7. Zan
Chapter 7
Zan
I could hear him before the rotunda came into view. I snuck a glance at Kali, wondering if she could hear him. Her head was high, her stare staying straight ahead. Her senses might be improving but they weren’t perfect yet. If they were, she wouldn’t be able to hide her reaction to Warner’s yells.
I had no idea why her best friend was in the rotunda, but we were about to find out in a couple minutes. Amaros hadn’t said a word the entire walk back, looking deep in thought. I fucking wished I could get into his head. He had expected the Shadows to listen to Kali. And they did. I wanted to know why.
“What is that?” Kali breathed out, tilting her head.
My father chuckled cruelly. “Your hearing is improving daily.”
She ignored his comment, her eyes darting to me. “Is that Warner?”
When I didn’t immediately respond, she broke out in a run. I followed, and she rounded a curve on the path, disappearing from sight for a few moments before I caught up. She was getting faster too. I had a feeling her fangs would drop soon. She’d need blood when that happened.
The rotunda came into sight and Kali hit the glass window, a small cry escaping her. I stared into the room, seeing two of my father’s vampires taking turns hitting Warner. Gia was standing near the door, her expression tight.
Kali whirled around, but her focus wasn’t on me. Her eyes cut behind me where I could hear Amaros walking up.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “I’m doing what you want. I went to the Pen.”
“This is just a reminder of what happens if you don’t obey,” Amaros replied, threat dripping from his voice.
My heart squeezed while anger tore through me at the same time. Hearing him speaking to her that way had fury seizing me. The pain lining her face made me feel so fucking helpless. A foreign emotion to me until I met Kali.
“I am listening,” she screamed, her voice cracking slightly. “I’m not running. I’m doing what you want. Tell your fucking lackeys to stop.”
He was in front of her in a second, his hand going around her throat. He slammed her against the glass making her cry out. I let out a growl, reaching out and snatching my father’s arm before I even knew what I was doing. I managed to pull his hand off her neck before he used his full strength against me. Yanking his arm out of my grip, he swung me around, throwing me into the window. The glass creaked as it fractured, and I heaved out a labored breath, pain spasming through me. His fingers dug into my shoulder as he kept me against the glass, but I didn’t fight against him this time.
“You forget your place,” he murmured, his voice deadly calm. “I’m keeping you here because I want you to oversee the Shadows with her. But I need to be able to trust you. Your feelings for this girl are clouding your judgment. I will use force if necessary, Zan. I don’t want to—but I will.”
He didn’t need to use the word entrancement. It was the best weapon to use against me. A slice of fear stabbed me in the chest as my eyes cut to Kali. He could force me to do anything. Knowing him, he would if I was a threat to his plan.
I used to want the same things as him. He wanted to rule over the humans, and that had been fine with me. But not anymore. I didn’t care about what he wanted. There was nothing inside me that gave a shit about his endgame anymore.
All that mattered was the woman who somehow stole my soul, claiming it as her own. Pax’s theory about us bonding wasn’t even a factor. Whether we were or not, it wouldn’t change anything. She was it for me.
But as I locked eyes with my father, my heart seized. Because I would do anything to protect her. Right now, I couldn’t save her from my own blood. I might be his son, but Amaros had strength I didn’t possess. He had an army of vampires who were loyal to him.
“Can I trust you, son?” he asked, tilting his head to the side. “Or do I need to rethink my plan?”
I unclenched my teeth. “Yes, you can trust me.”
He stared at me for another few seconds. “Good. She needs protection. But not from me. She is mine to do with as I please. Do not interfere again. Do you fucking understand?” I jerked a nod. He let go of my shoulder, backing up a couple steps before looking at Kali. “And you. Do not ever try to give me an order. It will not happen. Your friend is at my mercy, just as you are.”
He turned toward the door and stepped into the rotunda. Kali stood frozen, her wide eyes on me as I pushed off the glass. Warner’s grunts of pain were easily heard since Amaros left the door open, but Kali didn’t move a muscle.
“Go,” I said gruffly. “You’ve been wanting to talk to him. Now’s your chance.”
I couldn’t say what I wanted when my father was so close. After what just happened, I had to be careful how I acted, or he would keep me from her.
When she still didn’t move, I put my hand on her back, leading her into the rotunda. She let out a quick breath, jerking away from me as her entire body tensed. I’d known her long enough that her reaction was one of pain. With a frown, I reached for her shirt to look at her back, but she swatted my hand away.
“Did someone hurt you?” I asked in a low voice, my anger already surging.
“No,” she mumbled, rolling her shoulders. “My back is just sore.”
I narrowed my eyes, silently questioning her. She was lying, but there was no point in pushing anything until my father was out of earshot. With a sigh, she tore her eyes from mine and went into the rotunda. Since I was focused on her, I noticed how stiffly she was walking. Something was wrong. And it didn’t have anything to do with her transition because nothing caused pain when becoming a Shadow.
“Tell me, Kali.” Amaros claimed her attention the second we were inside. “Will I have to worry about you not listening to me?”
“No,” she forced out, hatred thick in her voice.
Her gaze was on Warner who was being held up by two vampires. Blood covered his face, his labored breathing had me guessing his ribs were battered.
“What a mess,” Amaros said, lighting up a cigarette. “Clean him up.”
Ignoring Kali’s protest, the two vampires dragged Warner to the pool and threw him in. The shock of the cold water jolted Warner, and he let out a curse as he slowly treaded water until he grabbed the ledge. Kali crossed the room, and helped haul him out of the water.
“Are you okay?” she asked him, her voice barely audible. Not that it helped—Amaros would be listening to every word they said.
Warner stared at her for a split second before wrapping her in a hug, and she squeezed him back gently. Instead of anger, guilt hit me. I was the reason he was here. The reason a tear was rolling down her cheek as she whispered to her best friend. He might be alive because of me, but he was a pawn for my father, and that was a fate worse than death.
Amaros stepped beside me. “Did you see how they reacted to her?”
“Yes,” I answered, keeping my emotions to myself. “The Shadows were protecting her. Even from me. Why?”
“The Shadows have a natural leader. One embedded in them that there’s no fighting against it. They obeyed you because you demanded it. They will follow her because it’s their natural instinct.”
My eyes swung to him, surprise flowing through me. “How do you know that?”
Amaros scrubbed his jaw, watching Kali and Warner talk in hushed whispers. “Her mother was the same. Shadows listened to her for no rhyme or reason. It’s in their bloodline. I’m guessing the only other soul the Shadows will obey is Kali’s twin.”
“If her mother had that power, then why is she dead?”
He glanced at me. “That’s a conversation for later. Right now, I want you working with Kali. Train the Shadows for war. It won’t be long before the humans retaliate. Especially when your brothers take her twin from Project Hope.”
“You’ve heard from them?” I fucking hated that Pax and Viggo weren’t here. They were the only ones I fully trusted. I was used to having them at my back.
“Not yet.” He turned to face me. “Kali will do what I want. She’ll listen to you and make the Shadows do what I need to win this war. If she doesn’t, then she’s of no use to me.”
“She’ll do it,” I ground out.
Kali would do whatever she could to save Warner. Though, I had doubts. Warner was a Clover, and just like Kali, he would rather die than let vampires win. His thoughts might change once he fully transitioned, but right now, he still hated everyone on this property except for Kali.
“Don’t let me down, Zan.” With those words, he walked away to sit at the head of the large table where a human woman was. He didn’t waste any time sinking his fangs into her and feeding.
I stood there, watching Kali, my nerves growing. She was still sitting at the pool edge with Warner, but she couldn’t seem to stay still. She shook her shoulders, and then she straightened her spine before hunching over. Focusing harder, I listened to her heartbeat spike before she let out a short groan. Warner wiped wet hair from his forehead, leaning closer to her.
“Are you okay?” he asked, worry coating his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” she choked out between heavy breaths. “My back hurts so fucking bad.”
I was halfway across the room when she cried out in pain, her heart pounding out of control. Warner’s eyes swarmed with panic as she curled up into a ball before she tried swallowing a scream. He jumped to his feet when he spotted me coming, and I nearly shoved him back into the pool when he tried stepping in front of Kali.
“I’ll lock you back in the room if you try to stop me,” I threatened, in no mood to deal with his bullshit.
Warner must have believed me because he didn’t move as I crouched down, softly laying my hand on Kali’s shoulder.
“What’s happening to me, Zan?” she asked, her eyes wild from pain when she looked up at me.
“I don’t know,” I said, grabbing the hem of her shirt and lifting it so I could inspect her back. There were no open cuts I could see, but her tattoo made it more difficult. My brows furrowed as I looked closer, seeing some kind of tiny specks covering her skin.
“Fuck,” she cursed, her body nearly shaking. “It hurts.”
I gently swiped my fingers across her back, only to jerk back when pain singed my fingertips. Before I could process what just happened, Amaros’s voice rang out.
“Hawthorn,” he called out. “Isn’t that why she has the tattoo? Her body is rejecting the poison now that she’s transitioning. She’ll be fine once the hawthorn is gone.”
His reaction gave me a bit of relief. My father needed her alive which meant he didn’t think she’d die from this. But when Kali let out another shriek, a weight fell on my chest. She’d never shown pain like this, and I knew she was despising how vulnerable this was making her while in front of Amaros.
I lifted her into my arms, letting out a hiss as the hawthorn touched my skin. If it burned for me, I could only imagine how bad it was for her.
“Hey,” Warner snapped as I strode away. “Where are you taking her?”
“To help her.” I glanced at Amaros, but he was occupied with the human again, and didn’t acknowledge me at all.
Without another word, I kicked the door open, rushing down the hall to my room.