Page 21 of Immortal Hunter
“Under…yer control?” All he could do now was try to learn as much as he could about Hagen and his plans in the hope that he’d find some way to survive.
“I owned her mind and body for two centuries. She obeyed me without question, killed without remorse or pause. Until one day, I made a mistake that allowed her to escape.”
“Ya’ lie…”
Hagen responded by sliding a black metal blade along Ewan’s bicep, flaying off a small strip of skin as Ewan screamed. He couldn’t take much more of this. His muscles trembled, and the chains rattled with his every breath.
“Do you know anything of magic, human?” Hagen asked as he licked Ewan’s blood from the knife.
“M-magic?” Ewan whispered. He couldn’t hold his head up any longer, and let his chin hit his chest.
“I made Kára. She was a Shield Maiden fighting for the innocent, but I tracked her and drained her before giving her my blood to allow her to be reborn. But she was ungrateful and ran from me.”
“Ya…took her…choices away.” His voice faded with every word, but he had to stay focused, to keep Hagen talking.
“Isavedher.” The vampire punched him in the ribs, and a bone cracked, making him howl with pain. “When I caught her once more, I used a powerful black magic spell to enchant my blood. She drank from me, and her body—even her thoughts—they were mine to control.”
Ewan forced his head up and focused on the vampire’s face. Hagen’s self-satisfied smile turned his stomach. “And yet, she…got away…again. Yer daft, ya’ piece of shite, and she will end ya’.”
Hagen slammed his fist into the stone wall, sending shards exploding outward, several of them slicing Ewan’s chest. “Not this time. The magic is stronger now. Unbreakable. And with her at my side, we can retrieve her sisters, and then, nothing and no one will stand in our way again.”
* * *
Kára
She didn’t have time to think about what Hagen could be doing to Ewan. She barely had time to get back to the coven house, even in her old truck. But she gunned the engine, fishtailing around a bend in the road as she urged the vehicle faster. They were going to help her now, dammit. The bracelet around her wrist still burned, and she snarled at it.
She never should have gone to them in the first place. Her troubles had all started with Vesper, and the witch was going to answer for what she’d done.
Hagen wouldn’t stop until he had her and her sisters back under his control. Dialing with one hand, she called Herja as she waited at a stoplight. The last thing she needed tonight was the local sheriff pulling her over.
“Kára? You never call.” Herja’s voice was thick with sleep. Fuck. Kára always forgot they were not in the same time zone anymore.
“Hagen is in St. John’s.”
“Shit. How did he find you?”
Taking another curve a little too quickly, Kára put the call on speaker and tossed the phone onto the seat. “I do not know. But he has my mate, and if I fail to return to him tomorrow night, he will kill Ewan.”
A hint of judgement crept into Herja’s tone. “You mated? You swore to me you would never—”
“I swore I would never let myself be vulnerable, Herja. And I meant every word of it. But my heart startedbeating. You have no idea how that feels. When I was around him, I was…complete. Alive. Like I washumanagain. I had no choice in the matter. He is my mate, and if I do not submit to Hagen’s will, let him feed me again and use me as his weapon, Ewan is going to die.”
“You cannot, Kára. You know what he will do to you. To us. You were always the strongest.”
Kára shuddered as she eased off the gas and coasted to a stop in front of the coven’s house. “I do. Which is why I need you to go to Mist. The two of you together…you can end me.”
A vicious curse echoed throughout the truck’s cab. Herja let loose with a long string of obscenities, punctuated with the occasional word or phrase in English. Words like “never again” and “he will regret the day he made me” and “no human is worth what you are about to do.”
When Herja finally stopped ranting, Kára picked up the phone and took her sister off speaker. “I will not give up without a fight. I promise. But if everything goes to shit tomorrow night, I need to know you and Mist are together and…safe.”
“All right, sister. I will go to her. Be careful.”
Swallowing hard, Kára fought not to lose control of her emotions. Herja would not appreciate her tears. “Thank you. I…I love you, Herja. Always.”
* * *
Kára didn’t even trythe front door. There wasn’t enough time. A subtle glow already painted the horizon, and if she didn’t get inside soon, she’d be burnt to a crisp, and Ewan would die.
