us on how many hunters have joined recently?” Thane asked, impressed by the deeds this boy had done for them. Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
“Lucas still hates me though. I don’t know why. I’ve always tried to pass him food and water when nobody was around, but he refused it.”
“Lucas is stubborn,” Thane smiled, jumping to his feet and heading to the door.
“Wait. Where are you going?”
Thane ignored Hugh as he walked along behind him, nodding to other hunters so they wouldn’t suspect him as he continued through the halls.
He was going to free Lucas. Anya needed family around her, and he had a right to see her when she was fighting for her life.
“Thane. Wait. You can’t,” Hugh begged, grabbing a hold of his arm in a vain attempt to stop him as he headed toward the cellar.
“Watch me.”
“But Richard’s already furious, and you don’t have an antidote for this new weapon yet. Maybe I could ask him about it?”
“Brilliant idea. Why didn’t I think of that?” Thane drawled, rolling his eyes, “oh yes. Because he’d know you found the information from his computer, and he’d know you had help passing his trap. You really are a moron.”
“I didn’t think he scared you?” Hugh murmured.
Thane gripped Hugh’s collar and lifted his feet off the ground, moving within inches of his face.
“I’m not scared of him. But I am freeing Lucas whether you like it or not. He has a right to see his daughter.”
“I-I don’t have my key.”
“What are you so afraid of?” Thane asked, lifting the key from around his neck.
“I told you. He hates me. He’ll kill me.”
Thane shook his head and pushed Hugh to the side, slotting the key into the lock. The magic from the runes sent agony across his hand.
The barrier had been repaired, meaning there had to be a witch among them. Perhaps that was how Thane couldn’t sense who was following Anya. Witches didn’t give off a specific scent, just a sense of power. That, or their witch was especially talented at cloaking spells.
Thane growled and released the handle. He doubted it would be so easy to break the circuit a second time.
“You can’t pass, can you?” Hugh asked, hopeful.
Thane studied the markings, noticing his scratch from before.
A new rune had been placed over the top, now glowing a bloody red since Thane touched the door.
He flexed his fingers, allowing his claws to slice through his skin and picked at the rune. The glowing continued like he thought it would.
“Damn it,” he growled.
“How did you get through before?”
“I broke the spell by removing a rune, breaking the circuit.”
“I assume it isn’t working this time?”
“No. The loop must be the other side.”
“So. Now what?”
“There’s only two options really. Either I destroy this door causing a lot of noise, or you go down there and let him out,” Thane shrugged, smirking when Hugh’s face blanched of colour, “personally, I prefer the second option.”
“No,” Hugh shrieked, waving his hands out in front of him. Shaking his head, “not happening. No way.”
Thane knew he wouldn’t be happy going down there alone to let out Lucas, fearing his own life, and rightly so, but there weren’t many options.
“Me freeing him won’t help if we can’t break the spell. He’ll be stuck on the other side of the door.”
“Lucas will be able to break the loop from the other side, unless of course you have a blade that you can use to scratch off the runes to allow me through?”
Hugh patted down his clothes, searching for anything he could use, and bowed his head in defeat when he came up empty handed.
He sighed before taking a step through the door, looking back over his shoulder as he went.
“What about the chains?”
Thane dug around in his pocket and tossed him a vial of liquid with a note inside. Erebus had come through just in time. Maybe someone had seen this all coming. Damned demon could have warned him if that was the case.
“Give this to him, with the key,” he instructed.
“Leave it in his reach, then run if you value your life. Perhaps I’ll be able to talk him out of killing you once he reaches the top.”
"W-what is it?"
"A powerful spell to destroy the chains."
Hugh nodded, taking the vial and gulping audibly before disappearing into the darkness of the stairwell as he rounded the first spiral.
Thane hoped he would be quick. They needed to get back to Anya.
He pulled out his phone, feeling the need to check on her again.
It took far too long for Edwin to answer. There had to be something wrong.
“Sorry, Thane. We have a little bit of trouble here. Seems that Oleander made his way back after losing Keri in the woods, only the girl has sent a welcoming party.”
Thane swore loudly, punching the wall beside him causing the plaster to crack, littering the floor with dust.
“Is she safe?”
“For now. Some of the boys took her upstairs and locked her in my room along with Heleana and Tynan. She’s well protected, and Heleana insisted the move had no negative effect on her. She’s working on an antidote as we speak. I just hope she manages it before it’s too late.”
“I’m in the middle of freeing Lucas. He has a right to see her.”
“You’re right. He needs to see her in case the worst should happen.”
“Don't say that," Thane roared, cringing when he realized he could have drawn more attention to himself. Hopefully the hunters remained on guard outside.
“She's not going to die. I won't let her," he continued, this time much quieter.
“I’m sorry, Thane. Of course, you’re right. We’ll all do our best to make sure of it. Just be careful, and watch your back as you head here.”
Thane hung up the phone quickly as he heard a noise coming from the stairs.
The words muffled, making it impossible to understand what was being said, but he could tell it was Lucas who spoke. He sounded furious, banging loudly on the bars as he collided with them, no doubt lunging for Hugh.
Did Lucas know something he didn’t? Could he feel Anya’s panic stronger than he could? Maybe he could just smell her on Hugh's skin like Thane had.
The sound of the glass vial clink against the stone floor broke him free of his thoughts, shortly followed by a loud roar and heavy footsteps echoing as Hugh took Thane’s advice to run up the stairs.
Perhaps the boy wasn't so foolish after all.
Thane didn’t have to wait long until he saw Hugh’s pale face appear around the bend, his hands shaking as he ran past him and caught his breath.
Only seconds later,
he heard the metal thud of Lucas’s chains crash to the ground as he roared loudly.
They waited for almost five minutes, wondering why Lucas remained still. Neither of them had heard a sound since the loud roar he released earlier.
"Lucas?" Thane called down the steps, continuing to stare down into the darkness.
He noticed Lucas's green eyes glowing before he saw his shape shadowed in the limited light.
He looked furious and ready to kill.
"Lucas? What's wrong? " Thane asked, unsure why Lucas looked so crazed, even though he too felt like going on a killing frenzy.
"He's touched my girl. I can smell her on his skin."
"I took her but I didn't hurt her, I swear. Why would I free you if I meant you harm," Hugh pleaded, peering around Thane, using him as a shield.
“Let me deal with this,” Thane told Hugh, pushing him further behind him so he was blocked from Lucas’s view.
“Lucas. You need to scratch off the runes until the glowing stops, then you’ll be free to leave. The spells been recast and it’s stronger.”
Lucas eyed up the frame, following what Thane could only assume were more runes.
One by one, Lucas scratched his claws across the frame, erasing each and every part of the spell. With each swipe, the glowing dimmed until it ceased altogether.
Smiling menacingly, Lucas stepped through the doorway, his eyes black as onyx, and focused on Hugh.
“You need to come with me Lucas. I’ll explain on the way.”
“You want me to let him live?”
“Yes,” Thane sighed, hanging his head in shame.
He knew Lucas had been through a lot, but if all that Hugh had said was true, he was innocent. Thane was through with having innocent people's blood on his hands.
“I wanted to kill him as much as you until I learnt more. You know I'm right. Please Lucas. She doesn’t have long left.”
Lucas’s eyes finally returned to Thane, the darkness slowly receding, leaving behind his emerald green eyes that were so much like Anya’s, it pained him to look at them.
“Let’s go."
Chapter Thirty Three
It wasn't easy with so many hunters around, but they finally made it back to Edwin’s in one piece.
Hugh knew a lot of secret entrances and gaps in the walls, none of the others seemed to notice.
Once again the boy had surprised him, helping them rather than turning them in, or screaming for help.
Thane blew out a breath at the sight before them. Edwin hadn't been exaggerating when he'd told him things were bad.
Below he could see masses of hunters swarming all over the building, other members of the Guard fighting them off and pushing them back.
“How are we going to get through? There’s too many of them for us three,” Hugh asked, scanning the horizon as he counted the hunters.
Lucas growled, still irritated by his presence. Thane couldn’t blame him, he wasn’t too fond of the boy either, but he had proven to be useful more than once. He owed the guy a lot if his searching paid off and Anya was saved.
“We shouldn’t even be bringing you inside,” Lucas snarled, peeling his lips back over his elongated canines.
“Edwin told me to bring him,” Thane assured him, trying to calm the situation before they drew attention to themselves. “He’s been helpful so far and could well have saved Anya’s life. He freed you too, don’t forget, Lucas.”
“Only because you made him. It was through no doing of his own free will.”
“I am here you know,” Hugh grumbled.
Thane and Lucas both snarled at him this time. The boy was grating on Thane’s nerves, even if he had helped him. By no means did he consider him a friend, but Edwin was convinced that he could get him to leave the hunters. If everything the boy had said earlier was true, he had no doubts that Edwin would succeed.
Hugh hated Richard, and the hunters. Why would he stay with them if he was offered a place by their side instead?
Returning his attention back to the job at hand, Thane studied the movements of the hunters, working out the patterns of their patrols and gauging their weapons.
There were easily a dozen people surrounding the outside, another seven or so fighting up close, but those were being taken care of without any real danger. The ones posing the most threat were those on the outskirts carrying bows and guns, shooting at anyone who exited the house.
Shifters, vampires, and witches alike, fighting alongside one another like they had many years ago.
"You brought him too?" Lucas spat, looking down at the battle in Edwin's garden.
"Erebus is the one who brought me the spell to break you free," Thane growled, spotting the fire red hair of Erebus before Lucas had chance to name him, "without him, you'd still be in chains."
Lucas sneered but remained silent, knowing he wouldn't win this argument.
Thane knew he wouldn't be happy to see the young demon, but he owed him his freedom and the chance to see his daughter without bars before him.
Erebus had come through on several occasions when they needed him, and here he was yet again, fighting by their side despite their differences.
Thane watched on, deciding their best form of attack.
“Lucas, if you take out the few up the back. You won’t be as strong as you used to be,” Thane pointed to the five or so men he could see in the bushes, their rifles pointed to the ground below.
“Hugh, I’ll trust you with the few in front of us here. They won’t expect you to attack so take advantage of it. We might learn to trust you if you do this well,” he continued, still hesitant to give him a large enough role that he could sway things in favour of the hunters. Thane still wasn't sure whether he trusted Hugh. But for now, he had to make the most of what he had.
“I’ll take those at the front.”
“There’s a lot there. Would I not be better helping you?” Hugh asked, peering over and frowning at the amount of people Thane would be left to deal with.
“Thane is a good fighter. They’ll be no problem for him.”
“I’ve seen him fight, I know he’s good, but they have weapons designed to kill your kind,” Hugh pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance.
“I fight better alone. And like you, the first group won’t see it coming until it’s too late.”
“Then let me tell you what sort of weapons they’ll likely be using.”
Hugh listed off the types of guns they held, and the ammo they used. Thane wasn’t surprised that they had such powerful ammunition against them. So many things that could cause serious harm, or stop them healing, but it did surprise him that so many of them didn’t seem to know how to use them.
These hunters were all novices like the ones who had gone along with Hugh when he took Anya.
In the distance, all three of them heard a roar as another shifter fell to the floor, a gaping wound in his side from one of the men close by with a gun. That same shooter pointing and cheering down below, waiting for approval.
“No time for chat now, we need to take these guys out. Let’s move,”
Thane commanded, dusting himself off, ready to put on his hunter facade.
Each of them left in their separate directions. Lucas sticking to the shade of the trees until the last minute, attacking in his human form, his claws and teeth ripping the men apart as he partially shifted.
Hugh strolled casually up to the three men not far from where they had hatched their plans.
Not one of them pulled a weapon on him, just greeted him and pointed to some of the men below struggling with some vampires.
Hugh nodded and took the gun offered to him, aiming it at a vampire, a man Thane didn’t recognize.
Thane braced himself, ready to stray from his path to deal with his treachery when Hugh spun around and smacked the closest to him around the face with the end of his rifle. The other two were too slow to notice he had attacked them instead of their enemy giving Hugh the advantage
. He bent down quickly, retrieving a small dagger from the now unconscious man's body and slashed the necks of the other two.
Thane nodded his head with a smirk. For someone who hated the idea of killing, the boy did it well. He was young, but he was fast and knew how to use his charm and cunning, much like Tynan. If trained right, he would become a decent fighter.
Thane crouched just in time as a bullet whizzed by his head, directed below at a group of shifters.
He spotted Duncan among them, dodging at the last minute before taking hold of one of the hunters attacking, using him as a human shield.
The sooner Thane took out the men in front of him, the better.
Casually he walked over to them, waving when they turned their weapons on him.
“Oh, sorry, Thane. Didn’t know it was you,” one of the men called, lowering his weapon.
“That guy is too quick, nobody can hit him,” a female called behind him, pointing down at Oleander as he jumped and dived past attacks.
Thane sighed, not having noticed the woman before. He hated killing females, but he couldn’t let her live knowing she was here to hurt Anya, his friends, and his brothers in the Guard.
“He’s been hit with an arrow. It’s only a matter of time until he starts to slow down.”
Thane saw Oleander fight earlier. He knew a scratch like that wouldn’t slow him unless they’d managed to hit something vital, or lace the arrowhead with poison.
Having had enough of them shooting at his friends and colleagues, Thane circled around the back of them, looking for a weak spot.
A few of them were lost in their task, they wouldn’t notice him attack right away. A few more looked his way, curious what he was doing. The others would notice him quickly.
Mind made up, Thane watched the man a few steps in front of him, waiting patiently for the perfect moment to attack.
He lunged, knocking the man off his feet, his claws slicing their way through his chest as he jumped onto the next guy, digging his sharp teeth in through his throat.
Thane was on the fourth guy when he felt a burning sensation from his hip as a blade sliced through the muscle.
He roared, swinging his huge arms around, knocking the girl he had seen earlier to the floor. She held her hands up in surrender hoping he would show her mercy. He didn’t. She had come here to kill Anya, had shot at his fellow Guards, and then sliced a silver dagger through his flesh. She didn’t deserve his pity, or his mercy, but he would kill her quickly, not allowing her to suffer as he had with some of the men previous to her.