The Hunted

Chapter 68

Kota's POV

It had taken a few days for Callie to regain her calm. Victor and I had worked with Corey and Sam to record the curse and blood bond details. It wasn't looking good, to be honest, and none of us knew how to tell her. We were writing out the lines and matching them to the vision quest Selene had sent the Tomas on when she walked in with Axel and Marc. I watched all three of them as they began to process the information. Callie's eyes began to shine crimson as she gave a low growl. I swear she makes our wolves sound like pups sometimes.

"Callie girl, you have to calm down or we're never going to get through this," Sam warned her. I choked when she turned and hissed at him.

He raised his eyebrows, then smirked when she let out a sharp squeal as Gabe's hand came down hard on her backside. "Knock it off, little girl or I'll spank your ass red in front of everyone." She gave him a harsh glare, but her eyes did fade to their natural color.

Everyone sat down and Corey started. "Okay, I'm sure several of you are noticing the similarities between Sang, well Zilla's curse, and the words that each of you spoke when Selene sent you on the vision quest. We think that has to do with Sang planting the false prophecy in the first place."

Victor read the words out loud, "While they were used in a different context, they were essentially the same: Frozen in time, the wheel stops, a second death to save the others, silenced in fire, the path is set, sealed in blood."

"Our best guess is that by having each of you say the words again, it helped her bring about the curse even though you weren't pregnant at the time, or at least not that we know of, and definitely not that she knew of," Sam added. "When you became a vampire, it messed up her curse pattern. This was her way of reactivating it essentially."

"The ones we are most focused on are 'the path is set and sealed in blood.' This was the act of binding you to Avroclayth and Zilla, but it was also a bond between Zilla and Avroclayth. We think this is how she keeps pulling him along with you and why he kills you. It also explains how he covets you." I told her.

"Wait, what do you mean?" she asked. I felt a knot form in my stomach. This was the part I was terrified to explain, but I knew she needed to know. Hell, they all did.

I gave Marc and Axel a warning look as they stepped closer to her. "Callie, he's bound to you, and you to him. What he said, it tracks. Somehow he instinctively knew you as a succubus even before you touched, but once you had first skin-to-skin contact, then the blood oath, it linked the two of you permanently."

I saw her face pale as she began to shake. They caught her just as her knees buckled. "Breathe, princess," Axel said calmly. "Listen to Marc's heartbeat and breathe for me." Her eyes closed as Marc pressed her ear to his chest and she began to match his breathing. "Good girl," Axel praised her.

She raised her eyes to meet mine. I saw the absolute terror in them as she asked, "Is he...my mate?"

"We don't know, but it doesn't seem so. It is a true blood bond. Over the centuries, the two of you have renewed the bond. Each time you exchanged blood, the oath renewed and became stronger. I don't think either Sang or Avroclayth even realized it until he did the other day. We're also not sure if he's told his Mistress of his revelation."

Victor knelt beside her, "I have a theory, my light. It's not what you want to hear, but I think it's accurate." She sighed and nodded for him to go ahead. "When he told you about your light calling to him, I think over the centuries he has developed an attachment to you - more than just lust. I think the bond has changed for him." He took her hand in his, "I think he might even help us defeat Sang rather than lose you."

She scoffed, "But he swears she has promised me to him."

"But has she ever delivered?" Owen asked. "Victor may have a point. Avroclayth has spent centuries watching you be snatched away from him for her petty jealousy. He doesn't like her, he simply obeys because she has bound him to her. At what point does he try to rebel? What if we can offer him a way to break his binding to her?"

"Is that possible?" she asked. "And if it is, why not break mine to him or even her for that matter?"

"That's the problem, little one, like Kota said, you have renewed the bond, but he and Sang haven't, and she hasn't renewed the one with you either. We stand a better chance of severing those, but we will need his help to do so," Corey told her.

"Great," she rolled her eyes and groaned, "How the fuck do we convince him to help me that doesn't get me raped or murdered?"

"You strike a bargain," a deep voice said from the corner of the room. "All demons love bargains, don't they Samael?" Avroclayth stepped forward as all of us put ourselves between him and her. "Imagine my surprise when I followed her scent here and discovered who her mommy and daddy were. Interesting ideas you have," he said, nodding his head to our charts and boards. "Now, about that bargain," he sneered, "care to take a walk, Zia?"

She stepped forward despite our protests. "You said we needed his help, well this is the chance." She stopped in front of Sam, "Remember your promise."

"I will, you have my word, Callie," he said with a hard grimace on his face. She suddenly threw her arms around him in a tight embrace but didn't say a word. When she pulled away, I saw the tears in his eyes.

"Alright," she sighed, "Let's get this over with, Clay." He smirked and held his hand out to her. She took it and they vanished.

What did we just do...

Author's Notes:  A deal with the devil...

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