Bound in Death (Bound #5)(48)

The time is right now.

He lifted his hand to his throat. It still ached, but the pain was more of a memory. Lorcan had long ago grown used to pain—both giving it and taking it. He’d made sure that the doctor enjoyed plenty of pain before Heath had been allowed to venture to Jane’s side.

He knew what was happening inside that wolf pack. The betrayal. The battle.

Liam had turned on Alerac. He’d thought the two wolves were as close as brothers. But even a brother would kill you if there was enough power involved.

Lorcan had killed both of his brothers centuries ago. A witch had come to Lorcan long before he’d ever tasted his first sip of blood. She’d told him that his brothers were destined to destroy him.

He’d destroyed them first. As their blood had soaked the ground beneath his feet, he’d learned just how valuable a witch could be.

A witch’s power could change the world.

And the right vampire—he could rule the paranormal world.

Normally, he wouldn’t give a damn about werewolf politics, but Liam had crossed the line. He’d hurt Jane.

Twice, Liam had sent vampires after her.

My own damn kind. The knowledge still burned.

Those vampires could have killed Jane. They hadn’t realized just what an immense mistake they were making.

No one could kill Jane. She belonged to him. Not just as a clansman, but so much more.

He was the only one left who remembered the bond that had been forged so long ago. Perhaps it was time for him to enlighten the others.

For them to truly see that there was no hope for Jane and Alerac. The lovers weren’t going to get some romantic, happy ending.

It was too late for that.

Jane was already linked to another, through blood and pain, until death.

***

“He doesn’t want to kill you! You’re part of his clan. He just wants you back.”

Right. Jane didn’t buy that line for an instant. Not with the images of Lorcan still swirling in her mind.

Finn came back into the room, holding thick rope in his hands. Alerac dumped Heath into the nearest chair, and they tied him up tight. Tight enough to cut off the circulation.

Then Alerac backed up. He cocked a brow and glanced at Jane. “Want to go first?”

Yeah, she had plenty of questions for her friend. “How did you know to find me in that swamp?” When she’d been walking alone, covered in dirt and grime. Her mind broken. Her body convulsing from hunger. “It wasn’t some vacation trip. Some coincidence.”

Heath’s gaze glanced around, sweeping the room.

“Don’t expect Liam to come to your aid,” Alerac snapped at him. “The pack knows he’s a traitor. He’s been hunted now.”

Heath’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

“Tell me!” Jane demanded.

“L-Liam told me where to find you. Said he’d drunk the memory from some vamp years ago. The enchantment that held you prisoner was supposed to fall away this year, and he figured that if you were strong enough, you’d crawl your way to freedom.”

“Where was she?” Alerac’s voice was low.

In his binds, Heath shrugged. Some blood still dripped from his wounds. “All I know is she dug her way out of a grave in that swamp.”

A grave. “I was buried alive? All that time?”

Another shrug.

“How could even a vampire survive that?” Zoe asked as sympathy flashed across her face. “Wouldn’t you need food? Air? I mean, you breathe, right?”

“It was the spell,” Alerac said, voice wooden. “It locked in the air in her lungs, froze her body, and made it her prison. She could feel the bloodlust and hunger, but she couldn’t move.” His face was tight with fury. “Magic can do anything, if it’s strong enough.” Alerac yanked his hand through his hair. “Liam knew.”

Jane tried to focus on breathing. She’d been shoved in the ground somewhere out in that swamp, buried alive for all of those years? A prisoner, in her own body. I don’t want those memories back. Maybe that made her a coward, but she didn’t care. Screw the past. She was ready for the future.

“It was gift, you know?” Heath was staring at her now. “Once I went with Lorcan, I realized that.”

What? Now she was the one grabbing for Heath as she lunged forward. “Being imprisoned was a gift?”

“No.” His chin lifted. “Losing your memory was. You should thank Lorcan for that. He was merciful to you. If you’d kept those memories, you’d probably be insane.”

She was staring at someone insane. “Oh, I’ll be sure to thank him, all right.” She’d thank the bastard by taking his head. That’d really show her gratitude to the jerk.

“Why did he send you here?” Alerac asked as he pulled Jane away from Heath.

Heath’s gaze jumped to him. “Because I promised him that I could deliver Jane to him.”

She laughed at that.

“It’s a promise I’ll keep,” Heath swore.

“I don’t see how,” Zoe said as she lifted a brow. Finn stood just behind her. “I mean, considering you’re tied to a chair right now, and you look like werewolf chow to me.”

Finn growled.

Heath licked his bloody lips. He turned his head, and his eyes found Jane once more. “If you don’t go with me, Jane, if you don’t go back with me to meet Lorcan, then he’s going to hurt someone that you care about.”