Bound by Vengeance
By
Brenda K. Davies
Copyright © 2017 Brenda K. Davies
All rights reserved.
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Books By The Author
Books written under the penname Brenda K. Davies
The Alliance Series
Eternally Bound (Book 1)
Bound by Vengeance (Book 2)
Bound by Darkness (Book 3) Coming 2018
Hell on Earth Series
Hell on Earth (Book 1)
Into the Abyss (Book 2)
The Road to Hell Series
Good Intentions (Book 1)
Carved (Book 2)
The Road (Book 3)
Into Hell (Book 4)
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) Coming 2018
Historical Romance
A Stolen Heart
Books written under the penname Erica Stevens
The Captive Series
Captured (Book 1)
Renegade (Book 2)
Refugee (Book 3)
Salvation (Book 4)
Redemption (Book 5)
Broken (The Captive Series Prequel)
Vengeance (Book 6)
Unbound (Book 7)
The Fire & Ice Series
Frost Burn (Book 1)
Arctic Fire (Book 2)
Scorched Ice (Book 3)
The Kindred Series
Kindred (Book 1)
Ashes (Book 2)
Kindled (Book 3)
Inferno (Book 4)
Phoenix Rising (Book 5)
The Ravening Series
Ravenous (Book 1)
Taken Over (Book 2)
Reclamation (Book 3)
The Survivor Chronicles
The Upheaval (Book 1)
The Divide (Book 2)
The Forsaken (Book 3)
The Risen (Book 4)
Table of Contents
Other books by the Author
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Epilogue
Where to Find the Author
About the Author
CHAPTER 1
Vicky made her way unerringly through the crowd filling the Boston Garden. The rank scent of stale beer and the sweeter aromas of whiskey and rum caused her nose to wrinkle as they mingled with human sweat and cologne. Being around so many people usually never bothered her, she’d always enjoyed the company of humans, but not tonight.
Tonight, she wanted them to get out of her way as she had one thing on her mind: murder.
The thumping music of the ongoing concert vibrated the floor as she passed the drink stands to one of the stairwells leading into the arena. Walking through the tunnel, she emerged at the top of a set of stairs dividing two sections of the massive crowd. The arena lights were off, but flashing strobes and the glow of cell phones lit the dark as the concertgoers sang along with the band.
The fast pace of the rock music hummed through Vicky’s veins, and for a minute she longed for the time when she was one of the revelers chugging drinks, singing at the top of her lungs, and texting her sister, Abby, to let her know she was missing one hell of a show.
Then, the minute passed, and she was left with the reality of her life. The fun went out of it the second she’d been taken and imprisoned by other vampires. Absently, she rubbed the scar on her inner right wrist as she surveyed the crowd for the man she hunted.
Her life had a single mission now: learn how to fight well enough and remain stable enough to hunt and kill her ex-boyfriend, Duke.
Her fangs tingled as waves of anticipation pulsed through her. She’d smelled Duke; she was so close to him.
It had been months since she’d been chained like an animal in a warehouse and fed on by vampires who were willing to pay to feast on a purebred. Months since she’d been abused, cold, battered, and certain she would die.
A chill racked her as she recalled the coldness of the warehouse floor seeping into her bones and the weight of the chains keeping her hostage. The whimpers and sobs of the other purebreds imprisoned with her echoed in her mind. She could easily recall the scents of sex, drugs, blood, and rot tickling her nostrils.
The aroma of decay had come from the Savage vampires imprisoning her, and there were times when she believed the scent of that place had permeated her skin and become a part of her being.
No matter how much time passed, she recalled the agony of having her blood drained from her against her will by those vampires.
The elapsing months of her freedom hadn’t eased her rage at Duke, the man who sold her into captivity; it had honed it. She’d been sure she would die in that warehouse before being tossed aside with the respect given a rat. But she’d survived; Duke would not.
The banners hanging from the rafters of the arena drew her attention. She frowned as she studied them before realizing they were for the Celtics and Bruins, two sports teams she knew little about. Among the catwalks running through the beams, people operated the cameras and lights.
A loud cheer erupted from the crowd when the music ended. Then, the band said thank you and left the stage. The concertgoers all began stomping their feet and shaking the floor as they shouted for an encore.
Sniffing the air, Vicky realized the scent that drew her here was fading. She’d caught the faint whiff of Duke’s cologne outside the Garden, and though many men wore the fragrance, the scent of it was different on him as it reacted to his body chemistry. On the hunt, she’d found a guard and compelled him into letting her enter so she could track Duke through the building.
Vicky slipped back into the tunnel and returned to the public area of
the Garden as the music started again. Despite the return of the band, people looking to beat the exodus of concertgoers poured out of the arena to flow into the hallway around her.
Standing on her tiptoes, Vicky strained to see over the sea of heads, and then she spotted a familiar face with brown hair. Vicky’s fangs slid free before she could stop them. It was the first time she’d seen Duke since her captivity, and she barely kept herself from closing the fifty feet separating them to take Duke down.
Images of sinking her fangs into his throat and ripping the traitorous heart from his chest assaulted her until she could barely tell reality from the bloodlust coursing through her.
No! Stay in control! Taking a shuddery breath, she dug her nails into her palms to keep herself focused on the now. If she attacked him, she’d kill him in front of everyone.
There would be no concealing a vampire attack in front of so many and no guarantee the crowd wouldn’t take her down after. Since being freed from the warehouse, vengeance against Duke was the only thing driving her, but she’d never do anything to harm her family. Her antics over the years concerned them, but she’d never knowingly done anything to put them in jeopardy.
If she killed Duke now, she risked the lives of her nine siblings, their mates, their children, her parents, and her adopted uncles, the Stooges. Her family was large and loving, and even if she hadn’t been able to return home to face them since her imprisonment, they were also her lifeline.
But if she attacked, she risked people learning about the existence of vampires, and the consequences of that could be disastrous. Vampires were stronger and immortal, but humans vastly outnumbered them and had far more weapons. If humanity decided vampires were a threat, they would be hunted and destroyed. With the number of cameras and cell phones in this place, there was no way her attack on Duke wouldn’t be recorded.
Gritting her teeth, Vicky kept herself restrained from tearing out Duke’s throat as she bobbed and weaved through the crowd and into a stairwell. Packed in like a sardine with the rest of the mob, she found herself locked in with a group of girls about her age.
Feet thudded on the concrete stairwell, and sneakers squeaked as laughter and excited chatter filled the air. Humans swarmed her, their heartbeats pulsing in her ears, but she remained fixated on her target.
So preoccupied with Duke, Vicky didn’t realize he had his arm draped around a brunette woman until the woman leaned against his side. The woman searched the crowd as if she were on the hunt.
I’ll give you something to hunt.
Vicky almost laughed, but nothing was amusing about this. Through the various scents filling the air, Vicky detected the stench of rot drifting from Duke and the woman. They were both Savages, and that meant they were willing to kill anyone who got in their way.
While she’d been with Duke, he’d been reckless, but he hadn’t been a killer. Apparently, that changed in the seven months since Duke sold her and made her the equivalent of a living blood bag for vampires.
Despite their Savage status, Vicky could handle these two. Duke was now a killer of innocents, so he’d grown stronger in seven months, but she’d been training with Ronan and his men, and she was a pureblooded vampire. Duke wasn’t. She would destroy him tonight.
She reminded herself to ask how much money he’d received for her as her hand slid into her coat pocket, and she rested her fingers against the stake there.
Turning a curve in the stairwell, she trailed the couple as they flung open the metal door at the bottom and exited the building. They briefly vanished, but Vicky spotted them again when she stepped into the brisk, late April air. Her breath plumed before her as she shoved her hands into her pockets and followed at a discreet distance from them.
More exit doors opened from different areas of the building, and people spilled out of the Garden. The crowd blended and swirled together, but she never lost sight of Duke as he and his friend turned onto the main street.
Cars lined the road looking to pick up concertgoers, and more vehicles were gridlocked in the street. Horns blared uselessly as no one could go anywhere. Lights and music spilled out of the bars and restaurants, and revelers gathered outside them, smoking cigarettes or trying to get inside the establishments.
Vicky fell back when Duke turned onto a side road where fewer humans and businesses were around to keep her hidden. The couple’s idle chatter floated on the air as they turned onto another side road and then another. Her heart hammered in anticipation of getting them somewhere she could go in for the kill.
When they slipped around a corner ahead of her, she hurried to catch up, unwilling to let them out of her sight for long. When they came into view again, she discovered the couple leaning against a building a hundred feet ahead, kissing. Judging by the way they were groping each other, the kiss was heading toward a public screwing.
Vicky paused to take in her surroundings. The scent of garbage was a little stronger here, but tomorrow must be trash day as cans lined the sidewalk. In the distance, a dog barked, and overhead, the barren branches of the trees lining the road clicked together in the small, spring breeze.
Cars were parked against the curb, but no humans walked the street. The only sign of life came from the house to her left; it had a couple of lamps on in a second-floor window. At this time of night, most of the residents of the brownstone homes were in bed.
Perfect.
Duke’s hand slid down to the woman’s thigh; he pushed her skirt up as Vicky stalked toward them. She was removing the stake from her coat when movement came from the parked car on her right, and the stench of garbage flooded her nostrils. A Savage vampire burst out from where it had been hiding behind the vehicle.
Unprepared for the sudden attack, she swung out with her stake and cursed when it plunged into the Savage’s shoulder instead of his heart. The vampire hit her with the force of a wrecking ball, lifted her off her feet, and flung her into the side of a van. Metal crunched, and the shattering glass spilled onto the pavement in a crashing wave as her body indented the vehicle.
Air burst from her battered lungs, and she fell to the ground. Struggling to breathe, her eyes widened on the vamp when he turned to charge at her again. On her hands and knees, Vicky scrambled under the van and lay on her belly as she took stock of herself and the situation. Her ribs ached, her back was bruised, but there weren’t any broken bones. Three against one wasn't the best odds, but she could take these bastards down.
Wincing, she inhaled a deep breath before removing the crossbow secured to her side. Duke’s feet, and those of his date, ran toward her as she rolled across the pavement and out the other side of the vehicle. Scrambling forward, she ran in a half crouch to the front of the van and leaned against the bumper as the Savages stopped next to the door her body had rearranged.
“This bitch is mine,” Duke snarled.
You have no idea how much of a bitch I can be, asshole.
Vicky crept forward and poked her head out from around the bumper. The larger vamp was bent down to peer under the van. The woman stood beside Duke as he surveyed the sidewalk. She didn’t have a shot at Duke, but she had one at the woman.
Vicky lifted the crossbow, aimed it at the woman’s chest, and fired. She released a guttural cry when the bolt slammed into her heart. The woman hit the ground, her heels kicking against the sidewalk as she tried to pull the weapon from her chest, but it was already too late for her.
Vicky released her crossbow to let it dangle from the tie keeping it attached to her belt as she pulled another stake free and grinned at Duke. When it came time to kill him, she would be up close and personal for it.
Duke gawked at the body beside him before turning his attention to Vicky. She didn’t see any regret in his eyes for his dead date, but she hadn’t expected any. The only thing Duke cared about was Duke.
“This bitch is more than ready for you,” Vicky promised.
Then, behind Duke, figures emerged from between the homes and loped down the street
toward them. Vicky’s nose wrinkled when the increased scent of garbage filled the air. A flicker of apprehension raced through her as those figures came together in a swelling group of Savages.
“You think I didn’t smell you too,” Duke hissed. “You think you’re not still worth a fortune? Joseph has big plans for you and your kind.”
A cold knot of dread formed in her stomach as the group grew to five—no, nine more vampires. And she sensed there were more, somewhere.
Some sixth sense made her look up as two shadows leapt across the rooftops.
Why are there so many of them? She suspected the answer to her question was not good.
Behind her, she heard the increased, panting breaths of the Savage who had thrown her into the van. His feet thudded on the concrete as he raced toward her from the other side of the vehicle. Torn between killing Duke, even if it resulted in her death, and fleeing, Vicky hesitated.
She wanted him dead.
Then, a grunt followed by a thud sounded from behind her. She turned to find the wrecking ball vampire face planting onto the sidewalk with a stake protruding from his back—a killing blow, but from who?
Lifting her gaze, she froze when she spotted the man standing in the shadows behind the Savage. Eyes the color of the sky on a cloudless spring day met hers as he held his hand out over the body to her.
“Come on!” he commanded.
Vicky almost turned and bolted straight at Duke. She was willing to take on dozens of Savages rather than go with this one hunter who unnerved her far more than the prospect of death.
However, instead of running, she found her hand stretching toward his as if a magnet pulled her toward him. When he clasped it, prickles of electricity swept over her, and she knew she’d made the choice that would save her now… but would ultimately destroy her.
CHAPTER 2
“This way,” Nathan said as he led Vicky down a side street, through an alley, and back onto a busier street.
They fled through the shadows, staying close to the buildings to keep their sides protected. Nathan didn’t realize he still held her hand until Vicky tugged it away.
Glancing back at her, he discovered her emerald eyes surveying him like she’d made a deal with the devil. His attention was pulled away from her when he detected the faint hint of garbage and the squeak of a single footstep behind them.
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