Destined to Kill: A Destined Novel (Destined Novels Book 1) (39 page)

"Yes."

"Is this true, Anala? Is he the one you love?"

There is no way for me to answer this without a terrible outcome. If I answer yes, Thomas will go after Sam, family or not. If I answer no, I put Zac's life in danger once again.

"Thomas, you know as well as I do that we are not capable of emotions like that," I lie. It is my only option, and I can only hope that Sam understands what I am doing. But, it doesn't work.

"You lie! I saw your face." He looks bemused. "But, you looked distraught over this one as well. Do you love them both?"

"They are my family, Thomas. All of my Hunters. I love them all. If you hurt any of them, I will kill you. Without regret, without sorrow. I will bring the blade of my sword down on you with a vengeance so absolute your Cursed Ones will feel it."

"You will never make it to me in time to save him. Either of them."

"Oh, but I will make it to you. And, when I do, you will know that immortality does not truly exist."

Fight, Zac. Do everything you can to keep him from biting you. Use your training. Use daggers or stakes, anything to distract him until I can get to you.

Zac's eyes meet mine, and he blinks them once to acknowledge my request. I turn my thoughts to the others, assuming, praying, they can hear me as Zac can.

Do everything you can do to get to Zac. I will get there as fast as I can. Sam, you have to stay away from Thomas, or he will kill you, too. Help me with the others. Go! Now!

I'm assured that my Hunters hear me loud and clear when they begin charging the Cursed Ones at my command.

All hell breaks loose as the onslaught of Cursed Ones and Hunters begins. More than ten vamps charge me, and I charge back. I have to do anything I can to get to Zac. Swinging my swords with precision and accuracy, I drop five of the vamps without a hitch.

"I got this," Sam yells as he runs up the stairs to meet me.

I nod and jump as he reaches me, pushing myself off of his shoulders. Zac is fighting Thomas with every ounce of strength he has. As far as I can tell, he has avoided being bitten, but he can't keep this up for long. I push my way through vamps and Hybrids, shredding them when I can, immobilizing them when I can't.

"Thomas!"

With my focus on Thomas and Zac, I don't see Nyle coming towards until his sword slices into my side.

"You will die, now. You should never have come after our Maker."

"Such loyalty for someone who would kill you without hesitation." The pain sears through me, but I hold steady, keeping Nyle at arm's length.

"My Maker deserves my loyalty."

"Then give it to me," I growl, staring into his eyes.

He blinks in confusion.

"You? You are not..."

"You are of my blood.
I
am your
true
Maker. Stop him. Stop Thomas."

Thomas must hear my command because his attention is momentarily drawn away from Zac. His hold, however, does not loosen and Zac is still trapped in the grip. Nyle glances at Thomas, then back at me, seemingly torn at what to do.

"Do not listen to her! She is nothing!" Thomas yells.

"You feel it," I counter. "You know what I say is truth. You are mine."

Nyle turns to Thomas, baring his teeth. He retracts his sword - a tad too slow, I might add.

"Nyle, I made you!"

"Did she make you?" Nyle asks in return.

I welcome the distracted conversation between the two. As long as they're engaged, Zac stands a better chance at surviving.

Don't struggle, Zac. Be patient.

Zac immediately stills.

"She did not make me!"

"Is it not my blood that made you, Thomas?"

"That means nothing! You did not make me!"

"So, it is true. It is her blood that runs through you? Through me? She is my true Maker?"

"I gave you immortality! It was me that gave you this life!"

"At what cost?" I ask Nyle. "What did he take from you?"

Nyle frowns. I don't know if he can possibly remember the life he had before Thomas turned him, but I have to try.

"Anala, stop! Do not listen to her!"

"He does not want you to remember. Did you have a family, Nyle?"

The red ring around Nyle's irises begin to almost pulse with rage. I'm curious as to what he remembers. I'll never know as he races towards Thomas. To my horror, I see Thomas position Zac between them. His human shield.

What happened next is a blur. I'm not sure I even truly know. When I look back, I wonder if I will see where I went wrong. All I know now is Nyle's ashes and a gasping, struggling Zac lay at my feet. From the top of the coliseum, Thomas looks down at me, at my Hunters (who have defeated his 'family'). He's angry, but an evil smirk forms on his blood stained lips.

I catch Zac as he lunges at me, snapping to get at my neck. With a quick twist, I draw Zac to me, his back against my chest. My heart aches, but this time it's not only because I feel the pain Zac feels when I push the stake into his heart. I raise my eyes, burning with tears and hatred, to Thomas.

"I will come for you. I will find you, and I
will
kill you."

His smirk falters slightly, and then he's gone.

"Ana! He's getting away! We have to go..." Sam stops abruptly when he sees Zac slumped before me. "
No
."

"He has been bitten."

"Do something! Help him!" Jenna is hysterical. I didn't realize she cares so much. But, then again, our eclectic little group has become more of a family than I thought possible.

"There is nothing I can do." I gently lay Zac on the ground and stand up. "It is too late."

Sam grabs my hand as I reach for my sword.

"You can't."

"It is what must be done."

"He's just a kid, Ana."

"So was I."

"Your parents let you live. They gave you a chance."

I whirl to face him. "And look what happened! If they had done their job, what they were
destined
to do,
none
of this would be happening! These kids would be worrying about nothing except graduating, Thomas wouldn't be out there killing people, and Zac..." I take a breath, hoping it will calm me. It doesn't help at all. "I never should have involved any of you in this. I can't let him live like this. He wouldn't want that."

"You think he would rather die?"

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," I say, ignoring Sam's question. "I was supposed to kill Thomas and then Zac would kill me."

"He agreed to that?" Amanda asks, quietly.

"Yes." I brush off Sam's sharp intake of breath. "But, instead, I'm faced with having to kill him, all while Thomas is still out there."

"Ana, please. Think of his mother. Give him a chance."

"A chance to what, Sam? Kill his mother the moment he sees her?"

"Maybe he won't be like that," Emily interjects.

"He is. He came after me. It's why I staked him."

"
You
staked him?" Sam's incredulity annoys me.

"
You
have no room to talk about
anyone
staking
anyone
."

"Teach him," Amanda pleads, cutting short my and Sam's stake debate. "Teach him how to be like you."

"No one taught me, Amanda. This is just who I am. I don't know why I didn't lose my humanity, and I wouldn't know how to
teach
Zac."

"The elixir!" Amanda clutches my arm in hope. "Your father's elixir. I read about it in one of his journals. You stated that it gave you memories of your childhood and made you feel humanity. Could that help Zac?"

I pace away. Part of me would love nothing more than to help Zac, to keep him alive. However, the Cursed One in me knows what kind of life this is. Why would I want Zac to experience this?

"You are asking me to go against everything that I believe in. And, yes, I realize how hypocritical that sounds coming from me!" I add, raising my voice at Jenna's scoff.

"Look, Ana, you need us to help you with Thomas," Jeremy begins.

"No, I do not. I need you to graduate and live full and happy lives. This," I gesture to Zac, "is my fault. I will make Thomas pay for it."

"Zac is our friend, too. Whether you let us fight with you or not, we're still going after him." Jeremy, and the others, give me defiant looks. "We think Zac should be a part of it, too. He deserves that. Try the elixir Amanda is talking about. Please."

Ugh! Teenagers can be extremely annoying and persistent! They are all murmuring their pleas, talking to each other trying to convince each other it will work. Talking to me trying to persuade me to give in. Their voices were like angry little bees swarming around my already pounding head.

"Stop! Just shut up." I take a deep breath, let it out slowly as I retract my sword. "Fine. I will
try
the elixir. But, if it does not work..."

"We know what we have to do."

"You better, Eric. And, I have one condition, so be sure this is what you really want to do."

"What is your condition?" Sam asks, wearily.

"When this is over and Thomas is dead, you have to complete your destiny. You have to kill us both. If you cannot agree to that condition, I will kill Zac now, kill Thomas when I find him and then finish the job myself."

"You can't kill yourself." Where the hell did Jenna get the gum she is currently smacking? "What are you going to do? Cut off your own head?"

"Perhaps. Or, perhaps I'll set myself on fire."

"Your survival instinct will kick in. You said yourself that you can't kill yourself."

"I'm a resourceful woman. I'll figure it out. That is my condition. Take it or leave it."

"Deal," Amanda speaks up before anyone can say anything else, yet they all begin protesting immediately. I ignore them and focus on Amanda.

"Your word, Amanda."

"You have it."

"If you are lying and you do not willingly kill me and Zac at the end of all of this, I will make you."

"You would compel us to kill you?" Sam's disbelief hardly registers with me.

I lower my head, willing myself to change.

"No," I answer, feeling the change come over me.

I know the blood red rings around my irises are brighter than ever. The white, almost transparent color my eyes change to, an eerie contrast. My teeth are longer and sharper, scarier after feeding live. My appearance is threatening, and exactly what I want when I look at my Hunters once more.

"I will come after you."

Being an author may seem like a solo 'job', but as they say, it takes a village! Most importantly, friends who cheerfully (hopefully not rolling their eyes) say yes to reading your very rough draft. To those friends (you know who you are), thank you so much for your feedback. It makes being an author much easier.

I don't have an agent, nor am I well known as an author to have bloggers or editors to acknowledge. However, I do have friends and family that have my back, and help me tremendously.

My family, your continued love and support mean the world to me. We may not agree on everything, but how boring would it be if we did. We can't pick our families, but it turns out, I would have picked all of you anyway.

Daisy, I'm blessed that you have the patience to put up with my multiple personalities and give me the room I need to write. Thanks for being cool. Also, thank you for reading Destined to Kill and playing "devil's advocate". You make me think about things that I wouldn't normally consider. I still think it's funny that someone who watches "The Walking Dead" and believes in aliens uses the phrase "that part's not believable" when reading a book about vampires. ;)

Wanda, Ivy and the girls from my "Xtreme" group, I thank you for reading Destined to Kill and giving me your honest feedback. I take all you say to heart. Book nerds must stick together!

Angela McLaurin (Fictional Formats), I don't think everyone realizes that writing a book isn't all that goes into 'writing' a book. Formatting is so important! From what I've seen of your work, I couldn't have found better. Thank you.

To my readers. Every author dreams of having readers that love their characters. I hope you love Anala and her eclectic group as much as I do. Thank you for reading. I hope you'll want to come back for more!