Page 45 of Bound By Love
He’d tear his arm off if it meant getting to her and killing this monster.
Kirkau lifted his head from Caro’s throat; his pointed tongue flicked out to lick away the blood staining his lips. If rage could rip out of a chest, it would have torn him in two as Caro’s head fell and her shoulders hunched up. He felt the inward sobs shaking her, but she didn’t make a sound.
When Kirkau laid his hand over the top of hers, she recoiled from his cool, clammy flesh. It was like touching a worm crawling from beneath the earth—if that worm was also like touching death.
Her skin crawled as Kirkau rubbed the back of her hand. When he grasped a finger, she was still so caught up in the memory of his bite, she didn’t react when he yanked it backward.
Oddly, the sound of her bones breaking bothered her the most. A broken bone was nothing compared to this monster’s bite, and she almost laughed but found no humor in this.
She was still completely numb after his bite, but that wouldn’t last, and this was only the beginning.
“I’m going to kill you!” Saber bellowed.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
Saber’s wordsrebounded throughout the storm drain as they bounced off the concrete around them. Declan froze when Ronan held up a hand to stop him and the rest of the Alliance, including the hunters from Arizona, Willow’s family, and Brie’s friends.
Beside Ronan, Brian cocked his head as he turned to where his mate, Abby, stood with Vicky and Nathan. Willow was a few feet in front of her sisters while the rest of their family remained a little further back in the tunnels.
Declan met Ronan’s eyes. Ronan didn’t have to say anything; Declan could tell his friend was thinking the same thing as him—a vampire only sounded that anguished when their mate was suffering.
So far, they’d gotten lucky and hadn’t encountered anyone in the tunnels. He suspected that was because those monsters had all gathered to watch the “torture Saber” show, but their luck might not last.
The Alliance couldn’t rush in there to stop them; they could get killed if they did, but they had to hurry. There was a chance they were already too late to save Saber and Caro.
Not only would that mean they’d lost a member of the Alliance, a brother-in-arms, and one of their best fighters, but they would also lose the vampire who helped create the weapons that could destroy these beasts. For now, they knew Saber lived, but Caro could already be dead.
He didn’t like thinking about it; he couldn’t imagine losing Willow. It was too difficult to fathom, and he certainly didn’t want anyone else to suffer such a horrendous loss.
Declan kept his empath ability shut down. If he allowed it to open in here, it would overwhelm him. That would only jeopardize Willow and his friends, and he couldn’t risk it.
But even with it shut down, he sensed the distress and fury vibrating the tunnels. And not all of it was from Saber. The beasts who lived down here were so fueled by it that it had permeated this place.
When Ronan jerked his head to the right, they started down the tunnel once more. They rounded a corner, and the storm drain diverged.
One pathway still consisted of concrete walls as it faded into the shadows of this abysmal place. The other way was made of dirt and boards that helped shore up the tunnel.
It wouldneverpass any inspection, and he was sure more than a few collapses had occurred, but the ground had been beaten down beneath the weight of numerous footprints. Before Brian pointed to the dirt corridor, Declan knew it was the one they would take.
Ronan kept his flashlight pointed at the ground as he led the way, with Kadence behind him and Declan at his side. They’d be better off if they didn’t have any light, but they required at least a little to navigate this strange world.
They probably shouldn’t have come here. For the safety of everyone, it would have been better to write Saber and Caro off, but they couldn’t throw them, and their swords to the wolves, while they scurried away to wait for the demons to attack.
It might never happen.
They had left some Alliance members behind with the injected and left more above to kill anything that emerged. He’d commanded them to retreat if they didn’t survive this. And none of them could live with themselves if they left behind some of their own because they didn’t want to go beneath the earth.
The Alliance would certainly fall without its core members leading it, but at least fighters would remain to carry on. He didn’t know how much longer that fight would last without an army to back them.
One way or another, it was all coming to a head. And instead of it being in a wide open, booby trapped, and protected area like they planned at Caro’s property, it was beneath the earth in this cramped, damp space.
The scent of dirt and rocks grew stronger as they shuffled cautiously forward. They couldn’t go too fast. The demons and Savages would see their light coming, but they couldn’t see much beyond the rays of the beam.
The reek of the Savages and demons increased as they moved. He briefly contemplated pinching his nose closed to block it out.
He was used to the stench of these things, but he’d never been bombarded with it before. The brimstone, sulfur, and decay scent seared into his nostrils until he tasted it on his lips and tongue.
When this was done, he would brush his teeth for hours, gurgle a bottle of mouthwash, and scrub himself until his skin was raw. He had to survive for that to happen, and he planned to walk out of here with Willow and as many Alliance members as possible.
