“Good.” Vicky spotted Abby and Brian when they stepped outside. “There’s Abby. I’ll see you later.”
Before Nathan could stop her, she hurried away to join the couple. Nathan clamped his teeth together as he resisted going after her. Ronan’s gaze followed her before he focused on Nathan again. Nathan braced himself for Ronan to say something about her.
“Are you sure this is the way you want to handle Jordan?” Ronan inquired instead of broaching the subject of Vicky.
“Yes,” Nathan replied. They’d discussed this last night, but Nathan’s plans had changed slightly since then. “Our old way of life is done. They either accept that or they choose a new leader. I need to speak to you about something else.”
• • •
“Are you okay?” Abby anxiously asked.
“I’m fine,” Vicky said.
She resolved not to look back at Nathan, but her gaze was unwillingly pulled to him as he spoke with Ronan. Ronan nodded and strode away, Nathan hesitated, but when Vicky returned her attention to Abby, from the corner of her eye, she saw him walk away.
A knife seemed to slice through her heart, but she forced a smile. “Is there an indoor pool here?” she inquired as she looped her arm through Abby’s. “Or maybe we can lay outside and work on our tans or something.”
“Vicky,” Abby said sadly. “Talk to me.”
“I am talking to you about the things I want to talk to you about, okay?”
“Okay,” Abby whispered.
“The pool is empty, but you can always return to Ronan’s and use the pool there,” Brian suggested.
Leave here? Panic constricted Vicky’s chest. Yes, you idiot, leave here, leave Nathan, get some distance between you.
“Or my hotel,” she replied. “There’s a spa.”
“You’re better somewhere secure until whatever this is with the hunters settles down,” Brian said. “I’m still needed to guard here, but I can have someone take you back to Ronan’s.”
“No, we’ll wait for you,” Vicky said before Abby could reply. Distance from Nathan wouldn’t be bad, but she’d seen the flustered look that crossed Abby’s face before she hid it. Truce or not, Abby didn’t want to leave her mate with a bunch of hunters, and Vicky didn’t blame her.
They entered the hotel and strode across the main lobby. Sheets, coated with dust, covered the furniture and main desk. “Where are we going?” Vicky asked.
“Kadence and Declan are in the sunroom,” Abby replied.
“Where are Lucien and Killean?” In the mood she was in, Vicky didn’t want to run into either of them.
“They’re around here somewhere,” Brian replied.
“Scaring the hunters?” Vicky quipped though she felt anything but amused right now.
Last night had been the best night of her life, but there were no promises between her and Nathan, and she didn’t expect any. Still, she wished she could have held onto him for one more day or fallen into a contented sleep in his arms one more time.
The increasing pressure for her to make him immortal and seal their bond was already building within her like two tectonic plates pressing against each other. She’d known last night would escalate it, but she despised this horrible, clawing sensation growing in her chest. It would be her new normal, except it would only get worse.
“Probably,” Abby said.
They entered a glass-encased room at the far end of the hotel. Vicky imagined breakfast was once served here so the guests could eat while watching the flow of the sun-kissed ocean beyond the windows.
Kadence and Declan stood outside the room, staring at something Vicky couldn’t see from here. Crossing the room with Abby and Brian, she opened the glass door and stepped outside to join Kadence and Declan. The salty scent of the sea filled her nostrils as she listened to the waves lapping against the shore. The receding tide had left seaweed and a treasure trove of seashells behind.
The hunters were gathered on the beach, a large fire burning in the center of the circle they’d created. Last night’s storm had washed the air clean, leaving the day warm and the sky a pristine blue. On a perfect spring day like this, the fire seemed an odd choice, but then, Vicky didn’t understand the ways of the hunters.
When the hunters all joined hands, she realized Asher and Logan stood outside the circle with their arms over their chests.
“What are they doing?” Abby inquired.
“We’ve always celebrated Mayday,” Kadence replied, yet she appeared as perplexed as Asher and Logan looked pissed off.
“I didn’t even realize it was May first,” Vicky muttered. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost complete track of the days.
“Yeah.” Kadence’s lips pursed when pink and blue ribbons were brought forth.
Asher and Logan started shaking their heads as they spoke with each other. Asher said something to one of the hunters in the circle, but Vicky was too far away to hear him. The other hunter glanced at him and stepped away from the fire, as a couple of young women strolled into the center of the circle.
“Shit,” Kadence muttered.
Asher and Logan moved forward. Their voices grew loud enough for Vicky to pick out some of the words, but not enough to understand what was happening. Kadence turned toward her, opened her mouth to speak, and then gawked at her.
Vicky lifted her chin when she realized what happened; Kadence had been too absorbed in whatever was going on to notice Nathan’s scent all over Vicky or the fact she was wearing his clothes, until now.
Kadence’s gaze flashed to her neck, but Nathan’s shirt covered most of what remained of his fading bite. Still, Vicky hadn’t been able to completely cover the bite he’d most recently given her. A look of sorrow flashed through Kadence’s eyes before she glanced back at the beach.
“Is Nathan with Ronan?” she asked Vicky.
“Yes,” Vicky said.
“I have to speak with him.” Kadence rested her hand briefly on Vicky’s arm before rushing from the room with Declan trailing behind her.
Vicky exchanged a confused look with Abby before turning back to the beach and the rising voices there. She watched as one twenty-something man stepped forward. Some of the older hunters used the pink and blue ribbons to bind his hand and arm to a young woman.
Vicky’s heart sank when she realized the hunters had turned this Mayday into more than a celebration of spring.
Three more women remained standing there waiting for their prospective grooms. One of the older women turned to speak with Asher and Logan, gesturing them forward. Two women for them, one for Nathan. She nearly choked on the lump clogging her throat.
• • •
Nathan strode through the halls with Ronan toward the sunroom. Vicky’s scent drew him onward at a faster rate. So focused on getting to her, Nathan nearly collided with Kadence and Declan when he turned a corner.
His sister took a step back, her eyes instantly going to his neck. His shirt hid Vicky’s bites on him, but he suspected that’s what she searched for.
“You know it will destroy Vicky if you don’t complete the bond,” Kadence said, her face set in disapproval. “Many of the hunters, and the elders, won’t approve of you becoming a vampire, but she’ll die otherwise, and I’m not exaggerating that. If she’s fed from you, and from what I can tell, you from her, you’ve… you’ve doomed her. What were you thinking?”
Ronan stepped closer to her while Declan faded back to examine the hallway.
“This isn’t something I’m willing to discuss with you,” Nathan said.
Kadence blocked his path when he went to step around her. “It’s not my business, but I like Vicky, and I love you. If you allowed this to happen, then that means something in you is also reacting to her. I can’t see you allowing a vampire to feed on you otherwise. Over time, not completing the bond will destroy you too. Maybe not as fast as her, but it will eat you alive. We have demon DNA too, and this is one of the traits we share with vampires.”
“I
know that, Kadence.” He’d known it the second Vicky’s blood hit his tongue and infused him with not only a wave of power but also the knowledge there would never be another woman who could complete him the way she did. “I know what she means to me and what I am to her. I can’t walk away from everything else though, especially not now. You didn’t have much freedom in the stronghold, but in many ways, you’ve always had more freedom than me.”
When tears shimmered in Kadence’s eyes, Ronan rested his hand on her shoulder and drew her closer. Declan leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his chest as he studied Nathan.
“I will work through this,” Nathan said. “It will take time, but I will figure it out, and I will do that with Vicky. Things have drastically changed for the hunters. We can only move forward in a completely different direction. Ronan and I have discussed some things that I plan to put before the hunters today.”
Kadence’s jaw dropped. “You intend to stay with Vicky?”
“If she’ll have me, and if she can wait. I know it’s not usually a long transformation for a human to become a vampire, but yours was longer than normal. With everything going on, I can’t leave the hunters without a leader for any length of time,” Nathan replied. “Not until things have calmed somewhat.”
“I never thought you’d consider becoming a vampire.”
“Neither did I, but I won’t lose her, and I will not condemn her to death.”
“Then you should probably stop the elders.”
Nathan’s jaw clenched. “Stop them from what?”
“They’ve combined the Mayday celebration with the engagement ceremony.”
“I told them there would be no engagement ceremony today,” he snarled.
Before she could reply, he turned away and stormed down the hall.
CHAPTER 43
Nathan stalked across the beach and toward the fire, every inch of him exuding wrath. Lured forward by his presence, Vicky crept passed the outdoor pool and the shuttered bar area. Sand shifted beneath her feet when she stopped on top of a dune to listen.
Abby and Brian flanked her sides as Kadence, Ronan, and Declan emerged from the hotel behind Nathan. Asher and Logan stopped scowling when they saw Nathan and moved closer to the circle. Nathan pushed through the outer edge of the crowd and approached the woman standing near the fire.
“You’re just in time, Nathan,” Ida greeted and grabbed Simone’s arm before he could reply.
Ida’s grin faltered, and her eyes widened at him when Nathan stopped before her. Then, she smiled again, lifted a pink and blue ribbon, and drew Simone forward. For so long, many assumed he and Simone would be chosen for each other, but he’d hoped to stop this before it could be confirmed.
Simone bowed her head and color crept into her cheeks. The fact she would be upset or embarrassed by this only infuriated him more.
Vicky tried to get her feet to turn away, but they remained planted in the sand as the elder brought forward a beautiful woman to stand before Nathan. Tears burned Vicky’s eyes; her heart lumbered in her chest as she struggled to breathe.
She couldn’t deny they made a striking couple or that this woman was the ideal candidate for his wife; she doubted the elders would choose anyone less than the best for their leader.
Abby rested her hand on Vicky’s arm as she spoke. “We should go.”
“No,” Vicky said.
“Vicky—”
“I have to see this.”
Abby’s hand tightened on her arm, but she didn’t argue with her.
“I told you yesterday this would not happen today,” Nathan grated through his teeth.
Ida’s smile didn’t falter as she brought Simone’s hand toward him. “Mayday and engagement ceremonies are always such a day of celebration,” she replied in a singsong voice. “Now, join hands.”
Nathan glanced at Simone as she smiled shyly and lifted her hand toward him. He hated himself and Ida for this.
Running a hand through his hair, he glanced at the dunes. Vicky stood there, gazing down at him. Her golden skin gleamed in the sun, and her emerald eyes glistened with what he suspected were tears. Brian and Abby flanked her sides, and if looks could kill, Abby would have dropped him a thousand times over.
He didn’t want to offend Simone, but he would not hurt Vicky.
“No,” he said to Ida. “I’m sorry, Simone, I am. This ceremony was never supposed to happen.” He shot Ida a furious look. “The engagement ceremony will not be taking place today or any day in the future. From now on, engagements will happen when both people agree to the arrangement.”
An astonished murmur raced through the crowd, Ida paled, and Simone’s face resembled a tomato. Nathan looked at Vicky again. The hope in her eyes made this whole horrible situation a little easier.
“A lot of our ways have already changed, and many more will change over the coming days and weeks,” he continued as he focused his attention on the gathered hunters. “The engagement ceremony is one of those things.”
“You… you can’t do that!” Ida sputtered.
“I just did,” Nathan said to her. “This conversation and ceremony are over. There are far more important things to deal with today.”
Turning, he waved at Ronan, who gestured to someone else. A minute later, Saxon and Lucien appeared at the top of a dune with Jordan held between them.
“Jordan!” someone gasped.
“What is going on?” Ida demanded.
Nathan ignored her as he waved for Vicky to join him. She hesitated, but when Abby released her arm, Vicky climbed down the dune and strode across the beach with her sister and Brian. Vicky glanced warily at the hunters who parted to let her pass while Ronan and the other vampires joined them.
Vicky glared at Jordan when she stopped a few feet away from Nathan. The hunters whispered amongst each other and shifted as they looked from Nathan to the vamps and Jordan, then back again.
“Two days ago, Jordan attacked a vampire. Not one of Ronan’s men, not a Savage, but a woman who's been helping me hunt for Joseph.” Nathan told them about what he’d been doing with Vicky, not all the details, but enough that the hunters eyed the two of them suspiciously while he spoke. “As you know, Jordan violated the rules binding the alliance between vampires and hunters, but he did more than that.”
Unaware of what Nathan planned, Vicky almost jerked her hand away when he seized it. Holding it firmly, he drew her closer as an explosion of livid chatter burst through the gathered hunters.
Vicky threw her shoulders back and lifted her chin as she gazed at the crowd. If they had pitchforks and torches, they would have fit every angry mob she’d seen storming the castle in old Frankenstein movies.
“What are you doing?” she hissed to Nathan as the hunters yelled at him and argued with each other.
“Immersing them gradually hasn’t worked. It’s time to throw them into the deep end. Those who can swim will survive; the others will sink,” he replied.
She glanced nervously at the crowd, but they were too busy shouting at each other to band together enough to lynch the vampires, so far. “You’re risking everything.”
He grasped her chin and turned her head toward him. “No, I’m not. They will accept this, or they will go.”
“But, these are your people and your family has ruled them for thousands of years.”
“My family never had to contend with the shit I have. I’ll always question if I’m the leader my father was, but I’ll never question choosing you. The only way to save the hunters is to make them change. I’ve discussed this with Ronan.”
It took a second for his words to sink in. He’s choosing me! That hope she’d denied herself burst over her. Then, she glanced at the crowd, and some of it dwindled.
“Were you going to discuss this with me?” she asked.
“I planned to, but the engagement ceremony forced me into action before I could. I can tell them I’ve changed my mind if you’d like.”
“No!” she blurt
ed, and he smiled as he drew her closer.
He surveyed the crowd, waiting for them to absorb his revelation, before speaking again. “I will not tolerate an attack on her,” he shouted to be heard over the voices. “I will not tolerate any attack against a vampire that isn’t warranted, just as I won’t tolerate any vampire in the alliance attacking a hunter.”
“Liar!” someone yelled from the back of the crowd.
“Think what you will,” Nathan replied, remaining unruffled by the discord he’d sown with his revelation. This complete fracturing of the hunters was necessary so that they could rebuild better and stronger than before, and with Vicky at his side, he could get through anything.
“Jordan would normally be tried as a traitor for his actions. However, there will be no trial as some of you here see me as a traitor, and I broke the rules by keeping Jordan imprisoned without alerting the elders.”
“That’s because you are a traitor!” someone shouted.
“Jordan and I will try each other, in one-on-one combat,” Nathan said, refusing to rise to the anger and accusations. Clear head, clear mind. “One of us will pay for our crimes.”
“Wait!” Elfry cried as she pushed her way through the crowd to stand at the front. “We cannot risk the life of our leader!”
“I second that!” Roland agreed as he stepped forward.
Asher and Logan slid through the crowd to flank Nathan and Vicky. Some hunters moved to stand with them, but half still looked uncertain, and the other half looked prepared to murder.
“He’s not our leader. He’s a filthy, vampire fucker like his sister!” someone else shouted.
“I will not tolerate that!” Ronan bellowed, and the hunters closest to him staggered away as red fire burned from his eyes.
“Hang Nathan; save Jordan!” Ida cried and then cringed away from the look Vicky gave her.
“No! Everyone is too emotional right now!” Elfry shouted. “We must discuss this rationally!”
Vicky kept waiting for the pitchforks to break out as the crowd increasingly yelled over one another.
Bound by Vengeance (The Alliance, Book 2) Page 26
