The Shadow's Son (The Witch Hunter Saga)

  When his cell began to vibrate in his pocket he wrenched it out with an annoyed groan, looking at the screen. The number was blocked which probably meant it was Regulus and he hoped the Roman hadn't changed his mind.

  "What?" he snapped.

  "Zac?" It was a female voice. Definitely not Regulus.

  Was it? "Gabby? What the fuck."

  "Hello to you, too," she laughed.

  "How did you get this number?"

  "Give me some credit, Zac. I am a witch."

  "You know I don't buy that."

  "I put an APB out in the universe and I got a tip off." He could hear the shrug in her voice.

  "What do you want?"

  "I can see you're still grumpy."

  "Gabby, I'm not in the mood for a chat. I've got things to do."

  She laughed at his tone, which only fed his annoyance. "You've only been there two weeks and already you have a reputation."

  "I have a reputation?"

  "People like to talk, Zac."

  "People talk about me? Why would they bother?"

  "They bother because they're afraid of you. There is a lot of talk about two very particular killings a while ago."

  Vince and Garett. "Good. Then maybe people will stay the fuck away from me."

  "Zac…"

  "Can we talk about something else?" he asked, pinching the bridge of his nose.

  "If you want."

  "Sam?"

  "Oh, so you still do care. Word on the street is that you gave up on your humanity."

  "Gabby."

  "He's fine. He and Liz moved to LA."

  "Liz got into college."

  "Yeah. UCLA."

  They were silent for a moment and he wondered... "Is he happy? Are they happy?"

  "Yes."

  "Good," he declared sharply.

  "Sounds like something's still in the on position in there."

  Was it that obvious? "Aya locked me in a dungeon and tortured me into it."

  "Wow," Gabby exclaimed. "I knew she had guts, but wow."

  "Are you taking a dig at me?" he spat.

  "Shut the hell up, Zac."

  "What were you saying about guts?"

  Gabby's laughter came down the line and his mood lifted slightly.

  "Why are you calling me?" he asked, fed up with the small talk. "I know this isn't a courtesy call."

  "I know how to kill Regulus. For good. And I need you to do it."

  Zac's eyes widened and he felt his heart skip a beat. "Start talking."

  "This is what you need to do…"

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  As far as hair-brained schemes went, Gabby's was at the top of the pile.

  When they were trying to find a way to end Arturius, Zac had suggested to her that she could replicate Aya's ability, but she'd scoffed at the notion. The one thing they hadn't counted on was the Coven. A Celestine's abilities couldn't be replicated, but they could be transferred. And only one person had the ability to wield it. Zac shared the same blood as the Coven through Victoria. He would be the one to do it.

  Until now, Zac'd been negligible. Someone had figured out that his blood was potent to Aya and her abilities and the information had found its way to Regulus. That was the only reason he'd shown up in Ashburton. He'd been manipulated into becoming the thing he loathed all for the Roman's own gain. And now the time was close where he would die.

  They had no idea who Sam truly was, he'd ripped Victoria's head off before his little brother could even complete the change. There was no way they could know that they were true brothers or even vampire brothers. Not unless someone went digging. Gabby would make sure he and Liz were hidden and safe. He had never uttered Sam's name to anyone, not even Nye, and if they even had an inkling, then he would become a target as well. There was no way in hell that was going to happen.

  Gabby's plan was brilliant and all, but there was one hitch. Zac knew he was linked to Regulus and if he actually succeeded in killing him, he would die along with the Roman. And he was willing to do it, knowing what would happen. After all, he had turned into something dark and didn't even have enough trust in himself to come back fully. Even after falling for Aya and her colorful attempts at bringing him back. Truth be told he was never fully there in the first place.

  For their plan to work, he needed to get Coraline out. It was her power they needed. It had been over a week since he'd seen her and wondered what condition she was left in. There was no doubt in his mind that she was alive. Regulus needed her to get into the Coven's sanctuary.

  Walking into the apartment, he wasn't sure what he would be coming back to. Any respect he'd garnered with the Four might be misplaced now that he'd been captured by a girl. The Hunter, but still a girl.

  "Hey," Rix said as he walked into the kitchen. "Heard you got tortured by a girl."

  Case and point. "Gimme that," he said and snatched the beer he'd just taken from the fridge.

  "Hey," Rix exclaimed, but he'd already walked away.

  Nye was draped over the sofa watching something on the television, beer in hand. Looking up, he grimaced at Zac, pointing to his nose, "Missed a spot."

  Shucking off Nye's coat, he flung it at the spy, hitting him in the head.

  "Aw man, you got blood on it," he cursed, flinging it aside.

  "Don't worry, its only mine," Zac shrugged, sitting across from him.

  Nye raised an eyebrow.

  "Regulus has a mean right hook."

  "We good?"

  "For now." Taking a swig of beer he said, "Where we at?"

  "The half-breed's still downstairs and in one piece, if that's what you mean."

  "What are we doing with her?"

  "Nothing yet. No doubt Regulus will want to move her. I don't know why he hasn't told us to yet. A week is a long time," he raised an eyebrow. "Maybe he was waiting for you to come back. Alive or dead."

  As if on cue Zac's cell began to ring. Looking at the screen, he nodded. "Master beckons," he said with a roll of his eyes.

  "Careful mate."

  "Hello," he said, walking down the hall.

  "Zachary," came Regulus' voice. "I need you to do something."

  "When?"

  "Now," he snapped. "I need you to move the half-breed. Think you can manage that without being abducted again?"

  "Yes," he said thinly, holding back the urge to say something sarcastic.

  "I have a house just outside of Andover," the Roman said. "Take her there. It's guarded and secluded."

  "Understood."

  "Take Pyke and Maddox with you. They know the way. Oh and Zachary?"

  "Yes?" he asked warily.

  "Do not fuck this up."

  Oh, he was going to fuck this up royally. Hanging up, he walked through the apartment and called out to the two vampires. "Maddox. Pyke."

  "What's up?" Maddox stuck his head out into the kitchen.

  "We're taking the half-breed to Regulus' house in Andover."

  "Now?"

  Zac narrowed his eyes at the assassin. "Now."

  "Fine," he said, grabbing his jacket. "Pyke! C'mon. Regulus' orders."

  Zac strode into the living room and snatched up Nye's coat again.

  "Not again," he protested.

  "Back later."

  Nye watched him thoughtfully as he left the apartment, joining Pyke and Maddox who were already down in the garage. As he crossed over to the car, Maddox came out of the storage room a moment later with Coraline flung over his shoulder. He hadn't bothered to bind her hands and when he set her down, Zac glared at him and the assassin pulled the roll of gaffer tape from his back pocket. Snatching it away, he bound her wrists together and her ankles. The whole time she just stood there and took it, not making a sound. Zac narrowed his eyes at her, but she didn't look up at him once.

  Pyke popped the truck and opened it up, watching as he tossed Coraline inside. Zac watched her eyes pass from him to Pyke as if she was trying to work something out and he wondered if she knew somethin
g more than just moving her was about to go down. With a sneer, he lifted a hand up and slammed the trunk closed.

  Maddox went to open the drivers side door, but Zac stepped in front of him, shoving the assassin out of the way. "I'm driving."

  "You don't know where to go," he began to argue.

  Turning around, he spat, "So give me directions."

  Maddox backed away, hands in the air. "No problems," he said, looking at the ground or anywhere that wasn't direct eye contact with Zac.

  Pyke got into the front with him, neglecting to put his seatbelt on. "You wanna go west on A30, south on M40 and west as far as she goes on the M3. There's signage from there for Andover."

  Zac raised an eyebrow. "Or you can just put the address in the GPS."

  "Could never get that thing to work," Pyke shrugged.

  The engine roared to life and Zac pulled the car out of the parking garage and onto the road, squealing the tyres on the asphalt. As the buildings of the city began to thin out into the trees and fields of the country, his mind rolled over the different ways he could get rid of the two vampires in the car with him without killing them in the process. The possibilities were endless, but he'd have to be careful not to hurt Coraline too much. When he threw her into the trunk he noticed that there were a lot of blankets stashed away. No doubt for the countless bodies the Four had to dispose of, but in this case it would be enough padding for the witch to ride this out.

  This time of night, the roads were mostly empty, the M40 was only travelled by them and a few trucks and b-doubles hauling cross country deliveries. All he needed was an embankment or a ditch. Idly, he found himself wondering what the safety rating was on this car, but it didn't matter as long as he didn't snap his neck. Up ahead, a sign stated that it was six miles to Andover and that meant time was running short. He had to do it now.

  As the road rose slightly, a ditch pronounced itself to the left and he swerved violently to the side, the car smashing through the barrier.

  "What the fuck?!" Pyke cried out, his hand shooting out to grab the wheel, but as the car hit the corner of the embankment, it dropped on one side, causing it to flip over and roll several times. The vampire wasn't wearing a seat belt, so the first thing that happened was his body flew forwards into the windscreen, cracking it where his head collided with a sickening thud.

  Zac let go of the wheel, taking his foot off the gas and braced his arms against the roof, grimacing as Pyke's now unconscious body slammed into his side. The car flipped at least a dozen times before it finally slid to a stop upside down in a shower of crunching metal and tinkling glass.

  The engine ticked as it began to cool, hissing coming from somewhere inside. After a minute, when the car didn't catch on fire, Zac grimaced, shaking his head. It seemed he was the only one still conscious.

  Unfastening his seatbelt, he turned about and kicked out the drivers side window. Crawling into the night air, he stood with his hands on his knees and waited for the gash on his forehead to heal. Cursing, he lifted his shirt to see a blackened bruise already forming from his shoulder to hip where an unconscious Pyke had bashed into him at least ten times as the car went over. It only took a minute for it to turn a sickly yellow and finally back to normal - deathly pale. Cracking his neck, Zac pushed against the wreck, flipping it right side up. Kicking open the mangled trunk, he found Coraline unconscious and bloody.

  "Shit," he cursed, pulling her out and laying her carefully on the grass. Pressing an ear against her chest, he faintly heard her heart fluttering. Slashing his wrist open on a piece of jagged metal he pressed it against her lips, flooding her mouth with his blood. Her natural reflex was to swallow and when she inevitably did he sighed in relief. If she died, then it was over.

  Zac pulled the gaffer tape from her wrists and ankles, covering her with a blanket and walked around what was left of the car. Pyke was laying in the mud a full ten feet away, his neck at an odd angle, blood heavy in the air around him. Inside, Maddox was smart enough to wear his seatbelt and welts had risen up on his skin where it had pressed into his flesh, but at some stage, his head had hit the widow at his side. Blood still ran from a gash in his temple and Zac started as the assassin groaned, his eyes fluttering as he tried to force consciousness.

  Zac couldn't have that. It took all his strength to twist the door open and when he did, he reached inside, pulling the vampire form the wreck.

  "What are you doing?" Maddox managed to rasp, his eyes on Zac as he was dumped unceremoniously in the dirt.

  Zac's only answer was to bend down and snap the assassin's neck before he could heal enough to challenge him.

  His head snapped up as Coraline's sharp gasp signaled her return to health. Crouching down beside her, he waited for her to get her bearings. She'd probably be pissed, but at least she was alive.

  "What the hell?" She almost threw up, spitting blood on the grass.

  "Sorry about the theatrics," he said as she glared up at him. "But it's hard to surprise these guys. They've seen it all."

  "You're a mole?" Coraline asked, sounding surprised. "But…"

  "But what?" he turned to face her, eyes dark. "You want to give Regulus and the Coven the middle finger. What I want out of this is none of your business. I got you out of there, so just be fucking grateful."

  "You gave me your blood?"

  "Don't sound so surprised."

  "But…"

  "I crashed the car, so lets just call it even."

  "If you're not one of them, then why are you so…"

  "Mental?" he interrupted. "That's the word you're looking for, right?"

  She cringed back from him, wiping her mouth on the blanket.

  "I am not a puzzle for you to solve, Coraline," he sneered. She shrunk back even further from him and he should have felt bad, but there was nothing. "You're getting what you want." He pulled her to her feet and began to drag her out of the ditch.

  "Where are we going?"

  "To see your little boyfriend."

  "What?"

  "Maximus," he spat.

  "How did you know?" Before he could retort, she said, "The witch told you, didn't she?"

  "Yes," he shrugged, knowing she meant Gabby. How those two came to be buddies, was beyond him.

  "How do you know her?"

  "Oh, we go way back," he said sarcastically. "How do you know her?"

  "She came to me while I was in that cage."

  "She came to see you?" Zac asked, his brow furrowing.

  "Not like that," Coraline said. "She spoke to me through meditation."

  "I'm just going to pretend I know what that means."

  "She spoke to me in my mind. She told me help was coming, but I didn't expect it to be from you."

  "Sorry I disappointed you."

  "I should've guessed it after you spoke to me."

  "Shut up," he snapped. "We've gotta go."

  "Where are we?"

  "Just outside of Andover."

  "If we're going to Salisbury, it's still a fair way," Coraline said, hugging her arms around herself. She didn't even have a jacket. "Did you even think about how we were going to get there?"

  "I'll carry you."

  "Oh, no you won't. You almost killed me in that car!"

  "I healed you."

  "Lucky for you I was still alive."

  His eyes began to darken and he turned away before she could push him any further. "You have legs," he snapped. "Use them."

  Coraline only groaned and began to walk down the side of the highway, looking past him back down the road, but it was empty, the only sign of the crash the broken barrier.

  They'd only walked half a mile when Zac looked back and found she'd fallen behind. "You walk too slow," he huffed, his breath vaporizing in the icy air.

  "Not all of us have super vampire strength you know," she said sarcastically as she caught up.

  "Here," he said, beckoning her over. "Jump on my back."

  "What?" She hugged her arms around herself, turni
ng a shoulder towards him.

  "I said, get on my back. It'll be faster."

  "No way."

  "Coraline," he rolled his eyes, annoyed at her reluctance. "I'm not going to eat you and I'm not going to hurt you. I swear you won't catch a horrible disease by touching me."

  She looked at him warily, glancing back down the road.

  "Yeah, they'll be coming soon enough," he said, but she still didn't move. "For fuck's sake. It's freezing, you'll catch your death standing out here."

  "If you're not with them, then who are you with?" she asked quietly.

  "Is that what this is?" he scoffed.

  "Who?"

  Zac sighed loudly, running a hand over his face. If he was on a side, he supposed it would be hers. "We're on the same side, Coraline. Now get the fuck on my back."

  Reluctantly, she jumped up onto his back, curling her arms around his neck and he hooked her knees around his elbows.

  "Hold on," he said sharply. "If you fall off, I'm not going back for you."

  "This is it," Coraline said, tapping Zac on the shoulder.

  He shrugged her off his back and she almost fell on her backside.

  "Hey!"

  "Thirty minutes is better than six hours, huh?" he said, ignoring her.

  They stood out the front of a small cottage, warm light glowing from the downstairs windows. A think layer of frost had already settled on the grass and Coraline was shivering, despite wearing his coat. Well, Nye's coat. She shucked it off and threw it at him like it was laced with poison.

  "A thanks would be nice," he cocked his head to the side, watching her in the half-light.

  "Thanks," she rolled her eyes and walked up to the front door, rapping on it sharply. A moment later the door inched open a crack and a man peered out at them.

  "Coraline?" he exclaimed, throwing the door open wide. A second later he saw Zac loitering in the shadows and he swallowed hard, looking him up and down as the witch ducked inside.

  Zac laughed at him, shaking his head. "Invite me in Maximus."

  "I'm not even going to begin to wonder how you know who I am," the priest said. "Thank you for freeing Coraline. I assume that's what you did vampire, but I can't let you in."