Lucien admired the old-fashioned, fifties motif of the place with its stools lining the counter, black-and-white-tiled floor, and pictures of old celebrities adorning the walls. A small jukebox sat on the table, and he pushed a couple of buttons to look at the songs. While the music wasn’t his favorite, he’d enjoyed the fifties even though he despised poodle skirts.
Before coming here, he’d taken some money from the woman in the office so he wouldn’t have to keep taking control of people’s minds to get what they required. Not only would it weaken him, but he risked someone else seeing him do it, especially in a place like this.
He fished out some of the change he took from her and put a couple of quarters into the machine. He pushed a couple of buttons and selected some Elvis songs. Music drifted from the small speakers as he returned his attention to the large window facing out onto the main street.
Outside, a couple of cars cruised down the road. Further down the street, a couple of people from the motel jogged across the road. Once they were safely on the other side, they started walking toward the diner.
He watched them until they were close enough to deduce they weren’t vampires, but that didn’t mean they weren’t a menace. A Savage could take control of anyone’s mind and turn them into the enemy.
His hands opened and closed on the table as he strove to control himself. There were too many possible threats against her, and he was still too weak to protect her from a full-on attack.
Callie finished her breakfast, pushed her plate away, and patted her full stomach. Lucien didn’t look at her. She studied his profile as he stared out the window with his hands on the table. She had no idea what had him so worked up, but he looked like he was about to blow.
“You like Elvis?” she asked, even though it was obvious. Why else would he select Elvis songs? However, she was eager to distract him and learn more about him.
“I do,” Lucien said, but he didn’t turn away from the window.
Leaning across the table, she rested her hand over his again. He relaxed a little beneath her touch and turned toward her.
“It’s okay,” she said.
“It will be, once you’re safe.”
She started to reply, but the waitress’s return stopped her. “Would you like anything else?” the woman asked.
“No, thank you,” Callie said.
The woman left the check on the table, and Lucien pulled it toward him. “Let’s go.”
They rose from the booth and started toward the cash register near the door. Callie’s step slowed as she stared into the glass case at the end of the countertop, running most of the length of the diner.
There was no way she would be hungry by lunchtime, but she and that cherry cheesecake had a date for dinner tonight. Despite being stuffed, her mouth watered in anticipation.
They left the diner, and Lucien took her hand as they walked down the street toward the motel. Callie smiled at his hand on hers, and the natural way he’d taken possession of it.
She had to guard her heart against him, but she couldn’t stop herself from leaning against his side and wrapping her hand around his arm as she rested her head against it. Being with him felt natural and right, even if there was nothing natural about their situation.
When they returned to the room, she collapsed on the bed.
“Are you okay?” Lucien asked.
“Stuffed,” she said as she patted her belly.
He laughed as he sat beside her. He lifted a strand of her silken hair and admired its black hue as he twirled it around his finger. “I can think of a fun way to burn off those calories.”
“As tempting as that sounds, I might throw up on you if I tried moving right now.”
The bark of laughter that escaped startled him. He couldn’t recall the last time he laughed, but it flowed from him now. She seemed as astonished by it as he was; her eyes widened, and she smiled.
“I like your laugh,” she said. It was warm and deep and masculine, like him. She vowed to make him laugh as often as possible so she could hear it more.
“I’m glad,” he said and kissed the tip of her nose.
They talked for a little while, and when she was sure she wouldn’t throw up, she rolled on top of him and kissed him.
They spent the next couple of days learning more about each other, where they grew up, their families, and past relationships. As she’d expected, because he was centuries old and gorgeous, there were many women in his past. However, she was amazed to discover he’d never had a serious relationship. Actually, according to him, he never had a relationship.
It was a giant red flag waving in front of her, but she didn’t care. Given what he was, she couldn’t expect him to have the same kind of relationships as humans. Maybe, in all his years, he should have had a couple of girlfriends, but who was she to judge his life when it was so different than hers? Maybe he found her having had past relationships weird.
And she’d had three relationships in the past. One was her high school boyfriend. They dated until the summer before their senior year when his dad got a different job and they relocated to California.
Heartbroken by their separation, they’d tried having a long-distance relationship for a couple of months, but it didn’t work. He was the one to end it, but by then, she already knew it wasn’t going to work.
Originally, they talked about him coming home for college, but he met someone new and never returned. They reconnected through Instagram a few years ago, but it had been years since they last talked, and then he was single and living in Japan.
Their breakup was difficult for her; he’d been her first everything, and she’d pictured them getting married one day. However, once she got to college, she was glad they went their separate ways. She’d experienced many things that she wouldn’t have if they were still together.
In college, she dated another guy for her sophomore year, but she ended it when it became apparent partying was more important to him than school or her. Worried about his drinking, she tried to talk to him before breaking it off, but he wouldn’t hear it. She had no idea what became of him after he failed out of school.
And then, there was Carter. Although, she didn’t know if she could consider someone she only dated for three months and never had sex with a relationship. Yet, despite their short time together, he had become the most significant relationship in her life.
However, she told him about her high school and college boyfriends, but she didn’t tell Lucien about Carter. She didn’t know how he would react to the revelation, and she preferred not to recall that horrible time in her life while locked in his arms. Their lives were at risk, and they were hiding from Savages, but she was inexplicably happy with him.
As the days passed, he fed on the men who arrived, and they took some clothes from a couple of travelers. Every morning, they went to the diner for breakfast. She usually brought something back to the motel for lunch, and they returned for dinner.
When they were in the room, when they weren’t having sex, they slept or talked for hours. She’d memorized every detail of his body, and some of the things he did to her were probably illegal in a few states, but she relished each discovery they made about each other.
Their time together would end soon, and she dreaded when it did, but until then, she chose to enjoy every second they shared.
Though it hadn’t even been a week since they escaped the Savages, he’d already put on a lot of weight. With every passing day, he became more handsome as his face filled out and color returned to his skin. His eyes were mostly black now, but whenever they left the room, they shifted back to red, and he became as alert as a guard dog.
On their fourth day in the hotel, it was almost lunchtime as they lay in bed together. He ran his fingers up and down her body while they talked about their favorite music and the festivals she’d attended.
Music festivals sounded like a circle of Hell to him, but her eyes sparkled while she gushed about them. He’d learned she lov
ed all kinds of music while he leaned toward Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and the music of that era.
Callie’s voice trailed off in the middle of her sentence when Lucien’s hand stilled on her belly, his head lifted, and he stiffened against her. When his eyes turned red and latched onto the door, a chill caused the hair on her arms to rise.
She turned her head to look at it too. Holding her breath, she waited for a monster to rush into the room.
CHAPTER 26
“Lucien?” she whispered.
He leaned over and kissed her. “Get dressed.”
He rose from the bed, and Callie scrambled to gather her clothes while he tugged on his jeans. She was pulling her shirt over her head when a loud knock reverberated against the door.
The sound caused her to jump as uneasiness crept through her belly. She had no idea what was on the other side, but she suspected their time here had come to an end.
Lucien checked to make sure Callie was dressed before he put his eye to the peephole. On the other side, he spotted Ronan looking back and forth down the walkway.
“It’s okay,” Lucien assured Callie. “It’s my friends.”
Despite his reassurance, disappointment filled her. Yep, their time here had come to an end, and she had no idea what would happen after this. They would go somewhere safer, he would return to his life, and she would…?
And that was the kicker of it all. She had no idea what she would do or what would become of her. Lucien wouldn’t turn her out on the street, but knowing that didn’t give her any answers or reassurance.
Lucien undid the locks and opened the door. Ronan’s burgundy eyes swung toward him, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled.
Lucien didn’t move as he waited for the leader of the Alliance, his king, to ascertain he wasn’t a Savage and this wasn’t a trap. It didn’t take Ronan long to realize he didn’t possess the reek of a Savage, and Ronan’s eyes warmed.
“Lucien,” he greeted as he stepped forward.
Lucien wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but somehow, they were embracing and slapping each other on the back. He couldn’t recall anything like this ever happening between them before. They were friends, but they’d never expressed such overt caring for each other before.
“It’s good to see you,” he said.
“It’s good to see you too,” Ronan said. “I didn’t think we’d ever see you again, at least not like this.”
“Neither did I.”
They released each other, and Ronan stepped back to rest his hands on Lucien’s shoulders. “We have a lot of catching up to do.”
“Yes, we do.”
Callie kept her hands clasped in front of her as she watched the men. The love between them was evident, but there was something a little awkward in their embrace; she doubted they did it often. From what Lucien told her, his friends were his family, but they didn’t share much about themselves.
Their bond was born of their necessity to fight the evil threatening to ravage the world. It was obvious when he talked about them that he loved them, but they kept their pasts to themselves. She suspected it was because many of them had memories they preferred to forget.
When they turned toward her, Callie lifted her chin and tried not to be intimidated by the man with the reddish-brown eyes. The power oozing from him crackled against her skin.
“Ronan, this is Callie,” Lucien introduced.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Ronan said.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Callie said and was proud her voice didn’t quiver.
Ronan studied her for a minute before he turned to wave out the door. Callie’s nervousness increased when a man with auburn hair and a beautiful woman with dark blonde hair and striking violet eyes entered the room.
The man embraced Lucien, and they hugged before separating. The woman bowed her head to him in greeting but made no move to hug him.
“It’s good to see you alive,” Lucien said to Willow.
She smiled at him. “You also.”
Lucien inspected the bite marks on Willow and Declan’s necks. He lifted an eyebrow at his friend, and Declan smiled in return.
“You never know what kind of curveballs life is going to throw you,” Declan said.
Lucien held his hand out to Callie. “No, you don’t.”
Callie hesitated before approaching and taking his hand in hers. She held it a little too tight but then, she was a human surrounded by vampires who were all studying her with open curiosity.
“Callie, this is my friend, Declan, and his mate, Willow.”
He’d told her about vampire mates during one of their many conversations. He explained how Ronan had found his mate in a hunter and how they’d joined with the hunters to form the Alliance against the Savages.
He’d also told her about Declan and Willow. She knew Willow had been in the woods with him and she’d gotten away.
“Hi,” Callie greeted.
They both smiled at her, but their eyes were assessing as they ran over her. Callie threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin as she tried not to feel like a lab specimen beneath their inspection. She also found herself inspecting the bite marks on their necks; from what Lucien had told her, those bites were evidence of their mate bond.
When Willow broke into a smile that lit her beautiful face, Callie couldn’t help smiling back at her. Her attention shifted to Declan as he studied her with his striking, silver eyes. Those eyes shone with warmth, but something about them made her think he saw more of her than she wanted him to see. She almost stepped behind Lucien to hide from that insightful gaze, but she refused to back down.
“Is Kadence here too?” Lucien asked.
“No,” Ronan said. “And she’s not happy about it.”
“Who else is here?”
“Killean, Nathan, Saxon, Saber, Logan, and Asher. There are some other recruits here too.”
Lucien glanced out the open door, but he didn’t see any of the others. They were most likely hidden in strategic places that would allow them to attack if this had been a trap.
“What do you say we get out of here?” Declan asked.
Lucien wanted nothing more than to get Callie somewhere safe, but he wasn’t excited to leave. They’d found a small reprieve in this motel and discovered each other, but once they left, the harsh reality of his life would return.
He squeezed Callie’s hand and turned to face her. He sensed her uneasiness, but it didn’t show on her face when her eyes met his. “Are you ready?” he asked.
No, she was not ready, but she forced herself to smile as she replied, “Yes.”
Ronan, Declan, and Willow filed out the door in front of him. When Willow turned her back to him, Lucien frowned at the sword strapped to it. The red-orange stone in the hilt shone in the sun filtering over her as she strode across the parking lot to a black SUV.
“Where did she get the sword?” he asked Declan.
A vein throbbed in Declan’s temple as he replied, “That’s what the Savages were looking for in those tunnels when you were all ambushed. She took it from a hunter turned Savage named Derrick during a fight we had with him.”
“The Savages were in those tunnels searching for that sword?”
“Yes.”
“And now Willow has it.”
“Not only does she have it, but she’s the only one who can use it.”
“It’s a sword; we can all cut off someone’s head with it.”
There was something unreadable in Declan’s eyes when they met his again. Out of them all, Declan had always been the kindest; Lucien didn’t sense any of that from him now.
“It’s a lot more than a normal sword,” Declan said as he pulled a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it, and stuck it in his mouth.
Lucien couldn’t recall a time he’d ever heard such vitriol in Declan’s voice, but it oozed from him now. He also couldn’t remember a time any of them had ever shown such hatred toward a weapon. It made no sense, but it also made him
wary of the sword.
“What happened to the two of you out there?” he asked.
“I’ll fill you in on the ride home,” Declan said.
“What exactly is that thing?”
Red flashed through Declan’s eyes when they met his. “That’s the million-dollar question.”
CHAPTER 27
They spent the next three days traveling back roads and staying away from cameras, but they eventually arrived at the compound the vampires and hunters built together. Callie sat rigidly beside him in the SUV with her hands in her lap and a blindfold firmly in place. He hated putting that blindfold on her, but no one arrived at the compound with the knowledge of how they got there.
When the SUV pulled up in front of the mansion he shared with his brothers, he helped Callie from the vehicle and removed her blindfold. Her mouth parted as she gazed up at the Gothic mansion with its sharp peaks and turrets.
“Are those gargoyles?” she asked in disbelief as she squinted against the sun streaming over the ugly sculptures.
Lucien chuckled as the front door opened and Kadence, Elyse, Simone, and Vicky hurried outside. The reunited couples embraced before breaking away from the group. After nearly a week apart, Lucien doubted he would see any of them again for a long while. Most of the others broke away too; only Declan and Willow remained.
“They are,” Lucien confirmed.
Callie glanced at him before turning her attention to the rest of the compound. She tried to take it all in, but there were so many buildings and vampires or hunters or whoever lived there that it was impossible to absorb it all.
She didn’t belong here; this wasn’t her world, but she had nowhere else to go, and she wasn’t eager to part from Lucien. However, she might not have a choice. She had no idea what would happen now that they were back in his world.
The nervousness she experienced on their journey here tripled. She twisted her hands together as she resisted crawling back into the SUV to hide.
“It will take some time to get used to things here,” Lucien said as he rested his hand on her shoulder.
Bound by Danger (The Alliance, Book 6) Page 15