That would never happen.
“So, did it do anything?” Finn asked, inspecting the mystical sword back on display.
I nodded. “It lit up like a flare.”
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the sword, devouring the electrical current into my soul, merging with the power that lay within as the sword came to life, spilling a brilliant light around it.
“Holy shit,” Finn and Kade said in unison.
“That’s insane,” Kade added, his bright eyes staring in awe.
Releasing my grip, the sword returned to its previous state, its energy once again dormant.
Finn let out a harsh breath. “I don’t like this. I don’t like this one bit.”
I barked out a laugh, finally seeing the light. “You, my dear, overprotecting, overbearing, bossy-assed brother, are going to have to get used to me being the boss.” I had no idea if that were true, but since no one denied it, I went with it while I still could. Because I was pretty sure Lana was about to come back and burst my bubble.
As if on command, Lana bounded back into the room. “Come with me.” She linked her arm with mine then, with wide eyes, recoiled, not wanting to touch me any longer.
My chest constricted, fearing what I was to become.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have been so brazen.”
I frowned as she led me away from the others. “Please don’t tell me I damn to death anyone who touches me, because I can’t bear to think…” I trailed off as I shoved my unholy thoughts to the back of my mind.
A smile spread across her face. She knew what I was thinking. “Relax. I was just…” She spun around and started walking backward as she studied me. “You’re the one. I mean, the freaking one. I…”
“I’m still the same person I was before, only now I’m hoping everyone’s not going to treat me any differently. Scratch that. Everyone, except for you and Kade, has treated me like shit since I came here. So yeah, I want that to stop, but as for your friendship, I want that to stay as is. Please don’t tell me I’m some divine being that must shun everyone around me, because that’s not going to happen.” I was rambling and didn’t know how to stop. “I need people in my life. I’m not a loner. I need to be touched, and—”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it,” she said. “You have a crush on a certain someone who up until tonight wanted to drive a knife through your heart.”
“I do not,” I spat, my stomach twisting in knots over the accusation.
Lana raised her brow. “I saw the way you were looking at him in the van and then when we got back here.”
“I was looking at him in no such way.”
“We’ll agree to disagree on that one.” She linked her arm with mine. “Just be happy that Max no longer wants to kill you.” She frowned again. “What’s with girls and crushes on bad boys? Max isn’t really your type.”
“What is my type?”
“Someone who isn’t so damaged.” Lana held her finger to her mouth as we reached the top of the staircase.
I snapped out of my thoughts, realizing we were at the very top landing. There was a door directly in front of us and nothing on either side.
Energy pulsated through the wood separating us from whatever was inside. And by the look on Lana’s face, it wasn’t good.
She smiled, trying to ease my nerves. “Don’t be afraid. She is here because of you.”
I drew my brows together as Lana opened the door, revealing a woman dressed in black sitting cross-legged on the floor, her hands by her side and her head tilted back. Sparks of electricity swirled around her, building up momentum and releasing it into the air.
A hole the shape of a circle was carved into the roof directly above where she sat.
“Come, my child. I’ve been waiting for you.” Her black eyes fell upon me, boring into my soul. I felt naked, helpless in her presence. It was as if she was speaking to something deep inside of me.
Lana nudged me forward and closed the door behind me, leaving me alone with the freakish woman who looked as if she were over a hundred years old.
“Sit.” She gestured toward the painted circle in front of her.
Doing as asked, I sat cross-legged, trying not to look at her eyes. But it was impossible. They were captivating—haunting.
“My name is Orphelia. I am the conjurer of Section 6A of this realm. I am the Gatekeeper. The one who protects these sacred grounds and those within. I am responsible for the power of the hunters, channeled through our sacred realm. And I am your conduit.”
She paused as she cocked her head, studying me. “Only, you’re not supposed to awaken until your eighteenth birthday.” She straightened her neck and briefly looked up into the sky before returning her black eyes to me.
“That’s ten months away,” I said.
“Unlike the human world, your life didn’t begin when you took your first breath. Your birth was that of conception, and you are one month ahead of schedule.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to figure out where she was going with this.
“Kali, demon hunter, you have partially awoken, bringing a grave threat upon us all. For if the demons get their hands on you before your time, they’ll have a chance to destroy us, bringing death to all mankind. You must study. You must prepare. For the world rests in your hands.”
I swallowed hard, the pressure of her words weighing me down. I was not ready to become some magical being. I was too selfish. I was too careless.
“You are ‘the one.’” She whispered and returned her focus to the roof.
I waited for her to say more, but the seconds ticked by into minutes and it became painfully obvious I was on my own, unprepared for the job of saving the world.
At least Finn could no longer boss me around.
Getting to my feet, I retreated to the hallway, where Lana was waiting for me.
She cocked her head for me to follow her down the stairs, and she remained silent until we were halfway down. “Creepy, huh?”
“Understatement of the century,” I said under my breath. “You could’ve warned me.”
“Yeah. I could’ve.”
I didn’t think anything could’ve prepared me for Orphelia. She was straight out of a horror movie.
Lana bumped her shoulder against mine. “Did she tell you what’s going to happen now that we’ve found you before your time?”
“Only that I need to prepare for the war ahead.” Even that was pretty vague.
She nodded. “Right.” She stopped on the landing and spun around to face me, her hand on the railing, blocking me from going any farther. “The vampires still don’t know for sure who you are, but it’s likely they’re going to come for Mason, thinking he’s the one they’re after since we went to so much trouble to get him back.”
Heaviness settled over my heart. This wasn’t over. “I’ll be ready.”
“They’re going to come after everyone and everything Mason’s ever cared for. And we better be ready. And by we, I mean every one of us except for you.”
“Like hell,” I said. “I’m the one they’re looking for.”
“Exactly, which is why you need to stay hidden. If they so much as catch a scent of your blood… they won’t stop.”
I swallowed hard as my hand instinctively went to my throat. “I was bitten more than once, but I killed those responsible.”
Her steely gaze met mine. “Are you sure about that?”
I wasn’t sure about anything, and by the sound of it, we were in for a world of trouble. Goose bumps covered my skin as I feared what was to come. Too many people were relying on me, and I was buckling under the pressure. Sure, I wanted to save Mason, but the world… That was far beyond my abilities.
But remembering the taste… The way their demonic essence rolled down my tongue was indescribable. I wanted more. I needed more.
There was a deep burning desire in my soul, craving to unleash my wrath upon those who took what wasn’t theirs, the evil creatures who’d terrorized
our world for far too long.
I knew what my responsibility was, and if I was honest with myself and put aside all my selfish traits, I wanted more.
I wanted to make the demons and vampires pay for what they’d done. Make them feel every ounce of pain they’d inflicted on those powerless to stop them.
That was my duty. That was my destiny.
It was who I was. It would be who I would become.
The one.
The Circle of Embers
A vampire hunter novel
Copyright © 2019 by Kelly Carrero
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons either living or deceased is purely coincidental. Names, places, characters, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Created with Vellum
1
No matter how many times I told the hunters I wanted to bring in what was left of my family and friends, they refused to obey. And here I thought I was “the one” and they’d have to listen to what I said. What a load of bullshit that had turned out to be.
Sure, they treated me as if I were royalty, but I didn’t have a say in what was going on in this place. Which didn’t help with my training. Because I was a vampire huntress, everyone was too afraid to touch me—all except one.
Meet my new training buddy, strong, sexy, damaged beyond repair Max, aka the one who had wanted to kill me on more than one occasion. And with my abilities draining without the vampire blood running through my veins, I was like a drowning rat compared to him.
“Keep your chin up. Back straight,” Max commanded, his distrustful eyes penetrating my soul as he waited for me to make my next move, probably fearing I was going to go all animalistic on him and aim for his jugular.
Aching all over and ready to crawl into a hot bath, I glared at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to me.
The hate he had for me was real, but I couldn’t expect a little thing like me being the one that would save all humanity to change his feelings toward me.
As soon as I had that thought, my gaze drifted to the heavy scarring covering the left side of his neck and torso from where the vampires had almost ripped him apart before he joined the Society.
Yeah, I couldn’t blame him.
Drawing in a deep breath, I pulled my shoulders back, held my head high, and readied myself for my next ass-whooping.
Max came at me with ferocious speed, knocking his elbow into my jaw as he swept his leg under mine.
The moment my back slammed against the wooden floor of the gym, his knee was on top of my chest, pushing down hard as he held me in place with an oh-so-snarky grin on his face and the blade of his dagger resting against my jugular.
Frustration coursed through me. I was supposed to be the ultimate killing machine, yet I couldn’t hold my own for even a second without having vampire blood in my system. He completely dominated me on every level, and it wasn’t good for a girl’s ego.
“Get off me,” I spat through gritted teeth.
His grin grew wider. “What did you learn this time?”
Lifting my head, I pushed against his blade and winced in pain as it sliced into my skin.
Max’s eyes went wide, and he jumped off me, throwing his weapon to the side as if it were tainted, marked by the blood of the one. He held his hand out to me. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”
Ignoring his offer to help me up, I pulled myself into a sitting position, swept my fingers across my neck, and held my hand out in front of me to stare at the blood smeared across my skin.
Max kneeled down beside me, his eyes no longer haunted by what I did, reminding me of the way he’d looked at me when he figured out who I was. He gripped my chin, lifting it so he could get a better look at the slice across my neck.
“How bad is it?”
He breathed out harshly as he shook his head and stood. “I knew I shouldn’t have agreed to train you.” Max snatched his dagger off the ground and strode toward the wall of weapons.
I scrambled to my feet and followed him as I clutched my hand over my wound. “You agreed to it because you know you’re the only one who doesn’t care if I get hurt.”
He spun around to face me. “Is that what you think?”
I frowned. “Well, yeah. It’s not as if we’re best buddies or even friends,” I said as I made my way up to the mirror and inspected the damage. It wasn’t that bad, all things considered. “And don’t pretend you don’t like handing my ass to me.”
When he didn’t respond, I glanced at his reflection in the mirror and was surprised to see the hurt in his eyes. I raised a brow. “Tell me I’m wrong.”
Stealing his gaze away from mine, he headed toward the exit. “You need to find yourself a new training partner.”
“That’s right,” I said. “Run away. Palm your responsibilities off onto someone else.”
He paused by the door. “You’re not my responsibility.”
“No. But in a few months, you’ll be mine, and everyone else around here is too chicken shit to touch me. That’s why I asked you to train me. You’re the only one who despises me enough to help me. I need someone who can teach me without fearing they’ll hurt me.”
“You don’t need training. You’ll turn eighteen, you’ll go through your awakening, and you’ll become the best hunter this world has ever seen. Just like you were when you saved my ass.”
I curled my hands around my hips and breathed out harshly. “Yeah? And what about between now and then? What am I supposed to do? Expect everyone else to protect me because no one wants to give me some blood?”
“You stay here where you’re safe.”
I barked out a laugh. “I am not—” I jerked back in surprise as he raced toward me, stopping inches in front of me.
His chest heaved with barely controlled anger. “I could’ve hurt you.” His gaze darted to the wound on my neck then drifted up to my lips, lingering on them for a moment before returning to my eyes.
My stomach fluttered for a second before I squashed my thoughts. There was no way… And then they came sneaking back, determined to make a fool out of me.
Max stepped back and rubbed his hand over his mouth. “I can’t.”
Shaking away my deluded thoughts of his feelings toward me, I stepped closer to him. “But you didn’t. You didn’t hurt me.”
He raised a brow. “Oh no? Because I’m pretty sure your brother, Lana, and every other person in this place will think otherwise.”
“I don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks. I want you. No one else.” A light bulb moment flicked on in my mind. Was I talking about training or something else? Training. It had to be training.
But as I stared at him standing before me, tormented by his actions, his desires, and his hatred toward me, my gut was telling me otherwise.
I had a crush on the guy who hated the very sight of me.
The door to the gym flung open, and Finn walked into the room with Mason in tow. Finn halted the moment he noticed the tension in the room. “What’s going on?” His gaze zeroed in on my wound, and he raced toward me. “What happened?” He glared at Max. “What did you do to her?”
Max opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off. “Max didn’t do anything to me. I did this to myself.”
Finn’s suspicious gaze returned to mine. “How does one cut their own throat?”
I raised a brow. “Have you met me? You know, your little sister who you believed wasn’t hunter material?”
Mason strode up to us, no longer holding the arrogant swagger to his step that he was renowned for prior to his abduction by the vampire faction. But he also didn’t seem upset like I thought he would�
�ve been. “You don’t believe she’s hunter material?” Mason asked. “I mean, you saw what she did when she saved our asses, right?”
Finn frowned. “That was my opinion before we knew who she was.”
“He hasn’t told you what’s going on, has he?” I asked. Since Mason’s return, he’d been holed up in the hospital wing with bags of blood and antibiotics flowing into him twenty-four seven, and I’d barely been able to get some time alone with him thanks to the whole commotion about being the one. Finn, on the other hand, had barely left his side. I wasn’t sure if it was because he missed his baby brother or if he was avoiding me. Either way, I was happy to get away from the overly protective bubble he’d wanted to place me in since our little family reunion.
Finn crossed his arms over his chest and said, “I’ve told him everything he needs to know.”
I barked out a laugh. “Yeah, we all know that means shit because you don’t think anyone needs to know anything except you hunters.” There was no way he’d told Mason that what was left of our family and our friends would be in danger, and according to the Society’s policy, we can’t connect with the outside world. Meaning, they were as good as dead if the Society had their way.
“Well,” Mason said with a light in his eyes, “that’s what I’m hoping to be.” When I scrunched up my face in confusion, he clarified, “A hunter.”
I frowned. “Good luck getting Finn to agree on that one.”
“Actually,” Finn started.
I glared at him, stopping him from saying any more. “You have got to be kidding. You’re really going to bring Mason in so easily when I had to fight to stay here every step of the way?” I shook my head. “You’re unbelievable!”
I stormed off to the punching bag and took a few swings at it, wishing I still had the strength to knock the damn thing off the hook. Finn was infuriating.
Shadow Realms- The Complete Series Page 17
