Page 104 of Bound by Vengeance
“No!” Vicky screamed, unable to suppress itwhen Nathan barreled into Jordan.
Before she could run to him, Lucien’s handcame down on her shoulder, and he pulled her back. She consideredkicking, screaming, and clawing until she tore him to shreds, butshe couldn’t tear her eyes away as Nathan lifted Jordan off theground and flung him back.
An umph of air exploded from Jordan’s lungswhen he hit the sand. When Nathan turned, she saw the bloodstreaking across his flesh. Jordan’s blade caught Nathan in theback and ripped his shirt, but like his stomach, only a scratchmarred his bronzed skin. Jordan rolled to the side as Nathan strodetoward him. Before Jordan could rise, Nathan stepped on his sword,pinning it to the ground.
“I’m sorry it came to this,” he said, and hemeant it. He would gladly kill Jordan a thousand times over forhurting Vicky, but he wished none of this had happened.
Before Jordan could reply or react, Nathansank his blade into the hunter’s chest and heart. Jordan jerked,his hands clawed at the weapon piercing him as blood gurgled fromhis mouth.
Nathan tore the blade free and dropped it onthe ground before kneeling beside Jordan. Jordan’s family was gone,his wife and son having died in childbirth five years ago.Unwilling to let him die alone, Nathan clasped the man’s hand.
Jordan gawked at him, but he grippedNathan’s hand as spasms racked his body. His feet kicked the groundbefore his eyes rolled back and he slumped to the ground.
Nathan remained with him for a minute more,before leaning forward to close his eyelids. Releasing Jordan’shand, he placed it on the hunter’s chest.
He lifted both blades from the ground andturned to Vicky. Her eyes had returned to their emerald hue, buther lower lip quivered as she gazed at him. When Lucien’s hand slidaway from her shoulder, she ran across the sand and flung herselfinto his arms.
Releasing the blades, he embraced her, andhis fingers entangled in her silken hair. He ignored the sounds ofdisgust some of the hunters made as the feel of her in his armseased the tumult of emotions battering him.
“Are you okay?” Vicky whispered.
“Couple of scratches, they’ll heal,” hereplied.
“No, I mean with what just happened.”
“Death is a way of life for us,” hereplied.
“That doesn’t make it easier.”
“No, it doesn’t,” he agreed as he kissed hertemple. “But I’ll be okay.”
Declan approached and bent to reclaim hisswords.
“Thank you,” Nathan said to him.
“It was a good fight,” Declan said.“Honorable as much as there can be honor in death.”
“It never should have been, but there is nochanging it now,” Nathan replied.
“True,” Declan said as he wiped the bloodyblades on the sand before returning them to the scabbards on hisback.
Taking a deep breath, Nathan set Vicky downbefore facing the hunters. He was tired of fighting, but his battlewas only beginning.
“You have a choice to make.” He pitched hisvoice to carry over the silent crowd. “You either stay and be apart of this stronghold, work with the vampires, and continue tofollow my lead, or you leave. However, there are some things youshould know before you make your decision. One”—he claimed Vicky’shand and lifted it between them— “thisis the woman I willmarry. I don’t know when it will happen, but I will be joining her.And let me make this clear, by joining her, I mean Iwillbecome a vampire, but I will also remain a hunter and theleader.”
An explosion of breaths sounded from thegroup. Elfry stepped back as her eyes flew between him and Vickybefore going to Kadence.
“Two. There will be no more vampires andhunter groups. We will be one,unitedfront. Joseph isbuilding an army of Savages; he will use that army to bring downvampires, hunters, and possibly the entire human race. We can’tcontinue to distrust each other when our existence depends onbinding together to fight our true enemy. From now on, there willbe no Defenders and hunters, no vampires and mortals; we will onlybetheAlliance.”
This time the crowd was too flabbergasted tomake any noise. They simply stood and gawked at Nathan as if he’dlost his mind, and perhaps he had, but it was too late to turn backnow.
“Think about it and let me know what yourdecision is, and no matter what you decide, I’ll make sure you’retaken care of.”
Before they could speak, he turned away andled Vicky over to Ronan and Kadence. Earlier today, he’d discussedhis plan with Ronan to be with Vicky and to bind the groupstogether officially. He hadn’t expected to reveal it to everyone sosoon, but then life had gone the exact opposite of his plansrecently.
CHAPTER 45
Hot tears burned Simone’s eyes as sheslipped away from the crowd and hurried down the beach. They wereall so staggered by everything Nathan had revealed and all that hadhappened, they didn’t notice her leaving.
