Page 1 of Bound By Blood
CHAPTER 1
“They belonged tothe demons.” Saber gazed at the stones laid out on the table beforethe other members of the Alliance. “The stones were forged by thedemons, stolen by our ancestors, and lost to history.”
Saber didn’tunderstand how those lost stones could now sit on the table acrossfrom him.How did this happen?
“And now they’reback together when that was believed to be an impossible feat,” hemurmured. “No oneknew where they were. They’re like thefountain of youth; many hunted for them over the years, but no oneever located them. Until seeing Willow’s sword, I’d believed theywere about as real as the fountain and just some myth passed aroundby the Savages.”
He lifted his headto gaze at them while it sank in that these stones might actuallygive them a chance to win this war against the demons, or at leasta bigger advantage against them, something they desperatelyneeded.
Though he’d joinedthe Alliance to fight against the demons, he hadn’t really believedthey had a chance of defeating those monsters. He’d mainly hoped tohelp stave off the inevitable by fighting them.
He knew the demonsbetter than most; they were stronger, faster, and more ruthlessthan anyone he knew—except forhim. The Alliance was strongand had good fighters, but that wasn’t enough against the demons…until now.
“I know how to usethem against the demons and who can help make it possible,” Sabersaid.
Excitement builtwithin him, but he tamped it down. There was no room for anyemotion in his life; it was dangerous to the control it had takenhim centuries to maintain. Emotions equaled volatility; for him,that equaled the slaughtering of innocents—something that temptedhim far too often still.
“Bring whoever itis to us,” Ronan commanded. “They’ll help us bring down ourenemies.”
Saber didn’t replyas his attention shifted to the woman beside Asher. She was sofamiliar, yet he couldn’t put a finger on what it was about herthat tugged at his memories.
“Do I know you?”he asked.
When the colordrained from her cheeks, her pale skin made the numerous, faintscars she bore stand out more. He didn’t recognize the face, buther eyes were such a unique color….
He swore he’d seenthem before, but where and how? He’d encountered thousands uponthousands of people over his lengthy lifetime; he couldn’t rememberthem all, but he should rememberthisone.
A distant memory,from a time he’d spent most of his life trying to forget, stirredin his mind. It was from a period that once haunted him night andday, but, over time, he succeeded in burying it. Doing so helpedhim maintain his sanity.
And now, thosememories reared their ugly heads as they bombarded him withscreams, blood, and a viciousness he’d never known he possesseduntil it nearly destroyed him. He tried to tear his attention awayfrom the woman, but he couldn’t stop staring at her.
“Do I know you?”he demanded again.
Around the table,the others all exchanged looks while they shifted uneasily. Asheredged forward to stand protectively in front of the woman. Saberdidn’t acknowledge the move; Asher had to know he could slap himdown as easily as a gnat.
“What’s yourname?” Saber inquired of the woman.
Those eyes.Those beautiful, strangely colored eyes.He’d only known oneother with eyes that color, but she died almost five hundred yearsago. Hesawher body.
The woman glancedaround as if searching for an exit, but she didn’t speak, and noone else offered an answer. He hadn’t expected one either; Asherwas far more one of them than he was.
Saber had beenwith the Alliance for years but still considered himself anoutsider, mostly because that was how he liked it. The onlyvampires he ever loved were all dead, and their deaths had sent himspiraling into a pit of madness and blood.
It took him nearlythree hundred years to claw his way back out of the blood and deathof the years he spent as a Savage, but it still beckoned to himevery minute of the day. It would be much easier to slip back intobeing a Savage.
However, he wasdetermined never to lose control like that again. Caring for othersand losing them would push him back over the edge.
He vowed centuriesago never to make that mistake again.
CHAPTER 2
“Who is it thatcan help us with the stones?” Ronan inquired.
Saber suspectedhe’d asked the question to steer the conversation back to where itbelonged… the stones. He looked to the powerful man across fromhim. He didn’t care if Ronan was the king of the vampires; hewouldn’t reveal his friend’s name without his permission first.
If Ronandisapproved, then oh well, that meant shit to him. But then,everything meant shit to him.
“An oldassociate,” Saber replied, “one who prefers to remain anonymous andto keep their talents off the radar. They’ll work with me, but Ican’t say if they’ll come here. I’ll do my best to convince them,but they can help us.”
