“Yes!”
He glanced back at Jordan. “Many hunters would disagree with you, and I’m not the leader my father was.”
“Just because you’re a different leader than he was, it doesn’t mean you’re worse, Nathan. The hunters can’t keep living in the Dark Ages.”
“Maybe not, but if our society completely unravels, then I’m not saving anyone. I’m looking for our long-term survival by aligning with the vampires, but we might not survive the short term, and if it falls apart, then it is my fault.”
“Nathan,” she breathed.
“I won’t let that happen.”
“I know you won’t. Why did you call Kadence?” She’d been so dumbfounded by the move, and his abrupt departure from the truck after the call, that she hadn’t questioned him about it yet.
“Because if I disappear one day, or end up dead with my death blamed on vampires, she and Ronan have to know it might not be that simple. If the hunters turn on me, they’ll also go for Kadence. Some already consider her a traitor. I was born to lead my people, but I will do whatever it takes to protect my sister, and so will Ronan.”
“That he will,” Vicky murmured.
“I’m going to keep you safe too. They have to know a hunter has gone after you. There may be more hunters who know about our relationship, or at least think they do, and they’ll see you as a target. If anything happens to me, Ronan and your family will be aware of the threat and guard you too.”
“I can take care of myself, and you’re in far more danger than I am.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You can’t go back there.”
He strode across the room and rested his hands on her shoulders. “I have no choice. I’ve never had one.”
She resisted telling him there was always a choice, but the words would be futile. “Ronan and Kadence will question our relationship.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Jordan groaned behind him, and Nathan glanced back to see the man stirring in his cell. “Come on, let’s go outside.”
Taking her hand, he felt a small, reassuring squeeze from her fingers as she healed further. He left the lantern hanging from the concrete wall burning and led her upstairs toward the steel door. Once an old root cellar, the prison had been updated to keep its prisoners restrained, but it had no modern amenities.
“What are you going to tell them about Jordan?” she asked.
“Everything, including that he attacked you. I mean to see this alliance work, no matter what it takes, and I will not withhold vital information.”
“Ronan will kill him.”
“No, he won’t.”
“What Jordan did breaks the rules of the alliance.”
“I know, and he will be punished for it, but I will be the one to hand down judgment on him.”
He opened the door at the top of the stairs and held it for her. Outside, the twinkling stars were the only illumination. The crisp breeze cooled her heated cheeks, sore nose, and battered body as she paused to inhale the fresh air. Clasping her elbow, Nathan led her toward the brick house.
“How long before they get here?” she asked.
“I don’t know about Kadence and the others; I’m not sure where Ronan’s mansion is. Asher should be here in an hour or so.”
Vicky glanced toward the closed gate. She stepped closer to Nathan when the wind howled across the clearing, cutting through the coat and sweater she’d stashed at Nathan’s place for her return to her hotel later. Dressing her hadn’t been fun, but she’d insisted Nathan do it before they left his apartment.
Nathan slid his arm around her waist, drawing her closer. “I’m going to keep you safe,” he vowed.
“And who’s going to keep you safe?”
“I will.”
She wanted to believe him, but a shiver of foreboding raced along her spine.
CHAPTER 28
Sitting with his back against the living room wall, Nathan roused from his brief nap when Vicky shifted in his arms and nestled against his chest. Her hair tickled his nose, but he didn’t push it away; he wanted every sensation he could get from her right now. He could have lost her today.
He held her closer as anger and terror battled within him over the realization. As an immortal, purebred vampire, she was more powerful than he was and less vulnerable to death, yet he had to protect her. When she murmured something before settling into sleep again, he nuzzled her silken hair.
From across the way, headlights bounced up and down as they splashed through the kitchen windows. Lifting his head, he watched as the approaching lights stopped. The glow remained focused on the windows as car doors opened.
He tried to extricate himself from Vicky without waking her, but she stirred when he moved. “They’re here,” he said as he kissed the top of her head.
She lifted her hand to cover her yawn.
“Are you healed?” he asked as he rose and clasped her hand.
“Getting there.”
“Good.”
Keeping her hand in his, he strolled over to the door and pulled it open. Before he could step outside, Vicky tugged her hand away from him. She didn’t know what he planned to tell them about her being here, but she’d prefer if they didn’t think he was her mate, and strolling outside holding his hand would give her away. She couldn’t stand it if they pitied her, and she feared they would if they learned about her doomed relationship.
Nathan strode over to where Ronan stood beside one of the SUVs. He’d positioned himself so he was in front of Kadence and had her pinned against the vehicle. Asher stood next to the other SUV, his eyebrows in his hairline as he gawked at the vamps, then Nathan, and back again. Kadence tried to push past Ronan when she spotted Nathan, but the vampire didn’t move.
Nathan had debated telling Asher to bring Logan too, but he didn’t know how Logan would react to seeing Kadence again, and Ronan had warned him to keep Logan away from her. If Logan said or did anything Ronan didn’t approve of, the vampire would kill him without regret.
“What is going on here?” Ronan demanded.
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Asher said.
Nathan turned back to where Vicky remained half hidden in the shadows of the house. Slipping outside, she threw her shoulders back as she sauntered toward them, faking an indifference she didn’t feel.
“Vicky?” Kadence blurted.
“Holy shit,” Asher muttered.
“What is going on here?” Lucien demanded. “And what happened to your face?”
Killean remained blank faced as he leaned against the vehicle while Declan unwrapped a lollipop and slid it into his mouth. Vicky stopped a few feet behind Nathan.
“What happened to you?” Ronan demanded of her.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Did he do that?” Lucien asked and thrust a finger at Nathan.
“Of course not,” Nathan growled.
Lucien’s eyes sharpened on him. “Are you going to tell me you’ve never attacked a vampire before?”
Hostility radiated between them as Nathan stepped closer to Lucien. “I have, and I’ll attack more of them,” he promised.
Lucien’s lips curled into a sneer, and Nathan’s hands fisted at his sides as hostility crackled between them.
“He didn’t do this to me!” Vicky interjected and rushed forward to shove herself between the two of them before they killed each other.
“Don’t!” Nathan snarled. He grabbed Vicky’s arm and pulled her behind him as he repositioned himself between her and Lucien.
A moment of stunned silence descended before Ronan cleared his throat.
“Are you okay?” Ronan asked her.
“Yes,” Vicky replied.
“I think it’s time for an explanation,” he said to Nathan.
“Vicky has been helping me look for Joseph and following a lead she might have,” Nathan stated, his gaze remaining on Lucien.
“What kind of lead?” Ronan asked Vicky.
> “Some vampires I know who reside outside the boundaries of normal society. They’re not a threat to any of us,” she said. “They live a simple life where they prefer to be left alone, and I’d like to respect that.”
“They’re not a threat to humans, hunters, or vampires,” Nathan agreed. “There’s no reason to involve them any farther unless it becomes necessary.”
“And how did you two start working together?” Kadence asked.
Nathan gave her an abridged version of how they started working together. He didn’t go into details about their relationship, but he knew they all read at least partially between the lines.
“I see,” Ronan murmured. “So when your siblings returned home, you saw it as an opportunity to do what they’ve been keeping you from?” he asked Vicky.
“Yes.” She felt no remorse over it.
“You could have been killed.”
“We all could die at any point in time. I don’t regret my choice.”
“And what if you’d been captured, taken to Joseph, and turned into a Savage? You would have put your family at risk.”
Vicky held his gaze, refusing to be cowed by his words. Those things could have happened, but there were many times her family had also put themselves in jeopardy. Sometimes shit happened, and while she hadn’t gotten the satisfaction out of killing Duke she’d hoped for, it was necessary. And no matter what their futures held, she’d never regret her time with Nathan.
“And I could have been born a boy, or I could have gotten hit by a car today, and I might go tomorrow. Could have beens are pointless because they don’t occur,” she replied.
When Ronan’s eyes narrowed at her, she gulped. She didn’t think he’d tear her head off, but he could.
Sometimes, you idiot, just play nice!
Nathan nudged her back with his shoulder as he stepped more protectively in front of her. Vicky didn’t know if he was aware of the gesture, but the others were as all their gazes shot back and forth between them. Kadence rested her hand on Ronan’s arm. He glanced at her before visibly relaxing.
“I will not allow you to put any of us in danger,” Ronan said to Vicky.
“She’s put no one in danger,” Nathan said. “And she has every right to make her own choices.”
“Oh, shit,” Kadence whispered.
Still unused to hearing her swear, Nathan opened his mouth to say something about it before shutting it. He had no say over her anymore.
“Great, everyone is making choices,” Lucien said impatiently. “Why are we here and why does Vicky’s face look like she went five rounds with Tyson?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Asher said.
“It will be easier to explain if I show you. Follow me,” Nathan instructed. Turning, he almost reached for Vicky’s hand, but she’d clasped them behind her back and edged further away from him.
Vicky went to the back of the group as Nathan led the way toward the prison. She ignored Kadence’s repeated curious stares by focusing on the ground. She felt like a lab specimen, cut and pinned open to reveal her insides for inspection.
A piece of candy was suddenly shoved under her nose. “Lollipop?”
Lifting her head, she blinked at Declan. She hadn’t realized he’d fallen back to walk beside her until he spoke. “Oh, ah… no, thank you.”
His silver eyes studied her before he shrugged and slid the candy into his pocket. “They’re not bad, once you get used to them. Humans might be onto something with their candies.”
“I do enjoy cookies,” she admitted. “Chocolate chip is the best.”
“I’ve never had one. Maybe I’ll give it a shot.”
“You should.” The inanity of the conversation wasn’t lost on her, but she sensed he was trying to show her support in some strange way. “What made you first try a lollipop?”
“There was this commercial with some cartoon owl asking how many licks it would take to get to the center of one, but he always bit it first. Then he would say that the world will never know the answer.”
“I remember that,” she said. “And you wanted to know the answer?”
When he tilted his head to smile at her, a strand of his dark auburn hair fell into his right eye. In the dim starlight, that hair appeared black. “Yes.”
“And have you discovered the answer?”
“Not yet. I tend to get sidetracked and either lose count, bite the thing, or grow sick of it and throw it out. I don’t mind the shell, not a fan of the center.”
Vicky couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “You’re a very strange vampire.”
“So I’ve been told.”
Sensing eyes on her, she lifted her head to find Nathan staring at her as he walked. Then, his gaze shifted to Declan. Her breath caught when a wave of fury rippled out from him before he turned away.
“Your arm was wounded too,” Declan stated.
Vicky continued to stare at Nathan’s ramrod-straight back while he stalked forward. “Huh?” she asked, blinking as she turned toward Declan.
“Your arm,” he said and waved at her left hand. “Your fingers are twitching.”
“Oh, ah, yeah.” She hadn’t realized it, but her index and middle fingers were giving the smallest of spasms. “Almost healed now.”
Declan looked from her to Nathan and back again. “He didn’t do this.”
“Of course not!” she blurted far faster and louder than she should have.
Lucien turned toward them and frowned disapprovingly. Declan waved his hand at him. “Just gossiping,” he said dismissively. “Mind your own business.”
“Fuck off,” Lucien replied before turning away from them.
“No, Nathan would never harm you,” Declan said to her. “At least not physically.”
Chills skittered like ghosts in a graveyard across her spine. Her twitching fingers became fascinating to her as she found she couldn’t look at Declan when he continued speaking.
“But then, sometimes, physical hurt can be preferred to the damage others can inflict on our hearts,” Declan continued.
Vicky chanced a glance at him from under her lashes. The understanding in his eyes was almost more than she could stand. He rested his palm on her shoulder and squeezed it before releasing her. It was the smallest of gestures, but she stopped feeling so alone.
Nathan opened the door to the prison and led them down the wooden stairs. He didn’t dare look back at Vicky and Declan together; he might go after the vampire if he did.
He would marry another, and Vicky would move on to other men, maybe one of those men would be Declan. The idea of her with another man pushed him toward a boiling point that would make what Vesuvius did to Pompeii look like a hiccup. He took a deep breath as he tried to control the riot of emotions battering him.
When he stepped off the final stair, he discovered Jordan awake and glaring at him.
“Jordan!” Asher shouted.
Nathan snagged Asher’s arm, holding him back when he lunged toward the cell. “There’s a reason Jordan’s in there,” he said to Asher.
Asher stared at him in confusion, his mouth hanging open before he relaxed in Nathan’s grasp and stepped away from the cell. Nathan waited until everyone was inside before he finished telling them everything.
CHAPTER 29
“What do you plan to do with him?” Ronan asked.
Nathan leaned against the rock wall of the prison and folded his arms over his chest while he stared at Jordan. The hunter remained defiant with his chin lifted. They’d spent the past couple of hours questioning him, but Jordan insisted he’d acted alone. After listening to him, Declan stated he was telling the truth, and Nathan agreed.
“I plan to let him out of there and deal with him,” Nathan replied and smiled at Jordan. “Amongst the hunters, the elders hand down the sentences. I can overturn their choice or pardon someone if I feel they’re wrong, but in all our history, and in all our strongholds, that has never happened.”
“So you plan to
take him back to your stronghold?”
Nathan smiled at the incredulous tone of Ronan’s voice. “No.”
“He attacked a vampire, by our agreement, vampires and hunters are to deal with him.”
“I will deal with him,” Nathan said. “In a one on one battle to the death. It was me he came after when he attacked Vicky, and I’ll be the one to punish him for it.”
“I see,” Ronan murmured.
“He believes I’m a traitor; I believe he’s one. If I take him back to the stronghold, they might put me on trial too if he convinces the hunters that I’m putting my relationship with the vampires above them.”
“And you’ll lose that trial,” Jordan said.
“That is a possibility,” Nathan agreed. “And if I lose, the hunters will pull out of the alliance. If they go back to fighting you, as well as Joseph and the Savages, it's only a matter of time before Joseph destroys them. I won’t let that happen.”
“And if Jordan beats you?” Ronan inquired.
“If that happens, Jordan will be allowed to return to the stronghold and reveal everything he knows. Be prepared for the alliance to break afterward.”
“What if I decide to kill him instead?”
“You won’t. You know this is the right way to handle it.”
“I do,” Ronan reluctantly agreed. “And what about Vicky?”
“He’ll pay for hurting her.”
“I meant what happens to her if you lose this battle?”
“Her family, you, and the others will keep her safe.”
For a second, confusion crossed Ronan’s face, and he looked about to say something more, but instead, he gave a subtle nod. “She’ll be protected. When will this trial by combat occur?”
“When he’s healed,” Nathan said. “Until then, it won’t be fair.”
“I’ll talk to your sister about this. I understand your decision, but she’s not going to be happy with it.”
“It has to be done.” And while Ronan was speaking with Kadence, he would find Vicky.
“It does,” Ronan agreed. “I don’t think he’s getting out of there, but I’ll have a trainee come to stand guard over him so you and Asher can return to your stronghold.”
Bound by Vengeance (The Alliance, Book 2) Page 17
