Bound By Blood

She was half vampire. Was she capable of such violence? The thought that she might be was frightening. She had rarely tapped into her vampire half, never tested the limits of her powers. True, she had killed a man tonight, but it had been swift and she had taken no pleasure in it. The fact that it had been self-defense made it only nominally easier to bear. She wondered if he had a wife and family, tried to tell herself it wasn’t her fault, but Nadiya’s. But the man was still dead, his blood on her hands.

She had collapsed in her father’s arms when the battle was over. He represented home and security, but even as he had stroked her hair, she had been wishing it was Zack holding her tight, Zack whispering words of comfort in her ear.

Now, alone in her room, she tried to come to grips with her mixed emotions. It was disconcerting, knowing that Zack and her father could kill so quickly, so efficiently. Still, it was comforting to know that the two men she loved the most could protect her, even when the odds were stacked against them. She knew the horror of what she had witnessed—the grotesque images of torn flesh, the sickly sweet smell of blood and death—was forever burned into her memory. And yet, the horror of it would fade, in time.

The one thing she would never forget, she thought as she crawled into bed, the one truth that would forever remain engraved in her mind and her heart, was the knowledge that they both loved her enough to risk their lives for her.

Drake and Zack were sitting in the main hall when Elena entered the room.

“How is she?” Drake asked.

“She’s asleep.”

“Did you have any trouble removing the shackle from her ankle?”

“No.” Elena shuddered. “I threw it away.”

Drake nodded, his arm wrapping around Elena’s shoulders as she took a seat beside him.

“Was it awful?” she asked.

“Awful?” Drake glanced at Ravenscroft. “What do you think?”

Zack shrugged. “I found it kind of exhilarating myself.”

Elena stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Exhilarating?”

“Yeah. I guess that doesn’t make me a very nice guy, but I don’t care. I’ll rip the heart out of anybody, male or female, who hurts Katy. And that includes Nadiya and anyone else she sends against us.”

“You should have seen him,” Drake said, a note of admiration in his voice. “I have never seen anyone fight like that.” He clucked softly. “One minute he was a wolf, ripping out throats, and the next he was a vampire, ripping out hearts.”

Elena shuddered. “Sorry, but I’m glad I missed it. Don’t get me wrong,” she added, looking at Zack. “I’m glad you were there, I just don’t think it’s something I’d want to watch . . . although that changing into a wolf thing must be something to see.”

Zack looked at Sherrad, one brow raised in amusement. “Scarier than a cat, that’s for sure.”

Elena grinned.

Sherrad scowled at him.

“So,” Zack said, “what’s our next move?”

“What do you mean?” Elena asked. “Kaitlyn’s home safe. It’s over.”

Zack glanced at Sherrad, but said nothing.

“It is not over,” Drake said quietly. “It will never be over so long as Nadiya lives. She must be punished for her treachery. And Lucien, as well.”

“What do you mean to do?” Elena asked.

“I mean to confront them both.”

Elena stared at her husband, her lips pressed tightly together.

“I cannot let this go,” Sherrad said, seeing her disapproval. “The Fortress has been governed by the Sherrad family for thousands of years. My grandfather and my father fought to defend it. I will not surrender it without a fight.”

“We can leave here,” Elena said. “Go somewhere else. To America. Or Canada.”

“You and Kaitlyn will be no safer there than you are here as long as Nadiya wants revenge. Next time she might vent her hatred on you. We were lucky to get Kaitlyn back alive. I will not risk her safety again. Or yours.” He looked at Zack. “Have you nothing to say?”

“I think you’re right. I’m not sure how you plan to do it. Two against twelve wasn’t so bad. Two against Nadiya and Lucien’s army? I don’t know. That might be a stretch, even for me.”

Chapter 34

Lucien sat in what had once been Drake’s chair on the dais in the council chamber of the Carpathian Fortress, his hands gripping the arms as he stared at the two men before him.

“Where is Drake now?” he asked curtly.

Gavril, the taller of the two, shook his head. “I do not know. We were lucky to get out of there alive.”

Lucien’s gaze shifted to Emilian. “Do you know where he is?”

Clearing his throat, Emilian shifted from one foot to the other. “I left shortly after Gavril.”

“And the girl?” Lucien asked. “Where is she?”

Emilian shrugged.

Lucien leaned back in his chair. Why had he ever listened to Nadiya? What had made him think they could pull this off? They had been safe only as long as Drake believed his daughter’s life was in danger. All bets were off now.

Nadiya appeared as soon as he dismissed Gavril and Emilian. “It seems we need to come up with a new plan.”

Lucien shook his head. “Why should I listen to you? You had the Sherrad heir and you lost her. I doubt we will get another chance at her.” He stood and began to pace the floor. “I thought you were going to kill her,” he muttered, talking more to himself than to Nadiya. “But it is better this way. Sherrad will be angry, but since his daughter is unharmed, he might . . .”

“Stop babbling, you coward!”

“This was a stupid idea from the beginning,” he snapped. “I never should have let you talk me into it.”

“You wanted this place as much as I!”

He stopped pacing. “I say we get out of here while we still can.”

“And I say we stay!”

Lucien shook his head. “Sherrad has his daughter back, but he will not just forget what we have done. Sooner or later, he will return and demand retribution.”

Nadiya took several slow deep breaths. “And you will give it to him.”

“Are you out of your mind? You do not expect me to meet him in combat? One-on-one?”

“Of course not,” she said, smiling. “I will make sure you have plenty of backup.”

Chapter 35

Kaitlyn tossed and turned, unable to get comfortable, unable to relax. Every time she closed her eyes, she imagined herself back in that horrible basement, her ankle shackled to the wall, helpless to do anything but watch as Zack and her father fought a dozen men. At the time, she had given little thought to the man she had killed. True, it had been in self-defense, but her main thought had been that his death meant one less man for Zack and her father to defeat. Now, his face haunted her.

Once they had returned to Wolfram, she hadn’t had a chance to talk to Zack. Her mother had followed her up to her room, making soft mothering noises as she helped her out of her bloodstained clothes, found the tools necessary to remove the shackle from her ankle. Kaitlyn knew her mother was worried about her. After all, that’s what mothers did. They worried. Assured that Kaitlyn was fine, Elena had gathered up her daughter’s clothes, together with the long chain, kissed her on the cheek, and left the room.

Kaitlyn had been certain all she wanted was to go to bed and forget the whole terrible nightmare, but once in bed, sleep wouldn’t come. She wanted to be held, only it wasn’t her father’s arms she needed, but Zack’s.

After another moment of indecision, she slipped out of bed and pulled on her robe. Her bare feet whispered on the carpet as she tiptoed down the hallway toward Zack’s room. Dawn was still a few hours away. She opened the door as quietly as she could, in case he was asleep, and stepped inside. Even in the dark, she could see that the bed was empty.

She stood there a moment, wondering where he was. Had he gone hunting? She had no sooner thought of where he might be than she knew. Turning on her heel, she knew he was downstairs.

She paused in the doorway of the great hall. He was sitting on one of the sofas, apparently lost in thought. Maybe he wanted to be alone. Maybe he didn’t want her there.

“I want you,” he said, his voice a low rumble. Glancing over his shoulder, he beckoned for her to join him.

It was all the invitation she needed. She sighed as his arm curled around her shoulders, drawing her close. “What are you doing here?” he asked, a lilt of surprise in his voice.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Me, either.”

Her gaze moved over him. “Are you all right? You could have been killed.”

He snorted softly. “Piece of cake, darlin’. But, not to worry. I’m too mean to die.” He grinned at her. “Of course, if your father finds you here, with me, at this time of the night . . .” There was no need to finish the sentence.

“I think he’d better get used to the idea of you and me,” she retorted with a toss of her head. “Because I’m here to stay, unless you tell me to go.”

His arms tightened around her. “No, not now.” He brushed her hair away from her neck, then rained soft kisses down the length of her throat. “Not ever.”

“Zack . . .”

“Shh. Just a little taste, okay?”

She nodded, her heart suddenly beating triple time as his fangs brushed her skin. She wrapped her arms around him, her eyelids fluttering down as pleasure spread through her, hot and sweet, like honey warmed by the sun.

When he drew back, she moaned softly. “That feels so wonderful.” She ran her fingertips along the side of his neck, her eyes taking on a faint red glow. “My turn?”

“I’ve created a monster,” he said, grinning. “Just remember you can’t take it all.”

Zack stroked Kaitlyn’s hair. Sharing blood with her was an extraordinary experience. She sighed softly in her sleep, a slight smile playing over her lips. She was curled up in his arms dreaming, he thought, dreaming of something nice, and he was just arrogant enough to believe he was the one who had put that smile on her face.