The Blood Trilogy

by K Loraine

  I locked eyes with him and took a deep breath before placing my hand in his. Searing pain burned its way up my wrist and into my arm as Anne drove a silver spike through the center of both of our palms. Lucas grunted and I screamed. Anne didn’t move.

  “Joined by blood and pain, the two of you are one.” She pulled the spike free of our hands and nodded at Lucas. “Heal your bride.”

  He brought his uninjured wrist to his mouth and bit down, breaking the skin and drawing blood. Then, Lucas held the dripping blood over my palm, and warmth washed over me. My skin knitted together with each drop until there was no more pain.

  “Henceforth you shall be known as Olivia Blackthorne. Your former name no longer exists. Welcome to the family, Olivia.” Anne smirked and cut a glance at me. “I suppose it’s not the union any of you had in mind.”

  She stared at us with a challenge in her eyes. “Claim your bride, Lucas. Claim her for all of us to see.” Anne’s voice was thick with self-satisfied venom. She was sadistic and clearly enjoying torturing me.

  Lucas’ brows pulled together as an uncertain frown twisted his lips. But she was right, he had to do this. I nodded, hating myself with every beat of my heart.

  Lucas stepped forward and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead before he cupped my cheek and ran his hand back until his fingers tangled in the hair at the base of my skull. Then he tugged until my throat was bared to him. I fought the need to tremble until Lucas’ lips brushed my skin. A shiver raced through me when his fangs slid inside my vein. I couldn’t fight the pleasure he gave me. All I could do was close my eyes and hold back a moan.

  I felt my connection to Lucas snap into place as his mind brushed mine. That was it. I was married to Lucas Blackthorne.

  5

  Cashel

  I woke up gasping, hands reaching in desperation for the woman I loved. “Olivia,” I said as my eyes snapped open, but I saw nothing. My throat burned and pinched where Eliana’s blade had bitten into my skin, severing tendon and vein. Rendering me useless. She’d been aiming to kill me, and she could have if I hadn’t been at full strength. My memories were spotty at best after that. Screams, blood, the hunger I couldn’t deny. All of those things combined to remind me of how close to death I had been. Someone healed me. Someone gave me their blood. Dread curled in my stomach. Everything smelled of Olivia.

  Olivia.

  Where was she? What happened to her?

  “Olivia!” I shouted into the pitch black darkness. I sat up, narrowing my eyes, searching for some source of light to help me see in this void.

  I couldn’t hear her heartbeat, sense her nearness, feel the connection we shared. It was like she didn’t exist any longer. Icy fingers of fear gripped my heart, squeezing with bitter cold strength. I stood and walked until I hit a wall, smooth and bare, nothing like the stone of the prison or the rich wood panels of Blackthorne Manor.

  Feeling my way across the wall, I moved to the right until I found…something. I stopped and traced the thin line my fingertips ran up against. A door. But there was no handle, no hinges, nothing to show weakness. Bright light flooded the space from above, nearly blinding me. I cringed and held up my hands to shield my sensitive eyes which had begun burning with the strain.

  A dark chuckle rang out over a tinny sounding intercom. “And he’s awake, finally.” A male voice set my nerves on edge.

  “What’s going on?” I kept one hand shielding my eyes, while the other pressed against the clear wall of what I could now see was a secure cell.

  “You survived. I would’ve left you for dead, but you’re still of royal blood and you can be of use.” He stood at the top of a short staircase, his jaw shadowed by a heavy beard, face lined with the echoes of a hard life. One hand held a ring of keys, the other rested on the light switch.

  “Why am I in here?”

  “Safety.”

  “For whom?”

  “For you. And us.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

  “We found you covered in blood, nearly dead, with a vampire’s desiccated corpse not far.”

  I nodded. “She attacked me.”

  “And Olivia’s blood soaking your clothes.”

  The way he said her name made my skin crawl. Something was very wrong. “Where is she?”

  “Cashel—”

  “Where the fuck is she?” I said, my voice low and demanding.

  “All we know is you were drenched in her blood. She should have died. She lost so much.”

  No.

  No.

  This could not be possible. Who was this man?

  I swallowed, the ache in my throat still there, still a reminder of the moment the tables turned, and my former lover tried to kill me.

  “Is she…” I couldn’t bring myself to say the word.

  “She’s alive. But they have her.”

  “Who?” I pressed my palms to the thick wall of glass. Or was it plastic? I couldn’t tell. Where the fucking hell were we?

  “Your twisted family. And there’s no one to protect her now.”

  A growl rumbled in my chest, but I was helpless to follow through with any sort of threat. I couldn’t escape. I knew it.

  “She’s mine. We belong together. They won’t hurt her.”

  “Every moment she’s been in your presence has hurt her, Cashel.”

  “Who are you?”

  He smirked and pulled aside his leather jacket, revealing a holstered wooden stake. A hunter. Why hadn’t he simply killed me while I was incapacitated?

  “You think I fear you, hunter?”

  A laugh fills the air. “You can call me Hector, and yes, you should fear me. Your kind has taken the only family I have. Now I can return the favor.”

  “You think you can use me as a bargaining chip? You’d be mistaken.”

  He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. “No. I think we can help each other.”

  I thought about the pain they’d inflicted on me. The attacks, the way they turned Olivia against me. “Doubtful.”

  “Even if I can get you a cure?”

  “All this time, you’ve had the cure?”

  “You think we would create something without knowing how to stop it?”

  “We aren’t the monsters. You are.”

  He shrugged. “Suit yourself, Blackthorne. I never have to release you. We have plenty of research we can do until you waste away.”

  Rage bubbled to the surface, already thinly contained as it was. I let out a harsh shout and picked up the bed I’d been laying on before throwing it with all my strength at the wall. If he wouldn’t let me out, I’d break out.

  “That won’t work,” he said. “It’s polycarbonate glass, twelve inches thick and knitted together with silver.”

  “Twelve inches? Seems excessive.”

  He smirked. “Not where you’re concerned, and you know it.”

  I did. I’d seen the effects of sun sickness, the madness, the unbelievable strength.

  “I’m warning you. If I have to break out, it won’t be pretty.”

  A slight shrug lifted his shoulders. “I’ll take my chances.” Then he turned off every light save one. A tiny nightlight at the top of the stairs. The door clicked closed as he left, lock engaging with an ominous thunk.

  And I raged.

  I screamed into the dimly lit space, rage and fear clawing at me like rabid dogs. This was not how it was supposed to be. I was not supposed to be here, fighting to escape a prison made by my own actions.

  I fought, grabbing anything that wasn’t nailed down and throwing it with every ounce of my strength at the walls, but nothing broke. Not even a crack. By the time I’d destroyed each piece of furniture, down to the splinters in some cases, I stood in the center of the space and let out an almighty roar. Olivia was hurting somewhere, and I wasn’t there to see to her. She was my responsibility. It was my privilege to care for her. I owed her so much more than this. I owed her everything.

  Brin
ging my focus to the only weak point in the wall, I pulled all my energy into my own body and walked to the rear of the room. I needed to get out of here, no matter what it did to me. With a burst of energy, I bolted as fast as my legs could take me, straight into my target. My shoulder screamed with pain as it connected with the ballistic glass, but I didn’t stop. I continued forward until the distinct sound of cracking filled my ears, and my skin tore from the ragged edge. Even still, I kept pressing forward, shoving my body through the foot of glass that imprisoned me.

  Blood dripped down my arm and from my scalp, into my eyes, but I didn’t stop. I had to get to her. Flashes of memory hit me with the force of a freight train, Olivia screaming, panic in my heart, pain in my chest, across my throat, then the scent of her blood and mine. She needed me just as I needed her.

  Cool air hit me as I broke through the constraints of the cell they had designed. “Not strong enough.” The only thing that can permanently hold a vampire is the same thing I’d kept Callie hidden inside. Silver and magic. Grief punched me in the chest at the thought of her. My sweet Callie. Eliana had killed her. I had killed Eliana.

  The agony of my wounds forced me to sit slumped against the wall as my blood seeped onto the floor. I may have just ruined my chances rather than fought my way free. If Hector returned, he’d end me.

  I needed help, but there was no telling who was in this place. Not when I was buried so deep below the main floor. I closed my eyes and called every ounce of my strength to my mind. Olivia had woken my ability, unlocked my trapped gifts in a way no one else had. But I didn’t know if I could truly reach out to others with my thoughts, or only her. Now was as good a time as any. I pictured my sister, Sorcha, tried to home in on her energy and infiltrate her thoughts. A humming sensation built between my ears, making my teeth ache and my eyes throb. But she was there. I could sense her.

  Sorcha, I said, forcing the word into her head.

  I felt her alarm, the anxiety skittering down her spine.

  Bloody hell, Sorcha! I shouted in my mind.

  Cashel? Where the fuck are you? Oh, God, are you haunting me now?

  No, I’m not haunting you. A hunter has me locked in the bowels of some house. I have to get out before he tries to take what he wants from me.

  I could feel her thoughts spinning. Her signature pull growing stronger with each moment. What does he want?

  Revenge.

  Disgust rolled through her. Anne told us you were dead, you know. We would have come for you if we’d known you survived.

  Where are you?

  Scotland.

  Scotland? Are you bloody kidding me? Why?

  I’ve been…given to Declan Macleod.

  My gut twisted. Are you all right?

  I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me. He won’t know what hit him. It’s everything else you need to worry about. Anne is planning something—

  My connection to her vanished, leaving my head throbbing. I reached out again, but couldn’t find her. I couldn’t find anyone. I bolted up the stairs, the pain in my limbs screaming at me in protest, but I had to escape. Shoving my shoulder against the door, I winced at the agony in my overtaxed body, but I couldn’t stop. I was close to freedom. The wood splintered, a crack resonating through my head. The sound was loud enough to alert anyone nearby, but no one came. No one was there. Not a single pulse beat save my own. My heart was hammering. I surveyed my surroundings, searching for some kind of indication of where they’d been keeping me. The space was vast and sprawling, but I could sense fresh air, the outdoors. It was close.

  Then I sensed him. A vampire. A made one whose heart was silent, but one I recognized by scent.

  “Logan.” My word was a low growl, full of hatred. He tried to kill my little bird. He would pay.

  “We’d better be quick about this,” he said from the darkened corner of the living room where he’d been hiding.

  “Where is Olivia?”

  “Safe. Which is more than you’ve ever done for her. It seems that every little human you come across suffers.”

  I shook my head. “No. I love her. I’ll die for her if I have to.”

  “I wish you would.”

  “We have to get to Olivia before Anne ruins her forever.”

  Guilt washed over his features, but I couldn’t take time to let him work through his feelings. Not with the torture Olivia was surely enduring.

  “Too late.”

  My blood ran cold. “Tell me where she is!” I insisted. I don’t know why I was begging him to let me be near her. I should have simply gone in search. He couldn’t stop me. Logan could try, but he would fail.

  “She’s been holding her in the dungeons. But Lucas has her now. No one can hurt her.”

  “Lucas?”

  He nodded. “Yes. He stepped in. She’s only alive because of him.”

  “If you hate me so much, why come find me?”

  He closed his eyes and his shoulders sagged in defeat. “You’ve lost her. But so have I. Maybe together we can at least stop Anne from killing everything we love.”

  Dread clenched its icy fist around my heart. “What do you mean?”

  “Anne is plotting the end of the made vampire line. The end of the hierarchy.”

  “What? How?”

  “With them. She’s got hunters on her side.” He strode toward the door and pulled it open. There, outside in the secluded dirt yard of this strange house, I saw two guards. Or what was left of them. Logan had drained them both dry.

  “You knew these men?” I asked.

  He wouldn’t make eye contact. “Yes.”

  “You are more of a vampire than I gave you credit for.”

  “If you meant that as a compliment, you failed. But there was no other way. They’d have come in and killed you if they’d heard what you were doing.”

  “They would have failed.”

  He shook his head. “They were prepared for you. Hector wouldn’t have put them on your post if not.”

  I walked to the first body, kicked at him with the toe of my shoe until he was on his back. Sure enough, through his open jacket I saw a veritable arsenal strapped to his chest. Silver bullets designed to explode on contact. I wouldn’t have survived.

  “I’ll grant you this one piece of gratitude, hunter. But after this, I owe you nothing.”

  He scoffed. “You haven’t given me a damn thing.”

  “I let you keep your life. My debt to you is paid. Now, take me to her.”

  6

  Olivia

  The sun was barely below the horizon when Lucas emerged from the bedroom, his hair tousled and in his eyes. He wore a shirt and soft grey sweatpants, the waistband low on his trim hips. I’m sure he did that for my comfort. This was a man who never slept with clothes on. It was obvious from the way he pulled at the fabric.

  “Like clockwork,” I muttered, staring out at the purple sky.

  “Vampire hours. Thought you’d be used to this by now.”

  I flinched. “The time I spent in the company of Anne and Logan completely screwed up my body clock. I only slept when they took too much blood and I lost consciousness.”

  His gaze softened, and he walked to where I was sitting with a book in my hands. “That’s never going to happen to you again. I hope you believe me when I tell you that.”

  “I can hope, but there always seems to be something. If it’s not Anne, it’ll be the council, or witches, or a goddamned werewolf.”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “You know what we need?”

  My brows pulled together and I closed my book before setting it on the table to my right. “What?”

  “A walk. We haven’t been outside of these walls since I took you as mine. Fresh air will do you good.”

  Standing, I took his offered hand and the two of us left the manor. We strolled through the garden, taking in the night-blooming flowers all around, but also remembering. It was impossible to be here and not think of Cashel. I reached out and trailed my fi
ngertips over the delicate white blossoms of jasmine and smiled sadly at the crisp floral scent.

  “It’s all right to take pleasure in things, you know. You’ve been through so much, and before this is over, there will be other trials we have to face.”

  My belly twisted with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. “Like you turning me? And…consummation?”

  “Yes.” His eyes flashed with dark need. “Both of those things will be important to solidifying your safety and your place here.”

  “What if I don’t want to consummate?”

  “We’ll hold off as long as we can. But, the call of a bond is strong, Olivia. It’s not something I’ll be able to ignore forever. Already, I need you. To feed and mark you so everyone knows you’re mine.”

  “You married me. Isn’t that enough?”

  Anger flitted across his face. “It isn’t, and you know it. I told you how I felt about you. From the beginning, I sat on the sidelines and let my brother have you because I truly believed the two of you were fated. I was wrong. He left you time and time again, or have you forgotten your week in the fucking well? Who was it that came for you? Me. Not him. He was off getting his cock sucked by some substitute for the real thing because he couldn’t admit how he felt. I’m telling you now. You are mine. You’re my wife, and he is dead. I want you to want me.”

  Tears sprung to my eyes. “I can’t just turn it off.”

  “You don’t have to love me like you loved him. I just need you to make a fucking effort. We will be together a very long time after you’re turned. We have to make the best of it. Unless you think being mine is the worst fate you could have.”

  When I didn’t answer, he shook his head and laughed bitterly. “I see. Forgive me if I was mistaken about how close we had grown. I thought holding you as you slept through nightmares and spending every waking moment together might have turned the tide in my favor. Clearly, I was wrong.”

  My heart cracked, and waves of guilt washed over me. I did like him. I wanted to be around him. I just didn’t know how to reconcile the truth with what I felt in my heart. Cashel wasn’t coming for me because this time he was truly dead. “Lucas, I’m so sorry. I’m trying.”