Blood Mates (19 page)

“If my blood was all you needed I’d already be dead.” She looked around. “Where am I?”

“You won’t be here long. The legion is already looking for you.  By the time they do find you it will be too late so it doesn’t matter.” Ava pulled on her arms, but they didn’t budge.  He stood there watching her as if he was amused by it. “You are stronger than the others.”

Ava’s eyes snapped to him. “You mean the other women from the basement? Where are they? You were the one who was coming for me. Oh! Sorry I ruined that for you…”

Dantarius actually chuckled. “Yeah well I got my prize back didn’t I? They weren’t as strong as you…”

“You killed them!” Ava struggled against the binds again. She wanted to kill him herself for that alone.

“There are always causalities in war, little one…, but you…you are the key. A blood mated human…your blood line was quite surprising and I think it plays a part in it too…”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“You mean to tell me the great scholar Darius hasn’t found the link in your past yet? Nor has Lucien? The great king writes down everything…” he shook his head. “No wonder they will never win. They aren’t prepared.”

Before he said anything else the door opened and Ava watched a man walk in. she recognized him from the council. It wasn’t Vincent though. It was Bram. Lucien had been wrong! “I thought she would be unconscious. You didn’t give her enough.” He snapped.

“I gave her enough to kill her, but she is stronger now. I could give her more, but it won’t keep her out for long.” Dantarius shrugged. “She is mated now. And to a strong son of a bitch… you should know that.”

“There are things you should be doing besides drooling over her.” Bram snapped. Dantarius hissed at him before leaving. Bram turned to her. “It would have been so much easier if you hadn’t mated…”

“Why? Lucien trusted you!”

Bram looked at her. “If I were you I’d be more concerned for myself and not Lucien.”

“And Rhage? I thought you were friends with his father… he said he has known you his entire life. You were always good to him as a boy. You are betraying him too!”

“That I do regret…., but it can’t be helped.” Bram moved toward the bed. “I wished you had mated to any other immortal, but Rhage. This would be so much easier.”

Ava looked up at him. “Rhage is going to kill you….he is going to tear you a part piece by piece then he is going to make you cry like a girl before he rips your head off with his bare hands. I’m going to make a bracelet with your fangs.”

Bram chuckled. “You are very colorful, my dear…. Rhage has no idea. I will be there for him to comfort him in his loss….”

Ava lifted her head and whispered.  “He knows….I told him. He told me to tell you, you WILL never be able to hide from him. He IS GOING TO KILL YOU…” she nodded. “And I know it is going to hurt…. He told me.”

“You’re not turned! You can’t have that connection. I would have known if you two could transfer….”

“Looks like YOU didn’t do your homework…..”

Bram reached out and grabbed her chin in his hand painfully. His eyes narrowed hatefully.  Her eyes watered from it. He was squeezing slowly. “Then he will feel you die…. I’ve heard that is the most painful thing for a mate. He can’t do anything, but feel her pain.”

“Why me? What’s so fucking special about MY blood?” Ava demanded. Rhage was telling her to stall. He was close. He needed a little more time. “There were others too…”

“Yes…” he nodded. “And there will be more like you. It seems the lines have progressed to more than we ever suspected, but you… your line is exceptionally special.”

“What are you babbling about? I was abandoned as a baby.”

“True…, but your blood doesn’t lie. That’s why I was sending Dantarius after you. The half breeds were hunting the marked ones through the blood banks. You donated blood several times through your college blood drives. That’s how I found you. You might not know who your mother was, but I traced your blood signature….”

“And….”

“You didn’t have an immortal father, but your blood lines trace all the way back to the royal family….. Your blood has the same signature as Lissette’s.” 

“Lucien’s sister….”

“That’s right… somehow her offspring endured the attack and over the years her blood signature survived and now blood mates have become human. A new generation… and with your blood… the only one so far I can trace back and that makes it the strongest. With it I can control future turnings.”

“You’re a sick bastard….” His hand slapping her face echoed in the room.

Lucien stared at Rhage in stunned disbelief as Rhage repeated what Ava told him. They were sitting in the SUV getting ready to attack the house in front of them. Rhage knew she was in there. He could feel her.

“She is a part of my sister…. So many generations later…” Lucien whispered.  Rhage nodded.

“That shit isn’t important now…. She’s drifting in and out, Lucien. I can’t get her to focus… she keeps muttering…I need to get to her NOW!”

Lucien nodded. “We go in…the only thing that matters is getting to ava----“before he could finish the door opened and Rhage was gone.  He had disappeared right in front of them. “Fuck!”

“Yeah… I don’t think he is going to worry about a plan, Lucien…” Talon told him. They exited the SUV and made their way toward the iron fence that surrounded the house. Before Lucien could motion for them to attack, the heads of the two guards at the gate went flying through the air. The gates opened without anyone being seen.

“I wish I had that defense…” Talon muttered running forward.

“You need to hurry up…” Dantarius told him.

“Don’t rush me!” Bram hissed. “We can’t afford to make a mistake. We need every drop of blood we can get out of her.”

“And---“before Dantarius could say anything a series of alarms began to blare around them and the lights went out. “I think your time is up….”

“No! How they hell did they get here so fast? She’s unconscious so they can’t communicate.” Bram declared with a hiss.

“Apparently you didn’t factor in how strong the bond had become…” Dantarius shook his head.

“Then go out there and stop them!” Bram ordered throwing his hand in the air.

Dantarius hissed at him. “I told you this was your fight. I have my own agenda. I’m not ready to destroy my brother yet so I’m done for now. I know when to lay low and wait to strike…” Dantarius turned and walked toward a door.

“Where are you going? You gave your vow to our cause.” Bram hissed.

Dantarius shrugged and smiled at Bram. “You aren’t the only one in charge, Bram… there is someone else higher than you are who wants to destroy the king… he is more powerful than you. I suggest you run now before her mate arrives. I can feel his need to kill from here and you are the main one he is after. He won’t show you any mercy.”

“You can’t just walk away! You’re a fucking coward!”

Before Bram finished the words Dantarius flashed across the room and grabbed Bram by the throat pinning him to the wall. The shorter man dangled off the floor. Dantarius hissed.

“You just thought you were in charge… you thought you were important in the bigger picture, Bram. The others…. they wanted to see if you could actually pull off your plan. They knew you would fuck up... they knew you would die before you could finish it. THEY allowed you to carry it out or you would have already been dead.” Dantarius tilted his head. His crystal blue eye and his solid white one peered into Bram’s mind. Even though Bram was much older Dantarius was stronger. Dantarius had always been stronger. “They know all about the blood mates. They know there are more of them and they have their own plan for them.” He glanced over to the female on the table, her blood was slowly draining into the IV bags Bram had attached to her. He couldn’t hear her heart beating, but Dantarius knew she was close to dying. She had impressed him and he kind of hoped she did survive. He turned back to Bram. “He is going to kill you and I’m going to make it easy for him.” he chuckled when Bram’s eyes widened. “YOU aren’t important to the cause, Bram. You never were.”

Rhage flew down the hallways swinging his sword at anyone who was in his way. He didn’t care about anything except getting to Ava. He didn’t keep count on how many immortals he decapitated swinging his sword. None of them knew what was happening because he was basically invisible to them. He had never thought about his defense, but tonight it was the best thing to use. He always loved a good fight, but tonight…he didn’t care. He wanted everyone dead that stood between him and his mate! He ran down the hall focusing on nothing, but her fading heartbeat. She hadn’t answered him in a while and her heart was slowing more and more.  He came to a door and took it down with a single kick. Inside he roared seeing her strapped to a gurney and all the bags draining the blood from her body. His fury boiled within him. He also saw Bram pinned to a wall by a sword. Bram stopped struggling to pull it out when Rhage appeared. His eyes widened in fear. Rhage roared as his eyes narrowed on Bram…. For only a second. He wasn’t going to show any mercy. Ava was more important. Rhage moved to stand between Ava and the bastard.

“Rhage please….there are othe----“his words fell silent as Rhage swung his sword.

Bram’s head fell from his shoulders and rolled across the floor toward Rhage. Rhage looked down at the face. He didn’t see his father’s friend. He saw the bastard who tried to kill his mate. Rhage lifted his foot and slammed it down shattering Bram’s skull on the floor.

Lucien stood with Sloane and Talon looking around.  Lucien wiped his sword clean on the body lying at his feet.

“They seem to have abandoned ship…” Lucien turned to Sloane. “Did you find Dantarius?”

“No... The fucking snake isn’t here. I felt him and now it’s gone.”

“Then let’s find Rhage…” just then they heard his roar echoing around him. It was full of anger and pain. They took off running toward it. As they rushed into the room they found Rhage holding Ava in his arms. She was limp and so pale. She wasn’t moving at all. She looked like a rag doll against him.

He had ripped all the bags from her and they were scattered all over the gurney spilling her blood everywhere.  He held her against him with one arm and his sword was extended with the other. He growled and hissed at them. His eyes were blood red and he was ready to attack.

“Awwwww hell…” Talon whispered. “Please tell me she isn’t dead…” Rhage heard him and growled even more. Sloane looked at the table then to Ava.

“I don’t think she is, but if we don’t help her she will be. It doesn’t look like the bastard had time to drain her. If her heart is still beating we still have time… Rhage needs to give her some of his blood.”

“Wont that turn her?” Talon asked.

“No… he would have to take the last of her blood and stop her heart then feeding her.”

“Rhage isn’t going to let us near her… he doesn’t even know it’s us… he’s feral….”

Lucien took a step toward Rhage slowly. He had laid his sword down. Rhage growled a warning.

“Rhage…. You need to let us help Ava…. She is going to die if you don’t give her blood. It’s the only way to save her…. you need to calm down and focus…”

Rhage’s growl echoed in the room. He took a step back and then disappeared from view. Lucien waved his hand. “Block the doors. He may try to run with her. And keep talking to him. Tell him who you are and we just want to help Ava… it might get through to him.”

They could hear Rhage growling, but they couldn’t see him or sense him. Sloane and Talon blocked the two exits. Both of them held their swords ready for an attack. All of them began talking to him as if they were having a regular conversation.

Rhage watched them…. They were trying to keep him from taking Ava somewhere safe. He moved around the room until he was in a corner so he could see all three of them at the same time. He leaned against the wall and lowered his sword so he could hold her closer to his chest. He felt her heart beating so slow. It was faint, but there. She was alive and she needed some where safe so he could take care of her.

He was about to make his move and go through the one on his left blocking the door when he felt her take a deep breath. He looked down and saw her eyes flutter.

‘Rhage……’ she didn’t have to strength to speak out loud. ‘You’re so angry... ’ she whispered.

‘They hurt you.’ He didn’t want anyone to hear them. ‘I’m going to kill them all once you’re better.’

‘Your eyes…..they are so red….why?’ she tried to lift her hand, but couldn’t. Rhage lowered himself to the floor and held her. He laid his sword next to him and lifted her hand to his face.

‘You can’t die, ava…..’ he murmured against her palm. He closed his eyes. ‘You can’t leave me. Not now….’ Then he remembered the one saying she needed blood. She had given him her blood now it was his turn. He lowered her hand to her chest and cupped her head in his hand. He bit into his wrist.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Saving you…’ he held his wrist to her mouth and let his blood pour past her lips. She gagged and tried to turn her head away, but he held it firm. He had no idea how much it would take. He would give her every drop he had if she needed it. He bit into his wrist three times forcing the blood past her lips. Her eyes closed and she didn’t move. Rhage wiped the blood from her mouth with his fingers.

‘Ava….. Baby….talk to me. Open your eyes….’

“Rhage…..”

His head shot up. He had been so focused on Ava he had let his ability fall away and they could see him. He saw Lucien, Sloane and Talon standing over him. He saw the fear on their faces.

“You said give her blood…” Rhage told them. “I gave her mine…as much as I could make her swallow.” Lucien squatted down next to them. Rhage pulled Ava closer to his chest and away from Lucien. He couldn’t bare for anyone to touch her. His anger was still just below the surface and he knew he would rip Lucien’s arm off if he tried to touch her. She was his and no one could touch her, but him. He loved her. She was the reason he took a breath. He knew he had never lived before her. He had been alive for centuries and none of it matter. He never really cared about anything or anyone until he laid eyes on her. She had given him a life.  She had given him a reason to give a damn.