Blood Bond

by Shannon K. Butcher

  She missed Ricardo now more than ever. He could have accelerated so fast, the few lingering snowflakes swirling through the air would have made it look like she’d reached warp speed.

  Still, what the semi lacked in zip, it made up for in mass.

  A terrifying parade of blade-wielding demons raced after Ronan, along with other monsters that loped on four paws and some that lumbered along on spindly legs that looked like they’d been put on backward. Every one of them looked hungry.

  They were all after his blood, and if the person manning the gate didn’t time it right, there was going to be plenty of good-guy blood to go around.

  Justice shifted gears again. By the time she’d reached forty miles per hour, Ronan’s ploy had worked, and the majority of the demons clamoring at the gates had veered off to feast on his blood. A few creatures stayed behind, but as soon as the gates started to open, they were too distracted by the giant meal inside to realize that death was coming up behind them.

  Justice ran over every one she could hit, veering dangerously over the paved road until she was certain the trailer was going to roll over and take her with it.

  The trusty rig stayed upright as if it knew the stakes were high.

  Tires slipped on blood. One of them rolled over sharp bones or metal and burst in a loud thud that sounded like a gunshot.

  Justice didn’t stop. She didn’t slow. The large, stone building loomed ahead of her. Once she was through the gate, there wasn’t much space for her to stop before slamming into the structure, but she had no choice but to keep going.

  The woman compelling her was in the driver’s seat now, forcing Justice’s foot down on the accelerator.

  A few demons made it through the gates without being squished by her truck. Those stragglers were already being cleaned up by the whirling swords wielded by the men inside. Two demons slipped past their reach but were quickly zapped like bugs by a bolt of blue-white lightning that flew from a woman’s outstretched hand.

  Justice sped through the opening. The gate on her right was so close, she could feel it scraping the side wall of the trailer as she passed. As soon as she and Morgan were clear of the gates, they began to close behind his truck.

  Finally, the power compelling her forward eased up and let her slow down. But she wasn’t done yet.

  She turned the rig to the right, onto the snowy grass and up a slight incline. She had no idea where she was going, but the woman compelling her did.

  The low overhang of clouds had begun to blow away, taking the storm with it. The sky had brightened enough that the outside security lights surrounding the compound automatically shut off.

  Sunrise was coming soon, and Ronan was out there, a horde of demons on his ass with nowhere to hide from the coming dawn.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Vazel overlooked the devastation of Dabyr from his vantage point in the woods one ridge over. Things were going according to plan.

  The thick walls had been breached in several spots where the magic that held the stones together had been weakened. His troops had flooded over and through the defenses and were now only feet away from reaching the building where the blooded humans were kept.

  The female Theronai were running out of strength. Even from here he could see that their lethal blows were coming more sporadically now, each taking out fewer of his troops. As soon as one of the women fell, the others would have to take up the slack, and Vazel doubted that would end well for his enemies.

  At least three of those women were pregnant. Perhaps more.

  He’d always wanted to feed on the blood of a Theronai who carried the life of another inside her. He imagined the rush, the power, would be amazing. Such a thing might even fuel him for weeks.

  But that wasn’t the real prize, only a delicious side benefit to what he’d come here for.

  Sunrise was coming. He could feel the sun’s toxic light buffeting his skin as he oversaw the attack on Dabyr. Another few minutes was all he could stay, but that was all he needed to see the end of the show.

  They were so close to victory now.

  His troops would break into the building and take their time in seeking out the prey inside. The glass windows of Dabyr were warded against the sun and would protect his soldiers as well as it did the Sanguinar who roamed its halls, certain of their safety. His demons would feed all day and return to him tonight with whatever humans they hadn’t eaten, the blades of fallen Theronai warriors and every Sentinel stone they’d kept hidden.

  All of that was inevitable now, but still not the killing blow he knew would leave his enemy defeated, not just tonight, but forever.

  Without healers, the warriors were doomed. They might live today or tomorrow, but eventually, they’d fall to injury or poison without the protection of the Sanguinar.

  The healers were the key to Vazel’s victory. All he had to do was destroy them and the rest of the Sentinels would fall.

  Once they did, there would be no one to keep him out of Athanasia and the bounty that world held.

  He crouched and dug his fingers into the earth at his feet. His troops were deep underground, waiting for his signal, for the time when the Sanguinar’s allies were too busy defending their lives to save them.

  That time was now. Even the few Sanguinar on the battlefield weren’t strong enough to stop what was about to happen. This whole battle had been designed to ensure that weakness.

  Vazel tucked his chin and let out a hum so low it was almost inaudible.

  The rocks under his feet trembled. Snowflakes were shaken loose from the bare tree branches. His signal traveled fast, moving through dirt and stone until it reached his troops burrowed near the place where dozens of helpless Sanguinar rested in their magically-enhanced sleep. It didn’t matter how much noise his troops made now moving the last few inches through the ground. The sound of battle would drown out whatever sound they made. And even if the Sentinels on the field heard, they were too busy to do anything about it. No one was there to stop what was about to happen.

  All his demons had to do was kill the vulnerable Sanguinar while they slept and everything Vazel had worked for would be his.

  ***

  There was so much chaos on the battlefield that Maura had no trouble slipping into Dabyr.

  She’d been careful with her hair and dress, and put in blue contact lenses, so that anyone who saw her would think she was Sibyl.

  Sometimes having an identical twin was handy.

  She’d been inside this building before, years ago, before she’d left to join their enemy, before her parents had died, before she’d grown into a woman.

  Maura didn’t know why she’d come here. It was dangerous, foolish. Not only could she get killed by the demons who didn’t realize who she was, she could also just as easily die by the hand of a Sentinel, put down like the traitor she was.

  As close as she was to Sibyl now, she could feel her, like a familiar chord inside her had been struck.

  Sibyl had to have felt it, too.

  Why was Maura here? She didn’t belong here. She wasn’t one of the Sentinels anymore. None of them would want her here even if she did want to come home. She killed with a touch. No one could be close to her. No one could trust her.

  So why was she here?

  She couldn’t let her sister die. That had to be it.

  They’d always been a part of each other. They’d never been meant to be twins. Their separation wasn’t some natural, biological miracle. Their mother had ripped them in two while they were still in the womb. She’d taken her innocent baby girl and torn her in half to aid the war. They needed more women, so their mother had cut them in two.

  Maura had gotten the lion’s share of power, but Sibyl had gotten all the goodness and light. She’d gotten the soul. She never had trouble making the right choice. She never struggled to do the right thing, even if it meant sacrificing her comfort or safety. Maura had no idea why she did it.

  Except, maybe she did. She was here, after
all, wasn’t she? Sneaking through the hallways of Dabyr, looking for Sibyl to get her out before it was too late?

  Was that goodness or self-defense?

  The Sanguinar would fall tonight, just as the walls had. This building would be overrun by demons, and every human or Sentinel inside captured or killed. There would be nowhere to hide.

  Not even for Sibyl.

  Maura couldn’t lose her other half like that. Part of her was terrified that if one of them died, the other wouldn’t be far behind them. They were, after all, one being split in two. How could one half live without the other?

  She crept along the halls, following the humming connection she had to her sister. It grew stronger and stronger with each step she took. As soon as she rounded the next corner, she saw Sibyl standing there, waiting for her.

  She’d grown into a beautiful woman, with flowing blond hair and clear blue eyes. And while their faces were the same, somehow Sibyl was prettier, as if the soul she carried made her glow from the inside out.

  Her sister was not happy to see her.

  Sibyl’s pretty face twisted in anger. “You betrayed us. You kept your attack a secret from me so I couldn’t stop you.”

  “I did.”

  “Are you here to kill me?” Sibyl asked, chin raised in defiance, eyes narrowed with fury.

  “I’m here to save you.”

  Sibyl’s bark of laughter was hard and cold. “Seems an odd thing for someone to do when she was the cause of the attack to begin with.”

  “Vazel wasn’t going to be stopped. With or without my help, this was going to happen.”

  “So why not just help kill your people, then, huh? Our destruction was inevitable, so why not join in the fun? Is that your logic?”

  Maura ignored the barb and held out her gloved hand. “Come with me. I’ll keep you safe.”

  Sibyl stared down at the black, leather glove. Her anger melted and a sad frown flickered across her mouth. “Your touch still kills?”

  “You seem surprised.”

  “I thought that after what Gilda did to release us from our vow to her, your curse might have been destroyed too.”

  “Sorry to disappoint. My curse, as you call it, stems from me having no soul. I’m an abomination, so nature treats me as one.”

  Sibyl shook her head. “I’ve never believed you were born soulless. That’s simply something you tell yourself as an excuse to behave badly.”

  Her prim sister had no idea just how wrong she was. “I’m not going to have an old argument with you all over again. We’re running out of time. If you want to live through the night, then you have to come with me.”

  “And what? Join the Synestryn as you have?”

  “They’re stronger than the Sentinels. I would think you’d want to be on the winning side.”

  “That’s where you always go wrong in your thinking. It’s not about which side is stronger. It’s about which side is right. And which is wrong.”

  “Victors are the ones who chose right and wrong after all the bodies have been buried. Or eaten.”

  Sibyl shook her head. “If you believe that, then I guess there really is no helping you see the truth, is there?”

  “The truth is you’re going to die tonight if you don’t come with me.”

  “Then I die. But I’m going to die fighting for what I believe in.”

  Maura let out a heavy sigh. “What I believe in is survival. You should too.”

  “Then help us fight. Help us protect the weak and the young.”

  “Not my style,” Maura said. “But I will tell you this.”

  “What?”

  “Everything going on out there…the demons, taking down the walls, trying to break into Dabyr—none of that is Vazel’s real goal tonight.”

  “The babies? The Sentinel stones?”

  Maura shook her head.

  “Then why is he here? What does he want?”

  “Your utter destruction, of course.”

  “Be more specific, Maura.”

  As much as she wanted to stay here and chat, she couldn’t be caught by the good guys. She had to leave before it was too late. If one of those big, strapping warriors found her, they’d be compelled to take her captive, and if they did that, she would be forced to kill them.

  Maura sighed. “The Sanguinar,” she told her sister. “Without healers, you’re all dead eventually. Once that happens, then all the swords, stones and humans are easy pickings. Vazel is investing in his future by taking out your healers. After that, all he has to do is bide his time while attrition marches through your ranks.”

  “But the Sanguinar are safe, underground.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Maura turned and walked away. She’d betrayed so many people. Vazel would be just one more. Besides, it was already too late. She could feel the vibration under her feet. The attack had already begun.

  ***

  Nika couldn’t keep fighting. The labor pains were too strong, too close together.

  She’d experienced this feeling before, but that time, she’d been hovering in her little sister’s mind while she delivered her baby—a baby that hadn’t survived its Synestryn parentage. This time, there was no way to blunt or escape the pain. The only way to get past it was to get through it.

  She and Madoc had been in constant communication since the battle started. The magical connection they shared allowed them to be inside each other’s minds, conversing in thoughts and feelings more than words.

  But right now, the last thing she wanted was to share this gripping agony with him.

  She had to leave. Find a safe place to strip off these leathers and welcome their little girl into the world.

  Hope and Logan had been planning to be there when she delivered, but they were on the battlefield, healing injuries and shoving back Synestryn who tried to outflank the fighters.

  Even Madoc couldn’t be spared right now. His strong sword arm and relentless skill was necessary to hold the line.

  Nika was on her own, and the only safe place she could think to go was down, underground where the earth would protect her and her baby on all sides. Just like the sleeping Sanguinar.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ronan used his dwindling power to speed his pace over the uneven ground. He didn’t know how many demons were behind him but based on the hungry howls, snapping teeth and clanging swords, there were more than enough to kill him.

  He used a burst of magic to gain a few yards but made sure he didn’t put too much room between him and the hungry Synestryn. He couldn’t have them giving up on the idea that he would be their next meal.

  He closed the cut he’d used to bait them and licked away the remaining blood as he ran. Once he changed directions, he didn’t want the Synestryn behind him able to smell where he’d gone, and if there were traces of blood on his skin, they would, no matter how well he shielded his presence with magic.

  Assuming he had that much power left to manage the feat.

  His muscles burned. His chest bellowed but couldn’t find enough air to fill his aching lungs. He was growing weaker by the second but he couldn’t stop yet.

  The sun was just barely below the horizon. He could already feel it sapping his strength and warning him to burrow deep out of its reach.

  The horde following him seemed to have no such problems with fatigue, though they were even more in danger from sunlight than he was. He might summon a Warden, but they would go up in flames.

  Either way, they were all going to die out here if the sun came up before they reached shelter.

  He veered deeper into the woods until the snowy branches of cedars blocked him from sight. Then he drew on his reserves and formed the thinnest film of invisibility around him possible. As soon as he was sure it was in place, he angled sharply to the left, back toward Dabyr’s walls.

  His cells screamed in agony as he forced them to sacrifice themselves to his demands. His jeans loosened around his waist, and he had to fist them in one h
and to keep them from falling around his legs and tripping him.

  His sword thumped against his thigh and felt heavier than it ever had before. He wanted to stop and pull it from his belt but couldn’t afford to slow down for even a few seconds.

  The demons were right behind him. He could hear them crashing through frozen branches and crunching over dead leaves.

  Ronan did his best to dampen the noise he made but there was nothing he could do about the trail he was leaving behind in the dusting of snow.

  He spared a quick glance behind him to see if his plan had worked.

  Some of the Synestryn had continued on in a straight line after he’d disappeared, falling for his ruse, but a few of the smarter ones were still on his trail. They seemed confused that they could no longer see or smell him, but they could still see exactly where he’d gone in the tracking snow.

  He couldn’t lead them back to Dabyr, but he couldn’t fight them here, so close to the other demons that would doubtlessly hear the combat and come searching for the smell of fresh blood.

  Weariness bore down on his body and made his bones feel brittle. His skin was loose and dry, hanging on him like the wrappings of a mummy. Even the glow from his eyes was beginning to dim as he consumed his very flesh to fuel him.

  A tree root caught his foot and tripped him. He fell to the cold forest floor, tasting snow and blood.

  The demons were only two, maybe three seconds behind him. He had no time to stand and run. No energy.

  Ronan ignored the burning in his joints and the stinging of his skin. He rolled off the path he’d been on and hid in the crook of roots at the base of a towering sycamore tree. Protected on one side by the tree, he then curled himself into the tightest ball possible and wrapped a shield around his body. He clamped his mouth closed to hold in a growl of hunger. He swallowed down the drops of blood leaking from the spot where his teeth had cut the inside of his lip. There was no energy left to heal the damage to his flesh. It was taking everything he had to hold the thin film of invisibility around his frail body.

  A sgath was the first one to find the spot where he’d fallen. It skidded to a halt, digging thick, poisonous claws into the ground. Its furry body rippled with strength. Its glowing green eyes lit the scuffed earth as it sniffed and pawed where Ronan’s body had just been.