I forgot my stance and felt myself fall back. I didn't want to lose the stake, my only weapon, so I let myself slip, raising one leg, hoping to inflict some damage, but instead, the Scelestus vampire grabbed my ankle and twisted it. Shooting pain from my ankle had me bucking back against the cement. I almost let go of the stake, but it was my only lifeline.
I heard him snickering and saw him standing by my side. I was down, he was still standing. I was going to lose. He couldn’t kill me, but he could torture me. I did the only thing I could think of and used the stake to stab him through the foot. He howled in pain and lost his composure.
I pulled the stake out and keeping it like a pencil in the one hand, grabbed him with both hands, pulling him toward me. I used his momentum to somersault me on top of him as he landed on his back on the cement. I didn’t waste a second or breathe as I plunged the stake into his still heart.
Before he burnt to ash, he whispered against my ear, making my blood grow cold.
“I wasn’t the only one sent to deliver a message.” And then his body charred and fell apart, leaving me covered with his ashes.
I was amped up with adrenaline and shaking from head to toe. I didn’t feel like myself. It was almost as if I had had too much caffeine. He had said that someone else was out there. I quickly grabbed the used stake, preparing to defend myself. And I kept looking around, but couldn’t find anyone. Nor did I smell anything foul.
When I was sure there wasn't another Scelestus around me, I put the stake back in the inner pocket of my jacket and took inventory of my injuries. My ankle was the most serious. It was swollen, twisted, and painful. I would be hobbling the rest of the way to Underhill. My stomach had an angry and irritated scratch, but nothing serious, and a fist-sized bruise was starting to develop underneath the scratch. Also I wouldn’t be able to hold off my headache for long. But I was alive, and I had fought this guy on my own.
I wanted to cheer, but there was one thing I did forget to account for. I had unintentionally loosened the bond before my interaction with the vampire. And when I fought him, I forgot about it completely, which meant, everyone connected to me would have felt my distress. Time for a location check. Meredith and Nate were at the school still. Good. Anahita, at Underhill. Good. Zane. Crap. Behind me. And when I breathed in, I caught his scent. It was like a burning pine forest. He was pissed. Double crap.
“I don’t want to hear it, Zane,” I said with my back still facing him, still sitting on the ground, my shoulders sagging from the backlashing that I was going to get.
It didn't come. Nothing came. I waited for movement, Zane's voice, something. But all was silent.
I turned around to face him. If I thought I had seen him angry before, it was nothing compared to now. His jaw was clenched tight, matching the skin that was strained across the knuckles of his clenched fists by his side. His position and muscles were so rigid that I didn't think he would even be able to bend. Veins popped up against his skin. And even though he didn't have to breathe, his chest was heaving, and his nostrils were flaring. His eyes blazed brilliantly with angry luminescence. One look into those magnificent eyes broke his control. I understood why he had his mouth clenched when two very impressive fangs pushed it open. Pissed was an understatement.
I gulped. It was all I could do. I lost the ability to speak. But I couldn’t let myself sit there like a crazy person. So I tried to stand up gracefully, trying not to look wounded, but pressure on my right ankle made me wince. At my pain, instead of becoming the ravenous predator that he appeared, his body softened, and he cut the inches that separated us.
His hands were on either side of my head immediately, winding through my hair, moving my head from side to side. Then they drifted down my neck, shoulders, sides. His touch was everywhere. And even though I knew he was checking me for injuries, every place he touched made my eyes roll in the back of my head and goosebumps broke out all over my body. His touch was a sensation that my body would never get used to. I felt light-headed, almost drunk. Until he touched my stomach.
I withdrew with an audible grown, which of course made him lift my shirt to see the bruise and angry red line. Even though the feeling of his hands on me was intoxicating, I pulled myself through the murky waters of desire that were threatening to drown me.
“Boundaries, Zane,” I could only whisper, huskily.
He pulled back suddenly, and I almost lost my balance. He held me still, holding onto my hips.
“My ankle is twisted, but I’ll be good.”
“Caden, I-” Zane’s phone rang, interrupting whatever he was going to say. He looked like he was going to ignore it, but one glance at it, he picked it up. “She’s alright, Finn. I have her.” Then hung up.
Yes, people were worried about me again. Whatever fuzzy moment I was feeling ended abruptly. And I was stone-cold sober. Nate and Meredith would have known I was still okay. Zane just talked with Finn, and I would call Sera when I had a second. They would be fine. But I hated this. I hated people worrying about me. And instantly I dulled the bond again. Zane growled in response.
“Zane, you don’t understand. This is my burden to bear,” I snapped at him. “I think I finally understand why the Venatrices are housed in a military camp. Why they have no childhood. No friends. No family. No one they have to worry-”
“They are wrong.” His hold tightened on my hips, his gaze was still intense.
“No, they aren’t. And I understand it now. It’s my destiny to die.”
His face became guarded. “You know nothing of your destiny.”
My eyesight began to blur from unshed tears. “I know enough to know that if I survive this challenge, there will be another. And another after that. And another after that. They will keep coming until I’m dead, Zane.”
His face and body relaxed, and with it, his teeth receded. Closing his eyes, he pulled me into his strong arms and held me while I fell apart once more.
“I can promise you that you will make it through this,” he whispered through my hair. His hands found the tears that were staining my cheeks and wiped them away.
I sucked in a breath. “How can you be so sure?”
He pulled my face away from his chest and stared into my eyes. "Because I know my destiny." He took hold of my chin and pulled me close. "And I've seen you in it."
Chapter Twenty-Eight
My first kiss had been wrong and awful with an evil stranger of a supernatural race that shouldn’t exist. It filled my veins full of ice and gave me very little desire to be kissed again or even touched intimately for a while.
But when Zane had grabbed my chin and rested his fingers against my previously assaulted lips, it thawed the cold as if his touch was spring and sunshine. It even warmed and chased away the dark, arctic places in my soul that had been frosted from the beginning of this whole venture. Just the chaste, gentle, and even revered touch of his fingers lightly touching my chin and lips silenced my anxiety and fear. It was such a contrast to his unyielding personality that it stunned me into complacency.
I couldn't believe that he had such softness within him. His body began to relax with a peaceful, confident energy that he was exuding, which wrapped around my own. His eyes even held a soft contentedness as he held my gaze, making me sigh from his easiness.
Whatever he had been shown in the past, he was sure that I would be alive after this challenge. From an outside perspective, this interaction would have looked like nothing more than a tender gesture, but to me, it felt more intimate than any kiss.
I allowed myself to lean more into his hand and brought my own to grip his that was still touching my face. His eyes lit up in a preternatural warmth that told me that he was just as affected by this moment as I was. And that’s when he abruptly stiffened and pulled away from me.
The shock of the cold distance between us sent shivers down my spine. I sucked in a breath, hoping to replace the sudden emptiness that I felt from the loss of Zane's touch, and was grateful that I wasn't the
only one still experiencing some sort of reaction to what had just happened. Even though he had regained the rigidness that made him so formidable, his eyes still held the residual glow of his luminescent eyes under the still dark morning.
“Why did you touch me?” My voice sounded raspy.
Zane waited until his eyes calmed before he addressed the situation. “I needed to do something to calm you down from becoming hysterical.”
It was the dump of cold water I needed, filling my chest with hurt and embarrassment. I straightened and allowed his disregard for my emotions bring me back to reality. No, I was no longer thinking about my death and what that might mean for others around me. I wasn’t thinking about that intimate moment that apparently implied something in ways that neither one of us were ready to admit. I was thinking about slapping him though. In fact, my hand tingled with the enjoyment that I might get out of it.
I inched closer to him, noticing his stance had changed as well. He had completely calmed himself almost as if nothing had happened. Even his posture had altered as he gauged my reaction.
I was now closer to him than when his hand held us connected.
“I didn’t need you to calm me. Don’t ever do that again,” I whispered menacingly.
A muscle in his jaw twitched as if he was going to challenge me. But then his face relaxed, and he shrugged a shoulder dismissively. “You’re not hysterical anymore.”
My hand itched, aching to give in to the temptation to tell him what I thought of his method of calming me.
“You are such an asshole!” I pushed him back, hoping he might stumble.
But instead, he just took a steady step back, grabbing hold of my hands. His grip cupped mine gently, and I tried to pull away.
But he pulled me closer, his face suddenly became sinister and cold. His lips turned up in a sneer. “And the sooner you get that through your head, the better, Sweetheart.”
Then he let go of my hands. I wanted to hate him. I hated the way his touch made me feel. It left my body feeling wanton, but whole, as if we were connected or I was meant for him. I wanted to deck him. The pompous, arrogant dick.
“Done. I got it. It's filed away now. Thanks for the final reminder," I spat darkly at Zane, and gave him a dangerous glare.
I wanted to believe that regret passed over his features for a second. But if it did by chance, he was resolute now. Relaxed even. Yes, I wanted him for some apparent reason that I didn't get. There was apparently a magnetic attraction between us that neither one of us could deny now, but I wasn't going to be that girl that continued to fall for some cowardly, egotistical, psychologically screwed up creature that wanted to play games. I didn't have time for that. My life and friends didn't have time for that.
Zane watched me intently with one eyebrow raised as I struggled to tap down my extreme emotions.
“Do you want to hit me?” He asked, genuinely amused.
I still felt the rage, and I knew it showed on my face.
“A little,” I snapped at him.
He shook his head, grinning from ear to ear. “Let me help you, Killer.” He extended his arms in an offer to help.
Sweetheart? Killer? He’s moved to pet names. I don’t think I could have been any angrier.
“I’m fine.” I turned away from him and limped toward Underhill, away from Zane.
I heard him scoff behind me.
"You're not. Let me help you. Please," Zane pleaded.
I was actually surprised by him using the word "please," that it gave me a pause and I nodded in response.
His left arm went around my waist and he brought my right arm around his shoulders. And yes, my body almost sighed from his touch, the traitorous vessel. I scowled at myself. Apparently, my mind and body were not going to agree. And I knew that Zane would sense it, but now was not the time to address what had happened. Never would be a better time. So I was going to ignore my reaction as long as he did.
“Just the stomach and ankle injured?” He asked as we ambled to Underhill.
“More or less,” I grunted in response, trying to concentrate on walking.
“Still in pity party mode?”
I stumbled for a second, then purposely scraped my injured foot down against his left calf, and stomped on his foot as hard as I could, but hurting myself in the process.
“Ow,” I whimpered.
He just grunted. “I’ll take that as a no.”
“I hate you,” I rasped.
“Good.”
I looked at him disbelievingly. He wasn’t paying much attention to me, just continued to walk.
“Put that hate toward something useful though. Like the vampire who wants to take your head to gain his status.”
I tried to focus on limping toward Underhill, with Zane attached to my hip, but his words kept echoing in my head.
“Why do you want me to hate you so much, Zane? It doesn’t take much, really.”
I saw him smirk out of the corner of my eye.
“But still, why are you so adamant about pushing me away?”
We shuffled more along the way, and it was a long time before he answered. So long that I had almost forgotten about the question, my focus had been redirected to walking.
“I just think you’d have a better life if you stayed away from me,” he mumbled.
Part of his statement resonated with me. “Tell me about it.” I laughed. “That’s the reason I left the school. I couldn’t take my friends being in danger because of me.”
There was no comment after that, just the sound of me shuffling along the sidewalk with Zane. Underhill was in sight when I realized that I should have probably called Sera.
I told Zane to stop for a minute and took out my phone. There were many messages that I had missed from Nate and Meredith, and many missed calls from Sera. They had ended when I realized the bond was in full effect, but I still knew that I needed to talk to Sera.
When I called, she didn't pick up. I found it a little odd, but it could be possible that she was stuck in the middle of something and couldn't get to her phone. So, I texted Meredith to let Sera know that I was okay.
Shortly after, I received a message that froze my blood.
Isn’t she with you?
My pulse started to race, and a hard lump began to form in my throat. No, why would Sera be with me?
She went after you when you left.
The back of my neck pricked, remembering then what the vampire had said about another message. Terror seized my body, making my hands shake.
“What’s the matter?” Zane asked, clearly seeing the dread on my face.
I gripped his arm. “Zane, we have to go back.” My voice came out croaky and scared.
“What’s the matter?” He asked me again, more of a demand.
I shook my head, not able to speak, fear paralyzing my voice. But I turned forcefully from him and tried to hurry back. I wasn't making any headway, and I was aggravated with my limbs for not pulling their weight even though I was hurt.
Zane followed me, on my heels. I was going as fast as I could with an injured ankle.
“If you tell me what’s wrong, I can help you,” he beseeched me.
“I think Sera is in danger,” I replied vehemently, still hastening back toward the school.
“Why?”
I felt too frustrated by my slowness and the fear of helplessness to explain it. “I just do.”
Suddenly, Zane scooped me up, and he started running back toward the school. He was using his preternatural speed to zip back. I had to press my head into his chest to keep my eyes from tearing up from his velocity. I was afraid he was going too fast that we would miss something, so I tugged on his shirt to get his attention. I was going to tell him that I needed to be able to see when he slowed down. But ultimately, he had stopped in the woods that was the entrance to the path to the school and put me down.
Instantly, I saw Sera, her very pale body lying on the concrete path not but a couple of feet into the woods
. I leapt forward, forgetting about the injury to my ankle and Zane saved me from a fall by gripping my hips. With his help, we made it to her in two giant steps. I crumbled to the ground and embraced her body. The large lump that had previously been stuck in my throat was now in my mouth. And my hands were shaking when I went to check her pulse.
“Sera,” I croaked, grabbing her hand to feel for her wrist.
Zane pushed her head to the side to reveal two tiny puncture marks with trickles of blood still coming out. His face was bleak. I knew he was hearing what I was feeling in her wrist. Her pulse was feeble and very slow.
“Zane, do something,” I rasped, close to hysterical tears.
He just looked up at me, pain in his expression.
“Do something,” I demanded forcibly this time.
“What do you want me to do?”
"Take her, and run to Summa Western Hospital. It's a fifteen-minute drive, but with your speed, you can make it there faster. Please," I begged.
“If she doesn’t make it, do you want me to turn her?”
I pegged him with a look that showed all my vulnerability and begging that I could muster. "I can't think like that. Please just take my sister."
“What about you?”
“Forget about me! Take her, please!” I shouted frantically.
He scooped her up gingerly and took off.
I sat there for a few minutes not sure what to do. I desperately wanted to be with Sera to make sure she was okay as if my presence would ensure she would be. But there was a darker part of me that wanted vengeance and wanted it now. Whoever was in charge of this assault had to go down right away. Forget the challenge. Forget the stupid rules.
I dialed Finn’s number, which he picked up immediately. When I asked to speak to Anahita, the pause was lengthy until he asked me what was wrong. I ignored his question and just repeated the demand in a voice that was so cold that it could coat everything in ice. There was even a part of me that believed that I had, as I swore I could see crystals of ice forming underneath me.
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