Blood and Bond
1245 Words
Chapter 6
The first howl reached the cabin twenty minutes later.
Kael moved to the window and peered through the curtains. His shoulders were tense. “Three cars. At least eight wolves. Maybe more in the trees.”
I stood near the fireplace with my arms wrapped around myself. The memory of what happened between us earlier still burns under my skin. The bond pulsed steadily now, stronger than it had been before we crossed that line. I hated how much I needed the feeling of him close.
Marcus checked a rifle near the door. “They will not respect neutral ground once they confirm she is here. Thorne does not care about rules when he wants something gone.”
Kael looked at me. “Stay behind me. Use that power only if you have no other choice.”
“I am not helpless,” I said.
“I know.” His voice dropped. “That is what worries me.”
The first vehicle stopped outside. Doors opened. Boots hit the dirt. A deep voice called out.
“Kael Blackthorn. Your father wants the girl. Hand her over.
Kael opened the door but stayed inside the frame. “Tell my father the girl is under my protection. If he wants her, he comes himself.”
Laughter came from outside. “He said you would say that. He also said, You have one chance before we drag her out ourselves.”
Kael stepped fully outside. I followed despite Marcus’s sharp look. The night air was cold. Eight men stood in a loose semicircle. Two of them had already shifted into large gray wolves. Their eyes glowed in the dark.
One of the men, a tall Beta with a scar across his cheek, stepped forward. “Last chance, heir. The Alpha is done by playing games.”
Kael did not answer with words. He shifted in a violent burst of bone and fur. The massive black wolf that stood in his place was larger than any of the others. He growled once, low and deadly.
The fight started without warning.
Two of the gray wolves launched at Kael. He met them head on, slamming into the first and rolling with the second. Claws and teeth flashed under the moonlight. Marcus fired the rifle twice, forcing two men back toward the trees.
I stayed near the cabin wall, heart hammering. The bond screamed inside me every time Kael took a hit. One of the remaining men spotted me and broke into a run.
I raised my hands without thinking. The same power that had thrown a wolf earlier surged up my arms. A sharp wave of energy left my palms and struck him square in the chest. He flew backward and crashed into the side of a car hard enough to dent the metal.
The other men froze for half a second.
That was all Kael needed. He tore through the two wolves with brutal efficiency, then turned on the next attacker. Blood stained the ground. The scent of it filled the air.
A second man came at me from the side. I barely turned in time. His hand closed around my wrist. Pain shot up my arm as he twisted it. The bond flared white-hot in response. Power exploded outward from me in a wider blast than before. The man was thrown several feet. The force of it left me dizzy.
Kael’s black wolf form was suddenly in front of me, shielding my body with his. He snarled at the remaining attackers. Three of them were already down. The others backed toward their vehicles, uncertainty clear in their postures.
The scarred Beta wiped blood from his mouth. “This is not over. The Alpha will send more. Next time there will not be a warning.”
They retreated to the cars and drove away into the dark. The sound of engines faded slowly.
Kael shifted back to human form. Blood ran from a deep cut on his shoulder and another across his ribs. He was breathing hard. His golden eyes found mine immediately.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.” My voice came out shaky. “You are.”
Marcus appeared with a first aid kit. “Inside. Both of you. They will report what they saw. Your father will not take this well.”
We went back into the cabin. Kael sat heavily in the same chair from earlier while Marcus cleaned the wounds. I stood nearby, arms crossed tightly, watching the blood soak through the cloth.
“You used more power than before,” Kael said quietly. “It is getting stronger.”
“I did not plan it.”
“I know.” He looked at me for a long moment. “Thank you for not running when they came.”
I almost laughed. “Where would I have gone? Your father already knows I am here.”
Marcus finished bandaging the worst of the cuts and left us alone with a muttered comment about checking the perimeter. The cabin felt smaller with just the two of us.
Kael stood slowly. The movement pulled at the fresh stitches. He stopped a few feet away from me.
“About earlier,” he began.
I shook my head. “Do not. Not right now.”
“We need to talk about it.”
“We had s*x because the bond would not let us stay apart. That is all.” My voice was tighter than I wanted. “It does not change what you did at the party. It does not change the fact that your father wants me dead.”
Kael’s jaw clenched. “I am not going back to him. Not after tonight.”
“You say that now. What happens when the next group of hunters is larger? What happens when he threatens Lila to force your hand?”
Something dark moved through his eyes. “Then I will deal with that too.”
The bond between us pulsed hard, as if it agreed with him. I hated how much I wanted to believe the words. I hated even more how the memory of his hands on my skin still lingered.
A sharp knock sounded on the door. Marcus stepped back inside, face grim.
“We have a problem,” he said. “One of the men who left just called. Your father is not sending more hunters.”
Kael frowned. “What is he doing then?”
Marcus looked at me, then back at Kael. “He is going after Lila. He believes forcing her will bring you and the girl to heel faster than another fight.”
The blood drained from my face.
Kael went completely still. “He would not touch his own daughter.”
“He already has men moving toward his location,” Marcus said. “They left ten minutes ago. If you want to stop them, you need to leave now.”
I grabbed my backpack without another word. Kael was already moving toward the door. The cut on his shoulder had started bleeding again through the bandage, but he ignored it.
As we stepped out into the night, the bond between us tightened like a living thing.
Kael glanced at me once. “Stay close. This is about to get worse.”
I nodded, power still humming under my skin.
Lila was in danger because of me.
And this time, running was not an option.
- Writer
