Father told me about the promise of Anala becoming a part of our family. It was supposed to give us the recognition we needed to become a ruling family in the Society of Hunters. With the Geils and Lagans coming together, no one would be able to challenge our authority. With Anala gone, and now Thomas, it is up to me to keep our legacy alive. Mother and father agree with my plan. Now, all I need to do is find a suitable beau that will not question my motives, and hope for a daughter. Thomas was a good enough Hunter, but Anala was the one people would turn to. The one people would fear. A daughter is the only thing that will do. I shall name her Anala and raise her to be as good as her namesake. If she is not, we will try again.
“Why the cloak?” I ask no one in particular, and I’m not surprised when Eric just flips a few of the pages for me.
The Cloaked One has all but made Hunters irrelevant here in the village. However, father has told me of other areas plagued by Cursed Ones. Once I have a daughter, we will stay here for training and then go to an area where we can fortify Anala’s abilities. The Cloaked One has not been seen in this area for quite some time. I think I will adopt the Cloak for my Anala. It will make her seem more formidable. Those who have heard of the Cloaked One already hold fear in their hearts. I will make sure to keep that fear going. No one will question my daughter’s power. They will flock to her for guidance.
This is all too much to take in. My ‘namesake’ was essentially created to be a ruler. But why?
“Do I want to know how many ‘Analas’ Emma went through to get to the one?”
“That’s not in any of the books we have,” Jenna answers. “It could be one of the parts that is missing. Or, something they didn’t want to write about.”
I nod distractedly. “Well, now we know where Anala Lagan came from. And why.”
“Yes,” Amanda agrees. “It makes you wonder if you had known about Cursed Ones in other areas if this Priestess would be relevant now.”
“There’s still so much we don’t know. And, I doubt we’ll find the answers we need in these books.” I toss the journal back on the table, sitting back with a sigh.
“Do you think the Priestess will talk to you?” Sam stumbles over the word priestess and I don’t blame him. If I thought the moniker ‘The Cloaked One’ was ridiculous when I first heard it whispered around, ‘Priestess’ was double that. So pretentious. I don’t understand it. Was she religious? Or did she just have enough ego to think she ‘lorded’ over all others? I think I’ll go with the latter if she’s anything like her mother sounded.
“I have no idea. Damn it, there is just too much I do not know. Too many variables. I do not know what role Malcolm or Tania play. Or how many territories we are talking about here.” I feel Sam’s hand cover mine and gently squeeze. This is all so overwhelming, and I welcome the grounding sensation.
“Do you believe Tania will tell you where to find the Priestess? Or that she even knows?”
I let out a frustrated growling noise that the others evidently find humorous. Not only do I not know the damned answer to that, I don’t want to have to rely on Tania for anything!
Sam laughs loudly at the colorful names I call her in my head, while silently agreeing with me. Which, by the way, is damned good judgment on his part.
“We’re not even going to ask what she was thinking,” Jenna chuckles. “I’m sure if it were about Tania, we can figure it out ourselves.”
“Well, flirting bitch or not, I’m going to have to find out what she knows about Anala Lagan. But, I swear if she gets touchy-feely again, she’s going to have to learn how to brush her teeth with her toes.”
We decide to get some training in while we wait for Tania to awaken. When Amanda and Jenna had checked on her earlier, she seemed to be doing much better. She still had the sweats and shakes, but at least the nausea has subsided. I take a moment to wonder what could be making her sleep so much. I had expected her to have insomnia, but she can’t seem to stay awake. I shrug a little thinking I really have no idea what withdrawal really looks like since I’ve never been through it.
“I could totally take your head off right now,” Jenna teases, breaking through my thoughts. “You’re getting sloppy.”
I send her a mock glare, because deep down, I know she’s completely right. I had let my thoughts take over and stopped paying attention to here and now. And this is why you’re a damned vampire, Anala.
“Sorry,” I mutter.
I feel Amanda come up beside me and lay her hand on my shoulder.
“It’s understandable, Ana.” She pauses as though she’s waiting for me to blow up. Had it been any other time, I might have. They know better. I know better. But here with my friends, my family, my Hunters, I let my guard down and they understand why. “I mean, it’s not every day you find out you have a namesake out there.”
“It’s not that,” I confess. “Well, not only that.” I retract my swords, and toss them to the side. I really should treat them better since they’re such antiques, I think fleetingly. With a frustrated sigh, I sink to the floor and sit cross-legged. “There’s something going on up here,” I point to my head, “and I don’t know if it’s skewed because of my feelings or not.”
“Why don’t you tell us, let us help?” Emily says shyly.
“Yeah, you know we’re here for you, A,” Jeremy concurs.
I smile genuinely at them. It never ceases to amaze me how far we’ve come in what is essentially a short amount of time. I’m awed by my Hunters every day.
“It’s about Tania. Something is really bothering me about her.”
“Well, of course, she got all up in Sam’s business,” Jenna chuckles.
“It’s more than that, though that does piss me off,” I acknowledge. It would do me no good to deny what is obvious. “When I saw her in the kitchen last night, she asked if Malcolm was dead. When I told her no, she was… shocked. And, if I’m not mistaken, she was not happy with me.”
“Well, he was forcing her to be a servant. And, apparently she is supposed to be the, um, ruler of this territory. Maybe she’s just tired of him.” Sara points out.
“Yeah, I get that. But…”
“But you have a gut feeling that there’s more,” Sam states, obviously knowing my thoughts, but still needing to hear more about my feelings.
“Yes.” I pause, trying to figure out how to voice my feelings without sounding, well, like a jealous girlfriend. “I’m not really sure what I think is going on. Malcolm is apparently planning a coup, but if women are the heir apparent, how did he possibly get control?”
“He over-powered her?” Jeremy suggests.
“Maybe.” My agreement is noncommittal. I have my doubts about someone like Malcolm overpowering anyone. Of course, there is Meathead. “Or, maybe she wants him to think he’s in power. What if she’s leading him, and his followers, to a slaughter?”
“Can’t say I would be sad,” Jenna says grumpily. She obviously does not like feeling like a second class citizen.
“Jenna. I know he’s an asshole, but he’s also an innocent.”
The others snort their disgust, but deep down I know they recognize the truth.
“Tania can’t be the mastermind behind this. I mean, why would she allow herself to be drugged? And why would she want you to kill Malcolm yourself?” Amanda questions.
“Those are the million dollar questions, aren’t they?” I ask in return. “Perhaps the drugging is Malcolm’s little game? A punishment for his sister that is the rightful ruler? He doesn’t seem like the type to bow down to what he sees as the weaker sex. I don’t understand how Tania couldn’t know she was being drugged, but the withdrawals seemed to take her by surprise. I just don’t know if she’s acting. As for her wanting me to kill Malcolm, I don’t think it matters to her who does it, only that it’s done.” I blow out a frustrated breath. “And I have no idea if I’m making all of this up in my head because the tramp has eyes for my boyfriend.”
“Actually, I think it makes
perfect sense,” Sam says quietly. “There are a lot of holes that we need to fill, but I don’t think Tania is going to do that for us. Especially if she’s in on it.”
The others nod in agreement, and I find myself releasing a breath of relief. I’m not used to these feelings of self-doubt and insecurity, but I really didn’t know if my gut feeling was being altered by my personal feelings.
“They can’t want to get rid of all male Hunters, can they?” Jeremy asks weakly.
Damn. I had only been thinking that they would want to get rid of those who thought the right to be the leader should be theirs. But what if it is all of the males? I glance over at Jeremy and Eric, then linger on Sam. Not going to happen. I will do whatever I have to do to protect what is mine. My family.
“So, what do we do with Buffy?” Jenna asks with her mouth full of hamburger.
“Must you talk with your mouth full,” Emily complains, to which Jenna answers by opening her mouth wide to show everyone her mushy, chewed food.
“You really are a pain in the ass aren’t you,” I smirk. Sometimes I marvel at the enigma that is Jenna. As a cheerleader in high school, she was the epitome of popularity. She dressed the part, acted the part, had the boyfriend. But spending the last few months with her, I’ve come to know the real Jenna. Closet geek, kinda gross and funny as hell. I’ve decided that I like this Jenna much more than the one she portrayed in school.
“Yep,” she grins. “But you haven’t answered my question. And you can’t say throw her back to the wolves.”
“I haven’t figured out what to do about her, actually. But we can’t do anything until she tells us where the Priestess is.”
“Maybe Sara can get the info from her,” Amanda suggests. Then, when she sees my confusion, she goes on: “I mean, if she has a… thing for Sam, she may not be as forthcoming with you.”
“Fine,” I growl. Yes, growl. I can’t help it. Just thinking about Tania having feelings for Sam pisses me off. “She gets one shot. After that, I compel her. I don’t have time for her sh…”
“She’ll go up now,” Amanda interrupts, nodding her head at Sara.
I really need to calm down, I know. But with Tania’s little infatuation, Malcolm’s disregard for women, having to wear these damned contacts that are giving me a headache, and having this unquenchable desire for Sam, I’m a bit crabby.
Sara walks out of Tania’s room, closing the door softly behind her.
“She says you have to be invited to have an audience with the Priestess,” Sara begins explaining. She had been in there for almost an hour. An hour of me pacing the damned hall, practically forcing myself not to just push in there and take over. And all Sara could get out of the little tramp was I needed to be invited?
The only thing keeping me from snapping Sara’s head off is the warmth of Sam’s hand on the small of my back. I can feel my irritation slowly starting to seep out of me.
“And did she tell you how to get invited to have an audience with this Priestess?” Okay, so I still have a bit of irritation that comes out in the form of sarcasm.
“No,” Sara answers carefully. “She said she would only tell…”
“Don’t tell me. She will only tell Sam?” I am so glad at this moment that Sam is Cursed. Otherwise, I would most definitely be breaking his hand as I am currently squeezing the crap out of it. Hey, it’s either that or lose my temper completely, and no one wants that.
“Actually, you,” Sara explains.
“She wants to talk to me?” I don’t think I could be any more surprised by that. Surely she knows that she is not my favorite person at the moment. I haven’t even tried to make it a secret. “Why?”
“She said she’s only allowed to talk to the ‘ruler’ of a chapter of the Society.” Sara shrugs. “She obviously can see you are the leader, so she wants to see you.”
Sigh. Now I have to play nice with the tramp.
Do you want me to come in there with you? Sam asks wordlessly.
Are you kidding? I need information. If you’re in there and she says anything or looks at you funny, I won’t get anything from her except blood.
Sam’s eyes widen with shock, then he begins to chuckle.
I think I like it when you’re jealous.
Soak it up, pal. I’ve never been a jealous person, but I can’t seem to control it when it comes to you.
Sam pulls me to him, and buries his face in my neck. I shiver when I feel his lips near my ear.
“I don’t see a problem with that,” he whispers. His hot breath tickles my ear, and I groan as I push him away.
“I have to take care of this, don’t distract me.”
He smirks, and I stick my tongue out at him playfully.
“Keep that in mind for later,” he teases. Then, thankfully, he stops tormenting me. It’s nice to be able to be able to joke, if even for a moment. It goes a long way to releasing a lot of the stress I feel building up inside me.
“Hmm. Okay, let’s get this show on the road. If you hear screaming, just turn a deaf ear.” I’m kidding, of course. A little.
“You wanted to see me?”
Let me just tell you, it takes a hell of a lot of willpower to be nice to Tania. I walk deliberately to the chair next to the window. It’s the farthest piece of furniture away from her, unless I want to sit on the dresser.
“It is you that wants something from me, no?” she responds, a bit too smug for my taste, and I grip the arms of the chair tighter.
“I believe you came to us for help, Tania. Of course, if you disagree I could take you back to Malcolm.”
She blanches for a moment before I see her regaining her composure. With a wicked grin, she turns her eyes towards me.
“You could do that, but you wouldn’t get the information you need.”
Her self-satisfied attitude is seriously getting on my nerves, and I imagine ripping her head off and using it as a cup to drink her blood from.
Anala!
Obviously I’m not going to do that, Sam. But she is dangerously trying my patience.
I understand, baby. Just get what you need and get away from her. Your whole demeanor changes when you’re around her. I can feel it.
I take a moment to contemplate that. He’s right. I become something of a monster when I’m around her. I know it started when she showed her attraction to Sam. So… I’m a green-eyed monster. Fantastic.
“Fine,” I concede. “I’ve given you shelter and protection from Malcolm. You are correct in assuming that I am the Leader here. For what I’ve given you, I would like information about the Priestess and where to find her in return.”
There. Precise and straightforward. Any leader worth what that power gives them would take that offer.
“An audience with the Priestess is worth more than shelter,” she snaps. I note that she conveniently left out protection.
“What do you want, Tania?” I ask angrily.
“It is customary in these parts to give a gift to the Ruler that gives passage to the Priestess.”
I stare at her, dumbfounded. What more could she possibly want? Of course, I know that she wanted me to kill Malcolm, but I can’t imagine she would hold that over me for this information.
“What do you want?” I ask again.
“I want Sam.”
What happened next was a bit fuzzy. It seemed like it happened in slow motion, but went by so fast at the same time. All I really remember is seeing red at Tania’s request. I couldn’t stop the change if I wanted to, and I’m not sure I wanted to. I wanted to tear her apart. All I could think about was sinking my teeth into her and ripping her throat apart, drinking her dry.
One minute I was reaching for Tania - her eyes wide with shock and fear - and the next, Sam was holding me back, whispering soothing words in my ear. Amanda, Jenna and Sara were immediately at Tania’s side. Whether they were holding her back, or keeping me from attacking her, I don’t know. I sense the others waiting outside the door, and I can’t help but wo
nder if they’re prepared to kill me if I get past Sam. Thing is, I don’t want to get past Sam. I want to stay here in his arms, and let everything else just fade away.
But now I have the problem of Tania knowing what I am. She’s a Hunter. I’m Cursed. I’m not afraid for my life. I’m afraid for hers. If I can’t calm down, she’s in serious danger from me.
“I’ve never felt this way, Sam. Not even when I found out that Bernard had my parents murdered.” I shiver and try to calm myself by focusing on the random patterns Sam is gently stroking on my back. “Not even Thomas made me feel this way. The last time I felt this on edge was when I thought you…”
“Shh. I’m here. I’ve got you.”
“She… she actually wants me to hand you over to her,” I spat. “Is she insane? This Priestess stuff means nothing. Nothing!”
“You know we can’t let this continue. There are too many killings going on. We have to regulate this.”
I push away from him angrily. Not believing what I am hearing.
“Are you saying you want me to give in to her request!?”
“No! Of course not. You know nothing could ever separate me from you.” Sam steps to me, taking me in his arms again. “She saw you, baby. We have to do something about that.”
My eyes snap up to hold his gaze. I stare intently, trying to decipher his meaning. Knowing my Sam, he can’t mean to kill Tania.
Not kill her. He assures me silently. Though if it came to either you or her…
He let the statement end there, though I know instinctively what he wanted to say. I spare a glance over to Tania, who was still wide-eyed with what I’m pretty sure is shock. Amanda, Jenna and Sara still surround her. I notice then that they’re not protecting her from me, but keeping her from running. When Eric, Emily and Jeremy stick their heads in the door, their eyes go straight to Tania. It strikes me that they, too, are not there to keep her safe from me. They trust me, completely. And they will do whatever it takes to protect me. Too bad I don’t trust myself.
Destined to Meet: A Destined Novel (Destined Novels Book 3) Page 5
