Nathan lifted his head and froze when his eyes met Saxon’s. He did a double take before breaking into a smile and jogging over to him. Saxon pulled himself the rest of the way out and went to rise, but a wave of dizziness assailed him.
He only made it one step before he collapsed on the ground next to the entrance. The coldness of the snow seeped through his jeans as he bent his head. The fingers of his good hand found the back of his skull and the shattered, mushy bone. It was healing, but not fast enough for his liking.
“It’s good to see you.” Nathan knelt beside him and clasped him on the shoulder.
“You also,” Saxon said.
“Declan and Lucien?”
“They’re below.”
“Ronan thinks you’re dead.”
“Ronan’s alive?”
“Yes. Killean had to get some help to dig him out, and he’s pretty pissed, but he’s alive.”
“Thank God,” Saxon breathed.
He hadn’t let himself think too much about the possibility Ronan was dead. He didn’t know what he would have done without his leader and friend. The Alliance would have continued because there was no other choice, but it never would have been the same.
Feeling a little less dizzy, Saxon leaned back over the tunnel entrance and called to the others, “Come on up.”
Lucien stepped into the circle of sunlight, grasped the rungs, and rapidly ascended the ladder.
“What happened to you guys in there?” Nathan asked. “You look like shit.”
“I feel like shit,” Saxon admitted.
When Lucien pulled himself free of the bunker, he revealed Declan only a few feet behind him on the ladder. As soon as the sunlight hit Declan, smoke spiraled from the body draped over his shoulder before flames erupted from the cloak. Declan yelped when the fire brushed against his cheek.
Shrugging the thing off his shoulder, Declan released it, and it hit the ground with a loud thud. Flames burst from its back and shot up the ladder to nip at Declan’s heels as he climbed. Lucien and Saxon each grasped an arm and helped pull him out; he collapsed on the ground next to Saxon.
The fire consuming the creature spread to the other bodies until an inferno raged beneath them. Smoke poured from the exit and coiled into the air as the flames crackled and popped with increasing intensity. Lucien fell back to sprawl across the snow.
Turning away from the bunker, Saxon rubbed at his temples while he tried to process everything he’d seen and experienced since entering the shithole beneath them. He wanted to get as far from these tunnels as he could, but he didn’t have the energy to move.
“What was that?” Nathan asked.
“That,” Declan said, “was our beginning, and it just might be our end.”
Nathan stared at him like he was talking gibberish, but Saxon understood what he meant. He couldn’t help thinking that as unnerving as it was, Declan might be right.
The crunch of footsteps drew Saxon’s attention, and he lifted his head to blink against the light. Black and white spots filled his vision as the healing process in his skull caused something to misfire in his brain. It took a couple of seconds for his sight to readjust, and when it did, he smiled when he spotted Ronan and Killean running toward them.
“What happened?” Ronan demanded as he knelt at Lucien’s side. “Are you okay?”
Seeming to lack the energy to speak, Lucien raised his hand and gave a thumbs-up.
Ronan turned to Saxon next. “Do you want me to fix your shoulder?”
“Yes,” he said.
Saxon braced himself when Ronan grasped his shoulder and arm. When he yanked on it, a sharp crack filled the air as the joint went back into place. The only sound Saxon issued was a loud grunt. When Ronan released him, he gingerly rotated his arm; the bone and cartilage grated against each other, but it would heal soon.
Ronan leaned over to gaze into the hole as smoke continued to pour out and the crackle of the flames died down a little. He sat back and turned to Declan. “What happened?”
“We managed to get into one of the side tunnels before the collapse buried us,” Declan said. “We ran into some trouble while there.”
Declan ran down the details of what happened and the creature they encountered below. While Declan spoke, everyone else gathered around them; they shifted back and forth as their uneasiness grew.
“It was strong, Ronan, damn strong. It took all three of us to kill it,” Declan finished.
“What was it?” one of the hunters asked.
Saxon waited for one of the others to answer, but they didn’t. The silence stretched until he finally broke it. “It was one of the demons that created the hunter and vampire line.”
Now he knew what had been pulling Joseph’s strings and what was strong enough to keep the Savages below in line. He’d like to believe they’d killed the source of their problem, but it wasn’t the same as what Killean described, and the dying scream the thing released told him there were more. It was calling to its brethren as it died, and they would answer the call.
“One thing’s for sure,” Lucien said.
“What’s that?” Killean asked.
“Our ancestors were ugly motherfuckers.”
Saxon had to agree.
“We’ll get our dead out of the first tunnel, and then we’ll take whatever bombs and grenades we have left and blow every exit we’ve discovered,” Ronan said. “If we can’t flush them out, we’ll bury them.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
Elyse flung open the door and raced down the steps when the first vehicle drove past the cabin. Its tires crunched on the dirt as it followed the curve of the lake and parked in front of the building where Declan took Logan. Saber had returned a few hours ago with five women who’d gone inside and come back out less than an hour later. He’d taken the women away and returned an hour ago; he’d stopped to tell them Logan was fine, but they still hadn’t seen him.
Clasping her hands before her, Elyse watched as more vehicles passed and followed the first. She practically bounced on her toes as she surveyed them. Where was Saxon? Where was her dad?
Footsteps thudded across the porch as Simone and Kadence came to stand beside her. They’d told her they’d communicated with Ronan and Killean who were on their way back with Saxon and her dad, but she wouldn’t believe it until she saw them. She yearned to communicate with Saxon too, but she’d made the choice not to complete the bond; she was kicking herself in the ass for it now.
Two vehicles stopped in front of the cabin and turned off. She searched the tinted windows but couldn’t see anything beyond them. When one of the doors opened, she held her breath while she waited to see who would emerge, and then a foot went down, and Saxon’s head appeared over the door.
She ran forward and threw her arms around him. He lifted her off the ground and squeezed her while she clung to him and tried not to cry.
“It’s okay,” he whispered as he held her close and inhaled her sweet scent. “It’s over.”
For now, but he didn’t add those words. She’d learn soon enough they had a whole new enemy to battle. For now, he just craved holding her.
Sensing something off about him, Elyse leaned back to take Saxon in; he was so bruised and filthy she could barely make out his features beneath the layer of grime coating him. He’d been through hell, but his arms were strong around her.
“Are you okay?” she demanded as she clasped his stubble-lined cheek.
“I’m fine.”
He said the words, but she saw the wariness in his eyes. Something had happened out there, and it had rattled him, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.
“My… dad?” Her voice hitched; Kadence and Simone said he was coming back, but how much of him was left?
Saxon set her down and smoothed the hair back from her face. He tried to wipe away the dirt streaking her cheeks from him, but all he did was smear more over her face. “We’ve got him.”
“Is he… is he…?”
“He’ll get through it with you,” he assured her when her words trailed off.
Elyse nodded, but her gaze went to Asher as he opened another door and helped someone from the vehicle. Elyse gripped Saxon’s arm and stepped away from him as a filthy, bone-thin man emerged from the SUV.
The man blinked against the sun before bowing his head so his scraggly, salt and pepper hair fell forward to shield his face. Lifting a hand, he used it to shield him from the sun, but he kept his face turned away.
It was his hand and the missing fingers that made her realize the emaciated man was her father. She released a strangled cry as she tried to assimilate this man with the pudgy one who had twinkling blue eyes the same color as hers. He’d always been clean-shaven, with his hair neatly trimmed and, while his clothes were usually outdated, they were tidy.
She’d known the Savages were brutalizing him, but seeing him like this broke her. Tears streamed down her face as she staggered away from Saxon. Her father’s head turned toward her, but no recognition registered on his face.
Panic filled her at the possibility they may have made him forget her. Or maybe, after all he’d been through, he would prefer to forget her. She hadn’t considered it, mainly because she couldn’t without crying, but what if he hated her for what he endured?
Oh no. Oh no. She placed her hand against her mouth to hold back her sobs as her father continued to stare at her. And then, his eyes cleared, and his jaw went slack before a smile spread across his lips. He’d stared at her for so long because he didn’t recognize her; she also looked a lot different than the last time they saw each other.
“Daddy,” she croaked.
She staggered the last few feet separating them and flung her arms around him. When his bones pressed against her, a torrent of tears poured from her as her heart shattered. Unable to remain upright, they collapsed onto the ground together.
Despite his frail form, he crushed her against him. The stench he emanated only made her cling to him harder.
“It’s okay, Jelly Bean. I’m okay.”
The use of her childhood nickname caused a choked cry to issue from her as she buried her face in his neck.
“Shh now, shh,” he soothed as he ran his hands over her hair.
She didn’t know how long she clung to him while sobbing, but eventually, she got herself together enough to lean back and look at him. Her gaze fell on his missing ear, a present she was sure she would have received if she were still in the cabin. She stroked his cheek as he bowed his head to rest it against her forehead.
“I’m a little uglier, but I’m alive,” he said.
For some reason, that made her cry again. “I did… I did everything they asked. I found everyone they asked me to so they wouldn’t hurt you. I did everything and still… still… they did this!”
“Shh,” he said as he clasped her cheeks. “They were going to hurt me no matter what you did because that is what they enjoy doing. This isn’t your fault; I know you did your best. Are you okay?”
She wiped the tears from her eyes, but new ones spilled free. “Yes. Saxon found me and took me away from them.”
“Is he one of these guys?”
“Yes.” He was so much more to her, but her father would find that out soon enough.
“You’re so thin,” he murmured.
“That’s the pot calling the kettle black.” She tried to sound teasing, but it fell flat. “We should get you inside.”
“Yes,” her father said.
Elyse helped him to his feet, and when she looked around, she realized only Saxon remained with them. He came forward and helped lead her father into the cabin. Her father’s gait was awkward as he walked on the insides of his feet to compensate for his missing toes. She glanced down at his feet and winced when she saw what a mess they were.
“Dad, this is Saxon,” she said to distract herself from the suffering her father had endured.
“You were the first one who came into my room,” her father said.
“Yes,” Saxon replied.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. There’s nothing I won’t do for your daughter.”
Her father gave Elyse a questioning look. She smiled at him as she squeezed what remained of his hand in hers. They had so much to tell each other, but there was plenty of time to catch up now that they were both safe.
“How did you get past those monsters?” her dad asked Saxon.
Elyse gulped as she realized they would have to get this out of the way now. There was no point in dodging the question when she planned to join Saxon soon. “Saxon is a vampire too,” Elyse said.
Saxon heard the accelerated beat of his heart when Raymond’s eyes spun toward him.
“It’s okay,” Elyse rushed to assure him. “He’s not like them. No one here is.”
“No one here….” Her father’s distressed eyes returned to her. “Are they all vampires?”
“Not all of them, but many of them are. I didn’t believe it was possible for any vampire to be decent at first either, but they are good, and they’re going to keep us safe.”
She decided it probably wasn’t the best time to tell him she planned to become a vampire too. Some things could wait until he was more comfortable around Saxon and the others. Saxon opened the door, and they entered the cabin. The others stood near the kitchen; they looked subdued and stopped speaking.
Her father stopped to stare at them before turning to her. “I want to take a shower.”
It looked like they hadn’t allowed him to bathe since the last time she saw him, but she didn’t know if he would be strong enough to stand on his own for one. “Will you need help?”
His face colored. “No. I’ll be fine.”
Elyse started to argue with him but closed her mouth. He’d been through enough without her embarrassing him in front of the others. She led him to the bathroom door and hesitated before reluctantly releasing him. He held onto the doorway as he limped awkwardly forward. He’d never been a big, muscular guy, but he’d always been agile, and now he shuffled like a ninety-year-old man. He was still alive, but the Savages had stolen her father from her.
Her hands fisted as he closed the door. She didn’t care what it took; she would make them pay for this. While in the cabin, she would have given anything never to use her ability again. Now, she planned to hunt as many Savages as she could and use their blood to help her track more.
And she would. No matter how far or fast they ran, she would do everything she could to hunt them like the rabid dogs they were.
She gave in to her tears again when a crash sounded from the bathroom, and her father grunted before cursing. “Dad?” she asked nervously.
“I’m fine!”
More bangs and rattles came from behind the door as he moved around. She reached for the knob before jerking her hand back; it would only embarrass them both if she went in there now.
Saxon draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him as the shower started.
“They… they….” She couldn’t form words for what they’d done to him.
“He’s going to be okay,” Saxon assured her.
The anguish she emanated made him wish he could return to those tunnels and destroy every Savage in them. He’d tear them apart for doing this to her. He still had to tell her about her mother, but now was not the time for that revelation; she would learn soon enough.
Saxon didn’t know if her mother was still alive. They’d managed to slaughter a fair amount of the Savages trying to flee, but he believed there were as many, if not more, hiding in that underground maze. They’d bombed every entrance in the hopes of caging them in, but some of them would claw their way out before they became too starved to do much more than lay there and rot.
They’d decided against leaving men behind to guard the exits. It would be days, if not weeks before the Savages dug their way to the surface, and they didn’t have the manpower and time to devote to a waiting game.
They also couldn’t take the chance more Savages and demons would arrive to dig the others out. If such a thing happened, their men would either be slaughtered or captured and turned.
And they couldn’t stay here much longer; Nathan had a baby on the way, and they needed Ronan at the compound. Even if the two of them left with Kadence and everyone else remained to keep watch, they could be leaving the fifty plus men who survived the fight to their deaths if more Savages and demons arrived.
They’d struck a major blow against the Savages today, learned who their enemy was, and destroyed one of them. They had to be happy with that.
He didn’t believe there was more than one demon in the tunnels they’d left; there had only been one throne on the dais, and he didn’t see those bastards sharing it. He hoped he was wrong, but he suspected each one of these creatures had their own location and Savages to rule until they decided it was time to unleash whatever hell they were planning on earth.
He didn’t see the demons being big on traveling. The whole “bursting into flames when touched by the sun” thing would put a kink in their traveling abilities. He didn’t know how they’d escaped Hell—or wherever it was they were from—and found their way into the tunnels.
Maybe they hadn’t escaped, maybe they’d been living beneath the earth this entire time and biding their time before making a move. They may never know the answer to that, but he had no doubt the demon’s brethren heard its dying cry and would be pissed.
“He needs clothes,” Elyse murmured.
“I’ll get them,” Saxon said.
Elyse didn’t move away from the door when he released her and walked away. A hand fell on her shoulder, and she expected to see Saxon when she looked up; instead, Killean stood beside her.
She braced herself for whatever he was about to say, but she didn’t know if she could take it right now. She wasn’t in the mood for more hatred; she had enough self-loathing to last her a couple of dozen lifetimes.
Bound by Passion: The Alliance Series, Book 4 Page 27
