"She knows about Arturius. I owed her that much. She walked into a shit storm, Aya. I had to."
"And she knows about me," Aya mused.
"Not everything. Only that you were dead and now you're not."
"Only?" She was annoyed. Their whole existence balanced on the fact that Arturius believed her dead.
"She doesn't know the circumstances, Aya. As far as she knows, you could be a founder yourself."
"I'm still not comfortable with it."
"Don't compel her. At least, not yet," he reasoned.
She didn't like his tone of voice. "What was she to you?"
"A companion, nothing more."
She snorted and looked back across the garden to the forest. The day was almost gone and the stars were beginning to shine. Felling their song on her shoulders, she sighed deeply, closing her eyes. In her wildest dreams she never thought she'd see the day she would hear the stars sing to her again.
"What about Arturius? What was he to you?" Her head snapped up at Zac's question.
"I never loved Arturius," she said, knowing he meant the time when the Roman had spoken of his love for her. "I didn't know the meaning of the word then, not really."
She felt Zac's gaze on her face. "And now?"
"Two thousand years is a lot of time to garner understanding," she said, wryly. "I'm still learning."
She was sure Zac wouldn't complain about that. He would understand all too well dealing with emotions he couldn't control. It was much more difficult as a vampire. He obviously still had trouble with it, that much was obvious after he disappeared after that fight with Sam a few weeks ago.
When she closed her eyes, trying to hear the sounds that were coming back to her, he asked, "What does it sound like?"
She gave him a sidelong glace, her gaze curious.
"My blood," he prodded.
"I don't know if I can find the right words," she said, trying to think. It was the strangest sensation. To hear someone. "It sounds like starlight." He was looking at her curiously. There was much that he wouldn't understand fully, but at least he wanted to try. She laughed nervously, "But you wouldn't know what that sounds like, either."
"Can you hear it all the time?" He dropped the piece of grass.
"Yes," she sighed. "But, I can block it out if I want to." But not when your blood is pooling all over coffee tables, she declined to add. "I need to find Arturius," she said seriously, changing the subject. "This needs to end."
"What do you propose?"
"We are equally matched, apart from one thing. He doesn't know how I managed to kill the others. Only that I can. Once I have him, that's it." That much was evident from the memories Zac would have seen through his dreams. Once she touched a founder with her power, there was no going back.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Zac asked, concerned.
"I have to be," she said. "There is no other option. I owe it to Gabby, you, Sam, Liz, Alex. And my family. I can't go back." She felt his gaze as she stared across the garden.
"Whatever you decide, we'll be behind you."
"Would you let me drink your blood?" she asked quietly. "I don't think I could summon enough power without it."
He smiled wickedly at her, "Of course. It kinda turns me on."
Laughing, Aya slapped him playfully. It was hard for her to ask, never having relied on anyone so much before. Usually, she would have just taken it and gone. The whole notion of this mismatched family that she now found herself a part of was strange to her. How was she meant to act? How was she to move forward?
"What do you think it is about me that helps you?" he asked, interrupting her train of thought.
"I have no idea. But, if we get through this, we ought to find out."
He pressed his forehead against hers, his hand caressing the small of her back. She pulled herself away, turning her face from him, unsure.
Placing a hand on her arm, he said, "Why do you keep fighting me, Aya?"
"I don't know how to do this," she frowned, coming out with it.
"Do what?"
"This. Together, with you. Be a part of a family," she shook her head. "I don't know. I understand what it means to other people. I've helped enough. But, me? The last family I knew was murdered and it was my fault. I've spent two thousand years keeping people away. Keeping them from the truth."
"You just have to trust us, like we trust you," Zac said, placing his hand over her heart. "And trust this. When I'm with you, just trust this."
"When did you become so nice," she sighed, resting her head against his shoulder.
"I only bring it out for you," he smiled, running a hand through her long black hair.
They sat like this for some time, Aya content to just have Zac beside her. It was such a comforting sensation to lean against another like this. It was alien to her and she was still full of uncertainty. She wanted to trust him so much, but it would take time. She loved him. That was certain.
"Perhaps this is what Sam wanted when he tried to change me," Zac murmured into her hair.
"And what's that?" she asked, pulling back to look at him.
Smiling, he leant down to kiss her, "He wanted me to love."
Turned out, Sam was already on his way over, so when Alex called it was only a few minutes until the vampire turned up on the front porch, surveying the damage Arturius had inflicted on the front windows.
Alex opened the door to let him in, but he hesitated. "You need to invite me in," Sam grimaced, hovering just outside the door.
"Oh, shit," Alex grimaced, remembering that he'd told Sam to basically go jump after he found out that he was a vampire. "Sorry. C'mon in."
Sam stepped inside and whistled when he saw the state of the lounge. "Bastard really did a number on the house, didn't he?"
Gabby was hovering in the opposite doorway, just inside the kitchen. "I'm just worried he'll come back."
"It'll be okay," Sam said. "He can't get inside the house and now we have Aya back, we can deal with him once and for all."
"How is she?" Alex asked. He hadn't seen her since he had found her on the side of the road.
"She's a bit shaken, but apparently it's happened to her before."
"You're not serious?" Alex scoffed. When Sam grimaced, he said, "You're serious."
Sam turned towards the window, not wanting to dwell further on the subject. "We better get something for the windows. I'll help you fix it in the morning. I know a good glazier."
There was a loud pounding on the door and they all tensed. Sam held up a hand, and wrenched the door open, knowing who was on the other side.
"Haven't you done enough fucking around for one night, Arturius?" The founder was standing on the porch, his expression full of malice.
"On the contrary," he spat. "I think I've done too little." Sneering, Arturius pulled a gun from his back pocket and fired at Sam at point blank range.
Gabby screamed as he fell back heavily, a trail of blood running down his forehead from the bullet hole in his temple. They expected half his head to be missing, but vampires must be made tougher than humans. His eyes were wide open and blank.
Alex looked up at Arturius, who wasn't alone. A well-built man stood with him, a glazed look on his face. A compelled human. Fucking hell. As the human walked boldly inside, Alex held Gabby behind him and hissed, "Run."
As Alex went to take a swing at the guy, he ducked and pushed him against the wall, going after Gabby. Arturius leant against the invisible wall that held him outside and laughed, obviously confident he wasn't going home empty handed.
Ignoring him, Alex pulled an aluminum baseball bat from the hall closet and circled around the lounge room towards the kitchen where he heard Gabby's sobbing. The human seemed to be immune to her power as well, and didn't stop his advance. Peering around the doorjamb he saw she'd drawn a knife from the block on the counter, her hand shaking. The poor guy had no choice in what he was doing. Alex recognized him from Max’s; he might even work there.
"Fuck you, Arturius!" he yelled, his heart thumping in his chest. "Fuck you!"
The Romans roar of annoyance sent shivers down his spine. That was twice they'd pissed him off tonight. Pulling a roll of duct tape from his toolbox, Alex bound the man’s hands behind his back and his ankles together. For good measure, he taped his mouth shut. The poor guy had been compelled and until someone could reverse it, it was better to restrain him.
"He's gone again," Gabby said, edging her way back to the front door where Sam's inert body lay. Crouching beside him, she surveyed the wound in his forehead.
"Is he dead?" Alex fell to his knees beside her.
"Yes, but he'll come back," she wiped away tears. "He's not desiccated. When a vampire truly dies, they turn a grey color. They mummify."
"Umm, gross," he said.
"We need to pull the bullet out, or he won't revive any time soon," she frowned.
Alex looked at the hole the bullet had punctured in Sam's skull. There was no way they were pulling that out with their fingers. "Will needle nose pliers do?" He wasn't even sure what he was suggesting.
"I guess."
"Do we need to sterilize them?" Why the hell was he even asking?
"No."
He grabbed the pliers from a kitchen drawer and said, "Do you want to do the honors?" Once he saw the horrified expression on her face he shrugged. "I guess I'll do it." Looking at the wound, he wasn't sure if he should be gentle or not. He'd heal okay if he wasn't, wouldn't he? Sam's eyes were still wide open and bank. "Close his eyes, it's kind of creepy."
Gabby ran her hand over the vampire's face and he sighed, readying himself. As he eased the pliers into his friend’s head, he felt sick to the stomach and almost threw up as he felt metal graze on bone. Once he was past the skull, he felt the tip of the bullet and tried to grasp it.
"I can't get it," he grimaced.
"Don't be so gentle," Gabby whispered, trying not to look. "You won't hurt him. He'll heal."
"Okay," he sighed and dug a little deeper. Finally, he was able to grasp the bullet and with an audible sucking sound pulled it out, blood pooling in the wound and running down Sam's face. He threw the pliers to the side and almost heaved.
"Geesus," Gabby hissed.
"Shit," he exclaimed. "That was intense. How long until he wakes up?"
"It could be a few hours," Gabby said. "We'd better call Zac."
Alex, who had let his dislike of the vampire drop some time ago, offered to do the honors. He wondered how this development would go down.
"Are you going to invite me in, Alex?" Zac grimaced as he stood on the front porch, hands grasping either side of the door frame. Aya had just sauntered straight inside, much to Alex's surprise.
"Aren't you worried Arturius will see you?" He was ignoring Zac on purpose, talking to Aya, who was looking much more brighter than when he'd seen her last.
"No," she said. "I know he's not here. He won't try again tonight."
"You seem very certain about that."
"I know him very well," she smiled. "Twice fooled, shame on you. Thrice fooled, never."
Gabby bounded down the stairs then, and to Aya's surprise, threw her arms around her in a relieved hug. "Aya, I'm so glad you're here."
"Um, thanks?" she laughed uneasily.
"Will someone invite me the fuck in?" Zac's exasperated voice came from outside.
Alex tried to hide a grin, despite their dire situation. "Come inside, you grumpy bastard."
He stepped through the door and went straight up the stairs to where he knew Sam was still lying semi-dead in Alex's spare bedroom. The wound had almost closed over, which meant he'd wake up any moment. Liz was sitting beside the bed and had obviously been there for some time.
"We need to get you out of here," Zac said to Gabby, who had followed him and Aya. "Daylight won't stop him. First thing, get out of town until we can do something about it."
"What happened to the human?" Aya asked, cocking her head to the side.
"He's downstairs in the kitchen gaffer taped to a chair," Alex said.
"I'll take care of it," she said and disappeared.
Gabby was scowling, obviously not happy with the turn events had taken.
"I will go with you, so you're not alone," Liz said, when she noticed her discomfort. "We can go to your grandmothers. I called her on the way here."
"Liz!" Gabby exclaimed. "You had no right to drag her into this."
"She offered her help, Gabby. Sophia can help shield you until this is over. The both of you together… That's epic."
"First thing," Zac interrupted. "Get out of town and stay out of town."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The early morning was bright and clear as Gabby, Alex and Liz packed the truck for the drive to Sophia's. None of them had gotten much sleep after the previous night and had finally conceded, packing up a duffle bag for each of them and deciding to go just after dawn. The sooner they were gone, the safer they would be.
When Sam had woken he was furious, but Zac and Aya had taken him back to the manor to work out their next move. He had been reluctant to leave them alone, but they were safe enough in the house for the time being. Gabby agreed with Aya when she said that Arturius would back off.
As they stood in the driveway loading the truck, Liz suddenly stiffened, looking towards the end of the street.
"What is it?" Gabby asked, but she already knew the answer. She felt it coming, too.
"Alex, get in the truck," Liz snarled, but it was too late.
As they were looking down the street, a man had come up behind Gabby, unusually fast. But Alex, for all of his humanity, was faster. He staked the vampire right through the heart and pushed him backwards into the garden, the gun he'd been holding clattering to the ground.
"C'mon," he hurried them to get in the truck.
Gabby gasped as she caught sight of the menacing figures that were standing on the sidewalk. Three vampires were advancing on them, intent on disabling any threat to themselves or their target. The man to the left raised a handgun and fired without hesitation. They had no time to get out of the way.
Alex grunted in surprise and clutched his stomach, eyes wide. Liz went to grab his shoulder to steady him, but he was on his back, white as a ghost. They'd shot him. He was unarmed, they all were.
Standing over him, she picked up the gun that the first vampire had dropped and raised it with a roar of fury. With her vampire sight, she had no trouble aiming for the sweet spot, right in the heart. She'd shot the three of them before they had a chance to aim. They were right in assuming they were vampires, all three bodies desiccated in moments.
What the hell? She'd just shot three vampires in less than ten seconds. When had she become so aggressive? That's right, she became aggressive when her friends lives were threatened.
"Gabby, get in the truck and drive." She took charge as she lifted Alex into the tray as gently as she could manage.
The witch didn't protest, the engine roaring to life a moment later. Arturius was nowhere in sight and she didn't know what that meant, but they wouldn't be sticking around to find out why.
Looking down to Alex, she cried out in horror. His blood was everywhere, the wound much worse than she first thought. Her hands trembled as she tried to control herself, before the smell of it took over. She had to save his life before it was too late. As the truck bounced over the speed bump at the end of the street, Alex groaned, barely conscious.
"It's okay," she grimaced. "It's going to be okay. I'm going to save you."
Straddling him so she could hold his body still, she pulled his t-shirt up and felt for the
wound with her hand. He'd been able to pull out the bullet in Sam's head with pliers; she should be able to do this, vampire or no vampire. Her finger found the hole in his stomach and without thinking too much about it; she stuck her thumb and forefinger inside and felt the little piece of metal almost immediately. Alex screamed in pain, trying to thrash against her.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed, holding him down. "Hold on, Alex."
It was then she realized that the blood didn't bother her that much. She could filter most of it out, the scent becoming so familiar that it was as if it wasn't there anymore. How far she'd come.
Then the bullet was gone from him and flung out somewhere to the side. Liz bit her wrist open and forced it to her friend’s mouth and he instinctively swallowed. She had never used her blood to heal another before and hoped it wasn't too late. It couldn't be too late.
They were twenty minutes from Alex's place before Liz knocked on the back window of the cab to let Gabby know it was okay to move Alex inside. The wound had healed over, but it would still take time for him to feel completely better. But, he was going to make it.
Once she was inside the cab, Alex in the middle, she called Sam and explained what had happened. Every sordid little detail.
"I don't know what it means," she was saying. "But, Arturius wasn't there."
"I'm so glad you're all okay," he said, after acknowledging her warning. "Liz, I'm so proud. God, I fucking love you."
"And I love you."
When she hung up Gabby looked at her expectantly. "He's going to come and meet us in Mobile when he can," she said.
Gabby could only nod, turning back towards the road. She suddenly slammed on the breaks when she caught sight of a dark figure standing in the middle of the road. The screeching of tires and burnt rubber filled the air and she prayed to god that she stopped in time. Then, she realized that the man was Arturius.
At the last second she caught the sly smile on his face as the truck collided with his body, sending him spinning onto the hood, shattering the windshield, throwing him clear over the tray and onto the road behind.
The Return (The Witch Hunter Saga) Page 14