to visit with Mira later. When his head was cooler, and his blood was no longer seething with the need to do severe bodily harm to the bastard responsible for her abduction a few days ago and her current physical state.
The object of his fury entered the foyer now, shoved inside ungently by Tegan and Rio. Nathan and Rafe, along with the other two members of their team and Mira’s squad of three, stalked in behind them.
“Chase and Hunter have the rebels outside,” Nathan reported. “One of them is hobbled by a leg injury. It’s had medical attention, but the wound is deep. She can’t walk on the limb.”
Lucan grunted. “Rafe,” he said, glancing to Dante and Tess’s son. “Help the woman inside. Have a look at her, see what can be done.”
The blond warrior gifted with his mother’s extraordinary healing touch gave a nod, then jogged off to carry out the order.
As for Kellan Archer, the eyes of a dozen-plus lethally skilled, pissed-off Breed warriors were fixed on him in barely restrained animosity as he was brought to a stop in the center of the glittering foyer. Damn, it was a shock to see him again, after believing him dead for going on a decade. Lucan had always liked the kid, but the outlaw standing before him now was making it hard for Lucan to resist adding some bruises of his own to the collection Kellan already sported.
And he wasn’t alone in his outrage for what Kellan stood accused of. The rage of Lucan’s brethren was a palpable thing, rolling off the group of vampires like a black wind.
“This way,” Lucan said, before anyone was tempted to act on their impulses. His stern look set Kellan into motion and commanded the rest of the Order to hang back, letting the two of them proceed into Lucan’s study alone.
Kellan walked to the center of the room and drew to a halt while Lucan closed the door behind them, then stalked back over to face the errant warrior one-on-one. Lucan could still see the courageous, forthright soldier in Kellan’s steady hazel gaze and in the straight line of his spine and shoulders as he stood at grim attention before Lucan, ready to accept his wrath.
Prepared to face the truth that the path he’d chosen for himself had more than likely led to a literal grave end.
“Quite the clusterfuck of problems you bring into this house,” Lucan remarked, bypassing unnecessary niceties and getting right to the point of this unexpected reunion. “Nathan briefed me on everything that’s gone down these past several days. Bowman’s one helluva busy guy. Kidnapping, obstruction, conspiracy, aiding a rebellion, and general defiance of the law. Let’s not forget betrayal and usury. Apparently your strongest suits, judging from the condition you left Mira in out there. If you deserve to suffer for anything you’ve done, hurting that girl ranks right at the top as far as I’m concerned. Jesus Christ. And then to cap everything off, you bound her to you.”
Kellan’s stoic expression didn’t crack until the mention of Mira’s name. His deep voice was raw with a pain Lucan couldn’t deny. “I wouldn’t have given her my blood if I hadn’t thought the bond might help repair the damage to her eyesight.” Frowning, he gave a remorseful shake of his head. “It didn’t work. I need to try again, Lucan. I need to give her some more. See if she gets better.”
Lucan scoffed. “You’ve done enough, haven’t you?”
“Then maybe Rafe or Tess—”
“Mira’s where she belongs now,” Lucan said, knowingly curt. He wasn’t even close to sympathy over the obvious concern Kellan felt for the mate he’d claimed well beyond his rights. “The Order will see that Mira gets all the help we can provide. She’s with family now. You have problems of your own to deal with.”
Kellan held his gaze. “As long as Mira’s safe, my problems mean nothing.”
“Do you want to die, son?”
Kellan’s response was immediate. “No.” Then again, more vehemently. “Hell no. I want to live—with Mira beside me. I didn’t realize how much I wanted that until I had her back in my arms again.” He blew out a sharp curse. “But it doesn’t matter what I want.”
“Because of the vision,” Lucan said. “Nathan informed me about that earlier too. You and I both know Mira’s gift is a powerful thing. Unerring. But with or without that prophesied end hanging over your head, your involvement with rebels—for fuck’s sake, your having led them as