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.
Thiswas 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 Calliedidn’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.
Lucien’s hand tightened on Callie’s hip. The four of them were also part of this fight, but they couldn’t handle what was happening in this room, and he knew Callie couldn’t handle it either.
However, when Killean stepped aside, Lucien led her into the room. She kept her chin held high but stiffened when she spotted the demon in the chair.
At some point during their interrogation of the thing, they’d removed its cloak to reveal the pale, hairless body of the maggot-like creature. Its bones stood out sharply against its nearly translucent skin, and when it lifted its head, its white eyes blazed with fury.
Bruises and burns mottled its pale skin. Lucien suspected the injuries were once much worse, but as he watched, the bruises faded. This thing was afasthealer.
The demon’s thin lips skimmed back as it bared its hooked fangs and started making a strange sound while its body shook. It took Lucien a minute to realize the creature was laughing.
Little unnerved him, but that laughter sent a chill down his spine. He had no idea what this monster found so amusing, and he didn’t want to know. He suspected he wouldn’t find it anywhere near as funny.
He held the creature’s gaze as Callie’s fingers bit into his back. It was the only reaction she had to the monster’s amusement, but Lucien sensed her distress and sought to calm it by reaching through their newly formed bond to comfort her.
Callie forced herself not to run from the room as the monster continued to stare at them while it laughed. She didn’t want to back down from this thing, but her gaze inadvertently darted toward the glass door and the women beyond. She wished she’d never entered this room.
Lucien had warned her about this creature, but she still wasn’t prepared for it. She had no idea what she expected before stepping inside here, but this wasn’t it. He’d told her about its appearance, but she’d still been envisaging something more like a vampire.
