Bound to Blackwood (18 page)

Thorn nodded.

They watched as a green army-style land rover rounded the corner. It stopped at the inn and five men poured out on to the pavement. As the last one stepped up to the curb, Lena gasped. “Shit!” she said under her breath.

“What is it?” Thorn asked.

“That tall one at the back.”

Thorn stare across the green then glanced back at her. “Is that who I think it is?”

“Yeah. That’s Asher.”

Thorn let out a harsh breath.

Asher was the self-appointed Commander of the Fallen. Before he
Fell
, the Fallen were a disparate force who only came together for convenience. The new commander had brought discipline and order. In short, he'd created a damned army that was only going to get stronger as more renegades came around to his way of thinking. Lena knew Asher was looking to cement his position, and she would bet her fangs that taking a shot at the Vampire King was at the top of his list.

Lena didn’t believe in coincidences. There was no way Asher would be in the same sleepy Surrey village as Thorn Blackwood by chance. “I don’t like this, Thorn.”

He smirked at her.

“I’m serious! That’s fucking Asher over there."

“I know who Asher is, Lena,” Thorn fired back at her, his voice rumbling with a thinly veiled growl.

Lena looked at his profile as he stared across at the Commander. His jaw was set tight, blazing golden eyes hidden beneath narrow lids, his nostrils flared. It was the face of a warrior, his other responsibilities put on hold.

Lena sighed. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to know why he’s here. It can’t be a coincidence.”

Indeed not.
“Fine,” Lena said on an exhale, “but we’re going to look. We are not engaging with them.”
 

Thorn barked a laugh. “Lena declining a fight? Wonders will never cease!”

The thought surprised her too. “This is different,” she snapped.

“Oh?”

“That,” she jabbed her finger in the direction of the inn, “is no ordinary Fallen, and you,” she prodded Thorn’s shoulder, “are no ordinary Vampire.”

She lifted her chin in defiance, yet Thorn only continued to smirk at her.
God damn it, he’s arrogant!
 

Using the trees as cover, they skirted the green, dematerialising at intervals as they went. Their last stop was the roof of the old stable block a few hundred yards from the rear entrance of the pub. Her mouth pressed into a tight line as she measured their position. As long as they didn’t move, even an experienced Fallen like Asher couldn’t sense them at this distance, and, for some unfathomable reason, Fallen and humans alike rarely looked up when searching for their enemy.

She thought back to their earlier meeting with Roarke and Bay, scanning the rest of the customers in her mind. No one, except the two other Vampires had shown even the slightest hint of recognition when she and Thorn were there. It was natural to assume that the landlord must have betrayed them. He was, after all, the only human they’d interacted with.

She chewed on her bottom lip; it didn’t fit. No human was that good an actor and the jovial landlord had been all smiles and genuine hospitality. There was no way seasoned warriors like Lena and Thorn would have missed any stray emotions leaking out from under even the most practised of facades.

Lena watched from the shadows, the fiery heat of Thorn’s bicep pressed up against her left arm. Asher and his lieutenants were loitering by the back door to the inn, across the old cobbled yard. The short, lanky haired one shifted on his feet, glancing at his watch. They were waiting for someone.
But who?
 

Lena glanced at Thorn, but he just shrugged.

The answer came strutting around the corner.

A dark haired woman with her hair scraped back into a tight bun rounded the corner. Her lithe body encased in skin-tight jeans and a figure hugging t-shirt, she sauntered up to the group, her high heels click-clacking on the uneven ground. She stopped just in front of Commander Asher, ignoring the other men. Lena watched her bob a little curtsey. As the woman drew herself back up to her full height, the light from the overhead lamp caught her face, revealing her features for the first time. Lena hissed and she looked back to see Thorn’s eyes widen in recognition too.

“I don’t fucking believe it,” Lena said under her breath.

The woman currently batting her eyelids at the Commander was none other than Rose, the seemingly shy and nervous maid from House Bowman.

“How the fuck did we miss that?” Thorn asked, disgusted.

Good fucking question.

Lena thought back to their welcome at the Bowman coven. Rose was nervous and wouldn’t meet anyone’s eye. Granted, it was not the smooth, slick welcome she’d received at other Houses, but Roarke didn't look perturbed. Lena assumed Rose’s behaviour was normal. She mentally punched herself for not asking the why of it.
What was it they said about assumptions? Oh, yeah. They were the mother of all fuck ups, that’s what!
 

Lena turned back to the show across the way.

“Yes, Sire,” the woman cooed, making Lena’s blood boil, “it was definitely Thorn Blackwood.”

“You’re sure?” Asher asked.

“Absolutely.” Rose beamed.

“What about Kaden?” one of the lieutenants chimed in.

Lena’s heart skipped a beat as the woman shook her head. “No, Sire. Lena was with him.”

Fuck!

“The King out and about with only a Guardian for protection,” the lieutenant scoffed.

Asher smirked and shook his head at his subordinate. “Don't be an idiot, Rook. Lena of House Blackwood has never been just another Guardian.”

Lena felt Thorn shift beside her.
Was he growling?
 

“Oh, no!” Rose shrieked, drawing Lena’s attention away from Thorn. “She’s Steward of the Watch now.”

Double fuck.

Asher rounded on her like a spinning top, grabbing Rose by her shoulders. “What did you say?”

“Lena is Steward of the Watch,” Rose whispered.

“You’re positive?”

“Yes, Sire. She has the daggers on her epaulettes; besides, Master Roarke introduced her as such.”

The Commander released her with a shove, turning his anger towards his lieutenants. “Tell me. How is it that a mere
agent
knows something I do not?”
 

No one answered; instead, each man chose to stare at his own feet.

“Rook, I need to know why the King is travelling without his Keeper. Kaden does not shirk his responsibilities.”

The respect that resonated with Asher’s words as he spoke of Kaden had Lena’s eyebrows shooting skyward. She had never seen this side of the Commander. On the plus side, they clearly didn't know Kaden had been shot by one of their weapons and was currently languishing in the medical centre. She glanced at Thorn who nodded back at her, showing he understood.

“Anything else we need to know?” Asher asked Rose.

“Only that they wanted to talk to Master Crane about the night his father died.”

All four lieutenants looked at each other, some hidden message passing between them.

“I see,” Asher replied, rubbing his hand across the back of his head, as if contemplating what Rose said. Lena didn’t buy it. Asher knew exactly what was going on. “Were any other names mentioned?” he asked.

“I don’t know, Sire. They spoke to Crane in his office and I couldn't get close enough.”

Asher narrowed his eyes at the woman, but didn’t question her further. Instead, he asked Rook, “Have you set the charges?”

“Yes, Sir, set to look like an accident just like you said, but…”

“But what?”

“Well, might they not go back? Would it not serve us better to wait?”

Asher shook his head. “We cannot wait. Even after all this time, we have to assume she’s still alive. If I'm right, and Crane of House Bowman swore an honour oath and they didn't ask the right questions, then he may not have told them everything. We cannot afford for them to go back. No, we close the House now.”

Lena felt a hand gripping her shoulder. She looked down at the hand then back at Thorn. His eyes were blazing and he shook his head. Her brow creased as she looked down at the roof tiles beneath her, then back at Thorn. She hadn’t even realised she’d moved, but she had. She’d crept forward to…to what?

“
We have to assume she’s alive.”
Asher was talking about Eden.
 

Squeezing her eyes shut, she forced herself to refocus.

Glancing back down across the courtyard, she realised Asher was concluding his business. He thanked Rose for her hard work, before warning her to make herself scarce. He clapped his hand on Rook’s back as they walked back to the Land Rover.

It would be so easy…

“Other fish to fry, Lena.” Thorn’s mouth was millimetres from her ear. White-hot heat washed over her body as his breath tickled her cheek. She swallowed hard and watched the Land Rover disappear from view.
Damn it, but he was right.
 

Chapter 11

Thorn didn’t wait to explain where he was going. He knew Lena would understand. There was only an hour till sunrise and they had to hurry. He landed on the road, opposite the fir-lined driveway that led to House Bowman, his keen eyes drinking in his surroundings.

He heard a small thud behind him and was about to tell Lena to keep up, when suddenly he was inhaling gravel and blinking dust out of his eyes.

In less than a second he was on his feet, his gun in his hand. He rounded on his attacker, fangs on full display.

Lena stood there, mirroring his aggression, her hands planted firmly on her hips. “You are a fucking idiot!”

He was in front of her in a blink, his nose just millimetres from hers. Her midnight blue eyes widened slightly, but that was her only reaction. “Who do you think you are?” he growled.

She pushed him away. She actually fired both her palms at his shoulders and pushed him away. “I am Steward of the Watch, and you are no longer a mere Guardian,
My Liege
.”
 

Thorn just stood there open mouthed, his fists clenching as his body was rocked by fury and something else he didn’t understand. He tried to form words, but the shock clouded his mind. Nothing came out.

“You are a fucking stubborn bastard, Thorn Blackwood, and you forget you are our King now. You cannot just do as you please and you cannot be in the field alone.”

“
Christ, that’s rich, coming from you
,” was what he wanted to say, but he held his tongue.
Damn her
.
 

He studied her face. Her eyes burned with an inner fire and she held her head high. She was not backing down.
She’s magnificent
. “You amaze me, Lena.”
 

The corner of her mouth tilted upwards in a wry smile. “Sometimes, I amaze myself.”

He inhaled, catching her intoxicating scent and had to close his eyes. When he looked at her again, she was all business.

“Right. What’s the plan?” she asked.

Thorn looked across the road at House Bowman. There was now less than an hour till sunrise and the place was silent. Too silent. “How are you at bomb disposal?” he asked.

Lena gave a short laugh in response.

“Yeah, I know. Where’s Mercury when you need him?” Thorn replied.

“We should call him.”

Thorn shook his head. “We need to get the Bowmans out first.”

“Not without finding those devices. We are not charging in like a couple of headless younglings.”

“Agreed.”

Thorn sent up a little prayer that the Fallen hadn’t changed their M.O. and used different explosives. They were in a shit load of trouble if they had. There was barely enough time to get the job done as it was. Waiting for Mercury to arrive would be cutting it too fine.

Vampires could sense anything natural as easily as they breathed in and out. Synthetic chemicals like the ones Fallen used in their explosives took training. Thorn and the rest of the Order kept up to date with everything on and off the military and terrorist markets. That didn’t mean that some smart-arse with a chemistry set and an internet connection wasn’t busy concocting their own brand of evil in a garage somewhere though.

Thorn scanned his surroundings. House Bowman was still silent. His brow knitted; there was no movement inside whatsoever. Odd.

He inhaled and caught the faint whiff of sweet almonds on the air. “Lena?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Oh goodie! Good old C-4.”

“More than one site,” Thorn replied.

“Yep, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. As long as we can get to the detonators, we should be fine.”

Thorn nodded, hoping she was right.

“We need to check the main exits first,” she added.

“You check the front and I’ll see about those patio doors at the back.” He moved towards the driveway but Lena blocked his path, her arms folded. “What?” he asked.

“Did you forget about the part where I called you a fucking idiot?”