Page 95 of Eternally Bound
A muscle twitched in Nathan’s cheek, but he didn’t argue with him. Ronan turned away from him and continued through the woods as his mind churned over what they’d seen in the warehouse. He pulled Nathan back when the missing piece slid into place.
“This is where Joseph is storing his recruits. Hisnewrecruits,” he said.
“Recruits?”
“Yes.”
Turning away, he poured on the speed until he came back to the place where he’d left Kadence and the others. She pushed past Killean to come to him. Logan sneered and hatred burned in his eyes as he watched her. Stepping forward, Ronan gathered her in his arms and held her firmly against his chest. He pinned Logan with a remorseless stare that caused him to pull at his collar as he looked away.
“How bad is it?” Kadence asked.
“Bad,” he replied, unwilling to release her. “There are at least a hundred Savages inside.”
“Is Joseph in there?”
“I don’t think so. He’s definitely been here, as this is where he’s creating and keeping his recruits.”
“What do you meancreating?” Declan asked.
“I mean, he’s turning humans and putting them in there. He’s probably feeding them after they turn so they can complete the transformation, but then he’s chaining them to the walls until they’re so famished they ravish the first human they come into contact with. If they kill often enough, they won’t fight their bloodlust anymore. The Savages who aren’t chained are in the middle of a feeding and sexual frenzy. They’ve completely given themselves over to the bloodlust.”
“He’s also probably recruiting shitty humans who would be more than happy to live forever while continuing to be shitty vampires and killing for sport,” Saxon said.
“Probably,” Ronan agreed. “The few humans still alive in there won’t be for much longer.”
“If he plans on turning humans into Savages, he’ll build an endless army,” Lucien muttered and ran a hand through his hair.
“Yes,” Ronan agreed. “And he may have other buildings like this out there.”
“How do we stop them from being set loose?” Nathan inquired.
“First things first. At sunrise, we’re burning this place down and taking out as many Savages as we can.”
“You meanweare,” Nathan replied and waved at the other hunters.
“You’ll learn, young hunter, that I always mean what I say,” Ronan replied.
CHAPTER 42
Nathan rested his hand on her arm and drew her away from the others. Ronan lifted his head to watch them. Through the bond connecting them, she sensed his dislike of their distance, but he didn’t come after her.
“I don’t understand,” Nathan said as the rays of the sun lit the earth and fell over them. His gaze ran over her before going to the sun and then beyond her to Ronan. “How is it possible you’re all out in the sun? Are they really vampires? Areyou?”
Kadence glanced at the others as they worked to fill glass bottles with the gasoline they would be using to set the warehouse on fire. Ronan had sent Declan to retrieve the supplies a couple of hours ago; Nathan had sent Asher with him. Kadence recognized it as the first olive branch between the two factions, but it had been a very thin branch. No one had spoken while Asher and Declan were gone, and she doubted the vamp and hunter had done any bonding while on their mission.
“I wouldn’t lie to you about that, Nathan,” she said. “I am a vampire and so are they. I know you can feel their power.”
“I can, and I can feel… a difference in you. Something more than just a vampire.”
“I am different than they are. Not much, but my transformation was different. My eyes don’t turn red when I’m upset, and Isawthis place. It was the strangest thing ever, but I saw flashes of different things, which helped to guide my way here. It’s like something inside of me was set free when I turned. Most likely some dormant part of our demon DNA.”
“How is it possible all of you can be in the sun?”
“I told you, Nathan, we’ve been wrong all these years. Not completely wrong, but enough that we can all work together to make a difference. Vampires who don’t kill innocents can go out in the day. The more vampires kill, the more they are unable to tolerate the sun.”
“Holy shit.” He ran a hand through his disordered hair before tugging at the ends of it. “Working together is easier said than done, Kadence. The elders—”
“Won’t understand this, I know, butyouhave to. You’re the leader, Nathan. If we don’t work together, if we don’t stop fighting vampires who aren’t our enemies, we’ll all be destroyed. I think this warehouse proves there is something horrible in the works right now.”
