Saxon ignored the blood cleaving Logan’s shirt to his flesh as he knelt at his side. He pressed his fingers to Logan’s neck while he watched for the rise and fall of his chest and listened for a heartbeat.
A faint pulse pushed against his fingers as Logan’s eyes flew open, and a strangled cry erupted from him. Blood spurted from his mouth and sprayed his lips as his hands clawed at the knife.
“Don’t.” Saxon clasped Logan’s hands and pulled them away. “Leave it in.” He didn’t know how much difference it would make, considering he had a six-inch gash in his stomach. “We’re going to get you out of here.”
“I’ll carry him,” Lucien said.
He knelt at Logan’s side and carefully lifted him from the snow. The look he sent Saxon only confirmed what Saxon knew; Logan was not going to make it, but they never left one of their own behind.
* * *
They were running parallel to the road for a few minutes before a white cargo van screeched to a halt beside them. Saxon’s fangs extended as he prepared for another fight. The back door slid open to reveal Asher in the doorway.
“What happened?” Asher demanded.
“Let me get him inside,” Lucien said gruffly and nudged Asher out of the way as he hunched over to climb into the van.
When Elyse hesitated to climb into the back with them, Saxon opened the passenger door and helped her inside. “You’ll be away from the blood up here. Can I have your jacket?” he asked Declan.
Declan shrugged out of it and handed it over to him. Saxon draped it around her quaking shoulders, tucked her hair into it, and pulled up the collar before pulling down the visor above her. “Put your seat belt on and keep your face averted from oncoming traffic.”
“Take these.” Declan handed his sunglasses over to Elyse, and she slipped them on. They were too big and swallowed most of the upper part of her face, but they helped conceal her further. “You should probably drive,” he said to Saxon. “They’re not looking for you.”
Saxon kissed Elyse’s cheek before closing the door. He searched the quiet road as he ran around the front of the van and climbed into the seat Declan vacated. When he pulled away from the roadside, he resisted stomping on the gas and driving as far from the hospital as possible, but getting pulled over right now was not an option.
“What do we do?” Asher demanded from the back. “There’s so much blood.”
He didn’t have to tell them that, the smell of it permeated the air and caused Saxon’s fangs to tingle. The fight to get away from the hospital had taken more from him than he’d realized, and hunger burned through his veins.
Elyse turned in her seat to watch as the three of them cut Logan’s bloody shirt away. She winced when she saw the extent of the damage done to his body. There was no way anyone survived that kind of an injury. When Saxon reached across the aisle for her, she took his hand with her good one.
“Can you give him some of your blood to help him heal faster?” Asher asked.
Declan and Lucien exchanged a look before focusing on the hunter again.
“He’s too far gone,” Declan said, “and this wound is too grievous.”
“Maybe we can find a doctor,” Elyse suggested.
Lucien shook his head. “He won’t make it there.”
She lifted her hand to her mouth and struggled not to cry as those words sank in. Another person lost because of her.
“Turn him,” Asher said.
“What?” Lucien inquired.
“Turn him. We need every fighter we can get, and Logan’s a fighter.”
“He might not want to be a vampire,” Declan said.
Asher leaned over Logan’s unmoving form and clasped his face. He turned his friend’s head toward him. “Logan!” he shouted. “Logan!”
Elyse held her breath as the tension in the van ratcheted up. She wasn’t a vampire, but she smelled the blood as a growing pool of it spread beneath Logan. How did they withstand the temptation it offered?
She glanced at Saxon to find his shoulders hunched up, and his eyes narrowed. She squeezed his hand to give him some reassurance, but she didn’t know if it did any good.
“Logan!” Asher shouted.
A small grunt made her turn back as Logan’s eyelids fluttered. She couldn’t be sure from her position, but she believed they opened.
“If they don’t turn you, you’re going to die,” Asher said as he leaned over his friend. He rested his hand on Logan’s cheek. “Do you understand me?”
Logan did something that caused Asher to release a deep breath before asking. “Do you want them to change you?”
No one breathed as they waited for Logan’s response, and then Elyse saw the almost imperceptible nod of his head. Asher’s breath exploded from him, but Elyse still couldn’t breathe as he sat back and looked between the two vamps.
“I’ve never shared my blood before,” Lucien said.
“Neither have I,” Declan said.
They stared at each other before Declan bit into his wrist. On his knees, he scooted through the blood to get closer to Logan. “Remember, the change is far more painful and takes longer for hunters than humans.” He leaned over Logan and rested his wrist against the man’s mouth. “This is only the beginning of your misery.”
“We’re hunters,” Asher said. “All we’ve known is death and misery.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Elyse sensed the strain in the vampires escalating with every passing mile, and she knew it was because of the dry puddle of blood beneath Logan. The hunter hadn’t moved for hours, and then, an hour ago, he’d spasmed like someone was sending bolts of electricity through his body.
His fingers clawed at the floor before his body bowed off the ground in a way that made it seem as if his back would shatter. He didn’t scream, but she could practically hear his silent wail of anguish resonating through the van.
She’d reached for Saxon’s hand again and clasped it in hers as she sought some escape from Logan’s suffering, but there was no avoiding this as it continued for a couple of hours. When he collapsed to the ground, Elyse waited for it to start all over again, but he remained unmoving.
She turned away to watch the countryside rolling past. The glow of the full moon reflected off the snow to illuminate the acres of fields they passed. In some of the pastures, cows and horses grazed, but many of them were empty. For a few hours they’d been out of the mountains, but now they started to rise out of the land again, and the moon faded in and out of them as their peaks touched the sky.
The hum of the tires and the occasional whimper from Logan were the only sounds as another hour passed. She tried to sleep, but when she closed her eyes, all she saw was Logan falling beneath the Savages in the snow.
She didn’t know how much more time passed before Saxon broke the silence. “We’re almost there.”
The knowledge she’d soon be out of this van should relieve her; instead, she felt tenser. Ronan, and whoever was with him, was already there, and she had no idea how they would react to her.
Declan spoke with Ronan a few hours ago and learned he’d commandeered a group of fishing and hunting cabins listed for rent. They’d brought a number of hunters and vampires with them to hopefully locate, and kill, the Savages.
Saxon turned onto a small dirt road and bumped over a series of ruts before pulling up in front of a log cabin. The ice-covered lake opposite the cabins reflected the glow of the lights coming from inside seven of them.
Shadows moved within the cabin they parked in front of, and then the door opened to reveal the man standing there. The light behind the man illuminated his silhouette and threw his face into shadow, but the power emanating from him told her it was Ronan.
He descended the steps and stalked toward the van as Saxon shut it off and opened the door. “Is everyone okay?” Ronan demanded.
“We’re alive,” Saxon said.
He glanced at Elyse and smiled before exiting the van and closing the door. She didn’t hear
what Ronan said to him while the two of them walked around the front of the vehicle. Saxon opened her door as Declan slid open the back door.
Ronan’s burgundy-colored eyes met hers when he stopped behind Saxon. She took in his broad shoulders and dark brown hair while he inspected her. Elyse gulped as she took Saxon’s hand and let him help her out. Cramped from sitting for so long, her legs wobbled as she climbed down. They’d stopped to pee when they got gas and another time on the side of the road, but her bladder was begging for release again.
She lifted her chin as she met Ronan’s unrelenting stare, but she didn’t feel strong or brave right now. Her eyes burned from lack of sleep, and her quivering knees weren’t just trembling from sitting for hours. What were they going to do to her?
Saxon would protect her if they tried to hurt her, but she’d prefer he didn’t fight his friends because of her. She refused to be the reason his world was torn apart.
“Elyse, this is Ronan,” Saxon said.
“Hi,” she murmured.
Ronan’s gaze fell to her cast before returning to her. “You look exhausted.”
“I am.”
He turned away as Lucien and Asher maneuvered Logan’s body out of the van. Logan kicked and squirmed in their hold, making it difficult for them to carry him.
“Let’s get him inside,” Ronan said.
Saxon slid his arm around Elyse’s waist and drew her against his side. He hadn’t considered it was possible, but she looked worse than when he first encountered her in the cabin. The shadows under her eyes had spread until they looked more like two black eyes. Judging by the feel of her bones beneath his hand, she’d lost more weight.
“I’ll find you some food and a place to sleep soon,” he assured her before turning to Ronan. “Is Killean here?”
“Yes. After seeing two of my men on the news, I decided it was best to have as many fighters here as possible.”
Saxon had hoped to avoid Killean for a little longer, but maybe it was best to get it over with now. He guided Elyse up the steps and into the cabin. The heads of deer, moose, and a couple of bears decorated the knotty, pine wood walls, along with stuffed fish. A fire crackled in the brick fireplace across the way, and logs were stacked neatly beside it.
Beams lined the cathedral ceiling, and a fan remained unmoving above them. To the left was a small kitchen with a fridge and two-burner stove. A pot sat on one of the burners, and the scent of cooking food drifted from it. Three doors were closed, but a fourth was open, and a light was on within.
Killean stood near the fire with his arms crossed over his chest while Nathan leaned against the counter dividing the kitchen and main living area. Killean’s normally golden eyes burned red when they landed on Elyse, and the scar on his face became more noticeable when his jaw clenched.
Saxon tightened his hold on Elyse while he stared at his friend. They’d worked together for a hundred and fifty years, and been friends for nearly as long, but Saxon would fight Killean to the death to keep Elyse safe.
Ronan’s mate, Kadence, appeared in the open doorway as they carried Logan inside. Her silvery blonde hair hung in a braid over her shoulder, and her azure eyes shone with apprehension. Betrothed to Logan as a hunter, Kadence hadn’t been happy with the arrangement, but she accepted it until she met Ronan. Logan had wanted the marriage, and it took him some time, but eventually he got over the end of it. However, they were still friends.
“This room is ready,” Kadence said and waved her hand behind her.
Lucien and Asher carried Logan into the room, and Ronan followed. Kadence went after them.
“Is there a bathroom?” Elyse asked.
“Right there,” Nathan said and pointed at the door nearest the kitchen. “I’m making you some soup.”
The unexpected kindness caused tears to burn her eyes; she was more exhausted than she realized if soup was going to make her cry. “Thank you.”
Saxon walked with her to the bathroom and stood outside while he waited for her.
“Did you have a baby yet?” Declan asked Nathan.
“Not yet,” Nathan said. “And hopefully the baby will stay where it is until I return home.”
Elyse left the bathroom, and Saxon took her hand as Nathan went to the stove and ladled some soup into a bowl. He placed a spoon in it and set it on the counter.
“Elyse, this is Nathan,” Saxon said as she lifted the spoon. “Kadence’s twin and the leader of the hunters.”
The handsome man with black hair and azure eyes smiled at her, but though he was kind to her, she sensed distrust in his gaze. This cabin might prove to be as bad as her last one. Maybe she wasn’t a prisoner—and she wasn’t sure about that—but they weren’t going to let her walk freely out of here.
“And that is Killean,” Saxon said and waved at the man glaring daggers at her from across the room. She’d assumed as much, but having it confirmed and seeing the hatred radiating from him made her push the bowl away.
“Hi,” she muttered.
He didn’t blink.
“And Kadence was the woman you just saw,” Saxon said.
“Simone is here too,” Nathan said.
Elyse swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. Not only did she have to deal with Killean’s hatred, but she would have to deal with Simone’s too. She deserved whatever they threw at her, but she was too tired to withstand it right now.
The others walked back into the room with Killean’s mate, Simone. Saxon was glad to see her; Killean would be a lot easier to deal with if Simone was here to help keep him grounded. She could also pull him back from the edge if he couldn’t handle the blood and death they would soon face.
Simone walked over and rested her hand on Killean’s arm. He stopped glowering at Elyse as he pulled her into his arms.
“Where is everyone else who came with you?” Declan inquired as he strolled over to the couch and plopped onto it.
“In the other cabins surrounding the lake,” Ronan said as he draped his arm around Kadence’s shoulders. “Most were empty, but some ice fishermen occupied a few. They decided to cut their vacations short.”
“Their poor wives.” Declan set his booted feet on the coffee table and leaned back into the cushions that looked like they’d stepped straight out of a nature magazine from the seventies. Trout and other assorted fish decorated the burnt orange, velvet cushions. The coffee table had an iron fish holding up the glass top.
“Anything good on TV?” Declan pointed to the flat screen mounted to the wall across from him.
“They’re still showing you,” Ronan assured him before turning to Elyse. “And they’re still searching for you.”
“Delightful,” Elyse said.
“I’ve taken care of it,” Ronan said.
“How?” Saxon asked.
“They’re not the only ones who can contact the police and reporters. It should clear up in a few days, and once it’s out of sight, it will be out of mind.”
“I hope so,” Asher said.
“Me too,” Elyse agreed.
“What if they start a new report?” Simone asked.
“I’ll shut that one down too,” Ronan said.
Simone took Killean’s hand and ran her fingers over it. Elyse couldn’t tear her attention away from them. They’d almost died because of her; she’d known this, but seeing them really brought it home. They were no longer a means to an end. They were two living, breathing vampires who deeply loved each other.
“I’m sorry for my role in what happened to you,” she whispered. “I could give you all the reasons why, but you don’t want to hear them.”
“No, I don’t,” Killean said.
Elyse bowed her head as she fiddled with the edge of her baggy sweater while keeping her casted arm against her stomach.
“I do,” Simone said.
“Simone—”
“She has a right to explain,” Simone interrupted Killean. “You, of all people, should know that sometimes good people have to do
things they wouldn’t normally do.”
They stared at each other before Killean turned his scowl on the wall behind Elyse.
“I’d like to hear it,” Ronan said. “I’ve heard some of what happened from Saxon, but I want to hear it from you too.”
Elyse opened her mouth to tell them everything, but she didn’t know where to start. Did she tell them about her mother and the freak show her childhood became? Did she start with her father’s finger being cut off in front of her, or the people they brought in and slaughtered because she lost track of Simone?
She settled on the beginning of her captivity. “They took me after work.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
When they entered their room, Elyse stripped before collapsing onto the bottom of one of the three sets of bunkbeds in it. The other two beds were empty. She curled up against the wall and listened as Saxon removed his clothes.
“Would you like some of the pain medication the doctor gave you?” he asked as he sat on the edge of the bed.
“No,” she murmured. Her arm throbbed, but she’d prefer not to take the pills; they might make her groggy, and she needed to be alert.
He settled behind her and cradled her against his chest. She relaxed into him; her life had been so hideous lately, but somehow Saxon still made her feel safe.
“Killean hates me,” she murmured.
When she’d finished telling them her story, she’d seen understanding on most of their faces, but Killean remained distant and unforgiving. She hadn’t expected his forgiveness, and she deserved his hatred.
Saxon’s arms tightened around her as he inhaled her sweet scent. “He’ll get over it.”
“I don’t blame him.”
“Elyse—”
“When will you go after the Savages?”
He sighed but allowed her to change the conversation. “I don’t know.”
Her eyes closed. “I know you have to go, but I don’t want you to leave.”
She had no idea how happy those words made him. “I’ll come back.”
Bound by Passion: The Alliance Series, Book 4 Page 20