Gritting her teeth, Simone lashed out and plunged the stake into the Savage’s forearm. The vamp hissed, and its fangs snapped at her hand as she twisted the stake until it hit bone. When the vampire ripped its arm away, it took her weapon with it, but released her ankle.
Simone didn’t look back as she clambered forward and threw herself out the broken windshield. She had no idea what she was plunging into, but she refused to give anything else a chance to seize her and use her against Killean.
When feet swung by her head, she ducked back against the vehicle to avoid a kick to the face. She looked up in time to see a Savage crash onto the shredded remains of the driver’s side tire. The Savage looked as if it were snapped in half as its body bowed at a completely unnatural angle.
Killean’s back was to her as he battled the three Savages closing in on him. His shirt hung off his shoulders in tatters and blood streaked his flesh. Her fangs lengthened, and her fingers dug into the dirt road when she spotted that blood. These monsters had hurt him, and if they had their way, they would unleash far worse.
When the SUV shook and rattled behind her, she realized more Savages were running across it toward them.
“Killean!” she screamed. “Behind you!”
He turned as three Savages launched off the vehicle and onto him. He staggered beneath the impact of their bodies and nearly went to his knees.
No! She wouldn’t allow anything to happen to him. Scrambling to her feet, Simone bolted forward as Killean spun to dislodge the Savages clinging to him.
Her fingers snagged the shirt of one of the vamps, and she jerked at it. Material tore beneath her hand, but the shirt collar caught and dug into the Savage’s neck. A head twisted toward her; Simone almost released the vamp when its white-blue eyes clashed with hers.
Another broken hunter.
She didn’t let her brain process who it was as she drew back her arm like Killean taught her and smashed her fist into the vamp’s face. Blood shot out and spilled over them both when she bashed his lips into his fangs.
She was preparing to punch him again when hands grasped her arms. Inhuman sounds issued from her as she struggled against the vampires pulling her backward, but it was like pitting a lamb against a lion.
“No!” she cried when they lifted her and carried her away.
Killean spun when he heard Simone’s cry, but he couldn’t see much through the Savages holding onto him. “Simone!”
A blow against his temple staggered him to the side. His ears rang, and his vision blurred, but he retained his balance until he stumbled into a hole. When his right ankle rolled over, the weight of the Savages made it impossible for him to stay upright.
His knees buckled, and he hit the ground. Excited chatter filled his ears as one of the Savages yanked his wrist behind his back. Killean surged forward to break free of the imprisoning hold, but another Savage thrust their knee into his back and shoved him forward.
His chin smacked off the ground; dirt billowed up to clog his mouth and nose, but through the dust, he saw more feet rushing toward him. Then his gaze fell on Simone as she battled to break free of the Savages restraining her. When she succeeded in tearing one of her arms free, another vamp grasped her hair and yanked her head back; she yelped and kicked at her captors.
The sight of her being mistreated caused his muscles to swell in a way he’d never experienced before as fresh adrenaline flooded his system. His other hand had fallen before him when they pushed him down, and while he watched, a reddish black color crept from his fingertips to his knuckles before spreading out to his hand.
The two colors pulsed and swirled together until he could barely differentiate one from the other. He knew such a thing could happen to a purebred vampire when they were enraged, or their mate was threatened, but he’d never experienced it before. Now, power swelled like a tsunami inside him as the color spread up his arm to his elbow.
Feeling stronger than he ever had, Killean dug his toes into the dirt and lunged forward. The movement threw the four Savages pinning him down off balance. He managed to dislodge one, but the other three cleaved to him. When the fourth fell on the ground before him, Killean seized its throat and tore out its windpipe.
The vamp gurgled and clawed at its bloody throat as power swelled through Killean’s thighs and legs until all his veins and muscles bulged with strength. Killean launched upward and threw back his arms to shake the remaining Savages from him like a dog throwing off water.
Simone’s struggles against her captors ceased when her gaze fell on Killean. Her mouth dropped as she took in the reddish-black color churning throughout his flesh; she’d never seen anything like it before. A streak of red slashed across his left cheek, nose, and slid lower to encompass his chin while black surrounded both sides of it. His scar was a vivid red strip down his face.
The colors filled his neck and arms, and from what she could see of his chest through the remains of his shirt, it was also covered in red and black. The fury emanating from him battered her through their bond while his power vibrated the air around him. The Savages closest to him gawked at him while they scrambled backward.
Simone’s mind spun as she tried to process what she was seeing, but it seemed the Killean she loved so much had been replaced by a demon straight from the deepest bowels of Hell. And given that the hunter and vampire lines originated from demons, maybe Killean was tapping into some more profound and primitive power.
What is he becoming? And how can I ever bring him back from whatever this is? The fact she had no answers to either of those questions terrified her more than Joseph.
When the Savage holding her hair stepped away from Killean, he tugged her head further back and caused her to gasp. In response, Killean released a roar that would have made a T-Rex pee itself and charged at them.
CHAPTER 47
The Savage pulling her hair, and one of the vamps holding her arms, squealed before releasing her and fleeing. But the other one was frozen in place as Killean’s steps vibrated the ground. She didn’t have a chance to blink before the Savage vanished from beside her.
She expected to have her arm jerked or pulled to the side when Killean yanked the Savage away, but all she felt was a breeze when the man left her side. Then she realized she felt the pressure of fingers still gripping her bicep. It took her a few seconds to gather the courage to glance down.
She nearly screeched when she realized Killean had somehow managed to sever the man’s arm at the elbow, yet it still grasped her. The suspended arm flopped against her side. Bile lodged in her throat as she gripped the severed appendage and tossed it aside. Skin crawling, Simone wiped frantically at where the fingers had left bruises on her flesh.
“Easy,” the word came from beside her.
Still feeling slightly hysterical by what she’d seen, Simone pulled back her hand and spun to punch whoever spoke. She stopped herself from launching a fist into Declan’s face. His silvery-gray eyes were filled with concern as he glanced between her and Killean who had already dispatched the armless Savage and was now rending the head from another.
On the other side of the SUV, Saxon and Lucien emerged from the woods to battle the Savages there. The cavalry had arrived, but would they be in time to save Killean, and would they be enough to destroy the Savages who seemed to be multiplying like cockroaches as they glided through the woods?
Simone gulped as her mind spun with the horror unfolding around her. The sounds of fists hitting flesh, the cries of the dying, and the stench of blood permeated the air. Killean left a trail of mutilated and dead bodies behind him as he carved a path through the Savages toward Joseph. She’d never imagined such carnage could exist, and the horrible sounds filling the night would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her life.
The red of Killean’s skin blended with the blood soaking his hair, skin, and clothes. Though Joseph seemed unfazed by Killean’s steady approach toward him, he did watch Killean with the keen interest of Dr. Frankenstein waitin
g to see if his monster would come to life.
A sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. With the power and ruthlessness Killean displayed now, she understood why he intrigued Joseph so much, but Joseph’s interest could only spell horrible things if he got his hands on Killean.
Joseph turned to the Savages closest to him and flicked his hand at Killean. “Suppress him; then bring him and the girl to me. I want them alive.” Raising a hand, he waved it forward until a couple dozen Savages emerged from the woods to gather behind him. “If you can, bring at least one more of Ronan’s men to me alive; the rest are expendable. Go!”
Some of the Savages wavered while the others plunged toward Killean. Joseph stared at the hesitators in a way that made it clear he would kill them if they didn’t move. After they jumped into the fray, Joseph remained on the edge of the woods with his arms folded over his chest. He smirked as he leaned against an oak tree.
Hatred for the sick, twisted freak coiled in her belly. “Coward!” she hissed.
“Yes,” Declan agreed and rested the tips of his fingers on her arm. He quickly moved his hand away when she turned her attention to him. “You have to stay out of this as much as possible. Stay away from the Savages, and most of all, keep away from Joseph.”
She searched the woods behind her but didn’t see any shadows slinking through the trees from Savages who might be creeping closer. It seemed Joseph’s raised hand had drawn all the Savages to him.
Still, she wasn’t about to take any chances, and if Killean needed help, she would give it. “Give me a weapon.”
Declan’s auburn eyebrows drew together over the bridge of his nose. “You have to stay out of this. The more jeopardy you’re in, the more out of control Killean will get. If something happens to you, he’ll completely lose it. With the state he’s in, there might be no stopping him then.”
Simone’s skin prickled against his commanding tone, but though she was better trained at defending herself, she was not prepared for a battle of this magnitude, and she wouldn’t do anything to put Killean in danger.
“I’ll stay out of it,” she said through her teeth, “but I need something to defend myself in case someone comes after me. Killean’s been teaching me to fight, and I will do whatever is necessary to keep us both safe.”
Declan studied her before giving a brisk nod. “Yes, you’ll need a weapon.”
He dipped a hand inside his shirt and pulled a stake free as Saxon let out a muffled shout. She turned as Saxon yanked a stake from his chest. Judging by the blood spreading across his shirt, the stake had been a couple inches off his heart. Saxon spun the stake in his hand before plunging it into the heart of the Savage who’d stabbed him.
“Stay close to us,” Declan said as he shoved the stake into her hand. “We’ll keep them away from you.”
Simone gripped the stake as he ran to help his friends while more Savages spilled from the trees behind Joseph. The Savages were still on the other side of the road, but there was little distance separating her from them as she edged toward Declan and the others. The Defenders were working to hold back the horde of Savages who had split away from Killean to come for her.
Killean was only thirty feet away from her, but it seemed like an infinite distance as she barely recognized him. None of the Savages could stop him as he tore the head from one and the heart from another before using a third as a battering ram against the others. When those Savages fell back, Killean bashed the Savage he held against a tree until nothing remained of its head.
This Killean who appeared to be more monster than the man she loved, should petrify her, but no matter what he became, she would never fear him. However, she was petrified something would happen to him, and she had no idea how to help. If she tried to jump into the fray and was captured, they would have control over him, and if she were killed, he would be lost.
She hated standing here, watching as the Savages surrounded Killean and swarmed toward his friends. From the other side of the SUV, she locked gazes with the reddened eyes of a Savage. Its lips skimmed back to reveal the saliva dripping from its fangs.
Placing its hands on the bottom of the SUV, the Savage vaulted onto it and raced toward her. Simone drew on the training Killean had given her over the past month; he’d drilled it into her head that staying calm while under attack was the most important thing.
The Savage leapt off the SUV with its arms out to grab her. Simone waited until he was almost on top of her before darting out of the way at the last second. She swung her hand down, catching the back of its head with her fist and the stake. The vamp grunted when it crashed face-first onto the ground.
Pride over taking this thing down shot through her; this thing had assumed she was an easy target and been wrong. Before the Savage could rise, she knelt and drove the stake through its back and into its heart. It was the first time she’d ever killed anything, and though she knew it was necessary, she couldn’t stop a twinge of regret. She would have to get used to the feeling though if she were going to help Killean and the Alliance stop the flood of evil Joseph was trying to unleash on the world.
And she would help them end this.
She forgot her guilt when leaves rustled behind her. Pulling the stake free, she spun to take on her next adversary.
Instead, Nathan emerged from of the trees. His white-blue eyes clashed with hers before traveling to the Savage at her feet.
“Are you okay?” Nathan asked her as Kadence and Ronan stepped out of the woods to stand beside him.
Relief filled Simone when she spotted more vampires and hunters slipping through the trees to stand behind Nathan and Ronan. Now things would be more even. “Yes,” Simone said.
Ronan’s gaze raked over the battle before he focused on Kadence. “You and Simone are to stay close to me, but out of this as much as possible,” Ronan said before turning to the others. “Kill them all,” he commanded.
The vampires and hunters were silent as they glided from the trees to hunt with ruthless intent. Some of the Savages, unprepared for their arrival, were taken down before they realized the Alliance had arrived. When the other Savages became aware they were being hunted, they rushed forward with little regard for their lives.
Ronan sprinted forward to take down one of the six Savages surrounding Declan and the others. Blood poured from a gash on Declan’s cheek, and a vivid smear of it stained Saxon’s shirt. Lucien’s shirt was gone, and blood spilled from the three large cuts marring his chest.
Simone ran beside Kadence as they followed Ronan while Nathan broke off to work with Asher and Logan. The three of them started cutting through the horde of monsters protecting Joseph and trying to take down Killean.
Killean’s pulse thundered in his ears as he narrowed in on Joseph who continued to wear that hideous smirk. Kill. Destroy. Murder. Feels soooo good. Kill. Kill. Kill.
The words became an endless litany in his mind as the aroma of blood clogged his nostrils and his body became coated with the sticky substance. The cries of the dying were sweet music he relished.
However, no matter how much death he delivered, he craved more, and he especially wanted the end of one.
His gaze remained locked on Joseph as he homed in on him. He would tear Joseph’s heart out and bathe in his blood by the time this was over.
Despite the murderous intent taking him over, Killean kept his senses attuned to Simone as he hacked through his enemies. Through their bond, he monitored her distress and uncertainty while knowing her exact location. He’d almost given up his pursuit of Joseph when the Savage went after her, but she’d taken the creature down before he could divert from his course.
Killean grasped the throat of the next Savage who lunged at him while another jumped onto his back. Before Killean could react, the one on his back sank its fangs into his throat.
Pain burst through his body, but instead of immobilizing him, he channeled the agony into his body and turned it into something he could thrive on as his skin deepened in
hue. An almost brutal glee descended over Killean as he enclosed his arm around the Savage’s head.
When Killean squeezed it like a nut in a nutcracker, the Savage’s skull gave way with a crunch of bone before he ripped the creature over his shoulder and threw him on the ground. The vamp barely had time to recover before Killean seized its shoulders, lifted him, and sank his fangs into the Savage’s throat.
The vamp’s fingers tore at Killean’s face before it stilled in his grasp. Keeping the vamp’s back against his chest, Killean fed on it as he used the Savage’s body to batter back the others. When the last of the vamp’s life flooded his veins, Killean threw aside the Savage and ran at Joseph.
Joseph’s eyes went beyond him, and for the first time, Killean saw uneasiness on his face as his smirk vanished. Killean didn’t have to look to know the sun had reached the horizon, he’d become acutely attuned to it since its rays became lethal to him. Killean was almost to Joseph when the bastard turned and glided into the trees.
“No,” Killean snarled as he poured on the speed.
CHAPTER 48
Killean barreled through the remaining Savages in his way and was almost on top of Joseph when Nathan burst out of the woods to the left of him. Killean spotted Ronan charging at them from the right with Kadence and Simone running behind him.
From somewhere within his coat, Joseph produced a crossbow and fired it at Nathan when the hunter was only three feet away from him.
“Nathan!” Kadence screamed when the bolt pierced through her brother’s chest, lifted him off his feet, and knocked him on his ass. She broke away from Simone to rush to her brother.
Killean spotted more Savages gliding through the trees and closing in on Ronan. “Ronan, behind you!” he shouted.
Ronan turned as two of the creatures launched at him. Simone skidded to a halt to avoid running into Ronan when the weight of the Savages knocked him to the ground. Ronan gripped the shoulder of one and threw it away as he rolled to pin the other beneath him. Killean was closing in on Joseph and about to jump on his back when another Savage loomed up behind Simone.
Bound by Darkness (The Alliance, Book 3) Page 29