Dark War Chronicles Box Set One (92 page)

Another Hunter down. He’d gotten the call from James later that evening. The vampire had snagged an Independent Hunter as well. One that was tied to an Original, but the human had played his cards right. The one Original vampire who was awake knew where he was. Which meant that if he didn’t return, Zaaren would look for him, but he was at least out of the way for a little bit.

He crossed Sidel off the list. Isadora would not be so lucky to escape the place. The Society turned a blind eye to the human trade because it was too big of a problem. The communications between her and her commanding Hunter were few and far between. If anyone wanted to know where she was, they’d have to dig deeper. Everyone would assume she was missing for a few months and then presumed dead after a year. If she was to return...he’d make sure that her testimony would never be taken seriously.

Ayden leaned his back against the bars of his cell, a disgusting square with a chamber pot in the corner. He’d seen better environments in the Middle Ages. This was crap. His only condolence was that Izzy was in the cell next to him.

“Think you could tell me what exactly is going on now?” Izzy asked, her back against her own bars.

Ayden shook his head. “I can’t tell you any more than I know. Other than I hope Z can get us both out of this.”

“And if he can’t?”

For once Ayden heard fear in her voice. “I don’t know Izzy, but no matter what, if I leave, I’m going to come back for you. I won’t leave you to this life.”

“What happens here? Why do you know so much?”

Ayden’s heart fell. “I had to rescue my sister from a similar place. They take humans and train them. Some they keep for breeding. The harder the human is to break, the more expensive they are. They’re sold to the highest bidder or to a private client. Some end up being Bound Humans, others just food.” He closed his eyes, remembering what shape his sister had been in.

“What happened to her?”

“She died. She wasn’t strong enough to handle what she went through. I did everything I could for her, Nuala helped. Z...” He shook his head. “She was only twelve. She had lost too much blood.” He tried to stop the new wave of grief going through him.

“You speak like it wasn’t modern days. You said that there were rules to protect unbound humans—“

“Ayden, you’re one lucky bastard.” James’ voice cut through Izzy’s.

Ayden looked up and raised a brow. “I’m in a cage, how is that lucky?”

“Zaaren’s come to claim you.”

His heart jumped. “Isadora too.”

“No. She stays. He has no claim to her, no right. Got to love the laws.” James laughed and produced a key. He opened it and grabbed Ayden by the arm.

The Hunter knew he had two choices. Fight and ruin Zaaren’s negotiations, or go peacefully so he’d have a chance to return for Izzy.

He glanced at her and she nodded as if reading his mind. “I’m a Hunter, Ayden. I’ve been trained to deal with this.”

“Of course. Don’t forget what I said.” But he couldn’t help but feel like he was betraying her as James dragged him away.

Walking past the row of cages, Ayden couldn’t stop the pit of dread in his stomach. Each and every human in there deserved to be free. It was disgusting. James dragged him through a door at the end of the hallway and then into a ballroom. The only thing in the room was a stage and Zaaren.

James shoved him forward. “Keep him off these grounds and out of this territory. We have permission to be here and according to the Father we are not doing anything wrong.”

“The Father’s laws were overturned by the Originals.” Zaaren remained calm. “And they will be the laws again as soon as we all wake.”

James laughed. “It was clever to make sure you knew where Ayden was, or I could have killed him and his death would have killed Nuala as well. What would you have done then, Zaaren? With her gone?”

“Take my revenge in the only manner an Original can. Come, Ayden.”

Ayden bit his tongue at being beckoned like a dog, but he tried to be grateful for his freedom. Zaaren grabbed him and used his abilities to take him back to Lucius’ mansion.

Ayden growled. “Warnings, you stupid bloodsucker.”

“Watch your tone.” Zaaren snarled. “Between you and Tegan I wonder what the hell is wrong with Bound Humans now.”

Ayden raised a brow. “Need I remind you that you sent me out there on an impossible mission. That woman was not going to listen to a stranger.”

“Your mission was to bring her home, by any means. Now she’s in the trade.” Zaaren snarled. “Not where I wanted her. I don’t know how we’re going to get her back.”

“What is so important about her? Z,  you act like she could be the one to save the world.” Ayden shook his head. “As soon as Nuala wakes, I’m going back there. I’m not leaving her there.”

Zaaren paused in his pacing. “Nuala would kill James...that could work in our advantage. If we do it before others realize she’s awake.”

“Are you going to answer my question?” Ayden asked with a sigh.

“My reasons are not your concern. Now go seek out Tegan, she needs to fill you in on what you missed.”

“How much could I have missed?” Ayden ran his hand through his hair.

Zaaren met his gaze. “A lot. Now go.”

Author’s Note

The Blood of Night
is the first DWC: Origins story. It covers a lot of Zaaren’s past. It can be read as a standalone, but does contain some spoilers for
Past Demons.
I hope you enjoy this first look at a new path for DWC. Enjoy! –A.L. Kessler

DWC: Origins #1

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B
lood. I craved blood. Lifting my eyes I found my source and a wicked grin crossed my face. The woman was blindfolded and held by guards for me, she’d be an easy mark and I had to ease the pain flowing through me. Fire ran through my veins and demanded that I tear into the throat out of the woman. Yet...something in me warned me not to, that she was precious to me.

Her captor threw her forward and I rushed to her. Needing to sink my fangs into anything to ease my aching I latched to her collarbone and ignored her screams and pleas. Her cries died down to sobs and my mind cleared. Something pulsed through my body. Power took the place of the pain and aches, the want for blood disappeared as I pulled away from the woman.

My eyes flickered down to her face and I saw the black blindfold hiding her eyes, but the fabric was soaked with tears. My heart fell. “Amunet?” She didn’t respond, her chest rose and fell as I held her in my arms. Panic consumed me as my chest tightened. I had hurt my sister, the one thing I had left in this horrible life and she lay in my arms unconscious. I brushed her now white hair and remembered rushing in when I heard her screams. I had been part of the guard that escorted her here. She’d been terrified because of the rumors.

Now we both knew they were true. I touched the gash at her collarbone, blood coating my fingers. Part of me wanted to lick the blood off my fingers, but I resisted. What had I done to her?

“Welcome to your new life.” The Father walked towards me and pulled my sister out of my arms, throwing her away from me. She landed with a thump and I stood to go to her, but he blocked my path. “She is not your concern now.”

I snarled at him and clenched my hands into fists. “She will always be my concern. She is my sister.” How could I have let this happen to her? What had he done to her?

“She is now my property and will be until I tire of her.”

Tire of her, like she was simply a plaything. I bared my teeth. “And then what? You leave her to die?”

“No, I kill her, like the others. Chop her head off and burn her body, the only way to kill a Blood Human.”

I looked to her and then to the Father. “And what have you done to me? Why do I want her blood?”

He looked to my sister and demanded a servant take her to her chamber. “I have turned you into a vampire. Consider it a gift from the gods. Immortality for the price of blood lust.”

I was now a monster and I had nearly torn my sister’s throat out. “You had no right to change me.”

“You are one of my soldiers, are you not?” Without waiting for me to answer he continued. “Than you are also my property. You are one of seven now.” He smiled and I had to resist all urges to attack him. “The others here can teach you about your new life.”

“And my sister?”

“She will learn her place in time.” The creature laughed and I knew that I would do anything to save my sister from this life.

***

“A
lovely evening for an attack, is it not?” One of the human males stepped to my side. It had been merely months since my change and I was already becoming accustomed to my new abilities. I found that when I fed I could see the memories of my meals. The seven of us that the Father created called ourselves the Originals and we found we could create others, but we were forbidden. The Father did not want that. Not yet and he was keeping all his plans hidden until it suited him.

“If you enjoy this sort of thing.” I muttered. I wanted to be back at the temple with Amunet. As far as she knew I was never there and that’s the way I wanted it to stay. She’d be ashamed of what I was now.

“Taking out villages and cities that go against what the Father wants? I don’t enjoy it, but he is to be worshiped like the god he is.”

And yet, he wasn’t a god, but the humans didn’t understand that. They wouldn’t until they felt the wrath of him directly. The horn sounded and the troops rushed into the sleeping town. I followed with a heavy heart, how many humans would be killed needlessly tonight? How many women and children taken into the slave trade? I followed the troops in as the blood lust started to creep up in me. I hadn’t fed since we’d left the main village. Tonight I would need to feed or I’d risk losing control and killing the victim.

Finding an alley that was secluded from the screaming and fighting people I saw a woman clinging to the shadows. She turned her heart shaped face to me and met my gaze with brown questioning eyes. Her long hair was up in an intricate braid and she held herself high and proud. Her eyes took in my armor and stature and she tensed to run.

“I can spare your life from them.” I offered and she froze. She was beautiful in the moonlight as she contemplated my words.

“And what do you want in return? You are no ordinary human or soldier. Your eyes are red and your hair white. I can see an aura around you.”

She was a witch of some sort, powerful if she could see an aura around me. “A bit of your blood. My word that I will protect you if you let me feed from you.”

“How can I trust you?” She sneered. “You speak of taking substance from my veins.”

I laughed. “I could have killed you by now, or called to the guards to take you to the slavers, but I have not.” The fates had to have put her there that night. I found myself enamored by the fire I saw in her eyes and the fight she showed me. “Just a bit of blood, all I ask, and you will have my protection for your whole mortal life.”

She raised a brow and gathered her skirts. For a moment I thought she would run, but no. She took two quick steps towards me. “And how do you think you’ll protect me? You have to hide in the shadows, while I walk in the day.”

“Come with me. I have a villa of my own, away from the soldiers and away from the others like me.” I had no idea what made me give that offer, but there was no taking it back.

Guards came streaming down the alley way and I let out a curse. The woman ran behind me. “If I agree, I want the freedom to come and go as I please.”

“Granted.” I stated and looked at the men in front of me. “She is mine. No one is to touch her.”

Someone started to protest and I snarled. “Be silent or be my dinner, your choice.”

No one protested. They knew that I could take them on single handedly. The only problem would be that my actions would go back to the Father. The men filed out of the ally and I turned to the woman. “I need to feed now.”

She nodded and held her arms out. “I do not know what to do.”

“Just relax.” I stepped up to her and wrapped my arm around her waist and tilted her head with my other hand. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath as I lowered my lips to her throat. My fangs slipped through her skin with ease and the copper taste of blood filled my mouth. It touched and healed the fire that moved through me. I used my powers to ease her pain. With that came the rush of memories. I could see her from when she was a child playing in the wheat fields, to an adult, promised to a man of high standards. Her most current grief being when he died, leaving her a widow in a world where woman were not valued.

I pulled back when my blood lust ebbed and helped steady her. “Come, I have a horse we can take out of the city and back to my home.” Now was not the time to push her on her memories. I would have plenty of time to know who she was, to learn about her life before I stepped into it.

She nodded and stayed close to me as I led her to where my horse waited. I helped her on and pulled myself up behind her. Urging the horse forward, I wished I could have shielded her eyes from the blood drenched horror filling the streets of her home.

I felt her thin body shake against mine as I took her out of the village. We’d be back to my villa before the sun rose and before the troops returned. I could get her settled before I rested for the day. Amunet would have to wait until tomorrow night to be seen.

I stopped the horse outside my villa. “You’ll be safe here. They’ll forget about you soon enough.”

She slid off the horse without my help and crossed her arms. “What the hell are you and why were you and your men attacking my village? We are innocent farmers.”

I sighed and motioned to the villa. “Let me get you something to eat and I will explain. You deserve all the answers, all the truth I can provide.”

She looked around and then to the dwelling. It was mediocre compared to the one the Father lived in, but it was larger than anything I would have had if I’d still been living a human life. My heart ached to think of what my fate would have been.

“My name is Zaaren and I am what your people call a vampire.”