Bound in Death (Bound #5)(4)

Instead, she had just sacrificed herself for him.

Alerac’s breath came out in low, hard pants. Keira would be fine. The punishment would never be carried out. He’d given orders to his men already—Keira wasn’t to be hurt. Just in case he hadn’t been able to convince her to flee, he’d made sure that his men knew their attack couldn’t hurt her.

“Keira, you can’t do this! You can’t!” Ryan shook her. Her head snapped back.

Then she jerked away from him. “They aren’t monsters.” Her voice was low. Sad. “We are.”

Ryan’s eyes widened as he shook his head. “No.” He rushed toward the vampire clan’s leader. “Lorcan, please, don’t do this! I’ll do—”

“Anything?” Lorcan murmured.

Ryan nodded quickly.

Lorcan laughed. “There’s nothing I want from you. Nothing I can’t take.”

Another woman pushed through the crowd then. A pale woman with long, red hair and a twisting scar that wrapped around her neck. Jewels glittered on her fingers and power seemed to swirl in the air around her.

A witch.

Lorcan’s witch.

The same witch who’d been at his side when Lorcan slaughtered nine members of Alerac’s pack.

“But I can be merciful,” Lorcan continued as the witch approached him. He reached for his witch’s hand. “Shonna, my dear…”

She only flinched a little bit when he touched her.

According to the whispers, she’d tried to flee from Lorcan once. He’d retaliated by nearly taking her head.

She hadn’t attempted to leave him again.

“Work up a spell,” he ordered her softly as his gaze stayed on Keira. “Freeze her body so that she does not need air to breathe. Keep her aware, of every single moment. Let her know that time is passing, let the hunger for blood consume her as she remains motionless in her prison.”

Shonna nodded. “It will be done.”

No, it f*ckin’ wouldn’t be.

Lorcan tapped his chin. “As I said, I am not without mercy.”

Lying bastard.

“My vampiress must suffer during her imprisonment,” Lorcan said. “For what is punishment without pain? But the instant she is free, then I want her to forget.”

Lorcan’s gaze slid to Alerac. To the vampires who were fighting so desperately to hold him down.

Keira.

“I want her to forget everything,” Lorcan said as his shoulders squared. “Everything.” Then he glanced at Ryan once more. “You see, she’ll be able to recover. She’ll be able to come back to us.”

Hope flashed across Ryan’s face.

“I won’t come back,” Keira vowed. “I won’t be like you.”

Lorcan laughed. “You already are.”

A tremble shook the witch’s body. Shonna’s lashes swept down, concealing her gaze.

Lorcan stalked back toward Alerac. He knelt down, getting too close.

Your mistake.

“Keira will come back to us, and, by then, you’ll be long dead.”

But I am not dead yet.

Alerac’s claws flew up. He scraped across Lorcan’s cheek, digging deep into the vamp’s flesh.

Lorcan screamed and jerked away. He glared down at Alerac, chest heaving.

“You’ll be the one who is dead,” Alerac promised him.

“No, I’ll be the one mated to Keira while you are no more than a pile of bones.” Lorcan swiped away blood. “Take her.”

“No!” Ryan shouted.

The shout did no good. All of the vampires in that hall were loyal to Lorcan. Their allegiance did not belong to Ryan, to a man who’d been blood born, but was only now beginning his transformation into a full vampire.

Keira didn’t fight the hands that grabbed her. Her eyes—still unafraid, still too trusting—met Alerac’s, and that trusting gaze broke something in him.

Ryan rushed after her. After her…and the witch. Because Shonna had followed the group that took Keira away from Alerac.

The heavy, wooden doors closed behind them.

Alerac was left with about ten vamps who were all salivating for his blood.

Drink up. Fuckin’ drink up. The faster they drank, the faster they’d die. He’d been sure not to let Keira sample his blood that night. But as for the others…

Drink your fill.

“I said you would get to live.” Lorcan picked up the silver knife. Flashed his fangs. “But I never vowed that you would not suffer.”

A vampire yanked back Alerac’s head, forcing him to stare up at Lorcan’s face.

The leader smiled. “I think I’ll start with your eyes. After all, what good is a wolf that cannot see?”

Dawn would come soon. Hours? Minutes?

He could survive anything until dawn. He knew Lorcan would not kill him right away. All in the realm knew of Lorcan’s love for torture. He never let any of his enemies die easily.

He made my family suffer for hours. Days.

Alerac had been gone, taken away by another battle. When he’d returned, there had been only decaying bodies waiting for him.

“I’m going to carve out your eyes, wolf. Then I’m going to carve you up. Slice by slice. When you’re bleeding from a hundred wounds, we’ll feast on you.” The blade came toward him, but in Alerac’s mind, he didn’t see it. He only saw Keira.