by Craig Zerf
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Authors note…
Emily Shadowhunter
Book 3
BITTEN
Screams break the silence
Waking from the dead of night
Vengeance is boiling
He's returned to kill the light
Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon (1983)
As Always – for my wife, Polly and my son, Axel. Your light chases the shadows from my soul.
Thanks again to Emily Garner my very own cover girl.
And also to Michael Marshal, my mentor and a man that I still dare to call friend.
Chapter 1
Tag held Emily’s body tight to his chest as he ran.
Troy and William cleared the way for him, using their massive jaws and Wolfman enhanced strength to obliterate any Vampires that dared to impede their progress. Bringing up the rear and discouraging any followers were Bastian and Sylvian, using their swords to kill and maim any blood suckers that came too close.
All about them lay the bodies of the fallen. Scores of both Purebloods and Vampires, hundreds of Familiars and even a few Wolves.
But the battle was all but over. The Bloodwraiths had proven both too numerous and too powerful for William and his Pack. And although the Pack had taken out at least fifty Vamps and two hundred Familiars it had been for the loss of most of the SAS Purebloods and at least three Wolves.
It could be considered a Pyrrhic victory at best - an outright loss at worst.
And now it was time to retreat.
For, with Emily gone, the Pack had lost their will to continue the fight. The enormity of their loss was simply too much to handle. Too much to assimilate.
Their talisman was no more.
It was over.
The remaining Wolves and Purebloods jumped into their SUV’s, fired up the engines and pulled out, heading for the highway. Heading back to Williams forest retreat.
And in the back seat of the Landrover Tag clutched the young teenager’s body tightly as he shook with emotion, tears running unashamedly down his cheeks.
He had failed her.
His only reason to exist was to ensure that Emily Hawk, Shadowhunter, lived.
And he had failed.
In fact he had done worse than fail to keep her alive. He had allowed her to be bitten. And now it was only a matter of hours before she reanimated as a new member of the family of the undead.
A newly born Nosferatu.
And then Tag would have to kill her all over again. It was what she wanted.
It was what they all wanted.
Rather a corpse than a Vampire be.
***
It had taken just over two hours to return home and now the survivors were ensconced back in their forest retreat. The Pack and the Purebloods were resting. There were no wounded to speak of as anyone who had been bitten by a Vampire had, of necessity, been dispatched in order to prevent them from turning.
Except for Emily.
Tag still held her tightly to his chest, his face a picture of desolation.
William walked over to him. ‘Listen, big man,’ he said. ‘You have to let her go.’
Tag shook his head. ‘You all just want to kill her.’
‘No,’ denied William. ‘She is already dead. You know that. We need to give her peace before she turns. And we need to do it soon. Time is running short.’
The big man drew his MP5 machine gun. ‘I swear, if any of you touch her I’ll fill you with lead.’
William held his hands up. ‘My friend,’ he said, his voice gruff with emotion. ‘We all loved Emily. This is literally tearing me apart, I honestly do not know how I can continue, but I must. We must. And we all made a promise to each other. If any of us was bitten – do not let us turn. We gave an oath.’
‘No,’ shouted Tag. ‘Fetch Merlin.’ He waved his gun at William and Bastian and Sylvian. ‘Do it.’
But there was no need as the magician opened the sitting room door and strode in, assessing the situation with one quick glance. ‘Oh my god,’ he said. ‘How did this happen?’
William told him about Em’s parents, how she had rushed from the room and by the time they got to her she had already been bitten.
Merlin’s eyes flashed with both anger and infinite sadness. ‘Tag,’ he said. ‘You must release her.’
Once again the big man shook his head. ‘You got bitten and didn’t turn.’
‘I’m not altogether human,’ said Merlin. ‘It’s different.’
‘Neither is Emily,’ insisted Tag. ‘She’s strong. She’s brave. She has already cheated death once and she can do it again.’
Merlin leaned forward and touched Emily’s forehead. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated. Slowly a blue nimbus formed round her head, a light so faint as to almost not exist. ‘There is something,’ admitted the magician. ‘But I fear that it is merely the change imitating actual life. Her soul has gone and, without it, she will have no conscience, no morality. No love. She will no longer be Emily. The thing that she will have become will be driven solely by the overwhelming need to feed. The desire for human blood will be her everything.’ He looked directly at Tag, his eyes a window to his sorrow. ‘You must release her,’ he urged. ‘It’s what she would want.’
‘It’s too late,’ said Sylvian as he pointed at Emily.
Her eyes flew open and she tore herself from Tag’s embrace, throwing him backwards over the sofa as she jumped to her feet.
Both Bastian and Sylvian drew their swords and William’s claws extended as he part morphed into Wolf mode.
Tag clambered back up and pointed his submachine gun at the three men.
All stood in silence as Emily/Vampire stood motionless; her eyes glowed deep red and her lips pulled back in a snarl to reveal two long canines that glistened in the overhead light. Her chest rose and fell as she panted like she had just run a marathon and her hands sprouted three inch long talons.
And still no one moved.
The door burst open and Troy and the Prof strode in. The young Wolf took one look at Emily/Vampire and swore.
‘Oh, shit.’
‘And then some,’ agreed Bastian.
Emily/Vampire growled at the two newcomers and snapped her fangs together.
‘Em,’ said Troy. ‘It’s me.’
‘Do you no good, youngster,’ said Merlin. ‘She’s no longer Emily, so stand back.’
Still no one moved. Swords remained drawn and Tag’s weapon remained pointed at his friends.
The Vampire closed her eyes and, slowly, her breathing slowed to a normal rate.
And when she opened her eyes they were no longer red but instead were her usual bright blue.
She looked at her friends and her expression was one of absolute tragedy.<
br />
‘It hurts,’ she whispered. ‘It hurts so much.’
Tag made a movement towards her but she held up her hand. ‘No. Don’t get too close,’ she said. Her voice still little above a ragged whisper. ‘I don’t know if I can control myself.’
‘You can do it, Em,’ urged Troy.
She shook her head. ‘I can hear your hearts beating.’ She shuddered. ‘I can hear the blood pumping through your veins. I can smell it.’ Tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘Oh God,’ she exclaimed. ‘Please help me.’
The air shimmered and the Morrigan appeared, morphing from crow to human form as she arrived. She instantly took in the scene and turned to Merlin. ‘Why haven’t you released her?’ She asked.
Tag waved his gun. ‘Don’t you go there, mama,’ he said. ‘Over my dead body.’
The goddess raised an eyebrow and nodded. ‘Loyalty,’ she said. ‘A good trait.’ Then she sneered. ‘For a dog.’
‘Whatever,’ snapped Tag. ‘It is what it is. No one touches her.’
‘A bit late to start protecting her now,’ retaliated the Morrigan. ‘Perhaps it’s something that you should have done earlier, then we wouldn’t be in this position.’
A tear rolled down Tags face but he said nothing as he kept his submachine gun trained on his friends.
Emily dropped to one knee, her body shaking violently as she fought against her overwhelming thirst for human blood.
‘She needs to feed,’ stated the Prof.
‘Oh really?’ Snapped the Morrigan. ‘An intellect the size of a planet and that’s all you can come up with?’
The Prof glared at the goddess. ‘Please, women,’ he answered. ‘I’m theorizing.’ He turned to Tag. ‘My boy,’ he said, his voice low and reassuring. ‘Offer yourself to her.’
Tag shook his head.
‘But she needs to feed. If she doesn’t then she will expire. And she shall do so very quickly. Or worse, she will attack us.’
‘But then I’ll also be turned,’ argued the big man.
The Prof shook his head. ‘I don’t think so,’ he said. ‘You cannot be killed. To be turned you have to die. I’m not saying that it’ll be pleasant but you should survive with your humanity intact.’
‘You sure?’
The Prof shrugged. ‘Relatively sure.’
‘Good enough for me,’ said Tag as he dropped his gun and tore off his body armor and shirt. He walked over to the Vampire. ‘Hey, girly,’ he said. ‘Tag’s here. Time to feed.’
Emily/Vampire looked up at the big man and shook her head.
‘Come on,’ he insisted. ‘The Prof said that I’ll be fine.’ He held his arm out, wrist upwards. Offering.
The Vampire took a deep shuddering breath and then launched herself at him and tore his throat out.
Chapter 2
It was morning and although all of the drapes were drawn tightly shut, Emily stood in the corner of the darkened room, avoiding even the faintest hint of sunlight. Her combat shirt was covered in drying blood and a streak of red painted her right cheek from lips to ear.
Tag lay on the sofa. He too was covered in blood and his eyes were ringed with dark circles. A stark reminder of the shock and pain that he had just endured.
But Emily/Vampire was still alive and for that the big man was thankful.
‘I’m a Vampire,’ said Emily.
No one answered her statement and the tragic awkwardness of the situation hung in the room like a gibbet.
‘Why didn’t you kill me?’ She asked.
‘Tag wouldn’t let is,’ answered William.
Emily looked at the big man. ‘Why?’
Tag simply shook his head, not trusting himself to speak. Emily walked over to him and put her hand on his shoulder. ‘I’m sorry if I hurt you,’ she whispered.
The big man flinched at her touch but didn’t pull away.
Tears rolled down Emily’s face. ‘What am I going to do?’ She asked everyone and no one.
‘Survive,’ answered Sylvian. ‘I can teach you how to avoid the sun. How to run your life. As for the need for blood…’
‘She can feed on me,’ said Tag. ‘And when we go hunting for Vamps then she can drain those suckers dry.’
‘Will you still hunt?’ Asked Sylvian. ‘Or are you part of them now?’
Emily bared her fangs. ‘They killed my parents,’ she said. ‘They turned me into this. I will not rest until every last one of them has been exterminated.’
William nodded his approval. ‘Good,’ he said. ‘Because there will be many more battles. But first we need to recover. This one did not go well for us. Those Vamps were different. I’m not sure how or why but they were far superior to anything that I have ever faced before.’
‘I know why,’ said Emily, her face a mask of anger. ‘Nathan Tremblay.’
‘What?’ Exclaimed Bastian and Merlin together.
‘Nathan,’ repeated Emily. ‘He has turned. It was he who bit me. It was he who ordered the death of my parents. He is the one who is responsible for this new breed of blood sucker. We should have realized when we first saw them fighting. Just like us. Just like Shadowhunters. Nathan, bloody, Tremblay.’
‘He’s a dead man,’ shouted Bastian. ‘And to think that I called him friend. I’m going to kill him.’
‘Back of the queue,’ stated Emily. ‘I get him first.’
‘Fine,’ said Sylvian. ‘You get the traitor. But for now you need to rest. That’s the first thing that you need to get used to. From now on you sleep in the day and stay up at night. The darkness is your friend. Which is not all bad because that’s when the enemy is awake. Come on.’
Sylvian held out his hand. Emily took it and allowed herself to be led from the room, closing the door behind her as she left.
The Morrigan spoke first. ‘She is a Vampire. We cannot allow her to live. Never before has a blood sucker been trusted, and with good reason. She no longer has a soul therefore she is no longer capable of moral thought.’’
Tag sighed, too exhausted to show his anger. ‘Leave it out, mama,’ he said. ‘I’ve already told you. She stays.’
The Morrigan looked at Merlin, her expression quizzical.
‘I’m inclined to agree with Tag on this one,’ said the magician. ‘I felt something. A tiny spark but nevertheless, there is something. Emily is different. Powerful beyond any Shadowhunter that I have ever encountered. She has visited the realm of Charon and returned. Perhaps she will survive this. I counsel that we wait and see.’ He looked around the room. ‘Are all in favor?’
Sylvian, Bastian and the Prof nodded. The Morrigan sneered and shook her head.
‘What he said,’ mumbled Tag as he stood up. ‘Now let me sleep, I’m finished. Wake me up if Emily needs me.’
***
Emily sat on the edge of her bed. Sylvian had ensured that the drapes were drawn tight and then he had hung some blankets over them just in case. The room was darker than a moonlit winter night but Emily could see perfectly. As a Shadowhunter her night vision was enhanced but now it was off the charts. To her the pitch black room was as bright as twilight.
She was utterly exhausted but she knew that sleep wouldn’t come. Every time that she closed her eyes she saw Tag’s face. His jaw tensed in a rictus of pain, his eyes wide with shock as she ravened on him, tearing at his throat with her fangs as her talons shredded the skin on his back and shoulders. And the way he had flinched when she had touched him after he had recovered.
She was a monster.
But she was a monster with a purpose.
It was her fault that Bart and Ryoko were dead. They had been used as bait and she had failed to save them. There was nothing that she could do about that but, as all of the gods bore her witness, she would have her revenge.
Nathan Tremblay was a dead man. She would not rest until she found him. And then she would kill him and all those who followed him.
She would turn the nadir of her life into a positive. For now she was more powerful than
ever and her power would become Nathan’s bane.
Emily Hawk would let nothing stand in her way.
And finally, as the contemplation of revenge flamed so brightly in her mind that it burned away any thought of sorrow, she succumbed to her exhaustion and fell into a troubled sleep.
Chapter 3
Lord Byron stood at the head of the gathering, flanked on both sides by six other elder brethren that could be construed as no less than a personal bodyguard.
In front of him stood Nathan Tremblay. Once more fulfilling the part of the accused.
Another hundred or so assorted elders filled the rest of the room.
There were no Bloodwraiths to be seen.
Byron didn’t even attempt to keep the look of triumph from his face as he faced the ex-Shadowhunter.
‘Once more you stand before us,’ declaimed the lord. ‘Accused and shamed. Brought to task for your participation in the death of over fifty of our finest. The willful and thoughtless destruction of half a hundred of our brethren for no reason other than your own personal vendetta.’ Byron smirked at his audience. ‘So, young Aspirant, what have you to say in your defense?’
Nathan looked round the room, his obvious scorn and distaste evident on his face for all to see.
And then he moved. Even to the gathered undead his reaction time was so fast as to be almost undetectable. To a human it would have simply looked as if he had teleported instantly from standing twenty feet in front of Lord Byron to standing directly behind him.
The sound of rending flesh filled the room as Nathan ripped Byron’s head from his shoulders. Then the ex-Shadowhunter attacked the six bodyguards, slashing and biting and tearing at them with a violence that spoke of more than simply strength and speed and the need to subdue. It spoke also of the release of a vast well of violence. It spoke of the need to punish. It spoke of the need to display dominance. And it spoke of a desire for both bloodletting and brutality far beyond that of even the most rabid of the Nosferatu.
Some of the crowd of elders started to move forward to intervene but as they did so the doors and windows to the hall exploded inwards as over fifty Bloodwraiths burst in and quickly surrounded the crowd.
