“Emma?” No. It can’t be. Can it?
“You are dead. Thomas told me. How is this possible?”
Emma is as confused and amazed as I am, I think. I was astonished - and dismayed - when I found out that Thomas was still… alive. Now, knowing Emma is as well? Had Thomas known? Disappointment fills me to see that she is as power hungry as her brother was.
“The same way you are still here, I’m guessing,” I respond dryly. “Why are you still here, Emma? What made you do this to yourself?”
“Did you really expect me to trust anyone else to train my descendants? I needed to be here, to make sure that the correct daughter was chosen to take over each time. I would not allow my vision to be compromised by anyone who didn’t understand.”
“And she is the one you chose?” I lash out, gesturing angrily to the Priestess.
“Mother? What is happening? How can you let this subordinate speak to you like that? Why are you not ordering the death of this… person?” Little Anala was beyond annoyed that I was still breathing, apparently.
“Hush, child,” Emma chastises, still looking at me. I wonder if she’s trying to figure out if I really am who she remembers from centuries ago.
“What is happening here, Emma? This is not what my parents envisioned for the Society.”
Anger distorts Emma’s still young face. “You were not there after your parents died. You have no idea what we went through. I took charge!”
“Took charge?! You ruined the Society!” My namesake snarls, and takes a step towards me. “If you want your Anala to live, order her to back off!”
Emma laughs at me. “I trained her to fight like you, Anala. Do you think she’s afraid of you?”
“Do I think she is? No, probably not because her arrogance, and yours, will not allow her to be. Do I think she should be? Oh yes.” I turn my glare to the younger Anala, but still address Emma. “You may have trained her to be like me, but there’s one problem. She isn’t me.”
My problem now is this Anala is an innocent. I don’t want to kill her. Emma, on the other hand… With blinding speed, I end up behind Emma, a stake pointed at her heart. Young Anala stammers pleas to let ‘Mother’ go.
“Why have you done this, Emma?” I ask, my mouth close to her ear.
“After you died, Thomas went a little crazy,” she begins with a touch of uncertainty. “You were supposed to marry him, have children and continue the Society as the Leaders.”
“My father would never have agreed to that,” I interrupt. I still can’t believe this whole “betrothed” thing with Thomas. My parents knew that wasn’t what I wanted. All I wanted was to be the best Hunter. I am intelligent enough to recognize that I had feelings for Thomas. I will even say I was infatuated with him. But I would never have conceded to having to marry Thomas. And this story about how we were supposed to take the place of my parents as the Leaders of the Society? Something about that doesn’t ring true to me. My parents were not even close to retiring and handing the reins over to me.
“My father told me it was the reason we moved from Ireland - to be close with your family.”
Then he did it of his own accord, I think scathingly.
“But we lost you and then Thomas. Not to mention having lost your parents as well. We needed Leaders. My parents stepped up. But no one would be as loyal to them as they were with your parents. And you.”
That bit of information shocks me, but I take it with a grain of salt. I can’t be sure if Emma is telling me the truth, the truth as she knows it, or just bullshit to get me to see things her way.
“I was a kid, Emma. No one was afraid of me.”
“Are you kidding? Anala, you were the talk of the Society. Everyone knew you would be Leader soon. It was inevitable with who your parents were, but it was more than that. They feared you. Your skill, your cool, your complete control. That is why I chose to name my daughter Anala and make sure the tradition was continued. I trained them to be as you were. Hunters are not even afraid of Cursed Ones, but they were afraid of you. And they would be afraid of my daughters.”
My hold tightens on her. “That is not what the Society is about. We are not to show ourselves to innocents, and we are to have each other’s backs. Being a leader isn’t about having people afraid of you. It’s having people loyal because they know you’re loyal to them.”
“That is archaic. In order to rule, you need a ruler that invokes fear. They must know who the boss is or chaos will ensue. And this land is ours. It belongs to my daughters and me. Anyone who wants to live in peace must prove they’re worthy. Join us. With the true Anala, we will be unstoppable.”
Emma’s voice changed when she said those words. Before she had spoken with indifference, authority and entitlement. Asking me to join her changed her voice to one of reverence.
“This land is not yours,” I tell her roughly. “It belongs to me. And you have not proven your worthiness to me…”
Baby.
My eyes, which had lost their focus, took a moment to register Sam’s presence. Not only in my head, but also at the back of the room where he holds my gaze. Confusion settles inside me, and I realize I’m afraid of the feelings I’d had when speaking of this land belonging to me. Arrogance. Entitlement. Authority. All of the same things I heard from Emma. If it hadn’t been for Sam’s silent interference…
I’m okay now.
Sam nods slightly, with a small smile. He is my calm. My grounding. Perhaps at this moment, my humanity.
“I am beginning to think your family had issues,” I tell Emma. “You were all power hungry. Thomas believed that he could take over mankind by building an army of Cursed Ones.”
Emma gasps. My namesake screams at me about being a liar, telling ‘Mother’ not to listen to me.
“Thomas died,” Emma rasps.
“He offered himself over for the change, Emma.” I make the statement without any notion to placate Emma’s feelings. She needs to know the truth. She is just as ruthless as Thomas was. “He was merciless. He killed innocents without blinking an eye. He was a Hunter, Emma, just as you were to be, and he didn’t let that stop him.” I push the stake closer to her, the point denting the fabric beneath it with the pressure. “He murdered my parents.”
“You are lying.”
“You know I’m not.” From my peripheral vision, I see little Anala go for her sword. I don’t know what she’s planning since there’s absolutely no way she would get to me before I could kill Emma. Then I see her glance at Tania, and I know. Damn. Tania has too much information for me to allow her to be killed. And, yes, I fully admit to hesitating when it comes to saving her life.
Stay alert. Things are about to get crazy.
I make sure I project my thoughts to all of my Hunters, and I hear them take a collective breath. All I can do now is ask whatever entity that is listening to keep them safe.
All of this happens in the span of mere seconds. Little Anala reaches for her other sword, and I appreciate the irony that having that second sword gives me an advantage over her. She should have been taught to go for both of them at the same time, I think as I push the stake fully into Emma and sprint towards my namesake. It takes me less than a second to reach her, a little longer than that for her to realize what I’ve done, and another bat of an eye for her to turn her swords on me with an extremely impressive warrior cry.
My swords are out and ready, and I lift them in time to deflect the slicing motion racing towards my neck. I raise my leg, and with a small part of my strength - not enough to kill her or break all of the bones in her body - I kick her across the room. Our swords spark as they slide across each other, and she crashes into the other Hunters and Cursed Ones that were in her path. They fall like bowling pins. Bowling pins with confused faces.
Remember. Incapacitate. There are far too many innocents in this room. We need to be careful. Sam, I’m pretty sure Liam understands, but make sure.
I will.
Whatever you do, keep Ta
nia alive. We need her.
Shock and amusement tickles my mind and I know those are the feelings going through my Hunters. I should have gotten Malcolm’s plans from Tania before. Unfortunately, I was too damn distracted. I keep having to remind myself that she’s human. An innocent. I must protect her.
Purposefully, I stalk towards young Anala. Swords slash towards me, some with determination, some half-heartedly. But I don’t let any of them slow me down.
“You killed her!” the ‘Priestess’ yells, fury filling her voice and actions as she charges at me. It makes me wonder when Emma trained her, did she teach her that anger diminishes your control.
“You are a terrible Hunter if you believe that,” I mock, arcing my arm, making her blade ricochet off of mine. Unfortunately, blocking her means I miss another sword coming at me from behind. The Katana cuts through my bicep down to the bone. I’m pretty sure that the only thing that saves my arm from being completely cut off is the heaviness of my cloak. Good thing I have it on, because even I can’t grow back an appendage. Blood pours out before the cut heals rapidly. Son of a bitch that hurts! The Katana comes at me again, this time aiming higher and I do a back-flip to keep it from cutting my head off. The next thing I know, Sam is there fending off the Michonne wanna-be, thank God.
My grip on my sword slips from the blood that ran down my arm, rendering that hand rather useless. Fantastic. It’s not like I can just put it down to wash my hands. I press the button to retract the blade of the sword in my right hand - the one coated with blood - and slip it into its holder at my hip. Thank goodness I’m ambidextrous since I can’t grip much of anything until I can wipe my hand off.
“Why did you come here! You don’t belong!” The Priestess keeps slashing haphazardly. Seriously? Is this really the way she was trained, or is she allowing her emotions to guide her? As it was when Emily attacked me after I killed Zac, it makes her movements erratic and unpredictable. But it also leaves her open to serious damage if I so choose.
“If you hadn’t screwed up so monumentally, I wouldn’t have to be here,” I taunt. I know it’s going to make her even more volatile. I’m just hoping I’ll be able to use it to my advantage.
“I am what these people need! They are followers! Mother chose me over my sister because I was stronger!”
“Where is your sister now?” I ask, swinging my blade in what has become a duel between just the two of us. I wonder if this is what she demands of her ‘disciples’. By letting her fight her own battles, it only proves her formidability. Unless, of course, it gets to be too much for her, I assume, since she is beginning to look panicked and out of her depth. Honestly, she’s a disappointment to me.
“It doesn’t matter where she is,” she scathes and swings again. “All that matters is I am here, and these people bow to me!”
I see a couple of heads turn our way with looks of contempt. She may think she has devotees, but I’m sensing a want for mutiny. Point for me.
“You killed her didn’t you?” I don’t know how I know that, but I do. It makes a little more sense to me now that this Anala isn’t exactly ranked in the top ten ‘Great Hunters’.
“You don’t know anything!” She swings her sword at me, and I swing back causing her to twirl with the strength of my blow. Just as I’m about to advance on her and end this little joust between the two of us, I hear Sam grunt in pain. At the same time, I feel a sharp pain in my right side. The pain is enough to make my knees buckle, and I glance behind me to make sure Sam is okay.
Baby?
I’m good. Cheap shot.
Geez. I shake my head. He’s such a man. God forbid he admit to perhaps letting his guard down.
“Baby, look out!”
Fear brightens Sam’s eyes, and I turn just in time to see my namesake’s sword heading straight for my neck. Oh the irony. There isn’t time for me to dodge the oncoming sword, so I bend backwards as quickly and as far as I can, hoping it’s enough to keep my head. I feel the bite of the blade cutting through my neck, slicing from one side to the other, deep enough for me to doubt that I will be able to heal from this.
“Anala! No!”
Dimly, I hear Sam’s cries, but before I can answer my knees go out on me. I feel myself falling.
Through blurred vision, I see the Priestess coming after me to finish the job, and Sam raises his sword. Murder is in his eyes and thoughts, and though I can barely lift my arm, I try to get his attention.
“Baby, no,” I whisper, my voice gurgling from the blood. I have no idea how deeply I’m cut, but I can tell that I’m not healing. At least not fast enough to stop the pain.
Before the words were completely out of my mouth, a blur of movement speeds by us, and the Priestess is flying through the air, a fully Cursed out Liam wrapped around her. I vaguely recognize that the pointy end of her sword is sticking out of his back.
“Ana!” Amanda screams as she, Jenna and Emily drop to their knees beside me and Sam while Jeremy, Eric and Sara surround me, warding off any potential attackers. “Oh God, oh God, oh God! She’s not healing! Sam! She’s not healing!”
“I know!” Sam’s voice is gruff, full of anguish. “Baby, why aren’t you healing? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know.” It hurts to talk, and even when the words come out, they’re barely a whisper.
I can’t speak, Sam. It hurts.
What can I do? Tell me what to do, baby, please!
I don’t know what it feels like to faint. I don’t think I’ve ever fainted in my six-hundred years of living. Even when I was human, I’d never blacked out. But I’m pretty sure what I’m feeling now means I’m close to passing out.
Liam ambles up beside us, unceremoniously pulling out the Priestess’s sword from his stomach. “How is she?”
“She’s not healing,” Amanda answers. Different things go through my mind at this time. One being, what happened to my namesake, and another is wondering if Amanda is in shock and stuck on repeat.
I barely hear Liam ordering his group to circle us and make sure no one gets to me.
“Baby, please. I need you. Tell me what to do.” Sam’s fear is breaking my heart. He has my head cradled in one hand while the other tries to staunch the flow of blood spilling out of me. I just don’t know what to tell him or how to fix this. I’ve never been this hurt before, nor have I never healed immediately. I can only think of one thing, and it’s not something I want to do.
I’m already in Cursed mode, have been since I walked into that room. Since that hasn’t helped me heal faster, maybe feeding will.
I need blood, Sam.
Take it from me. He responds immediately. Take all that you need, baby.
Sam leans closer to me, exposing his neck. Damn it. I never wanted anyone to see me do this, especially my Hunters. Most specifically, Amanda. Knowing that I do this, that this is who I am is one thing, but actually seeing it is all together different. But I don’t think I have any other choice.
I glance at Amanda. “I’m sorry,” I whisper before closing my eyes, closing everyone out and sinking my teeth into Sam. The gouge in my throat doesn’t make this very easy.
Bite your wrist, Sam. Drip some of the blood into the cut. I command as I drink heavily from him.
Without taking his neck from me, Sam complies, swiftly biting into his wrist and placing it over my throat. The blood - what I’m drinking and what Sam is giving me from his wrist - is like a miracle ointment. A wound that would have killed a human almost instantly, is disappearing. Closing up as though it were being sewed by invisible thread. I feel my body begin to regain its strength, as well as the other side effects that happen when I drink from Sam.
Enough, baby. That’s enough. I retract my teeth from Sam, gently pushing him away. His breathing is as erratic as mine, his pupils dilated. I know it’s difficult, but we have to control it.
“Ana?”
I jump when I feel Amanda’s hand on my blood soaked shoulder. Wrenching my eyes away from Sam, I foc
us on her.
“I’m fine. Better. I’m sorry, Amanda,” I tell her again remorsefully. Oh what I would have given for her not to have seen me drinking from her brother.
“Don’t be. We understand. I understand. It’s okay.”
“What happened? How did she get the drop on you?”
“It was my fault.” It’s Sam who answers Jenna, his voice still husky from my feeding on him.
“No, Sam.”
“It was. You were distracted because I allowed myself to get cut. If it weren’t for me…”
“Stop! Sam that’s enough.” Getting into a sitting position, I take Sam’s face in my hands. “It happened in the heat of battle. We may have both let our guard down for a moment out of fear for each other, but it doesn’t matter now. I’m still here because of you. You are not to blame.” Sam lowers his eyes. I lift his chin until he’s looking me in the eye. “I love you. I had to make sure you were okay. It was my screw-up not to have kept an eye on her. Not yours. You were only trying to protect me from Katana girl. Please, baby.”
He nods, leaning in to kiss me softly. Sigh. I certainly don’t need that in my state. I want it, but don’t need to battle that as well as everything else right now.
We can’t do this, Sam. You know I want more.
I know. I love you, too, by the way.
We smile at each other before standing. I shake off the residual effects of losing a lot of blood in the span of a few minutes. It takes me a moment to notice that all activity has stopped around us.
“What did you do to her?” I ask Liam.
“What I had to do,” he responds nonchalantly.
“You killed her?” I try to curb my anger as I stare him down.
“She almost killed you. Damn, she almost killed me. What did you expect me to do?”
“Incapacitate, Liam!”
“I tried, Anala.” Liam lost a bit of his aloofness and even looks somewhat sheepish. “I did not mean to kill her, I swear. She just kept coming at me. I know you know how much it hurts to be stabbed. I tried stopping her. My strength and anger got the best of me. I apologize.”
Destined to Meet: A Destined Novel (Destined Novels Book 3) Page 12