Bound by Bloodline

Chapter 6

I moved before they did.

The second he smiled, I knew talking was over.

My grip on his wrist tightened, and I twisted hard, forcing him off balance before he could recover. He reacted fast, faster than most, but not fast enough. I drove him back into the wall with enough force to knock the air from his lungs, using the momentum to create space between him and her.

“Stay behind me,” I said again, sharper this time.

“I am,” she answered immediately, closer than before, her voice tight but steady.

Good.

The others didn’t hesitate.

Two of them came in from the left, one from the right, closing the gap like they had done this before. Coordinated. Trained.

I shifted my stance, placing myself fully between them and her, my attention splitting without losing focus. The bond pulsed hard in my chest, pushing everything sharper, clearer, faster.

They were getting too close.

The one on my right moved first, reaching in quick, aiming for my shoulder to pull me off balance. I caught his arm before it landed, pivoting and using his momentum to throw him forward. He hit the ground hard, but he rolled immediately, recovering faster than I liked.

The other two didn’t give me time to follow through.

One swung low, aiming for my ribs. I blocked it, the impact jarring up my arm, and drove my elbow into his chest in the same motion. He staggered back, but not far enough.

They weren’t normal.

I already knew that.

But this confirmed it.

Behind me, I felt her shift.

Not away.

Closer.

Her hand pressed briefly against my back, just for a second, like she was grounding herself, and the bond reacted instantly, flaring sharp and hot through my system.

Focus.

The first one I had thrown was back on his feet now, moving in again, faster, more aggressive. I stepped forward to meet him, cutting him off before he could get past me. My fist connected with his jaw, snapping his head back, but he didn’t go down.

Not good.

“Ronan,” she said behind me.

Hearing my name from her mouth did something I wasn’t prepared for.

It hit deeper than it should have.

“They’re not stopping,” she added quickly.

“I know.”

Another one lunged.

This time, I didn’t hold back.

I caught him mid-step, drove my knee into his side, then followed through with a hit that sent him crashing into the one behind him. For a second, they tangled, giving me the opening I needed.

I grabbed her hand.

“Move.”

She didn’t argue.

Good.

We ran.

Not far.

Just enough to break their formation, to force them to reposition instead of surrounding us. I pulled her down the narrow side of the street, keeping her close, my grip firm around her wrist.

“They’re still coming,” she said, glancing back.

“I know.”

“Then what’s the plan?”

I stopped.

She almost ran into me.

“This,” I said.

They came around the corner seconds later.

Closer now.

Faster.

Less careful.

They were done pretending.

I stepped forward, pushing her slightly behind me again.

“No,” she said, grabbing my arm this time. “You can’t just keep doing that.”

“I can.”

“You’re not invincible.”

“I don’t need to be.”

Her grip tightened. “That’s not a real answer.”

“It’s the only one that matters right now.”

They were close enough now that I could see the change in their expressions. No more restraint. No more calculation.

Just intent.

They moved together this time.

All of them.

One came straight for me while another tried to break past, aiming for her again. I shifted immediately, blocking his path, my arm catching him across the chest and forcing him back.

“Stay with me,” I said.

“I am,” she shot back, but she didn’t sound distant anymore. She sounded right there. Focused. Locked in.

Good.

Because if she ran now, they’d take her.

And I wasn’t letting that happen.

The bond surged again, harder this time, like it agreed.

The first one swung again, faster, aiming for my head. I ducked it, drove forward, and hit him hard enough to send him back into the wall. He didn’t stay down.

None of them did.

“They don’t feel pain,” she said, breathless now.

“They feel it,” I replied. “They just don’t care.”

Another one came in low.

I blocked, twisted, and sent him to the ground again, but this time I didn’t wait. I grabbed him, shoved him into the one coming up behind him, and forced both of them back.

Too many.

Too close.

Not enough space.

I felt her move again behind me, but this time it wasn’t closer.

It was sideways.

“What are you doing?” I snapped.

“They’re going to corner us,” she said quickly. “We need to move.”

“They’re not getting past me.”

“That’s not the point.”

One of them broke through.

His hand shot past me, fingers brushing her sleeve.

Everything in me snapped.

I didn’t think.

I didn’t calculate.

I reacted.

I grabbed him by the collar and slammed him back with enough force to crack something behind him, my grip tightening as something darker pushed through, something sharp and dangerous that had nothing to do with control anymore.

“Don’t touch her,” I said, my voice rougher now.

Different.

He laughed.

Wrong move.

I hit him again.

Harder.

This time, he didn’t get back up right away.

Behind me, she went still.

I felt it.

The shift in her, the way her breathing changed, the way her hand tightened on my shirt again without thinking.

The bond surged.

Stronger than before.

Not just reactive.

Responsive.

Aware.

“They’re still getting up,” she said, her voice quieter now.

I knew.

I could hear them.

Feel them.

Closing in again.

I exhaled slowly, forcing control back where it belonged, even as that darker edge stayed just beneath the surface.

“We’re leaving,” I said.

“How?”

I looked at her.

Really looked this time.

At the tension in her eyes, the way she was holding herself together even as everything around us fell apart.

And something settled into place.

Decision.

“I’m getting you out,” I said.

Her brows pulled together. “You don’t even know where I’m going.”

“I don’t need to.”

“That’s not how this works.”

“It is now.”

They were moving again.

We were out of time.

I grabbed her hand again, tighter this time.

“Stay with me,” I said.

She didn’t argue.

Didn’t pull away.

Didn’t hesitate.

“Just move,” she said.

And this time, we both ran.