Crimson Bond

by Amy Patrick

  Crimson Bond

  Book Three of the Crimson Accord Series

  Amy Patrick

  Contents

  ABOUT

  1. Midnight Drive

  2. A Close Call

  3. Million-dollar Question

  4. Wrong Answer

  5. Small Alteration

  6. Fantasies of Bloodshed

  7. Toughen Up

  8. Inevitable

  9. That Particular Vow

  10. Not an Issue

  11. Checking In

  12. Still Awake

  13. With a Whisper

  14. Hail King Parker

  15. Any Other Reason

  16. Not Even You

  17. The Answer for Now

  18. A Plan I Could Get Behind

  19. A Swarm of Drones

  20. She Was Here

  21. Masterpiece

  22. Good News and Bad News

  23. You Promised Me

  24. A Choice to Make

  25. Test Subject Number One

  26. Perfect for the Job

  27. Willing Consort

  28. Can’t Go Back

  29. The Real Thing

  Next in Series

  Afterword

  The Complete Hidden Saga

  About the Author

  ABOUT

  CRIMSON BOND

  I never thought I’d see her again. Never dared to hope. But against all odds, Abigail’s back. Unfortunately she’s as sweet as ever and even more beautiful.

  * * *

  And I’m in serious trouble.

  * * *

  I’ve learned to hate her in the time she’s been away, but the blazing attraction between us is still there. And now, having her close enough to touch—close enough to taste—I’m in a literal battle for my life.

  * * *

  Because my Bloodbound oath still holds, and the punishment for breaking it is still death.

  * * *

  The last thing I want is “alone time” with her, but that’s exactly what I get when the queen sends me on a mission, and the only way to keep Abbi alive is to take her with me.

  * * *

  In this third book of the Crimson Accord series, the rift between humans and vampires widens, the menace of the Crimson Court intensifies, and the temptation for Reece and Abigail grows to a fever pitch.

  * * *

  Will they give in to it? Or will the dangerous secrets that stand between them destroy their chance of love and any hope of living in peace?

  * * *

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  * * *

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  * * *

  The Crimson Accord Series

  Crimson Born

  Crimson Storm

  Crimson Bond

  Crimson Crown (coming soon!)

  * * *

  And don’t miss The Hidden Saga, Amy’s bestselling YA fantasy series, which begins with Hidden Deep, free for a limited time on all ebook retailers.

  Click HERE to download it FREE!

  The Hidden Saga

  Hidden Deep (FREE download)

  Hidden Heart

  Hidden Hope

  The Sway (FREE when you join my list!)

  Hidden Darkness (Dark Court, 1)

  Hidden Danger (Dark Court, 2)

  Hidden Desire (Dark Court, 3)

  Hidden Game (Ancient Court, 1)

  Hidden Magic (Ancient Court, 2)

  Hidden Hero (Ancient Court, 3)

  Hidden Heir

  1

  Midnight Drive

  Reece

  Running through the hills above the Bastion, I navigated trees and rocky terrain and a few patches of snow left over from the last storm.

  It was my nightly routine—rain, shine, or sleet. I wasn’t doing it for the mountaintop view, so the weather was of no consequence.

  Rather than admiring the natural beauty of Northwestern Virginia, I kept my eyes down and focused on the burn in my leg muscles, the cold air moving in and out of my lungs, pushing my body as hard as possible.

  Not only was it good training, it was the only way I could manage to quiet my mind and keep from thinking.

  I’d been going for two hours at a punishing pace before I paused to catch my breath and look up. There was a full moon.

  A bittersweet pang echoed through my chest in the empty space where I used to have a heart. Technically, I supposed it was still there, but it never beat anymore.

  Not since Abbi left.

  I’d been so sure it had meant something monumental, meeting her that night with the mysterious crimson moon coloring the sky.

  Practically floating to my car after she’d left with her friends, I was already anticipating seeing her again and getting to know her better. I was almost back to the athletic dorm on the HACC campus when it hit me—I should have gotten her address or at least the name of her village. Amish villages were a dime a dozen around there in rural Pennsylvania.

  Instead, I’d left it up to “destiny.” What a dope.

  It was late, but I’d pulled off at an exit and turned the car around. Abbi and her friends were traveling by horse-drawn buggy. They couldn’t have gotten that far. I planned to intercept them on the highway and get her contact information—no doubt under the glare of her little wannabe boyfriend.

  Backtracking toward the party, I kept my eyes peeled for lamplight or the orange reflective triangle stickers that marked the traditional Amish vehicles. The two-lane highway was straight and empty—extraordinarily dark, too.

  After a few miles, my lids began to sag. I’d gotten up early, worked out hard, then stayed at the party far too late. Worth it.

  And it would certainly be worth this midnight drive when I secured Abbi’s address—and her promise to see me again—soon.

  Blinking hard and rolling down my windows to let in the cool night air, I focused on staying awake and finding the buggy. I was nearly back to the Miller farm now.

  Maybe I’d passed them without noticing? Those Amish buggies were hard to see at night. Hopefully hers hadn’t turned off on a side road already.

  Damn, this road is dark.

  I leaned over the steering wheel, searching the blackness. A vision of Abbi’s pretty face filled my mind. The fullness and natural berry color of her lips. Her shy green eyes that held an alluring spark of strength and strong will.

  And then the beautiful picture had been shredded by noise and sickening motion and flames. I’d awakened to find myself hanging upside down by my seatbelt, the windows and windshield of my Dodge Charger Hellcat obliterated, and the ominous smell of hot motor oil mixed with the scent of blood.

  That was the totality of my memories until I woke up again in my parents’ backyard. What happened after that I’d rather not remember. I wasn’t sure how I’d even made it the next few months until I’d been captured and brought to the Bastion.

  That was when life had begun again. Because of Abbi and her unshakable conviction that I was worth saving. She’d been wrong, but God love her for believing it.

  Of course in the end, she’d realized the truth, and she’d left. Now we had our own separate lives—hers as an activist for the Vampire-Human Coalition, promoting peace, and mine as a member of the Bloodbound, preparing for war.

  I started back down the mountain toward the Bastion where I would join my brothers and the recruits who’d been assigned to me for our nightly drill
s. They were the only family I had left, and I was grateful for them. But I didn’t feel the way they all seemed to about the job.

  They talked about the adrenaline rush of using their enhanced strength and skills, the pulse-pounding excitement of the hunt. My pulse never pounded—not anymore. In fact, the only times I’d really felt alive since turning were the times I’d spent alone with Abbi.

  Those days were long gone. I’d likely never see her again—unless we happened to bump into each other when I went out to LA on my mission. There was an annoying flutter in my chest at the thought of it.

  It had been several days since I’d proposed the idea to Imogen, but she still hadn’t given me the go ahead to start my journey to the West Coast and the Vampire-Human Coalition headquarters.

  When I neared the entrance to the caverns, I spotted two young females running toward it. Were they just playing around or were they in some sort of trouble?

  My Bloodbound training kicked in, and I scanned the surrounding area, searching for someone chasing them or any other potential threat. They seemed to be alone.

  And then I realized who they were. All the air left my lungs. It was Heather and Kelly, Abbi’s friends who’d left for California with her. What were they doing here?

  Is she with them?

  Again, I surveyed the Bastion’s above-ground property. No. She wasn’t with them.

  Why not?

  Picking up speed, I intercepted them before they entered the cavern. “Kelly. Heather. What are you doing here? What’s happened?”

  Something had definitely happened. They both looked disheveled, not to mention strangely dressed—in Amish clothing—and they wore matching expressions of panic.

  “It’s Abbi,” the small blonde one—Kelly—said between sucking breaths. Apparently they’d been running for quite a distance. “She’s hurt.”

  “Where is she?” I demanded. “California?”

  Heather answered, also breathing hard. “No. She’s at the state line checkpoint on I-81. About thirty-five miles north of here. The border agent called in police backup when he figured out we were wanted. Abbi tried to save us, and he shot her. He said it was an exploding platinum round. She told us to make a run for it.”

  Shit. This was bad. Those rounds were the latest and greatest anti-vamp weapon, and vampire haters loved them for a reason. They worked.

  For a second I debated the best course of action. As fast as I was, one of our Bloodbound vehicles would still be faster. Kannon was already out on patrol with a group.

  Were all of the vehicles out? I’d have to run down the street to our parking area, but no—I needed to go into the caverns first and grab some keys.

  Before I could do either, a Bloodbound soldier named Tyrone emerged from the cavern’s entrance. He was one of the queensguard, Imogen’s personal protection unit, of which I was captain.

  Our eyes locked. “Good, you’re back,” he said. “I was afraid I was going to have to track you down on your nightly trek through the mountains.”

  “I’ve already heard. I was about to go to the scene.”

  Now his face scrunched in confusion. “The scene? I was looking for you to tell you Imogen has summoned you. She said it’s of utmost importance and wants to see you in her chambers immediately.”

  2

  A Close Call

  Reece

  Clenching my fists at my sides, I blew out a breath of barely controlled frustration.

  If it was so important for me to get to that checkpoint, why would Imogen insist on seeing me first? Every second that passed was one I wasn’t spending helping Abbi. Maybe our queen wasn’t aware of what was going on above ground tonight.

  “There’s been an incident at a nearby checkpoint,” I said to Tyrone, glancing toward the road and fighting to stay in place instead of running toward it.

  “There’ll be an incident here if you refuse the queen’s summons—a beheading,” he warned. “Kannon and his team are on their way to the checkpoint. He’ll handle whatever’s happening there.”

  So she did know. And he was right. To disobey the queen was certain death.

  I almost didn’t care. Every fiber of my being burned to go to Abbi.

  How badly was she injured? What was she doing so close to the Bastion? Had she been on her way here? She knew better. If the platinum bullet didn’t kill her, Imogen would.

  Which was why I nodded and followed Tyrone inside. I was no good to Abbi dead. Alive, I could at least intercede with Imogen if necessary.

  Maybe that was what the queen’s summons was about. Perhaps she intended to send me to the scene. It would be a small delay, but I’d simply drive that much faster.

  I ran through the caverns and corridors to the queen’s private chambers. Obviously I was expected because the soldiers guarding the door stepped aside. I knocked and entered, forgetting to wait for her invitation.

  Imogen sat at an antique vanity table, brushing her hair. She wore a deep red silk dressing gown loosely tied at the waist so it gaped open at the top to expose her cleavage.

  Seeing me in the mirror, she turned slowly to face me. A smile spread across her red lips.

  “It’s a good thing you’re my favorite. Anyone else who entered my chambers without permission would find himself lacking a head.”

  I bowed stiffly, struggling to contain my impatience. “Forgive me, my queen. I was told you needed to see me immediately on a matter of great importance. I was in a hurry.”

  Her smile widened. “Yes, and I know why you’re in such a hurry. Your eagerness to obey me has nothing to do with it. Never fear, your friend Kannon is taking care of the situation at the checkpoint. He’s transporting the girl here.”

  “Where? To the medical clinic?”

  I prepared to turn and run toward the place I’d spent so much time when I’d first arrived at the Bastion, when I was the one in bad shape and Abbi had saved my life.

  Imogen’s pleasant smile turned savage. “I will make sure you’re informed of her whereabouts—after you’ve done what I require of you.”

  Oh God no. Not now.

  Not ever would be preferable, but honestly, Imogen couldn’t expect me to “serve” her at a moment like this, could she?

  She’d never summoned me to her chambers for that reason, but I knew from the other guys what happened in this room. It would be so like her to claim her rights with me when Abbi was on her way back to the Bastion. When my heart was so close to returning to my chest.

  Frankly, she was going to be disappointed. There was no way I’d be able to summon the necessary “enthusiasm” to get the job done.

  Imogen laughed. It was not a jovial sound. “You should see your face. What can you be thinking? Perhaps it’s a good thing I don’t share my sister’s gift of intuition. I doubt I’d like what I’d see in your head right now.”

  She stood and moved away from the vanity table toward her enormous walk-in closet.

  “As for what I require of you... I need you to go to the armory and count the weapons for me.”

  I didn’t follow her, frozen in place by shock. “Count the weapons?”

  Was she joking? Abbi was out there hurt, possibly dying, and she was assigning me a task that could easily have been performed by the most junior member of our ranks.

  Her voice from inside the closet sounded blasé. “Yes, the daggers and swords and various types of guns. Armor too. I want to know how much we have of each sort and what kind of condition it’s in.”

  Frustration and impatience simmered in my veins, raising them precariously close to the surface. This was the definition of busywork. I went to the closet door but didn’t enter, summoning all my reserves of self-discipline to keep my tone measured and respectful.

  “My queen, I can assign someone to—”

  Imogen whirled to face me, her acidic tone cutting me off sharply. “I don’t want someone. I want you. You’re the only one I trust to give me an accurate count.”

  She turned back
to browsing through a rack of hanging dresses, all black. “When you are finished with that, then you may find Kannon and inquire about your childhood sweetheart’s condition—assuming she lives long enough to even reach our sanctuary.”

  Glancing back over her shoulder, she gave me a cheeky grin then dropped the dressing gown. “I hope she does. I have plans for her. It would be such a shame if she died prematurely. You are dismissed.”

  Seething and gritting my teeth, I bit out, “Yes, my queen,” turned, and left her chambers.

  My bond of fealty to her had chafed since the moment I’d accepted it—but never so much as in this moment. Now it felt like a chain of molten silver was wrapped around my neck, scorching and choking me as I walked toward the armory.

  It was nearly impossible to keep my attention trained on the task. On the other hand, I needed to finish it as quickly as possible so I could respond when Kannon radioed that he’d arrived with Abbi.

  He would inform me, wouldn’t he? Of course he will. He had to know I’d be... interested.

  When the call came over my walkie, Kannon didn’t address me by name, but his announcement grabbed every ounce of my attention. There was no one in this place—or anywhere in the world for that matter—who cared more about what he had to say in this moment.