The Jaded Hunter

by Michelle M. Pillow

  Jaden leaned forward to hear his whisper. His words came slower, slurring against each other. Confusion lined his face as he tried to concentrate.

  “I didn’t know what I do now. I killed her, Jaden. I staked her in the heart. I blamed her for hurting our happy family. I blamed her for the death of your grandparents. But, looking back, it might have been someone else’s hand that killed them. Doctors didn’t know then what they do now. They couldn’t explain it.” Mack blinked heavily, his eyes trying to focus on Jaden’s unmoving face. “I tried to kill Bhaltair but he was too strong. He got away. Then the first vampire came to me and gave me money. He bid me to go away and to take you with me. I was scared of him, but had no choice. He said Bhaltair would be back for me and for you. I loved your mother. She was my sister. You have to believe that. I never would’ve harmed her had I known...”

  Jaden felt her stomach tighten. She kept her face blank, resisting the urge to beat the mortal before her. Everything he had ever said had been a lie. Closing her eyes briefly to clear her head, she asked, “And who was this vampire that saved you?”

  “I-I can’t,” Mack whispered. “He’d kill me and you. He said he would turn us over to Bhaltair if I ever defied him. I’ve been his slave, killing—”

  “Mack,” Jaden demanded, trying to get his attention. It was clear her uncle was sick. “What about the experiments?”

  “Experiments?” he echoed weakly. He blinked, his lids heavy. He rested his head on the table.

  Jaden shot forward. Grabbing him about the shoulders she hauled him up before her. A scream was on the tip of her tongue, but never reached her mouth. Another closed vial rolled on the table and clanked noisily onto the floor. It hit against her boot. She glanced down. To her horror, she found a thick tube ran into her uncle’s arm, sucking out his blood.

  “You have to believe I’ve always loved you, Jade.” Mack mumbled incoherently.

  She dropped him, her fingers unable to stand touching him. Mack stumbled, but caught himself. Reaching over to the machine he was connected to, he pushed a button. The blood in the tubing slowly reversed itself.

  “What are you doing?” Jaden asked in suspicion. A curling sense of dread overwhelmed her.

  “I am joining you, sweetheart,” Mack said in a dying mumble. “I have found a way to harness the power of many.”

  “What are you talking about?” she demanded hotly. “What do you mean?”

  “Those experiments,” Mack confessed in breathless pride. “I have discovered all of the vampire’s weaknesses. I have purified the blood of many. I’ll be powerful, Jade—more powerful than the council, more powerful than all of them. And you’ll be with me at my side. We will rule them all. We will be immortal. Nothing will stop us!”

  “You’re mad,” Jaden hissed. She went to the machine, eyeing it, looking for a plug to disable it.

  “No,” Mack growled as he latched onto her arm. His grip held surprising strength. “I have worked too hard for this.”

  “You deserve to die for this,” she growled into his ear. She felt the others watching, waiting silently in the shadows. She was grateful for their presence, just as she was appreciative for their impassiveness at the moment.

  “You can’t kill me, Jade,” Mack whispered. His stomach lurched in pain. He fell to the floor, the tube still trailing out of his arm. Jaden ripped it from him. Blood spilled onto the floor from the tube, pooling around his body. But the action was too late. The rebirth had begun. Jaden watched helpless as Mack writhed in agony. She felt Osiris coming forward. Lifting up her hand, she shook her head, telling him silently to get back.

  “I’m the only family you have left. I’m like a father to you.” Mack groaned from his place on the floor. His body twitched in pain. Jaden sensed his death, the potent blend of vampire blood mixed with his own. He had done it. Somehow, Mack had discovered a way to make a vampire without the drinking of blood, and he had killed many to do it.

  “I had a father,” Jaden said quietly. She leaned over, watching his face. She hardened her heart to him, forcing away all sentiment that still lingered. Her hand reached into the folds of her jacket. “You made me kill him.”

  “I did it for you. He was…no good,” Mack defended. He gurgled. His eyes pooled with red. His body lurched. Vomit trailed from his lips to splatter onto the floor. Jaden jerked away.

  Ignoring the agony of his rebirth, she said, “You are charged, Alan MacNaughton, of performing experiments on humans and vampires. For searching for the fountain of youth at the expense of others and for testing on vampire blood to see how long humans could be kept alive in suffering without turning. I charge you with cruelty rivaling any man in history. I charge you with the death of over four thousand mortals by way of your experiments.”

  “Jade,” Mack gasped. “Don’t. I love yo—”

  “No,” she growled. Her words rose in fury. “I charge you with trying to overthrow the vampire council.”

  “What do you care about the council?” he whispered up into her hard face.

  Jaden gave him a slow smile. Lifting up her jacket sleeve, she showed him the brand on her forearm—the shield with a bar through it. “I’m one of them now.”

  “No,” Mack whispered in horror. “You can’t be serious. Those rapes and murders—I did it for us, you. I did them for you. We had to have money to fund this. It was the only way.”

  “I find you guilty, Mack,” Jaden whispered, a touch of sadness rolling into her eyes. She tried to pretend she didn’t feel anything for him. But it wasn’t true. A part of her still loved him, as the father she had believed him to be.

  As if reading her weakness, he said, “I am your family.”

  “Bhaltair and Rhona were my family. I have lived as my mother’s people. It’s time I discovered my father’s.” Jaden stood. She looked down at the pitiful man on the floor. Slowly, she pulled a stake out from inside her jacket. Mack’s eyes rounded in horror. “I have a new family now, Mack.”

  “I made you what you are,” he hollered. “I gave you everything. You owe me. Bhaltair could never have loved your mother. He was using her for sick pleasure.”

  “Bhaltair loved Rhona and she willingly loved him,” Jaden whispered. She felt a single tear line the edge of her eye. She missed Tyr. She longed for him. Suddenly, nothing else mattered—not vengeance or justice—only Tyr. She wanted the past to be dead. She didn’t want to wait for him. She wanted him to be with her now. She wanted to spend an eternity begging his forgiveness for her sins. “And the only thing you taught me was death.”

  Mack’s change was complete. His lungs no longer panted. The wound on his arm healed itself shut. Jaden felt the strange mixture coursing through his blood like a river of souls squished together, fighting to be released from the coil of one body.

  “You’re right about one thing,” Jaden said. “I couldn’t have killed you—as a human. But now you’re just a corpse.”

  She lifted the stake above her head. All of a sudden, Jaden felt Shiva beside her. She turned. Mack kicked up from the floor, jabbing his boot into her stomach, knocking her into Shiva’s arms. Jaden pushed to her feet to face Mack. His eyes swirled angrily. The blood was too much for him. It raged inside his body.

  Mack scrambled to the dropped stake and lunged at her, aiming for her heart. Unexpectedly, she was whisked to the side. Familiar arms wrapped in protection. Jaden gasped. Her dark gaze instantly found the solid strength of Tyr’s blue eyes. Her lips parted, wanting to speak. Sadly, he let her go, spinning around to face Mack. Mack darted forward, stake in hand. Tyr shielded Jaden with his body.

  Without warning, Mack stopped. The stake dropped from his fingers. His hands pressed into the sides of his head. He fell to his knees. His mouth opened with a scream only to gush with a torrent of blood. Jaden pushed to Tyr’s side. She reached to touch him as she stepped forward, not wanting him to disappear. She heard Mack’s heart racing in her head and then suddenly the organ exploded. Crimson poured from the man�
�s lips. He fell to the ground with a swooshing of air and splattered blood. Then, with a silent eruption, he poofed into an ashen cloud of grave dust.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jaden didn’t wait for the dust to settle. She twirled on her feet, flinging her arms around Tyr. Her lips rose naturally to meet his.

  Tyr pulled back. He looked sadly into her face and shook his head. His blue gaze searched every line of her, like a vampire starved. He’d missed her desperately. When he left her, he left a piece of himself behind. And without her, he wasn’t whole. If not for Ragnhild’s insistence to the council that he be allowed to come this night to help, he wouldn’t be seeing her now.

  Knowing the danger of being seen talking to her, he turned to leave. He wouldn’t be harmed by such a thing, but Jaden would be killed. He knew the decree, had been reminded of it by the council before coming to her.

  “Tyr,” Jaden whispered. Her hand shot out to touch him. “Please, don’t leave.”

  Tyr stiffened, hearing the pain in her voice. He felt the heat of her. Her touch was like fire to his skin. Could it be she missed him as much as he had her? Did he dare to hope such a thing? Her greeting said she did.

  Without turning, he whispered, “No, Jaden, don’t. We can’t be seen talking.”

  “I don’t care,” she said, pulling desperately on his arm to get him to look at her. She needed to see the cool, ice-blue of his eyes. She needed to know he would wait for her. She needed him to know she was waiting only for him.

  “You’ll be killed,” he said hoarsely. “Will you leave me to live with that?”

  Jaden looked desperately at Osiris and Shiva. Her heart poured with longing out of her eyes. Shiva nodded. He and Osiris turned their backs and looked the other way.

  Tyr felt it too. Unable to deny her insistent hand, he spun around and gathered her into his arms. Jaden pressed her mouth to his. She sprinkled kisses over his cheeks and lips. Tyr’s mouth met hers eagerly. He pulled her up into his embrace. His hands wound like iron about her waist, never wanting to let her go. Jaden wrapped her arms about his thick neck, clinging to him for her very existence.

  “Jade,” Osiris whispered quietly. “You must hurry. We don’t have much time.”

  “I’m sorry,” Jaden rushed, pulling back just enough to talk. Her lips moved against his. Her hands pressed into the sides of his face, desperately feeling him. “I’m sorry for my uncle. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done. I’m sorry you’re mad at me. I never meant to deceive you.”

  Tyr stiffened, but didn’t let her go. “Why, Jaden? Why did you lie to me?”

  “I was scared. I didn’t know what the file said and I was afraid you would think I did—” Jaden’s words were stopped by the press of his mouth and the stiffening of his hands.

  “Not the damned file. I was a fool for thinking you had anything to do with that,” Tyr said.

  “Then—?” she hesitated, confused. She ran her hands into his hair, sewing her fingers through the locks. She couldn’t stop their exploring if she tried. “Why are you angry with me?”

  Tyr glanced at Shiva’s and Osiris’s turned backs. Pulling Jaden away from them, into the shadows, he set her down. Lifting his hand to cup her face, he said, “I’m not mad.”

  “Jaden,” Shiva called, persistently. “We have to leave.”

  “No,” she whispered, shaking her head in desperation. Her eyes rounded as she turned her tortured face to Tyr’s. “I can’t leave you. Not again. These last months have been hell.”

  “We don’t have a choice,” Tyr said. “They’ll kill you if you disobey.”

  “I don’t want to live if I can’t see you,” she said angrily.

  “Don’t say that,” he said, pushing his face into hers. “Wait for me.”

  “It isn’t fair. Tell them you made me. Make them listen.” Jaden felt him pulling away from her. In confusion, she detected Shiva at their side.

  “Tyr, you have to go,” the knight said. “The others are coming. If they catch you here they will report it.”

  Tyr nodded. He hated to leave her behind when his entire being begged for her touches, her kisses, and her love. His hand lifted to caress her cheek before pulling away. She tried to grab him, but his hand dissipated into a fine mist she couldn’t hold onto. A muffled sound of horror escaped her throat. Tears pooled in her eyes.

  Tyr’s body disappeared completely, slipping through her frantic grasp. Shiva clutched Jaden to his chest to keep her from trying to follow. A small moan of torture came from her throat as she struggled against her bonds. Her heart tightened in agony. The road before her was long, endless. She could taste him on her lips, feel him inside her blood. But she couldn’t hold him, couldn’t have him.

  Shiva felt her pain wash over him. Her eyes stared beyond him in a liquid daze. Slowly, he forced her to leave with him, back to the elevator. Jaden didn’t put up a fight. She stared blindly, not noticing that Osiris stayed behind, working his way through Mack’s machine, taking what little notes there were and destroying all the evidence.

  “Come on, Jade,” Shiva whispered as the elevator doors closed them in. “All will be well.”

  * * *

  Island of Delos, Cyclades, Two weeks later...

  Jaden was dead inside. She didn’t talk, barely fed. She numbly went about her duties, stating only that which was mandatory to her job. She’d been the job before and if she must, she would be it again. But, after having known Tyr, duty was a bitter and cold replacement to her soul.

  All necessary reports were made to the council to their reluctant satisfaction. The vampire responsible for helping Mack hadn’t been caught and the knights weren’t blamed for losing such information because her uncle killed himself with his greed. Jaden didn’t care anymore. She was tired of figuring out the past.

  Rolling onto her stomach, she looked around the room the council was letting her use. As far as she could fathom, it was a guest chamber of sorts, set aside from the council’s bedchamber hall. The bed was thick, comfortable. White fur lined the floor and bed. A desk sat in the corner. It reminded her of Tyr’s bedchamber—only barren because he wasn’t in it. She got no pleasure from the luxury. She wanted Tyr. She could think of nothing else.

  Feeling a presence at her door, she turned her head to the entryway. Shiva stepped inside without knocking. She stared at him. The vampire frowned, coming across the room to sit by her.

  “You can’t keep doing this,” he said. She blinked and turned away without answering. Shiva slowly shook his head. “Osiris is complaining that you are lax in your training.”

  “I have been to every session,” she mumbled, not caring.

  “But your heart has not.” Shiva sighed, placing a hand on the back of her head in a friendly pat. “Without your heart, your fighting is weak and predictable.”

  “I don’t have a heart. The elders ordered it away.”

  “And what would he say if he saw you moping like this?” Shiva asked angrily.

  “If he saw me, I’d see him and I wouldn’t be moping,” she said. Inching further away from him, she shrugged off his hand. “Now leave me alone. I do what duties I’m bidden to perform. I answer every question. Not once has it been ordered that I do so happily.”

  “I can’t leave. I have come to bring you to the council.” Shiva stood. A frown still marred his elegant face. “The elders wish to test you.”

  “Again?” Jaden wearily hopped to her feet. “I thought the tests were over.”

  “Call it a mission then,” Shiva stated with an indifferent shrug. “I think it will do you good to leave here. There are still many things you must put into order. Not the first of which is getting your uncle’s affairs in line. Technically, you are still his niece and inheritor of his property. I’ve convinced the elders that you should tend to it after you see to this mission. You are in a unique position to discover more of his secrets and acquaint yourself with Mack’s contacts.”

  “Oh,” Jaden muttered to herself. Ma
ybe a mission was just what she needed to make the time go faster. She doubted it—highly doubted it.

  She followed Shiva down the passageway along the now familiar path to the council hall. She had been questioned and tested by them endlessly. What was one more time? Soon she was in front of the tribal elders, waiting like a good soldier for them to speak. Her eyes didn’t meet their probing faces as they studied her.

  “Dhampir,” Theophania said.

  Jaden nodded in acknowledgement.

  “We have called you here tonight to address a complaint,” Ragnhild said. “Osiris says you have been negligent in your training.”

  “I’ve been to and completed every training exercise,” Jaden said. “I’ve done everything he has asked of me.”

  “We think there might be a deeper problem,” Chara said quietly.

  Jaden didn’t answer. The council glanced amongst themselves—all except for Pietro who stared dispassionately beyond them all. He was impassively quiet of late, even for Pietro.

  Jaden gulped, her eyes finally moving to gaze at Chara. Her heart thudded nervously, not daring to hope.

  “You are bored,” Theophania said. “You are a fighter, used to fighting.”

  “Yes,” Andrei added. “You need an assignment—something to do.”

  Jaden’s heart sank. She turned her eyes away. Every one of their damned words was like a kick to the gut.

  “There is a disturbance in London,” Ragnhild said. “Many of our kind have died. We want you to check it out and report back to us. Then, we wish for you to finish your work collecting any of the remaining MacNaughton personal documents and possessions.”

  Jaden stiffly nodded. Through tightened lips, she asked, “Shall I get Osiris?”