Bound in Death (Bound #5)(50)

“The potion was poison,” Alerac said quietly.

“Son of a bitch,” Finn murmured, sounding shaken. “That’s twisted.”

“That’s Lorcan,” Ryan said as his eyes opened. “He gets off on playing his games.”

Zoe rocked back onto her heels. “I’m surprised you didn’t go crazy.”

“I did.”

Jane shivered. “I-I’m sorry.” The thought of him suffering, with her, for all that time...

“I sent you messages with my mind back then,” Ryan said, voice soft. Shoulders slumped. “Just like I did when I told you to meet me by the stream.”

Alerac tensed.

“Over and over, while you were imprisoned, I’d tell you that everything was going to be all right. That you would be safe. That I’d find you.” He swallowed. “But the cries never stopped, and I figured you couldn’t hear me.”

Jane could only shake her head. She’d sure heard him clearly enough when he told her to meet him at the stream. Maybe she had heard him for all of those other years, too.

Maybe she hadn’t.

“Maybe I needed to be closer, in order for you to hear me.” Ryan’s hands were fisted. “I tried a lot over the last six months.” He rolled his shoulders. “You didn’t seem to hear me then, either. You didn’t seem to hear me until I came to this wolf compound.”

I’d had Alerac’s blood by then. She frowned. She’d started to get stronger after taking Alerac’s blood. Had that made her able to finally connect with her brother’s link?

“Doesn’t matter.” Now Ryan was circling around Heath. “None of that matters now. I took the poison, and there’s no going back.”

“Why would Lorcan want you dead?” Zoe asked. “You were in his clan!”

“He thought I might one day fight him for power over the clan.” A grim smile. “He was right. Though there wasn’t exactly much left of our clan.” His attention shifted to Alerac. “Not after your wolves tore through our keep.”

“What does the poison do?” Zoe edged toward him. “Does it hurt?”

“Every damn minute,” Ryan said grimly. “It’s like fire in my veins.”

Jane swiped away a tear. When had that fallen?

“How long do you have?” Finn wanted to know.

“Now that I’ve located Keira—Jane,” he corrected almost absently, “probably only a day or two more.” But he didn’t seem to care. Why not? He should care. He was talking about his death too casually. “The potion linked me to her. The witch said it would burn brightest when I found what I sought.”

He’d sought her.

“He’s going to burn alive,” Heath whispered. His gaze swept over them all. “Burn from the inside out. Lorcan thinks he’ll die within the next twenty-four hours. But there’s a cure.”

“He’s lying.” Ryan whirled away from the human.

Jane stepped into her brother’s path. “Drink from him and see.” He might be ready to give up and die, but she wasn’t ready to let him go.

A faint furrow appeared between Ryan’s brows.

“Drink from him. What do we have to lose? Just…see. There could be a chance for you.” He’d suffered for so long. Didn’t he deserve a chance?

“Why not?” His teeth flashed. “I could go for a bite.” He turned back toward Heath. “I’m not going to be gentle.”

That was the only warning Heath had. Ryan grabbed for the man, twisted his head to the side, and shoved his fangs into Heath’s throat.

Jane’s own throat burned. Liam had done that to her. He’d wrenched her head to the side— “Jane.”

Alerac. His voice. His hand on her arm.

She blinked. When had he moved so close to her?

“It’s okay,” he told her. His voice was strong and certain. She glanced away from Alerac and back to her brother.

Ryan had freed Heath. “Fuck me.” There was shock in his voice. Ryan swiped a hand over his lips, wiping away the blood. “There is a cure.”

Relief made her a little dizzy. There was a cure, and it looked like they had about twenty-four hours to find it.

***

“They’ll come for the cure,” Lorcan said as he glanced over his shoulder. His witch stood there, pressing her back into the corner. For a being so powerful, she was also incredibly weak.

Breakable.

The marks on her neck were just starting to heal.

It was so hard to find good witches these days.

“They’ll come, and I’ll kill them.” Simple. He’d deliberately let Heath learn of the cure. Every move that he’d made had been deliberate.

If Heath hadn’t been killed on sight at the werewolf compound, then either Ryan or Keira would drink from the human. They would look into his memories.

That was the way of the vampire.

When they took his blood, they’d learn of the cure. They’d learn of Lorcan’s hiding spot in the mountains.

They’d plan an attack.

Alerac would follow his bread crumbs so perfectly. So foolishly.

You destroyed my clan. Now it’s my turn to destroy your pack.

Everything was falling into place. Every f*cking thing.