A picture of Elyse filled the screen; Saxon had no idea when it was taken, but she looked like a teenager. The banners in the back made him suspect the photo was from one of the events her mom took her to. It may be the only photo the Savages had of her, and they had to be the ones behind this.
“She’s twenty-two, five foot four, and weighs one hundred and five pounds. She has dark brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen getting into an SUV at this motel. Police don’t have a make and model of that SUV yet, but we will keep you posted when they learn more. We have photos taken from surveillance video of the two men she was last seen with.”
The screen cut to a grainy black and white photo of Declan and Asher in a department store checkout line. It must have been taken when they were buying supplies for him and Elyse.
“Those bastards,” Declan snarled, and when he stepped toward the TV, Saxon thought he might smash it.
“Declan, don’t,” Saxon said.
When Declan’s gaze swung toward him, his eyes were red, but he took a deep breath, and the tension in his shoulders eased. It was rare to see Declan lose his temper. He pulled out a lollipop, but instead of opening it, he crushed it in his hand.
The camera cut back to Skylar, who gazed solemnly into it as she continued speaking. “If you see these men, the police ask you not to approach but to call them immediately.”
A number flashed across the bottom of the screen as the reporter continued speaking. “Of course, you can also call 911.”
“Let’s hope they find her soon,” the female anchor said when the camera returned to her. “Now on to sports.”
Asher turned the TV off, and they all stared at the blank screen.
“What was that?” Lucien asked. “What are they thinking by involving the humans in this?”
Saxon didn’t know. For millennia, Savages, hunters, and the Defenders had all battled each other. Throughout it all, there was always one unspoken law they all abided; keep the humans out of their world. And now, the Savages had drawn the humans into the middle of their battle by involving the police and media.
The police at the motel were probably under control of the Savages, and he suspected any calls about Elyse were going to police under Savage control, but they’d also involved the media. The Savages had to know they were taking the risk of exposing all of their kind by going public with this story.
“This is the second time I’ve seen this story run in less than ten minutes,” Asher said. “The first time I was taking a swing through the ER to make sure everything was still good there.”
“Did anyone see you?” Lucien asked.
“There were a couple of patients there at the time, but they weren’t paying attention to me.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Saxon said. “There are too many people in this hospital who could recognize the two of you and Elyse. We’ve got control of some of them, but we can’t control all the people in this building.”
“They want your girl bad,” Lucien said.
“Her ability is extremely rare; I’ve never heard of anything like it before. It’s an asset to them, but it’s also a big threat,” Declan said. “We can use her to hunt them.”
“No one is going to use her again,” Saxon growled.
“That’s not the way they’re looking at it,” Declan said. “They don’t care if she’s alive or not; they have to know that she’s not working with us. If the police find us, we can’t fight them; we’ll expose ourselves if we do.”
“And we can’t kill humans,” Lucien said. “And those bastards are using that against us.”
“This is so fucked up,” Asher said. “They plastered our faces all over the news.”
For the first time, a vampire had been exposed to the public. They didn’t know Declan was a vamp, and humans had found out about them before, of course, but it had always been in small, controllable numbers. Now, they had no way of knowing how far this story had spread, and if the humans came for them, they could only do so much before they risked exposing themselves to the public.
“Is there a way for you and Declan to get out of here without anyone seeing you?” Saxon asked Asher.
“Yes. The hospital is quiet this early in the morning,” Asher said.
“Good. You two have to get away from the public eye. Once you’re out of here, let Logan and Ronan know what’s happening; we’ll meet you as soon as Elyse is ready to go. When we go to Maine, we’re going to have to take a route that doesn’t involve any cameras or tolls.”
“I’ll plot it out,” Declan said, though his gaze remained on the TV. When Declan lifted his head, fire burned in his eyes. “They’ve taken this war in a whole new direction.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Saxon and Lucien walked beside the bed as it rolled down the hall with Elyse toward a recovery room. One of the wheels made a strange clicking noise against the white tile as they steered her down the hall. Saxon squinted against the light bouncing off the floor of the bright hall.
He kept his hand on Elyse’s shoulder as he sought to reassure himself she was alive. She was so pale against the white sheets, but her breathing was steady.
“There was more damage to her arm than I expected to find,” the surgeon said. “So it took longer than I anticipated.”
“Will she be okay?” Saxon demanded.
“The cast will have to stay on for at least eight weeks, and she’ll have to do physical therapy afterward, but I see no reason why she can’t make a full recovery.”
Hopefully, before all that happened, she would agree to be his mate, and none of those things would be necessary.
“When can I take her home?” Saxon asked.
“She should wake soon, and if there are no complications, she should be able to leave by three.”
Saxon glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only nine in the morning; they had to get out of here before then. Every passing second was one more someone could recognize her, or the Savages could locate her.
“Can I take her out of here now?” he asked.
The surgeon blinked in surprise. “She’s not awake yet.”
“But is it safe to take her out of here now?”
“No.”
Saxon had control over the surgeon, but the indignation in his voice was evident.
“Can you wake her up?” Lucien asked the man.
“She’ll wake up when she’s ready to wake up,” the doctor huffed.
They wheeled Elyse into a small room, and the nurses hustled about as they hooked her up to everything. One of the nurses set a bag of Elyse’s clothes in the closet. Lucien strode to the window while the humans finished with Elyse. Hammers, drills, and saws sounded outside as construction workers walked around the roof. The tint on the windows assured him they could see out, but the workers couldn’t see inside.
The nurses finished with their work and started for the door.
“Wait,” Saxon said before they could leave.
Drawing on his ability, he sought out their minds and pulled them under his control. Their faces became slack and their eyes glassy as they gazed at him with open mouths.
“We were never here. She was never here. You,” he pointed to the surgeon, “come back to check on her in an hour, but the rest of you are to leave here and forget everything you saw.”
They all nodded before leaving the room. Saxon closed the door behind them and hurried over to stand at Elyse’s side. He grasped her good hand while he gazed at her prone figure as machines beeped around her.
He stroked a strand of hair off her face, but she didn’t respond to his touch. The demon part of him clawed at his insides; she didn’t have to be this vulnerable, and it was pissed it couldn’t change that. Saxon tore his attention away from her and focused on Lucien while he took a few steadying breaths.
“What do you see out there?” he asked.
“Construction workers, the parking lot, and people.”
“Did you let Declan and Asher know she’s out
of surgery?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they?”
“They’re parked in the back lot. She better wake up soon; the longer we’re here, the more chance the Savages have of tracking us down.”
“I know,” Saxon said.
He glanced at the clock on the white, concrete wall as it steadily clicked toward ten. Too much time was passing.
* * *
Elyse twitched before her eyes opened. Saxon rose out of the chair to lean over her as she closed her eyes again before opening them once more. She stretched her left hand toward him and froze when her gaze landed on the blue cast between them. Saxon gently grasped her arm and lowered it.
“What happened?” she croaked before licking her chapped lips. She closed her eyes against the light as she strained to recall everything.
“I’ll get the doctor,” Lucien said.
“How do you feel?” Saxon asked as he rested his hand on her cheek.
“Tired. Confused.”
“Give it a few minutes; you just woke up. Everything will come back to you soon,” Saxon assured her, though he had no idea if this was normal.
“Saxon,” she murmured as she turned her head into his touch and nuzzled his palm. “I remember you.”
He couldn’t help but smile. “Good.”
“It is.”
Lucien and the surgeon entered the room, and the doctor walked over to stand by Elyse’s side. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
She smiled at him. “A little confused.”
“That’s to be expected,” he assured her. “The anesthesia will wear off, and you’ll be less fuzzy afterward. Are you in pain?”
“No.”
“Good. Get some rest, and I’ll come back to check on you soon.”
Lucien blocked his exit before the surgeon could leave. “We have to go now, Doc.”
The doctor scowled at him. “She needs time to recover, and you will speak to me with more respect.”
Saxon had to admire the guy. At six foot two, Lucien stood a good six inches over the doctor and had a hundred pounds on him, but Lucien’s size did not cow the man.
“We don’t have time,” Lucien told him. “Unhook her from this shit so we can get her out of here.”
“I highly advise against this.”
“I feel good,” Elyse said and tried to sit up on the bed.
Saxon braced his hand behind her back when she winced and fell back. He knew they had to leave, but he couldn’t put her at risk by taking her too early. Silence descended over the room as the doctor and Lucien glared at each other. Elyse’s hair fell forward to shield her feature when she bowed her head.
“He broke my arm,” she muttered.
“Who broke your arm?” the surgeon demanded.
“That’s not your concern,” Lucien said.
Elyse lifted her head to look at Saxon. “I remember now. We have to go. They’re coming for me.”
“Easy,” Saxon soothed as he rubbed her back. “They don’t know we’re here.”
He wasn’t going to tell her about the news report until they were safely out of here.
“Look—”
The doctor stopped speaking when Saxon turned on him; he may admire the man’s courage, but it was time to go. “Unhook her so we can leave.”
The surgeon’s face became blank at the command, and he walked over to stand beside Elyse while Lucien’s phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket as he paced over to the window.
“What?” Lucien stared out the window while he listened to whoever was on the line. “Meet us at room three ten.”
He hung up, and when he turned to face Saxon, the look on his face said Saxon was not going to like what he had to say. “What is it?”
“That was Logan; we’re out of time.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Elyse was still trying to recall all the details of what happened while Saxon wheeled her down the hall to the elevator. She hated being in the wheelchair, but when she’d tried to walk, her legs gave out; Saxon caught her before she collapsed. Feeling like a newborn colt, she’d sat helplessly on the bed while Saxon kicked Lucien out of the room so he could help her dress.
Lucien jabbed the button for the elevator and tapped his foot as the green light over the doors revealed it was on the first floor and not moving. Lucien stabbed at the button a few more times, and when the elevator still didn’t move, he slammed his fist against it.
“Stupid fucking human technology,” he snarled.
“Yeah, because the nineteenth-century technology of elevators is super high tech,” Logan said and rolled his eyes.
Lucien looked about to rip off his head and punt it down the hall when he spun on the young hunter who lifted an eyebrow at him.
“What’s going on?” Elyse asked, their urgency finally piercing through the haze still enshrouding her.
“Why is this thing not coming?” Lucien demanded as he walked over to another elevator and started pushing the button. The numbers over the door revealed it was on the fifth floor and not moving. “It has one job.”
Elyse would have laughed over his frustration, but something told her there was nothing funny about this situation. She turned in her chair to gaze up at Saxon’s handsome face as he stared at the elevators with a perplexed expression.
“Saxon, what’s going on?”
He smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “The Savages have found us.”
“How?”
As quickly as possible, he told her about the news story and the fact the Savages were using human help to locate her.
“And now they have,” he said. “We sent Declan and Asher outside early, but someone could have spotted them in the parking lot. The Savages were probably checking cameras on the roads for some sign of you, and if someone at the bar saw them break your arm, then they would check doctors and hospitals. It was only a matter of time before they located us.”
Elyse gulped as she tried not to give in to her rising panic. Not only did they have to worry about Savages locating them, but now they had to worry about the media and humans too. She never should have agreed to stay for the surgery; Saxon wouldn’t have made her remain. Now, she’d put them all at risk.
“At least they didn’t send the police; that could have been a complete disaster,” Logan said.
She grasped Saxon’s hand with her good one and squeezed it. She never would have taken his blood, but she could have dealt with the pain; she’d suffered through worse. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stayed here. You shouldn’t be involved in this; none of you should. Leave me—”
“That’s never going to happen!” Saxon interrupted.
“I should turn myself over to them,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken.
The last thing she wanted was to be back in the hands of the Savages, but she couldn’t let them die because of her. She already hated herself for her role in helping to build the Savage’s army; she’d never forgive herself if something happened to Saxon too.
“I won’t allow it,” he said.
“They’ll leave you alone and probably retract the news story, or at least put it to rest if they have me.”
His hands tightened on her. “No.”
“Saxon, listen to me—”
“I said no,” he interrupted more harshly than he intended, but he couldn’t handle the idea of losing her.
“I’m not worth all this,” she protested.
“Yes. You. Are,” he bit out.
She tried to come up with another argument that might make him listen to her. “I’m only one life compared to all of yours and all the lives you save from these bastards.”
“And what if they don’t kill you but use you to find more vampires and build their army again?” Lucien inquired.
For some reason, she’d expected Lucien to hop on board with her plan; he seemed ready to wash his hands of all this and her. She didn’t have an answer for him, and it was possible they woul
d use her for such a thing, but Saxon would be alive; she couldn’t guarantee that if they kept on this path. However, something in Lucien’s eyes told her that, though he understood why she was offering this, it would never happen.
“We’re in this together, and we’ll get out of it together,” Logan said.
“They’ll leave you alone if they have me,” she told them.
“No, they won’t,” Lucien said. “And we never leave one of our own behind.”
Elyse gawked at the man; she was fairly certain he didn’t like her, but now he was calling her one of their own. She knew it was because of Saxon and their love for him, but for the first time in years, she felt like she might have a place to belong—if she didn’t get them all killed first.
“I think we have to give up on the elevators,” Logan said, and he no longer looked amused by Lucien’s frustration.
“Maybe they shut them down,” Elyse suggested. “I mean, isn’t that what the police do on TV? They shut down the elevators to concentrate their search on the stairwells.”
“Which means the Savages are on their way up,” Logan said.
“Son of a bitch,” Lucien muttered.
“Are there cameras in the stairwells?” Saxon asked Logan.
“There are cameras everywhere, but I made sure they were shut down again before I left the security office.”
“Good,” Lucien said. “Did you see how many Savages there are before you left the office?”
“Two SUVs pulled up out front and two in the back. I saw seven get out before leaving the room.”
“So if there were five per vehicle, we can assume twenty of them,” Saxon said. He stared at the elevators before turning to study the hall. “Do you know how many stairwells there are?”
“Four,” Logan said.
“Five per stairwell, if they all entered the building.”
“Five against three, those odds are in our favor,” Lucien said with a grin.
“We’ll take the closest stairwell,” Saxon said, which was back past Elyse’s room. “It will be faster if I carry you,” he told Elyse.
Bound by Passion: The Alliance Series, Book 4 Page 18