Bite of Vengeance (Shadows of War #3)

38. Zan

Chapter 38

Zan

I was jostled awake, and I swallowed my groan, my neck still aching from Viggo snapping it. I kept my eyes closed, letting my other senses take over. The humming from an engine alerted me that I was in a vehicle. Heartbeats other than my own surrounded me, and I counted at least six bodies. A slice of relief slid through me when I couldn’t smell Kali’s scent. At least she wasn’t here.

“Don’t try to pretend with me, son.” My father’s disappointed voice cut through the silence. “Sit up.”

My stomach rolled with unease as I cracked my eyes open. Amaros was sitting across from me, his eyes locked on me as I slowly moved to sit up. Tension blanketed the air as I glanced around, seeing his most loyal vampires on either side of me. Whatever vehicle we were in most likely belonged to PARA at some point. It was a spacious area with long benches running along the walls of the truck. There were no windows, making it impossible to know where we were.

“I wish it didn’t come to this,” Amaros murmured, shaking his head. “You betrayed me. You allowed your brothers to do the same. All because of one fucking woman.”

I pressed my lips together, not saying a word. Nothing I said would help this situation. My heart pounded almost painfully. He was going to use me to get Kali. And I didn’t stand a damn chance against him, especially with his vampires surrounding me.

“I know you’re bonded with her,” he continued in a low voice. “Which means I need to be very careful on the orders I give you. I can still hold power over you, but not when it comes to her. Protecting her will come before anything else.”

Orders . Ice lined my veins. He was going to entrance me again.

“I’ll have to do better than I did with Viggo. Even with my entrancement, he still managed to leave the property.”

“Even if I’m under your control, you won’t touch her,” I hissed, my chest heaving.

He smiled cruelly. “After everything I’ve accomplished, you still underestimate me.”

The scent of human blood suddenly overwhelmed my nostrils, and I whipped my head toward the front of the vehicle. My eyes widened when I saw Rowan sitting at the end of the bench. His arms were pulled behind him as if bound by something.

A huge gash on his forehead was still dripping blood, and his nose was swollen and crooked. Nearly every inch of his skin was black and blue. He was heaving in shallow breaths, and his heart was beating furiously. From how he was breathing, I was guessing at least a couple of his ribs were broken. He opened his mouth as if to say something before his eyes cut to Amaros. His silence made me curious about how badly my father had tortured him.

“I could have entranced him to obey,” Amaros said, noticing where my attention was. “But I like this way better. He had a hawthorn tattoo like Kali, but that’s not an issue now.”

I could only imagine the creative way my father got rid of Rowan’s tattoo. From the way his eyes were spitting loathing at my father, I was guessing it was painful. Good fucking riddance . I hoped he suffered.

Images of when Kali was chained to the chair filled my head. The gleeful way Rowan had taunted me when I’d been fucking helpless while he tortured her. Fury slid down my limbs, and a growl vibrated in my chest. I jumped to my feet, lunging across the vehicle with every intention of killing him.

Until a hand wrapped around my throat, throwing me back onto the bench. Amaros loomed over me, keeping his grip on my neck.

“I still need him,” he informed me coldly before his gaze locked on mine. Panic washed over me when he held me hostage with entrancement. “You will not touch Rowan. You will not fight me. You will stay at my side until I give you an order.”

He released me, and I fell back onto the bench, my pulse thudding out of control. He purposefully didn’t say Kali’s name. I had a feeling that our bond would shatter any control he had over me. But clearly, he could still entrance me if it had nothing to do with her.

“Why do you need him?” I gritted out.

He sat back down, glancing at Rowan before looking back at me. “He’s the reason we’re in this truck. You and Kali are the reason I got to him. With you and the Shadows ravaging the human cities, they had to travel, leaving them vulnerable.”

“Where are we going?”

“After I got rid of that pesky tattoo, I was able to entrance Rowan.” A smirk lifted his lips. “Not only did I find out that PARA had been hoarding Shadows for Keeva to control, but now I know where they’re being kept. We’re going to get them.”

I stared at him. “Get the Shadows?”

“Yes.”

“They won’t listen to you.”

“I know.” His voice was calm, but the rage swimming in his eyes was crystal clear. “Kali will lead them.”

The bands of entrancement kept me on the bench as my fists clenched. “You don’t have Kali.”

If he did, I would feel it. She wasn’t in danger—not at this moment. Amaros let out a cruel chuckle.

“I will. Your bond with her will lead her straight to us. While I believe she still has a soft spot for humans, her feelings for you will be greater.” He paused, looking at me thoughtfully. “Your life or the humans. She’ll choose you.”

“You’ll kill me if she doesn’t listen?” I bit out, expecting nothing less from him.

“You think there are no consequences for betraying me?” he roared, losing control. His eyes brimmed with anger and hurt. “I am your father, and you chose her. Believe me, Zan. Your punishment will come later once all of this is over and I have Kali and the Shadows under my control.”

“And Keeva?” I asked between heavy breaths. I was fighting the entrancement so damn hard, but I still couldn’t move an inch closer to my father. While I knew he was going to harm her, she was under no threat right now. My bond with her was doing nothing to try to overpower his mind control.

“I’m sure she’s been looking for us ever since we took Rowan. But she can’t track him like Kali can with you. They aren’t bonded. Once we find her, I’ll make sure she can’t interfere.”

He was telling me all of this with ease. He had all the confidence that whatever plan he had would work.

“Kali won’t follow you,” I spat out. “She never will.”

He tilted his head. “No? Tell me, Zan, what would you do to protect her?”

Anything. I’d do fucking anything to keep Kali safe. Even before our bond was fully formed, I would have done whatever was needed to protect her.

“The way you feel about her is a mirror of her feelings for you,” he said, arrogance in his voice. “She will do everything to protect you. The bond will make sure of that.”

I bit back my retort. Arguing with him would do nothing. I only hoped my brothers would be able to convince Kali to stay away. She didn’t need to come for me.

“We have a problem.”

Amaros frowned, turning his head toward the driver who had slid open a small partition to the front of the truck.

“What?” he snapped.

“The girl is out there. One of the twins.”

My heart leaped into my throat, and I peered through the tiny partition, panic sliding through me when I couldn’t see anything out of the windshield. Closing my eyes, I listened, hearing heartbeats outside of the vehicle. Many heartbeats.

“Which one?” Amaros said tightly. “Kali or Keeva?”

The vampire’s voice shook. “I…I don’t know. I can’t tell them apart.”

“Are my sons out there?”

“No. PARA uniforms.”

Keeva. From the small flash of surprise in Amaros’s eyes, he wasn’t expecting her to find us so soon. He stood up, bending slightly to keep from hitting the ceiling of the truck.

He made his way toward the front. “How far out are we?”

“The gate is just past the trees. But they aren’t going to let us pass.”

Amaros cursed. “Where are the other vehicles?”

“About twenty minutes out.”

Realization slammed into me as I stared at my father. His vampires weren’t here yet. His plan wasn’t falling exactly into place. The truck halted suddenly, and Rowan shifted, his eyes not leaving Amaros.

“Zan, you’re going to go out there with me,” he ordered. “You will not do anything until I say.”

The invisible bands of the entrancement snapped through me as I stood. Amaros grabbed Rowan by the back of his neck, yanking him to his feet, making him curse.

“Get fucked,” he breathed out, his voice thick with pain.

Amaros chuckled as he tightened his hold, making Rowan writhe in agony. “You knew this was coming. Unfortunately for you and the humans, you’re going to lose.”

Rowan glowered at him, not saying a word. My father turned his attention to me, jerking his head in an order for me to exit the vehicle. A vampire had already opened the door in the back, and I sucked in a deep breath before jumping down.

The moon was hidden by low clouds, and the air smelled like rain. How long had I been unconscious?

“Let Rowan go.”

I snapped my head to the side, seeing Keeva standing across the small clearing. Behind her were about twenty people wearing PARA uniforms. I frowned when their scent hit me. They weren’t humans. They were Shadows .

“I can smell him,” Keeva hissed, fury coating her voice. “I know he’s here.”

“He is,” Amaros answered as he got out of the vehicle, keeping his grip on Rowan. “I didn’t give you enough credit. You found us faster than I was expecting.”

Keeva’s eyes trailed down Amaros, a flicker of unease hitting her gaze. This was probably the first time she’d ever laid eyes on my father. She was smart to be nervous. Whatever he had planned was not fucking good for any of us.

“I knew you’d come here,” she sneered, waving her arm to motion behind her. “You want the Shadows.”

I swallowed my surprise when I spotted the high walls of a human city beyond the trees. Not only were the Shadows with Keeva a problem, but now we were near PARA with who knew how many soldiers inside those walls.

“You want him?” Amaros forced Rowan to his knees. “Then you tell your Shadows to stand down. And you’ll follow me.”

She scowled. “Follow you?”

“ Obey me,” he growled. “Or he’s dead.”

Instead of anger, dark amusement filled her face as she smirked. “Let him go, or my Shadows are going to shoot.”

“You think bullets can stop me,” Amaros sneered. “Did you not learn how old I am?”

Keeva nodded, and a moment later a shot rang out before a bullet hit the vampire who was standing next to me. He let out a groan and bent forward, clutching his stomach when blood began dripping from it.

“Your hawthorn bullets might harm them and my son,” Amaros murmured. “It would barely phase me. You standing there thinking you can defeat me is insulting.”

Her wicked grin only widened as a silent answer. I didn’t need to look at my father to know her reaction was infuriating him. The vampire suddenly let out a wail, falling to his knees before face planting into the grass. He rolled around, screaming in pain, his body rigid.

Realization had my lips parting as I stared at him. This wasn’t from hawthorn.

“Kali’s blood,” I said hoarsely. “They’re using her blood.”

“We have enough to change all your vampires,” Keeva said, hearing my words even though she was across the clearing. “Turns out, even just a couple drops are enough.”

Amaros hauled Rowan back to his feet, making sure to keep him in front so the bullets couldn’t touch him. I snuck a quick glance at my father, the rage simmering in his eyes making my blood run cold. He wasn’t expecting this at all.

“Give him to me,” Keeva demanded again. “Or the next bullet will be for your son.”

“If you shoot either of us, I’ll snap his neck,” Amaros threatened, his voice just as ruthless as always. She might have surprised him, but he wasn’t revealing it. “You hear that? My vampires are here. They outnumber your Shadows five to one. You think you can shoot all of them before they reach you?”

I tilted my head slightly, hearing vehicles coming up behind us. Thank fuck. As much as I didn’t want to be trapped at my father’s side, now I had to also worry about getting shot with blood that would turn me human. I’d take being stuck with his vampires over that happening.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Keeva said quietly, creeping closer. “Even the great Amaros Kane can’t beat Shadows and PARA together.”

His laugh was laced with danger. “You have no idea what I’m capable of.”

The Shadows around her lunged forward, and I heard running coming from behind me. Bullets began flying, and I darted behind the truck. Before I could do anything else, Amaros was in front of me, his eyes locking on mine. I let out a grunt, attempting and failing to fight against his entrancement.

“You will not enter the city until you hear my vampires,” he ordered. “I need time, and I know Kali won’t follow without you. Once you get into the city, you will find me.”

I didn’t have a chance to understand his words as I sagged back against the van when he tore away, racing into the darkness, pulling Rowan with him. Bodies were running past me, the air filling with gunshots and screams. It began to rain, the water coming down harder by the second. I patted my pockets, letting out a curse. No weapons. I had nothing on me at all. Lifting my head, I grabbed one of the vampire’s arms who was running past me.

“Give me—” I stopped talking when his scent hit me. “You’re not a vampire.”

He wrenched his arm from me, his eyes narrowing. “You’re the one we can’t kill.”

“No,” I choked out, my heart stopping. “Where is she?”

He wasn’t a vampire or human. He was a Shadow who wasn’t with Keeva. Meaning that Kali was here, and Amaros knew that. Not fucking good. I needed to get her as far from here as possible. The Shadow jerked, his face flooding with pain. Keeva appeared behind him as he fell to his knees. I spotted the gun in her hand, and I lunged forward when she raised it toward me.

I slammed into her, making sure she couldn’t get a shot at me. We tumbled to the ground, and I managed to knock the gun from her grip. Her elbow connected with my jaw, and pain spasmed across my face as I blocked her next hit. Her strength was equal to mine, and clearly PARA had trained her over the years. Her fighting style was vastly different from Kali’s, but she was still lethal.

“Where did he go?” Keeva shrieked, stumbling when I shoved her back. “Where the fuck is Rowan?”

My jaw clenched as I tensed, waiting for her to attack again. I couldn’t kill her. Not when it was written that she and Kali were connected. I wouldn’t chance it.

“Tell me, or I’ll kill you,” she threatened coldly. “Or maybe I’ll just make you watch once we get Kali again.”

I chuckled humorlessly. “Try it. See what happens. No one else, including you, will fucking touch her again.”

“No, they won’t.”

Kali appeared beside me, and it took everything to keep my feet planted and not sweep her up in my arms. But with Keeva right in front of us, Kali wasn’t even chancing a glance at me. But I could barely tear my eyes from her. Her hair was pulled behind her head, and she had a tight black shirt on with a pair of jeans and her favorite black boots. A gun was tucked in her waistband on her back while she pointed another one at Keeva.