The Return (The Witch Hunter Saga)

by Nicole R. Taylor

  "Please," he whispered, pulling away, his eyes searching hers in the murky light. "Please." He leant back against the wall, exposing his neck to her.

  Aya understood. She would give him this, regardless of the benefits his blood would give her. Kneeling in front of him, she buried her face into his neck, inhaling his sent as deeply as she could, her fingers curling into his unruly hair. When he groaned, his hands grasping her waist, she let her fangs grow in and sunk them deep into his skin. Zac hissed at the sudden pain, but let his head loll to the side as she pulled the blood from him in gentle mouthfuls. She would never get over how addictive it was to her, the rich coppery tang sliding down her throat like a fine wine, her power awakening deep inside of her. Zac's blood was more than a lifeline. It was more than power. It was… there were no words.

  He pulled her closer and she straddled him, pushing herself hard into him as she drank her fill. When his heartbeat began to slow and his hands fell away, she drew back, running her thumb across the wound in his neck, encouraging it to heal. She didn't want to be anywhere else, but in his arms. When he touched her, she forgot everything but him.

  "Thank you," he murmured, eyes closed.

  Running a hand lightly down his face, she said, "You're welcome." She tore herself away, sitting next to him, leaning back against the wall.

  "I love you," he whispered, his head coming to rest on her shoulder.

  Aya had no idea what to say to comfort him. She couldn't be selfish with him, but she didn't know anything else. Instead, she asked, "Do you remember the ball your parents had at the manor? The one they had the night before you left for Virginia?"

  "What? When?" His head came up, but she didn't lift her gaze to meet his.

  "It was 1863 if I remember correctly. During the Civil War."

  "How do you know about that?" She felt his hand tighten around hers as he recalled the night she spoke of.

  "Because I was there."

  "What…" He sounded confused.

  "Sophia helped me remember a few things." She turned to look at Zac in the murky light, taking in his features that were so familiar to her, remembering the vision. "The uniform suited you, though perhaps it was the wrong color."

  He snorted, shaking his head slightly. "Why don't I remember you? Did you..."

  "No, I never compelled you. It was a strange time. Perhaps you had a lot on your mind."

  "How could I forget you," he whispered, his hand caressing her thigh.

  Aya tried to force a smile, shivering at his touch. "How could I forget you."

  "Do you think you could compel me to remember?"

  "Zac, no," she shook her head. "It wouldn't be real."

  "None of this seems real."

  "I assure you, it's all very real," she scoffed. She let silence descend then, suddenly wishing she hadn't brought it up.

  "I want…" he began to say, but stopped himself. She felt the tension begin to build in his body as she pressed her leg against his. When she slid her hand along his thigh, he let out a sharp hiss his unusual green eyes burning into hers.

  "What?" she asked, when he remained silent, staring at her.

  "I think all parts of you are beautiful. I love all of you."

  "Zac," Aya frowned at him. "You haven't seen the half of it."

  "It doesn't matter."

  "When I tore the werewolves apart... that was nothing."

  "And you don't even know a quarter of the shit things I've done."

  "It's not the same."

  "It's exactly the same."

  "Zac…"

  "The circumstances might be different, but it's the same."

  She let it drop, knowing that in some way he was right. They both had an unstable element. Hers was due to her genetic makeup, his was due to lack of instruction. The result was the same.

  Zac turned away, leaning his head against the wall. "What are we going to do? I want him dead."

  "I don't know yet."

  "You need to kill him, you know that right?"

  "Of course I do," she glared at him. "Just… not yet. I can't."

  "Why not? After all the things he's done to you." He ran his hands over his face, trying to mask his anger. "Morgan didn't deserve that end. Even though she betrayed us, she didn't deserve it."

  She sensed his impatience and it irritated her. "He won't come close to me. There's no chance."

  "You only need to touch him."

  "Yes, but we have no idea what's happened to Gabby. It's entirely possible that we're in the same house that Sophia saw in her vision, but that's only speculation. If I kill him, then we wouldn't know for sure. We could lose her, Zac. Arturius is trying to wake up something dark inside of her. The same thing happened to her ancestor. That's why I was in Ashburton to begin with. If we act irrationally, then it could mean our freedom, but a death sentence for Gabby."

  "But, the more time passes…"

  "We have to be smart about this, Zac. It won't be as straight forward as Caius. Arturius is smarter than that."

  He sighed, covering his face with his hands. She knew he wanted to get it over with. As with the werewolves and Katrin, he wanted to dive head first into trouble and fight his way out. She watched him struggle with his nature and resisted the urge to embrace him. He wouldn't want to be coddled any more than she did.

  "Trust me," she said. "We need to bide our time."

  "What if something happens to you?"

  "I won't let it," she said firmly.

  "I can't lose you again."

  She sighed and leant towards him, her lips on the edge of his jaw. "I know," she kissed him lightly, the stubble on his face rasping against her lips. "I know."

  Rhian was angry when she finally woke. When Arturius had left her the previous night, or was it day, Gabby had been locked in the study with the unconscious witch until she came to. There had been sounds throughout the house that had signaled that something was happening, but no one had come upstairs. At first she hoped it was Aya come to rescue her, but she soon let that hope slide.

  Gabby regarded Rhian without remorse as the witch picked herself up from the ground, clutching her head.

  "That was incredibly stupid, Gabrielle," the witch scolded her. "You could have killed me. You do know that I'm only trying to help you?"

  "I don't want your help," she replied sullenly.

  "The darkness will claim you in one way or another. It will be much less painful if you accept it and stop fighting."

  "I'll never stop fighting, Rhian. I never want to be like you."

  Rhian sighed and bit her bottom lip, surveying Gabby with her strange feline eyes. She looked so much like Katrin it made her sick to the stomach. After all she had learnt about the founding witch and now Rhian, she never wanted to meet another of her descendants. They would be fortunate not to meet her.

  The witch suddenly sat forward in her chair, placing a palm against Gabby's forehead before she could turn her head away. Her eyes widened as she felt a burning sensation begin to spread across her skin where Rhian's palm was in contact. Alarmed, she tried to shake her off, but she was caught in her power. Her hand was stuck to her forehead and wouldn't move.

  "You've left me no choice, Gabrielle," she said. "It's for your own good."

  The burning sensation began to prickle into Gabby's skull, worming its way inside her mind. Rhian was trying to take her by force. Her power was burning it's way through the walls she'd placed in her mind when she'd sensed the darkness awaken inside of her weeks before. She struggled to remain focused, fighting with everything she had to keep Rhian out. But, the truth of it was, she didn't understand enough to keep it up forever. Even with the amount of power she possessed, it would still end the same way. It was only a matter of time before everything would crumble down around her.

  Gabby was terrified to think about what she would become when Rhian succeeded. She wouldn't be the same person anymore. The Gabby she was would disappear and she wondered if she would beg Aya to take her power o
r try and destroy her with it. Grimacing, Gabby tried to hold on, but the burning was becoming unbearable. She had to do something.

  Suddenly, Gabby understood. There was only one thing she could do to get away. It was her only option.

  Praying she was strong enough to hold on until she got to Aya, Gabby let the walls she'd placed in her mind crumble. Instantly, she felt the darkness swirl alive, obliterating almost everything inside of her. It was a like a feral monster, salivating for blood and destruction and she gasped with the force of it, her heart beating so erratically in her chest, it felt like she was having a heart attack.

  The satisfied smirk that crossed Rhian's face made her more angry than she'd ever felt in her entire life. Her hand fell away and she grinned. "Welcome, sister."

  Gabby cocked her head to the side, her jaw set as she felt the thing inside of her that she was terrified of take over. Standing abruptly, she slammed her hand down onto Rhian's forehead, the heel of her palm resting against the bridge of her nose, her fingers splayed across the top of her skull. The witches eyes widened in fear as she beheld her fate. She would not escape her.

  The darkness swirled out of Gabby and slammed into Rhian, her spine arching forwards as she let out a blood curdling scream of agony. Blood began to run from her nose, leaving a crimson trail over her lips and down her chin, dripping onto her shirt. Gabby looked down at her with a chilling expression as she watched the life bleed from the witch who had tried to ruin her. Perhaps she had already succeeded. But perhaps they hadn't realized just how dark she was inside. How dark the Cohen witches were really capable of being.

  She let her hand drop and Rhian slumped to the floor, her eyes wide and unseeing. This time she wouldn't be coming back. This time, Gabby had taken her life. This time it had been easier than the last. Is this what they wanted her for? Death, destruction… malice…

  She had to laugh to herself, remembering when she had obliterated Caius' witches all those weeks ago. Even though she hated him with the fire of a thousand suns, Arturius was right. She did like it.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Gabby's head snapped up as the door to the study opened and a male vampire strode in. Once his eyes locked onto Rhian's lifeless and broken body, he looked up at her, lips curling back into a snarl. The fleeting look of fear that passed through his eyes didn't escape her notice as she turned her body to face him. The vampire took a few steps forward, obviously unaware that whatever spell Rhian had placed over him for protection had vanished. Even if she was still alive, her pathetic charm would be useless.

  Glaring up at him through her eye lashes, she let out a terrifying snarl, her eyes piercing into his. The vampire stopped dead in his tracks, seemingly transfixed. She felt the darkness swell again, but this time she didn't have to raise a finger. A satisfied smirk pulled at her lips as he fell to his knees, eyes bulging and bloodshot. His mouth fell open in a silent scream as he clawed at his hair, trying to get her out of his head. Blood began to fall from his eyes like tears, staining his cheeks and dripping onto the carpet, all the while Gabby looking on with a sick sense of fascination. How easy it was to bring this monster to his knees before her. How easy it was to choke the life from him.

  Absently, she flicked her wrist and he fell face forward onto the floor, eyes wide and vacant. His undead heart was abruptly silent as blood pooled beneath him, the cream carpet now resembling something from a horror movie.

  As she looked down on the chaos she had wrought, Gabby suddenly drew in a sharp breath. What…? The darkness lulled inside of her and she felt herself coming back as the hunger from the beast within was sated. Falling to her knees, she rocked back and forth trying to clear her mind. She needed help. She had to call someone. She needed Aya, but she knew she couldn't link her mind with another vampire. It was impossible. Even if Aya was half Celestine, she still couldn't.

  Alex.

  He was the only human who knew. She didn't know if this would work over distance, she'd only ever linked with her grams this way and she'd been right next to her. There was no other choice. She had to try.

  Taking a few deep breaths, she covered her face with her hands and tried to focus. "Alex…"

  It felt like her head was filled with static, like she was trying to tune in a radio, but couldn't quite find the station. Voices faded in and out, blending into the white noise. Trying to focus on an image of Alex, she remembered one of the most vivid memories she had of him. The first week at a new school, all alone, she'd walked the halls and Stacey Howard, captain of the cheerleading squad tripped her up on purpose and she had fallen face forward in front of everyone. Mortifying for a girl of thirteen, in a place where she knew no one. It was then that her rivalry had begun with the vapid cheerleader, but it was also when she'd met Alex. He was the one who helped her up, when everyone stood and laughed. He'd offered her his hand and she remembered his awkward smile and chestnut hair that was tinted with red, his trademark hoodie pulled over his head. She'd met Liz later that day and they'd become inseparable. Alex was the first friend she'd made in Ashburton.

  Fixing that image of him in her minds eye, Gabby tried again, willing her message to get through. "Alex…"

  There was silence for a moment, the static dissipating and she knew she had heard. His hesitant voice echoed in her mind. "Gabby?"

  "Oh, god, Alex. It's me."

  "Gabby, is it really you? Where are you?"

  "It's me," she almost sobbed. "I'm in a lot of trouble. I need Aya… Arturius has me at old Mr. Forester's."

  "Aya and Zac were taken," he said haltingly. "Morgan betrayed us."

  "What? No!" Her desperation was overwhelming. If anything had happened to Aya...

  "Are they there with you?"

  "No… I don't know. Wait a minute..." Tentatively, she let her earth sense prickle through and let it wander the house, brushing past a few others, obviously other vampires and a human, before settling on two minds far below. One curious mind that she couldn't comprehend and one she recognized as vampire. That had to be Aya and someone else… She hoped to god it was Zac. "I think so, but I can't be sure."

  There was silence for a moment and she almost panicked, thinking she had lost her link with Alex, but his voice came back through. "Hold on, Gabby. We're coming."

  "I'm going to find them," she said before he was gone. "I will contact you again. Don't do anything until you hear from me, okay?"

  "Okay," he said. "Be careful, Gabby."

  As the link faded, she let out a shaky breath. Her head was beginning to feel fuzzy, like someone had stuffed it full of cotton wool and her nose was itchy. Wiping the back of her hand across her nose, her heart skipped a beat when it came back wet with blood. Was this how it was going to happen? The more she fought the darkness, the more her body would break down?

  She needed to find Aya before it was too late.

  Edging her way around the doorframe, she was relieved when the hallway was empty. No one had come to investigate further, probably jumping to the conclusion that their friend would have taken care of it. Except he was now dead. Moving down the hall to the top of the stairs, she set her feet down as quietly as she could. She could sense the human in the kitchen and three vampires in what she supposed was the lounge room. The sounds of some television program echoed through the otherwise still house.

  Gabby couldn't sense Arturius at all and was thankful. If he were here then she wouldn't have even come this far. He would have stopped her the moment he heard Rhian's screaming.

  Setting her foot lightly on the top step, she descended the staircase, her hand clutching the bannister so hard, her knuckles were becoming pale against her olive skin. When she was almost at the bottom, one of the steps let out a groan as the old wood buckled under her weight. Freezing, her heart thudded momentarily before she tried to calm herself. There was no way of telling what the vampires could hear, even if they were distracted by the television.

  When nothing happened, Gabby let out a shaky breath and took th
e last few steps to the bottom. Once in the entry hall, she peered around the corner into the lounge, where three male vampires were sitting around drinking beer and watching what looked like to be an episode of True Blood. Gabby had no time to ponder the irony of that one.

  Crossing the hall, she came to a small dining room that adjoined an old fashioned kitchen. Hardwood floors and 1970s era mustard wallpaper. She stifled a gasp when she saw a familiar person sitting at the table. It was Hunter Cross. She'd gone to high school with him. Now, he worked at the auto shop on Grant Street, but then he had been a linebacker on the football team. He was a good guy and obviously had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  Gabby had to get him out.

  Hunter looked up at her when she stepped into the room, his face plastered with a look of absolute terror as he released who she was. "Gabby?"

  "Yes," she whispered. "I'm gonna get you out, okay?"

  "I can't leave," he said, his voice bland and unfeeling.

  "I know. They made you. I can make it go away." How she knew that was beyond her.

  She looked back over her shoulder towards the lounge room, but thankfully the vampires were still distracted. She crossed the kitchen and stood in front of Hunter, his expression lax as he watched her progress. Before he could protest, she grabbed his hand and led him across the kitchen, all the while looking back over her shoulder. Pulling him out onto the back porch, she pushed the door closed, turning the knob as gently as she could manage. She placed her palms on his temples, all the while Hunter looking at her like she was some kind of crazy person. Gabby fought to separate the dark from the light. If she used the darkness then she would kill him without meaning to. It was too much to use on a human being Finally, it separated like oil in water and she tapped into the light, using it to clear the compulsion over him.

  Hunter hissed as something inside of him snapped and he pulled away from her. He reached up and grabbed her wrist, his eyes wide with fear. "We've got to get out of here." He sounded more like himself, more like a human in control. If he was back to himself, it was entirely possible his hold over the house was gone. If that was true, then any vampire could walk inside. That meant Sam and Liz...