Chapter 33

Zachariah had reflected on Willow’s words all night long, and he still couldn’t come to terms with it, even as it became morning. He understood why vampires had to kill. He understood that if he wanted to remain healthy and not revert to being feral, he had to partake of human blood.

Yet, he couldn’t accept it.

“Why human blood of all things?” he grumbled as he wandered off toward the lake, but not too far because he was sure the other two would have his head if he got lost. Besides, he was in no hurry to run into another blood hunter again. Although he was upset with Adam, he knew that to remain by his side meant to stay safe.

He frowned. Adam was a blood hunter, or at least he used to be. How could he choose to become such a thing? How could the awkward painter become something dangerous and unfeeling? Once, a blood hunter had passed through their village when they were young children, and it had been a terrifying ordeal. The man had demanded a place to stay, refused to pay, and bullied anyone who got in his way. And people went along with it because they were too frightened to stand up to him. Was that what Adam was? Did he ever do anything like that?

He was disappointed in his brother. He could have amounted to something more significant in his life. All that potential…lost.

Shaking the upsetting thoughts from his mind, he continued to follow the path leading to the lake but stopped short when he found Adam’s two swords sheathed in their scabbards, lying on the rock he and Willow had been occupying the night before.

He glanced right and left to make sure the other two were out of sight before he pulled out a pair of gloves from his pocket and slipped them onto his hands to keep the metal from burning his skin. Carefully, he grabbed the iron sword by the hilt and pulled it free of its scabbard, the metal shined to perfection.

He maneuvered the weapon through the air, testing its weight in his hands. It felt a little light, but he attributed it to his new strength as a vampire. The sword seemed to balance well in his hand, and as he sliced it through the air, his eyebrows rose in surprise at how agile it was. It was no wonder Adam enjoyed this—holding a sword in his hand. It gave him an odd sort of thrill, though he was doing nothing more than moving it through the air. He sliced it through the air faster and faster, moving his feet with his movements, and for a moment, he envisioned himself as a soldier on the battlefield, fighting the enemy and leading his squadron to victory.

With his smile widening, he became more confident in his steps, and although he had no idea what he was doing, he enjoyed the way the sword moved with him. Thrust left. Parry right. Swing overhead.

In his mind, an enemy soldier came at him fast and it was all he could do to block in time, and then he spun, swinging the weapon, and sliced right through his mark. Except his target was a thick tree trunk. And the power behind the blow didn’t stop at the bark. The sword forced its way all the way through the tree, cutting it clean in half.

He gasped and jumped backward, watching the tree groan loudly as it started tipping precariously before smashing loudly to the ground, making the earth tremble like an earthquake had occurred.

Sure enough, both Willow and Adam came scrambling over, and all he could do was stand sheepishly, his grasp on the weapon giving him away immediately. Adam’s eyes widened as he looked from him to the tree, to the sword.

“Sorry,” he said with a grimace.

“Sorry?” Adam asked with a scowl. “You completely blunted my sword!”

Adam yanked the weapon from his hands and inspected the damage. But instead of groveling like his brother seemed to expect him to do, he found himself growing angry. Everything he thought and felt since the blood hunter attack came tumbling out at once.

“And what do you need it for, Adam?” he snapped. “Going to kill more vampires? Because that’s something you’re certainly good at.”

“What did you say?”

“You heard me!” he shouted, pushing his brother in the shoulders, Adam staggering backward at his brute strength. Adam had never been the violent one growing up, but Zachariah may have thrown a punch or two when someone really crossed the line. “How could you, Adam? I know how you feel about Willow, and if you haven’t noticed, she’s a vampire! What are you going to use your iron sword for, Adam? What?”

Although Adam didn’t push him back, he stood still with his hands balled into fists—something he’d done as a child when he was overly angry or upset. It looked like he hadn’t changed in that aspect. Just everything else.

With balled fists, Adam argued, “I have it to protect you! I would rather have something and not need it than not have something and need it.”

His words should have quelled the turmoil inside Zachariah’s heart, but he couldn’t stop the stampede of bulls now. The gate was broken, and the bulls were loose. “How could you!” he cried again, pushing Adam’s shoulders once more. Adam still didn’t fight back. “You know how I felt about blood hunters! You knew they were vile humans. Why, Adam, why?”

“I did it for you,” Adam growled. “I did it to find a cure.”

“Well, you know what? There is no cure!”

Everything came crashing down on him at once, and he couldn’t stop himself from sinking to his knees. His hands trembled from the residue his anger left on his heart. He was upset. Not only with Adam, but with himself. How could he have locked himself in a vodryx prison and hoped for Adam to find a cure?

He had become feral far too soon after that and was unable to get the help he needed while he was of a sound mind. He’d asked for Adam’s help, yes. But he had never thought Adam would turn to the blood hunters to find a cure. It was detestable. It was dishonorable.

To his surprise, Adam crouched to the ground and held him. He didn’t like to cry in front of others, but he couldn’t help himself from weeping into Adam’s shoulder.

“I hate what you’ve become!” he sobbed. “To think you have killed vampires in the same way the blood hunter nearly killed me… I was terrified, Adam! How could you have become a blood hunter? How could you kill without mercy?”

“I did it for you,” Adam choked out. But he knew Adam wasn’t one for crying. He never cried, even when Zachariah was a blubbering mess. “Do you think it was easy to become what I am? I would have done anything for you, Zach. Anything. And now that I have forsaken the blood hunter life, I still must live with the choices I’ve made, the things I’ve done.”

He sniffed but held his brother tighter. He had missed Adam terribly, and it terrified him to let him go. He tried to act like he didn’t care that Adam was planning on leaving him behind and sending him off with Willow, but the truth was that it hurt.

To his own surprise, he let out a vampire wail, a sound he didn’t know he was capable of making. “Why are you leaving? Do you hate me? What I am…does it disgust you? I’m still your brother. I haven’t changed.”

Adam let out a long breath, and he held him closer. “You have changed, Zachariah. Quite a bit. You’re older. Somehow, you’re more mature. Becoming a vampire seems to be natural for you. But that’s not why I’m leaving. It’s because I got in way over my head. I broke blood hunter rules, and now I’m putting you in danger by simply being around you. I already have put you in danger. Can’t you see? I can’t stay with you.”

“But…you’re all I have left.”

His words sounded strangled and desperate. And right then, he realized that Adam being a blood hunter wasn’t entirely the problem. Zachariah would lose the one person he cared for more than anything in the entire kingdom.

“You may be willing to leave me…” he said, his voice now calm as his heart healed a little bit. “But how could you possibly leave Willow? She loves you. And anyone would be downright stupid if they couldn’t see that you return her feelings.”

Adam’s arms tensed, and he did that dumb thing he always did when he was nervous, pinching his earlobe between his fingers. Every time he did it, their mother would smack his hand with a wooden spoon. It seemed as if it was a habit he would never grow out of.

He lifted his gaze to look at Willow over Adam’s shoulder to see that her eyes were wide, her face red with a blush. Such an awkward couple…

And it was safe to say that he was tired of watching the awkwardness unfold.

Adam suddenly hooked his arm around his neck and dragged him to his feet, grinding his knuckles against his head like he used to do whenever Zachariah stole his paints as children. That was the most violent he ever saw his brother get. He screeched and found it difficult to escape the headlock, despite being much stronger than his brother.

“Are you done now?” Adam growled, finally releasing him.

His heart felt much lighter. It took a little anger, a few tears, and a mighty confession to get to this point. “Actually, yes. I’m quite done.”

“Good. Now let’s get a move on before any more blood hunters are attracted by the earthquake you made dulling my sword.”

Despite everything, he couldn’t help but smile as he rubbed the remaining tears from his eyes. Now that was the Adam he remembered. Maybe things didn’t look hopeless after all.

Before he could take a step, Adam turned back with an emotion in his eyes that looked like regret. “I don’t want to leave you, you have to know that. I am happy to have you back, vampire or not.”

That brought him a world of relief. Adam still loved him. That helped things not seem as hopeless.

“I’m glad to hear it, Adam,” he replied with a half-smile. “I am glad to have you back too, blood hunter or not.”