Sevyn: Adult Paranormal Romance (BWWM Romance) (Supernatural Thriller) (The Smoke & Fire Series Book 4)

by Michele Wesley

  She searched the darkness for the monster that had thrown her and for the one whose heart she'd taken. She couldn't see well enough to know if he had exploded like his heart had.

  Could this be a new way of killing these things?

  Glancing in the direction in which the thing had been, a shadow past across her eyes. The hairs on her neck stood as a chill ran up her spine. Whatever lurked in the darkness was far more dangerous than any of the other monsters she’d encountered. Neal's voice found her ear.

  “I don't know how they are doing this, but they have stopped me, again. I can't get us out of this place.”

  The shadow peered from the darkest corner of the room. Dana could only discern that the pale figure was tall and thin. It took another step in their direction, revealing a small portion of its face.

  Was it purposely keeping its features in the darkness?

  Normally, Dana would have stormed into him, ready to fight and do battle, but her every instinct pressed her to stay in place. Apparently, her and Neal's abilities were coming and going in fits and starts.

  Neal must have picked up the same dangerous vibe emanating from the creature in the darkness. They stood, silently awaiting the reveal of the darkly shrouded thing. Although portions of room were lit by dim lamps or candles, it was peculiar, watching the creature use whatever shadows available to cloak itself.

  The flickering of the candles could have been playing tricks on her eyes, but it appeared the creature drew darkness from varied places and used it to hide itself. The darkness covering its body was so implicitly placed that they only saw what it wanted them to see. A corner of its pale face and right arm stood out against the darkness.

  Dana was so distracted by the figure, she hadn’t noticed that everyone—or everything—in the room stopped moving, stopped fighting, and stopped doing anything. They all stood, unmoving, watching the figure.

  Was he the one that slung her across the room?

  The shadow-man made a dramatic entrance and demanded their attention, whether they wanted to give it or not. When it allowed one half of its body to penetrate the darkness, Dana took a step. Neal gripped her hand tighter. He must have thought she was about to start a fight, but she only sought to get a better look.

  Its presence called to her in a way she didn’t understand. Oddly, she felt drawn to this dark figure, even as she fought her urge to kill it.

  The figure continued to control the darkness, manipulating it in some strange way by controlling the amount of light that surrounded it. Although, the most shocking thing in the room, it wouldn’t reveal itself, completely.

  Dana never dropped Neal’s hand and was glad she had him to hang onto. The creep factor was on overload and she glanced around, waiting, for something to explode, for someone to drop dead, or for something to burst into flames. She sensed that something crazy and deadly was about to happen.

  A loose strain of her hair sailed about before waving against her cheek. It was him. The figure was incredibly fast and stood in front of her before she realized he’d even moved. She couldn't decide which happened first, her going airborne or her losing her breath. Both happened so quickly she didn't have time to react. The firm grip Neal had on her hand was useless. She'd been snatched away.

  ****

  Dana lost Neal's grip so fast, it was like she'd never had it. The Dark One had taken her, and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it. She sat across his arms; her arms had somehow found their way around his neck, holding on for dear life.

  She was fast, but this monster was twice as fast. Normally, when she used her speed, she saw actual shapes as she zoomed by objects. Now, all she saw were flashes of light and darkness, indicating they were moving much faster than she’d experienced. When the bottom dropped from her stomach, Dana realized they were airborne.

  Was he some kind of bat?

  A sharp turn caused her neck to whip; but as quickly, her body lurched with a downward pull. They were descending, deeper within this stone lair.

  Every molecule within her leapt forward and slammed into the front of her body, threatening to fly free. He'd turned her loose, setting her free on unsteady legs.

  Dana struggled for balance, as the momentum from their travel was still in play. Unsteady on her feet, she danced across the floor for a few wobbly seconds.

  He stood, feet away, staring at her—the monster that killed her mother. He was who the darkness had hidden so well. As Dana remembered it, darkness had shielded him the night of her mother’s murder as well. She’d only seen him when he ran towards her for the split second he used to check on his injured man.

  “He was my brother,” his raspy voice declared as the sound tore into Dana's ears.

  It was a voice she would never forget. Aside from her mother's screams, his was the only voice she remembered from that horrific night.

  Dana didn’t say anything, but her mind had burst into an explosion of thoughts. She wondered if he was somehow reading her mind. Her instinct to kill him made her body quake. She couldn’t stop her hand from trembling, nor would rage let go of the hold it had on her thoughts.

  She wasn't sure she had the presence of mind to stay in place. He was stronger and faster, she knew as much; so she would have to use strategy, if she were to take his head—or his heart. She glanced at her hand, still bloody from snatching and cradling a heart.

  “The one you killed when you were a little girl, he was my brother and one of my only weaknesses. He is the only reason you saw my face and know the sound of my voice.”

  What in the hell?! He’s reading my mind.

  Dana scanned the room, attempting to plot an escape route, but it appeared they were in a room-sized tomb.

  Her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, allowing her to see his ghostly pale and bony face.

  “There's only one way out of this room, and I’m the only one that knows it. I didn’t bring you here to kill you, if that’s what you think.”

  Dana talked through gritted teeth, struggling to keep herself from doing something stupid.

  “We are locked in a tomb that only you know the way out of? What do you want, if you don’t want to kill me? My impulse to kill you is consuming me. The longer I’m in here with you the least likely I’m to hold myself in place. You are going to have to kill me, or let me go.”

  His cheeks rose in what she guessed was supposed to be a smile.

  “You’re one of the strongest I have seen in a long time. I have never seen a huntress exhibit this much control. It is said that your impulse to kill us is stronger than our thirst for blood. I have never seen a huntress that can take a heart either. I don’t often find myself surprised, but it astonished me that you and your boyfriend broke through a witch’s spell and used your abilities. It is not often I’m left wondering, Dana.”

  She was sure her slack-jawed expression showcased how shocked and confused she was. He talked of witches, abilities, and expelled hearts like it was normal.

  A huntress? Is that what I am?

  “Come now, Dana. There are people like me and you roaming this planet, and you don't think there are witches? I had a witch cast a spell on this place against all abilities, except for those of us that live here. You and your boyfriend found a loophole, somehow. And yes, you are a huntress.”

  Dana had no idea what he was talking about. All she wanted to do was rip his head off, torture him, and burn his decapitated head over a flame for at least a week. She shook off her insidious ideas.

  He cupped his hand in front of him.

  “I didn’t kill your mother, Dana. You were a child. There was no way you could have understood what you were seeing.”

  Dana stood in place. The more he talked, the more she wanted to kill him. Her fists were clench so tightly the pinch of her nails digging into her flesh registered. She spoke through gritted teeth.

  “I saw you kill my mother. You bit into her flesh. You and your buddies drank her blood. Then, you snapped her neck.”

&n
bsp; She folded her hands behind her back to steady them.

  His voice shot through the darkness.

  “What you saw was a part of a ceremony my family performs when one crosses over. I didn’t kill your mother. None of us killed your mother. We merely took a part of her into ourselves and in returned she would be given a part of us.”

  A minute part of her will to kill him slipped away at the demented words he spoke. Nothing he said held logic and trying to make sense of it was impossible.

  He took a step closer to Dana, and she couldn't figure out if he was being bold, or trying to find a reason to get her to fight him.

  “I didn’t bring you in here to fight you, Dana. I didn’t kill your mother, either.”

  “What in the hell are you saying?”

  She shook her head, angrily.

  “You’re not going to play your mind tricks on me. I heard some of you know some kind of voodoo. You and your kind killed my mother. I saw it with my own eyes. The one who bit me died. I don't know why he died, but I have been searching all this time to ensure the rest of you die, too.”

  His voice grew more forceful.

  “Dana, you have been killing your own family members. The one that bit you was my brother, Lazlo. He was your uncle. He was the weakest among us, so I’m sure he couldn't resist the scent of your blood. Your blood is what killed him, Dana. The blood of a virgin huntress is toxic to us. It also smells so incredibly good that it's nearly impossible for us to resist.

  “Age makes us stronger, but not even age could have saved Lazlo. He'd always been a slave to blood. Although it wasn't your intent to kill him, Dana, his death triggered your ability. After your first kill, you should have developed an irresistible need to seek out and kill our kind.

  “Once a hunter—or huntress—makes his—or her—first vampire kill, it triggers your ability—or abilities, in some cases—and also feeds into your insatiable desire to kill us. You’re a huntress, Dana. It's embedded in your DNA to rid this world of us.”

  Dana shook her head. She didn’t want to hear any more of this madness, but his voice just kept floating through darkness.

  “I understand you better than you can imagine. Like I mentioned before, your need to kill us is as strong as our thirst for blood, yet we share the same bloodline.”

  He took a breath and she wondered why. It wasn't like he needed air to stay alive. He started up again.

  “In case you haven't figured it out yet, I’m your great-great grandfather, Dana. I would have put a stop to this sooner if we could have identified you sooner.”

  His words made her knees go weak. Dana couldn’t move. She had the sinking feeling that he was telling the truth, but she couldn’t accept it. She was not going to accept it.

  “There is no way in hell I’m kin to you. You are a lying, you murdering bastard. You killed my mother and you’re spreading lies and using trickery to justify it.”

  Water filled Dana's eyes at this point. Her unbearable anger wouldn't let up. As soon as he dropped his gaze, Sevyn stared back at him. Totally out of control, sometimes it seemed she truly was two different people because Sevyn didn't care one bit about dying. She pounced on Linkin, using her speed to attack.

  Linkin straight-armed her so quickly she hardly had time to react. He yanked her back just as fast as she'd charged at him. She spun away from his tight hold and sent an elbow up to his face, but he ducked in time. Her leg shot up just as quickly, but the bastard was faster. She retrieved the knife she kept in her waistband and shoved it into his chest, but he didn't even flinch.

  Did he even have a heart?

  Chapter 26

  Hunter’s Gene

  “Dana, stop it baby, please!”

  The voice stopped her dead in her tracks. When the familiar voice touched her eardrum, Dana recognized it. It couldn’t be. She had watched her die. She had watched them all bite away pieces of her flesh. She had watched them all drank her blood. She had watched her neck get snapped. She had sat through her funeral and had kissed her cold cheek as she lay in a flower-shrouded coffin. She had watched her be lowered into a grave and had placed extra twice-kissed, white roses of the coffin.

  Dana closed her eyes and turned on unsteady legs. She’d never been a fainter, but in this moment, her legs threatened to buckle. There, standing only a few feet in front of her was her mother.

  Dana slammed her eyes shut and shook her head, but the vision refused to go away. This was some type of a mind trick Linkin was playing on her. He could manipulate darkness; surely he could manifest a copy of her mother.

  “It’s me, Dinky.”

  The sound of her voice made Dana jump. A tear slid down her cheek, as her lips trembled in a mixture of emotion and fear. Her mother was the only one that called her Dinky. Not even her father knew of her secret nickname.

  Even if this were a trick, seeing a full image of her mother, again, made her heart swell.

  “How can it be? I watched you die. They killed you. We had your funeral.”

  She was paler, but there was no mistaking her mother’s beautiful features. She believed her mother was the most beautiful woman in the world. Each time someone complimented her mother, Dana had felt proud.

  Growing up, Dana had been told—by her father, brothers, and family friends—that she was a darker, spitting image of her mother.

  What better compliment was there than to look like the most beautiful woman in the world?

  Not only that, but her mother had been the nicest and most loving person in the world also. Her death had torn Dana apart. It had taken years for her to rebuild her mind and allow her broken heart to mend. Her wounds had scabbed, but Dana had never fully healed.

  At only fifteen, she struck out on her own to do something as deadly as hunt for the monsters that killed her mother.

  Dana wiped her eyes and shook her head again, not wanting to accept what was clearly in front of her.

  “I’m so sorry, baby. I wish I could have found a way to explain this to you, before now.” She took a deep breath. “Linkin revealed to you the truth. They weren’t trying to kill me.

  “I was becoming too dangerous to be around you. I didn’t trust myself around my own child anymore. I was such a danger to you that I had no choice but to cross over and stay away from you.”

  The woman reached out and Dana stumbled back.

  “Even if I believe any of the shit you two are feeding me, how are you still alive? Have you become one of them? Were you one of them the entire time?”

  The longer Dana stood there, the more she sensed that this was truly her mother. The woman dropped her head.

  “I didn’t have a choice, Dinky. In this family, you only have two options. You get the hunters gene, like you have, or you get the vampire gene, like I have. Not many people know that hunters are direct descendant of vampires.”

  Dana stood slack-jawed.

  Could any of this shit actually be true?

  “I spent years chasing monsters to avenge your death and you’re saying that you are one of them? Have been one of them all along? You have been alive this entire time, and you let me believe you were dead?”

  She pleaded, “Dinky, would you please have a seat, so I can explain this to you?”

  The lady reached for her arm and Dana jerked away.

  “No, I will not have a seat. But, I don’t have much choice but to listen to you; my great-great-grand over there is apparently the only one who knows the way out of here.”

  Dana glanced back and noticed he hadn’t moved an inch since her mother started talking. The woman ushered a hand towards the man.

  “This truly is your great-great grandfather, Linkin Pajari. When one is born with true vampire blood, three things will happen. One, you immediately become a vampire and grows into maturity at a rapid pace. Two, your vampirism lies dormant and may, or may not, manifest. In my case, it decided to manifest itself when I was well into adulthood. I have no idea what triggered it, but being around you had becom
e dangerous.

  “When I started craving human flesh, I knew something was wrong. The day I almost bit you was the last straw. I had to figure out what was wrong with me. I had cravings I couldn’t control. I went to every doctor I could find and none of them could tell me what was wrong.

  “Linkin sensed my call. Our bloodline connection was how he knew I was out there. I had no idea that I was linked to a family of vampires because I didn't know what I was. I had no idea that vampires even existed. Traditional vampire families before your great-great-grandfather’s time would cast out those like you or me. We were deserted and labelled as half-breeds and handicapped because we were underdeveloped by vampire standards.

  “Back then, a lot of the discarded members later developed into vampires without having a full understanding of what they were. Those were the vampires that usually ran wild, killing with no mercy, or rules to follow.

  “Those that inherit the hunter's gene developed such a strong hatred for our kind that they were blinded by rage and sought revenge on the beings that rejected them. The hatred was so strong that it sharpened their natural instincts and activated their abilities. These are abilities they would have developed had they become vampires. The original vampire hunters were the protectors of our kind. They hunted only enemies to vampires.

  “Within the last couple of hundred years, the vampire species has teetered on the verge of extinction and can no longer afford to cast away what they once considered half-breeds. They came up with a plan. If we didn’t immediately turn upon birth, they would entrust us to a human family that knows our history, in case we peaked later.

  “The humans that raised me were killed when I was fourteen, so there was no one to tell me, or explain to me, what I was, or what I might go through when, and if, the time came. By the time I got the call from Linkin to meet him, I was so desperate to figure out what was wrong with me that I ran to him.”

  At this point, Dana started to remember. Her mother had been acting funny, snapping at her and getting angry for no reason, sometimes. She remembered her meeting with someone, several times, but it was always inside the hospital, so she naturally assumed her mother had been seeing a doctor.