"Fantastic. Now we have some maniac on the loose. Maybe I should call the station and put out a BOLO."
"I don't think that will be necessary. He fulfilled his purpose and exposed the Cloaked One. I don't think Bernard was useful to the Cursed Ones anymore."
"You think a Cursed One killed him?"
I hold Sam's gaze. "Yes."
"What do we do now?" Amanda asks.
"We continue to hunt."
"And, now that you know how old the Maker is, will you let us hunt for him with you?"
I know this is what Sam wants, thinking he can keep me safe. Even Zac perks up at the question.
"No. Absolutely not."
"Ana..."
"No, Sam. Given how old this Cursed One is, none of you are qualified to hunt for it."
"But, you are?" Zac snaps.
"More than you," I snap back. "Just as Cursed Ones get stronger and faster with age, so do Hunters."
"Ana, you're talking about a centuries old vampire versus an eighteen year old Hunter," Sam adds.
Of course, that's all they know. That I'm just some kid that happens to have trained my whole life. All eighteen years of it.
"This discussion is over. You will hunt with your regular groups in your regular shifts."
"You're being unreasonable, Ana."
"Enough, Zac!" I can't stop the power in my voice. I should learn to control my anger, or I'm going to regret it one day. I can already see the confusion and - is that fear - on my Hunters faces. "Please. Just do as your told and let me do what I need to do." I take a deep breath, calming myself. "Who is going out with the second group tonight?"
The group ends up being Zac, Emily, Eric and Jeremy. It's a strong group, though I worry about Zac. My trust in him is wavering, which is never good. If I can't trust him to go out hunting and follow the rules, or keep his group safe, what am I supposed to do with him?
As with the first group, I follow them, dressed in my full hunting gear. I'm hoping that the night goes smoothly, and honestly, be rather quiet. Judging by Zac's mood, I'm not sure he would hesitate to break the rules.
Humans flock the area, looking to get drunk or laid - or both. Friday night in LA. I'm curious as to how my Hunters will handle being surrounded by innocents while trying to remain inconspicuous. Not an easy task when your dressed similar and in all black. But, they seem to be doing a good job at not drawing attention to themselves when it's necessary for them to be among the crowds.
I keep my distance when I have to be on the ground, waiting for my chances to get to higher turf. When they turn down an alley, I silently leap up, scaling the wall until I get to the roof. I sense the Hybrids - four that I can distinctly identify - immediately.
I'm surprised by the fact that they don't have a victim. They just seem to be...waiting.
"Well, this can't mean anything good," I whisper to myself. Yet, I keep my distance, ready to see how my Hunters react.
"There they are," Zac whispers to the others.
"What are they doing?" Jeremy mutters.
"They're waiting for us," Eric answers, then looks at Emily who nods subtly. He then points at Zac, directing him to one side, and Jeremy to the other.
Hmm. I don't think I would've guessed that Eric would take charge, or that the other boys would let him, but they follow his unspoken instructions.
They fan out, with Zac watching their backs, as they approach the Hybrids.
I scan the perimeter, sharpening my senses to everything around me. I can hear the faintest of sounds, smell the most imperceptive smell. I relax - somewhat - when I don't sense a full blood.
To my utter shock, Emily enters the area alone. The Hybrids turn to her, curiously, then show their fangs. It's a move that was meant to frighten her, but she stands her ground, without even a flinch.
I, on the other hand, can't help but be fascinated - not to mention baffled - by the Hybrids' behavior. They never hesitated before. Never used scare tactics, just went for the prey. Yet, here they are, taunting my Hunter.
They begin to spread out, just as the Hunters did, looking to surround Emily. Without a word, Emily sprints towards the Hybrid that's farthest away from her, and literally runs up his body, jumping off his shoulders. In mid-air, she releases her blade, twists her body and kicks him towards Eric who slices his sword through the Hybrid's neck. She lands, gracefully, and they are on to the next Hybrid.
Very impressive.
Zac and Jeremy fight their own battles with formidable foes, with strength and agility. They make quick work of the Hybrids, and move on.
Their rhythm with each other is remarkable. Even Zac is oddly cooperative and efficient. Overall, I'm completely impressed with them.
A movement catches my eye, and the scent strikes me a split second later. A full blood. He is on the roof opposite of me, perched and waiting. For what? I ready myself for any attack it plans for my Hunters, but there is none. He just watches. He doesn't sense me, which is as curious to me as his indifference to my group. When he leaves, I follow him.
It's quite easy following him as he has no idea I'm even there. Cursed Ones, obviously, have a keen sense of smell and awareness, but he could be human with his total obliviousness to me. Or, I could be walking into the best trap ever.
I stay on full alert as he enters an area through a rusted, chain-linked fence. Deciding not to take any unnecessary risks of making noise, I leap over the fence, landing silently beside an old, broken column. I touch it, inquisitively. It's not real. What the hell is this place?
I catch up with the full blood, still puzzled as to why he has not detected me. Don't look a gift horse - and all that stuff - I think. Keeping my distance, I survey my surroundings. It looks to be an old Roman coliseum. Wait, it's the Roman Colosseum! I have a moment of confusion, as I have seen the Colosseum myself and this does not have its grandeur.
"Hollywood," I murmur, realizing now that I must be in some old, unused studio lot. I bound, stealthily, to higher ground and zero in on the object of my interest. He stops inside an arch that blocks my view. Creeping forward, I position myself to get a better look and almost fall from my post at the sight.
There has to be close to one hundred full bloods! Shit! This is worse than I thought. How am I, with only seven Hunters - virtually newborns themselves - going to compete with this?
"Where is he?" The one I followed here speaks clearly, and oddly enough, with an English accent! Their voices still hold that distinct growl of a Cursed One, but they have certainly evolved.
Are you kidding me? Not only are there far more than I expected, but they are communicating! Forget communicating, they're plotting and planning - and, who knows what else they're doing!
"Off creating more," another answers. They are all dressed nicely. I don't know why I find that odd, but I do. If the men weren't in suits, they wear black jeans, accompanied by a black, long-sleeved shirt. The women - which look to be about half their population - also wear black, with their hair pulled back in severe pony tails. They're an army.
"We do not need more," the first one scoffs. "We are ready!"
"They are mere distractions. For him and for the Hunters." An elder joins the one I followed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You should not defy him, Nyle."
They have names!
"I will not. I merely want to get this over with so he may live in peace."
"He knows what he is doing. Did you find the Cloaked One with the Hunters?"
My ears perk, and I instinctively reach for my swords.
"No. The Cloaked One has left them to fight for themselves. They are good, Ward. Very good. They have been taught well."
"As have we. Do not worry. The new ones he creates do not possess the skills we do. Their accomplishments mean nothing against them." He smiles - I think it's a smile - and takes Nyle's arm. "Come. It will be light soon. We need to save our strength. The Cloaked One will come, and we will win."
I sit there for a long while after they all leave
, retreating inside the faux Colosseum. None of them were aware that I sat there above them, listening. It's almost as baffling as everything I heard them say. Say! Clear, concise, intelligent sentences! Okay, so they threatened me and my Hunters, but they did it intelligently! Ward, the elder, had said they had been taught well. What in the hell does that mean? In all of my knowledge of Cursed Ones, none of them - us - were taught to hunt or kill. It's just instinct. Survival. My mind reels at all of the information I learned tonight.
The horde is great, they communicate, they are trained in something, they are ready for my Hunters, and they are nothing if not loyal to their Maker. The odds seem stacked against me and my Society. However, I do have advantages. They cannot detect me, and I know where they are. And, knowing where they are, means I know where their Maker is.
I sneak back into the house, and immediately make my way to my room. I know the others made it back because I can smell them. Good. That's one less thing to worry about.
I carefully fold my cloak, lock it away in the trunk at the end of my bed, and sit with my head in my hands. What am I going to do? I've fought many Cursed Ones in my time, but never this many at the same time. Going in there alone could be suicide. Taking my Hunters with me could mean their death. I can't possibly do that to them. They're so young, just barely starting their lives. No, it is up to me to fix this problem, and keep them out of it. I'm just not confident that I will be triumphant. In fact, I'm scared. After almost six hundred years of life, the possibility of death now stares me in the face. Am I strong enough to confront it? Am I strong enough to leave a love behind that I never thought I'd find?
"You left Thomas," I whisper in the empty room. But, that was different. Thomas and I never had a chance to begin before my life changed. With Sam, I'm afraid I've lost my cold heart to him. It hurt to leave Thomas, but the thought of leaving Sam is devastating. I never should have let this happen. I knew what the outcome would be, knew there would never be a future for us. How could I let myself fall...
His scent fills my nostrils, and it's intoxicating. I walk to the door - still in my hunting outfit - and open it to his beautiful, if slightly bewildered face.
"I didn't know if you had made it back..."
I interrupt him by crushing my mouth to his, and pulling him inside directly to my bed.
Even though my kiss is - let's say spirited - he is still gentle with me, easing me down onto the bed.
"Sam, I won't break." I stare into his eyes, willing him to understand what I need from him. "You're not going to hurt me."
He gets the message loud and clear as his kisses become more passionate. He fists his hands in my hair, and tugs my head back to deepen the kiss. This is what I need. Hell, it may be my last night on this earth after so many years of excruciating loneliness. Spending it like this, with Sam, will be worth it.
I unbutton his shirt, slipping it off of him as he deals with the zipper on my suit. It's half way down when I inhale deeply, reluctantly breaking the kiss.
"What is it?" He's breathless, wanting more, but there's concern in his eyes.
"Amanda is here."
Sam groans and rolls off of me as I get up, zip back up and open the door before Amanda can knock.
"Oh! Hey, I didn't even know if you were back, yet. I..."
Amanda looks past me and sees Sam, and her demeanor changes in an instant. She takes a deep breath, nostrils flaring and I know she's angry. But, to her credit she says nothing about him being there.
"Can I speak to you? Alone, please," she asks, tersely.
"Of course." I glance back at Sam.
"I'll meet you in the dining room," Amanda huffs, then turns on her heel and marches down the hall. Great. My potentially last night on earth just got bad.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Sam asks, standing all half-naked and gorgeous in front of me.
"You heard her. She wants to talk alone. Just remember I'm in the dining room if I don't come back for some reason."
"You want me to stay?"
"Stay," I whisper, and kiss him briefly before heading to my impending doom. This may be scarier than the horde of Cursed Ones.
"Amanda?"
"Robby called," she begins, holding my attention. "He asked if I would go to the movies with him."
"That's great."
"Tomorrow night. I told him I couldn't. I mean, obviously I can't tell him that I would love to but I have to hunt vampires, so I just made up some stupid excuse. I don't think he's going to wait for me much longer."
"Amanda..."
"Why do you get someone," she interrupts. "Jenna lost her boyfriend, I'm probably losing mine. Why do you get Sam?"
I am at a complete loss as to how to answer her. I haven't had someone for a very long time. I'm not even sure she wants an answer from me. I have to avert my eyes because I'm too much of a coward to hold her gaze.
"Forget it," she says quietly. "I asked you in here because I've been going over all of this." She gestures to all of the journals and papers on the table.
Surprise knocks my cowardice out.
"Going over it? How? It's in a different language."
"That's what the internet is for, Ana. I mean, there are all kinds of translators out there." Her temper is still there, but she seems to be thawing out a tiny bit.
"I see. What did you come up with?"
Since I haven't had the chance to go over the journals in depth myself, I'm genuinely curious as to what she's discovered.
"Okay, well, this is just a theory. But, from what I can understand, do you think the Maker could be the Cloaked One?"
"What?" I swear, these Hunters will be the death of me! If I don't get myself killed by a horde of vampires, I may just die of a heart attack. "That's impossible." I should know.
"Hear me out. Bernard was searching for the Cloaked One. So are the Cursed Ones. There has to be a reason." She continues when I say nothing. "Your ancestor, Henry, is said to have had access to Cursed blood, right?"
I nod.
"Bernard assumed that the Cloaked One's blood is what Henry used to create what Jeremy calls the 'youth juice'. If that's true, that must mean the Cloaked One is also Cursed."
Smart girl.
"I mean, if he's back after all these years, if it's the same Cloaked One, then he has to be Cursed, right?"
"Or, the Cloaked One could be using the elixir," I say, carefully.
"Well, I thought of that, but he didn't seem crazy when he saved me."
"Neither did Bernard," I remind her. "But, you bring up another point. The...Cloaked One helps Hunters."
"Exactly! I haven't figured that part out yet, but it would make sense that that's how Henry got his blood. I mean, how else would he have gotten Cursed blood? Unless, it was given to him freely?"
"He could have captured a Cursed One."
"True," she muttered, unconvinced. "But, let's say I'm right, just for argument's sake. Wouldn't that mean that we would have to kill the Cloaked One?"
Hmm.
"I mean, you're looking for the Maker. I think the Cloaked One may be the Maker. Maybe not by choice, or intentionally, but if it's his blood that Bernard stole, that means it's his blood that made Bernard's crop of Cursed Ones."
Well, hell. I sit heavily in a chair and thought now about how my chest hurt when I would stake a Hybrid, or full blood. I thought about how my head pounded when I shot the Hybrid I had brought in for my Hunters to see. Absently, I touch my chest. She has to be right.
"Ana? Are you okay?"
"Just thinking."
"So, I could be right?"
Amanda looks frightened, like she wants desperately for me to tell her no.
I nod.
"The Cloaked One saved my life," she says softly. "Will killing the Cloaked One get rid of the others, or return them to normal?"
I give her a puzzled look. "Did you see that in a movie?"
"The Lost Boys," she answers, sheepishly, and shrugs.
I give her a
small smile. "No."
"Do you know that for sure?"
I open my mouth to answer, then close it again. No, I don't know that for sure. It certainly seems plausible if I can feel their pain. But, I just can't believe that would be true. I killed the one that made me, and most certainly his Maker. If it were true, wouldn't I have changed? Or died?
"I'm sure," I say decisively. "The Cloaked One can't be the true Maker. If that blood was used, it was only used to make one. That one then made others. So, he would be the true Maker."
"But, the blood line begins with the Cloaked One," Amanda argues.
She's right. Which means what I've feared all along is true. Bernard may have done this, but the fault is mine. My parents' death, this new outbreak, it's all because of me being distracted for one moment that fateful day. And, still being alive today.
"If what you are saying is right, and we follow the code of the Society, then yes, you will have to kill the Cloaked One," I say softly, and Amanda gasps. "But, let me deal with the one making all of these Hybrids first. The Cloaked One can still be of help to us."
"I don't want to kill the Cloaked One," Amanda sighs.
I don't want you to either.
"I think I have an idea of where the Maker is," I say aloud. "Let me take care of him, and then we will decide what to do about the Cloaked One."
"Okay."
"You did amazing with all of this."
"Thanks. I've been getting pretty good at deciphering all of the journals."
The connotation in the statement makes me frown.
"I don't even know if all of the translations were right. I'm kind of hoping they're not. Maybe when you go through them you'll find different answers."
I doubt I will. But, I smile and tell her goodnight when she's ready to leave.
"Ana." Amanda pauses at the door. "I don't want to be mad at you about Sam. Or jealous. I'm trying to be happy for you. I don't really think you would hurt him intentionally. But, as we're learning, things happen even when we don't want them to."
Destined to Kill: A Destined Novel (Destined Novels Book 1) Page 18