Binding Ties Read online

  Joseph hurried over to save the man the obvious pain of walking. “What happened?”

  “Our settlement was ambushed by Synestryn. We have no idea how they slipped past our patrols. We didn’t so much as smell them coming. We still don’t know how they managed that.”

  “How bad?”

  Andreas looked to where his cousin’s blood pooled on the pavement. “I saw three of our men and two women go down. They bought us enough time to get the kids out—paid for those seconds with their lives.”

  “Where is Carmen?”

  “She’s safe. I put her in one of the vehicles with the young to make sure she had the most protection possible. All of our fighters were standing between them and harm.”

  Joseph let out a relieved sigh. He’d claimed Carmen as his daughter to fulfill the death wish of one of his fallen brothers. He’d never wanted for her to go stay with the Slayers, but she’d given him little choice. As his adopted daughter, she was the only family he had that could serve as a hostage as valuable as Lyka was to Andreas. And Carmen had insisted in the way only a human teenager could.

  “Anyone missing?” he asked.

  The Slayer’s tawny eyes closed in frustration and pain. “Several of the kids were doing combat practice on the far side of the settlement. Eric was teaching them. He still hasn’t returned my calls.”

  “Did you see him get out?”

  Andreas shook his head. “I couldn’t go back and look. The place was swarming with demons. We’re lucky to have gotten as many of us out as we did.” He glanced around as if checking to see who was listening. Nearly everyone was busy doing something, and paying them little attention.

  He leaned close, lowered his voice. “I’ve never seen this many demons in one place before. They looked almost . . . human. They walked on two legs. Had more skin than fur. Hell, Joseph, they used swords—shitty swords, but swords nonetheless.”

  There had been reports of those kinds of creatures being bred. Joseph’s best guess was that the Synestryn were working toward creating an army that could move around in the daylight without raising human suspicion. No one knew exactly how they were doing it, but if they weren’t stopped soon, they were going to win the war by sheer numbers alone.

  “How did they slip past your defenses?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. Right now I’m more worried about getting the wounded to safety and getting back out there to find Eric and the kids.”

  “Eric?” said Lyka. “What happened to our brother?”

  Joseph turned and saw her hurrying toward them. She should have been too far away to have heard any of that conversation, but Slayer hearing was good, and hers, apparently, was excellent.

  She was dressed in a heavy leather jacket, leather pants, and a belt bristling with weapons. Her hair was tied back and bound out of her face, which was far too pale with fear for Joseph’s peace of mind. Still, the instant he saw her, the pain behind his eyes eased and his whole world seemed to spin a little easier. He didn’t know why she had such an effect on him, but right now, he welcomed it.

  Andreas turned in time to face his sister. “Take it easy. It’s not time to panic yet.”

  “What’s wrong with your arm?” she asked.

  “Dislocated. It’ll heal.”

  “Good.” She jabbed a finger in his chest, making him wince. “Our people were attacked. Some were killed. Others are missing. Don’t you dare tell me not to panic. Where the hell is Eric?”

  “We don’t know. We’re heading out after him as soon as we can.”

  “I’m going with you,” she said.

  “Like hell,” said Andreas, at the same time Joseph said, “No, you’re not.”

  She glanced at each of them. “I’m not sure which one of you to smack first, but rest assured that if my brother and a bunch of our young are missing, I will be going out to find them.”

  Andreas addressed Joseph. “I guess you haven’t had any more luck controlling her than I did.”

  Joseph wasn’t going to step on that land mine, not if he could help it. Instead he turned the conversation back to safer ground. “We need to get you and your people some healing. While you do that, I’ll gather up some men and we’ll make plans to send out groups to help you find Eric and the kids.”

  “I’ll figure out which of my people are fit to hunt and assign at least one of them to each group you send out. They’ll know Eric’s scent and will be able to follow it.”

  “Sign me up for the first group that leaves,” said Lyka. “I’m ready to go, and I’m not injured.”

  Joseph knew he was going to regret this at some point in the near future, but he had no choice. “I took a vow to ensure your safety. That means you stay here.”

  “You can’t hold me prisoner. My brother won’t allow it.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Andreas, “but Joseph is right. If you die while in Joseph’s care, the treaty will be broken. I need the help of the Theronai and Sanguinar too much right now to risk that happening. I know you want to help, but the answer is no.”

  “You two really think you can keep me here?” she asked, her eyes narrowed in fury.

  “There are prison cells beneath Dabyr,” said Joseph. “I’d rather not have to put you in one of them.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  “To save your life? Hell, yes, I would.”

  She turned to Andreas. “You’d let him lock me up like a prisoner?”

  “I’ll toss you in there myself. I’m already worried I’ve lost one sibling. I won’t lose two.”

  Her only response was a rough growl of anger before she turned and stalked away.

  Andreas let out a low whistle. “You know we’re going to pay for that, right?”

  “At least she’ll live long enough to make us suffer. I’m okay with that.”

  “You only say that because you’ve never had her put a scorpion in your boxers. And that was when she was four. She’s had a lot of years to come up with much, much worse punishments.”

  “Do you think I made the wrong call?” asked Joseph.

  “Not at all. I’m just saying that if I were you, I’d shake my underwear out before stepping into it. Just to be safe.”

  “I’ll take that under advisement. But for right now, we have a crisis to kill.”

  Joseph found Logan and got his report. “Everyone is stable.”

  “Did Andreas’s cousin survive?”

  “He did, though it was a close call. He was seconds from death.”

  “How many more wounded are there?”

  “Several, based on the smell of blood in the air. It’s going to take Hope and I at least an hour or so to get all the healing done. I’m afraid that after that, we’re going to be spent for the night.”

  “What about Tynan and the others?”

  Logan shook his head. “They’re too weak. The blooded humans have refused to give them blood. They blame all us Sanguinar for what Connal did.”

  “Have Tynan come see me. I’ll give him the blood he needs. Andreas is playing down his injuries, but his arm is useless. He needs attention, and we need his people to have a voice of leadership. I doubt the Slayers would enjoy me telling them what to do.”

  Logan nodded, his silver eyes lighting from within. “I understand. We must avoid more bloodshed until Hope has a chance to replenish her power in the sun tomorrow.”

  “If you have to, stabilize the civilians and finish healing them tomorrow. We need all the fighters on their feet tonight. Children are missing.”

  “It will be done,” said Logan, and he turned and went back to work.

  The next hour passed in chaos as people were sorted out and given healing and shelter. Gerai—the humans who had dedicated their lives to serving the Sentinels—worked inside to provide food, beds, and a much-needed distraction for the traumatized
children.

  Warriors, both Theronai and Slayer, guarded the perimeter, watchful for approaching enemies. Soon, the huge front lawn inside the tall stone walls around Dabyr grew quiet and calm once again.

  Joseph had worked nonstop, directing people to where they would be of the most use. Even as Tynan drank blood from Joseph’s wrist, he continued issuing orders so that everyone got to safety as quickly as possible.

  Once the vehicles were housed in the garage and the last civilian was taken inside, Joseph texted his warriors to summon them to his office, leaving only a few inside the gates to sound the alarm if bad things came their way.

  Andreas was waiting for him, along with several of Joseph’s men.

  Lyka sat beside her brother, her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at him in defiance.

  Fine. If she wanted to stay, let her stay. She eased his pain and helped him think more clearly, even if she was trying to kill him with her gaze.

  “How many able-bodied men do you have?” Joseph asked Andreas.

  “A dozen warriors and six trackers.”

  “Seven,” said Lyka.

  Joseph ignored her. “I’ve reached two teams in the field. They’re headed this way and can meet up with your trackers. My men will pair up and tag along with the other four trackers.”

  “Five,” said Lyka.

  Again, Joseph ignored her. “Will you be on one of the teams?” he asked Andreas. “Or are you staying here with your people?”

  “I’m staying until sunrise to coordinate our movements. If Eric isn’t found by then, I’ll be leaving, too.”

  “I’ve asked the Gerai to give you whatever supplies you need. Your road-worthy trucks are being gassed up now. It’s going to take time to clean the blood out of some of them, and they’ll have to stay here until they’re clean, so they don’t attract more demons.”

  “I appreciate that,” said Andreas. “But I have another favor to ask of you.”

  “What is it?”

  “The civilians and the young . . . they need a place to stay until we can relocate.”

  “They’re welcome here for as long as you need.”

  Several of the Theronai shared concerned looks, but kept their mouths shut.

  “I know it might cause trouble,” said Andreas, “but I’ve warned them all that I’ll punish anyone who gets out of line. We’re guests here. They’re all to be on their best behavior.”

  Lyka crossed her arms over her chest. “They’re not going to like being prisoners here any more than I do.”

  “They’re not prisoners,” said Joseph.

  “That’s what you keep telling me, too, and yet I’m not allowed to leave. Are they?”

  Joseph couldn’t deal with her now—not when there was so much to do, and certainly not in front of an audience. “You know it’s not safe for them to leave. We’ll talk about it more when this crisis is averted.”

  She shot to her feet. “If you think you can push me aside like a whiny child, you’re wrong. I don’t need your permission to do what’s right.” She shifted her death-ray stare to Andreas. “Or yours.”

  Lyka was out the door before Joseph could stop her. He wanted to go after her, but knew it wasn’t an option. He had a rescue mission to organize, a bunch of frightened children to soothe, wounded to attend and more than five hundred lives to protect. He couldn’t allow the feelings of one woman to get in his way.

  “I’ll go after her,” said Andreas. “Make sure she doesn’t cause you any trouble.”

  Madoc unrolled a map on the table. “Let her go. How fucking much trouble could she possibly cause?”

  Joseph winced.

  Andreas let out a humorless laugh. “You clearly don’t know my sister. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “We can’t wait on you,” said Joseph.

  Andreas nodded at his cousin—the one who’d been on death’s door when he’d arrived. He looked as strong and healthy as any Slayer alive now, thanks to Logan and Hope. “Amhas was there. He knows as much as I do.”

  Amhas nodded his shaggy blond head. “I got this. Good luck.”

  Andreas squared his shoulders. “Thanks. I’m going to need all I can get.”

  Chapter 6

  This wasn’t the first time Lyka had considered inciting rebellion and she doubted it would be the last.

  She was halfway to the main room of Dabyr, where her kind was being kept, when Andreas caught up with her. He grabbed her sleeve and pulled her to a stop. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “You seemed to need my help, so I’m warning our people that they may be held here against their will. That way they can leave before it’s too late.”

  “You call that help? What I really need is a sister who can listen and follow instructions. I told you to mind your manners, to be the glue that would bind our two people together, not to try to convince a bunch of uprooted, frightened people that they just walked into some kind of prison.”

  “They deserve to know the truth.”

  “They deserve to have a safe place to sleep tonight.”

  “You heard Joseph. He’s going to make them stay here.”

  Andreas looked around at the clean, well-lit hallway, complete with little alcoves containing fresh plants, flowers and artwork. “It’s not exactly a concentration camp. Why are you throwing such a fit? Have they been treating you badly?”

  “Define badly.”

  “Have they starved you or beat you or forced you to sleep out in the cold?”

  “No, but you heard Joseph. He thinks he can boss me around.”

  “He bosses everyone here around. That’s his job. He’s the reason this place is still standing, with so many juicy targets inside. He’s the reason the walls haven’t been overrun by demons. He’s the reason our wounded survived tonight and our young have a safe place to rest.”

  “You make him sound like some kind of superhero.”

  “That’s because he is.” Andreas held out his hands, showing off his tattered, bloody clothing. “Look at me. I barely survived tonight. Our home was overrun, and that’s my fault. Just like it’s Joseph’s fault that the home he protects is still standing.”

  “That wasn’t your doing. We don’t have walls like they do. We don’t have magic to sling around like they do, or Sanguinar on hand to fix our every boo-boo. We survive on our own with help from no one.”

  “That’s the problem, Lyka. We’re not surviving. We’re being targeted. Picked off. We’ve lost too many people in the past few months. I didn’t realize it until tonight, but those attacks were testing our strengths and weaknesses. Those attacks were feeding our enemy the information they needed to pull off what they did tonight.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I need to know that you’re doing your job here.”

  “What job? I just sit around, trying not to let anyone touch me. I tried to get involved with the kids, teaching them, but even that is getting shut down. Apparently, human kids are too weak to be taught how to fight.”

  “I know that you respect few things more than you do strength and skill in combat, but I have to side with Joseph on this one. Humans are much frailer than we are. It’s our job to protect them.”

  “You sound just like him. It’s no wonder the two of you hit it off so well. You both love getting your way and bossing people around.”

  Andreas stepped back, spreading his hands wide. “You want to challenge me for leadership?” he asked. “Go ahead. I’m tired. Distracted. You might just win.”

  No, she wouldn’t. She knew better than to think she could. And the last thing she wanted was to injure her brother when he really did need to be out there looking for Eric and the kids.

  “I don’t want your job. Just take me with you. I need to breathe free air.”

  “Unless you’re telling me that you’ve been abus
ed here, you’re just going to have to suck it up and deal like everyone else. I know you don’t like the role you were given, but that’s just too damn bad. It’s the role your people need you to play. Both your peoples.”

  There were cameras everywhere. Nothing that was said in these halls was private. Before Andreas could give away her secrets, she stopped him, covering his mouth with her hand. “Shut the hell up,” she said, nodding toward the closest camera.

  The second she touched him, she was inundated with emotion. Hopes. Dreams. Desires.

  Her gift hadn’t been triggered this powerfully in so long, she’d almost forgotten about it. She hadn’t touched anyone but the kids since she’d been here, and the most she’d ever gotten from any of them was a faint desire to be safe. Free.

  Sometimes, when the people around her had intense needs, she could feel that, but it was a subtle thing, not at all like the raging emotions that were pouring out of her brother.

  He wanted peace. Protection for his people. He wanted to find Eric safe and well, right alongside the young who had been taken. He wanted to rebuild their home and find a way to make it safe for this and future generations.

  There was something else, too. Something unexpected.

  A woman.

  Lyka couldn’t tell exactly who she was, but she could tell that Andreas wasn’t supposed to be wanting her—not when he was all but promised to Faolan.

  “Who is she?” asked Lyka.

  Andreas jerked back out of reach. “I really hate it when you do that.”

  “Tell me who she is.”

  His face darkened with embarrassment. “It doesn’t matter. It’s never going to happen. Let it go.”

  “You can’t lie to me. I know how much you want her.”

  “That’s none of your damn business.”

  “Does Faolan know?”

  “There’s nothing to tell her. I haven’t so much as touched the girl. I’ve barely even let myself glance at her. It’s a nonissue. Let it go.”