Jerking back, her hand flew to her chest, and she released a strangled cry as her fingers fell on the hole there. There was a hole in her chest!
She ignored the pain as her fingers prodded at the frayed flesh and animalistic sounds filled the air. It took her far too long to realize those sounds were coming from her, but she couldn’t pull herself out of the memory of her death.
She could still hear the crunch of her bones as steel pierced her body before the sword buried itself in her heart. Once again, she saw the sick smile twisting Yannis’s mouth as he relished her anguish.
Lucien clasped her hand. “It’s over now. You’re safe, and you’re alive.”
“How?” she croaked. “How am I still alive?”
“Simone got to you,” Lucien said as he ran his thumb over her trembling bottom lip. “She was able to get some blood into you before the Savages stopped her. And then, I managed to get more blood into you. Between the two of us, you received enough blood to ensure you didn’t die.”
Callie’s eyes flew up to his as he pulled her hand away from the hole in her chest.
“He stabbed me through the heart,” she whispered.
Red flickered through his eyes. “I know.”
“I felt myself dying.”
His hand squeezed hers as he used his other hand to grip her nape. “But you’re alive and still here, with me.”
“Am I… am I a vampire?”
“The transformation isn’t complete yet. You have to feed, but once you do, you’ll finish becoming a vampire, you’ll feel better, and you’ll heal faster.”
Her gaze returned to her chest, and she shuddered. “So close… I was so close. I felt it all slipping away. It was all being torn away from me and… and….”
“And?” he prodded when she stopped speaking.
“And I was so scared.” She met his gaze again. “I didn’t want to lose you, but I was so glad I found you and got to experience real love before I died.”
“And you’ll get to experience that love every day for eternity.”
She gave him a wan smile as she rested her fingers on the solid wall of his chest.
“Don’t think about it,” he murmured as he kissed her forehead. “It’s the past; it’s over, and you’re safe, but you need to feed to complete the transformation.”
Callie’s eyes dipped to his neck again. This time, when she saw the rhythm of his pulse, she understood the strange sensation fluttering in her stomach; she was hungry… for blood.
She should be repulsed, but a strange tingling started in her canines, and saliva flooded her mouth. A part of her recoiled from her intense reaction to drinking his blood, but another part was desperate to ease the hunger building inside her.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I fed extra to prepare for this, and we have to complete the bond.”
“It’s time,” she murmured as she nestled closer.
“It’s time,” he agreed and closed his eyes when her breasts flattened against his chest.
He stopped breathing when her lips peeled back, and his dick hardened when her fangs grazed his skin. Then she sank those fangs into him, and pure, unadulterated joy shot through him.
He cuddled her close as a sensation of rightness stole through him. This was it. This was why he’d spent his entire life fighting. This moment of happiness was why he’d waged such a relentless battle against the ever-increasing evil in the world and the increasing dark instincts inside himself.
And he would spend the rest of his life fighting for her, and this world, because no matter how awful things were, he believed there was still more love than hate out there. His overwhelming love for her hammered that point home.
As she fed on him, she hooked her leg over his thigh and drew him closer while her hands gripped the muscle etching his back. She remained sore from Yannis’s attack, but Lucien’s blood helped ease the ache in her muscles.
Yearning burned through her as his blood eased her hunger, but it didn’t sate her desire. Thankfully, he sensed what else she needed, and rolling her over, he slipped his cock into her.
Callie gasped as he stretched and filled her until he was deep inside and they were joined together. With him inside her, she could shut out all the bad memories.
As he moved within her, she forgot the awfulness of her death. She focused on him and the strength of their love. When the Savages kidnapped her, she was sure her life was over, and in a way, it did end. The life she’d always known was gone forever, and she would miss it and her friends, but she wouldn’t change anything.
This was where she belonged.
Lowering his mouth to her shoulder, Lucien bit deep as he thrust within her again. He wouldn’t take much from her; she couldn’t give much right now, but he needed to be a part of her in this way.
He had to complete the bond.
As their bodies joined, their blood filled each other, and their thoughts mingled, he felt the bond uniting them forever.
Chapter Forty-Seven
He and Callie didn’t emerge from their room until the next day. Sometime during the night, Ronan brought them more blood, and she was doing well, but Lucien insisted she rest until her wound was better. Now, though a hole remained in her flesh, it was much smaller.
He’d told her about capturing the demon and how he held out little hope it would do them any good. This morning, she insisted on getting out to see the others so they could learn what was happening.
When they emerged from the room, he spotted Asher standing outside the room a couple of doors down. When their door clicked shut, his head turned toward them, and he grinned.
Lucien draped his arm around Callie’s waist and led her down the hall. “How’s it going in there?” he asked when they stopped in front of Asher.
“It’s almost over,” Asher said. “That thing isn’t going to tell us anything, and the longer we keep it alive, the more danger we’re all in.”
Lucien agreed, and as he recalled its eerie, howling cry, he wondered if it was crying out to its brethren. Perhaps it was, but no help arrived for it.
But then, he had no idea how these demons traveled or what they were capable of doing. Maybe they knew exactly where their missing fellow monster was, but they had no way of getting to it.
Either way, he didn’t think it was a good idea for them to keep it alive much longer or to spend another night in this place.
“I want you to stay out here,” he said to Callie.
“No,” she said. “You can’t keep me sheltered from this, and I want to see it. I’m a part of your world now; this is my battle too.”
Lucien opened his mouth to argue but closed it again. She was right; he wouldn’t let her stay in that room to witness the torture he was sure was unfolding within, but she had a right to see their enemy.
“Okay,” he relented.
He knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, Killean opened it. The scar on his face was pulled taut, and his golden eyes glittered with malice. That malice wasn’t directed at them, but it hinted at the awfulness within.
Over Killean’s shoulder, he spotted Declan, Nathan, Logan, Saxon, Willow, Saber, and Ronan gathered around the demon who remained chained to the chair. Beyond them and through the sliding glass door that opened onto the beach, Kadence, Simone, Elyse, and Vicky sat around a table while they stared at the sea.