Unmerciful_Forbidden Bonds

by Cat Miller

  “He’ll be pissed off. That’s not our problem. The possible victims inside are our priority,” Kayden explained.

  “Holding for your go,” Hawk replied with a sigh.

  The man was not used to working with others. Hawk had an understandable grudge against the Vampire Nation, but the Horde would need to learn to work in tandem with the nation if there was any hope of cohabitation. The Horde wasn’t ready to be accepted into the Vampire Nation’s fold. Neither was the nation particularly willing to welcome a band of half-breeds they hadn’t thought was possible to exist until very recently. Maybe neither side ever would be, but for there to be peace between vampires and demi-vamps, there would need to be cooperation on both sides. Kayden was stuck in the middle between the two groups. This was exactly why Hawk had hunted Kayden down and introduced him to the Horde. They needed an ambassador. Kayden was that representative. Who would have ever thought he’d be the voice of reason? Kayden certainly never would have imagined it.

  Kayden returned to his team and dug his phone out to call home. Gage’s phone rang and Kayden waited for his father to answer, knowing Gage was going to demand he wait for backup. He felt confident about his team’s ability to take the position without support. It was the victims Kayden was worried about now. The sooner medical attention was available, the better their chances of survival. Especially the humans would need swift medical care.

  “Hello, son, to what do I owe this honor?” Gage’s greeting was a not so subtle reminder that Kayden didn’t call home enough. Next, his father would unload a guilt trip about not keeping in touch with his mother. “Too bad I’m not with Koren at the moment. She would love to speak to her only child.” And there was the guilt trip. Kayden sighed. His father was right, Kayden needed to call his mother.

  “I’ll give Mom a call tomorrow, I promise. I need to talk to you now.”

  “I’m all ears, son. What are you up to?” Gage asked.

  “We received a tip about Sheena’s new nest this morning. We checked it out. It appears to be accurate information. It’s an abandoned warehouse, but there are lights on and a vehicle parked outside as well as multiple open entrances.”

  “Do you trust the source?” Gage asked.

  “It was an anonymous call, but she alluded to being Nick’s girlfriend or maybe just a hanger-on. She’s hooked on Hypno. I spoke to the chick personally, and she was afraid. She took a big chance calling us. Something is going on here for sure, and I’m going to find out what that is because you don’t find lights burning in a building with no electricity unless someone has a good reason to bring a generator. Our informant suggested that there were multiple vampires and human captives. That’s why she took the risk of calling it in. I’m calling you to request support for the victims before we enter the building.” Kayden rattled off the address and informed Gage that it was only miles from the South Carolina Enclave.

  “I’ll call for tactical and medical support. Don’t move until they arrive,” Gage demanded. “I have a bad feeling about this, Kayden. It’s stupid for Sheena to stay that close to the Enclave.”

  “She’s hiding under our noses,” Kayden suggested.

  “Hold the line. Do not hang up and do not enter the building,” Gage instructed, and Kayden listened as Gage called the local Enclave to send support.

  Kayden wanted his father to call it in because frankly, the leader of the warrior class got people moving in a way the Kayden could not. When Gage said to move out, everybody listened without question. Kayden disconnected the call. They wouldn’t wait for the cavalry. He had no intention of giving Sheena another opportunity to get away.

  “It’s go time,” Kayden said, and his team fanned out.

  “Let’s do this,” Hawk replied.

  The two teams would meet in the middle of the warehouse and squeeze the bad guys in, hopefully surrounding them before an alarm could be raised. They crossed the parking lot without attracting any attention. They approached the open bay door from either side, still not seeing any movement in the building. Kayden bounded up onto the dock and moved quickly to the right. His team followed in short order.

  The warehouse was dirty with years of dust and neglect. Torn plastic hung haphazardly from the steel beams. Dirt coated the remaining windows, and spider webs dripped from the rafters. There were high steel shelving units that ran the length of one side of the warehouse; they must have held pallets of material at some time in the past.

  Kayden momentarily second-guessed his decision to enter the warehouse. All was still clear, but his father’s words rang loudly in his head. When Gage had a bad feeling, it was usually with good reason. This was too easy. Kayden held up his fist to stop his team from advancing. They stopped and faded back into the shadows, just as he’d trained them to do. Kayden moved deeper into the building alone. The building was L-shaped, and he couldn’t see beyond the tall racks. Once at the end of the shelves, Kayden could see an enclosed area with a door. There was a light hanging from an extension cord over the door and light seeping through the cracks in the tattered blind covering the small window on the door.

  “We found the light. Looks like an office,” Kayden whispered.

  “There’s a door on this side as well, but no sound and no movement. I don’t like it,” Hawk replied.

  “I’m going to get a little closer. There has to be a basement. Sheena needs more room than this office provides. That has to be why it’s so quiet.” Kayden motioned for his team to catch up, but he didn’t wait for them. He crossed the open space between the shelves and the door and stopped to listen more carefully. A faint noise reached Kayden’s ears. He pressed in closer to the door. Someone was crying far beyond the closed door. It was a female weeping and pleading for help. Kayden’s spine stiffened. He pressed his ear to the door and listened to the murmur of far-off male voices. They were not alone in the warehouse. Kayden shifted to look through the gap in the tattered blinds. There were dust-covered desks, a few file cabinets, and a broken chair but no guards. He looked over his shoulder to see his team had just reached the end of the shelves. He reached for the door.

  “We found her,” he said so Hawk’s team could hear. “She’s got prisoners for sure. There’s a female crying and at least two males talking. I’m going to clear the other side of the door. The office is too small for her operation. They must be underground. Wait for my all clear.” Kayden turned the doorknob.

  “Wait! Kayden!” Hawk shouted over his earpiece.

  Several things happened all at once. Kayden heard the faint click of the detonator just before the explosion. The sound of his name being shouted in warning was drowned out by the blast that tossed his massive body through the air like a ragdoll. He tried to warn his men to take cover, but the words never came. He was blinded by the blast. His body was blown upward and propelled backward before he took another breath. He was airborne, and it was just like having a dream that you’re falling. You know you’re going to hit the ground, and it’s going to hurt. You’re anticipating and dreading the impact that will destroy you.

  That’s where Kayden found himself—flying in what felt like slow motion, waiting for the pain to hit, and thinking about all the times he’d screwed up. Regretting lost opportunities. Wishing he had just a little more time to do more, be more, experience more in this life. All of the unwanted advice his parents had given Kayden came rushing back to him. He should have listened. All of the big mistakes he’d made now seemed so small in the face of this disastrous decision.

  Most of all, just as Kayden slammed into something sharp and ungiving, he thought of Lindsay. He thought of the gorgeous female he hadn’t given a second chance to years ago. If he’d been smarter back then neither of them would be where they were now. Who was he kidding? Lindsay had been human, and he’d thought himself a mighty vampire warrior who was too good for a human. All of his people did. Kayden thought of the once human woman who survived an evil unlike any his people had ever seen. Lindsay escaped the horror of Sheena�
��s lab and then tried to protect Kayden instead of thinking of herself. She was stronger than any born vampire he’d ever known. Kayden thought of the look on Lindsay’s face when he’d entered her room to administer the sedative needed to control her during treatment and the worst of her withdrawal. There was trust in her eyes when she looked at Kayden. It was a faith he hadn’t earned, but she gifted it to him anyway.

  Lindsay had trusted Kayden with her body and her affection, too, even after that betrayal. Kayden wanted to be a male worthy of that trust, and he wanted to be there for Lindsay … forever. Hindsight was a bastard. Too late Kayden realized that he’d marched his team straight into a trap. He also knew that it was too late to play the hero for Lindsay because he wasn’t going to survive this day himself. Buried under a mountain of rubble in a warehouse with steel wiring from the racks protruding from his chest, Kayden remembered a pair of warm whiskey eyes surrounded by honey-gold hair. Lindsay would make it. Kayden had to believe Lindsay would live on and find happiness without him. At least then he would have done something worth living for. He had done at least one thing right. Kayden closed his eyes and melted into unconsciousness with regret on his heart.

  “I’m so sorry I failed you, Hellion. I didn’t slay your dragon. The dragon slew me.”

  Eleven

  “If it’s the last thing I do, I will get even with you for this humiliation,” Sarah said to Griffin when he finally answered his cell phone. She didn’t shout or screech at him. No, the threat had been delivered with a cold intensity that told Griffin his soon to be ex-wife who was already his ex-mate meant every word she said. Sarah would find a way to repay him for banishing her from his house. Not only had she been physically removed from his home, but she had also been ejected from his family, the House of Vaughn. It was unprecedented for a mate to be returned to their birth house. It was yet another blow to Sarah’s pride. Griffin had been avoiding Sarah since she was forced to move out several weeks ago for this very reason. He knew she wouldn’t be civil, but she’d been calling several times a day. It was time to have this conversation.

  “Threats like that are a big part of the reason J.R. is here with me. Let’s not forget what happened the last time you decided to get even.”

  “I didn’t know what I was—” Sarah began, but Griffin cut her off.

  “Don’t even try to feed me that bullshit about mind control. I overheard your little conversation in the hall with David at the trial. Have the courage to admit to your crimes. It’s over now. You’re not going to be punished as you should be.”

  “You think this isn’t punishment? I’ve lost everything.”

  Sarah didn’t bother denying her guilt again, and Griffin was glad of it. She could play the victim with her father and the rest of society, but he refused to show her any pity.

  “You have your freedom. You have a home with your father’s house. You will have enough money to live comfortably and in style for the rest of your life without lifting a finger.

  “You could be dead or in a cell for the rest of your days. You should feel blessed. And there’s one more thing I need to clarify while I have your attention. I’ll be having a discussion with Samantha as well. I overheard your intention to sell off my only remaining unmated daughter. If Samantha wishes to follow you to Europe or anywhere else to find a mate, I’ll allow it, but I will be the one to investigate any potential mates and their houses. I will draft the contracts to benefit Samantha, not you or me. Neither of us needs the money. If the house of a potential mate wants to enter into business with the House of Vaughn, it will be considered. What I will not allow is for you to force her into something she doesn’t want so you can line your own pockets and boost your own social standing. Your divorce settlement will be more than generous. Also, if you threaten me again, I’ll make it so you have to get approval from your father for every penny you want to spend. Do you understand me, Sarah? I’m finished fucking around with you.” Griffin listened to the silence on the other end of the line for so long that he thought Sarah may have disconnected the call.

  “I hate you,” Sarah finally replied in the same icy tone. “You ruined my life. You never loved me. I did everything I could to make you happy, but it was never enough. I sacrificed my heart, my dreams, even my body to birth your heirs. And this is the thanks I get. I’m banished from the very society I used to rule over. I’m my father’s ward again. How is this fair?”

  “You are your father’s ward because of the lies you told at your trial. Don’t you think living under your father’s roof is preferable to the jail cell you deserve for risking your children’s lives?”

  “I never, ever meant to hurt my babies! They’re all I’ve ever had!” Sarah’s calm finally broke. She shouted at Griffin.

  He pulled the phone from his ear momentarily. When he spoke again, he was careful to remain calm. He didn’t want to dissolve into adolescent finger pointing.

  “You had your children and power and wealth beyond anything you could ever spend in your long lifetime, Sarah. You even had a mate who respected you and allowed you free reign. I never said no to anything you wanted. I know I wasn’t the mate you wanted, and I’m truly sorry for that. I will always regret hurting you.” Griffin had managed to remain composed, but he was sick of Sarah making excuses for her actions. He was tired of being blamed for her sins. When he continued, Griffin slammed his fist down on his solid wood desk, causing pictures to topple over and his solid gold pen to bounce. He snarled, “But I will not claim guilt for your deceptions! You tried to have me assassinated twice! You nearly cost two of our children their lives! You did that, Sarah, not me!” Pinching the bridge of his nose, Griffin sat back in his chair.

  Sarah said nothing.

  “I’m done with you, Sarah. Things didn’t have to be this way. You wanted me dead? Consider it done, I’m dead to you. You can reach me through the lawyers or your father. Don’t contact me in person again, since you can’t seem to stop threatening me. Good-bye.”

  “You will regret this,” Sarah said.

  “I have so many regrets. What’s one more?” Griffin disconnected the call. He sat there for a long time staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out exactly where he’d gone wrong. He’d made so many wrong moves. He’d had two good females in his life, and he’d destroyed them both. He’d turned them both against him. Griffin’s unhappiness was his own doing. There was no one else he could or would blame for his disastrous love life.

  He dragged himself out of his office and climbed the stairs to see J.R., who’d been studying in his room the last time Griffin saw him. He didn’t think his son would have heard him shouting in the office, but Griffin worried about it, so he went to check on the boy. J.R. was doing much better lately. A couple of years had passed since the failed kidnapping attempt that nearly killed Griffin’s son. The first year had been tough, but time, counseling, and the support of all three of J.R.’s sisters had gone a long way to chase the fear out of his eyes.

  Griffin knocked on J.R.’s door and waited for permission to enter. Griffin was stunned when the door opened instead. He wasn’t surprised because J.R. had let him in the room. He was flabbergasted because J.R. had opened the door without moving from his spot on the sofa in front of the movie screen size T.V. mounted on the wall in his seating area. J.R. was a pretty typical kid. He liked video games and sports. He avoided homework for as long as he could, and he ate enough to feed a small country. What he didn’t do was turn knobs and move things with his mind.

  Griffin peered into his son’s room. J.R. had his back to the door. He was wearing headphones and was playing a video game while talking smack to other gamers. Griffin had to check himself. He was a strong telekinetic, but it hadn’t been Griffin who’d opened the door, he was sure of it. Griffin looked up and down the hall. Nobody else was in sight, and he knew none of his servants were telekinetic.

  Griffin entered the room with his jaw hanging open. Not many things surprised him anymore, but his son had just manage
d to shock him. J.R. hadn’t shown any signs of possessing any extra-sensory gifts yet. Unsurprisingly, because a vampire didn’t gain the brain power to trigger those types of talents until they came of age, typically around twenty give or take a year. J.R. wouldn’t even be thirteen years old for another few months. The boy was taller than other kids his age by a head. He was also more muscular than his peers. Griffin examined his son a little more carefully. His shoulders were a bit too broad for a twelve-year-old. This boy was ahead of the curve in more ways than one.

  “What’s up, Dad?” J.R. finally spared his father a glance. He was working his game controller and leaning to the side as if he were the character on the screen avoiding a bullet.

  “I just came to see what you wanted for dinner? The cook has the night off. We men are on our own,” Griffin lied. The cook wasn’t off, but she would be when he went back downstairs.

  “Pizza sounds good. Extra cheese and sausage, please.”

  “All right, I’ll order it around five.” He wouldn’t. He would have the cook order it before she took off. Griffin had no idea where to get pizza delivery. There were so many things he was learning about running a household now that Sarah wasn’t there to orchestrate.

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “What are you playing?”

  “Destiny 2.” J.R. didn’t elaborate, but it looked like a violent game. It was futuristic, and the characters carried giant guns and wore strange armor.

  Griffin didn’t want to make a big deal of it yet, but he had to address the telekinetic in the room. J.R. was already skilled enough to open a door on the opposite side of a room without pulling all of his attention away from what he was doing. J.R. might not realize what a big deal that was at his age. Griffin would need to start thinking about training his son. He supposed he should be a bit worried, but his overwhelming emotion was pride. J.R. would be a powerful telekinetic by the time most vampires were just starting to realize they might have a gift.