[The Alliance 01.0] Eternally Bound

by Brenda K. Davies

  Nathan’s crossbow dipped a bit before leveling on Ronan’s broad chest, right at his heart. Kadence’s breath stuck in her throat when Ronan stalked forward as if he didn’t see the weapon. The resolute expression on Nathan’s face was one she recognized well. The bolt fired less than a split second later.

  Ronan didn’t change his course or even blink when he plucked the bolt out of thin air and tossed it aside as if it had been an annoying fly. Kadence gaped at him. She’d never seen anyone move that fast before, had never thought it possible that someone could.

  Before anyone could react, or Ronan could reach Nathan, Joseph shouted a command. “Now! Attack now!” The words were garbled, but his windpipe had healed enough for him to speak again.

  Kadence frowned as she tried to figure out who he was yelling at. The others in the alley exchanged a questioning glance. Ronan leapt forward, his hand encircling Joseph’s throat. He looked about to tear Joseph from Jayce’s grasp just as another vampire leapt on top of the brick wall. The feral-looking vamp with the blood-red eyes was followed by a dozen more vampires.

  Ronan froze with his hand around Joseph’s throat as he gazed at the Savages perched on the wall like gargoyles ready to take flight. Their putrid odor barely pierced through the stench of the alley. It hit him that Joseph had lured them into this area of the alley because of the amount of trash and the fact that his cohorts could remain hidden on the other side of the wall until he was ready to draw them forth. If he hadn’t crushed Joseph’s windpipe, the Savages would have arrived sooner.

  “Well, that’s a heap of shit right there,” Declan said and reached over his back to slide two swords free from under his coat.

  Kadence bit back a shout when the vampires launched themselves off the wall. Right now, no one knew she was there; she could be the hidden weapon they may need, but only if she didn’t give away her location. One of the vamps crashed into Ronan, knocking his hold on Joseph free. Another hit Nathan, sending him staggering into Jayce and Joseph.

  Joseph twisted in Jayce’s grasp and yanked Jayce’s hand to the side. The young hunter howled as his wrist broke with a snap of bone. Kadence’s stomach nosedived into her toes, but she lifted her crossbow and aimed it at Joseph’s heart. Joseph clutched Jayce’s head as she fired the bolt.

  A bead of blood formed on Jayce’s ear from where the bolt nicked him before driving into Joseph’s chest, centimeters off his heart. Blood-red eyes briefly met hers before Joseph snapped Jayce’s neck to the side. The cracking of his spine echoed down the entire alley. The scream of No! burned its way up her throat and choked her as a cruel grin curved Joseph’s lips.

  Sorrow filled her as Jayce’s limp body collapsed to the ground. She’d grown up with Jayce. They’d played tag and eaten ice cream cones on hot summer days. He’d once told her he would have preferred to be an astronaut, to travel into space, but instead he’d trained to be a pilot for the hunters and to kill. And now he was gone.

  Kadence wanted nothing more than to sit down and sob for the loss of her friend. Instead, she pulled another bolt free from her pocket and reloaded the crossbow. She lifted it to end the vicious monster who had destroyed her father and her friend.

  She was about to fire again when Ronan stalked through the fray and captured Joseph by the throat with one hand. With ease, he lifted Joseph high before smashing him into the pavement. The asphalt cracked and splintered beneath Joseph’s body. Ronan drew his other hand back to strike Joseph when two more vamps leapt onto the top of the wall before launching themselves off and onto his back.

  Kadence’s hand quivered on her crossbow when Ronan vanished beneath their bodies. She searched for Nathan and the other hunters, but they were also nowhere to be seen amid the mass of vamps. She fired more bolts at two of the vamps on Joseph’s side, successfully taking them both out.

  She’d gone through a fair amount of training over the years to learn how to protect herself, but she’d never been allowed to hunt a vampire. Now, her blood hummed with excitement, her body was alive in a way it never had been before, and she couldn’t deny that this felt right.

  Ronan rose from the mass, shedding the vamps clinging to him. Grabbing one of them, he threw the vamp forward with enough force to shatter some of the bricks in the wall. The indent of the vamp’s body was left behind as he slumped to the ground. The wall rocked on its foundation, and for a minute, Kadence thought it would topple over.

  She searched for her brother, worry tearing at her insides as she spotted Asher and Declan beating back the wave of vampires coming at them. If they found it weird to be working together, they didn’t show it. The enemy of my enemy, she realized as they stood nearly back to back with each other. Logan was fighting near the one with the scar, Killean. Lucien and Saxon stood back to back as they fought.

  Relief filled her when she finally spotted Nathan next to one of the dumpsters. Blood streaked his face from a nasty gash above his right eye, but it didn’t slow him as he drove a stake through the heart of a vamp.

  Kadence reloaded her weapon as another vamp rose behind Declan. The vamp was about to grab Declan when Kadence fired a shot that went straight through the vamp’s heart. Declan glanced at her over his shoulder, his silver eyes glittering with amusement when they met hers. He nodded to her before driving a sword through the stomach of another vamp and running him into the wall.

  The already damaged wall swayed back from the impact and gave an ominous creaking sound.

  “Look out!” Asher shouted.

  Asher staggered away from the wall as it rocked precariously. Pieces of breaking brick clattered over the concrete and thumped off the dumpsters. The wall swayed back again before crumpling with a loud bang and the clatter of bricks crashing into one another. A cloud of gray dust blew all the way out to where she stood.

  Kadence stepped forward as her view of the battle was obscured by the debris filling the air. When it finally cleared enough, she saw the vampires who had joined the fight on Joseph’s side were fleeing down the street. Asher and Logan followed them, and ahead of them, she spotted Nathan turning a corner.

  Joseph was nowhere to be seen. She suspected he’d been the first one to tuck tail and run like the coward he was.

  The other vamps remained standing in the alley, surrounded by the carcasses of the vamps who hadn’t survived and Jayce. Kadence tore her attention away from her friend’s body before she started to sob and didn’t stop. She retreated into the shadows as Ronan wiped some of the debris from his hair. Bits of dust and brick rained down around him.

  He glanced idly at the arrow protruding from his shoulder. Without so much as a flinch, he ripped it free and tossed it aside. Kadence winced for him.

  “If the hunters get a hold of Joseph—” Lucien started.

  “They won’t,” Ronan replied. “And if we go after them, we’ll only end up fighting them again.”

  “And then we’ll inevitably kill one of them,” Saxon said.

  “I don’t see a problem with that,” Killean replied.

  “The hunters are not our enemies,” Ronan said.

  Why did he keep saying that? Kadence wondered. Why did he believe that?

  “Maybe not, but they believe we are theirs, and because of that they fucked this night all up,” Killean said. “Joseph would be dead right now and everyone on this planet would be a lot safer, if it wasn’t for their stupidity.”

  “Enough, Killean,” Ronan said. “You and Saxon gather these bodies and take them somewhere the sun can get them in the morning, or where you can set them on fire.”

  “I’ll get the van,” Saxon volunteered. He climbed over the bricks and jogged toward the street.

  At the end of the alley, she spotted a crowd of humans growing. The humans whispered behind their hands as they pointed down the alley at the vampires standing where the wall once had stood.

  “Declan, take care of the crowd,” Ronan ordered.

  “With pleasure,” Declan replied. He climbed over the bricks and
sauntered toward the humans. “Hello, darling,” he purred to one. The uneasy look left the girl’s face. She giggled and blushed prettily when he ran his finger under her chin.

  Kadence watched as Declan spoke with the crowd. She couldn’t hear what he said, but when he was done, they all walked away. She’d heard about a vampire’s ability to change the memories of another, but she’d never witnessed it in action. She had to admit it was impressive, and scary.

  As a hunter, she was immune to a vamp’s ability of persuasion—something she was extremely grateful for right then.

  “What about the hunter’s body?” Lucien inquired.

  Kadence almost stepped forward to scream at them to leave it be, but Ronan was already speaking, “The hunters will come back for him.”

  “And if someone discovers it before then?”

  “That’s the hunters’ problem to deal with, not ours. There are no signs of a vampire attack on him, and the police will have a difficult time trying to figure this all out, but again, not our problem. What about the girl Joseph attacked in the club?” he asked Saxon.

  “I couldn’t save her,” Saxon replied. “I obscured the wound on her neck and hid her body. They should find her by morning.”

  Ronan clenched his teeth as he gazed down the road where the hunters had vanished in pursuit of Joseph. The human race was a food supply to him, but he’d failed in his mission tonight and an innocent had died because of it. Even worse, more of them would die now that Joseph had gotten away again.

  They should have killed the hunters and Joseph and called it a night. They all would have had to deal with aftereffects of the hunters’ lives on their hands, but they would have saved countless other lives in the long run. If the hunters interfered again, he may have no choice but to take them down.

  Kadence remained in the shadows when she was certain the vampires wouldn’t be taking Jayce’s body with them. Her brother would be back soon, but even if he didn’t return, they would find a way to claim Jayce’s body.

  If the vamps left soon, she would come back and get Jayce herself. She didn’t care if he weighed a good seventy pounds more than her; she would figure out a way to bring him home.

  A beat-up gray van pulled up at the end of the alley and backed down toward what remained of the wall. The vehicle didn’t come to a full stop before Killean pulled the back doors open and they began to toss the bodies of the vampires into it.

  They would all be gone soon, and she should retreat from here until they were. She should have already left this place behind. Her brother was gone, and she was in an alley full of vamps.

  Chapter Eight

  She edged down the alley, her heart growing heavier with every step as she reloaded her crossbow. She’d lost a friend tonight, and now it was time for her to return to the stronghold where she would be locked away once more and married to Logan.

  Kadence tilted her head back to stare at the night sky. She’d seen it every night from the stronghold, but this was the first time she’d seen it outside of the stronghold walls. This was her last night of freedom, the only night of freedom she’d ever experienced. She didn’t realize she was crying until the first drop of chilly water fell onto her hand.

  Startled, she wiped the tears from her cheeks. What was the matter with her? She’d always resented her lot in life, always wanted more freedom, but a part of her also accepted what was to be. Now the idea of returning to the stronghold and being married was more than she could stand.

  Taking a deep breath, she started walking again. Her lot in life didn’t matter; it was far better than no life. Fresh tears welled in her eyes as she recalled Jayce’s body at the end of the alley. She had to get to him and return home; she had no other choice.

  She didn’t know much about this human world. However, the little she’d seen of it, and the vast quantity of reading she’d done about it, fascinated her. The humans were a weaker species, but they were brilliant and creative. Over the years, she’d spent countless hours studying the paintings and numerous pieces of art they had in the stronghold. It amazed her that she found some new detail amongst those canvases and sculptures every time she looked at them.

  She’d read all the thousands of books in the library of the stronghold, some of them so many times she’d memorized them. Her favorites had always been mysteries and detective novels, especially Sherlock Holmes.

  She would give anything to visit all the many places she’d read about and seen pictures of, but she would never be able to do any of those things once she returned to the stronghold. However, she couldn’t stay out here.

  Her brother would be looking for her soon. Nathan was probably just recalling that he’d left her behind to pursue the monster who had killed their father. He would go crazy if she didn’t return. And she might go crazy if she did.

  But where could she go? What could she do?

  Nothing. There was nothing she could do. She had no ID, no birth certificate, no money, nothing she could use to help her navigate the human world. She was schooled in the arts, science, math, history, and other things. She may never use her education, but the hunters believed everyone should be taught. Some of the males were sent out to become pilots, doctors, nurses, plumbers, electricians, and numerous other things that would benefit their society before returning to the stronghold.

  She had no real training unless the job included self-defense techniques, cooking, and being a good wife and mother. She was faster and stronger than humans, a good fighter, and a passable cook, but she’d failed on epic levels at being a good wife and mother during her schooling.

  She’d spent twenty of her twenty-three years trying to learn how to sew, and she still couldn’t do it. Though, she suspected her instructor, Mrs. Cranon, was right and she’d chosen not to learn the technique. No matter how good it felt to stab things sometimes, she hated sewing.

  In the end, she had no skills that would help her survive in the human world, a world she knew so little about other than what she’d seen on TV and read in her books. Even her glimpses of the humans on TV had been rare as there were few TVs in the stronghold, and the women were often kept away from them.

  Even if she could somehow survive out here on her own, it didn’t matter; she had to return for Jayce’s body, and she couldn’t leave Nathan to worry about her.

  Resigned anew to her lot in life, Kadence took a deep breath and continued forward. She was almost to the back door of the club when the garbage stench of the alley rose a little and a shadow moved forward, blocking the way. She froze when she recognized Joseph standing before her.

  How had he gotten away and back here? She had no answer for that question, but it didn’t matter. He was here.

  Kadence took a step back as his red eyes ran leeringly over her body. The faint stench of decay emanating from him was enough to make her gag. At one time, he may have been good looking with his golden-brown hair and narrow features. Now she saw nothing but a twisted creature.

  “I came back for you, beautiful,” he purred.

  Her hand gripped the crossbow tighter, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t get the chance to hit him with a bolt again, not now that he was prepared for it. She itched to rip his heart out with her bare hands to avenge her father’s death, but her instincts screamed at her to run far and fast from here.

  He took another step toward her. The dim illumination of the bulb over the club door revealed his blood-covered shirt, the bruises on his face, a jagged cut on his upper right thigh, and the hole from where her bolt had pierced him in his chest.

  “So pretty.” His insidious voice washed over her, chilling the marrow of her bones.

  He moved suddenly and much faster than she’d anticipated with his injuries. She lifted the crossbow, aimed at his heart, and fired. The bolt sliced across his shirt and the front of his chest when he turned to the side to avoid taking a direct hit. His hand wrapped around her braid and he yanked her against him.

  Lifting her hands to his chest, she sh
oved at him as she tried to pull herself free. His grip on her hair tightened until a sharp pain throbbed in her skull and some of the strands tore from her scalp. Giving up on trying to free herself, she squirmed against him and punched him in the stomach. Her blow against the solid wall of muscle in his abs had the same effect on him as a mouse beating on an elephant would have.

  Twisting to the side, she tried to get her leg in between them to knee him in the crouch. He knocked her knee to the side and bile rushed up her throat when he rubbed his erection against her stomach. She clamped her teeth against vomiting on him as she put her fingers together and drove them at his eye.

  He chuckled when he swatted her hand aside. “I love it when they fight,” he murmured in her ear.

  Turning, she finally managed to land a solid punch against the underside of his chin. The monster laughed and leaned back to survey her. “Do it again,” he taunted, his face only inches from hers.

  It hit her then that all her training in weapons and self-defense had been for nothing. Dummies didn’t hit back or block her blows; they didn’t laugh in her face when she gave them an uppercut, and they didn’t have the strength of twenty men. The women had been taught how to defend themselves, but they’d never been prepared to actually do it against a vampire.

  Managing to get her hand up again, her fingers hooked into claws that she raked down the side of his face. As the skin tore away, flesh dug beneath her fingernails and blood welled forth.

  “Bitch!” he spat at her before slapping her across the face. Blood exploded into her mouth, a ringing sounded in her ears, and she was certain he’d knocked one of her teeth loose.

  Clutching her hand, he twisted her arm behind her back. Agony tore through her shoulder and screamed up her back as he turned the joint a way it was never meant to go. “The power,” he murmured against her ear. “I can smell it thrumming through your veins.” He jabbed his erection against her again.

  Her shoulder popped out of place when she twisted to the side. She cried out as he bent his head to run his revolting tongue across her ear. He propelled her back against the wall, his heavy body plastering her to the cold brick. White fangs glinted when he pulled back to reveal his lethal canines seconds before he struck.