Kadence closed her eyes and feigned sleep. It was at least an hour before sleep claimed her again; she knew he was still awake when it did.
CHAPTER 13
Ronan woke with the hardest erection he’d ever had. Gritting his teeth, he glanced down at the cause of his raging hard-on. Sometime during the remainder of the day, Kadence had rolled over and draped herself across his chest. Her head was tucked beneath his chin, her hand resting against the side of his cheek.
She’d hooked her leg over his waist so that her thigh rubbed against his cock, and her breasts were pressed to his chest. He realized, not only had she sprawled across him, he’d also draped his arms around her and held her against him. Idiot!
Stifling a groan, he resisted running his hands over her until she woke as desperate for him as he was for her. If he could convince himself she wasn’t an innocent, he would have done just that. But, the hunters kept their women too locked away not to make sure they were virginal when they were ready for breeding.
The seconds of the clock on the wall gave way to minutes before his conscience finally won the war with his dick. Easing his way out from under her, he shifted her over a little to get free. She settled in with a murmur that caused his heart to constrict. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he launched to his feet in his rush to be away from her. She whimpered and curled her hand into the pillow his head had been on.
Stepping back, he ran his hand over his face and winced when he realized his fangs had also extended with their need to be inside her. With wooden movements, he turned and strode into the bathroom. A cold shower, some blood, and he would regain control of himself. Having a woman in his bed again, and the unfinished fight with Joseph, had him on edge.
Turning the shower on, he tugged off his jeans and stepped beneath the icy spray. While Kadence remained here, he had a feeling he and cold showers would be getting to know each other a lot better. Leaning his forearm against the wall, he rested his head on the tile as he grappled to get himself under control.
The more he tried to shut them out, the more images of Kadence moving over his body, kissing him, and sucking him off flooded his mind. The feel of her breasts against him had been burned into his flesh. He found his hand wrapping around his shaft and giving it a long stroke as he recalled the way her breath had warmed his skin.
It had been years since he’d jerked off, centuries maybe, he couldn’t really recall. He still got erections, but he’d felt no compulsion to ease them with a woman or with his own hand. A long time ago, his need for sex had been eclipsed by his never-ending need for death, and he hadn’t missed it.
Until now. With images of Kadence in mind, he found himself becoming more aroused than he’d been in years. His hips thrust as he imagined it was the muscles of her sheathe gripping him. Throwing his head back, the cold water hit him in the face as he found his release.
His muscles quaked, his head tilted back down, and he gazed at his still hard dick in his hand. He’d just come, yet he craved more. He wanted her holding him now, not himself. His mind whispered at him to go to Kadence, to wake her and claim her. She didn’t know what to make of everything, but she wouldn’t turn him away.
Through sheer strength of will, he remained in the shower. After another half-an-hour passed, and he jerked off again, he shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. He still felt as tense as a wild, caged animal as he strode over to pull a towel from the rack and dried himself off, but at least he trusted himself not to crawl back into bed with her and take her.
Stepping before the mirror, he wasn’t at all surprised to find his eyes more red than brown right now. That demon part of him was still close to the surface, and like him, it wanted her. Neither of them could have her though.
She was a hunter, but she’d grown up sheltered from the true brutality of the world her brother lived in. Sheltered from the world he lived in. She deserved better than someone who had killed more vampires and a couple of hunters than he cared to recall. He wasn’t proud of any of the deaths he’d delivered, but he was proud he’d kept many innocents safer throughout his life.
Turning away from the mirror, he ran a hand over the stubble lining his jaw before grabbing his jeans off the floor. He hastily pulled them on and stepped from the room. His heart clenched when he found Kadence still sleeping. What would it be like to find her like this every day for the rest of his life?
Before he could think about the fact that thought had even entered his mind, never mind how much he found himself wanting to know the answer to it, a faint knock sounded on the door. He hurried to open it before it woke Kadence. Declan stood on the other side, looking far more relaxed than Ronan felt right now. Declan’s hair was still damp from a recent shower, one Ronan was certain had been nice and hot.
“What is it?” Ronan demanded as he slipped into the hallway and quietly closed the door behind him.
“Aren’t we testy. Did you not get enough beauty rest?”
“I slept fine. Why are you here?”
Declan flashed a grin as his eyes danced with merriment. Out of everyone, Declan could get away with pushing him the farthest. He’d earned that right after their many centuries together, but he was grating on Ronan’s nerves.
All amusement vanished from Declan’s face as he glanced at the door. “We were curious about what was going to happen with the hunter.”
Ronan ran a hand through his disheveled hair. He’d prefer not to leave her, it might scare her to wake up alone, but he had to deal with this. “I’ll meet you and the others in the dining room after I speak with Marta about Kadence.”
Declan’s eyes took on an odd gleam as he appraised Ronan. “Kadence, is it?”
“It is her name,” Ronan bit out.
“You like this girl.”
“She will be taken care of while here. She’s been through a lot.”
“We’ve been together a long time. I’ve never seen you like this with a woman.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Declan held up his hands and backed away. “My mistake then. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Ronan noted the amusement in Declan’s eyes before he turned and strolled down the hall.
***
Nathan paced the grounds of the stronghold. His tracks taking him from the front gate to Kadence’s window. He scowled at the rose trellis beside her window. Surveillance video revealed nothing of her, but he suspected she’d climbed down it last night. Someone most likely would have at least seen her exit the house otherwise.
Somehow, she’d managed to take one of the cars from the garage, punch in the gate code, and leave the stronghold all before he’d left to go hunting for the night. He only knew that because he recalled the white Ford sedan she’d taken already missing from its space when he left, but he’d assumed one of the other hunting teams had taken it.
They’d located the car near the club and brought it back. He’d still been here when Kadence left the stronghold, and he’d never known it. She must have parked somewhere and waited for them to exit before following them.
Over the years, he’d taken her driving around the stronghold and taught her how to use a vehicle. Those drives had been the only times he’d really seen her laugh or smile as they’d traveled through the hundreds of acres of woods and dirt roads crisscrossing the property.
Most of the women weren’t taught how to drive, there was no real reason for them to be, but when Kadence had asked him to teach her five years ago, he couldn’t resist. There were so many things she was denied; he saw no reason to deny her that too.
Now he was kicking himself in the ass for it. He didn’t think she’d asked him to teach her with escape in mind, but now she was in danger, possibly dead, because of his lessons.
What he didn’t know was how she had discovered what the gate code was and managed to stay off camera? Those were questions only she could answer, but he was curious about them. If Kadence had managed to do it,
then others could get past their defenses too.
No, not true, he realized. No matter what her instructors said about her, Kadence had always been extremely intelligent. She’d always been eager to learn and more inquisitive than most of the more submissive females in the stronghold.
Because of her spirit, he’d believed Logan to be a fine match for her—one he suspected she didn’t want—but she had remained silent about the arrangement. Having grown up together and gone through all their training together, Logan was one of his best friends. Logan would be strong enough to keep her safe. He also cared for her and knew her well enough that Nathan didn’t worry he would want to break her spirit. Kadence had to be married, but he’d be damned if it was to someone who would try to crush her.
But then, after this, he may throw her in a cage himself. If he ever found her!
The idea of her out there, completely unprepared for the world and all its horrors, was a lead weight around his heart. He’d failed to prepare her for what resided beyond their twenty-foot-high walls and sprawling, secluded property, but then he’d never thought she’d be out there alone.
Had she fallen into the hands of the vampires? He couldn’t think of a more horrifying and cruel fate for her. She was willful, but she also had one of the biggest hearts he’d ever encountered. The vampires would abuse her until there was nothing left of the Kadence he knew.
And she was alive. They’d always been close; he’d know if she were gone.
He kicked himself in the ass again for taking off after Joseph like he had and leaving her behind. He’d just been so determined to destroy the monster himself, that it had been his only thought. When he’d recalled that Kadence had unexpectedly arrived in the club, he’d abandoned his pursuit of Joseph and returned to the alley.
By the time he made it back, the humans were swarming all over it and there had been no sign of Kadence in the alley or club. The humans had also already roped off Jayce’s body. It had taken some maneuvering, but they’d been able to steal his body this afternoon. Thankfully, Kadence’s body hadn’t been in the morgue with him.
He spun on his heel and stalked back the other way. No matter how pissed off and concerned he was about her, he had to admit Kadence was resourceful. She was also more determined than he’d realized to see their father’s killer brought down. If she’d been born a man, she would have been a strong asset out in the field.
He glared at the wall as he marched toward it. Why hadn’t he known what she’d been planning? He should have known the show of obedience she’d been giving recently was an act. He should have known she was up to something.
They had shared the same womb, they had spent the early part of their childhood playing together, and they were the closest of friends as well as siblings. Then, he’d turned ten and left his boyhood behind to embrace his hunter training.
Kadence, on the other hand, had resisted her training every step of the way. She’d been a constant thorn in her instructors’ sides. She’d never wanted to accept her lot as a woman within the stronghold. Their father had believed she’d outgrow it; Nathan hadn’t been as convinced, but he’d kept that opinion to himself.
When they were younger, Nathan was amused by her antics of skipping classes, setting her cooking on fire, catching and putting a couple dozen frogs and snakes into the schoolroom, and flat out refusing to do as she was told. He’d believed she wasn’t ready to leave her childhood behind. That amusement faded to sadness as it became increasingly obvious his sister was truly unhappy with her designated future.
Then, their father had been killed. Over the years, Kadence had always known things, so he hadn’t been surprised to find her waiting for him when he returned with their father’s body. Many had tried to keep her from seeing it, but she succeeded in getting past all of them to stand beside their father as he was carried into the mourning chamber.
She hadn’t cried or demanded revenge. She’d simply… retreated was the only way he could think to describe it. Her docility had been out of place. He’d believed it was because of the weight of her grief, but he realized now she’d been plotting.
He should have known better. The loss of their father wouldn’t have broken Kadence’s willful nature. However, he’d been so happy she finally settled into her role, that he hadn’t looked past the façade. And he’d lost her because of it.
Nathan slammed his fist into the brick wall running the entire length of the nearly three square miles that made up the stronghold property in this rural area of Massachusetts. Pain lanced through his hand and up to his elbow, but he barely acknowledged the cracking of one of his knuckles. The broken bone would heal soon enough.
That rapid healing ability, along with many of his other enhanced senses, had been what made him the leader upon his father’s passing. There were other male hunters here with more experience than him, but his bloodline had led from the beginning and would continue to do so while it survived.
The older hunters accepted this, just as they had accepted he would be bringing his own men with him on the hunts. The men who had fought closely with his father continued to hunt, but they were no longer the seconds-in-command to their leader. He still asked them for their guidance and advice, but the new generation was rising, taking over now.
Besides, his father had been over a hundred years old when he’d been killed, as were many of his friends. They all still had many good years in them, but it was time for the older ones to start stepping aside. Sometimes, Nathan took some of the ones in their fifties and sixties with him on hunts, but last night he hadn’t expected to encounter so many vamps, or to have Kadence show up.
He wanted to wring her neck as badly as he wanted to hug her.
“Nathan.”
Nathan turned to find Logan crossing the grounds toward him. “Has anything new been learned?” he demanded.
Logan stopped before him. “No, nothing.”
“She’s not dead.”
Logan nodded, but his eyes were distant. There had been so many vamps in that alley. Yes, they’d chased many of them away, but there had also been those others. He still couldn’t explain them, and he didn’t care to. They were vamps and they would die, especially if they had hurt his sister.
“I would know if she were dead,” he insisted. Where was she though? What had happened to her? If she wasn’t being held by vampires, then why hadn’t she called? Nathan paced faster. “Get everyone together; we’re going out in full force tonight to find her.”
“Nathan—”
“She’s alive!” he snapped.
“I believe you, but I think we should leave extra enforcements here, just in case.”
Nathan closed his eyes; he should have considered that. Kadence would never willingly disclose any information about them, but the strongest man could crack under torture. The gate code had been changed and men stood guard outside, watching for her in case she came back and couldn’t get in. However, even with their numerous security measures, there was still a chance the vamps could get in if Kadence was coerced into disclosing their location.
“Double the guard for tonight and increase the electricity on the wall. Day break tomorrow, we’ll move the women to the mission to be on the safe side.”
“I will have them start preparing for the move,” Logan said.
He wasn’t concerned that Kadence would reveal the location of the mission; she didn’t know where it was. All the history of the hunters was housed within the mission, an underground bunker in the center of the stronghold. There were enough supplies within for the women and children to live there for at least a month, but they would be blindfolded before they were taken to it.
None of their enemies could ever know where the mission was. It had been designed to provide shelter in times of a crises as well as protect the documentation of the hunters’ history. Only four people knew its location, himself and three of the eldest hunter men. All of them would kill themselves before ever revealing where it was.
Nathan resumed pacing as Logan turned back toward the numerous cabins laid out in a circular pattern around the large brick house in the middle. The brick house had been home to his family since they’d owned this property. It had also been the original building here. The cabins were all added over the years.
Over three hundred hunters lived on the grounds. At one time there had been nearly four hundred, but some had left to work with other strongholds or marry women there, and others were killed. They were in a drought of sorts when it came to children with only a handful of them being under ten.
There were fifteen more strongholds such as this throughout the world. Some of them had more hunters, others less. All of them were run by hunters who were nominated by the elders within that stronghold and who his father had agreed to appoint. When the next new leader was required in one of those strongholds, Nathan would have to travel there in order to agree or disagree with the nomination. It was not something he looked forward to, but it was his role now.
He stopped pacing when his gaze fell on the archway the women had recently been decorating for Kadence’s wedding. The white ribbon covering it stood out starkly against the growing dusk.
No one had asked Kadence if this was what she wanted, he realized. But they’d never asked any of the women or men who were paired together when the time came. It was simply accepted that it would happen, as it had always happened over the years.
He spent enough time in the human world to know it was an archaic tradition. He’d never questioned if things should be different though. When a woman was ready to breed, they were to be married off as soon as possible, with the hopes that within the next seventy years, while she was still capable of doing so, she would conceive a child.
Some did not.
Nathan knew the elder men and women of the stronghold would choose a woman for him soon. Mostly, it was elder women who made the choice as few men lived to a hundred, never mind the two hundred that gave one the lauded status of an elder. If there were no acceptable women here, they would choose one from another location, but he suspected his wife would be Kadence’s friend Simone.
Eternally Bound (The Alliance, Book 1) Page 9
