Bite of Vengeance (Shadows of War #3)

18. Kali

Chapter 18

Kali

“ K ali.” Viggo’s voice dripped with warning. “Whatever you’re about to do—don’t.”

I spun around, my guard rising as Viggo stormed closer. Oh, he was livid. His hands were clenched into fists, and the scowl on his face was a far cry from his usual grin. His gaze raked over all the Shadows, his shoulders tensing.

“Walk away, Viggo,” I ordered, keeping my voice steady. “This is happening, and you’re outnumbered.”

He cursed under his breath, grabbing my shoulders. “No, it’s not. You’re going to get yourself killed. Stop acting like you can take on my father. Amaros Kane is not someone you can go against and win.”

He pulled me back, clearly intent on dragging me out of the Pen. With a growl, I planted my feet and twisted out of his grasp. He lunged for me again, snatching my wrist. My eyes snapped up, meeting his.

“You’re acting like I’m the helpless human you met months ago.” My voice bled with power, making his eyes widen. “I am not weak. The blood running through my veins rivals yours and your father’s. He knows it. Why do you think he’s so intent on forcing me to obey?”

“Kali,” he hissed desperately. “I can’t let you do this.”

“Can’t?” I laughed coldly. “You still don’t understand. You hold no power over me anymore.”

His fingers were still tight around my wrist, and I kept his stare as I pulled my arm slightly. Like I expected, he tried to tug me back. But this time, I allowed my strength to burn through me. I grinned as I yanked my arm, making him stumble forward a step. Shock covered his face for a moment before he scowled, exerting his own strength.

I managed to twist out of his grip, but he was ready and darted forward wrapping his arms around me, trapping mine at my sides. He squeezed me tightly, making it impossible to slip away.

“I don’t think you’re weak,” he breathed in my ear. “But you’re being reckless. Endangering my brothers’ lives. I won’t let it happen.”

“Let her go,” Rya snarled, coming into my line of sight.

I shook my head at her, silently telling her to stay back. These Shadows were going to follow me. They needed to know that I could handle myself. The others were shifting on their feet, the desire to fight gleaming in their eyes.

Viggo began dragging me back toward the exit, and I lashed my foot back, putting it behind his. He made a noise in surprise when he tripped. While he righted himself, I pushed off my feet, throwing all my weight into him. He stumbled back, unable to get his footing when I did it again.

“Shit,” he grunted out. “Stop?—”

I sucked in a deep breath, forcing my arms away from my sides. Viggo squeezed me tighter, trying to prevent me from getting free. He was so strong, and I realized that all the times he’d grabbed me in the past, he’d been holding back. Because this level of strength was something Zan and his brothers had never used against me before.

My muscles burned as I fought against him, and I let out a cry when I finally broke his hold. Spinning around, I shoved him back to keep him from grabbing me again. Disbelief shone in Viggo’s eyes as he gawked at me.

“You can’t control me,” I managed through heavy breaths. “Stop trying. I’m leaving.”

“Your strength is comparable to mine,” he bit out. “But look at you—just getting out of my hold has already exhausted you. You still can’t win against me. Just come back to the house.”

I raised my arms. “But it’s not just me, is it? It’s all of us. I don’t need to win against you on my own. Not when I have an army of Shadows who have my back.”

For the first time, a flicker of unease hit Viggo’s eyes, and he looked around as if just noticing how tightly the Shadows had circled around us. Most were shifting on their feet, impatience evident in their stances.

“No,” he snapped. “This isn’t happening.”

He darted forward, but before he got two steps, three Shadows attacked, wrestling him away from me.

“Don’t kill him,” I ordered, the tension escalating when Viggo swung his fist at one of them.

Viggo’s chest heaved as he was forced to his knees. While I was sure he could probably fight his way out of his predicament, he stayed on his knees, his gaze cutting to me. He was nearly trembling with fury, his fists stiff at his sides. I swallowed thickly, knowing he was close to losing it.

“Which army on this property is stronger, Viggo?” I asked quietly. “Mine or your father’s?”

“Don’t do this,” he said, his voice nearly pleading. “You’re going to start a war. One you have no idea how to win.”

“This was always the plan,” I admitted, a small slice of guilt stabbing me. I was about to wreck the life Viggo and his brothers had.

But there was no going back.

“We need to go,” I said loudly, glancing at Rya as I pulled the pen and paper from my pocket. “There are vehicles we can take, and the rest will travel by foot. We split into two groups. There’s a place we can meet about one hundred miles from here. I can show you where to go?—”

“Fucking hell,” Viggo ground out, and I looked at him when he shot to his feet. “You don’t have a safe enough spot where Amaros can’t find you.”

I frowned. “It’s an old Clover spot they don’t use anymore?—”

“It’s not good enough,” he cut me off sharply, holding his hand out. “I have somewhere we can go. I’ll draw the map.”

“We?” I repeated skeptically. “You’re not coming with us.”

He grinned even though it was forced. “Oh, yes I am. I promised my little brother I wouldn’t let you out of my sight.”

“We can’t trust him,” Rya sneered, stepping up beside me. “He’s a Kane. If he comes, it’ll put all of us in jeopardy.”

“Kali, think clearly,” Viggo murmured. “We both know Zan chose you , which means I’ll be searching for you the second he gets back anyway.”

“You and Pax?” I questioned. “You have to choose me too, Viggo. And the Shadows. Your loyalty can’t be to Amaros anymore.”

He shoved a Shadow away when one of them tried grabbing him again. “My loyalty is to my brothers. Zan will walk to his death for you. And Pax? He’s had a soft spot for humans his entire life. I will do anything for them. That includes leaving everything I’ve known to follow you into what will probably end with my own damn death.”

His answer wasn’t good enough for everyone surrounding me. Their hate for the Kane family was tangible. With good reason. They’d been trapped here for years. Indecision tore through me as I stared at him.

“I need more,” I finally said. “I know you’re loyal to your brothers. You need to be loyal to me .”

A noise of agreement passed over the Shadows, most of them still glowering at Viggo. I wasn’t even sure that would be enough to appease them.

Viggo’s eyes narrowed, his body bristling with arrogance as he straightened up. I bit my lip, attempting to hide my taunting smile. I should not be enjoying this, but I couldn’t help myself. As a Kane, he didn’t bow to anyone. It went against everything he was taught. Against his very nature. He blew out a shaky breath, lowering his head slightly as he kept his gaze locked on mine.

“My loyalty is to you,” he ground out roughly. “I will do what you ask me.”

“Prove it,” Rya spoke up, crossing her arms.

Viggo’s jaw ticked. “Fine.”

He stalked away, heading to the door before ripping it open. After a few heated words, the three vampires slowly stepped into the room, their bodies rigid. Viggo pushed the last one so he could shut the door.

“I’m guessing you all know these three,” Viggo drawled, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his pack of cigarettes. “They’re the ones who are usually outside this door.”

“They took our blood bags away,” one Shadow hissed.

“What is this?” a vampire asked, his throat moving as he swallowed thickly.

“The Shadows have decided they want to leave,” Viggo informed him. “You three are on watch. It’s your job to stop them. Go ahead.”

All three vampires were gawking at Viggo as if he was crazy. The Shadows were staring at him with distrust as if this was a trap. With a sigh, Viggo stepped forward and shoved his fist into the chest of the closest vampire. He let out a gurgled gasp before collapsing to the floor when Viggo ripped his heart out.

The other two vampires bolted for the exit, but Shadows blocked their escape as they looked at me. All it took was a small nod for them to pounce. They had been waiting for my approval. My chest tightened with nerves. What was I doing? There were hundreds of Shadows who were willing to stand with me and fight. What if I failed them?

I watched as they surrounded the two vampires, taunting and playing with them before going for the kill. Viggo was wiping his bloody hand on his shirt, an annoyed frown on his face as he ignored the vampires’ pleas for help. He glared at me, not saying a word as he snatched the paper and pen from my hand before moving away and putting it against the wall so he could draw whatever map he had in mind.

Rya nudged my shoulder. “Do you trust him?”

Knowing full well that Viggo could hear me, I met her eyes. “Yes. He won’t betray me.”

“Because of his brothers,” she muttered. “Not for you.”

“Zan…” I paused for a moment, my heart pounding in my chest. “Viggo will protect me because his brother loves me.”

Rya scoffed. “You had to fall in love with a Kane?”

I stiffened, not answering her. Love. Was I in love with Zan? I hadn’t admitted it even to myself yet. But I knew. It was why I trusted him. Why he was my first thought when I woke up. His being away from me only made it more real. There was an ache that refused to leave. I wasn’t whole when I was away from him.

“I’m excited,” Rya breathed out, pulling me from my thoughts. “To see something other than these walls.”

“It’s going to be dangerous,” I mumbled, knots building in my stomach. “Not all of us will survive.”

“It’ll be worth it.” Her words were confident. “We’re going to change this world, Kali.”

An anguished scream made my eyes snap back to the fight. One of the vampires was already dead, and the one who screamed was on the brink of death. The Shadows were taking turns ripping into his body with their fangs.

“Here,” Viggo said grudgingly, handing me the paper. “If we can get here, then we won’t have to worry about PARA or my father finding us for a while.”

I glanced at the rough map he made. “How will Zan find us?”

“We have a way to communicate,” he said, his voice full of resignation.

Rya looked over my shoulder at the paper. “I’ll take half of the group on foot. It’ll take us longer, but we’ll be fine.”

I didn’t like it. Splitting up was never a good idea, but there weren’t enough vehicles here for us all. But Shadows were fast, and it wouldn’t take a very long time for us to meet up again.

“Are we leaving?” a Shadow asked.

Nerves swept through me when I realized all eyes were on me. The vampires were lying on the floor in pools of blood. Viggo was leaning against the wall, smoking his cigarette, looking at me curiously. Almost as if he thought I wouldn’t go through with it.

“Yes, we’re leaving,” I said firmly. “We go to the house. There are vampires in there, but most are sleeping, so we can catch them by surprise. We need to go to the garage and the armory.”

“Half of you will come with me,” Rya announced.

“Don’t forget your training,” I added tightly. “The vampires in the house know how to fight. Don’t get cocky.”

One of the Shadows snickered. “If these two are anything to go by, we’ll be fine.”

“They’ll have weapons,” Viggo said gruffly.

Most ignored him, and I handed Rya the map. “We’ll all leave the property together and then go our separate ways.”

The Shadows parted, making a path for me as I headed toward the exit, with Rya walking at my side. After going through the small entry room, my hand landed on the door, and I paused for a moment. This was it. I had no idea what was going to happen next. But I did know that life as I knew it—as everyone in this world knew it—would never be the same.

I pushed open the door, and Rya let out a small gasp as she walked into the sunlight. A smile played on her lips, and murmurs of pleasure swept through the crowd as they followed me outside. For some of them, they hadn’t seen sunlight in years.

“You know, I was going to offer you one after finding out you were a Shadow.” Viggo fell into step with me, waving his cigarette in my direction before taking another drag of it. “Zan didn’t let you partake when you were human. But now? You don’t deserve it.”

I rolled my eyes as I upped my pace. “If you’re going to act like this, you can just stay here.”

“I’ll take one,” Rya said, holding her hand out.

Viggo looked past me to eye Rya warily. “You smoke?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never tried.” Her words were bitter. “Since your family kept me locked up for years.”

He pressed his lips together before hesitantly passing his cigarette to her. She plucked it from his hand, staring at it for a moment before bringing it to her mouth and inhaling.

“Such a horrible fucking idea,” Viggo grumbled, shooting me a dark look. “They won’t ever accept me, or my brothers. Even if you do, they won’t. There’s too much bad blood.”

“Maybe you can start making things right by treating us as equals,” Rya said, ignoring him when he reached for his cigarette. “Instead of acting like we’re nothing but soldiers who were born to obey.”

“Right,” Viggo muttered, reaching in front of me and snatching his cigarette from her hand. “How about we survive the next week before I make any promises.”

The house came into sight, and adrenaline flooded my veins. Viggo slowed his pace, grabbing my arm when I turned to enter the way we usually did.

“There will be vampires in the rotunda,” he said quietly. “They love the glass windows where they can be in the sun. We’ll go in through a different door.”

“You’re okay with this?” I questioned. “Betraying your father’s vampires? A lot of them are going to die.”

“I chose you, Kali,” he murmured under his breath. “For my brothers. Life is all about making difficult decisions. Better learn that now before you storm in there and declare war on Amaros Kane.”

“I made this decision months ago,” I informed him. “I was never going to bow to your father.”

He sighed. “Then let’s go.”