by L. J. Red
Riker choked, the power storming through him a twisting, hideous perversion of force that he couldn’t stop. He choked on his own spit, foaming at the mouth. “Let me go,” he snarled at Roman.
Roman’s eyes were wild and full of greed and the burn of power. “Not yet,” he said and twisted his hands. Riker screamed. His bones ached as if they were being ripped apart, his muscles straining as his body was splayed out, stretched wide.
“Yes,” Roman hissed. “I’d like to see Lucian control his Shadows with a shred of the power that I have at my fingertips.”
Riker lost himself to the pain building and growing within his body until he thought his limbs were going to tear themselves apart, that his own body would be turned against him, until, finally, Roman let his hand drop. Riker slumped to the floor, boneless and gasping, racked with agony.
Roman’s feet came into view, his pale leather shoes barely scuffed despite the ash and charcoal surrounding them. “Gather your men,” Roman said. “Soon we will make our attack on the Shadow.” He strode past Riker toward the burned-out doors.
Riker dragged himself to his feet, charcoal and ash smeared all over his pants.
The weak sunlight was pressing in upon him now, making him feel nauseous and woozy. Between that and the ringer that Roman had just put him through, he barely had the strength to drag himself upright and stumble from the warehouse. He almost crashed into the Ravager standing just outside. Riker snarled at him, hoping the Ravager hadn’t seen him writhing in the dirt at Roman’s feet. He glanced over at Roman, standing aloof and uninterested to the side. He hated the way Roman treated him. He knew if the Ravagers caught sight of him bowing and scraping to the creepy fuck, he’d lose all respect, but luckily, the Ravager had no knowing glint in his eye. In fact, he looked afraid of Riker. Good.
“What is it?” Riker snapped,
“It’s, uh. Your woman, you know, that nurse chick. She was here and I know you was looking for her.”
“She was here?” Riker snarled, confused. “The fuck do you mean, she was here?”
“Well, boss”—the vampire took a nervous step back at the force of Riker’s glare—“she was the one that let them in.”
“Let them in?” Riker hissed.
“Yeah, let the Shadows in, I mean. She was with them.”
No. It couldn’t be. There was no way she could have found a way to the Shadows.
“Well then,” Roman said quietly, “it seems you found your leak after all.”
Riker turned to glare at him. “That bitch.” She’d betrayed him. She’d gone and fucking teamed up with his enemies. He’d make her pay.
“It was that tall one was with her,” the gang member said. “That crazy one with the dark eyes and the braid. The one who looks like death himself. He tore through the others when they threatened her like they were nothing.”
“Talon,” Roman said dryly. “The wild card of the Shadows Bloodline. Well”—he turned to Riker with a sharp smirk—“it seems your girlfriend has just found herself an upgrade.”
Riker growled wordlessly. That fucking Shadow would pay for stealing his girl from him. He’d wipe him off the fucking map, and he wouldn’t make the same mistake Kai had made sending him and his men to attack Lucian months ago. Oh no, this time he was going to send enough men that the only thing left of this Talon would be the ash of his body after his heart had been torn from his chest.
Chapter 22
Eden stretched out on her bed, she had passed the day in a light doze, her body still reeling from the bond, pressured by the presence of the sun in the sky. She couldn’t understand how Talon had the energy to go out in the daytime, let alone the mental fortitude to talk to people. She supposed it came with being an ancient vampire, instead of a few months old.
Eden could feel Talon’s presence so much more clearly than before, not just a passing sensation, a moment of uncertainty as to where her emotions had originated from; now she knew exactly what was Talon and what was her. Despite the fact that he was all the way across the city, she could feel his presence as clearly as if he were right there next to her. The stretch of the bond within her felt good, a good kind of ache deep in her bones. It made her feel alive, her heart beating steadily: a slow, heavy beat, different to how she had been when she was a human. For the first time since she was turned, she didn’t hate her vampire nature. She thought she might even be able to embrace it. Without it, she would never have met Talon. She would never have met her soulmate and would never have felt this remarkable unity with another person… even if he didn’t want her quite the way she wanted him. Eden tried to hide that thought away and not let her slight sinking feeling go down to Talon and distract him from his mission.
She had been so lost in pleasurable sensation during the bite, she’d expected… well, she didn’t know what she had expected. She sighed. The bed had been right there, she had hoped Talon would take that step further and move with her onto the bed and let them explore each other’s bodies as they had been exploring the emotional connection between the bond, but she would not mourn the lack of intimacy. Even if the soulmate bond was to be purely platonic, if they were to be friends rather than lovers, she would still take that connection over anything. She would learn to be content with whatever Talon was willing to give her. She wouldn’t push him. She wouldn’t force him to do anything he wasn’t comfortable with. She respected him too much for that.
Eden finally pulled herself from the bed as the sun set and drifted through the Sanctuary, feeling a sense of ownership that was wonderful and comforting as she moved through rooms already becoming familiar. She rested her hand on the curved wooden banister of the grand staircase and looked down at the mosaiced tiles below her. She remembered arriving here, so afraid, so unsure of her place, of Talon, of the Shadows. So much had changed. She smiled softly to herself and took a step. At the same moment, a shock went through the bond and Eden stumbled, almost falling, gripping the banister tightly to stay upright.
She felt an overwhelming rush of pain and shock. Not hers; Talon’s, his emotions stretching through the bond. Her eyes opened wide and her breath caught, a tight band of fear narrowing around her chest. He went out alone, didn’t he? Idiot. He didn’t take any backup. Of course he didn’t. He was so used to running missions alone. He hadn’t thought what it might mean to her if he was hurt. She sped down the stairs, feeling his presence in the bond, desperate to reach him, but she stopped before she reached the door. What on earth could she do on her own? She wasn’t a trained Shadow Warrior, and she wasn’t going to be reckless and fling herself into danger just like Talon. One of them had to keep their head.
“Eden?”
She spun on her heel. Rune had just entered from the far door, the dark shadow, Jacob, a step behind him. “Thank God,” Eden said. “It’s Talon. He’s in trouble.”
Rune strode forward, his expression carved from granite. The sheer strength held within his frame was no threat, but a comfort and Eden realized this was the difference it made being part of the Bloodline. She could feel their presence, similar to the soulmate bond, but calmer, more distant.
“Where is he?” Jacob asked, coming close.
“I don’t know,” she said desperately. “I can feel him.” She pressed her hand to her chest. They both traded a meaningful look and Eden realized she’d just admitted to being Talon’s soulmate, but catching the expression on both their faces, she realized they must have suspected it because it wasn’t surprise but a kind of wary realization that dawned across their faces, and that too was quickly wiped away with identical expressions of resolution.
“Then we will find him,” Rune said, and they swept her to the garage, where they climbed into the same truck Eden had taken to the docks. Eden recognized it because she sat on the medical bag she had left in there when Talon had whirled her away amongst the shadows back to the Sanctuary. Talon’s pain had faded to a murmur. His focus was knife sharp, intent, barely anything leaking down the bond, just the
low, insistent thrum of violence. He was fighting for his life. She gripped the seat beneath her, her muscles locked. They had to get to him in time. They shot out of the garage and onto the road. “Tell us which way to go,” Rune said from the driver’s seat. Eden concentrated, turning her mind inwards.
“That way,” she snapped, pointing, and Rune skidded the car in a tight curve as he took a corner, flooring the accelerator.
“Damn you, Talon, you foolish, reckless man. If you die out there, I’m going to fucking kill you.” Eden wrapped her hands around herself. He had her now. He couldn’t just go out and put himself in danger. She should have stopped him when he said he was going out. She should’ve insisted he take someone with him. But she hadn’t thought. She had been so wrapped up in her own physical sensations she had let herself forget what she was to him. His anchor, and apparently, his common sense.
She kept shouting instructions to Rune, quick-fire, focusing in on the sensation within her, and gradually they tore through the city, getting closer and closer to Talon.
Eden was pulled out of her intense focus on the bond when she recognized a statue in the middle of the square they shot past. She glanced around in surprise. She recognized this area. Somehow Talon had wandered into the neighborhood she had grown up in. She’d played in that square with Hope. Hope. Shit, she had so much to tell her sister. They’d gone too long without talking. She couldn’t believe she had let it go this far. They needed to clear the air. They were family and that was what mattered. She needed to tell Hope the truth about Riker. She’d had enough of lies. She needed to tell Talon the truth as well, the truth about how she felt for him. It didn’t matter if he didn’t return her feelings; he needed to know. Life was too short; there was too much danger to waste a single moment on lies. She had enough of secrets, of scars.
Eden reached through bond toward Talon, gripping tightly. Hold on, she sent wordlessly, hold on, we’re coming.
They rounded the corner and there he was, a crowd of Ravagers clustered around him, at least ten or fifteen of them, and Eden gasped in horror as they piled on him. Talon was just a blurred figure in the center, moving faster than she could track as he stuck out, again and again, trying to hold them off. Rune skidded to a stop, Jacob launching himself out before the truck had even stopped moving, Rune quick behind. Eden clambered out of the truck, gripping the first-aid bag between her hands, wishing she could do something to help.
As she watched, the tide of the fight turned. Rune slammed into the group of vampires like an avalanche, Ravagers going flying under his fists. Jacob was the opposite, sliding into the gaps between them like a knife between the ribs, carving a way through the bodies, blood flying and turning to ash around him. Inch by inch, vampire by vampire, they fought their way to Talon.
Eden couldn’t take her eyes off her soulmate. He was like a black hole in the center, dealing wild, unstoppable death to every vampire that came against him, despite the blood dripping off him, the wounds all over his body, his suit jacket in tatters. Like a storm of rage, the Shadows burned through the attackers until finally none of them were left.
Eden rushed across the road to the three vampires. “Talon.”
He whirled. “Eden? What are you doing here?”
“She is the one that led us to you,” Rune said.
Talon walked quickly to her. “Eden, you shouldn’t have come here. It’s dangerous.” He glanced about.
“Obviously, it’s dangerous,” Eden snapped. “What were you thinking, going out without backup? I thought you had gone on a mission with one of the other Shadows, but you just threw yourself into the fight alone.”
“That’s what I do,” Talon said.
“You have someone else to live for now.” She strode right up to him and poked him on his chest. “Me.”
“Violence is a part of me,” Talon said. “This is what I do. If you can’t accept that—”
Eden shook her head roughly. “Don’t put words in my mouth. Of course I accept that you’re a Shadow warrior, and to pretend otherwise would be idiotic, but there’s a difference between violence and recklessness,” she said intently. “You have your fellow Shadows.” She threw a hand out to indicate Rune and Jacob. “They’re willing to fight with you.”
Talon glanced over at Rune and she could see the hesitance in his eyes. The memory of what he had done in the ballroom flashed past her. She looked at Rune, pleading silently with her gaze, but he didn’t even need to look at her. He took a step toward Talon unflinchingly and gripped Talon’s arm in a warrior’s hold.
“You are my brother,” he said. “No matter what, I will always fight beside you.”
She felt a shudder of relief through the bond and she realized Talon had worried that his previous attack on Rune had destroyed his place in the Shadows forever. Clearly, he’d been mistaken.
“We would all fight beside you,” Jacob said from behind her, his voice slicing through the silence.
Talon glanced at Jacob, then back down at Eden. “Do you get it now?” she asked.
Talon nodded, a wry smile on his lips. “I guess Lucian was right. Turns out there are a few people that might miss me if I’m gone.” He suddenly winced, his hand going to his side.
“Your wounds!” she exclaimed, tugging him over to the truck as she grabbed the antiseptic and began cleaning his wounds.
“You’re pretty good at this,” Talon said after a little while.
“Oh, I’ve been working with Dr. Patil. I was hoping to learn more. That is, if I’m gonna be staying in the Sanctuary? If that’s what you want.” She tied off the last dressing around his wrist securely and looked up at him.
Talon turned his hand in her grip and closed his fingers around her arm. “Of course,” he said intently. “Of course that’s what I want. You’re mine,” he said possessively. “You’re not going anywhere.”
She looked up at him. “That goes both ways,” she said firmly. “If I’m yours, then you’re mine, and there will be no more throwing yourself recklessly into fights, agreed?”
Talon grinned down at her. “Agreed.”
“Good,” she said.
Together, they climbed into the truck, Talon tucking Eden tightly in beside him. She gripped him close, finally able to relax. She couldn’t believe she had everything she ever wanted within her grasp: Family, purpose, a chance to continue her studies and, right next to her, Talon, his presence filling the aching void that had been within her for so long. All that remained now was to tell Hope they were finally safe.
She split from the other vampires in the hall, admonishing Talon to go straight to Dr. Patil and have her check over Eden’s work. Then she went directly to her rooms, a spring in her step. She was glad to see her sister inside and she pulled the door closed behind her. “Hope,” she started happily, then broke off, finally noticing the packed bags lying on the floor, and the coat on Hope’s arm.
Her sister was leaving.
Chapter 23
“You’re leaving,” Eden said, staring at Hope.
Hope straightened up from where she’d been zipping up her bag and faced Eden, her expression firm. “Yes,” she said, “I am. I’m leaving and you should come too.”
“What? No,” Eden said. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m not leaving the Sanctuary. Hope”—she took a step into the room and reached out toward her sister—“I don’t understand—”
“No, you don’t understand,” Hope said, turning away from her. “Of course you would want to stay here with these freaks. Well, I don’t want to,” she said. “I’ve had enough and I’m sick of being here. I want to go home.” She looked up at Eden pleadingly. “I want to see my friends. I want to be where I belong. I don’t understand why you want to stay here. Don’t you see these people aren’t your friends? They’re not—”
“Yes, they are,” Eden said, interrupting her. “They’ve accepted me, embraced me. I’ve found my place here, Hope. I thought… I wanted you to be happy for me.”
“
Happy for you?” Hope said. “What do you mean you found a place here? You already have a place with Riker and the Ravagers—”
“I don’t want to be with them,” Eden snapped. “I don’t want to be part of Bloodline Radiance. I want to be a Shadow. I want to be with Talon,” she said finally, hoping her sister would understand. But Hope’s face was closed and full of confusion.
“Look, I don’t know what crazy ideas you’ve cooked up with Talon, but you have a life, okay? You have a boyfriend, and just because you think it’s okay to cheat—”
“Cheat? I’m not cheating. I’m not with Riker,” she exclaimed. “What I have with Talon is special; it’s…” She searched desperately for a way to describe what she felt for him. “You wouldn’t understand—”
“Oh great, here we go again. I’m just the stupid little kid sister, the human who couldn’t ever—”
“He’s my soulmate,” Eden snapped.
Hope stopped talking, staring at Eden with wide eyes. “He’s your what?” she said.
“My soulmate,” repeated Eden. Hope’s expression of surprise turned to one of skepticism. “Look,” Eden said, “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s true. He’s my soulmate. I feel it, the bond.” She pressed her hand to her chest. “When we’re together, it’s… it’s indescribable.”
Hope’s expression turned into something ugly, something jealous and wanting. “Oh, that’s great,” Hope hissed. “You would find your fucking soulmate just like that. You didn’t even tell me. You never tell me anything, Eden. You never let me in. You’re always trying to protect me, and then trying to block me from having any fun or from finding my own way, and all the while you get Riker to turn you, then you go and dance with Rune, and now you’ve got this Talon as your soulmate. You just take all the attention and there’s nothing left for me.”