Chapter 29

Willow and Zachariah were in danger, and they didn’t know it.

One of the first places a blood hunter was bound to look for him was his own cabin, and Adam had no doubt they would catch onto the two fresh vampire scents. It didn’t matter if he thwarted the blood hunters off his own trail. The vampires would still be susceptible in their ignorance and he didn’t want to tell them for fear that Willow would opt to stay behind.

He couldn’t allow her to do that.

After all, he had captured her and had every chance to kill her, and she was over three centuries old! What would happen if more than one blood hunter came after him and she stood in their way?

He shook his head. It was safer for her at Ichor Knell.

The three of them made their way north on foot—Willow couldn’t figure out how to materialize anyone but herself—and he silently and casually created diverting paths to throw the blood hunters off their scent, right under both vampires’ noses. It was difficult to accomplish under her watchful eye, but she was often distracted with Zachariah, especially during the times they disappeared to hunt—something he tried hard not to think about.

He covered their tracks and broke branches to create another false trail nearly a quarter mile away, rubbing against trees to make sure his scent lingered. He hoped his efforts weren’t in vain, that they might buy them a little more time.

Returning to his horse at a little past noon, he found Willow and Zachariah were still on their hunt. He took his horse by the reins and continued down the path. She would be able to find him, but he couldn’t risk waiting for them. To stop would mean to sleep. To sleep would mean to put themselves at risk.

“Adam.”

His heart burst with alarm as he spun around, instinctively reaching for a sword at his back, but he relaxed when his gaze found Zachariah, Willow only steps behind him, her expression cautious.

He blew out a breath. “Don’t sneak up on me. You know I can’t hear you coming.”

“We were making noise,” Zachariah insisted. “For that very purpose. Are humans so hard of hearing? It’s been such a long time that I can’t remember.”

That much was true. Zachariah had been a vampire for half his life.

“Let’s keep moving,” he said, pushing past his brother.

“I think we should stop,” Willow said. “For a few hours, at least. Adam, you’re still recovering. I don’t know how you can keep a pace like this.”

“I told you I would see you safely to Ichor Knell and I meant it. That means we have to keep moving. How much further?”

The two vampires gave in and continued walking beside him. She answered, “Perhaps a day at the pace we’re going.”

He rolled his shoulders and grimaced. His body felt incredibly sore in more ways than one. But he had fared worse. Or at least he thought as much. First, his body was still weak as it tried to replace the blood he had lost. Second, Dracula… The vampire shah was much stronger than he had anticipated. Terrifyingly strong. And he never wanted to face him again. In any circumstance. Which meant he had to see Willow and Zachariah to as close as he could get to Ichor Knell without actually entering the vampire stronghold.

He took a deep breath of the fresh, woodsy air to try and clear his mind. He tried to push Dracula from his thoughts. He decided not to brood over leaving Zachariah and Willow or worry about the blood hunters more than likely on his trail. And most of all, he tried not to think about Willow and her beauty taunting him at every moment.

The kiss last night… It had been unexpected but breathtaking at the same time. And he wanted to do it again. Unfortunately, it was dangerous to do again. Wouldn’t it be better to leave her in Ichor Knell without having led her on? She would return to…what? A dead ex-blood hunter? Although he would try to last as long as possible, survival didn’t seem promising.

He ran a hand through his hair. He was overly anxious but for a good reason. Keeping Zachariah and Willow safe was more important than seeking comfort in her embrace.

“Adam, do you have to bring all those weapons with you?” Willow asked suddenly, frowning. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

His frown mirrored hers. He didn’t have that many weapons on him—a silver sword, an iron sword, a dagger, a knife tucked in his boot, a crossbow for hunting game. He had also stashed several deadly herbs in his saddlebags. He didn’t know what she was talking about.

“I only brought the necessities.”

She rolled her eyes. “My people will consider you a hostile blood hunter should they see you with iron weapons. Leave them behind.”

“No,” he replied stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m not setting foot in Ichor Knell. For the last time, I’m not coming with you.”

“And why not?” Did she just stamp her foot? “I already said you would be safe if you let me present you as my mate. What are you afraid of? My father won’t hurt you. I don’t want to wait months to see you again!”

What she didn’t know was that blood hunters were coming after him. He might not even make it months.

“Like I already said, my answer is no.”

She threw her hands up. “You are infuriating!”

They looked away from each other, both of them fuming. It frustrated him to no end that she didn’t understand the danger he would put her in if he came along to Ichor Knell, and he considered it cruel to tell her as much. He was more worried for her safety than his own.

The tension grew between them until it got to the point where even Zachariah seemed immensely uncomfortable. It was him who broke the tense silence.

“Why don't you use your blood gem to heal yourself?” Zachariah asked curiously. “Your ribs are broken, aren’t they?”

He furrowed his eyebrows. How did Zachariah gather that? He’d never spoken of it, and as far as he knew, Willow hadn’t either. Still, his brother waited patiently for an answer. He had changed quite a bit since he turned. Adam didn’t know his brother anymore, and it pained him that he would have to send him off with Willow, trusting her to care for him as he would have.

“I’m saving it for emergencies.” Heaven knew he would have plenty of those soon. “Right now, my pain is only a nuisance. I would rather deal with that than not have enough magic stored should a real threat come along.”

He grasped the blood gem in his palm, frowning at how little magic he sensed was left. He needed to save every ounce of magic he was able for when it really mattered.

“Or…” Zachariah said, his mouth turning into a mischievous smile. His fangs sprouted, and Adam tensed, staring at his brother warily. “We can bite you. Vampires heal quite fast.”

He cringed inwardly. He didn’t ever want to become a vampire, despite knowing they were intelligent, feeling beings.

Guilt rose inside of him as he realized Zachariah had just created an opportunity for him to distance himself from them. It was an unkind thing to say, but it would make it easier for them to endure his upcoming death.

“The last thing I would ever want to be is a bloodsucking creature.”

He saw Willow’s shoulders slump and knew his words had cut her deep. He saw in Zachariah’s dejected expression that he had hurt him. It was as it should be. It would be easier for them to leave him behind.

Finally, Zachariah said, “You’ve changed… But I suppose we both have. Maybe it’s for the best you don’t plan on accompanying us to our destination.”

“Perhaps it’s for the best,” he whispered.

It hurt.

It hurt immensely.

Zachariah was slipping away, and no matter how hard he tried to grasp on, his brother managed to slip through his fingers as if he were made of sand.

He knew he couldn’t remain there. He needed a minute to himself.

And he found his excuse as he saw a familiar flash of blue from the corner of his eye. He immediately tensed, fingers itching to draw his sword. But nothing happened. Everything was still. However, he knew what he had seen. A sapphire gem.

A blood hunter.

With a stiff posture, he cleared his throat and lied with a straight face, “You two go on. I found a patch of briarthorn I want to collect.” He had found the lie came easily, which bothered him. “I won’t be long, but I don’t want to lose any distance.”

“Shouldn’t I go with you?” Willow asked, concern in her voice despite his awful comment. He needed to do more to convince her she would be better off without him.

“I’m fully capable of taking care of myself, Willow. Go on ahead. I will catch up.”

She continued reluctantly, unaware of how close the danger was. He had to do this quietly. He didn’t want either vampire to hear the forthcoming battle.

Waiting until the vampires and the horse disappeared around the bend, he ducked into the trees and ran as fast as his sore body would allow in the opposite direction to get out of range of the vampires’ hearing. Sure enough, someone tromped after him. If Willow heard the fight, she would come to his aid, which put her in danger. He had to—

He tripped on a hidden root, sprawling face first in a heap of sloshy mud. He had moments to dodge as the second blood hunter brought his weapon down with exhilarating speed, the weapon hitting earth instead of flesh.

“Matthew!” he gasped, rolling to his feet and pulling his iron sword free of his scabbard. He gaped as he watched his friend with wary eyes. Matthew had attacked him. His good friend. They had been inseparable when they trained at Sedhyl. This small bit of betrayal hurt. Matthew was the last person he had ever expected to come after him, yet he was the first. “Why? I thought we were friends.”

Matthew’s eyes were hard, and he looked troubled, but that didn’t stop him. There was a darkness about him he’d never seen before. Not even at the academy. Matthew had been one of the elite, one of the most driven save for Wyler, and perhaps Tobias. It was because of their shared dislike of Wyler that they had become unlikely friends. They had graduated together. They had taken jobs together. Matthew was his friend. Despite the fact that they’d always been wary of each other out of habit, this wasn’t supposed to happen.

With a mighty sapphire gem-aided swing, Matthew went straight for the kill, aiming to shear his head from his shoulders, but he ducked in time, the blade passing right over his head.

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t fight his friend.

He jumped backward and raised his sword between them, making Matthew unable to get closer, and with his other hand, he ripped the blood gem right off his neck. “This is what you want, isn’t it? Take it!”

Matthew eyed the blood gem greedily like he had before Adam had arrived in Lakefalls. His friend truly wanted the blood gem. The question was why? Could possessing the blood gem be more important than their friendship?

“You know I can’t take it unless you are dead. Blood hunter law.”

“Then tell me why. You have a sapphire. Isn’t it enough?”

“No,” Matthew said, a faint hint of a snarl. “There were three of us—you, me, Wyler. I’m glad Wyler didn’t get the blood gem. But you? I was always better. I was always faster. You didn’t even want it!”

Matthew charged again, striking at him. He raised his sword to deflect the blow, but without calling upon his blood gem, the strike rendered him off balance. He twisted to the side, barely dodging getting nicked—he couldn’t bleed, for if he survived this ordeal, he couldn’t tempt Zachariah with his blood.

Again and again, Matthew struck at him with full force until Adam’s sword went flying off into the trees. He drew his silver sword—it was weaker than iron, but it could kill humans just as quickly.

“Why do you want it?” he asked as they circled one another, afraid to take their eyes off the other. “Your gem does the same thing as mine.” That was partly true. His blood gem held more souls, and it somehow amplified the magic within, needing fewer to perform feats of magic.

“Recognition,” Matthew answered simply. “You have no drive, Degore. You hide away instead of climbing the ladder. I want to climb the ladder, and a sapphire gem isn’t going to help me do that. I need the blood gem.”

He glared, his jaw clenching and unclenching as he stared back at Matthew. Matthew placed careful footfall after careful footfall as they continued to circle one another, his form perfect and calculating.

“Does our friendship mean nothing?”

“It was fun while it lasted,” Matthew said with a shrug, still eyeing the blood gem. “But a smart man knows when to sever ties. With the bounty on your head, now is the time to sever our friendship. It’s time to say our goodbyes.”

Charging forward, Matthew attacked again, and he dodged, on the defensive and refusing to go on the offensive. He blocked blow after blow before Matthew jumped backward as if to reassess his strategy.

“And a smart man knows when an alliance is beneficial,” he said, breathing heavily. “Form an alliance with me.”

“It would be suicide.”

“You would rather kill your friend?”

“We’re not friends anymore,” Matthew snarled, attacking once again, each blow swifter than the last. Adam was losing his grip on the fight. He could only be on the defensive for so long. And as he tried to ignore the bitter taste of betrayal, he focused hard on blocking each blow without getting nicked.

He shoved Matthew backward and once again offered his gem. “Take the blood gem,” he growled. He didn’t need it anymore. Not when a guild of blood hunters wanted his blood. “Tell them you killed me. I will stay low and unnoticed.”

“I have to bring back your head as proof.”

The color drained from his face. Matthew was serious about taking his life. Matthew didn’t come across as a greedy man, but he realized he’d been wrong. He was driven by the greed of recognition like Wyler was inspired by the greed of power. “Please,” he begged. “I don’t want to fight you.”

“You’ve gone soft, Degore.” A wicked glint flashed across Matthew’s expression, enough to send a shiver down his spine. “I saw the two vampires you were traveling with. Friends? Or is the female something more?”

All the blood rushed back to his face in a burst of anger. “You leave them out of this.”

“It’s part of the blood hunter pact,” Matthew chuckled. “I cannot leave a non-human monster alive. Both of them will have to die. After I get your blood gem, of course.”

He growled as he charged forward, fueled by his anger. He attacked Matthew, the clashing of sword on sword ringing through the dense forest. How dare he threaten Willow and Zachariah!

Matthew struck again, but this time, he burned the magic in his blood gem, the gem glowing red. Instead of staying on the defensive, he fought back, meeting blow after blow with his silver sword. He would do anything to protect his vampires.

To his despair, if his friend wouldn’t withdraw, he had no choice but to kill him. Willow and Zachariah came first.

Unfortunately for Matthew, Adam had improved dramatically since he graduated from the Sedhyl academy. But judging from the way Matthew fought ferociously and skillfully, he had too.

Metal clashed against metal, the sound loud in his ears yet softened by the trickling river nearby. Willow and Zachariah shouldn’t be able to hear. Or that was his hope. If they happened to get involved…

The thought of either one of them getting hurt made him fight harder, faster. Matthew grunted in pain as he struck the blood hunter’s side, yet the fight continued. Bright flashes of red and blue surrounded them. They were evenly matched.

They both fought hard, giving everything they had. It was clear to him that Matthew coveted the blood gem like Wyler had, but he had hidden his desire far better. Matthew’s want of it drove him hard, and he had a more and more difficult time deflecting his blows. More than once, the other blood hunter came close to delivering a blow, but he pushed harder with his blood gem, relying on its power to pull him through.

He gritted his teeth. He had to end this.

He feigned right, and Matthew fell for it. He grabbed his friend’s arm and threw him over his back and into the nearby stream. Before Matthew had a chance to retaliate, he stepped on Matthew’s sword hand, pinning him with his boot as he ripped the sapphire gem from his friend’s neck.

Matthew snarled at him in response. “You can’t take it from me. I’m not dead.”

“Yes I can. I am not a blood hunter anymore. I don’t abide by your rules. I’ll give you one more chance, Matthew. Leave. Don’t show your face again.”

Matthew’s eyes flashed dangerously with determination despite his position in the stream. “I would rather die than relinquish my gem.” With lightning speed, Matthew produced a dagger and attempted to attack again, and Adam reacted.

He slammed his sword into Matthew’s chest and watched as Matthew’s arm became limp, his dagger falling from his fingers. Matthew coughed up blood, the red substance trailing from the corner of his mouth and dripping down his cheek. And slowly, the light disappeared from his eyes.

He was dead.

Adam sank to his knees, the water soaking his clothing. But he didn’t feel the bite of the cold river. He could only see Matthew’s lifeless body before him, and it hurt knowing he had done this. He had killed his friend.

He hunched over and allowed a painful sob to escape him. Not once had he cried since his parents’ death. But now he let the dam break loose. He wept for his loss. He allowed the tears to escape freely. Although he knew he hadn’t had a choice, it still hurt immensely.

“Why?” he sobbed, slamming his fist on Matthew’s still shoulder. “Why did you make me do this?” He slammed his fist down again, but it didn’t take the ache away. The ache festered inside of him to the point where he couldn’t breathe. A heavy weight settled in his chest.

His tears flowed endlessly, trailing from his eyes and down his cheeks, dripping from his chin and getting lost in the languid stream. He wished he had never received this blasted blood gem. He hated it. It took away everything he loved.

In a despairing rage, he threw the blood gem with all his might. It landed with a soft ‘thunk’ in the dirt, its red depths as cold and lifeless as Matthew’s body.

He stood still and stared at the gem. But shook his head and wearily trailed after it, picking it up and brushing the dirt from its surface. He knew what power the gem held. And he had to keep it safe from people like Wyler. It could do a lot of damage in the wrong hands. For some mystifying reason, he now cared about some of the creatures he used to kill. No, not creatures. Vampires were not creatures. They were every bit as deserving as humans.

Returning to Matthew’s body, he pulled his sword free and swallowed hard as he placed the sapphire gem on top of the man’s chest. It quickly became bloodied, but he couldn’t find the courage to take it. If he took it, he would be just like them. He didn’t want to be like the blood hunters. Not anymore.

“Goodbye, Matthew,” he whispered, taking one last deep breath before walking away.