“Because he has me.”
He opened his mouth to respond before closing it and shaking his head.
“Please be happy for me,” she implored.
“I am happy for you, and if this is what you want, I’ll support it.”
“It is,” she said.
He smiled at her before kissing her cheek. “Is this me giving you away?”
She laughed. “I think so.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
Elyse stirred when she heard the door open and rolled over to watch Saxon enter the room. She dimly recalled him pulling away from her earlier. Kissing her, he told her he was going to feed; she fell asleep again before he left the room. He crept over to the bed and smiled when he discovered her awake. Resting his hand on her cheek, he stroked her skin.
“Everything okay?” she murmured.
“Yes. Nathan and Vicky have a healthy baby boy.”
She smiled as she nestled deeper into the pillows that smelled of him. While he was gone, she’d sprawled across the bed and taken most of his side too. “That’s wonderful; what did they name him?”
“They’re still trying to decide.”
“What day is it?”
“January twenty-third.”
She had no idea if she’d been sleeping for hours or days. “Have you seen my dad?”
“I think he’s still sleeping too.”
“Good.”
She scooted back in the bed and held the blanket up for him. Gripping the bottom of his shirt, he pulled it over his head and tossed it aside before tugging off his jeans and crawling in beside her.
Drawing her into his arms, Saxon held her against him as her hand fell to his chest. He inhaled her cherry scent while he rubbed the smooth flesh of her back. Yesterday, they’d been too exhausted to do anything more than strip and climb into bed, but now he detected the accelerated beat of her heart and sensed her rising excitement as she caressed him.
Her hand slid lower, and Saxon groaned when she gripped his shaft while his hand slipped between her legs. She lifted her mouth to his and kissed him. When he opened his mouth, her tongue teased the tips of his retracted fangs until they extended.
A thrill ran through her as she flattened her palms against his chest and pushed him back. Climbing on top of him, she straddled him as she took him into her. She moaned, and her back arched when he buried himself inside her.
Saxon grasped her hips as she slowly rode him. Lowering herself over him, her breasts pressed against his chest as she whispered in his ear, “Turn me.”
Saxon stiffened beneath her; had he heard her right? When she grasped her hair and pulled it aside to reveal her tempting vein, he realized he had. While gone, he gorged on the bags of blood they kept in a room off the gym in the hopes of finishing his healing process and that she would agree to join him.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“I’m sure,” she whispered. “I love you.”
Clasping the back of her head, he drew her closer. “I love you too.”
When he sank his fangs into her throat, she came with a cry. The force of her orgasm pulled his from him, and he shuddered as she collapsed against him with a contented purr.
Rolling her over, he pinned her to the bed while he continued to feed on her. When he felt her growing weaker and heard the stuttering beat of her heart, he knew it was time to give her his blood. His heart hammered as he retracted his fangs and bit into his wrist. She was supposed to be on the brink of death to complete the transformation, but he hated seeing her so weak, and he despised being the cause of it.
Her eyes were dazed and glassy when he placed his wrist against her mouth, but a small smile curved her lips while she drank from him.
“I love you,” he whispered again as her eyes closed.
When she had enough of his blood, he pulled his wrist away and cradled her as the first spasm racked her body and she whimpered.
* * *
Elyse wasn’t sure how much time passed before she could think about something other than the agony squeezing her muscles and tearing at her organs. When it eased, she felt like she’d been reshaped into an entirely different being. And then she realized she was something else when she heard the distinct thump of Saxon’s heart beating like a drum in the room.
“Your heart… it’s so loud.” It surprised her how hoarse her voice sounded.
“You must feed,” he said as he stroked her back. “It will ease the lingering pain.”
“Why is everything so loud?”
“You’ll get used to it,” he assured her. “It will take some time, but you’ll adapt to your enhanced senses. I’ll help you get through it.”
Or at least he hoped he could help her get through it. He’d never experienced the enhancement of his senses that turned vampires did, but they all managed to survive it, and so would Elyse. He skimmed his knuckles down her cheek as she kept her eyes closed against what little light filtered around the edges of the curtains. He’d hated witnessing her suffering, but she was immortal now. She was stronger, and it would be a lot more difficult for someone to take her from him.
Elyse whimpered when another spasm raced up her spine and shot like fire across all her nerve endings. Saxon shifted his hold until she found her mouth against the pulsing vein in his throat.
At some point during her transition, he’d cut open her cast, and as she moved her arm, she realized it no longer hurt. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, and her new fangs pricked her bottom lip. Her astonishment over having fangs barely pierced through the hunger tying her stomach into knots.
Unable to stop herself, she lunged for his vein and sank her fangs into it. Warm blood rushed into her mouth; she nestled closer to him as it seeped through her system and eased the ache in her brutalized body.
She thrust her hips demandingly against his as the scent of her arousal filled the air. Resting his mouth against her shoulder, he bit into it and rolled her onto her back. She opened her legs and encircled them around his waist as he entered her.
Passion swirled and built between them as they moved together. When the pathway between their minds opened, their thoughts and feelings mingled. Peace and a sense of rightness stole through Saxon as he realized he was finally complete.
Epilogue
Four years later
Elyse sat with Kadence, Vicky, and Simone while they watched Vicky’s son, Wyatt, playing on the swing set in front of the hunter mansion. Across the way, a new group of recruits came into view as they ran laps around the massive compound.
The recruits had arrived last week, and much like the recruits who entered the military, they’d done nothing but run and work since stepping foot on the grounds. They were a small group of only five turned vampires and one purebred, but Saxon said they all showed a lot of promise.
With the arrival of this group, the number of fighters at the compound had swelled to nearly two hundred and fifty; that didn’t include the hunter women, elders, and children who didn’t fight. Not a day went by without the sound of hammers and saws filling the air to erect a new building or home.
Every fighter here was well-trained and lethal, but it was a small army. Some of the other hunter compounds were also working with vampires and building their armies too, but Elyse worried it wouldn’t be enough when the time came to face the demons and Savages again.
And the time would come. They’d had four years of relative tranquility, which meant the demons had been working for four years to rebuild and rethink their strategy. They were still encountering Savages on a fairly regular basis, but Saxon said it was more like the numbers they fought before Joseph started working with a demon to build an army.
During the relative peace, the Alliance had relentlessly worked to prepare for the upcoming battle. Elyse only hoped it would be enough to defeat those assholes when the time came. They hadn’t encountered another demon since the one Saxon, Declan, and Lucien killed. Sometimes she hoped that maybe they were wrong and there was only o
ne demon. Or maybe there were only two of them as the one Killean saw was different, but she wasn’t letting down her guard.
But most of the time, she was aware something bad was out there and it was coming for them; it might be coming for the whole world. Despite the summer sun, Elyse shivered and focused her attention on the recruits as they made their tenth lap around the property.
Making his way from one of the guard shacks to the vampire mansion, Declan stopped to watch the recruits. An almost wistful look crossed his face before he shook his head, scowled, and walked away.
“She’s such an idiot,” Vicky muttered like she had the other nine times the recruits came into view.
Elyse knew the she Vicky meant was the pretty, lithe blonde running with the others. For the first time, a group of recruits included a female—Vicky’s sister, Willow. When Elyse asked Saxon why there weren’t more women recruits, he’d told her they weren’t against women joining the Alliance; they just hadn’t had anyone from the outside do so, until now.
Some of the other hunter women, Simone, Vicky, Kadence, and herself had all trained to fight the Savages. They were all hunting and fighting the killers, but Willow was the first woman who wasn’t a hunter or mate to join the Alliance.
Vicky was not happy her little sister was here; she’d told her to go home where she would be safer, but Willow wasn’t leaving. Besides, Willow probably wanted the same thing for Vicky and her nephew.
A sharp jab in Elyse’s ribs drew her attention to her belly. She rubbed her stomach to get the baby to remove its foot from her ribs. The baby shifted, and she smiled as its foot retreated and a hand pressed briefly against hers.
Upon learning she was pregnant, Elyse stopped going into the field to fight, but she would return to it after her child arrived. She’d much prefer to stay here, safely ensconced with her baby, but she would do everything she could to make the world a safer place for the life within her.
Before she became pregnant, if they managed to take a Savage alive, she would use her ability to track any vampire they’d changed. Sometimes, they would uncover more Savages, but other times they would find a normal vamp trying to live in peace. They’d recruited a few vampires this way, but the vamps usually preferred to be left alone.
She hadn’t used her ability during her pregnancy. She didn’t think it would harm her babe, but she wasn’t willing to take the chance. Her hand pushed more firmly against her belly as love flooded her. They would destroy whatever was out there; she would never let anything hurt her child.
“Elyse?” She lifted her head as a shadow fell over her. She smiled as she gazed at Asher. “Have you seen Saxon?”
“He’s in the gym.”
“Thanks,” Asher said and jogged away.
Saxon hadn’t told her he was in the gym, but she could feel him there. While he was on this property, she could pinpoint his location with ease. When he left the gates, it became tougher, but she could track him better than she’d ever tracked anyone else. His blood inside her, and their bond, increased the strength of her ability when it came to him.
“How is my grandchild doing?” her father asked as he settled beside her.
She grinned at him and ruffled his mostly gray hair. “Kicking up a storm, and your daughter is good too.”
He waved his hand at her before resting it on her belly. “You don’t count anymore.”
“So I’ve realized,” she said with a laugh.
Her child gave her father a good kick, and he chuckled before removing his hand. When he looked at her, she saw the smallest of twinkles in his eyes. It had taken a while, but he’d started to find joy in life again.
He’d put weight on, and the doctor found someone to create prosthetics for both his hands that replaced his missing fingers. He’d adjusted to his missing toes and now walked with only the slightest hitch in his gait. The hunter dentist had replaced all his teeth with implants that looked completely real.
He would never forget his torture and the woman who delivered it to him, but her father was coming back to life. And so was she. She’d regained all the weight she lost during her captivity years before her pregnancy. She still had nightmares about jars full of body parts and Savages coming to take her, but they weren’t as often as they used to be. Her guilt over her role in everything still weighed on her, but it was becoming an easier load to bear.
They still had no idea what had become of her mother. As much as she hated to think about it, Elyse hoped she died in that bunker with the demon. She couldn’t stand the idea of stumbling across her mom as a Savage one day.
She leaned against her father and rested her head on his shoulder as two more kids ran up to the swing set. Wyatt waved when they joined him on the jungle gym, and their excited chatter filled the air.
Closing her eyes, she savored the warmth and joy of the day as the sun beat down on her face. She knew Saxon was on his way to her before he rested his hand on her shoulder. Turning, she smiled when she saw the disarray of his wet hair; he must have taken a shower when he finished his workout. With the sun shining over him and that sexy little smile, he was incredibly handsome. His gaze fell to her belly as she rubbed it again.
“How is Emmitt?” he asked.
“If it’s a boy, it’s not an Emmitt,” she told him, and he grinned.
They only had one more month to go, but neither of them could agree on a name for a boy or a girl. They’d taken to throwing names out there in the hopes one would stick. She was pretty sure they’d vetoed every name there was, but they kept trying.
“I didn’t think it felt like an Emmitt either,” he said as he settled beside her and rested his hand on her belly. “Barbara?”
“No.”
He chuckled as he drew her close and kissed her temple. “Baby no name?”
“I think it’s a possibility.” She winced when she received another kick to her ribs.
Saxon brushed back a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear as she smiled up at him, and his heart swelled with love. Her time in the sun had brought out a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. She’d glowed before she carried his child, but now, she exuded vitality and happiness.
He’d never allowed himself to dream of finding her, but even if he had, those dreams never would have compared to the reality of her. And soon, the child moving beneath his hand would join them. He couldn’t recall ever being so excited about something, and he couldn’t wait to hold his child.
Nestled against Saxon’s side, Elyse sighed as his strength washed over her. It was difficult to imagine anything bad out there when she felt so secure and happy, but it was out there, and it was waiting to make its move. And when it did, they would be ready for it.
Until then, she planned to enjoy her life and all of her blessings. While in that cabin, she’d never expected to live, let alone find a family and such happiness. Now, she had all she’d ever dreamed of and more. Even with the threat of Savages looming over them, she didn’t feel the fear over her future she’d experienced while in captivity. She only felt love.
The End
Look for Bound by Torment, Declan and Willow’s story, to release in 2020!
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Also from the Author
Books written under the pen name
Brenda K. Davies
The Vampire Awakenings Series
Awakened (Book 1)
Destined (Book 2)
Untamed (Book 3)
Enraptured (Book 4)
Undone (Book 5)
Fractured (Book 6)
Ravaged (Book 7)
Consumed (Book 8)
Unforeseen (Book 9)
Forsaken (Book 10)
Coming 2019/2020
The Alliance Series
Eternally Bound (Book 1)
Bound by Vengeance (Book 2)
Bound by Darkness (Book 3)
Bound by Passion (Book 4)
Bound by Torment (Book 5)
Coming 2020
The Road to Hell Series
Good Intentions (Book 1)
Carved (Book 2)
The Road (Book 3)
Into Hell (Book 4)
Hell on Earth Series
Hell on Earth (Book 1)
Into the Abyss (Book 2)
Kiss of Death (Book 3)
Coming Fall 2019
Historical Romance
A Stolen Heart
Books written under the pen name
Erica Stevens
Bound by Passion: The Alliance Series, Book 4 Page 29
