The Witch Hunter (32 page)

"Sam, that's the one thing I cannot explain to you," she said seriously. "I am indebted to you for coming to free me, but this. This, I cannot give you."

He stared at her for a moment and deciding not to push her further, nodded and looked away. They sat in silence for a while and it was almost companionable, the two of them enjoying the wildness of the garden. It reminded her of many things, but she closed her thoughts off to the memories. She'd been to many places, done many things, and punished many people, none of which bore another thought. At least not today.

"You've changed him, you know," Sam said carefully, breaking the silence. "Zac. He's different around you."

"How so?" she frowned. This was one of those things she didn't want to talk about.

"He cares about something other than himself," he laughed weakly, shaking his head. 

Aya grunted, pulling her knees up to her chin, feeling uneasy about what Sam hinted at. Zac had been through enough without this. One day she would have to leave and he would be back at square one. Even she had enough heart not to do that to him.

"Aya," Sam said, picking up on her uneasiness. "It's a good thing."

"If you say so," she whispered, not believing him.

Zac had never been to Gabby's apartment before. It sat on the top floor of a complex of twelve similar places, six flights of stairs and no elevator. She must love the view, because the climb would have been a deal breaker. 

They sat on the floor in the lounge, a silver bowl between them, the grimore off to the side. Gabby was chanting under her breath, eyes closed, a faraway look etched on her dark features. He hoped that this would help them find a way to end their founding witch problem once and for all. The lingering threat was wearing thin. They had already thwarted one attempt at Aya's life and they mightn't be so lucky the next time.

His thoughts were more troubled than usual. She was amazing. What she had done to Caius; that was something else. So much more than a regular vampire was capable of. What was she? Maybe when this was all over, she would give him some answers. And he had to find a way to tell her how he felt.

Focusing back on Gabby, he concentrated on the spell she was casting. She'd found an incantation in the grimore she hadn't been able to read until she met her grandmother. A spell for knowledge. It would reveal the path to the thing that they most desired. And, of course, that was bringing and end to Katrin. All of her previous attempts at seeking out the witch had been fruitless; attempts at finding what anchored her spirit to life had led to nothing. 

The only reason Gabby had invited Zac into her apartment was the fact that he wanted Katrin to die a true death as much as she did. And that meant a better strike rate for the spell. He was connected on a personal level and so was she.

She had been muttering her incantation under her breath for ages and Zac was positive that it wasn’t working. She did seem different after everything that had happened at the silo, her increased power was blindingly obvious with the way she obliterated those witches. He’d never seen a witch do such a thing and he was glad that she was on their side. But, it didn’t help them right now. Nothing was happening.

Just as Zac was about to complain that she was taking too long, he felt the spell cloud his thoughts. That probably meant it was working.

Gabby smiled in relief, "I can see a way forward. But I need to speak to Aya."

When she mentioned Aya, Zac's expression slackened and his eyes went blank. Gabby waved her hand across his line of vision, but he didn't react. It took a moment before he came back from wherever it was he went. Blinking as Gabby came back into focus, he realized she had been shaking him. He groaned, holding his head in his hands.

"Zac, what is it?" Gabby said, concern in her voice.

"She fucking compelled me!" he roared, knocking the bowl across the room. It clattered to the floor loudly, its contents spilling everywhere. Gabby scrambled backwards, suddenly aware of being in the same room as an angry vampire.

"Who?" she whispered, afraid of provoking him.

"Aya!
Fucking
Aya
!" he was on his feet, pacing back and forth, thinking about what he would do. He forgot that Gabby was in the room he was so intent on his thoughts. He roared again and left the apartment in a whirlwind of fury, leaving Gabby shaking on the floor.

Aya liked to sit in the study. She knew it irritated Zac, but he had stopped asking her not to ages ago. It felt comforting, especially after her earlier conversation with Sam. She spun the globe in the corner, running her finger along the surface, waiting to see where it would land once it came to a stop. Katrin wouldn’t try anything right away, not after she’d killed another of her so-called children. Her finger landed on France. She had been in France before coming to America.

She could hear the tell tale hum that announced Zac had come home. He was in the doorway looking at her. "Hello," she said, not turning around, spinning the globe again. When he didn't answer straight away, she knew he was angry.

"I was just with Gabby," he said, restraining the anger in his voice.

"Were you now?" she smiled to herself. Her finger landed in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

"I helped her cast a spell." He was cracking.

"And what kind of spell did she cast?" The globe spun again.

"A knowledge spell." The tone in his voice unsettled her.

"Be. More. Specific." She disregarded the globe, allowing it to spin freely.

"A spell to find the knowledge to obtain what one desires the most." He was right behind her now, his gaze burning into her back.

Aya stiffened, "And what happened?"

"Gabby learnt a way to stop Katrin. She needs to speak to you."

Turning her head slightly, she said, "And what did you learn?"

He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around abruptly, pushing her back against the wall. Her expression darkened in warning, but Zac ignored it. "I remember everything," he snarled, holding her in place across her chest with his arm.

Aya's eyes misted over into shimmering pearls and she pushed him across the room. He collided with the opposite wall, his shoulder leaving a hole in the plaster. He fell to the floor with a grunt, but she was there, picking him up by his shirt. "If you remember everything, then you know it was all for your own good," she spat, dropping him on his face.

Zac was back on his feet in a second, "After everything that's happened, how could you compel me?"

"I saved your life, Zac."

"Only from the werewolves."

Aya closed her eyes, trying to control her anger, "I also saved you from
me
. You saw what happened to them when I lost control. You saw what I did to Caius."

The anger faded from his face into one of surprise. "I don't believe you."

"Then you are a fool. You've only seen the smallest part of me. The smallest part of the monster I truly am. No one could love a walking
horror
such as I."

Zac was dumbfounded. After all they had gone through together, he had felt that he had become closer to her than ever. He knew there were parts of her life that he would never know, she was two thousand years old, but he refused to believe the things she was telling him. He'd never felt anything like what he felt for Aya. Seeing her angry and in pain, it tore him apart. He thought back to the night they had spent in the motel, the way she had kissed him. And when he'd healed her wounds in the silo, she had gazed up at him with such tenderness. She felt the same, she had to. 

"You can compel the memories from me, Aya, but you can't compel away my feelings," he said evenly.

"Get out!" she yelled at him. 

"Aya, please," he whispered.

She stared at him with a wild look in her eyes, "Leave."

Zac stared at her, unable to control himself. He wanted her so much it made him ache. He pushed Aya back against the wall and kissed her passionately, pressing his body into hers. His left hand pulled her hips against him and his right held her face to his, fingers wound in her hair. And she kissed him back just as deeply and he was lost. He was hers, body and soul. Suddenly, she pulled away pushing him back, a look of dismay on her face. 

His heart sank. "Aya..."

"Don't," she whispered looking towards the floor. "There's so much you don't understand, Zac. So many things I can't tell you. So many reasons why this can't be."

He took a step towards her and she held him back with her arm. "Please," she whispered.

"Aya," he whispered huskily.

"Please don't make me do this." He could see the tears welling in her eyes. She was struggling with her feelings.

"Do what?"

And she was gone so fast, he felt it must have been a dream. He brushed his fingers across his lips and sighed. He knew now that he loved her and it made the love he had felt for Liz incomparable. What he felt for Aya consumed him and he would gladly die for her if it meant she would live. 

Gabby was about to knock on the front door of the manor when it burst open, her fist poised midair. Aya stood in front of her, glaring as she dropped her hand awkwardly. She guessed she was too late.

"Aya," she gasped. "I was coming to see you before... I got here as fast as I could."

"If you're talking about the knowledge spell, I found out about that," Aya rolled her eyes, pushing her backwards off the porch and into the yard.

"I'm sorry," she stammered. "I didn't know it would work the way it did. I had no idea..."

"I hear you need to speak with me," Aya interrupted, still rattled by the argument with Zac.

"Yes, I have an idea. The spell revealed a loophole to Katrin's spell, the one holding her spirit," Gabby began. Whatever she had compelled from Zac, she'd better leave it alone.

Aya pressed her finger to her lips to silence her. Understanding that other ears were listening, Gabby nodded. The vampire grabbed her arm roughly, guiding her down the driveway and across the yard. They walked right down to the lake, standing right on the shoreline. It was an abnormally cold day, the wind rippling the surface into waves that lapped the rocks at the waters edge. A noise that seemed sufficient in covering their conversation to a point.