“It is a start,” Nathan agreed.
“And what if one of you turns Savage, what then?” Logan demanded.
Ronan pierced him with a remorseless stare. “They will be hunted as ruthlessly as any other Savage. Despite our bonds to one another, we all know that is the consequence of turning. Joseph will be located, he will be brought down, and I will be there to do it.”
“I will be the one to do it.” Nathan’s quietly spoken words were more forceful than if he’d bellowed them to the room.
Ronan had destroyed the prick who killed his parents; he would not deny another the opportunity for revenge, even if he knew it would bring no relief. “If it works out that way and you are there, then you will be the one to do it, but Joseph will be taken down the first opportunity we have to do so. It is necessary he is destroyed no matter who does it.”
Nathan’s hands fisted on the table. “Agreed.”
“I will also be there to see it, if it works that way,” Kadence said.
Nathan sat back in his seat as he gazed at Ronan in challenge. With that action, Ronan realized Nathan had acknowledged Kadence was now under his protection, but it was clear he didn’t approve of her being anywhere near the fight.
“Will you inform the other strongholds about the alliance we will be trying to forge here?” Ronan asked Nathan.
“Not right away. We will see how things play out before bringing them in. They haven’t reported an increase in Savage attacks or missing people from their locations. For now, it seems as if this growing threat is located here in the Northeast.”
“For now,” Ronan agreed. “I’m sure Joseph will be trying to establish more warehouses throughout the area in an attempt to expand. We will locate the other turned and purebred vamps he’s trained over the years and either bring them in or learn if they’ve also turned Savage.”
“How do you intend to find them?”
“We know where some of them are. For the others, we have a friend who may be able to help locate them.”
“Will this friend be joining in the fight?” Nathan inquired.
Five months ago, Brian would have happily jumped in to help kill as many Savages as possible, but it was unlikely he would now that he was mated. “He will aid us when he can.”
“I see. Can he locate Joseph?”
“Not recently, but he has a couple of times in the past, and so has Kadence and she may be able to do so again.” Nathan’s jaw clenched when he realized Ronan was telling him that he would not keep Kadence out of this. “On our way here, I called Brian and asked him to join us. He should be arriving shortly.”
Chapter Forty-Five
An hour later, Brian strolled into the room with their newest purebred recruit, Aiden, at his side. “Someone call some hookers so we can really make this a party,” Aiden drawled as he gazed at the brooding occupants of the room.
“That would make it a regular old fuck fest,” Lucien replied.
Aiden grinned at him as he hooked his fingers into his belt buckle. “Nice one.”
“I thought so.”
“Enough,” Ronan said. “Did you bring the things I asked for?” he inquired of Brian.
“Yes,” Brian replied.
He turned and walked back to the door. Ronan heard whispered voices before the door closed, shutting Brian’s mate on the other side. Brian walked over with a stack of folders and placed them before Ronan. The files had been moved from the training facility to the mansion with the rest of the recruits. Everyone moved closer as Ronan spread the folders across the table so that Brian could see the photos attached to the outside of each one.
He’d told Brian to leave behind the numerous files marked deceased and any over fifty years old. Joseph hadn’t taken over the running of the training facility before then. They may have to go through the older files eventually, but right now they had to concentrate on the vampires they knew Joseph had direct contact with.
“Which ones do we know where they are now?” he inquired and looked at each of his men.
Hands reached around him to pull out the files of those they would be able to locate without Brian’s help. He wasn’t entirely sure how Brian’s ability worked, but he suspected Brian needed to meet someone in person to locate them again. He didn’t think Brian would have met many of the unknowns remaining, but even one of them was one less that they would have to waste time trying to find.
“Which ones do you think you can locate, Brian?”
Brian studied the pictures before pulling out nearly a dozen files, more than Ronan had expected. “These.”
“Good,” Ronan said and pushed the remaining folders aside before focusing on Nathan. “We will find a more central location to meet next time and go out to hunt together from there. Neither of us will reveal where we live, or be expected to. If anyone is caught trying to find the location of the other, it is a breach of trust and the offender will be dealt with swiftly by the other side. We will send out groups of hunters and vampires together every night. If someone is wrongly injured by someone on the other side or knowingly attacked, the attacker will be dealt with by both sides.”
These were details they had already hashed out while waiting for Brian to arrive, but he wanted to make sure they were clear to everyone.
“Agreed,” Nathan said.
“It’s a solid start,” Kadence said.
“It is,” Nathan replied.
Ronan rose with Nathan and extended his hand across the table to him. “A good beginning to what could become a strong alliance,” he said as he took hold of Nathan’s hand.
“Yes, it is,” Nathan agreed and shook his hand.
There was only one more thing he had to discuss with Nathan before leaving here.
“I think it is time for us to go. We will be in contact tonight.” Nathan said.
Nathan went to step away, but Ronan kept his hand, holding him back as the others started to file out of the room. “I’d like to speak with you and Kadence alone,” he said.
Nathan hesitated before waving the rest of his men out the door as Ronan’s followed behind them. Ronan released Nathan’s hand and drew Kadence against his side.
“You’re to make sure your man, Logan, stays away from Kadence,” he said to Nathan when the door closed behind the others.
“I never had romantic feeling for Logan, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Kadence said.
“No, you didn’t, but he had feelings for you, and now those feelings have turned to anger.” His eyes burned into Nathan’s as he spoke.
“Logan would never hurt her,” Nathan said.
“Maybe not before, but he’s bitter and angry now. That’s a deadly combination. If he does anything that I deem threatening toward her, I’ll kill him, alliance between us or not.”
“Ronan!” Kadence gasped.
“No.” The look he sent her caused her to hold back any further protest. “On this, I will not budge. He won’t be anywhere near you. There will be no arguing about that. I have only one weakness, Kadence, and it is you. Everyone who was in this room knows that. They won’t exploit it, but Logan might. Not to mention, you both think you can trust him, so your guard will be lowered around him.”
“I’ll keep him away from her,” Nathan promised.
“Good.”
“One more thing,” Kadence said. “The women in the stronghold need to be better trained. I’m not saying prepare them for going out in the streets, but you have to do more, Nathan. I believed I was prepared when I left the stronghold, but I wasn’t. It nearly got me killed.”
“Ah hmm,” Nathan cleared his throat and gave her a pointed look.
“I know leaving in the first place put me in danger,” she agreed, and her brother nodded. “But I was really unprepared. The women think they can defend themselves. They can’t. I know you think you can keep them all sheltered, but there may come a time when you can’t. If that time comes, they’ll be lambs to the slaughter, and you would have allowed it to happe
n by not teaching them more.”
Nathan stared at the wall behind her before focusing on her again. “We will train them better.”
“Good,” Kadence said. “And speaking of women, how is Simone?”
“She is fine,” Nathan answered.
“Will you tell her I say hi and that I miss her?”
“I will,” he promised.
Nathan’s mind spun as he tried to sort through everything that had happened in such a short time. He had no idea how he would get the elders and some of the other male hunters in the stronghold on board with this, but he had to. After what he’d seen with those Savages in the warehouse, he knew it was only a matter of time before they were all completely outnumbered.
There would be no stopping the spread of the Savages once that happened. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair as he walked out of the room beside Ronan and Kadence. His gaze slid to his headstrong sister. He also had no idea what to make of her newfound vampire status or her relationship to this man—a man who would tear the world and everyone in his way apart to protect her.
He never would have thought he’d be okay with his sister in a relationship with a vampire, and especially not okay with her being one, but he had to admit, Ronan may be the only one who could keep her safe. But more than that, Ronan made her happy in a way he’d never seen Kadence happy before.
He wanted to hate Ronan, his entire life had been built on hatred for what he was, but he found he couldn’t. Not when Kadence was smiling like that and practically glowing with self-confidence, happiness, and love. More than that, he couldn’t deny that the vampire loved her too. He wouldn’t have believed a vampire capable of feeling love, but he was beginning to realize he’d been wrong about many things throughout his life.
He never would have chosen this life for his sister, but he was glad she’d stumbled into it. She would have gradually died within the stronghold. He had a feeling she would be blossoming more with every passing day now.
Stepping through the doorway, his gaze traveled over the hunters and vamps standing within the hallway. They stood on opposite sides of the hall while they stared distrustfully at each other, but at least they weren’t trying to kill one another.
Baby steps, he reminded himself. Baby steps that had the possibility of leading to a better and safer life for all of them.
His gaze drifted to the two vamps who had brought the files for Ronan. Brian stood next to two pretty blonde women. Brian’s shoulders went back and he pulled the one standing closest to him back a step when Nathan’s eyes fell on her. Nathan turned away from them to focus on the other woman who was the identical version of the woman with Brian. Her head canted to the side as her green eyes studied him. Nathan found his steps slowing as he gazed inquisitively back at her.
Then, she scowled at him. Despite her apparent dislike of him, Nathan smiled at her before walking out of the hotel. He gave Kadence a hug and climbed into the battered truck he favored for hunting.
Chapter Forty-Six
“It’s going to work between the hunters and the vampires,” Kadence murmured as she trailed her fingers up Ronan’s bare chest to his chin and back down again. “It’s going to take time, there will be problems, most likely many problems in the beginning, but it’s going to work out for the better.”
“Yes,” Ronan agreed as he took her hand and pinned it to his chest.
“I’m going to be there to help with that, and I’m going to be there when Joseph dies. If I get the chance, I’ll kill him myself.”
She wiggled her way up his body and sprawled across his chest. Against her thigh, she felt him hardening again, but his face remained serious as he gazed at her.
“Joseph is an old, powerful, purebred vampire,” he said.
“And I’m a turned hunter, the first of my kind, who knows what I can do. I might be as fierce as a purebred when I’m in a rage. Perhaps my skin will turn color too.”
“Hmm,” he grunted.
Her smile slid away at the grave look on his face. “Don’t lock me away, Ronan.”
His hand tightened around hers as he took a deep breath. “I promised you I wouldn’t do that, and I won’t, but there are some things we should discuss.”
“Such as?” she asked warily.
“Such as, you will continue training with me every day, and if you go into the field, it will be with me. If I don’t think you’re ready, or if I feel you’re not working as hard as you have been, I will continue to keep you from the fight.”
“I agree,” she said. “But you have to be fair and unbiased in your assessment of me.”
“I will,” he replied.
“Anything else?”
“Not right now, but we’ll discuss this again when Joseph is dead.”
She smiled as she leaned forward to kiss him. “Are you really going to lead the vampires?”
“It is another thing that will take time, but I will work to gather the vampires again, to lead them, and to better educate them on our history, our ways, and what they are.”
“You will make an outstanding ruler,” she assured him.
“And you will make an impressive, stubborn ruler at my side,” he replied and nipped at her bottom lip.
Kadence giggled as her fingers curled into his chest. “I love you.”
“You’d better because you’re bound to me for an eternity, and I’m head over fucking heels for you.”
“I’m okay with that.”
She squealed when he flipped her over to pin her to the mattress beneath him. His beautiful brown eyes met hers before he bent his head to kiss her. Kadence forgot all about the problems waiting for them outside of this room as she lost herself to the rhythm of his body and the strength of his love enveloping her.
The End.
Bound by Vengeance (The Alliance, Book 2) is now available for pre-order! Amazon: http://bit.ly/BdVgAm
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Excerpt From Into Hell
Road to Hell Series, Book 4
Kobal
My eyes narrowed on the shadows from where the voice had come, but whoever stood there remained concealed by the darkness. Scenting the air, I detected a new aroma within the cavern. Whoever it was had not been there long. I recognized the odor as the same aroma Lucifer and the other angels emitted. It brought to mind water, but whereas River made me think of fresh rain, this was more like a pond.
I focused my gaze on a shifting in the shadows as my lips skimmed back to bare my fangs.
“I have not come here to fight, Kobal,” the voice murmured. “I would not have revealed my presence in this cave if I intended to battle you. I would have simply struck while the two of you were focused on whatever it was the oracle revealed to her.”
“Then why not show yourself?” I demanded.
The darkness moved and flowed before a raven swept out of it to land fifty feet away. Larger than the ravens on Earth, it stood nearly three feet tall and weighed at least a hundred pounds. It moved with the grace of its mortal counterparts as it settled its feathers against its side with a fluid ripple of motion.
“I’ve shown myself,” the raven murmured and River gasped behind me. “As you can see, I could have remained hidden from you for a lot longer. Even if you scented me, you would not have been looking for me.”
“What the fuck is with the talking bird?” Hawk blurted.
“It’s not a bird,” Bale said and drew her sword from her back.
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About the Author
Brenda K. Davies is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Vampire Awakening Series, Alliance Series, Road to Hell Series, Hell on Earth Series, and historical romantic fiction. She also writes under the pen name, Erica Stevens. When not out with friends and family, she can be found at home with her husband, dog, and horse.
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