The Return (21 page)

"Well," the Roman pretended to think about it and rolled his eyes, "that's something I'm not at liberty to divulge, sweet one." He snapped his fingers and three vampires she'd never seen before walked into the parlor behind him. She sensed Zac tensing behind her and before he could move two of the vampires were across the room, holding him down as he roared in fury. Aya turned as the third grasped Morgan around the neck as she struggled to free herself.

Aya felt her fury pour to the surface and her vision blurred as her vampire side began to take over. She'd only taken a step when Arturius grabbed her from behind, an arm around her neck and waist, pulling her back hard into his chest.

"Shh," he crooned into her ear. "Don't struggle. I only have to give the world and your little boyfriend is dead."

Aya seethed in his grasp, trying to keep herself under control. She drew sharp breaths as her fingernails dug into the skin of his arm, pushing her power back down. She couldn't take him now… Zac…

"Bastard," she spat as his arm dropped from her waist.

"Yes," he said, still holding her tightly around the neck. "Yes, I am."

She hissed and writhed in his arms as something sharp and metallic pierced the skin in her neck. A strange sensation began to creep through her veins. Something warm and poisonous began spreading through her and she groaned as her body began to ache and within a few seconds, she felt herself slipping away. Arturius' clutched onto her as her world went dark and there was nothing she could do.

"Zac…" she managed raise her hand towards his as she fell.

No, no,
no
!

As Aya crumbled to the ground, Zac's heart almost stopped. He couldn't lose her again, he
couldn't
. Arturius seemed extremely pleased with himself as he scooped her up in his arms. He desperately tried to struggle against the two male vampires who held him, a strangled roar of pain tearing form his throat, but even he wasn't strong enough to break free.

"I must thank you," the Roman said to Morgan, who hadn't made a sound.

"Morgan?" Zac asked, disbelief in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Zac," she sobbed.

"Oh, it's so heartbreaking,"
Arturius
said, the sarcasm dripping from his words. "Boo hoo." He gestured to the vampires that held them and began to walk backward out of the room, Aya limp in his arms.

"But," Morgan cried, but was cut off sharply as the vampire snapped her neck. She fell heavily to the floor, her head at an odd angle.

Zac hissed and tried to lunge forward, but strong hands held him back. "You'll pay for this, Artie," he sneered, feeling his eyes begin to change. He didn't care what happened to him, as long as he could kill every single one of them. He couldn't let Arturius take Aya.

"Well, look at you," the Roman laughed and gestured to his lackeys.

As they slackened their grip, Zac twisted to the side, trying to break free. Before he could do anything else, he felt hands on his head and he was dead before he hit the ground.

Alex ran from the manor, jumping into Zac's car, shoving the key into the ignition with shaking hands. Aya had said they were coming. He'd heard it as he ran down the hall. It could only mean Arturius was here. There was nothing he could do. He had to get out and warn Sam.

The engine roared to life and he slammed his foot on the gas, the wheels spinning in the gravel. He was hurtling down the long drive when he saw a figure in front of him. A man was standing in the middle of the unsealed road playing some kind of twisted game of chicken. Liz said Arturius had played the same game.

He didn't dare stop. If he did he was as good as dead. It only took him a split second to decide and he hoped to hell that the guy was a vampire. He'd run him down.

Alex had driven around on country back roads all his life. He knew that when an animal was on the road, the safest thing to do was to hit it. It seemed cruel, but if he swerved, he'd flip the car and wrap himself around a tree. It was better to hit the animal. So with a grimace, he flattened his foot on the gas, pushing it right to the floor. The car shot forward, the vampire illuminated in the headlights. He had to give it to Zac. He sure knew his cars.

There was a sickening thud as his body collided with the car. But, Alex didn't stop as the vampire hit the hood, then the windshield, 
his
body sailing over the top into the air. He didn't even look up into the rearview mirror to see where he had landed. The windshield was cracked where some body part had impacted, blood trailing across the glass in the wind. He flicked on the washers as he drove out onto the main road and let out a shaky breath.

He had to get to Liz's. That's where Sam was. They were at Liz's.

His panicked flight across town didn't register until he screeched to a halt outside the old hardware store where Liz's apartment sat above. Jumping from the car, he pushed through the glass door without taking a breath. Running up the two flights of stairs, he banged on her front door with a trembling fist, his heart hammering. "Sam? Liz?" he yelled, thumping the door again. He almost fell inside as Sam appeared in front of him, a worried look on his face.

"Alex?"

"Sam," he gasped. "He's got them."

"Slow down..."

Alex leant against the door, catching Liz's eye as she came up behind Sam. Clutching the stitch in his side he said, "Arturius has Zac and Aya."

"What?" Her eyes were wide as she clutched Sam's arm.

"Morgan betrayed us."

W
hen Aya finally came to, she found herself face down on a cold concrete floor. Rolling over with a groan, she was greeted with murky light filtering in through a blacked out window that was barely three inches wide and a hand span long. Turning her head, she saw Zac
laying
next to her, unconscious. Sighing in relief, she reached out for him, taking his limp hand in hers.

She sent out her mind, but could feel nothing. It was just
her
and the soft hum of Zac's blood. Wherever Arturius had taken them, it was shielded.
Another witch in league with the devil.
Why did they keep doing this? Forsaking their true calling and falling into evil? Humans were too easily corruptible. If everything had worked out the way they had planned all that time ago, she would have lived to stop this from ever happening. It was her destiny as one of the last Celestines. But, obviously that hadn't happened.

Sitting, she looked around the room and decided that it must be a basement of some kind. Where it was could be absolutely anywhere. Could it be the same house Sophia saw in her vision? The one where Gabby was being held? There was no way of knowing. They could have been out for hours or even days.

Zac gasped for air next to her as he came round, and sat up, rubbing his temples. She placed a reassuring hand on his arm and waited for him to get his bearings. They'd work out what to do. Once he'd fully woken, they'd formulate a plan to get out of this place. Suddenly, his breathing became sharp and he began to tear at his skin.

Her heart skipped a beat as she realized what Arturius had done. It was pay back time for Caius.

Zac gasped for breath and sat up sharply, holding his head. He felt Aya's hand on his arm, but strangely her touch didn't seem to calm him. He felt it then and began to draw in heavy breaths. His blood felt like it was boiling inside of him. He let out a strangled cry and began to writhe, clawing at his skin.

"Aya," he gasped, eyes wide.

It was then he realized that he hadn't been invited in. Arturius had a human in the house and he hadn't been invited in. Before Aya could do anything, he was on his feet, hurling himself at the door. He collided with it with a bang, jarring his shoulder, but it didn't budge. He let out a strangled cry of pain as he flung himself against the opposite wall, almost cracking the brickwork. Falling backwards, he landed heavily on his back, clawing at his skin, drawing blood. His eyes became dark and he began to get up, every inch of his body burning.

Aya was on top of him in an instant, holding him down with all her strength. "It's going to be okay," she said, her hands on his face.

He wanted to believe her, but if he didn't get out of here now, he'd tear himself apart in the attempt. For him, it was a death sentence. Grimacing, Zac fought against her, drawing sharp breaths between his teeth, desperation taking over.

"I can't," he gasped. "I have to get out. I can't be here. I…"

Aya had his head cradled in her hands. They'd been through so much. Why couldn't they have some peace? She was looking down at him with such sorrow, it reminded him of that night in the clearing. The night she'd died.

"Zac," she whispered. "It's going to be alright. I'll get you out of this."

He nodded, understanding what she had to do.

She smiled down at him, her hands caressing his face, tracing his jaw.

"I love you," she said,
then
twisted.

Aya knew he was at the door before it opened. Cradling Zac's head in her lap, she glared up at Arturius as he sauntered into the room, closing the door behind him with a dull thud.

"How many times do you think you can snap Zachary's neck before his head comes off entirely?" he asked with a sneer.

Pursing her lips, Aya stood, placing Zac's head gently on the hard floor. Breaking his neck was the only way to take him down without killing him. "I know
it's
pay back, Arturius. For Caius."

"Oh yes, you did the same thing to him once, if I remember correctly. Except he actually tore himself apart." He scowled at her and shook his head, remembering. "Who do you think was the one who stuck all the pieces back together?"

"There was no way he would have died."

"Of course not. But you're as sadistic as we are, love. You enjoyed that little show. Let me enjoy mine."

"Invite him in."

"Oh, come on. We've plenty of time to do that."

"Go and die, Arturius."

"Oh, my dear," Arturius continued. "What happened to your sense of humor?"

"Get it over with. Whatever you have us here for get it over with."

The Roman regarded her for a moment then said, "How long has it been? Four hundred, maybe five hundred years since we've seen each other?"

"I don't really care."

"Ahh," he held a finger up. "Tudor England. 1500's. Spanish Armada and what-not."

"I'm not in the mood for a catch up, Arturius," she rolled her eyes.

"Always so impatient, Aeriaya."

"Only when it comes to you lot."

He let out a small laugh, his eyes sparkling in the gloomy light.

Aya didn't have the stomach for his games, so she cut to the chase. "Did you go to Morgan or did she go to you?"

Arturius smirked, "She came to me."

She knew it. Morgan was in love with Zac and wanted her out of the picture. Her greatest mistake was dealing with the founders. She wouldn't have to seek retribution for this. They did the job for her. Stupid woman.

The Roman looked down at Zac with a confused look, when his eyes met hers again
,
they were nothing but cold
.

"What have you done with Gabby?"

"I'm helping her," he said quietly.

"You and I both know that your idea of help is going to destroy her." The darkness inside of her would consume everyone and everything. She'd seen the same thing happen to Violet Cohen, but that time she'd been there to stop it.

"That's a matter of opinion." He turned his back and pulled a chair into the middle of the room and sat to face her. He wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

Aya slid her back down the far wall and sat next to Zac, regarding the Roman warily. She knew that he had no idea what to do with her. She couldn't be killed by any means they knew. Even she didn't know how she could die. What would Arturius do with her now?

It had been hundreds of years since she had seen the Roman and the years hadn't changed much. He was still the hard, vicious and calculating man she had known back then. But, when she'd first met him, he hadn't been like that, had he? He had a kindness about him, but Katrin had firmly erased it and shaped him into something else.

Her eyes flew up to his face as he sighed and leant forward, elbows resting on his knees, a finger tracing the point where his scar reached his jaw. "The world I knew, Rome, it was all a lie," his voice was unusually quiet, making her regard him with suspicion. "The gods didn't exist. Everything that I had sacrificed myself for was meaningless. Katrin offered us a new life.
One where we had the control.
One where we had the truth."

"But she lied to you too," Aya said quietly.

"She lied to us all, Aeriaya."

"There's more?"

"More than you or I will ever know," he sighed, leaning back, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Why did she do it?" She didn't have to explain what she meant
.,
Arturius knew better than anyone.

"She never told us her reasons for betraying the Celestines and the other witches. I would suggest you speak to her, but she's dead."

"What about you?"

His eyes narrowed. "We were tricked, Aeriaya.
All of us.
Except maybe Regulus."

"He wanted this?"

"He was the one who convinced us all. I didn't want to be
this… this
monster. But, he convinced me and there was no going back. I had no reason to desert the Legion.
None at all.
I was content."

"Content to conquer and kill."

"It was a different time, Aeriaya.
A different world.
It was what I believed in."

"That's why you hate him so much," she said quietly, but Arturius didn't seem to hear her.

"Katrin doted on Regulus. He had been disgraced and she took him in when he was little more than filth to the people he'd dedicated his life to. He went along with it in the beginning, but he soon came around. We were at each others throats from day one."

Aya didn't know what to say. Why was Arturius telling her all of this? Perhaps he needed to repent. But, this had been the first time they had sat in the same room in two thousand years without trying to kill one another.

"Katrin ordered me to seduce you," he said absently. "Of course I had to do it. But, it wasn't all a lie."

"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning. He couldn't mean…

"The day Regulus dumped you at my feet, a terrified slip of a thing, I was transfixed."

"Please…" She rolled her eyes.

"That is the truth. And it's more truth than I have given anyone."

She didn't want to believe that Arturius had had feelings for her in the beginning. Not after what he had done to her. "Do you even feel any remorse for the things you've done?"

Arturius smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Remorse? Me?" He said it like the answer was glaringly obvious. He didn't have any. "How about you?"

"You can't admit to it, so how could I?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Try and separate the truth from the lies, Aeriaya. I dare you."

"I don't want to play your games, Arturius."

"I didn't want to do it," he said, his voice strangely quiet. "I was the one who tore your brother apart."

She shot to her feet, a snarl erupting from her throat, eyes threatening to change.

"I knew how much you loved him, but I had to."

She took a step forward, hands trembling in tight fists at her sides.

"It was my punishment for turning you.
For having
feelings
.
Taking away the thing you cared about the most."

"No," she hissed. "How could you?" Even as she said it, she knew he'd had no choice. Katrin had ordered it and her power had bound him to follow it through.

"If you hadn't of been so hell bent on killing me for the past two thousand years, I might have explained myself."

"Why do you care about explaining yourself? I could never forgive you for any of it."

"Sometimes I think I'm still a man underneath all of this," he gestured to himself. "Under the beast."

Aya shook her head, trying to clear her rage. "There is no man left."

Arturius stood abruptly, the chair falling over behind him. The Roman was an inch away from her face, their eyes boring into each
others
. All Aya had to do was reach out and touch him,
then
he would be hers. But, she had to know. "Why did you do it? Why'd you turn me?"