Page 52 of Bound By Love
She didn’t look up from the Savage whose head she’d chopped off as more rose to replace it. He didn’t know how they would get free of this mess, but they would.
He wouldn’t let his fighters go on without him.
From the back of the pack of Savages surrounding them, heads started to fall and Savages crumpled to the ground. He couldn’t see who through the massive throng, but someone was hacking their way through them from behind.
The demons had probably commanded the Savages to focus on him and Kadence. The monsters had spread out to kill all of them and had a higher number.
The demons probably believed that the others would fall or run if they killed the king. He’d trained his men too well for that.
One of them would rise to take his place, most likely Declan, even if leading the Alliance was never something he wanted. The others all saw Declan as his second-in-command, and Declan would take the position if it meant keeping the Alliance going.
As he and Kadence used their swords to fend off the rest of the Savages and slaughter all those who got too close, he spotted Logan and Elena, with a large group of hunters from the Arizona compound and Willow’s family, working to take out the Savages surrounding them. He searched for Saxon and Elyse but didn’t see them anywhere.
He fought a sinking feeling in his gut as a Savage leapt from the shoulders of one of its cohorts and flew toward him. Ronan ducked its grasping hands and plunged his sword straight into the Savage’s heart.
As it burst into flames, another Savage lunged forward and buried its blade in his stomach. Ronan grunted as the blade tore through his flesh.
Kadence cried out and jumped toward him; her fingers reached for him but never connected as hands grasped her shoulders and tore her away. Ronan yanked the blade from his stomach and plunged into the chaos after her.
He lost her when she became swallowed by a sea of Savages.
CHAPTERFORTY-TWO
Brie rushed downthe hallway after the retreating demons. It was so dark she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face as the mineral scent of the dirt surrounding them engulfed her.
As she ran, she couldn’t help recalling a dream she had. In the dream, demon hands broke through the earth as they tried to grasp her.
Now, in this place, surrounded by the dirt aroma that had followed her from the dream, she realized it might not have been a dream but awarning.
Her heart hammered, and her instincts screamed at her to go back. Because of her ability, she’d always tried to listen to her instincts the best she could. She was more intuitive and saw more than most; it would only make sense her instincts were stronger.
But they couldn’t turn back. They’d come this far, lost so many, and were so close to ending those dipshits.
Her body screamed at her to turn around, but she pushed it faster as the tunnel plunged deeper into the earth, and the path took a sharp, downward dive. Her heart thudded with every step, and sweat coated her body as she became more certain they were running straight toward Hell with every step.
But though she sensed the unease of the others, none of them stopped. They continued onward, unrelenting in their pursuit, and from behind, she heard the steps of others who had followed.
Amongst them were Cabo and Zina; she’d recognize their smell anywhere. She wanted to stop and let them catch up so she could tell her friends to go back, but they wouldn’t listen, and she’d only waste time.
Besides, she would have followed them into Hell too.
The scenery around them started changing as they ran deeper into the earth. Colored stones began to fill the spaces between the dirt, and the air went from being cooler to increasingly warmer.
The flashlights some of them held reflected off the translucent stones to cast an array of colors across the ground. At first, she thought the floor was hardpacked dirt, but the distinct slap of their footsteps landing against something rock made her realize it was black stone.
When they rounded a corner and the rocks became a deeper black, something inside her broke as she glanced at Asher. The determination etched onto his handsome face told her that he would see this through to the end… no matter what she said.
But he had to knowthiswasit. In this shithole beneath the earth was where he would die.
“Asher, I saw this in my vision. This is where you die.”
Her voice came out far steadier than she’d expected, considering they were running, and she felt like screaming as she dragged him away from this place.
Asher barely glanced at her before replying. “No, it’s not.”
“He’s right,” Saber said.
Oh, how she wished her mate and brother were right, but she couldn’t shake the impending doom enveloping her in a blanket of uncertainty and heartbreak. He wasn’t right, and if they didn’t do something, Asher would die.
