“Callie. Callie, look at me,” a frantic voice commanded.
She couldn’t look at anything but the stars shining within the thick, black sky. They held endless possibilities as they shifted above her. They were beautiful, and she was glad they would be the last things she saw.
A hand gripped her face and turned it away from the beauty of the heavens. Something warm pressed against her mouth, and liquid pooled in her throat until she swallowed.
She couldn’t place what the liquid was. The taste was unfamiliar, and the thickness was unusual, but it didn’t matter. She was dying. It would all be over soon.
Her eyes drifted closed as the cold hand of death encased her.
CHAPTER 41
Willow swung the blade out and sank it into the shoulder of a Savage. At a diagonal angle, the sword cleaved through the body like a warm knife through butter. The two pieces of the monster fell to the ground before it burst into ash.
Blood soaked the earth as, at her sides, Saber and Declan took down more of the monsters. Asher and Logan were fighting their way toward Lucien, but she didn’t know if it would be enough to save him from the horde of Savages piling onto him.
They had to save him. Lucien sacrificed himself to make sure she escaped the Savages. She wouldn’t let him go down like this.
Then she looked to where Killean was fighting off more Savages while Simone knelt beside Callie. She winced as she recalled the blade sinking into Callie’s chest. There was no doubt it was a mortal wound.
If Simone couldn’t save her, it would be best for Lucien if he didn’t survive this. However, she was still going to do everything she could to save him.
From the woods next to the rest area, a distant light started burning through the night. At first, she was so intent on hacking her way through the Savages she didn’t notice it. However, Saber’s words drew her attention to it.
“What is that?” Saber asked.
Willow dared to tear her gaze away from the Savages dancing out of range of her sword. Something stepped out of the woods and paused at the edge of the tree line. Because of the heavy cloak covering it and the hood pulled over its head, she couldn’t tell what it was, but uneasiness churned in her gut.
However, she didn’t have time to figure it out as one of the Savages lunged at Declan. Its hands grasped Declan’s forearm a second before she severed its arm, and it turned into ash. The power of the sword still awed her, and though the others distrusted it, she was glad it was hers.
From beneath the crush of Savages, Lucien managed to rise again. He staggered forward and spun as Logan broke free, and lowering his shoulder, he charged into the Savages clawing at Lucien. He knocked some of them aside, but more piled onto the two of them.
Killean narrowed in on the vamp who’d stabbed Callie, the one who looked chillingly like Lucien, and Willow suspected it was the brother she’d heard about. Asher broke free of the Savages and raced toward Simone as more of them spilled from the woods.
The hooded creature stepped away from the trees and glided toward where Lucien knelt on the ground. It moved with so much grace she wasn’t sure its feet touched the ground.
Willow’s mouth went dry, and some primal instinct screamed at her to kill it before it inflicted more damage than the Savages had already unleashed. Some of the creatures clinging to Lucien fell away to reveal his skin had taken on the black and red coloring of an incensed, purebred vampire.
Though his leg was severely damaged, Lucien staggered to his feet as the creature stopped ten feet away from him. She didn’t know what it planned to do as it suddenly turned toward them. She’d been so sure it was going for Lucien that she hadn’t realized it had also put itself in closer proximity to them.
When its attention shifted to her, the sword’s hilt heated beneath her palms and the red-orange stone glowed. A part of her had known what the creature was, but it wasn’t until the sword started to vibrate in her grasp that it truly sank in.
One of the demons who gave birth to the vampire line stood amongst them, and it wanted its sword back. However, she was not going to give it up.
Her grip tightened on the hilt as she lifted it higher. It would have to come through her to get it.
From beneath its hood, a pair of white-blue eyes glowed hotly before the creature lifted its hand into the air. The sword warmed further, and the vibration running through it increased. She realized this thing was trying to call the sword away from her, but she wouldn’t relinquish it.
The glow of its eyes increased, and she sensed its frustration, but even as the sword pulsed with new energy, she lunged forward to cleave her way through the flesh and bones of another Savage.
A strange, guttural sound filled the air. The noise came from the creature as its power vibrated the night.
“What is that thing doing?” Saber growled.
“It’s trying to take the sword back,” Willow said.
Declan glanced at the sword, and through their bond, she sensed his displeasure. If they knew the sword wouldn’t become a lethal weapon in the hands of the demons, she suspected he might have pulled it from her hands and thrown it at the beast.
Instead, he stayed by her side as they carved their way toward the demon. She worried the closer they got, the more pull it would have over the sword, but that didn’t happen. Instead, as she used it to cut down more of their enemies, it returned to normal in her hands. In fact, it felt even more like it belonged there.
CHAPTER 42
Lucien broke free of the Savages tearing at him and sprinted toward Simone as more of them raced toward her and Killean. Lucien didn’t acknowledge the discomfort of his twisted leg as he ran. Asher tackled one who was about to plunge a blade into Simone’s back. They tumbled across the ground as another Savage gripped Simone’s hair and ripped her backward.
Killean bellowed when she was yanked away from Callie. Using his legs, Killean rolled and wedged his feet between himself and Yannis. With a mighty shove, he heaved Yannis over his head before leaping to his feet and racing toward Simone.
Callie remained unmoving as he arrived at her side. Her hands lay out at her sides with her palms up, and her open eyes focused on the sky. No color remained in her naturally olive skin, and her striking, cognac-colored eyes were unblinking.
Blood stained her lips and trailed down her chin to soak her shirt. There was so much of it, too much. The scent of it filled his nose, and he recalled the ecstasy of it on his tongue while its strength flooded his veins. Now, it coated the ground.
He barely detected a heartbeat as he fell at her side, lifted a discarded knife from the earth, and sliced the blade across his wrist. Blood spilled free, and he rested his arm against her mouth as he willed her to live.
Because if she didn’t live, he would go on a rampage the likes of which this earth had never seen before. It would take an army to destroy him.
The sound of footsteps crunching on the dirt alerted him to someone coming at them a second before Yannis launched onto his back and plunged a blade into the spot between Lucien’s shoulder blades. The fiery burn of the blade tearing through flesh and sinew before erupting out the front of his chest was nothing compared to the fury boiling inside him.
With his free hand, he grabbed for his brother over his shoulder, but the coward was already leaping away. Lucien grasped the hilt of the blade Yannis stabbed Callie with and tore it free. He twisted toward his brother, but Yannis danced beyond the reach of the sword.
Lucien bared his teeth and snarled at the man who shared his DNA. Yannis grinned at him, and Lucien was dying to go after him, but he didn’t dare take his wrist away from Callie’s mouth.
“One of our creators is here, brother. Your time is almost over,” Yannis said.
Lucien’s gaze darted to the cloak-enshrouded creature that emerged from the woods. Lucien sensed its power as it raised its hand and closed it into a fist. And then, it released a sound not entirely of this earth.
It was a guttural, primev
al sound that made the hair on Lucien’s arms rise. Nothing like that should exist on this planet, and if he had his way, it wouldn’t exist for much longer.
Asher regained his feet as Logan rose behind Yannis and delivered a bone-crushing blow to the side of his face. Yannis’s right cheekbone gave way as he staggered to the side.
Keeping his wrist against Callie’s mouth, Lucien lunged forward and grasped his brother’s ankle. Jerking up, he ripped Yannis off the ground. His brother hit the dirt with a thud, and an oomph of air exploded from his lungs.
Lucien twisted Yannis’s ankle to the left and rejoiced in the resounding crack that echoed through the night. His brother’s howl was music to his ears as he jerked him forward. He brought his fist down on Yannis’s knee until it bent back much as Lucien’s had earlier.
Yannis howled again, but this time he retained enough of his thought processes to roll to the side and pull himself free of Lucien’s grasp. Unwilling to move away from Callie, Lucien watched his brother stagger to his feet.
Yannis’s eyes burned red when he spun toward Lucien. He braced himself for Yannis’s attack as Logan lifted an abandoned sword from the ground. He didn’t get the chance to use the weapon as another Savage tackled him from behind.
Declan, Willow, and Saber were only twenty feet away and closing in, but that thing kept its focus on Willow. Lucien felt the hate radiating from the creature’s white-blue eyes as it stalked her every move.
Possessing the sword had made her a target, but Lucien sensed something more happening as he recalled the creature lifting its hand. It had expected the sword to return to it. Whatever that weapon was, it was powerful, and the demon believed it would respond to him.
It wanted the weapon back, but it didn’t seem willing to confront Willow to get it as it didn’t go after her. Did that mean the blade would work against the demons like it worked on Savages? Lucien was eager to learn the answer, but he didn’t know if they would get the opportunity to find out.
His attention shifted back to Yannis as his brother came at them again. This time, he didn’t try to avoid Lucien but hobbled as he ran at him with his fangs bared while snarling like an irate lion.
Lucien braced himself for the attack, but he still didn’t dare remove his wrist from Callie’s mouth. He gripped the blade and shifted it as he grinned at his brother.
He didn’t want Yannis anywhere near Callie. Yannis lunged at him, but at the last second, he spun toward the right to avoid the sword Lucien swung at him.
Yannis came down near Callie’s head, and clasping his hands together, he lifted them over his head as he prepared to hammer them into Callie’s face. Lucien threw himself forward to take the blow. The blow cracked a rib and caused his breath to erupt out of his lungs. He was trying to draw in more air when he plunged the sword into Yannis’s thigh.
Lucien twisted the blade and dragged it down to slice open flesh and rend muscle as it scraped against Yannis’s bone. Yannis lashed out with a punch that connected with the side of Lucien’s face. The blow shot his head back as blood rushed into his mouth.
Before Lucien could fully recover, Yannis lurched forward and, enclosing his fingers around Lucien’s neck, squeezed as they tumbled back. Lucien’s wrist almost fell away from Callie’s mouth, but he somehow managed to keep it in place as Yannis landed on top of him.
Lucien lifted his free arm and pressed it against the side of Yannis’s face to push it away. Yannis twisted his head and sank his fangs into Lucien’s arm; Lucien welcomed the rush of pain as he shoved his brother back and smashed him into the ground.
Sprawled out on his back, he hooked one of his legs around Yannis’s as he strained to keep his brother pinned to the ground. Yannis wasn’t having it as he squirmed until he broke free of Lucien’s hold.
When Lucien twisted to the side, he felt a blade slicing open his skin. Yannis had pulled the sword free and was seeking to embed it inside him. Then he changed tactics and lunged for Callie.
No!
The word exploded inside his head as cold terror suffused him. Nothing would save her if Yannis severed her head from her shoulders or hacked out her heart. Lucien didn’t care what he had to do; he would stop that from happening.
Unable to keep his wrist against her mouth while defending her from Yannis, Lucien threw up his forearm. His arm crashed against Yannis’s. As he stopped his brother from stabbing her, he yanked his wrist free and punched Yannis in the temple. The blow threw his brother back a few feet, and Lucien scrambled up.
Gathering Callie in his arms, he tried to keep her protected while searching for the blade he’d used to slice his wrist, but it was missing. Giving up on locating the weapon, he bit deep into his wrist.
Red and black color swirled through his flesh as his blood spilled free. He cradled her in his arms as he pressed his wrist to her mouth again. Looking around, he saw the same red and black color swirling through Killean, Declan, and Willow as they continued to battle the Savages.
Simone had broken free of her captors and was sprinting toward them. She fell in front of him and reached for Callie. When he jerked Callie away from her, Simone’s hand remained hanging in the air between them.
“Let me help,” Simone said. “She already has my blood, Lucien. Let me help her.”
Lucien almost told her to get away from them, but he couldn’t say that to Killean’s mate, and Yannis was already regaining his feet. He couldn’t protect Callie while fending off his brother, especially as more Savages approached and that demon was still tracking Willow’s every move.
Lucien reluctantly released Callie to her. This was not the way his love was supposed to have turned. It was supposed to be a private moment between them. One in which he made sure she felt safe and loved while he claimed her. And now he wasn’t sure if she would ever wake again.
His fangs throbbed as his skin pulsed and swirled with color. This was never supposed to happen to Callie, but he couldn’t change it. He could, however, ensure the one who did this to her never lived to see another day.
CHAPTER 43
Yannis swung out with his blade. The tip of it sliced across Lucien’s nose, spilling his blood as he positioned himself protectively in front of Callie and Simone. Logan and Asher circled them as Killean dispatched two Savages.
Lucien lunged forward and tackled Yannis around the waist. He threw his brother onto the ground while Yannis’s hands came down. The blade embedded in the flesh and muscle of Lucien’s lower back before Yannis twisted it.
Lucien wrapped his fingers around his brother’s throat and squeezed. Yannis battered the side of his face as Lucien shoved his thumbs up and under his brother’s chin. His thumbs, pushing into the flesh, drew blood as he dug deeper.
Yannis squirmed beneath him while his punches battered Lucien’s head and shoulders. Lucien heard the crack of his cheekbone when it gave way beneath the fierce onslaught, but he didn’t feel it.
The putrid scent of his brother’s blood filled his nostrils as it spilled from his chin and poured down Lucien’s hands. Yannis’s fingers hooked into claws, and he raked them down Lucien’s face. He nearly took out an eyeball as he ripped away flesh.
Lucien only clutched harder and dug deeper. With a wet, tearing sound, muscle gave way, and blood slicked his hands to the point where he could barely hold on. However, he didn’t let go as he succeeded in tearing his brother’s head away.
A shout of triumph tore from him as he lifted the decapitated head and smacked it off the ground. Feeling more monster than man, he turned his attention toward the demon and remaining Savages who were closing in on Willow, Declan, and Saber.
He glanced back to make sure Callie was protected. He discovered that Killean had joined Simone; Killean now held Callie in his arms. Asher had the back door of one of the SUVs open while he gestured for Killean to hurry.
Killean slid Callie into the back of the SUV. Simone scrambled in behind her, and Killean closed the door. He, Logan, and Asher encircled the vehicle.
Lucien wanted to join them, but there weren’t many Savages around them, and the others were in trouble.
Keeping hold of his brother’s head, Lucien pulled the sword from his back. He used it to carve his way through the Savages and toward the demon. The creature had to know he was coming; Lucien didn’t kid himself into thinking that because it couldn’t see him, it wasn’t aware of his presence.
Five years had passed since he battled the demon in the tunnel with Saxon and Declan, but he recalled the speed with which the creature moved. That creature had seemed to be everywhere at once, and though it was dead, he doubted its brethren were any slower or less aware.
This was a demon. The Alliance had no idea what they were up against when it came to these monsters. They didn’t know what they were truly capable of or what kind of power they possessed. The abilities of the vampires and hunters had come from them, and they were magnified in these creatures.
Yes, it was aware he was coming, even if it hadn’t looked at him yet.
He was almost to it when the demon turned toward him. Lifting his brother’s head, Lucien threw it at the creature. The monster moved so fast Lucien barely saw it before it caught the head and sent it flying back at him.
He didn’t feel the blow of the head hitting him in the chest as he went low and attempted to tackle the demon around its waist. However, one second it was there, and the next, it was darting away with the agility of a spirit dancing across the earth.
Lucien missed it, but his attack opened the way for Declan, Saber, and Willow to close in on the creature. They battled their way through more Savages while Lucien feigned a move to the left before going to the right.
The demon stalked his movement, and under normal circumstances, it probably would have caught him by now, but Callie’s blood and the power flooding his system gave him a strength the likes of which he’d never experienced before. It made him more volatile, yet it also propelled him forward so fast that the demon had difficulty getting out of the way again.
Bound by Danger (The Alliance, Book 6) Page 24