Primal Kill (The Order of Vampires #5)

Chapter 34

CHAPTER 34

T he cave perched high above the sea, far removed from the world. There was no life here, nor hope. And when Adriel prayed for a merciful end, there was no relief in death either. There was only desolate, hopeless suffering.

The crippling atrophy of her legs, hands, fingers, and arms left her gnarled. She lay on the cold floor, naked in a heap of torn flesh and broken bones, shivering as the bitter winds screamed through the rocky cliffs, while Cerberus ate meat off the bone of some kill.

She didn’t remember entering the cave or much that happened after her fall. She only knew she wanted to die. By this point, she gave up hoping that Juniper had heard her cry, and she was certain her future would only get worse.

Bite marks left dark patches all over her battered body. He drained her of blood, ensuring her cells would not heal. The tissue around her organs had withered and tightened to a brittle husk, so even the shallowest breaths strangled parts of her.

He tossed a bone into the pile by the entrance of the cave. Flames licked at the shadows of the stone ceiling, but she was too far from the fire to feel its warmth.

It hurt too much to cry or shiver, so she simply retreated to a numb part of her soul. Her body might still be whole, but her mind had fractured some time ago. Inside, she was screaming through the gaping void of time with no relief in sight. Her eternity belonged to him now, and she would live in agony, under the command of a monster.

Clouds rolled overhead marking time. Darkness flickered in the distance as a storm approached. At this altitude, one might think they could touch the heavens, but she was in hell. Only evil existed here.

Thunder rumbled over the sea and wind howled through the moors like a chorus of tormented souls. She wished it were the voices of angels coming to take her away.

The jagged walls sparkled where water dripped. The crystal sediment reminded her of Juniper, and the pain in her heart formed a steady throb that never dulled.

Starved, weak, and broken, her mind teetered on the edge of collapse. But her heart shattered days ago, when she accepted she would never see Juniper again .

I’m sorry… she wished she could tell her how much she wanted a life with her, a new beginning, and a chance at happiness. But those things were never meant for her.

“You think someone could love you?” Cerberus taunted, tossing away another bone. He easily penetrated her mind once she was injured and weak . Once he embedded himself there, he could see everything she saw and hear every private thought. “Perhaps I’ll find your little friend. We can have her for dinner one night—the two of us.”

Her eyes closed but the horrific image lingered. She tried her best not to think. Like a fire without oxygen, she tried to starve him out of her mind.

His low chuckle challenged the howling wind as he walked to the entrance. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, girl.”

Looking out over the black sea, his silhouette loomed like specter against the blustery night sky. Nothing was out there. Time was losing meaning. No one was coming to save her.

His crimson eyes gleamed with malevolent satisfaction as he glared at her, his foot sinking hard into her stomach. He enjoyed her suffering too much, and it would only get worse.

“I own you now, girl.” He stepped on her wrist, applying pressure until the bone snapped, and she whimpered. The cruel lines of his face twisted with sadistic gratification as he watched her struggle to breathe. “Your will, your mind, your very existence. All of it belongs to me.”

He laughed, and Adriel’s gaze flickered with a spark of defiance.

“You have something you want to say to me?” he bent closer, mocking her as if he cared about what she wanted to say. “Of course not, because you’re weak! You’ve always been a contemptible cunt.” He spit on the ground.

She closed her eyes and breathed, “You…”

He stilled and grinned. “What was that?”

She panted through the pain, forcing her mouth to form the words. “Will never… have all of me.” He would never have her heart.

Cerberus cackled darkly, the chilling sound echoing through the cavern. “Your heart? If I wanted your heart, I’d cut it out of you.” He sneered, wrenching her head back by her hair as he stabbed his claw into her flesh. “I could eat right from your chest while your arteries are still beating—but I’d never let you fully die.” He dropped her head, letting it smack on the stone floor. “What fun would that be?”

He faced the entrance again. “Keep your heart.” He dragged his razor-sharp claws down the cave wall. “I prefer you alive. Although…” He glanced back at her, his fangs gleaming. A small bite wouldn’t kill you.”

Her breath hitched as he was once again slicing into her chest. “I could cut you open here.” His claw scraped down her breast with scalpel- like precision. “Steal a hunk. Not enough to kill you, but enough to make you suffer.”

Her vision blurred with fresh tears.

“Tedious tears. Like that ever worked on me.”

He yanked her to her back and settled his weight over her. He loved her surrender most when it wasn’t voluntary, so she refused to fight him as it would only excite him more.

“Shall we begin?”

Her head lifted with a breathless gasp as his claw stabbed deep, embedding in her chest and scraping the tissue of her heart. She prayed he’d go too far and kill her once and for all. The plunging pull and pressure of his fist tightening around the organ gave her hope. If he yanked it out of her, this torture would finally be over. She welcomed the thought and closed her eyes.

“You think—” His words cut off, and his hand yanked away, leaving her racing heart intact.

A sudden crash, louder than thunder, barreled into the cave as lightning struck the entrance, igniting the earth with flames. Blinding light filled the cavern, and she shut her eyes.

Perhaps her brain was having some sort of attack. The flashes of light were so intense they lanced through her skin, and her vision strobed behind her lashes.

A vicious growl pierced the air and her eyes shot open. Cerberus bolted to his feet, crouching in a defensive pose. Wind surged through the cave, throwing him against the wall, and he hissed angrily as something moved too fast for Adriel to fully see, but Cerberus snarled and she enjoyed watching him struggle against the unseen enemy.

Another boom, and he crashed down again. The flames of the fire roared to life as the rock walls trembled and crumbled. Cerberus roared and rushed forward, throwing her into the wall and out of his way as he tried to evade the intruder. His blood-red eyes flashed as he bared his fangs, hungry for battle.

Another blast threw him back.

Was she imagining it? Had she hit her head too hard? What was doing this?

Light radiated from below, bright enough to carry a hum. Cerberus covered his ears as the frequency grew to a sharp whistle. The glowing white aura screamed so loud the wind became a whisper.

From the blinding light emerged a hulking figure, tall and imposing. A halo of white light defined every limb of the massive figure. It was no one she recognized.

Cerberus growled and lunged, but he was thrown back. Rocks fell onto Adriel, one heavy bolder landing directly on her skull.

Winking in and out of consciousness, she watched the imposing figure close in on Cerberus, never giving him a chance to fully recover. He displayed unearthly power and the authority of an all-powerful god as his eyes blazed with righteous fury. The air tinged with the sharp oxidized scent of magick.

Then the hair on the back of Adriel’s neck rose as her blood tingled with the sense that others were near. Juniper! It was too late. She shouldn’t come here. The damage was done and if Cerberus saw her he would recognize her from Adriel’s mind and hurt her just to punish Adriel.

No, no, no, no!

She couldn’t come now. Escape was hopeless. She needed to leave her and save herself.

Cerberus hissed, bared his fangs, and clawed at the avenging immortal. He jumped and pounced, slamming his fists into the ground and shaking the cave hard enough to rattle Adriel further into the wall. The massive newcomer only growled and stepped closer, unmoved by the tremors racing through the cave.

Something was protecting him. Adriel squinted through the cloud of dust at the entrance of the cave. Fear siphoned the breath from her crushed lungs as Juniper's familiar form revealed in the smokey light.

Adriel choked on a sob of relief and worry. It was too late. She shouldn’t be here.

Go back! Run! She internally screamed, too weak and devoid of blood to communicate any other way.

Juniper couldn’t hear her. Her eyes were locked on Cerberus, her hands crackling with magical energy, and her face a mask of fierce determination. The sorcery she conjured went beyond her skill and Adriel wondered who was helping her.

Relentless, energy balled like fire between her fingers, tinged with dark purpose and glowing light as it blasted from her palms, hurling Cerberus into the back wall. Was she working with the hulking angel?

Adriel didn’t trust the vision. It had been days of torment, and hope had abandoned her long ago. This had to be a hallucination from the pain.

For a moment, it seemed they were truly there. The formidable duo of her greatest love and whatever god fought by her side. They were a beacon of hope, too surreal to believe. Yet, the cruel fantasy briefly masked the pain.

Cerberus hissed and charged, lunging for the god-like male.

“No!” Juniper heaved a blazing ball of white light at him.

He slammed into the shadows.

“Protect Adriel!” the male yelled.

Adriel shrieked as hands lifted her broken body from the ground. The slightest movement caused her excruciating pain. Gravity pulled at her broken limbs like anvils.

“It’s okay. It’s me.”

Her eyes opened, but she couldn’t see through the smoke and tears. A white light flashed over the cave's crevices, and the familiar silhouette of Dane took form. He was armed and dressed all in black. His mission was clear .

“I’ve got you, Ade. We’ve come to take you home.”

“Careful,” another voice called as Dane laid her on a blanket by the cave's opening. “Put her here.”

“She’s as fragile as a broken bird and needs blood.” The slightest touch brought agony. “We can’t move you any further until you feed. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

The other figure drew closer, and she gasped, praying this was a dream and she wasn’t actually seeing her son emerge from the shadows of smoke and flashing light as a battle broke out behind them. “You’re safe now, Mother.”

No! She wanted to argue, but panic choked her. Christian had a mate. She needed him. It was too dangerous! They must leave this place.

“Mother, be still.”

When she tried to stop him from helping her, Dane restrained her. “Adriel, let us help you.”

Her heart jolted as she tried to speak, but her jaw was broken, and she was far too weak to fight them.

“She needs blood. Now. We cannot wait.” Her son rolled back his sleeve, blocking her view of the cave.

Cerberus roared as Juniper chanted in ancient tongues. A whirlwind of energy erupted and twirled through the cave, lifting debris and pebbles that whipped around with hurricane force .

They needed to leave this place before Cerberus went too far. She could bear the physical pain, but seeing her greatest loves harmed would destroy her in ways she couldn’t bear.

Her voice scraped against her crushed throat.

“Do not strain yourself, Mother.”

Christian draped a light cloth over her withered body. The weight of the material burned her flesh but shielded her from the wind.

When she couldn’t escape the hallucination, she shook violently. Were they truly there? Chills wracked her battered limbs. She could feel the blanket on her skin and smell her son’s hair.

“Drink, Mother.” He pressed his wrist to her mouth.

Warm, life-giving blood coated her tongue, but her throat was too ravaged to swallow. She coughed and sputtered, choking violently.

Dane cradled her head in his lap. “Try to relax, Ade.”

How could she relax when there was a nightmare unfolding behind him?

She coaxed a few drops down but then violent growls spewed from the dust clouds. A blast of wind swirled with ghostly howls into the cave and someone’s body slammed into the wall.

Juniper screamed, and Adriel’s heart stopped.

“You must keep drinking, Mother.”

She weakly pushed Christian’s wrist away and rasped, “Help… June.”

“The witch knows what to do. ”

What did that mean? Cerberus would kill her.

Adriel’s throat was a ravaged open wound, and her voice no more than a scratch of sound, but she refused to let Juniper die for her sake. “Hel—p her…Chris... Plea…” Her body convulsed with a hacking cough, and she could speak no more.

“ Adriel ,” the sharp command cut through the chaos as Eleazar’s tall figure appeared, his dark eyes as familiar as his authoritative tone.

“We aren’t leaving without you or the witch. But you must listen to your son and drink.”

Are you truly here?

He pressed into her mind. We are here, my friend. He crouched before her and carefully cupped her cheek. And we’re taking you home, but you must feed.

Juniper—

Is helping us. No one will harm her.

Her eyes fluttered shut as her strength depleted.

“I’ve got her.” Dane gently cradled her hand, curling his fingers loosely around hers. “We need you to drink now, Adriel. Please.”

The few drops of blood she managed to swallow hit her insides like cannon fire. There was too much damage to repair. Bile rose and her body rejected the offering, pain knifing through her intestines where Cerberus had injured her.

“Mother, please…” Christian held his wrist to her lips, but she couldn’t do it. “Eleazar, you’ll have to compel her. She’s resisting me. ”

The sharp intrusion of the bishop’s compulsion came without anesthetics. Her broken jaw opened as life-giving blood flooded her ravaged throat. The agony in her belly locked into knots like barbed wire, and she screamed, but they kept feeding her.

“You’re doing great,” Dane whispered, gently cradling her head in his lap. The comfort broke her more than the pain, and she wept inconsolably as they forced the blood down.

Cerberus broke free of the scuffle with a feral roar. “You dare to touch my mate?”

He lunged at them, his claws outstretched and his face dripping blood. Something came from the darkness with supernatural speed and crashed into him head-on, plowing him back into the shadows and smoke.

The clash reverberated through the cave. Fists flew, claws raked, and blood spilled as violent hisses spattered the earth as it spewed through the wind-swept air. Whoever they were, they fought with primal ferocity. They fought without rest. They fought to kill.

The longer Juniper wove her magick, the more dark energy spiced the air, far more potent than anything Adriel witnessed her conjure before. It was too much. There would be a steep cost. She shouldn’t do this. Her strength would eventually wane, and then he would punish her.

A sharp female cry split through the chaos as the smallest immortal went down. A guttural roar ripped through the air, and the hulking immortal slammed Cerberus into the wall, violently scoring his claws through his flesh and choking the breath from his lungs.

He repeatedly slammed him into the rocks with the force of a meteor. Enraged beyond reason, the giant immortal roared as cracks webbed at Cerberus’s back, fracturing the stone.

Cerberus bit into the immortal’s throat, but he countered by plunging his fist into Cerberus’s chest. Slate crumbled from the ceiling, showering the cave in blinding dust and debris.

Eleazar dove into the melee, and more growls spewed from the cloud of smoke and grime. The walls deteriorated, and it became harder to breathe.

Bolts of energy shot into the brawl, taking Cerberus down, but he continuously broke free of the magick. His rage was bottomless, but Juniper always drove him back. Eleazar and the hulking immortal fought with terrifying resilience.

Adriel could not look away. A spark of hope ignited, and then Cerberus turned his fury on Juniper, his eyes promising death.

“No!” Adriel screamed, fighting out of Dane’s arms.

Cerberus sprung with lethal intent.

Adriel lunged forward, but Christian caught her, forcing her back. “Help her!”

“We’re trying to help you! You need more blood.” Her son struggled to calm her, but she would not give in. “Mother, you’re hurt! ”

Defeated, her vision blurred. She couldn’t help Juniper. She was at their mercy and helpless. “Please…”

“Look at me,” her son commanded with sharp authority. “Let us help you, and I will then help her. But you are my first priority.”

His first priority, but not his last.

Tears burned her eyes as she searched the clouds of smoke, her gaze always seeking Juniper. The dust cleared, and Cerberus spiked his fist into the ground.

A brilliant flash gathered between Juniper’s fingers, and she projected a shield of light around herself before the tremors reached her, deflecting his attack. His rage doubled.

He growled in frustration. The hulking immortal delivered a devastating blow to his chest, crushing bone and caving in muscle. Cerberus howled in pain but retaliated, lunging at the petite female figure on the cave floor.

He yanked her up by the hair, lifting her face from the ground, and Adriel gasped, realizing who these avenging angels were. They were not angels at all. They were her parents.

Chills wracked her body as emotion clogged her throat. Juniper heard her plea after all. She found them.

What she must have gone through to accomplish such a task…

All this time, Adriel thought they were dead and gone because Cerberus told her they were. One more lie. One more betrayal. It was no wonder she was without hope. He destroyed her faith in not just her god but also those she loved. But they were actually here, fighting to save her, because they loved her.

Juniper unleashed another blast of energy, but Cerberus used Adriel’s mother as a shield.

“Stop!” Adriel’s father roared, a look of horror in his eyes.

Juniper froze. Fury banked in her eyes, deferring to Adriel’s father’s command. Eleazar crept slowly along the wall.

“Let her go, Cerberus,” her father ordered.

Cerberus seethed, holding her mother by the throat, his other fist twisted in her hair as he rose to his full height. “Now, you will truly know what loss is.” His claws lengthened, and the air crackled as a storm raged over the sea, blowing gusts of salty wind and rain into the cave.

The air charged with electricity, and Juniper siphoned it all. Her fingers spread wide as she prepared to strike, only needing a safe opening and a signal from the others.

Adriel’s father hesitated, reading the dangerous situation for what it was. Cerberus jerked her mother’s body higher, shielding himself in a way that left the others at his mercy.

“Lazarus, just say the word,” Juniper growled.

Her father raised a staying hand. But there was no reasoning with Cerberus.

If Juniper released her magick and missed her target, Adriel’s mother might not survive.

Memories flooded her mind as a damn broke inside of her. She remembered their unfathomable love and the possessive way her father adored and guarded her mother. He would do anything to protect her, including lay down his own life.

Adriel couldn’t look away. This might be the last time she saw her parents alive. As deep as that ache burrowed inside of her, it was nothing compared to the thought of losing Juniper.

Cerberus roared, his fangs dripping with blood and venom as his wild glare bounced from each enemy.

Sniffing her mother’s hair, he slowly hissed, “Lilias…”

“Cerberus!” her father growled, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from dragging his slick nose down her mother’s cheek.

Her mother’s body hung limply in his arms, but then her head slowly lifted, her stare directed to Adriel’s father’s. Something private whispered between them, spoken through the sacred link shared only by mates. Adriel feared it was a goodbye.

Eleazar watched cautiously, waiting for a signal to strike. Wind tunneled through the cave, and the scent of their fear overpowered the sea air. Dane fumbled with a small leather pack, his hands trembling violently as a vile of crushed herbs slipped out of his grip and rolled across the cave floor.

“The aconite,” he hissed, lunging forward to catch the tiny jar. He passed the vile to Christian. “Go. It will sedate him.”

Adriel caught her son’s arm. She couldn’t let him risk getting that close. “He’s won. Save yourself. Go home to your mate.”

“He hasn’t won,” Christian snapped, evading her grasp.

“Christian, I cannot lose you too.”

“You won’t.” Dane shoved her back into Christian’s arms and snatched the vile, running directly toward Cerberus.

Chaos exploded. Cerberus bit into her mother’s throat, and her father went ballistic, exploding with uncontainable rage. Eleazar ripped her mother out of Cerberus’s arms the moment his grip loosened.

“Now, Juniper, strike now!” Adriel’s father yelled the moment Eleazar and Lilias were out of the cave.

Cerberus sprung, but her father tackled him to the ground. A landslide of stone crumbled from the far wall.

Juniper hesitated when Cerberus threw Adriel’s father backward with bone-shattering force.

“Papai!” Adriel’s voice cut above the noise, and Juniper turned, her eyes wide as Lazarus’s body lay heaving for breath as blood pooled beneath his hulking form on the floor.

Juniper raised her glowing hands and shouted, “ Vi maris, vim lunae ?—”

Cerberus rammed through her forcefield, slamming Juniper into the wall. Adriel screamed in horror as she collapsed to the ground, a puddle of blood forming beneath her head.

“You bastard!” Dane leapt over Juniper’s fallen body and time stilled.

Adriel screamed as Christian restrained her, forcing her to watch helplessly as Cerberus raked his claws down Dane’s chest. Blood sprayed, and he gripped his throat, but it was too late.

A vicious growl ripped through the cave, territorial and female. A new, tiny form bolted into the cave and caught Dane before his body hit the ground. A sharp cry of distress pierced the air as his limp body fell into the female’s arms, and Adriel’s eyes widened at the sight of Grace Hartzler.

What was she doing there?

“We must go.” Christian lifted her into his arms.

“We can’t leave them.”

“This is our only chance.”

Adriel looked back at the chaos. Juniper wasn’t moving, and Gracie cradled Dane’s limp body in her lap. She begged him to open his eyes and look at her, but he only gasped for breath as blood choked him and spilled down his pillaged chest.

Cerberus straightened, his eyes locking with Adriel’s as his body heaved and his shoulders puffed with rage. He smiled slowly, his eyes scanning from Gracie to her parents and settling on Juniper .

Adriel fought her son. “I can’t leave her.” She broke free of his hold, but her legs were still too weak to carry her.

“Mother, we must leave. Now!” Christian hauled her toward the opening.

“No! I won’t leave her like this!” The wind howled at their back as he dragged her.

Gracie sobbed over Dane. Juniper still wasn’t moving. Adriel’s father crawled to her, his arm slashed open and outstretched. He struggled to reach her. Cerberus kicked him to his back. He slammed his fists into him, lifting his hulking body over his head and hurling him toward the cliffs. Her father’s body slammed down, sliding dangerously close to the ledge.

It was over. He won.

Throwing back his head, Cerberus cackled, blood dripping in black rivulets from his jaw, his evil glare settling on Dane. Gracie set his body down carefully and stood, her dress drenched with Dane’s blood and her eyes lit with uncontained fury.

Christian tugged Adriel to keep moving. “Mother, you will die if we stay here!”

“Then I will die!” She ripped her arm free and lurched toward Juniper. Her body gave out when something feral lanced through the air, knocking her off balance.

Adriel slammed onto her knees. Cerberus raised his claws and leapt through the air, prepared to strike Gracie down, when a roar ripped through the cave. A hulking animal-like form collided with him mid-flight. The clash was a horrific explosion of growls and feral intent.

A clawed fist—that of a man but with tufts of fur and dark grey talons—swept violently down Cerberus’s body just as her son threw himself protectively over her. “Don’t look!”

Time silenced and she heard the exact moment his scream cut off. Life flashed before her eyes. Childhood. Joy. Sorrow. Grief. Pain. Longing. Loss. Escape. Her son. Love. Juniper.

She jerked her son’s hand away from her eyes as Cerberus’s body collapsed, his head rolling toward her, his eyes blindly staring.

The furred creature landed in a hunched pose, his body that of a man, but his back and shoulders heaving under ropes of muscles and sinew where pelts of hair grew. A low growl purred through the cave as he turned his green eyes on Adriel.

Cerberus’s fingers twitched, and the warrior spun, punching his clawed fist through Cerberus’s chest and ripping out his black heart. Adriel flinched and screamed, as did Gracie. The creature, unbothered by his display of savagery, tossed the heart into the flames where it sizzled.

Juniper lifted a trembling hand and pointed a finger at Cerberus’s headless body. “ In…s-s-sig….nia.” A blaze lit the cave, engulfing the corpse.

The green-eyed creature reached for the head, grabbed it by the hair, then lobbed it into the fire beside the burning heart. He turned, towering over them as he growled and flashed a mouthful of fangs that were unmistakably canine.

“I wish you no harm,” he said in a thickly accented voice with a Nordic lilt. Holding up his palms, he displayed dark pads beneath tufts of fur, then his claws retracted and his flesh lightened from dark grey to tan. He glanced back at the burning body and to Adriel. “That thing was a draugr.”

Weary and depleted, the last of her strength gave out. Juniper dragged herself closer, her fingers weakly stretching toward Adriel’s. Dane coughed, and Adriel’s father grunted as he tried to crawl to them.

The beastly warrior growled and stepped between them, withdrawing a vicious dagger. “Do not come any closer to my mate.”

Mate?

Adriel looked up at him in horror. His was neither wolf nor man. He had no mate here.

“They need…blood.” Her father swayed to his side, hardly able to crawl.

The armed wolf warrior growled, aiming his blade at the males. “Move any closer to her, and I’ll end you.”

“There must be some mistake?—”

“There’s no mistake. I’ll collect my mate. Then, you may carry on as you wish.”

Cold dread settled in Adriel’s stomach as she turned her sorrowful gaze to the others. There was no joy in this moment. Only desolation, shock, and a sense of permanence that could not be undone.

As she looked at Juniper, her heart drowned in empathy. But the warrior spoke with absolute certainty. There had been no mistake. He was not here to fight. Only to claim what was irrevocably his.