The Witch Hunter (26 page)

"It was a human man, Gabby said. She was in her apartment at the time. No vampires are invited in besides Liz and I. He had to be compelled by someone."

"Of course he was," Zac spat. 

"He jumped out the window before she could do anything. There was nothing there when she looked out, so..."

"Fucking hell," he groaned. "Obviously someone was waiting for him, it's a three story drop."

"Katrin." Sam sounded like he'd finally got everything that had happened the last few weeks.

"Duh. You know Aya's gone right? They stole the fucking grimore and used the summoning spell against her."

"
What
?"

"You heard me."

"We're almost there, brother. Calm down and we'll discuss this further when we get there, alright?" he reasoned.

Zac grunted and hung up abruptly. Stopping his restless pacing, he sat on the couch across from the fireplace and got up again. He went into the study, then back into the yard. Unable to sit still, he hurled one of the shovels across the yard and over the fence, roaring in frustration. He was back in the parlor in a second, skulling a bottle of vodka. He knew he had to calm down or it would be bad news for everyone. Problem was, he didn't want to.

When he finally sensed movement outside, he sighed heavily. What had taken them so long? Glaring at the doorway as everyone filed in, and it was
everyone
, he began pacing again, agitated. Liz and Alex sat on the couch and placed Gabby in between them. They knew he was unpredictable and he resented the precautionary methods they were taking.

Sam came up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping his momentum and said, "What happened?"

"She
disappeared
into thin air. Poof. Like magic," Zac spat, throwing his hands into the air in exasperation. Abruptly, he swore loudly, the empty bottle shattering on the wall. It wasn't until she had gone that he realized he was falling for her. As irritating as she was, he wanted her. He had to go after her no matter how hopeless the situation was. "We should have destroyed the spell once she revealed herself to us. We were
stupid
." 

"They might try and use her as bait for you," Gabby said quietly. "She was the easier mark, what with the summoning spell."

Zac turned on her, glaring. "Don't you understand, Gabby? Katrin wanted Aya from the first moment she realized she was with us. She disregarded me a long time ago. Do you remember Alistair? He was here looking for
her
. Aya is good as dead thanks to
you
."

"It's not anyone's fault," Sam placed a restraining hand on Zac's shoulder. "It's unfortunate, but we can do what we can to find her. It might not be too late."

"Is there anyway you can use your witches power to find out where she is?" Alex asked, speaking up for the first time, trying to keep as calm as he could. Being in the same room as a very angry vampire wasn't exactly a picnic.

"I don't have the kind of power it takes to track her. Let alone to summon her back. I'd have to scry and I've never got it to work before."

"Then we need to find someone who does," Sam said, glancing at Liz as Zac fell into a chair.

"I have to go find my Grams," Gabby said. "She is a witch. She will know what to do."

"Gabby, you haven't seen your grandmother in ten years," Liz said gently. 

"I know," she said quietly. "But she left me the grimore. I have to find her. It's meant to be. I
know
it is."

"Then we'll help you," Alex said. "Whatever you need."

Gabby glanced at Liz, "I need to confront my parents. Liz, I don't know how they will take it, me being a witch. Can you come with me? In case I need you to..." She stopped, not wanting to say it out loud.

"Why not just compel the information out of them?" Zac said through clenched teeth, his head in his hands.

"They're my
parents
, Zac. If there's a chance they could accept me, then I'll take it. Stop being so goddamn heartless."

"I'll go with you," Liz said. "Of course."

"Why are you still here? Clocks ticking," Zac said, exasperated.

Gabby edged away from him and made for the front door, followed closely by Alex and Liz. Sam hovered over Zac's shoulder, giving him a look that he'd become all too familiar with over the past few weeks. A look that said he was waiting for him to snap again. 

It frustrated Zac to no end that he couldn't do anything but wait. Wait for a feeble little witch to go get help. What could he do? Go find another witch who
might
be willing to help? That could take forever and there was no guarantee he could convince a vampires mortal enemy to help locate and free the infamous Witch Hunter. For a creature that had all the time in the universe, he suddenly couldn't get enough of it.

"Zac, I know you want to go after her, but you just have to wait," Sam said, preempting what he was going to say. His little brother had become good at reading his mind of late.

"I know," Zac held his head in his hands and sighed. "There's no trail for us to follow, Sam. She disappeared into thin air. She could be on the other side of the world for all we know."

"We've got to trust Gabby, Zac. I know it's hard, but we have to sit back and let her do her thing," Sam said calmly, anything he felt about the situation carefully hidden in his voice. He knew as well as he did that there wouldn't be another witch who would be willing to help them.

"But, I can't just sit here while they do god knows what to her." Zac stood, beginning his pacing again, his rage simmering beneath the surface.

"Zac, do you..." asked Sam, concern creasing his brow as he put two and two together. "Are you in..."

"Sam," he interrupted, glaring at his brother. "We just need to find her."

"Zac..." he began again.

"Shut it, Sam. We got her into this mess. Now we've got to get her out."

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

O
ne moment, Aya was talking with Zac in the garden, the next she was on her knees, gasping for breath in complete darkness. A circle of flame erupted around her with a whooshing sound, heat radiating on her face. 

Her eyes widened in surprise as a familiar stocky, male figure stepped through the circle. He was dressed head to toe in black, his short dusky blonde hair cropped close to his scalp, broad shoulders held proudly. It had been three hundred years since she had seen the vampire that now stood before her and her blood ran cold.

"Caius?" she gasped.

"Hello, dear one. I'm glad you could make it," he smiled lopsidedly. She was smart enough to notice it was a smile filled with malice. He would not welcome her after what she'd done to him.

"Looks like I didn't have a choice," she said wryly, noticing the three witches that stood outside the circle. Before he could answer, she lunged for him, fangs bared. To his amusement, she was brought to her knees before she could lay a finger on him. A sharp pain was tearing through her head like something was trying to claw its way out. Grasping her temples, it was all she could do to remain focused.  "Traitors," she spat at the witches, grimacing through the splitting explosions.

"They're useful, your families pets," Caius mused, watching her tortured expression as she tried to calm the storm that raged inside. "They know how to keep your kind under control."

"Murderous bastard," she hissed at him.

"In that regard we are more alike than you'll ever come to admit," he sneered.

"We may both be vampires, Caius, but I'll
never
be like you."

"Oh, but that’s where you're wrong. You're not a true vampire, dear one. My brother should never have created you."

"When I free myself and kill your pathetic witches, I will tear you to shreds. And this time, I won't put the pieces back together," she snarled, kneeling in the dirt. It had been a while since she had thought about
that
vampire.

"Wow," he laughed. "I forgot how spirited you are."

"You killed my family."

"I can't possibly take all the credit for
that
," he smiled. "My brothers enjoyed it as much as I."

She glared up at him, trying to fight through the splitting ache in her head. "Why'd you do it, Caius? Was it because
she
ordered you to?"

"You killed half of my family, so it's only fair. Tit for tat and all."

"Well, here I am, Caius. Fight me like a man."

He walked around her, sizing her up before sighing. Killing her mustn't be on Katrin's agenda just yet. "It wasn't part of our bargain, you know," he said, his guard dropping slightly. "To do her dirty work. To hunt you."

"Then why do it? Why not just let it go?"

He snorted, "You want me to let it go? After you killed my brothers and sister? You would continue your revenge on us, regardless. And we will still hunt you, no matter if Katrin wants us to or not."

She didn't reply, waiting to hear what he would say next.

"All's fair in love and war, dear one," he grasped her face, fingers digging into her skin, and kissed her cheek.

Aya shook her head free from his hand. "Remember that time I snapped your neck and locked you in that house you weren't invited into?" she sneered at him. "It was the highlight of the century watching you tear yourself apart."

"You see," he pointed at her. "This is why I miss you. Your creativity." Stepping forward, he grabbed the back of her shirt and began to drag her through the edge of the circle, the flame flickering out, plunging them into darkness. The witches followed, their power still focused on subduing her. 

For the first time Aya caught a glimpse of her surrounds. There were a number of old rundown buildings around the yard. No doubt from some kind of factory that hadn't seen operation in a very long time. Night had fallen entirely, the darkness complete around them, the stars above twinkling brightly. There was no light pollution flooding the sky, which meant they were away from human habitation. But where exactly that was, she had no idea.

Caius opened a steel door in the side of a large building and took no care when he threw her inside. She rolled in the dirt, coming to rest against the far wall, cracking her head against hard metal. The outside door slammed shut with a boom that echoed through the dark room. 

Standing the moment she felt the witches power lapse, she threw herself at the door with all her strength, but it didn't budge. The thud of her body colliding with steel echoed around her. Trying again she came to the same conclusion. The door had to be spelled by those witches, there was no other explanation. When she got out of here they would pay dearly for consorting with the enemy.

Aya cursed, her head thumping against the door. The only way she could have been summoned here was if someone had stolen Gabby's grimore. She'd warned her only the day before to destroy the pages. It was no secret that all of them were being watched, but to what extent? Had Katrin cursed Gabby to use her as a spy? Probably. Aya hoped she was smart enough to work it out.

Looking around for another weakness she noticed the walls were smooth, so she couldn't climb to the ceiling to find an out there. The air had an old smell of grain about it, so she assumed it was a kind of grain silo. That would explain the smooth interior and lack of exits.

She sat in the middle of the room and sighed. Caius was keeping her alive, which surprised her a little, since they had no problem with trying to kill her all that time ago. Which only meant they wanted her for the same reason they had imprisoned her the first time. And going by past experience, they couldn't get anything out of her even if she wanted to tell them.

Turning at the grating sound that signaled that the outside door was opening, Caius strode into the silo, a dark look of malice written on his features. Taking any opportunity she could, she lunged for the vampire, but was on her knees as pain ripped through her head. The witches were behind him, crippling her into submission.

Looking up, she realized he was carrying chains and some large steel meat hooks. This wasn't going to be pleasant. Caius grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged her to the far side of the silo, where some steel rings had been welded to the wall. He attached the chains to them while the witches stood between her and the door. They still controlled her and she couldn't move, the pain was that disorienting. Caius approached her, dragging the chains through the dirt. The meat hooks were a part of the chain itself, attached to either end. She screamed in rage as he pierced one through her wrist in a single fluid movement, blood gushing from the wound onto the ground. Laughing at her discomfort, he did the same to the other. Pulling the chain, he hoisted her up, her feet barely touching the ground. She moaned in agony as the hooks dragged on her wrists, blood pouring down her arms, soaking her clothes. 

"I have been waiting for this day for a very long time," he stroked her face with the back of his hand. "It's a shame that my brothers couldn't be here for the occasion."