Bound by Blood (Bound #1)(11)

The Council had been right. She should have known better than to trust the alpha. Not even married a full day and he was already trying to kill her. Her teeth snapped together as she glared down at him. She’d actually started to trust the wolf. How stupid was she?

“I saved you,” he threw at her and—and he wasn’t fighting her. He was just staring at her, eyes too bright, and…bleeding. Cuts and blisters covered his skin. Blisters, as if he’d been in the fire.

Her head snapped up. An ugly green pickup blocked her view of the house, but she could hear the crackle of the flames and the stench of the smoke burned her nose.

“I was out here with Louis when the fire started.” Jace’s voice hummed with quiet fury.

“Then I f*cking raced in for you.”

He’d…gone in there for her?

“I thought you were dead.” So much rage underscored his words. “So I made you drink. I knew my blood could help heal you.”

Not dead. But close.

She gazed at him. Her thighs hugged his hips just as they had last night. The memories were there, between them both.

“Uh, I hate to interrupt this would-be make-out scene…” The other wolf mumbled as he ran a hand over his face. “But I think we got us a real big problem.” Tension had tightened the faint lines on his handsome face.

Morgan rose slowly. Her knees wanted to wobble but she forced herself to stand. A quick glance showed the blisters on her arms were almost gone.

Such powerful blood.

Jace rose and towered over her. He glanced back at his house, and she saw the muscle flex in his jaw. “Some * is going to pay.” He pointed at the blond wolf. “Louis, get the pack.” Then he was gone. Running back toward the fire. No, really, just… no.

Morgan leapt after him. “Jace, stop!”

“Easy.” The other guy—Louis—had his arms around her. She head-butted him and kept going after Jace. But Jace wasn’t heading back into the flames. He raced around the house. Leaned toward the flames. Sniffed—

Got a scent.

He spun around and stared at her. His whole face seemed to just go blank.

“Something you need to tell me, princess?” He murmured, voice a silken threat. The fire raged behind him. They were at the edge of the glades. No neighbors to see the flames and call 9-1-1.

His chest was bare. His eyes bright. Sexy.

Jace closed the distance between them and caught her hand. “Now’s the time. If you’ve been holding back, tell me.”

Holding back? Morgan shook her head.

His lips tightened. “So be it.”

What? Her head throbbed. The sun was too bright. The flames too hot, and, even with Jace’s blood, she was weak.

Almost human again.

Before she could speak, Jace had her. The guy moved in one of his quick lunges and caught her in his arms. The world spun, and she found herself hanging over his shoulder.

“Jace!” He ignored her yelp and marched for the truck.

Louis was already inside. Morgan slapped her hands against Jace’s rather fine ass. He didn’t stop marching. Didn’t even pause.

“What are you doing?” Other than hauling her around like—

He yanked open the passenger door and tossed her into the truck. “The game just changed on us.”

Her hair fell over her eyes. Morgan shoved it back and frowned at him. “This isn’t a game.”

“No.”

The truck’s motor snarled to life.

“You know whose scent I caught all around that house?”

Louis pulled out his phone and dialed quickly.

Morgan licked her lips. “Demon scent.” It made sense. If they knew she’d agreed to team up with Jace, then they’d come after her. She just hadn’t expected an attack so soon.

“Got a fire out on Mooreline Road,” Louis said into his phone. “Send the trucks.”

“Not demons.” Jace spared a glance back at his burning house. “Not this time.” His gaze came back to her. “You were almost burned alive by your own kind. It’s the vamps who came

—their stench was all around the house. They set the f*cking place to blow with you inside it.”

***

When a wolf stormed a vampire stronghold, he damn well stormed it. Louis drove the pickup right through the fancy electronic gate at the vampire compound.

“Don’t do this!” Morgan ordered Jace, grabbing his arm. “It’s a mistake! They didn’t attack me!”

Yeah, they had. And they’d pay.

The other wolves in his pack flooded in behind them.

Attacking in the daylight gave them the advantage, and Jace was more than ready to kick some vampire ass.

He jumped out of the truck and barely held back his howl of fury. She hadn’t even seemed to be breathing. Oh, yeah, vamps were about to pay. Morgan hopped out right behind him. Dogs were barking, snarling. Figured the vamps would keep Dobermans as their attack dogs.

Jace turned his head and snarled at the dog. “Bite me,” he dared.

“He won’t,” Morgan said, voice soft and wan because she’d nearly died, “but if you don’t stand down, I will.”

Then his vampiress put herself between him and the entrance to the vampire pit. Not a pit, really. More like a million dollar mansion. The vampires had to do everything with style.