Destined to Kill: A Destined Novel (Destined Novels Book 1) (16 page)

"It's been an hour and a half. She said an hour." Sam paces the room. He's not worried, just pissed. I appreciate the concern, I think sarcastically.

"Do you think she's okay?" Amanda asks nervously. Thank you! At least
someone
cares!

"I'm fine. Sorry I'm a little late, but I had to stop for supplies." I see Amanda visibly relax when I walk in.

"Supplies as in fake vampire teeth?" Sam seethes.

"Yes, Sam. Don't forget the fake blood and contacts," I retort. Wow, he really is annoying. "Gather the others," I tell Amanda, "and meet me in the training area." I don't wait for a response from either of them. Frankly, I don't care what Sam has to say.

I'm standing in front of the small room when the others arrive five minutes later. The curtains are drawn, so they can't yet see the Hybrid.

"I know that most of you…and, if we're being honest,
all
of you," I glance at Amanda, "are having a hard time believing everything I have told you. Sam, our friendly neighborhood detective, challenged me to find proof." I saunter up to Sam and smile. "I'm going to borrow this," I say and grab his gun from his holster. I hightail it into the room and lock it before he even figures out what I did. Ignoring the banging on the door, I pull the curtains open.

Gasps came from everyone - even the huge football player. I know that what they see is different from what truly is. They see a young man, slumped in a chair with a stake in his heart.

"What have you done?" Sam asks incredulously. "You
killed
someone?"

"Of course not. It is against the code of the Hunters to kill innocents. You will have to get acquainted with those rules soon." I know I'm pissing him off even more with my flippant attitude. I'm a spiteful, spiteful girl.

I walk behind the Hybrid and take a hold of the stake. I fix my eyes on theirs - concentrating mostly on Sam's - and pull the stake out. Instantly the Hybrid is awake, his eyes white and menacing with a blood red ring around them. His teeth, long and sharp, are clearly noticeable to everyone on the other side of the glass wall. He's snapping at them, at me, and struggling to get free. I see the others take a step back.

"Don't worry, he can't get free. Even if he did, he can't get out of this room."

"Ana, you're in there with him! If he gets free, he could kill you!"

"Amanda, I'm the one that brought him here." So annoying to have people
still
questioning my abilities. But, I have to remember that all of this is so new to them. "He won't get free," I repeat, deliberately softening my tone. I look at Sam, who is standing so close to the glass and examining the Hybrid the best he can from the other side.

"Do you believe me now?"

"All of this can be faked," he says without looking at me. "And, if it is real, the police are the ones to handle this. Not you or the rest of these kids."

"Police? What exactly do you think cops can do against these things?"

"We take care of bad guys all the time, Ana. What makes
them
any different?"

I take a millisecond to take in the sensation hearing him say my name gave me. Then, keeping my gaze fixed on Sam, I lift the gun, point it at the Hybrid and shoot him directly between the eyes. With considerable effort, I ignore the instant throbbing in my own head, and attribute it to the blast of the gun.

"Jesus! Are you insane? You just shot…"

Whatever else Sam is going to say is drowned out by the hisses and snarls coming from the Hybrid. Talk about being pissed off. I suppose I would be pissed, too, if someone shot me in the head.

"Cops and their guns are useless, Sam. The only ones that can fight these things are Hunters." I gesture to those around him. "These Hunters."

"You can't expect me to just sit back and let you put these kids' lives in danger!"

"You're right. I don't expect you to 'just sit back'. You are a Hunter, as well," I pause and let that sink into his thick head. "Cursed Ones know what Hunters are, Sam. If you don't let these guys train and learn how to protect themselves, it's not me who will be putting them in danger. It's you."

We all sit around the table in the dining room. Obviously I'm not going to be able to put this off until tomorrow as I had hoped. Everyone is chattering all at once, talking about the Hybrid and how cool it was to be a Hunter. I wonder if they're still going to feel that way when they find out what they're going to have to do to get prepared.

"Let's get started," I call over the chitchat, and everyone quiets. "We have a lot to cover and not a lot of time. We will spend an hour or so tonight going over some basics, then go to bed. Tomorrow, we will begin training."

"I think perhaps we should all just get some rest tonight," Sam starts. He was - shock - pacing. I can tell his mind is reeling from what he just saw.

"That isn't up to you, Sam," I say. I keep my voice level, but not timid. There is power behind it. He will not try to take over. "I'm in charge here."

"You? You're just a...kid."

I'm not sure if it is just me, or if he really did stumble a bit on the word 'kid'. Either way, I didn't like it.

"Fine. Tell me what you know about Cursed Ones." I cross my arms, sit back in my chair and wait.

"They're vampires, right? So, sunlight can kill them, and we stock up on Holy Water, crucifixes, stakes and…"

"That's enough," I cut him off, irritated. If I wasn't so tired, I'd probably laugh at him. "First, if you weren't paying attention in the training room, let me refresh your memory. Stakes do not kill Cursed Ones. They incapacitate them, which is very helpful, but not kill." I pause as I watch his brows knit. It seems like, for the first time, Detective Sam Logan doesn't have all the answers. I decide not to make this even worse for him, and address the room.

"All of you are going to have to forget what you've learned about vampires from books and movies. Sunlight does not make them sparkle or burn. At best, the sun will diminish their abilities, but not by much. Definitely not enough to let your guard down. Holy water and crucifixes will do nothing, so just forget that. Garlic is just silly, unless you want to give them bad breath for when they bite you. Am I missing any clichés?"

"Do they really bite your neck and drain your blood?" Amanda asks quietly.

"Yes. That is truth. Though it doesn't necessarily have to be the neck."

"If stakes don't work, what does?" Zac asks.

"You must either behead it or set it on fire. But, unless you plan to carry a flame-thrower with you, we'll stick with beheading using swords."

Amanda and the other girls shiver. The boys appear to be thinking about this like a video game.

"Um, I don't know how to use a sword. And, other than Frick and Frack over there, I'm sure none of us do." Jenna, the cheerleader, smacks her gum and looks incredibly bored on the outside. Inside, I could hear her heart pounding, and I saw a faint film of sweat on her brow under her impossibly blonde bangs. Her ice blue eyes also gave away just how scared she is. Good. She's taking this more seriously than she's letting on.

"You will. All of you will." I turn to 'Frick and Frack" - the fencing twins better known by their names Eric and Emily. "I hope that I can count on you two to help me teach the others when it comes to learning how to fight with a sword. However, you must remember that what we'll be using is nothing like your epée."

"We'll do what we can," Eric says quietly. He and his sister are both quiet and speak mainly to each other. I often wonder if it's because they were Asian and their English is a bit flawed. But, after Jenna's comment I don't blame them for keeping to themselves. Be that as it may, I've seen them compete in fencing. They're very good, and intensely passionate when challenged.

"Thank you." I turn back to the group. They're so unsure of themselves. Growing up as a Hunter, we were told everyday how needed we were. And, if you happened to possess skills like my parents, or even I did, you were praised above all others. I don't think any of these kids grew up thinking they were needed at all. "Each of you possess a quality within you that makes you excel at what you do," I start, and turn my attention to Jenna. "Jenna, you are an exceptional tumbler. It's what makes you a great cheerleader."

"Uh, the best," she corrects - still smacking her gum.

"It's also what will help you become a great Hunter," I continue, ignoring her interruption. "Hand to hand combat is inevitable. Your gymnastics ability will prove to be instrumental in your ability to evade death."

Jenna stops smacking her gum.

"Jeremy," I say, addressing the six foot two, 200 pound quarterback. "Your brute strength and ability to think in stressful situations are your qualities. It's what makes you a great leader on the football field. If you find yourself under attack, your Hunter instinct to think quickly will keep you alive."

Jeremy puffs his enormous chest out, and I believe he's twitching his pecks beneath his shirt.

"Eric and Emily," I grin. "I think you two know what your greatest asset is. You two are amazing fencers. I see no reason for that not to carry over into the new swords you will be training with." My smile warms as I turn to Zac. "Zac."

"Let me guess, my ability is charm," he says with a smirk.

"Kind of," I chuckle. "Your true abilities are that you are cunning, tenacious and you have a ferocity in you that makes you who you are. It is your love and loyalty for your friends and family that, I think, would have you doing anything to protect them."

"I like that," he says, softly, and blushes slightly.

"I don't have any skills, Ana," Amanda says nervously. "I mean, I'm not a cheerleader or fencer. I don't really do anything."

I beam at her. "That is where you're wrong, Amanda. You possess the most powerful ability of all. The ability to retain all of these abilities."

"Shut up! I do not!"

"You do. You've already demonstrated your skills in accuracy with the knife. I have no doubt that you will excel in weapons training. I've been shopping with you, so I've seen your finesse in acrobatics and thinking under pressure, not to mention your strength." I'm teasing her about the shopping, but in reality it was true. When she wants something, no one better stand in her way. "And, the most important capability that both you and Sam hold, is being able to discern between good and evil."

"What do you mean?" It's the first time Sam has spoken since I squashed his theory on vampires.

"You're young, Sam. One of the youngest to make detective. Correct?"

"Yeah, I guess."

I think my acknowledging his accolades makes him uncomfortable. Cute.

"Have you ever wondered how you did that?"

"I'm good at what I do."

"Yes, you are. But, have you ever just stopped and thought about why you're good at what you do?"

He opens his mouth, then closes it again.

"Most people don't question their success," I say, hoping not to make him feel even more awkward. "When you're out there patrolling the streets, do you ever feel drawn somewhere or to someone?"

Sam's brows furrow. "Sometimes," he says, slowly.

"That's the Hunter in you," I explain. "If by chance you come across someone who means no harm, but is maybe hungry, so he steals a candy bar or something, you let him go. Right?"

"It's not right to steal," he responds in his cop voice, glancing at the others. "But, yes, I've done that before."

"And, when it's someone who does mean harm, you feel that in the pit of your stomach?"

"It's called a gut reaction."

"It's called being a Hunter," I counter. "Gut reactions can go either way, but yours are always correct. Each of you felt that reaction when you walked into the training area, didn't you?" I pause while each of them thought about it. Yeses were mumbled by each, with a 'man, I thought that was just cramps or gas' from Jenna. "But, you, Sam, you felt it in your core. Deeper than the rest. So did Amanda."

Sam looks briefly at Amanda and she nods.

"You can sense them," I say. And, as I do, I realize how scared I am that they, at some point, will begin to sense me. "You have no idea how instrumental that will be out there."

"And, how about you? What are your abilities, Ana?"

Again, there's a strange sensation that washes over me when he says my name. I shrug it off, refusing to be distracted by anything.

I smile at him. "You'll just have to wait and see."