Bound by Danger (The Alliance #6) - Brenda K. Davies Page 0,88

at him but didn’t reply.

His gaze fell to her brutalized throat and the finger marks standing starkly out against her skin. When he cradled her cheek in his palm, she lifted her eyes to his before they fell away again.

“Callie, who is this?” But as he asked it, he already knew the answer. “Is it Carter?”

Callie opened her mouth to reply, but only a small croak came out. Her brutalized throat and spinning mind wouldn’t allow much more to slip free. Swallowing, she winced when the movement caused fresh pain in her brutalized throat.

“Yes,” she managed to whisper.

Lucien bit back a curse as he glanced at the lifeless body behind them. He wished the asshole was still alive so he could make his death far more painful. It had been too quick and easy for him.

Lucien leaned closer and kissed her wounded forehead before cupping her cheek. “Are you okay?” When her dazed eyes met his, he saw her shock and terror. “He’s dead, Callie. You don’t ever have to worry about him again.”

Tears filled her eyes as her lower lip trembled. She sobbed and then winced when the movement jarred her brutalized throat.

“Hey,” someone called from the living room. “Is everything okay in there?”

Callie wiped away her tears; she refused to let anyone see her cry. She refused to let Carter be the cause of any more of her tears.

“It’s Saber,” Lucien said. “Can you invite him in? I need help cleaning this up.”

“Yes,” Callie croaked.

Lucien helped her rise, and keeping his arm locked around her waist, he led her around the body. He held her face in his chest so she couldn’t see Carter. When they entered the living room, he spotted Saber standing in the doorway; Logan stood behind him, but Asher must have stayed with the vehicle.

“You can both come in,” Callie rasped.

The sound of her brutalized voice caused a muscle to jump in Lucien’s cheek. Carter had gotten off too easy.

“Is everything okay?” Logan asked as his pine-colored eyes ran over Callie before settling on her forehead.

“There’s a body to dispose of,” Lucien told them.

Saber stepped into the apartment. His face was expressionless as his cobalt blue eyes ran over the room before settling on Callie. His face remained distant. Lucien had no idea what to make of the man, but then, that was nothing new. He hadn’t known what to make of Saber ever since he started working with them almost five years ago.

Saber shifted his attention back to Callie as she kept her chin raised and her eyes focused on the window across from them.

“We’ll take care of it,” Logan said as he entered the apartment.

Callie didn’t move as the two of them walked past her toward the kitchen.

“This way,” Lucien said and guided her through the living room to her bedroom.

When he settled her on the bed, she clasped her hands together in her lap. Inhaling a shaky breath, she leaned forward and put her head between her knees as she tried to calm her racing thoughts.

“You shouldn’t have killed him,” she murmured to the floor.

“I should have killed him slower,” Lucien said as he sat beside her on the bed and rested his hand on her back.

“He was human.”

“He was a monster.”

“Yes, but his death will affect you.”

“It was worth it.”

Tears burned her eyes again, but she blinked them away. Taking a deep breath, she sat up. She couldn’t hide from what happened here today, and she refused to let herself fall apart.

Lucien rested his fingers against her brutalized throat. Red fingerprints were visible against her skin, and they were already darkening to a deep purple hue.

“Let me give you some of my blood,” he said. “It will help you heal faster.”

Callie blinked at him. “Will it… will it change me?”

“No. I would have to take a lot of your blood and give you a whole lot more of mine. I’ll only give you enough to heal you faster.”

“Oh.” She pondered his offer as her stomach turned. She didn’t like the idea of drinking blood, but she would have to get used to it if she was going to join him. “Okay.”

Lucien draped his arm around her waist, and pulling her closer, he kissed her temple before biting his wrist. When his blood welled forth, he offered it to Callie. She clasped it in both of her hands, and keeping her eyes on his, she brought it to her mouth.

She didn’t know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t the