Bound by Danger (The Alliance, Book 6)

by Brenda K. Davies

  “No. I would have to take a lot of your blood and give you a whole lot more of mine. I’ll only give you enough to heal you faster.”

  “Oh.” She pondered his offer as her stomach turned. She didn’t like the idea of drinking blood, but she would have to get used to it if she was going to join him. “Okay.”

  Lucien draped his arm around her waist, and pulling her closer, he kissed her temple before biting his wrist. When his blood welled forth, he offered it to Callie. She clasped it in both of her hands, and keeping her eyes on his, she brought it to her mouth.

  She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the sweetness mixed in with the coppery taste of his blood. She expected to be repulsed, and though her stomach churned with the realization she was drinking another’s blood, she wasn’t as repulsed by it as she’d expected. No, instead, she discovered she liked it.

  As the blood seeped into her system, strength flooded her. Her tension and the tenderness in her throat eased until she could breathe easier. When his blood stopped flowing, he removed his wrist from her mouth and bit into it again.

  This time, Callie eagerly brought it back to her mouth.

  CHAPTER 37

  Yannis watched his computer screen as he studied the feed from the cameras he’d placed inside the building. Rising, he walked over to the window, and making sure to keep himself out of the sun, he pulled down a slat on one of the blinds and peered outside.

  The black SUV remained in the driveway diagonally across the street and a few houses down from where he stood. A matching SUV had pulled up to idle at the sidewalk. A man sat behind the wheel, but he’d hit a button to open the back door. It was raised and waiting.

  His cameras revealed the hallway outside the woman’s apartment, but because he couldn’t enter her place, he had no way to see what was going on inside. However, he saw the human enter while his brother was outside, and he’d seen Lucien bounding up the stairs minutes later.

  Another pussy who followed Ronan’s misguided lead trailed his brother. Another arrived soon after.

  Now they were all up there, and he couldn’t see what was happening. Retreating to the couch, he studied the cameras as he tapped his foot and tried to decide if he should send in one of his spies.

  He had them all up and down the street as he’d spent the past few weeks getting to know the neighbors. Many of them found him charming and handsome, and all those he’d encountered had come under his control. He would have preferred to kill them, but he realized he might need their help. He was glad he’d maintained his restraint; it would pay off.

  He debated calling the little old lady who liked to walk her dog a couple of dozen times a day. Even as he considered it, she appeared on one of the screens with her decrepit looking miniature poodle.

  The woman and the dog looked like they would keel over at any second. When the dog stopped to shit on the sidewalk, his nose wrinkled as she bent to pick it up with a blue bag that she slipped into her fanny pack.

  “Fucking humans,” he muttered.

  He didn’t bother to call and tell her to listen to everything and report back to him. The nosey, old bitch would do that without him having to tell her.

  The other two vampires appeared on the screen as they stepped back into the hall. One of them carried a bundle wrapped in a blanket over his shoulder. Yannis had seen enough dead bodies in his lifetime to know the human was within those blankets.

  “Tsk, tsk, big brother,” he murmured. “You’re no better than I.”

  And it was Lucien who killed the human; he did not doubt it. Something happened in that apartment with the human, and his brother killed him.

  It would be easy to get Lucien to join them if they had the woman, but Yannis didn’t intend for Lucien to survive this. He’d wanted him dead for centuries, and now that he had the opportunity, he would make sure it happened.

  But first, his brother would watch him kill the woman. He didn’t know when his hatred for his brother started. It had always been there, a festering thing that burned deep inside him; it had been for his entire family.

  He’d happily slaughtered his bitch of a mother who paid as much attention to him as she would a speck of dirt, his goody-two-shoes sister, and his overbearing, abusive father. His only regret was that his self-righteous brother survived.

  He’d lost track of Lucien while he was trying to heal from his injuries. He would not make the same mistake now that he’d found him again.

  He chuckled as he returned to the window, pulled down a slat in the blind, and watched the vamp emerge to place the body into the back of the waiting SUV. He closed the door, slapped a hand against the window, and the vehicle pulled away from the curb.

  The little old woman stopped to gape at him, but the vamp didn’t pay her any attention. When the vamp turned, Yannis glimpsed a tattoo on his neck. Something niggled at the back of his mind when he realized it was a sword, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

  Then the vamp disappeared into the building, and Yannis retreated to his cameras to watch as the man returned to the third floor. Yannis strove to recall what he’d heard about that tattoo, but the memory eluded him.

  The other vamp was waiting for him in the doorway. They said something to each other, but it was so soft, the cameras didn’t pick it up before they entered the apartment again.

  Yannis settled on the couch and hit a few keys to bring up another screen. He typed a message and sent it.

  He’d spent nearly a month in this place, waiting for his big brother to arrive. He’d almost given up hope, but here Lucien was.

  He’d taken a gamble his brother would return to the woman’s home; the others had given up hope and moved on, but he remained steadfast in his belief Lucien would return. And he would return because of the woman.

  There was a reason his brother fought through the starvation enshrouding him and the vampires surrounding him to save the woman. Most of the others believed Lucien took her to feed on her and kill her, but Yannis knew the truth.

  Lucien took her because he wanted her.

  And while he had killed many of the things he wanted over the years, his brother was not the same. The woman meant something to him, but Yannis wasn’t sure exactly what that was until they arrived here.

  He’d watched them in their vehicle, laughing, touching, and kissing. She was still human, but she was Lucien’s mate. He suspected it when Lucien pulled together enough to break free of his prison, but he did not doubt it now. She was the reason Lucien escaped, and her death would be the reason he fell apart.

  After all these years, Yannis would finally get another chance to destroy his brother. He would not fail to slaughter the sanctimonious prick this time.

  Sitting back on the couch, he lifted the arm of the woman sitting beside him and bit into it. She was little more than a motionless feedbag now. He didn’t get a rush from her pain when he bit her anymore. And now that he had his brother in his sight, he no longer had any use for her.

  He’d brought many humans in and fed from them since arriving here, but he’d kept this one alive. The pretty woman had listened to his story about a broken vehicle, invited him into her home, and fallen prey to him.

  He enjoyed torturing her in the beginning, and he’d really enjoyed folding her boyfriend in half and shoving him into their basement freezer while savoring her screams, but their time together was over. She was no longer any fun, and he would soon be leaving here to hunt his brother.

  He felt it when her life slipped away, and he tossed aside her wrist as he settled back on the couch to continue watching. He couldn’t track them once they left here, but he had others to do that for him.

  He’d have to get to them before they returned to their home. He, along with many others, would love to know the location of Ronan and his followers, but he couldn’t risk not being able to get at Lucien once they returned home.

  No, if he was going to kill his brother, he had to make sure it h
appened before Lucien locked his pretty piece of ass away.

  He’d have to be careful; he had no idea if the bitch with the sword was with them, but if she was, he could kill two birds with one stone. Where Derrick failed to procure the sword, he would succeed.

  He’d kill Lucien’s mate, push his brother over the edge, and maybe reclaim the sword in the process. He’d love to see the look on what remained of Derrick’s face when he arrived with the sword and his brother’s head.

  • • •

  It was early afternoon by the time Lucien shut the back door of the SUV and climbed behind the wheel. Callie sat in the seat beside him, her hands clasped in her lap, and her eyes staring straight ahead. No matter how he tried to draw her out, she’d barely spoken since Carter’s attack.

  At least her throat looked a lot better, and the gash on her forehead was mostly healed. She still bore the bruises that piece of shit inflicted on her, but they would vanish within the next few days. He couldn’t wait for that to happen.

  Starting the vehicle, he pulled out of the drive.

  “You were right,” she said, her voice already sounding much better. “We shouldn’t have come back here.”

  “No, I wasn’t. You should have your things. You’ve given up so much already; you shouldn’t have to give it all up. You deserve better, and I’ll make sure you have it.”

  “I want to join you,” she said. “And after I do, I’m going to keep training so I can go into the field with you and help against the Savages and stop people like Carter.”

  “Callie—”

  “I know you don’t want me there, but I’m going to be there. I know it will take time and a lot of training to get me to where I can help in the battle, but I’m going to fight. I won’t ever let anyone do to me, or someone else, what Carter did. I am going to help others.”

  Lucien’s knuckles turned white, but he’d always known she wouldn’t stay locked away. She was no meek hunter woman, and even they weren’t so meek anymore. She was a human who enjoyed her freedom and wouldn’t easily give it up. He couldn’t cage her.

  “It will take a lot of training,” Lucien said.

  “I know, and I’m ready to do it.”

  “Okay.”

  It was the last thing he wanted, but he would give it to her.

  “Where are we going now?” she asked.

  “We’ll take a few days to return home so we can make sure no one is following us.”

  “Okay.” Callie settled back in the seat to watch as her neighborhood vanished. “What did they do with Carter’s body?”

  “It’s still in the SUV with Asher, Logan, and Saber. We’ll dispose of it when we get the chance.”

  Callie shuddered at the idea of driving around with that thing’s body in the back of their SUV. She was happy Carter wasn’t with them.

  The rest of the day faded away, and night descended as their tires hummed over asphalt. They pulled into the parking lot of a motel, and Willow and Declan went to get rooms. They waited outside with Killean and Simone.

  When Declan handed Lucien the key, Callie trudged beside him to their hotel room while Saber, Logan, and Asher went to dispose of Carter’s body. Callie removed her clothes with jerky movements before collapsing onto the bed. She listened to Lucien moving around the room before exhaustion won and sleep claimed her.

  CHAPTER 38

  They spent the next couple of days traveling through different states and circling back around. They took highways and back roads and stayed as far off the radar as possible. Callie woke the morning after Carter’s attack to discover the fingerprints still on her neck, but the bruises were almost gone.

  Lucien gave her more blood, and she happily gave him more of hers before leaving the motel. Since then, Carter’s marks had almost completely disappeared from her.

  They were on a back road heading from New Hampshire into Massachusetts, and the plan was to return home tomorrow. Callie was ready to be back at the compound and out of the SUV.

  She was ready to enter the next phase of her life, which meant ending her mortal existence and embracing an entirely new one. She’d assumed the loss of everything she’d always known would frighten her more, but she was excited to begin her new life with Lucien.

  She slid her fingers into his as the sun touched the horizon. The vast array of vibrant colors spreading across the sky stole her breath.

  “This world is so beautiful,” she whispered.

  Lucien looked over as she leaned forward to peer up at the sky. Her eyes closed, and she tilted her head to take in more of the sun’s rays.

  “Not as beautiful as you,” he said.

  A radiant smile lit her face as she turned toward him. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  She rested her hand on his thigh and slid it up toward his groin. Lucien shifted when his body instantly reacted to her touch.

  Callie smiled at the hardness evident against the front of his jeans. “What do they call it… road head?”

  “I think I’ve heard of that.”

  “Have you ever tried it?” she asked as she clasped his cock through his jeans.

  “That is one thing I’ve never tried.”

  “It’s on my bucket list.”

  “Don’t let me be the one to stop you from crossing it off.”

  Callie grinned as she undid his button and slid the zipper down. Lucien shifted to help her as she pulled his jeans low enough to free his dick. She stroked him as she moved around the console and lowered her head to his lap.

  Lucien groaned when her warm breath caressed the head of his shaft a second before her tongue flicked out to taste him. Then her mouth was settling over him and taking him deep. His hands gripped the steering wheel, and he resisted pushing his foot down on the accelerator as pleasure speared through him.

  He settled a hand on her head while she moved up and down his shaft. She used her hands and mouth to fuck him until he couldn’t take it anymore.

  “I’m going to come,” he warned through his teeth.

  She only moved faster over him, and he gave in to the exquisite sensation as he found his release.

  Callie gave his cock a few more licks as she swallowed him down before pulling away. She smiled at him as she leaned back and settled against the window. “Cross that one off the list.”

  He glanced at her as he pulled his jeans back up and buttoned them again. “I’m glad I could be of assistance.”

  She laughed as she lifted her water bottle and took a long gulp. She leaned her head against the window as night descended and the stars blinked to life. It was almost midnight when they pulled into a small, dirt strip on the side of the road. He parked behind Killean, and Simone and Declan pulled in behind him. Saber took up the rear position.

  When they left the motel this morning, they agreed they wouldn’t get another room tonight. Instead, they would sleep in a rest area, away from cameras and people, before returning home tomorrow.

  Lucien climbed out of the vehicle to reorganize Callie’s things in the back. He pushed the totes to the side before pulling down the back seats and spreading out a sleeping bag they bought earlier in the day.

  While he worked, so did the others. They were soon set up in the small rest area. Killean and Simone took the first watch along with Asher.

  Lucien claimed Callie’s hand and helped her into the back of the SUV before pulling the door closed behind them.

  • • •

  Callie bit back a cry as her head fell to the side, and she lifted herself higher until only her shoulders and head remained on the ground. Her legs dangled over Lucien’s shoulders as he knelt before her. He held her ass in the air while he tasted her.

  If she’d known a little road head would result in this exquisite ecstasy, she would have done it every day of their travels, multiple times a day. When the last of her orgasm ebbed, Lucien lifted his head and kissed her thigh before piercing her flesh with his fangs.

  His joy over feeding from her helped fue
l hers. He lowered her to the floor of the vehicle and leveled himself over top of her. Callie smiled dazedly at him as his thumbs stroked her cheeks.

  Lucien took in her flushed face, shining eyes, and smiled while he gazed at her. “I love you, Callista.”

  Her eyes widened, and the smile she gave him revealed all of her straight, white teeth. Her joy was palpable in the small vehicle, and though it had taken him a long time to get the words out, he would say them every day for the rest of their lives if it meant seeing this look on her face again.

  He should never have waited so long to say them, but he’d never uttered them before. His parents weren’t what he’d call loving. His father was downright vicious. That brutality had resided in Yannis and probably helped push him in the direction he’d chosen. His parents joining was not a love match; they came together, had children, and raised those children because….

  Well, he did know why they decided to have children. They were both older vampires when he was born; perhaps, they were bored and looking to try something new, or maybe they feared their time would end soon and intended to leave their legacy behind in their children. If that was the case, they only hastened their deaths by having children.

  His mother was kinder than his father, but only because she didn’t beat them like his father did. That man believed the only way to raise strong sons was to beat the strength into them. His mother thought it was better to ignore the abuse and her children.

  There were times he could still feel his father’s blows, times when he could still feel the lash slicing through his flesh. Sometimes, during his ugliest moments, he understood why Yannis did what he did to them.

  There were many times over the years when they still lived, that he’d contemplated doing the same thing to them. However, though his parents hadn’t instilled love in him, they had made it clear what would happen if he gave in to his malevolent urges.

  Part of him had wanted to rebel against them and become the monster his father was determined to beat out of him, but the larger part already considered his father a monster and refused to become like him.