by Bethany Shaw
"I'm not afraid of the humans, Cadence. It's 1609, the witch-hunts are in full swing, and they are looking for us. I can't be killed, you however can. Not to mention Malcolm. We might as well have left a calling card for him with the way we materialized into this time." Taking her arm, Zak led her out the dreary doors and into the blinding sunlight.
He did make a few good points.
"So now what?" she asked as they walked out into the busy street. The sun beat down on them, and she squinted against the brightness as she shielded her eyes with her free hand.
"We keep going. I think it’s best if we leave Spain." Zak looked around before leading them over to a few tied-up horses.
She frowned, watching as he untied one of the horse’s bridles. "What are you doing?"
"I thought you might be tired of walking and having me carry you."
"Isn't that stealing?" she asked. She did have to admit she was tired of moving on foot. Zak was kind enough to carry her when they needed to move, but the speed and disorientation of moving so fast was a little unsettling, especially to her head and stomach. “I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“How do you not know how to ride a horse?”
“I was born in the time of motor vehicles,” she said, getting a small smile from him. “Not all of us are a bazillion years old.”
"I mean, don’t they have pony rides and stuff for birthday parties, and can’t you ride recreationally? I assumed you'd ridden before.”
"Sure, you can do all those things, but I’ve never done them. What do you know about little kids’ birthday parties, anyway?” She placed her hands on her hips and quirked her brow up at him.
“Only what I’ve seen in flyers and street signs.” He gave her an appreciative glance as he climbed onto the horse and held out his hand. "Looks like you get to ride with me. On the bright side, we’re only taking one horse this way."
Cadence sighed, rolling her eyes, but she took his hand and allowed him to pull her up. He positioned her in front of him and circled his strong arms protectively around her. She closed her eyes, relishing in the way his firm body pressed against hers. Gooseflesh pimpled her arms as she remembered the way his bare skin had felt against hers. His warm breath whispered against her neck, and she shivered as a raw hunger gnawed at her belly. This was going to be a long, agonizing ride.
“It’s okay, Cadence. I won’t let you fall.” He moved the reins and the horse cantered down the dirt street.
Did he not realize the effect he had on her? How could he? She’d all but blown off the night of passion they’d shared. He was supposed to be her enemy – except the longer she spent with him, the less true that seemed. Zak was a good guy, and she was tired of pretending he wasn’t. He might be the big, bad vampire to everyone else, but for her, he was the guy who was going above and beyond to protect her. That meant something.
“You’re awfully quiet,” Zak said, breaking the silence as they passed by the last few houses that dotted the village limits.
"Do you think Harrison and Melanie are looking for us?" she asked, wanting the conversation to move far away from her thoughts.
"If they stayed in Spain I'm sure they know we’re here," he chuckled, sending his warm breath rippling over her exposed skin.
She licked her lips and relished in the feel of him. "You know, for a time without cell phones, word sure does travel fast."
"Yeah, well, they take this witch stuff pretty seriously in this time. Which means finding a witch could prove rather difficult. And there is a good chance Malcolm is hunting us too."
"I'd really rather not see him again, ever." She shuddered.
"He won't touch you again." Zak pulled her tighter against him.
She relaxed into his warm, muscled body, feeling completely safe with him. Cadence knew he truly meant it, but could he really keep it from happening?
“Why is he hunting you, anyway?” she asked. “He’s your father.”
Zak stiffened as he cleared his throat. “The spell was originally supposed to be for my siblings and me. My parents wanted to grow old together and die together.”
“They never took into consideration what you guys wanted?” she asked, twisting so she could see his face.
“No,” he said. “I don’t think my mother thought that far ahead, to be honest. She was obsessed with ensuring she never had to endure the pain of losing another child. I’m not entirely sure she realized what she was taking from us.”
“Do you think you would’ve settled down and had a family?” she wondered. Her mind flitted to Lise. Had he loved her? Would they have been happy together? She couldn’t exactly imagine Zak as a father.
“Probably. Things were different back then. That was your goal in life – to marry, have kids, raise them, and own and maintain a household. Things were much simpler then. I suppose Lise and I would’ve married.”
“Oh,” she said as she scrunched up her face before turning to face forward again. Her heart lurched. She could smack herself for being jealous of a dead girl.
“You’re not jealous, are you, sweetheart?” he asked with a hint of laughter.
“Of a girl who’s been dead for centuries? Hardly,” she said as she rolled her eyes. Maybe she was lying a little.
Zak chuckled behind her. The action jostled her, and she let out a breath as his hard chest pressed further against hers. He sobered and cleared his throat. “Anyway, after my siblings and I lost control, my mother redid the spell and made my father the vicious hunter he is today.”
“Surely there must have been something else she could’ve done?” Cadence asked. She pictured her own mother, who had been so loving and caring. How could a mother do that?
“If there was, she certainly didn’t try to find it,” Zak said. “She made Malcolm for one reason. His soul purpose is to kill us. Once we are dead, he too will perish.”
“So his sole purpose is to hunt you down and kill you?” That was horrible. How could a parent do that to their children? His parents were monsters.
“Exactly. Malcolm hunts all vampires. He doesn’t even care if the vampires are good or not. The ones he captures suffer a fate worse than death.”
“Even someone like Melanie or Harrison?” Surely he would spare vampires whose humanity shone through.
“Even them,” Zak said. “He might give pause, seeing Harrison, but it wouldn’t stop him from killing either of them. My father was never a passionate or loving man, and that stellar personality has made him even worse as an immortal.”
“So it changed him for the worse?” Cadence asked perplexed. Malcolm sounded like a horrible person, and she never wanted to see him again. A shiver zipped down her spine at the thought of him.
“The thing is, Cadence, vampirism doesn’t change who you are fundamentally. It does heighten your emotions, but deep down, people don’t change. We’re just less afraid of repercussions.”
Cadence leaned back, letting the sway of the horse rock her as she considered what he said. If that were the case, then Zak was still the same guy he’d been as a human. A good, honest, caring man. She saw that side of him all the time. It wasn’t a ploy. That caring man he showed to her was who he was. Circumstances and hatred had made him do evil things. That was a part of him too, but there was still a large part of him that was fundamentally good.
***
Zak stared at the carving and sighed. Flames from the fire danced across the wood. It was the perfect likeness to Cadence. He hadn’t whittled anything in years, but she’d been out cold when they arrived at the inn, and he’d had time to himself. The knife and board were sitting on the table, practically waiting for him.
It crossed his mind that he could give it to her, but he couldn’t be sure how she would react to it. Would she like it? Hate it? Think it was silly? It’d been a long time since he’d courted a girl. Courted... they didn’t even use that word anymore. Cadence was special, and he wanted to show her. But how?
He glanced to the bed where she
slept. Her sandy blonde hair was pushed out of her face. She wore a man's shirt that was much too large and nearly swallowed her lithe frame. The sapphire blue pendant he’d given her hung from her neck, dipping into the swells of her breasts. Women loved jewelry, according to his sister Grace. The way to Cadence’s heart wasn’t through whittling, but he doubted it was through diamonds either. Cadence couldn’t be bought.
He chucked his project into the fire and watched as the flames ate their way over the wood, swallowing the carving whole.
Cadence groaned in bed as she sat up. The firelight illuminated the room enough so he could make out her slim figure. The long sleeve top and cotton pants she wore hid her body, but he could still imagine her silky flesh. How could he forget it?
“Where are we?” she yawned, covering her mouth.
“An inn,” he said. “I figured you wouldn’t get a good night's rest on the horse.
Standing up and stretching on her tiptoes, she nodded. “Thanks.” She turned to the window and walked toward it. “Is it evening or morning?”
“Early morning.”
She turned back to him. “You’re not sleeping?”
“I assure you I’m fine,” he told her. He didn’t need much sleep to get by.
She opened her mouth and then closed it as she ambled toward him and sat down on the wooden floor opposite of him. “Are we still in Spain?”
“Yeah,” he informed her. “We should cross into France tomorrow or the next day. From there, we have several options. We could stay in France and stay in remote villages, or travel throughout the countryside into another country. I’ve already done the math, though. We will have to travel through time again.”
Cadence sighed and drew her knees into her chest. “The full moon doesn’t fall on the day that we need to get home.”
“No.”
“What if... what if we can’t find a time?” she whispered.
“We will.” They had to. His siblings were in danger. If Liana did the spell in the future, it could affect him in the past, leaving Cadence stuck here by herself. That couldn’t happen.
He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. Footsteps padded up the stairs and tiptoed down the hallway.
“What is it?” Cadence asked.
Zak put a finger over his lips as he rose to his feet. “Someone is creeping down the hall.”
Cadence stood up. He shook his head at her as he pushed her back toward the window.
“Stay here,” he said, his voice so low he wasn’t sure she’d hear him.
She gulped, but nodded.
Zak crept to the door. The footsteps paused outside their room. A shadow bloomed under the doorway and he narrowed his eyes, waiting.
The door flew open, bursting into pieces as it banged against the wall. Malcolm stalked in, his fangs extended and eyes flaring.
“I was hoping to catch you off guard,” Malcolm spat.
“Sorry to disappoint you.”
“The same girl is with you.” Malcolm gaped as he stared at Cadence. “How very, very interesting.”
“Leave her out of this,” Zak snarled. Why was his father fixating on Cadence? He already knew the answer. Cadence was a weakness. He cared for her. Too much.
“I thought I recognized her when I was following you, but didn’t think it possible.” Malcolm grinned, his eyes gleaming with delight.
Zak gritted his teeth. He didn’t have time for games. They needed to get out of here before someone inadvertently changed the timeline. He’d bested his father in a fight once. It could happen again. If he buried his father now, it would undoubtedly affect the future. It was too bad he couldn’t risk finding out how.
Zak lunged forward, shoving Malcolm into the wall. His old man threw a punch that connected with Zak’s jaw. Blood flooded his mouth even as the wound knit itself back together.
Malcolm kicked out, sweeping Zak’s feet out from under him as he withdrew a stake from his jacket. Zak rolled to the side and kicked the wooden stake out of Malcolm’s hand. The stake couldn’t kill him, but he didn’t want to get stabbed. He couldn’t keep Cadence safe if he was hurt or unconscious, and her magic was spotty at best.
His father growled, smashing his heel down on Zak’s knee. Zak howled in pain as the bones split, cracking and crumbling into fragments. Fighting the agony, he swung up on his good leg and grabbed Malcolm’s hair, yanking him face first onto the floor.
Malcolm sputtered as crimson flooded out of his nostrils. Zak dragged himself across the floor, putting distance between him and his father as his knee repaired itself. He jabbed his father in the nose with his good foot, causing the elder man’s head to snap backwards.
“Zak!” Cadence gasped.
Malcolm lurched to all fours and lunged across the room, jabbing the stake into Zak’s side and shoving it deep into his gut. He twisted the weapon and snapped it in two, leaving part of it embedded in his side.
Zak grunted as he fell backwards. He clawed at his side and writhed on the floor as he waited for the bones in his knee to set. If he didn’t get the stake out, the wood would slowly seep into his blood and weaken him more.
Malcolm sat up and crawled over him. Zak lashed out, connecting with his jaw, but that didn’t deter his dad. His father wrapped his hands around his neck.
“No!” Cadence shrieked.
Malcolm flew off of Zak, colliding with the wall. Flames engulfed his body and the man shrilled as he flailed and fell to the floor, rolling around in a blazing ball of fire.
“Zak,” Cadence whispered.
Zak glanced at Cadence. Her eyes widened and her bottom lip trembled as she dropped her hands to her side. He darted his gaze back to his father. As flames consumed his dad’s body, Malcolm’s wails turned into quiet sobs.
“Oh my God,” Cadence said, covering her mouth with one hand.
Zak grunted as he forced his throbbing body to stand. He stumbled toward Cadence, grabbed her by the elbow, and tugged her along behind him. She wrapped an arm around his waist. Together, they staggered down the stairs and out into the sticky night air.
His side screamed and dizziness consumed him as he lifted his witch up and sped off into the night. He couldn’t go far with the stake embedded in his side; he just prayed they went far enough.
Chapter Three
Cadence wasn't sure how long they had been running, but it was starting to take its toll on Zak. Since the whirling trees had made her head spin, she’d been focusing on him. Sweat beaded through his shirt, and he panted heavily. His face was pale, and hollows had formed beneath his eyes. Up until a few minutes ago, she hadn’t thought that possible. It looked like vampires could have bad days. Something was wrong with him.
He faltered and dropped to his knees, setting her on the ground before he collapsed to his side. Zak curled in on himself and groaned.
She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. A dark red blossomed across his side and stomach, painting a fresh crimson stain on his shirt. “Oh my God. You’re not healing.” Cadence placed her shaking hands over the wound. Why wasn’t he healing? Vampires healed remarkably fast. This should have been better by now.
“He broke the stake off in me,” Zak said, flinching as she touched his side. “You have to take it out, Cadence. We have to get further away. It won’t be long until he catches up to us.”
“I... I didn’t kill him?” she asked, her voice wavering as she rolled his shirt up. Wasn’t fire deadly to vampires? Then again, Malcolm wasn’t just any vampire. He was like Zak. It would take more than the usual to kill him.
She drew in a deep breath. Right now, Zak’s injury was more important than how to kill Malcolm.
Her eyes darted to his side. The flesh was gnarled and blood seeped out of it. Black veins rose up under the skin, spidering away from the injury. Cadence bit her lip. Where was the stake?
“No. Malcolm will heal, and he’ll be coming for us. He’s immortal like me. Malcolm can’t be killed until he completes his mission,” Zak
explained as he dug at his side with his fingers. He growled through gritted teeth as his fingers sank into his flesh. Cadence gagged and covered her mouth with her shirtsleeve as the skin tore further. The embedded weapon peeked out at her.
Zak howled and dropped his hands to the ground, clawing at the dirt.
Cadence swallowed the bile creeping up her throat and blinked rapidly. She needed to help him. Zak went for the stake again, but she shoved his hands away. Her fingers wrapped around the edges of the stake as she inhaled a deep breath and tugged. The stake wiggled a little, but refused to budge. She gripped it harder and lifted. It tore free of his skin, and she fell on her butt.
Zak wheezed as he sat up. His face was pale, and sweat glistened on his forehead.
His skin was knitting back together, but it appeared to be slower than usual. “Are you okay now?” she asked.
“Yes, thank you,” he said as he stumbled to his feet. He staggered and grasped onto a tree trunk for support as he slid back to the ground.
Something still wasn’t right. He was sluggish and pale. She stared at her sticky, red fingers that were coated with his blood, and she knew what the problem was. Her fingers trembled as she picked up the stake and used the sharpened end to cut into her wrist.
She hissed as the pointy end sliced through her skin. Blood beaded on her wrist, and she held it out to him. “Here.”
Zak’s eyes blazed gold and his fangs dropped as he yanked her to him. She winced when he drew her wrist to his lips and suckled greedily.
Cadence panted, flinching as his lips and teeth grazed over her arm. Zak licked the rivulets of blood from her skin, then dropped her wrist and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. He stood up and tugged her up with him. Zak grasped her, lifting her into his arms, and sped off without a word.
They ran until the sun was high in the sky, beating down on them before finally coming to a stop. Zak set her on the ground and gave her an appraising once-over.
