9. Zan
Chapter 9
Zan
K ali let out a small laugh, wrapping her arms around her knees as she listened to a Shadow’s story about his childhood before he’d come to the Pen.
I watched in both shock and disbelief as more Shadows fell to the floor to join in the little circle where Kali was sitting. She’d been doing this for the last three days. Coming in and just talking to them. Asking their names and history. I wasn’t sure if they trusted her, but they weren’t trying to kill her either. The fact that the Shadows were listening to Kali proved what my father had told me. In all the years that I’d been coming to the Pen, I could never get them to obey without using force.
I would never be able to turn my back on any of them without the worry of attack, which was why I was leaning against the wall. But she didn’t seem bothered that she was surrounded by Shadows on all sides.
The sweet scent of blood engulfed me as Shadows sucked from blood bags to their hearts’ content. Which made me uneasy. In the past, we’d given them blood sparingly to keep them compliant. Now they were at their full strength. I was powerful and could most likely hold my own against a few of them. But being in a room with hundreds of Shadows? I was no longer the strongest in here.
A low whistle had me whipping my head to the side, and I spotted Viggo and Pax striding toward me. My brows rose in surprise. They were supposed to be trying to get Kali’s twin out of Project Hope. Most of the Shadows were focused on Kali, but a few of them noticed my brothers, openly glaring at them with suspicion.
“They like her,” Viggo said once he stopped beside me, his eyes staying on Kali. “Dad was right.”
“He was,” I agreed warily.
Pax frowned, giving me a knowing stare. He didn’t have to say anything because I was thinking the same. Kali wasn’t doing this for Amaros. She had a plan of her own. One she wouldn’t share with me.
“Yeah, well the training might be put on hold.” Viggo pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “We can’t get into Project Hope without help. And seeing as Kali knows the city, we need her to get us in.”
“Amaros won’t let her leave,” I muttered under my breath.
Viggo nudged my shoulder. “Doesn’t hurt to try.”
I appreciated what they were trying to do. Attempting to get Kali off the property. It wouldn’t happen.
“How’d she do it?” Viggo mumbled, staring at Kali with a perplexed expression. “You’ve been at this for years and never got close to them listening. She’s sitting there as if she’s known them her entire life.”
Before I could reply, Kali’s eyes wandered our way. She must have heard my brothers because there wasn’t a speck of surprise on her face at seeing them. Viggo gave her a little wave before sauntering closer to her as she stood.
“Viggo, careful,” I ground out, noticing most of the Shadows were now watching him. With a curse, I pushed off the wall and followed him.
“Kali,” he greeted her. “Did you miss us?”
“That depends,” she replied, her eyes gleaming with danger. “Did you get my so-called twin sister out of Project Hope?”
He let out a chuckle. “Can’t tell you that.”
I had a feeling she’d already heard our conversation when my brothers arrived. But Viggo hadn’t seen her in over a week; he had no idea how fast she was transitioning. Pax was walking beside me, his body stiff as the tension in the room escalated. As Viggo got closer to Kali, the Shadows grew more on edge.
“Can’t tell me?” she questioned, cocking her head to the side. “Or won’t?”
My pulse thudded unevenly when the blonde stepped to Kali’s side, staring at Viggo with loathing in her eyes. The power in Kali’s voice even had Viggo hesitating for a moment. Physically, she’d been getting stronger every day. But it was more than that. Her confidence and demeanor were changing too. Growing. She was built to lead the Shadows, and even in the short time we’d been in the Pen the last few days, it was obvious. When her transition was complete, I wondered how powerful she’d be.
Viggo halted a couple feet from Kali, jerking a nod toward the Shadows. “Do they obey you better than they do my brother?”
“Viggo,” I warned in a low voice. “A lot has changed in a week.”
“You should listen to Zan,” Kali taunted, her curious gaze staying on my brother. “You don’t want to get hurt.”
I let out a groan when Viggo’s shoulders straightened. She threw down a challenge that he would never back down from. It wasn’t in our nature. Especially when we never fucking lost. But this time was different.
“Viggo,” Pax hissed, his eyes darting around as the Shadows crept closer. “Don’t be stupid.”
“They won’t do anything.” Viggo flicked his cigarette on to the floor. “Kali wouldn’t want anything to happen to her friend.”
I bit my tongue, watching Kali’s eyes darken. Viggo just didn’t know when to fucking stop. He wouldn’t hurt Warner or tell Amaros anything that happened here, but he was trying to get under her skin.
“Back off,” the blonde snapped when Viggo took a step closer.
Kali opened her mouth, but before she said a word, her gaze cut behind me toward the entrance of the pen. The hatred sweeping across her features proved who’d just walked in. The click of the door closing had both Pax and Viggo looking over their shoulders.
“Is there a reason my sons came home and didn’t bother to find me first?” Amaros asked, his voice growing louder as he crossed the room.
“We were looking for you,” Viggo said with a forced grin. “Thought you’d be out here with Zan and Kali.”
All the Shadows were shifting on their feet, their eyes staying locked on my father as he stepped beside me. In the last few days, I’d learned they hated Amaros. But they also feared him. Shadows were strong, but Amaros had decades on them. He could overpower everyone in the room.
Amaros gazed around the room, no doubt noticing how the Shadows circled Kali. They were already naturally protecting her.
“Impressive,” my father murmured, a small smirk on his lips.
Kali didn’t respond as she crossed her arms, her frigid glare unwavering as Amaros strode farther into the room.
“But the question is—are you doing what I asked of you?” He tilted his head. “Or doing it in spite of me?”
I tensed at the dangerous threat in his voice. Viggo and Pax picked up on it too. Both wore identical frowns when Amaros put his fingers to his mouth and whistled loudly. The Shadows let out yells of surprise when vampires began pouring in from the front entrance and the usually locked back door. This building was large, but when more than a hundred vampires stormed inside, the space was packed.
“This is a reminder,” Amaros boomed. “Of what will happen if you think you can cross me.”
His vampires attacked, most of them with weapons. Either guns with wooden bullets or needles with hawthorn. Chaos erupted, the Shadows not hesitating to fight back. Though many of them surrounded Kali, making sure vampires couldn’t get to her.
“Do not move,” my father ordered, his eyes cutting to me. “She’s not in danger.”
I clenched my jaw, swallowing thickly. After he fucking entranced me to forbid me from sleeping with Kali, I was walking on eggshells around him. Because now I didn’t know if he’d do it again to keep me in line.
Shots rang out when the vampires began shooting. Shadows dropped as they were hit in the head, and others were falling victim to the hawthorn. While the Shadows were going for the kill, the vampires were only maiming.
“They’re strong.” Amaros moved to stand next to me and the twins. “But untrained.”
Though, they were trained well enough not to attack us Kanes. The Shadows were going for all vampires but leaving us alone. They knew better than to challenge our strength. Amaros’s vampires weren’t touching Kali either, but she couldn’t even fight if she wanted, because the Shadows were keeping her surrounded.
“Enough,” Amaros roared.
The vampires halted, but the majority of the Shadows continued to attack. More than a few vampires were dead on the floor, and the cement was smeared with red and black blood. Amaros strode forward grabbing the closest Shadow by the neck. Shock ripped through me when he plunged his fist into the Shadow’s chest, ripping out his heart.
Kali yelled, trying to push through the bodies that were blocking her. Amaros let the heart fall to the floor with a thud before silence blanketed the room. The tension crackled dangerously when my father stepped toward Kali.
“You all want freedom?” Amaros asked in a lethally soft voice. “To leave this room and do as you please?”
No one uttered a word, all the Shadows glaring with loathing. Kali didn’t move a muscle, her eyes spitting hatred at my father. He let out a laugh that oozed with danger. Viggo appeared beside me, shooting me a sharp look when I took a step toward her. I clenched my teeth, anger tearing through me. Every day we were here, I was getting closer to fucking losing it. My loyalty to my father was fading. There was no denying it anymore.
All I cared about was Kali and making sure she didn’t get wrapped up in this war and end up getting killed.
“To earn that freedom, every single one of you will do as you’re told,” Amaros threatened loudly. “There is no fighting against me.” He glanced at me. “Let’s go.”
Kali strode forward, causing the surrounding Shadows to shift uneasily. Two of them moved to follow her until she shot them a look.
“Damn,” Viggo mumbled under his breath. “They obey her.”
“Yeah, they do,” I replied quietly, knowing our father didn’t miss our words by the smirk on his face as he watched Kali step beside me.
“All of you, get out,” Amaros ordered his vampires. “No more bloodshed tonight.”
“Come on.” I grabbed her hand, not missing the lethal glare she was giving my father.
“And if I want to stay?” she tossed back.
Amaros chuckled. “Not an option. You’ll do as you’re told, just like the Shadows.”
Her grip on my hand tightened, her anger palpable as I pulled her toward the door. My brothers followed behind us, none of us speaking a word while we left the Pen. The four vampires standing outside straightened their spine when I stepped out. Their lingering stares on Kali had me scowling at them until they averted their eyes. The vampires here knew she was a Shadow and important to me, but that was it, which made their curiosity run rampant.
Kali didn’t say a word as we walked down the trail. She attempted to yank out of my hold, but I held fast, wondering how long it would take until her strength rivaled mine. With how fast she was gaining her skills, I knew it wouldn’t be long.
“You two came back empty-handed,” Amaros said, disappointment in his voice. “Where’s her twin?”
“Still in Project Hope,” Viggo drawled before taking a drag of his cigarette. “They have that city locked the fuck down. We haven’t found a way in. To make it happen, we need someone who knows the city.”
“Kali won’t be leaving my property,” Amaros snapped. “Come up with a new plan.”
“Unless you want to storm the city, we’re out of ideas,” Pax spoke up. “And even that has a possibility of failing. They’ve upped their security since they have the girl there.”
“She’s not just a girl—she’s a Shadow.” My father fell into step beside Kali. “If the humans don’t realize her power before she completely transitions, they won’t be able to control her. I want her before that happens.”
“What’s her name?” Kali asked, turning her head to look at Amaros. “My twin.”
He paused, his steps slowing as he thought about the answer. “Keeva. Your mother named both of you.”
Kali blinked, and I shared her surprise. I hadn’t been expecting him to answer. Amaros halted in his tracks, grabbing Kali’s arm and tugging her to him as she let out a cry of protest. My chest tightened when I released her hand after my father’s eyes flashed with irritation.
“Have you ever done research on your name?” he asked her, curiosity on his face. “What it means?”
“No,” she snapped, arching her back when he leaned closer. “I thought the orphanage named me.”
“I know all about your family history, including your last name.” He smirked cruelly. “You behave like I’ve asked, and I’ll share what I know.”
“I’ve been listening,” she ground out through clenched teeth.
“I know you have. Make sure you continue.” He let her go, and she stumbled back a step. “Go back to the house. Now. Gia is in the rotunda.”
Her gaze clouded with confusion as she stared at him before spinning around and hurrying down the trail. We were close enough that he would be able to hear if she followed his order even when she was out of sight. Amaros stared at her through the darkness until the path curved.
“It won’t take long until her transition is complete.” His brows furrowed. “It will be more difficult to control her when that happens. It’s not in her nature to submit, just like her mother.”
“What do you mean?” Pax asked from behind me. “It’s barely been a month since her birthday. Transitioning takes a year.”
“Not for her bloodline.” Amaros shook his head. “Her mother’s transition took less than two months. Just like us Kanes, her family is special. Different from other Shadows.”
Viggo let out a low whistle. “It still took us nearly a year to transition. You going to explain why Kali and her twin are so important?”
“Yes,” Amaros answered as we headed to the house. “But not where there are prying ears. And right now, we need to figure out how to get into Project Hope and get Keeva away from the humans. I want them both.”
The image of Kali’s twin filled my mind. They appeared to be identical in every way. Except where strength shone in Kali’s eyes, fear had swarmed Keeva’s. Life was not easy in this world, but I had a feeling Kali’s twin had more than her fair share of hardships and grief.
“Warner knows that city just as well as Kali,” Pax said quietly. “We could bring him?—”
“No,” Amaros growled with impatience. “He is the only reason she is obeying. He stays.”
“Then come up with something else, Dad,” Viggo said, sliding his hands into his pockets. “We’ve tried everything. The Clovers blocked the tunnel we used to get in last time. Unless you know of another way to sneak in undetected, we’re screwed.”
Amaros threw him a look, his anger rising. “Have we ever failed before? We’ll figure it out.”
My gut was churning as I walked by my father’s side. I still had no idea why Kali and her sister were so important. Amaros needed them for something, and I could bet it had to do with taking over the human cities. But whatever it was, Kali was right in the center of it all. And I had no idea how to save her from it.