I realize I have no reason to believe anything this guy has said. For all I know, the dude is working for the damned Priestess. I turn to look to my Hunters, seeing him and his group flinch in my peripheral. Their stances change, as if they’re readying themselves to fight.
“Calm down. We are not going to hurt you unless we have to,” I reassure him.
“They are Hunters. It is their destiny to kill those like us,” he reminds me. “Are we to trust that you won’t use them against us as the Priestess does?”
“Look, I don’t know who this Priestess is. You obviously know that I am Cursed, and they haven’t hurt me. What more proof do you want?” In reality, it is our job to kill them, but the information we may be able to gain is much more important at the moment.
That is, until I see one of his group - an average size bloke dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a black vest - curl his lip as he looks at my Hunters. He is clenching and unclenching his hands at his sides.
“Tell your boy to stand down,” I sneer. “If you make us defend ourselves, all bets are off,” I tell the obvious leader.
He looks over at the jeans-clad bloke with a stern expression. I watch in amusement as the guy loses his fierce face and steps back. Three-piece suit looks back at me.
“My name is Liam Culver. I am from Exeter.”
Liam remains quiet after his introduction to see if I respond in kind.
“I am Ana,” I respond, opting to give my real name. Or at least a variation of it. “This is my village. Or was.”
“You are from here? The land of the Leaders of the Society of Hunters?” His voice held a hint of awe, making me wonder. “How did you survive with the Cloaked One? Not that imposter,” he says, jerking his thumb in the general direction we think the Priestess is in. “but the real Cloaked One?”
I survived because I am the Cloaked One. Of course, I don’t say that out loud. Instead, I shrug with what I hope is nonchalance. I can’t incriminate myself if I ignore the question.
“Do you know of the Cloaked One?” Liam asks.
“Of course.”
“The Priestess is pretending to be the Cloaked One.” Oddly enough, he sounds disgusted by that. Almost as if it was disrespectful towards the one that single-handedly eradicated all - well, what I thought was all - Cursed Ones.
“You cannot tell me you’re a fan of the cloak,” I laugh.
“I’d rather find my fate with another Cursed One than with this power hungry bitch.”
My eyebrows raise at the venom in Liam’s voice. “She had your Maker killed, didn’t she?”
“Yes. She turned one of my… brothers. I am lucky that she did not turn my charge against me.” His eyes slant to his left. So, Liam is the hot-head’s Maker. “You are this one’s Maker.” It’s not a question as he motions to Sam.
“I am.”
He nods, losing some of his aversion towards Sam. “I know you are an Elder, but you have yet to tell me how long you have roamed this earth.”
I smile at his wording. At least he didn’t ask ‘how old are you’. “600 years, give or take,” I answer. To my utter shock, they all kneel before me. “No! Please. Get up.”
“You are our Elder. You have obviously come to help us. We must show you our respect.”
“You do not need to kneel to show me respect. I am not your leader. I did not come here to help you.” I raise my hand to stop his protest. “I did not even know about this Priestess until a couple of days ago.”
“How could you not know? She is the most notorious Hunter around here since the disappearance of the true Cloaked One.”
“We are not from around here,” Sam answers, speaking for the first time.
“You’re American.” Liam studies my group, then focuses on me again. “There are no Cursed Ones in the States?”
“I can’t possibly know the answer to that question. However, from what I have ascertained, Cursed Ones are not the norm. Nor are Hunters. I trained these guys,” I say gesturing to my group.
“You trained them? Why would you do that?”
“Because I needed them.” I don’t offer him any other information, and I can tell that frustrates him.
“If you are not here to help us…”
“I did not say I wouldn’t help you. I need to get in to see the Priestess. I need to assess the situation before I can decide on what to do.”
“She will kill you if she doesn’t feel she can control you,” Liam warns.
“Well, she can try.” I know my arrogance is showing, but I’m having trouble believing that this ‘Priestess’ is as powerful as they say.
“You should keep your charge away from her if you choose to confront the Priestess.”
“Sam would never turn against me,” I tell him without hesitation. I’m pretty sure that the look on my face made it clear that I didn’t want to hear any arguments on the subject, for Liam said nothing. “How far is she from here?”
“No more than a kilometer down the hill.”
I nod. We can’t just go all gung-ho in there without a plan. I look at Liam’s group, contemplating. Thirty-three Cursed Ones. Not exactly a huge army, but I’m hoping that with their age and help, along with my Hunters, we may be able to pull this off.
“If you want our help, follow us.” With that, I turn my back on Liam and his group and get into the driver’s seat of the Jeep motioning to my Hunters. “Let’s go.”
Ten minutes later, I pull into an area that looks like a field of beautifully colored wild flowers. There are no buildings around, and it seems odd to me that my village has not grown or prospered much in the centuries I’ve been away. As a matter of fact, this particular area seems as though it has been purposefully been kept untouched other than regular maintenance. The grass and wooden fence surrounding the area have been impeccably preserved.
Without a word to the others, I leave the confinement of the car, walk to the middle of the area and kneel, placing my hand on the ground.
“Mum, papa.” The words were barely a breath out of my mouth. No one, not even the Cursed Ones would be able to hear me. But Sam feels it. Feels me. And in return, I can feel the sympathy and sadness radiating from him. He doesn’t come to me, inherently knowing that I need this time to myself.
“Wait.”
I hear the harshness of Sam’s voice as he orders the others, including Liam and his group to stay back.
“She is paying respect to the Leaders,” Liam states, eliciting gasps from my Hunters. Liam, of course, doesn’t know the significance of this moment to me, but my Hunters - my family - do. “I do not understand why a Cursed One would do this.”
“It’s not for you to understand,” Sam tells him menacingly. “Give her a moment.”
Sigh. I should have known better to come here with Liam in tow. But I was drawn here. I had no choice but to follow my instincts.
“I was a Hunter.” I stand and turn towards the others, addressing Liam. “Before I became what I am now.”
Liam ponders that, and I let him. I need to get a hold of my emotions.
Are you okay?
I nod slightly to Sam. “Tell me something, Liam. What was your plan before we came upon you?”
“We were going to ‘storm the castle’ so to speak,” he answers without hesitation.
“Just like that? No plan?”
“We feel like plans are a waste of time. The more time we wait, the more elders we lose. Between the Priestess and the Enforcers, we’re quickly losing our advantage of being a stronger species.”
“The Enforcers are against the Priestess. Why not use them to your advantage?” Naturally, I would never enlist Malcolm’s help. He would, most certainly, want something in return. And then there’s the fact that I’m a woman, so he wouldn’t help me anyway. But Liam…
“Malcolm is a moron,” Liam rasps. “He is as power hungry as the Priestess. He uses us just as much as she does.”
“So, you’re on your own.” Liam nods. “Are all Hunters either on the Pri
estess’ side or an Enforcer?”
“Yes. With the exception of your group it seems. At least in these areas.”
I nod distractedly, contemplating my options. “Are you willing to do as I ask if we decide to help you?”
“You are our el…”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m older.”
Jenna snickers, and mutters something about retirement and menopause. I choose to ignore her childishness, though secretly I thank her for bringing a little bit of levity to me as I stand in the place where my parents died.
“Will you take direction from me without issues?” I ask again. “All of you.”
“Yes. We want this to stop, Ana. We are willing to do what it takes to make that happen.”
“Very well. This is what is going to happen.”
“No way!” Sam paces, outraged by my plan.
“Sam…”
“No! I will not agree to this Ana!”
I inwardly wince at his agitation.
“I’m with Sam.” Amanda paces along with her brother, hands on her hips. She stops every third step just to glare at me.
“I suppose everyone else is, as well?” I ask dryly. Great job at letting Liam see who’s boss around here. Interestingly enough, he stands back and just watches.
“Do you really think we’re just going to sit back and watch you go in the snake pit by yourself?” Jenna asks, popping her gum for good measure. I know she’s doing it to get on my nerves. It’s working.
“Can we all just calm down and talk about this,” Emily chimes in. “Surely Ana has more to this plan than just her walking in and trying to reason with the unreasonable.”
I do believe Emily just chastised me in her timid Emily way.
I give all of them a bored expression. Their shenanigans should get on my nerves, but honestly, I am grateful that they have minds of their own and challenge me to be a better leader.
“I do.” I grab Sam’s arm as he paces by me. “Stop, baby. Just listen to my plan. If at the end of my explanation you feel the need to add something, I will listen. Deal?”
Sam’s eyes bore into mine. He’s looking to see if I’m telling the truth.
Do you think I would lie to you?
I think you would do what you think you have to do to keep us safe.
“You are together?”
Liam’s question interrupts our internal conversation. I slant him a look, but ignore his question. I think calling Sam ‘baby’ is explanation enough.
“I need all of you to surround the perimeter. You know the Priestess will have Hunters and perhaps even Full Bloods around to protect her hideaway. I want you to blend in.”
“You want us to pretend to be hers?” Jeremy asks.
“Only the women can do that,” Liam interjects. “Male Hunters are not allowed.”
“What about Cursed Ones?” I want to know if Sam is safe.
“Male Cursed Ones are used by her, yes,” Liam confirms.
“Will Jeremy and Eric be seen as Enforcers?”
Liam nods. Damn. There is a war going on between the Enforcers and the Priestess, and here we are going in the middle to fight them both. A part of me would love to just turn around, go back home to the States and live a long and happy life with Sam. Let them kill each other. The Hunter in me won’t let me do that. At least not with a clear conscience. I almost don’t care.
“So, you want us to hang around the perimeter while you waltz in and have a little chit-chat with your namesake?”
You know, when Jenna says it that way, it seems so incredibly simple. And incredibly stupid.
“You’ll never make it inside.” Liam’s matter-of-fact attitude only serves to annoy me.
“Believe me, I will.”
“What is your real plan, Ana?” I note the way Sam had to force himself to call me Ana. It’s still odd to me that he finds it much more comfortable calling me by my given name since he’s been Cursed. There’s still so much to learn about being a Maker. Especially his. And, because I am his Maker, he knows me way too well. Shit. He’s really not going to like this.
“I am going to just waltz in and have a little ‘chit-chat’ as Jenna said. As myself.”
I pause and let that sink in for Sam and the others. Liam and his group will have no clue what it means, but I can see the exact second it dawns on Sam.
“Like hell you are!” he shouts, startling me. Okay, Sam and I have had our little quibbles. Come on, the guy staked me. But I have never seen him this angry at me. I gotta say, I don’t like it. Not only do I not like him being pissed at me, I don’t like being yelled at. I’m just not the type of girl to sit back and take it.
“You dare yell at me?” I challenge, my own ire swelling inside. “I am not only your Leader, I am your Maker!” Cheap shot, I know, but at the moment, I don’t care.
“Leader? Maker? You are my goddamn life, Anala!”
Gasps fill the air. Including mine. Not to mention Liam and the gang. I don’t know if they were all for the same reason, but I know mine is for the anguish in Sam’s words.
Faintly, I hear the sliding of swords being released from their hilts. But I don’t turn away from Sam. I can’t.
“Nothing will happen to me.”
“You can’t possibly know that,” he retorts, frowning.
I close the distance between us and place a hand on his cheek. “I do. I won’t allow anything to happen to me. Sam, I finally have something to live for. Do you think I would do something to take that away?”
“You are. You’re walking into the unknown.”
“You have to trust me. Just like I have to trust that you and the others have my back. Think about it, baby. What could possibly throw them off more than the real thing?”
Sam’s eyes flutter closed and he lowers his head, his shoulders slumping in defeat. I don’t want this. I don’t want him defeated. I want him with me. Supporting me.
I do support you, baby. Sam grasps my hand that’s on his cheek and brings it to his lips. I think I screwed up calling you Anala.
I turn slowly to see Liam and his group in full out Cursed mode. ‘Hulked-out’ as Jenna puts it. My Hunters surround Sam and me in protective stances, swords out.
“This is unnecessary,” I tell Liam. “If I wanted to hurt you, you would already be dead.”
“Are you who he says you are?” Liam growls. Apparently being in Cursed mode takes away some of the control of his voice.
“I am. But that is not all.” I signal to Amanda who runs to grab something from the Jeep. She hands it to me, and within the circle of my Hunters, I unfurl my cloak and whip it around me. Liam’s eyes widen as I bring up my hood to cover my face.
“The Cloaked One,” Liam whispers.
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure whether I want to kill you or worship you.” To my surprise, Liam smiles.
“How about neither since I’m not sure whether I want to kill you either.” I don’t smile. I really am torn. I’m a Hunter. It is my destiny to kill the likes of Liam. But he has found a way to coexist with humans without harming them. At least that is what he has told me. “However, if you prove yourself to me, prove your loyalty to me, I’m sure we can work something out.”
Sara glances at me, but wisely keeps quiet.
“If I find out that you have lied to me about the way you treat innocents,” I continue. “I will have no choice. Do you understand?”
Liam bows his head. I imagine it’s partly in submission and partly to convey his understanding. The rest of his gang follows suit, and I know that I have gained thirty-three supporters.
“You are the true Cloaked One. This land belongs to you,” Liam spreads his arms. “All territories rightfully belong to you according to the rules the Priestess has put into place from her inception. Not this Priestess, but her ancestors,” Liam explains.
“I do not want this land. This is no longer my home. But I also do not want it ruled. Not in this way.” I touch Amanda’s shoulder, and she retracts he
r sword as the others do the same. “This war that the Enforcers and the Priestess have against each other serves no other purpose than to destroy the true meaning of the Society.”
“Are you not doing that yourself by choosing to let us live?”
It is a bold question from Liam considering it’s his life on the line.
“I am. Though if we are honest, my parents broke the rules long ago when they allowed me to live. I have also broken the rules by Cursing the one I love.” I pause, considering my words carefully. “The Society was created to protect the innocent. I have continued that even being what I am. I changed Sam to protect him. I was not saved for personal gain, and though part of the reason I saved Sam was for selfish reasons, it was not to harm anyone.”
“I think what Anala is saying,” Amanda speaks up for the first time, “is that there are always exceptions to every rule.”
“Your Hunters are very smart,” Liam states, giving Amanda an appreciative look. Interesting. And if I interpret Sam’s low growl correctly, he’s not happy about it.
Calm, baby. Amanda can take care of herself.
Sam gives me a little grunt and I can’t help but grin at him.
“Yes, they are. Which is exactly why they will do as I say and stay back while I go in.”
As if in slow motion, my Hunters all turn to me with not so happy looks. I raise an eyebrow in challenge. I know they are not happy with me or my idea, but they will do as I ask, I have no doubt. What I do doubt; that they will stay back if they feel my life is in danger.
“Please, baby. Please reconsider this.”
“Sam, we’ve been over this. You know this is the best way.”
“I don’t know that. We haven’t exactly had the chance to sit down and discuss all possible options.”
“We do not have time, my love.” My endearment surprises both of us. I’ve never been one to get mushy, but with Sam, well nothing is off limits. “We don’t know when Malcolm plans to attack. Tania may or may not know of those plans. If she does, we will know how to proceed with him. If she doesn’t, the Priestess will kill her. As much as I dislike her, I can’t allow that to happen. She is an innocent.”
Destined to Meet: A Destined Novel (Destined Novels Book 3) Page 10
