Bound by Danger (The Alliance, Book 6)

by Brenda K. Davies

  “You’re putting yourself in danger when you don’t have to.”

  “I put myself in danger every day; we all do. If I were anyone else, you wouldn’t try to stop this, but because I’m your mate, you’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment. Now, please get out of my way and let me do what has to be done.”

  Declan’s hands fisted, and Lucien heard his teeth grinding together while he remained rigid in front of her. When the demon started laughing again, it took everything Lucien had not to kick its fangs down its throat.

  “It will be okay,” Willow said. “The sword chose to stay with me over this thing. It belongs to me.”

  Though the words were meant to soothe, they didn’t lessen Declan’s rigid stance as he stepped out of her way. He remained staring at the wall while Willow strode toward the demon. When she stopped in front of the creature, Declan finally turned away from the wall to face her.

  Willow and the demon stared at each other for a long moment. Hatred blazed from the creature’s eyes while Willow kept the tip of the sword pointed at the ground. Her head bowed over the blade as she inhaled a deep breath.

  Then she lifted the sword and, with a skilled lunge, plunged it into the demon’s belly. The blow typically wasn’t a mortal one for any vampire, but the sword had changed the rules.

  The demon’s jaw clenched, and white fire burned from its eyes. Red fissures raced out from where the sword’s blade embedded inside it. Those fissures spread across its pale skin and raced up to its throat and face.

  The jewel in the hilt glowed so brightly that Lucien turned his head away from it. He lifted a hand to shield his eyes and blinked against its brilliance while he watched the demon.

  Red and orange flames erupting from its eye sockets replaced the white fire in its eyes. The fire licked toward the demon’s skull before more flames erupted from its mouth. Declan lurched forward and grasped Willow’s arm, but she didn’t step away.

  Its body exploded into ashes that sprayed the room. The fine coating of its remains plastered the walls, and them, like blood spraying from a severed artery.

  Lucien wiped the ashes from his eyes as he spit away the fine bits clinging to his lips. When he cleared his eyes, he discovered his friends were all coated in the gray substance. Their eyes were the only color emanating from them as they blinked away the remains of the demon, and tried to register what happened.

  The squeak of the door sliding open drew his attention to it a second before he spotted Callie and the other mates standing there with their mouths hanging ajar. The glow of the jewel must have drawn them back to the room.

  Still standing in front of the chair, and more coated in remains than the rest of them, Willow clasped the hilt in both hands and lowered the sword tip to rest it against the ground. She wiped ash away from her mouth before speaking.

  “Next time, I’ll know to duck,” she said.

  “Fuck next time,” Declan snarled.

  But they all knew there would be a next time. The sword was far too powerful not to wield it as a weapon against their enemies.

  No one spoke as the demon’s remains floated through the air and settled on the ground.

  CHAPTER 50

  Lucien pulled Callie into his arms and nestled her against his chest. Though she was immortal now, she still seemed so small and fragile to him. The Savages and demons could rip her away from him, and their numbers were growing.

  However, he didn’t want to think about them as he cradled his mate. It had taken him so long to find her, and he’d never believed it would happen to him. He’d considered himself incapable of love since Coralie’s death, but Callie had taught him that he wasn’t.

  He cared for and loved his fellow Defenders. Those emotions had spread to some of the hunters once they forged the Alliance. It was impossible not to care about those he fought beside day in and day out.

  He’d never considered his feelings for them to be ones of love before Callie entered his life, but he saw the truth of it now. For centuries, he’d considered himself dead inside, but if he was as dead as he tried to believe, he would have become a Savage years ago.

  Callie had made him love more than he ever would have believed possible, and every day, his love for her grew.

  No matter what the demons and Savages planned, no matter what the future held for them, he would be eternally grateful he found her.

  Resting her head on his chest, Callie listened to the reassuring thump of Lucien’s heart as she gazed at the horse her dad carved for her sitting on the nightstand. She smiled as a sense of peace settled over her. She’d never dreamed of finding a love like this, but then, she never could have suspected the hidden world existing alongside hers all these many years.

  Now she realized her world was far more complex and layered than she’d ever known. It had been a frightening revelation, but she would never trade her newfound knowledge for the blissful ignorance of her life before she was kidnapped.

  She never could have seen her life going this way, but though the dreams she’d harbored for years were gone, she had many new dreams she looked forward to living out with Lucien at her side. She was terrified of what their future held, but she planned to cherish every second of their time together.

  Soon, he would return to the field, and she would start her more intense training to fight the Savages so she could one day join him. She was not looking forward to fighting and killing, but she was excited to make a difference in this battle, and she was determined to do so.

  “I love you,” Lucien murmured as he ran his fingers up and down her spine.

  Callie shivered in response to his tender touch. “I love you too.”

  And she would spend an eternity loving him and fighting for him. She lifted her face, and their lips met in a tender kiss that soon turned into something more.

  EPILOGUE

  One year later.

  Callie kept her attention on the lamb she was tending. The small animal had gotten entangled in some fencing and required a few stitches to close the gash it received.

  Since first arriving at the compound, she’d set up a small veterinary clinic to nurse the growing number of animals living there. Not only were there dogs, cats, sheep, and chickens, but they’d started bringing in cows and horses to help them with plowing the growing fields the hunters planted for food.

  The stomp of a foot drew her attention to Doc Holliday, or Doc as she called him. Her horse stood outside the fence, nibbling on the lush grass there. Lucien gave him to her on their six-month anniversary.

  The gelding was a beautiful palomino she rode wherever she went in the compound. She couldn’t get enough of the animal who’d become her constant companion, along with her German Shepherd, Ricochet.

  Not only had Lucien made sure she had a place to work with animals, but last month he’d taken her to a music festival in Virginia. He’d looked as happy to be there as a cat dunked in water, but he stayed through both days, and a few times she caught him tapping his foot along to the music. The grouchy look on his face only made her love him more.

  Ricochet sat outside the fence with his ears pricked and his attention riveted on the compound. She’d heard the main gate open seconds ago and detected the crunch of tires as vehicles sped toward the mansion.

  That can’t be good.

  No one sped around here. There were too many children and animals now, but the vehicles were moving far faster than normal. Thankfully, it was night, and no kids roamed the grounds at this hour.

  Uneasiness spread through her as she finished stitching the lamb and handed it over to the young hunter who often helped her tend the animals. Justine embraced the lamb against her chest as shouts filled the air. Callie rose when lights blazed on around the compound.

  An uneasy chill ran down her spine, and her heart hammered. Lucien was safe inside the mansion; they had tonight off from patrolling, but some of the friends she now considered family had gone on patrol tonight.

  Doors opened and clo
sed as hunters emerged from some of the homes. They sprinted across the lawn toward the shouts. Something was really wrong.

  “Justine, get inside,” she said.

  “What about the lamb?”

  “Take it with you. Just get inside and don’t open your door until you know it’s safe to come out.”

  Justine nodded, and keeping the lamb against her chest, she sprinted toward the gate, opened it, and slipped outside. Callie ran to the fence, leapt over it, and landed beside Doc as he lifted his head from the grass.

  She didn’t bother to put his bridle back on as she grasped his mane, pulled herself onto his back, and turned him toward the chaos. When she nudged him in the side, he broke into a trot that progressed into a smooth gallop. The wind whistled past her as they pounded across the land toward the three SUVs in front of the mansion.

  Shouts continued to come from the SUVs as doors slammed. Her growing unease was turning into full-blown panic as she closed in on the vehicles. Things had been bad out there lately as the number of Savages increased. They’d lost too many of their own over the year.

  As she reached the chaos, she slowed Doc and swung herself off his back before he came to a complete stop. She sprinted across the earth and spotted Lucien amongst the group of hunters and vampires gathered around an SUV.

  “What happened?” she demanded as she arrived at Lucien’s side.

  He crushed her against his chest. “We’ve lost another.”

  “Oh no,” she whispered as they removed the body of a hunter from the back of the SUV.

  The young man was so severely beaten she couldn’t make out his features, but the sobs of his mother filled the night. Callie closed her eyes against the woman’s anguish and worked to suppress her tears.

  “This has to stop,” she whispered.

  Lucien’s arms clenched around her. “It will.”

  “I hope Logan and Asher are having better luck than us.”

  “So do I.”

  • • •

  Logan gazed down at the broken and battered body sprawled across the floor of the office. The pool of blood beneath it had already coagulated on the wooden floor. Overturned chairs and tables surrounded the body. Papers spilled from the large, oak desk in the center of the room.

  Alejandro, the leader of the hunter compound, had moved his hunters from Nogales, Mexico, to Arizona a couple of months ago. They moved after three of their hunters failed to return from a mission.

  Concerned the hunters had fallen into the wrong hands, Alejandro moved his compound to a backup location. The move was meant to ensure the safety of its occupants, but it failed to ensure Alejandro’s safety.

  Alejandro had put up a fight against his murderer, but in the end, he lost the battle to his attacker—an attacker who had been one of his followers.

  Logan lifted his gaze to meet Asher’s over the top of the body. Asher was still staring at Alejandro but, sensing Logan’s stare, his head rose and their eyes met. On Asher’s face, Logan saw what he already knew… this was because they were here.

  Alejandro had been on board with all the changes taking place ever since the Alliance formed. He’d helped the Alliance and been a part of it. They’d come here for help and were negotiating with Alejandro to bring more hunters back to their compound. However, not everyone in Alejandro’s compound was eager to be part of the Alliance.

  Some of them wanted out, and others refused to give up any of their numbers. They didn’t want to risk leaving themselves unprotected against the growing Savage threat. However, Logan hadn’t expected them to kill Alejandro over it.

  Whoever did this had chosen to kill him instead of Logan and Asher, but that was because Ronan sent them here. If something happened to them, the killer risked bringing the wrath of the Alliance down on them. They still risked that wrath when they destroyed Alejandro, but not with the same certainty that would have occurred if someone tried to slaughter Asher and Logan.

  However, they’d brought Logan’s wrath down on them. Alejandro, a man he liked and admired, was dead because someone in this compound was a fucking coward.

  He glanced at the hunters gathered within the room. They were all Alejandro’s men. They were the ones the fallen hunter trusted the most. They were also the ones who could get close enough to surprise him with an attack. That surprise had failed as Alejandro fought hard before losing his battle.

  None of these men looked injured, but Alejandro had been dead for hours before his wife found him. Logan could hear the woman sobbing down the hallway as others sought to comfort her. However, she was beyond their comfort. Each of her sobs only enforced Logan’s growing anger.

  These men didn’t look wounded, but enough time had passed that they could have healed. Their clothing could also hide any damage they might have sustained, but if he ordered them to strip, they wouldn’t do it. Instead, it would most likely guarantee their removal from the compound, and then he would never discover Alejandro’s killer.

  However, he was aware he and Asher were most likely standing in the room with a killer—a killer he was determined to find and takedown. And then, he would take as many hunters as he could from here and return home to destroy the growing number of Savages and demons aligning against them.

  When he met Asher’s gaze again, he saw the same steely determination in his eyes that he felt growing inside him. Before they left here, they would find Alejandro’s murderer.

  He just hoped they didn’t get killed in the process.

  A commotion from the end of the hall drew Logan's attention. He stepped back to discover a young woman embracing Alejandro's widow. They spoke for a minute before the woman pulled away and swept down the hall toward them.

  The hunters gathered in the hall didn't try to stop her until she reached the end. Then, Juan held out a hand to stop her. "You don't want to see this, Elena."

  Elena's black eyes shone with determination when she lifted her chin. The sun had turned her long, dark brown hair a lighter shade of chestnut at the ends.

  "I have a right to see my father, Juan."

  "Yes, but—"

  "Get. Out. Of. My. Way," she bit the words out.

  Juan hesitated before releasing her and stepping back. Logan didn't say a word as she entered the room. He'd never met Alejandro's daughter, never even knew she existed, until now.

  The beautiful woman carried herself with an air of dignity and confidence, despite the crestfallen look on her face when she spotted her father's body. She hesitated and gulped before walking over to kneel at his side. Elena brushed aside her dark brown bangs before she tenderly touched her father's cheek.

  "Who did this?" she demanded with a slight quiver in her voice.

  "We don't know," Logan said. "But we will find out."

  She lifted her head, and when her eyes met his, he swore his heart skipped a beat. Despite the horror of this place, he found himself entranced by the beauty of her heart-shaped face and golden skin.

  "You're a vampire," she spat.

  "I am," he confirmed.

  Her upper lip curled into a sneer, and while he found her enchanting, he could clearly see that she despised him. There had been a time when he would have hated himself too, but that was years ago.

  Then, she turned her attention back to her father, and he realized none of that mattered. All that mattered was finding Alejandro's killer and getting the help they needed to destroy the demons before they were all slaughtered.

  THE END

  Look for Logan and Elena’s story, Bound by Deception, coming 2021!

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  Read on for an excerpt from Shadows of Fire

  the first book in the exciting new The Shadow Realms series!

  Shadows of Fire Excerpt

  CHAPTER 1

  Elexiandra tried not to crumple the invitation as she read it, but she felt her blood pressure rising. The neat, embossed gold lettering was far too bright for the words written on the thick parchment.

  She'd bet hundreds of these invites had gone out through the mortal and Shadow Realms, which meant at least a thousand immortals would accept the invitation. She didn't reside in the Shadow Realms, but it seemed —much to her dismay— that King Tove of the dark fae, had decided to include those immortals who lived in the human realm too.

  "What is it, Lexi?" Sahira asked as she appeared at Lexi's side.

  If Lexi showed it to her, Sahira would make her go. Her aunt would prattle on about proper etiquette and how exciting it was for them to get the chance to visit the dark fae realm, the Gloaming. But even if Sahira didn't force her to attend, Lexi had no idea how she could get out of it.

  How did she say no to the king of the dark fae?

  She didn't; that was how. But why did he invite her?

  Sure, her father was a general on the winning side of the war, but he'd perished in that war, and she was a half vamp, half human who had never traveled to a Shadow Realm before. She was a nobody holding an invitation from one of the most powerful immortals in all the realms. And she wanted to throw it away.

  Lifting her head, Lexi pushed back a loose strand of blonde hair as she studied the large manor only fifty feet away from her. At one time, the thirty-room, gray stone building was beautiful and in pristine condition. Then her father entered the war on the side of the, let's make our existence known to the humans faction, and everything changed.