The Return (The Witch Hunter Saga)

by R Taylor, Nicole

  Coming to the rock that blocked the entrance, the effort it took to budge it enough so she could slip through almost wore her out there and then.

  It was early morning outside and the sun was still below the tree line in the distance. The light hurt her eyes and burnt against her sensitive skin. Looking around, the grounds were suddenly unfamiliar. Had they changed somehow? How long had she been out? Disoriented, Aya could only walk and hope she found her way.

  The only thing Alex hated more than early mornings was extremely early mornings. The sun had only just broken the horizon and he was already halfway into town. His gear rattled in the tray as he went over bump after bump in the old road. He'd gone to the lumber yard on the outskirts of New Orleans to pick up some supplies and he was running ahead of time. At least with an early start he would finish the last of the build at Mrs. Greene's cafe. He had Liz to thank for suggesting starting something on the side of his job at the gardens and hooking him up with her boss. This was his best work yet, by far. If this went down well, then the Real Estate would be begging him to take on their contract. That meant building and landscaping. Regular work meant regular money. And he was fond of money.

  Shit. There was a person ahead walking on the road. He was slowing down to give them a piece of his mind when he noticed it was a woman, and she was walking all strange. Like she was drunk. No, she must be hurt, it was way to early for anyone to be drunk. Chivalry setting in, he pulled his truck over and jumped out calling, "Miss? Miss, are you okay? Do you need help? Miss?"

  Her long back hair was all messed up, her jeans torn and her jacket had a huge hole in the back... Geesus. Alex jogged to catch her; she was still stumbling along as if she hadn't heard him. It looked like he'd have to take her to hospital or call the cops, or both. He reached out and touched her shoulder and she stopped, turning slightly. He started as he saw two piercing blue eyes peering at him through a tangle of hair. Fucking hell! "Aya?" Alex exclaimed, "Fuck, Aya? We all thought you were dead! Geesus, are you okay? What are you doing out here?"

  Aya stared at him for a moment and her expression softened with a hint of recognition. "Alex?" Her voice was a ragged whisper.

  "Yes, it's me, Alex. We've got to get you to the brother’s place. Shit, you're all messed up..." And he had to race forward to catch her as she passed out.

  She was light as a feather. Alex held onto her limp form and noticed the raw looking skin on her chest through the hole in her shirt. Hadn't Sam mentioned her heart was ripped out? Yet here she was. Since when could vampires grow back vital organs? He knew they didn’t, but Aya was different, that much he understood. Opening the passenger side door, he placed her gently in the front seat of his truck and buckled the seatbelt around her. Jumping in the drivers seat he spun the tires in the dirt as he accelerated back onto the highway. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, and breaking about a billion laws, he clumsily dialed Sam's number.

  Zac stared out the window into nothingness, "They're only dreams, Sam. It's not like we can verify them." He was tired of talking about it. It was all they had done for the past few days. He couldn't even get anything out of Arturius and Gabby thought his idea that she could replicate Aya's ability foolish. Then what the hell could he do? They were right back at the start. Square one. The sun was beginning to burn his face as he loosened his will around the sunlight spell on his body.

  Sam pushed him away from the window into the shadows, "Don't play with your spell, Zac. And no, it's not about verification. It stands to reason that Aya never wanted anyone to taste her blood because it would do this. She said her blood acted like poison."

  Zac’s eyes looked as if they were about to cloud over. Sam held up his hand defensively as he approached.

  "They're true dreams, Zac. She gave you her blood to save you because she was in love with you." Zac grabbed the front of his shirt and they were face to face. "Arturius is the one you want. Save your anger for him."

  Zac breathed deeply, trying to sate his anger. He wanted to rip something apart, something living. He needed to feel warm living blood through his fingers.

  Then Morgan was pulling him off Sam, standing between them, her hand on his chest. She had appeared out of thin air and he was grateful she'd chosen to come looking at that moment.

  "Snap out if it, Zac," she said, glaring at him from under her lashes.

  Clutching his head in his trembling hands as his eyes settled, he said what he'd been thinking everyday for the past two weeks, "I failed her. I should have died... Not her."

  He didn't understand the look on Morgan's face, but her hand dropped away and she glanced at Sam who grasped both of his shoulders and stated, "You did not fail her... know that we will avenge her."

  He looked from his brother to Morgan, ashamed that she had found him slipping back into his old ways.

  "I'm with you," she smiled, sensing the uncertainty in his gaze. "Whatever it takes."

  The moment was broken as Sam's cell began to ring. Pulling it from his back pocket he saw it was Alex. Sliding his finger across the screen he put it up to his ear and said, "Alex..." His expression became confused, "Slow down, slow down. What's happened?" His eyes widened. "Holy shit. Come to the house. NOW."

  Zac grabbed his brother's shoulder, his composure returning. "What's happened?"

  Sam looked at him with an expression laced with confusion and disbelief. "Aya is alive."

  Alex slammed on the brakes as he came up the driveway to the brother’s house. Sam burst from the front door as he jumped from the cab, Zac not far behind. Morgan lingered in the doorway, unsure, a sick look of disbelief plastered on her face.

  "Take her to my room," Zac said as Sam picked Aya's limp form from the passenger side. Her arm flopped to one side and her shoulder lay exposed. The muscle had fused together, but her skin was raw and had begun to bleed.

  "Holy shit, Zac. Her heart has grown back."

  They exchanged a concerned look. It was the same as Zac's dreams. All those times she had died and woken. All of those horrible deaths. It meant that it was all true. He couldn't begin to understand her torment.

  Sam bounded up the stairs two at a time, careful not to jolt her. Kicking open the bedroom door he placed her gently on Zac's bed as she began to stir, "She's coming round."

  Aya opened her eyes groggily, blinking to clear the fog that threatened to take her again. The pain in her chest was overwhelming and involuntarily she cried out, her back arching. She felt hands holding her down onto a bed... bed? She had lost all sense of time and place... but she could smell the blood. She knew it was her own, but she needed blood or she would fall back to the abyss. She would be trapped in the dark sea of primordial nothingness for eternity if she didn't feed. She struggled against the hands and the pain and opened her eyes wide in an effort for clarity.

  And there she beheld Zac. Zac who she had saved. The only one who had ever tasted her blood and lived to tell the tale. His eyes were wide with surprise and worry, but she couldn't tell what he was feeling... what he had seen.

  "Aya," he was speaking to her. "What do you need? Please."

  Blood, she wanted to say, but nothing came out of her mouth. She collapsed back into the bed, almost spent. Zac sat beside her, cradling her weak body against his chest; her head nestled against his shoulder. Her lips against the skin of his neck. "Drink, Aya. I trust you." He understood. He understood.

  When she had drunk his blood in the silo it had awakened her power stronger than ever before. There was no way of knowing what would happen if she did again. For the first time in two thousand years, she felt genuinely afraid.

  When she didn't respond, Zac stroked her hair with his free hand and whispered ever so slightly, "Please let me save you." He sighed in relief as he felt her teeth sink into him. Looking at his brother, who hovered by the side of the bed, he gestured for them to leave. Sam pulled a wide-eyed Alex out into the hallway and closed the door behind them.

  Once she had drunk her fill, he laid her back down
and pulled a blanket over her, all the while not taking his eyes away, afraid she'd disappear again. As her eyes grew heavy, he caressed her face, his heart hammering in his chest. Soon she was sound asleep as her body continued to heal itself. Taking a washcloth from the adjoining bathroom, he wiped the blood from her face and his neck, the wound having already closed over. Kicking off his boots and lying on the bed beside her he took in her sleeping form and considered all the things he had dreamed over the past two weeks. He regretted not going to check on her after seeing her regenerate from other more horrific wounds. He should have, but the grief at her loss was too much. He didn't believe. And now here she was, asleep beside him.

  For the first time he began to understand who she was, why she had pushed him away. Her entire life had been about avenging her family; coming to terms with what she had become. There had been nothing else for her. Exhausted from the loss of blood, he brushed the hair from her face and pressed his lips to her forehead. No longer able to fight the fatigue that washed over him, he closed his eyes and before he knew it, he was fast asleep. And for the first time in two weeks, it was dreamless.

  When Aya finally woke it was dark outside. The curtains were still open and the pale silver light from the moon shone over the room. Turning her head slightly, she was surprised to see Zac was asleep beside her, the music of his blood dulled. Taking in his sleeping form, her lips pulled into a smile, but it quickly turned into a frown. Her blood would have given him dreams and what those dreams were made her afraid. Afraid of his reaction and what she might have to do to keep her secrets.

  Careful not to disturb him, she wearily made her way to the bathroom. Closing the door and turning on the light, she peeled off her torn and bloodied t-shirt, stripping bare to her bra. She surveyed her chest where the wound had been, fingers tentatively testing the newly grown skin. It was completely healed of course, and she scoffed. How many hearts was this? Three or four? She could scarcely remember.

  Still feeling a little weak, she held onto the marble counter top and took a few deep breaths. She had drunk Zac's blood again and in hindsight, perhaps she shouldn't have. The fact that it called to her was a warning. It was unknown territory and there was no way of knowing what it might do to her if she overdosed on it. She had drunk so much, but there was no taking it back now. Aya took in her reflection, her hair was tangled and wild, but her eyes sparkled. Her pale skin felt sensitive and as she ran a hand across her cheek a trail of color followed her fingertips. Like she used to be, like the shimmered pearl inside of a shell, translucent. Startled and suddenly light headed, she fell backwards, knocking the bowl of soap onto the tiled floor with a crash.

  Curling up on the floor she was vaguely aware that Zac had burst in and was scooping her up in his arms. He placed her back in bed and covered her shivering form with a blanket. Drawing her close he rubbed her arms as if to warm her up. "It's okay,” he murmured.

  "Zac," Aya whispered into his chest. "What have you done to me?"

  He frowned, but her eyes were closed tightly and he kissed her forehead. She shuddered at the contact and sighed. "I saved you… like you saved me," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

  "For what?" she was confused.

  "For not coming to get you once…" he began.

  Aya wasn't sure she was ready to hear what memories her blood had given him, but she could have a good guess as to what. Instead, she changed the subject. "What happened? Who killed me?"

  "I didn't see at the time, it was two days before I woke. But Sam told me it was a vampire named Arturius who killed you. He was waiting for the moment you let your guard down. I'm sorry, Aya. It was my fault. If I hadn't of been cursed, I…" He closed his eyes and sighed sadly. "We've been trying to find a way to kill him."

  Aya looked at him as if he was either crazy or brave, he wasn't sure. "Zac, Arturius is a founder." And it wasn't his fault she had let her guard down. If she had of been thinking straight, she would have known that it was the perfect opportunity for ambush. Weakened by the confrontation with Katrin and overwhelmed by the loss of blood. But she said nothing of this to Zac.

  "We had to try. And we still will," he said, brow furrowed.

  She squeezed her eyes shut as if she was in pain. "How long since…" she whispered, changing the subject yet again.

  "About two weeks," he drew her close. "I thought you were gone forever." Her eyes filled with tears and he brushed them away with his thumb. He looked in wonder as her skin shone where he had touched.

  She shivered and looked away, "Why are you still here? Why did you help me?"

  Zac frowned, confused. "What do you mean? Of course I'm still here."

  "What did you see?" her voice was hesitant.

  "You mean the dreams?" When she nodded, he said, "I saw you. As you were before. I saw what the Romans did to you. What Arturius did to you. Your escape. Then…" He wasn't sure how to phrase her many suicide attempts, he wasn't happy about remembering those dreams. Vivid dreams where he was powerless.

  "You saw how many times this has happened to me," she was distant again. "I've kept this secret for my entire existence. No one knows I can regenerate. I loathed what I had become and had to end it anyway I could. But I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried, I still woke up. The one true immortal."

  Zac held her closer, unsure of what to say, fighting her resistance to his touch.

  Aya continued, "Why are you still here? Why are you helping me? You saw the disgusting things I inflicted on myself... Things that should never happen to any human... I did them to myself!" She tried to push him away.

  "Aya, I love you. Nothing will ever change that," he said for the first time.

  She turned her head away, not daring to hope.

  He grasped her face, forcing her to look at him. "We have both done horrible things in our past, but the future is ours to change. You can trust me to keep your secret. And without a doubt, you can trust Sam and Alex. Liz and Gabby, too. You're part of our family now."

  At the mention of family, she squeezed her eyes shut. "My family was slaughtered in their sleep. Anyone who comes close to me inevitably suffers the same fate. I can't… I can't do that to you."

  "Aya, we all know the danger we're in. As with Katrin and Caius, we all understand what is at stake," Zac reassured her. "And we will fight Arturius and anyone else that threatens the ones we love." He pressed his lips against hers and she felt herself give into him. His touch melted everything away and only her love for him remained.

  Aya scarcely hoped to believe what he said was true.

  As if he sensed her holding back he said, "I've waited a long time for you, Aya. One hundred and seventy years. I'm not going to let you go so easily."

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  "How is she?" Sam asked as Zac shuffled into the parlor, rubbing his eyes.

  "Drained, delirious." He sat on the sofa, his expression troubled.

  "I think it's to be expected after resurrecting," Sam reasoned, sitting in the chair opposite. "That's got to take it out of her."

  "All those dreams," Zac started to say. "They were all true. Who she was before, what she became after. Arturius' betrayal. Her family."

  The brothers sat in silence for a while, as if trying to digest what they had already suspected was true. The last thing Aya would want was for them to sit there and pity her. What happened in the past couldn't be changed, it was what it was. A memory.

  "All the more reason to go after Arturius," Sam said with a finality.

  "Oh, there's more," Zac sat forward, elbows resting on his knees. "There were six Romans. Aya killed three of them when she was turned. And we witnessed Caius' ass kicking. Arturius and his brother, Regulus are the last remaining founders."

  Sam cocked his head, "And you want to go after him as well?"

  "She'll never rest easy until they're all gone. And after everything that's happened, I intend to see it done."

  "I don't doubt it," his brother smiled, shaking his head.

  "Sure,
she's got her problems, but the last thing we should do is sit here and feel sorry for something that happened two thousand years ago. We need to get rid of the threat entirely. Then perhaps we can live a peaceful life. That was the point of coming back here after all."

  "I've never met a vampire who didn't have issues," Sam said gently. "And Morgan?"

  "I can't ask her to do more than she already has. If she wants to stay then it’s her choice. I've been up front with our situation."

  "How much does she know?"

  "The bare minimum. Nothing about the dreams, Aya's past." It wasn't his secret to tell and he was worried about what she would make of Aya's resurrection. How was he going to explain that?

  Suddenly, they became aware that they were being watched. Turning, they saw Aya standing in the doorway, gazing at them curiously. She'd gone into her room and changed into fresh clothes and her long raven hair had been brushed, but what gave the brothers reason to pause were her eyes. The depth of them seemed endless, like the whole universe lived inside her. Zac stood hastily, whatever he was going to say dissolving in his throat. All he could see was her.

  "I know," she said, tilting her head to the side. "I can't fathom it either. I assume it has something to do with you."

  "Me?" Zac sat hastily as she perched beside him on the sofa, his gaze fixated on her eyes.

  "It would seem that your blood has woken something in me that I thought was lost," she peered at him curiously.

  "Your..."

  "Spirit. Powers. Magic. Whatever you want to call it," she sighed.

  "Is that why it makes that sound?"