Binding Ties Read online

  Vazel was faster than his appearance would suggest. He drew a sword and leveled it against Eric’s chest, pressing hard enough to draw a trickle of blood.

  “You will not touch her,” said Vazel.

  “Touching her is the absolute last thing I want to do, but if she hurts those kids again, I’m going to have to put her in the ground.”

  Vazel growled. Treszka laughed. “Boys, boys. No need to fight over me. Let’s all sit down and have a nice meal together.”

  At the smell of Eric’s blood, nearby demons became agitated. He could hear the wave of restless hunger race out of the chamber and through the system of caves.

  He stared down at the grotesque demon. “If you don’t take that steel out of my skin, we’re going to have a problem with the other demons.”

  “She controls them with absolute authority.”

  Eric eyed the demon. “Got your dick in a drawer, too, does she?”

  Vazel growled.

  “That’s enough! Sit!” Treszka’s face darkened with rage.

  Vazel sat. Eric shook his head. “I don’t eat while the young suffer. Period. If you can’t handle that, then we’re done here.”

  She smiled sweetly at Eric. “You’re not in charge here, Slayer. I am.” Before he could react, she addressed the guards. “Feed the scrawny one to the troops. Make the other one watch.”

  Chapter 13

  Joseph was glad the lake water was cold. It helped burn off some of his anger before he reached Lyka again.

  To her credit, she didn’t try to hide or run away. She stood there waiting for him, feet braced apart, like she was ready for battle.

  Joseph wasn’t sure his body could take another rough ride like the last one without suffering physical damage, so he stopped several feet away, dripping onto the grass. “What the hell, Lyka?”

  “I didn’t mean to do it.” She paused, scrunching up her nose. “Well, I did, but not exactly like that. It just kind of happened.”

  “Is it just kind of going to happen again?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Depends on how pissy you get with me, Theronai.” Her gaze dipped down, roaming over his torso with feminine interest.

  Even with his cock being caged by cold, wet jeans, it still reacted to her look, swelling uncomfortably.

  “At least you can tap into my power now. That’s something, I guess.” He nodded toward the training post. “Try it now.”

  She squinted at the wooden post, pressing her lips flat in concentration. “Nothing is happening.”

  “Just do what you did before, without the whole dunking part.”

  She tried again, but he felt no draw on his power, no connection.

  “Why isn’t it working?” she asked.

  “Are you too tired?”

  She lifted a brow. “Do I look tired, Theronai?”

  No, she looked delicious. Absolutely edible. And if he didn’t stop thinking about getting his mouth on his sweet little kitty, he was going to do permanent damage to his cock. There was simply no room for it to swell in these wet jeans.

  “What’s different?” he asked.

  “I can’t feel you anymore. It’s like your power is too far away to reach.”

  He could certainly fix that.

  He stepped up behind her and slid his fingers through hers. His ring buzzed happily against her skin. The magic roiling inside him bubbled up, eager to be free.

  “Try it now.”

  She did as he asked, but it still didn’t work.

  One more thing to try. “I’m going to touch my ring to your necklace. Maybe that’s what did it last time.”

  He could have lifted her hair and touched the nape of her neck, but instead he slid his arm under hers and between her breasts. His hand shackled her throat in front, pinning her nice and tight against him.

  She felt so damn good there. The sweet curve of her ass nestled against him, cushioning his erection. Lake water wet her clothes, allowing their body heat to conduct easily between them. He could feel her heart pound against his forearm, speeding the same way her breathing did at his touch.

  She might not like him, but her body reacted to his touch as if she’d been made just for him. Eventually, she’d get used to his touch, his nearness.

  Assuming she didn’t simply walk through the gates and leave him behind.

  He couldn’t let her go out there alone, not with so much danger around every turn. His promise would force his hand if she wanted to leave, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t convince her to stay here, where she’d be safe.

  He let his fingers trail over her skin, making note of how she barely reacted when he kept his touch light, but her whole body trembled when he applied a little pressure.

  Joseph lowered his head so that his lips grazed the outer rim of her hear as he whispered, “Can you feel my power now?”

  Her voice was faint, almost breathless. “I think so.”

  “Let it slide inside you. Here.” He tightened his fingers around her neck, drawing her attention to the spot where his ring connected to her necklace.

  Her head fell back. She let out a small moan before clamping her lips shut over it. Pleasure? Pain? He couldn’t tell.

  “Am I hurting you?”

  She gave her head a little shake. Her golden hair slid across his chest, the strands clinging to his damp skin.

  “What do you feel?” he asked.

  Her voice was dreamy. “Warm. Full.”

  The imagery that brought to mind held a dark eroticism that made his cock throb hard against her ass. There were so many ways he wanted to fill her, leaving her warm and sated.

  Down, boy. Not going to happen. Not here. Not tonight. And not ever if you don’t get some fucking control over yourself.

  “Open your eyes, kitten. Look at the post in the lake. Use that power filling you up to set it on fire.”

  “I don’t know how.”

  “Then let me show you.”

  Her eyes were still closed. She was relaxed against him, accepting his hold on her almost as if she welcomed it. There was a dreamy look on her beautiful face that made him swell with pride. He’d been the one who put it there.

  He knew she didn’t want him in her thoughts, but she wasn’t resisting him now. She was pliant in his arms, leaning on him, trusting him not to let her fall.

  Once she knew what it was like to connect to him in the way they were meant to connect, she wouldn’t be afraid of it anymore. She’d see that they’d be stronger when united. Unstoppable.

  With the same gentle care reserved for fragile, delicate things, he found the connection the luceria forged between them and eased into her thoughts. He moved slowly, backing off whenever he hit even the slightest resistance. With each passing second, he gained a little more ground, moving deeper into her mind.

  He didn’t snoop or even let his curiosity gain the upper hand. He stuck to his original task and used their link to show her what she needed to do.

  The instant his thought solidified inside hers, she freaked.

  Every muscle in her body went stiff. She snarled, grabbed his head and flipped him over her. He slammed into the ground hard enough to rattle his bones. Before he knew what was happening, she had drawn his sword and held the tip of it to his throat.

  “Don’t you ever fucking do that again.” Her voice was a rough growl of warning. Her pupils narrowed to slits, and her canines seemed to lengthen.

  Joseph didn’t dare move. Not when she was on the edge of skewering him where he lay with that razor-sharp steel blade.

  “Promise me!” she demanded.

  He kept his voice nice and calm. No need to rile the wild animal in her. “No. That’s the way it’s supposed to be between us. One day you’ll see that. Until then, I’ll try to be as patient as you need me to be.”


  She lunged to her feet and tossed the blade onto the ground. “Keep your distance, Theronai. We’re done.”

  Lyka stalked away, making a beeline for her suite.

  Joseph knew exactly what she was doing, and there wasn’t a thing he could do to stop her. He’d promised her she could leave, and now she would.

  But she wasn’t going alone. She might not like it, but that was just too bad. She’d taken his luceria. She’d given him her vow. She was his now, and he had made a promise to protect her life with his own. He couldn’t do that if she was out there and he was in here.

  Joseph picked up his cell phone as he went to pack his bag. The first man on his list answered.

  “I need you to hold down the fort while I’m away,” said Joseph. “I’m going on a field trip.”

  * * *

  Eric suffered through a surge of panic. The two Slayer boys both started crying.

  He’d made a mistake. He’d pushed Treszka too hard, and now those kids were going to pay the price.

  “No,” he said, rushing to fix the damage he’d done. “Don’t hurt them.”

  She aimed those white pupils at him, creeping him out down to his toes. “You will obey?”

  For now he would. For now he would bide his time and figure out a way to get out of here without losing a single one of the young. “I will.”

  “Then sit and eat.”

  Eric sat and started eating. He didn’t taste a thing. His focus was too tightly on the boys who were crying quietly on the far side of the room.

  Poor kids. He had to get them out before they were irrevocably scarred.

  “What do I have to do to free the young?” he asked between bites.

  Vazel, the grotesque demon sitting across from him, pulled his eyes off Treszka long enough to glare at Eric. “They’re ours now. We need their blood.”

  “Silence,” she barked. “You have no idea what my plans for these creatures are.”

  He bowed his head in obedience, but the glare of hatred on his face was still aimed at Eric.

  “So you admit you’re not going to let them go?” asked Eric. “If that’s the case, then go ahead and kill them now. I’d rather not see them suffer.”

  The boys whimpered.

  “I have no desire to kill them. I will if you force my hand, but my intent is for them to live a long, healthy life. We need them down here.”

  That’s when Eric realized the truth, and it was far worse than he’d hoped.

  Slayer blood was powerful. It held the traces of magic that the Synestryn needed to live. Slayers healed fast. Regenerated blood and tissue faster than even the Theronai or Sanguinar did. And they didn’t burn up any precious magical resources doing so. If fed and protected from injury, a Slayer could lose a lot of blood every day and live for decades.

  That was what she’d meant when she said she wanted the young to live a long, healthy life.

  She was going to bleed them to fuel her troops.

  His desire to keep the kids alive warred with his need to see every last Synestryn die. He couldn’t stand the thought of the young being used as food, living their lives down here, knowing nothing more than pain and imprisonment.

  He’d rather see them die a swift, painless death.

  “I can see what you’re thinking, Slayer,” she said. “I won’t let you take my resources away.”

  “You’re not leaving me much choice.”

  “They’ll be comfortable.”

  “The metal collars around their necks say otherwise.”

  “A necessary precaution. These two tried to kill my soldiers.”

  Eric glanced toward the young. “Excellent work, boys. I’m proud of you.”

  “Take them away,” ordered Treszka, clearly irritated that Eric wasn’t paying complete attention to her. “Feed them. Let them sleep.”

  “Stay strong, boys. I will come for you. We’ll get out of here soon.”

  The young didn’t respond, but he knew they’d heard him. That was enough for now. They were strong. They’d survive as he’d trained them to do.

  Vazel ripped a piece of meat free and shoved it into his mouth. Juices dripped down his knobby chin. “I told you he was more trouble alive. Let me take him to the pens. He’s no better than the others.”

  “What others?” asked Eric.

  Treszka’s nostrils flared in anger. “Leave us until you can learn the art of silence. Now.”

  He shot Eric another death stare, but picked up his food in his giant fists and stomped away.

  That left only her and about a dozen guards for him to take out. He glanced around the room, calculating his odds.

  “You won’t make it out alive,” she said, as if reading his thoughts. “There are two hundred more of my men between you and the surface. You might as well get used to the dark.”

  The information she accidentally provided was useful. Assuming any of it was true. “I will find a way out.”

  She gave him a sexy smile, and for a split second, he almost forgot she was a bloodthirsty demon. Her beauty had a way of clouding his judgment, but the toxic smell coming from her reminded him of exactly what she was.

  “Is that all you really want?” she asked, running her fingers down her neck to dip just inside the top of her velvet gown. Breasts were designed to make men stupid, and she really did have a spectacular pair. Especially for a demon.

  He shook his head to steel his resolve. “Yes. I want the young and I want to leave. I’d also like you and every demon down here dead, if I’m being completely honest.”

  “I’m no demon,” she said with a little pout.

  “Sure as hell fooled me. If you’re not a demon, then what the hell are you?”

  “A Synestryn queen.”

  Eric blinked. “Those exist?”

  “I rule this area absolutely. All of my kind who dwell here obey me. As will you.”

  He laughed. He couldn’t help it. “You really shouldn’t say such things until you get to know a person. Makes you look like an idiot.”

  One second he was sitting at the table. The next, he flew across the room, coming to a hard stop as his body slammed into the cave wall. His head bounced off, rattling his brains around in his skull. He stayed where he landed, not even sliding down an inch. His feet dangled over the ground, swiftly losing feeling as the pressure holding him in place increased and cut off his blood flow.

  Treszka lifted her skirts and glided over to where he sprawled, completely immobile. “And you, Slayer, should not defy a queen who possesses more power than you can imagine. It makes you look like food.”

  She flicked her wrist and his head jerked to the side, baring his neck. He watched in helpless horror as she tugged on her hair, pulling it back, away from her forehead. The long strands hung there by a flap of skin that had been covering what could only be called a maw. The opening in the top of her head was a grotesque black hole surrounded by half a dozen long, sharp teeth. She bowed her head, giving him a better view, and he wished like hell he’d been born blind. One bulbous eye positioned above the maw blinked at him. It was the same black iris and white pupil as her other eyes, but this one was lidded by thick, rubbery flesh with no lashes. Tears leaked from it as it regarded him.

  As he watched, completely immobile, she lowered that mouth to his throat and sank her sharp teeth in his flesh.

  He tried to fight her hold, tried to slow his pounding heart so it wouldn’t willingly pump blood into her mouth, but nothing he did worked. With each passing beat of his heart, he fed her, strengthening her while he grew weaker.

  As he became dizzy from blood loss, his eyes fluttered shut. All he could feel was the sharp sting of her teeth and the cold brush of that rubbery eyelid on his skin. Not long after that, he felt nothing as he sank into unconsciousness.

  Chapter 14

  Ly
ka surveyed the damage that had once been her home.

  What used to be a peaceful woodland settlement nestled in the Ozark Mountains was now just . . . carnage. The rustic log cabins her people lived in were charred and broken. Several of them looked like they’d taken blows over and over from a battering ram. All that was left were splinters and the belongings of her pack mates strewn about like so much leaf litter.

  The ground was rough with furrows dug in by the feet of hundreds of Synestryn. Those that had died had been burned off by the sun, but their primitive swords remained as a testament to how many enemies her people had faced.

  It was a wonder that any of them survived.

  All around her, fallen leaves and evergreens colored the area, but in the center of the clearing there was only black.

  The blood of their enemy had tainted the ground, staining it and poisoning it for years to come. Nothing would grow here. Nothing would flourish here. The peaceful setting so in tune with nature would never again be the same.

  Off to one side were several fresh graves dug in haste by Andreas and his men upon their return. The dirt was mounded up over those who’d been lost. There had been no time for tombstones, so all that marked their graves now were thick wooden stakes carved with the names of the dead.

  A flood of anguish and grief washed over her so suddenly she didn’t see it coming. The shock of the devastation was beginning to wear off, leaving behind something much more jagged and agonizing.

  Her chest tightened until she couldn’t breathe. She pulled in pitiful gasps of air, only to let them out in high whimpers of pain. The wind swept the noise of her grief away as if it had never been, but the marks it left on her were permanent scars of loss that would never fade.

  She crouched where she stood, hearing the charred earth beneath her feet crunch with the shift of her weight. She hugged herself, praying the storm of emotion would pass and she’d once again be able to function.

  She’d come here to find her brother and the children. Despite her Theronai side, she was one of the best scent trackers her people had. If anyone could find a trail leading from this place, it was her.