Tangled Redemption (18 page)

It felt like only a few minutes but had to have been far
longer. Everyone but them was dead.

Movement at one of the shuttles drew his attention. He
raised his gun but lowered it again when he saw who it was. Backup had arrived.

Miguel directed his cold gaze to the group of approaching
warriors. He did not holster his gun and remained battle ready.

Jayden didn’t bother talking him down. In Miguel’s situation
he would have done the same. “Duncan. Malachy.” Behind the two Vampire warriors
were a couple of Malachy’s men, a Vampire he was not familiar with, two women
who appeared more than capable and a Naema.

“Jayden.” Duncan nodded at him, but his gaze drifted to
Miguel.

“It appears you have received my message, Nikolai.” To
Jayden’s surprise Miguel addressed the unfamiliar Vampire, who responded with a
smile.

“I did and let me just say I was relieved to receive the
intel from you. No one knew which side you were on. It took me a little time to
remember your ancient code, but once I had the details Galen, Brooke and I
headed your way.”

The Vampire had to be Nikolai Ranweth, the Naema with him
his lifemate ArchNaema Galen Kinwin and the female his second lifemate Brooke
Deverell. He was the only other Vampire Jayden had heard of who had two
lifemates.

Nikolai continued introductions. “This is Duncan O’Clare and
Malachy Dorven as well as Adira Kapur, Malachy’s lifemate and his men.”

“I know who everyone is. Are the pilots and shuttle crew
member dead?”

Jayden winced a little at Miguel’s tone. It was sharp enough
to slice, but Nikolai didn’t seem to mind.

“Everyone has been taken care of,” Malachy said. “We
outnumbered them.”

Miguel nodded. He pulled out his comp. “You will remove the
bodies?”

Nikolai nodded.

Miguel activated a holo feature on the comp showing the
compound. “Jayden and I need to go back to get Sydney and to take down Nasir.
The latter is going to be nigh impossible as he has had a steady diet of Naema
blood for some time.”

“You saw the feed I sent you?” Jayden asked.

Everyone nodded.

“Galen and I should go against him,” Nikolai said. “I have
been drinking Galen’s blood for years.”

“Jayden and I will go in first. If we don’t succeed you will
have your chance.” His tone left no doubt that it was his way or the hyperspace
way. Miguel walked everyone through the defense systems of the compound, where
the remaining company was stationed and whatever other obstacles they may run
into.

They would take the Feral shuttles and utilize the slave
ships to transport the bulk of the men. The Ferals would expect frightened and
terrorized humans and end up facing a ship full of well-trained and well-armed
mercenaries.

Jayden was amazed how everyone fell in with Miguel’s
suggestions. There was hardly any back and forth. This was a strong group. Each
and every one of them was a warrior and experienced in battle, but Miguel held
them in his palm with his knowledge, his strategy, his charisma.
You are
incredibly sexy standing there and directing everyone.

Miguel shot him a look that made Jayden bite his lip so he
didn’t laugh. His lifemate did not appreciate the distraction, but Jayden was
so proud of him he had to share it somehow.

“What condition will Sydney be in?” Duncan asked. “My
lifemate is asking.”

Tanasha Omeiko had been instrumental in saving Sydney from
her bastard husband. The two women were closely linked. “She was in good
condition this morning. Miguel and I have protected her until now. Nasir wants
her for her blood, so we don’t believe he will harm her.”

“That may change once we attack the compound. He may kill
her to take revenge on us, especially if he has any idea how we feel about
her.” Miguel’s heavy words fell like stones in a pond. Ripples of worry and
concern fanned out.

“What can we do to minimize the risk?” Malachy asked.

“We need to be as stealthy as possible. You have enough men
to take on the remaining company?”

Nikolai and Duncan nodded.

Without a word Miguel turned around and walked back to the
shuttle. Jayden chuckled.

“Not the most talkative, eh?” Malachy asked, a small grin
curving his lips.

Jayden grinned too. “No, but he knows what he’s doing.”

Everyone nodded and with a quick wave Jayden followed
Miguel. He locked and sealed the door and slid into the co-pilot seat. “You
really know how to make friends and influence people.”

His lover frowned at him. “What was I supposed to do
differently? We don’t have time for small talk.”

Jayden laughed.
I love you, you know that, don’t you?

Miguel’s shock chased through Jayden’s body.
No, I did
not know that.

Well, now you do.

Silence. Worry. Longing and fear.

Jayden’s smile softened.
You don’t have to say anything,
Mik. I wanted you to know.

Thank you. It means everything.

Jayden nodded, happy despite the danger they were heading
into. He understood that Miguel had put himself into an emotionless state for
years. He had to in order to survive the horrors of working for Nasir. Finding
love had been nowhere on his agenda and it would take time for him to process
feeling again. There would be time for mutual declarations later.

First they had to kill a monster and save a maiden.

* * * * *

Sydney fought with everything she had inside her. She would
not give Nasir or any of his minions the pleasure to see her broken. The Feral
Nasir had her fight was more skilled than the first two and exhaustion had
begun to set in.

Sydney gasped, choking as the Feral’s fingers wrapped around
her throat and cut off her air.

Her mind screamed. Her lungs burned. The edges of her vision
started to grow fuzzy. Black dots appeared over the Feral’s shoulder,
distorting the image of Nasir sitting in his chair, watching them. Panic
flooded her veins with adrenaline. She struggled, clawing at the fingers sealed
around her throat. She still had enough mind left to find the soft spot between
thumb and finger and to press down with all her might.

He roared in pain and released her, giving her the opening
she needed. She threw her left arm between them, turning to the side and
trapping the Feral’s arm against her own chest before elbowing him in the face.

He stumbled back, his nose bleeding. One quick glance
confirmed her knuckles were bruised, but the skin hadn’t been broken. Having
bloody hands terrified her in the vicinity of these monsters.

“Enough.”

Everything stopped. Nasir rose to his feet and addressed the
bleeding Feral. “You’ve done well, but I am getting bored. Return to your
duties.”

The Feral bowed and exited the room, leaving her alone with
Nasir.

Sydney panted, sweat gluing the fabric of her hated uniform
to her body. Her ribs ached from a couple of kicks and her left eye was
beginning to swell because she hadn’t ducked fast enough. She registered all
that only vaguely. She had shut down every part of her and only focused on
finding the right moment to kill Nasir.

It was the only way for her to not shatter into a million
pieces. Once again she had allowed her emotions to get away from her, had
allowed men to play her. For her love was a curse. Miguel had made his
preferences abundantly clear. Jayden had betrayed her so deeply the ache had
turned physical.

She had shared herself with them, had been open to
everything they wanted. There had been only one stake she had put in the
ground, one rule she said she would die before breaking it. And he had taken
her blood and given it to the monster responsible for more evil than could ever
be redeemed in one lifetime.

Now there was only one goal. She had to wait for the right
moment.

Sydney studied the katana Nasir had on display. It looked
long and sharp.

“Ah, you are admiring Honjo. It is one of my prized possessions.”
He lifted it, swung it a few times, following the steps of what had to be a
kata.

She hid her triumph. He did exactly as she had planned.

He held the sword out to her. “Do you want it? Do you want
to use it to kill me? Try it.” He held the hilt out to her, but she didn’t
respond. It wasn’t time yet.

Nasir laughed and nudged the hilt into her direction one
more time. “You sure?” When she still didn’t respond he grinned, arrogance and
triumph blazing in his eyes. “Good decision. It would have only made a mess—of
you.”

A sound chimed from his comp. “Great, looks like they’re
back.” He slid behind his desk.

Sydney stepped a little closer and to the side until she was
within reach of the katana display. The katana and its two short swords. And
the beautifully decorated dagger. She didn’t look at any of them, but stared at
Nasir. She had to be ready.

“All the shuttles are back and the transport is nice and
full. Looks like a good body count. But—” He tapped a few keys on his comp.
“Why don’t I have access to the inflight cameras?”

Sydney spoke up when he lifted his comp as if to give it an
order. “If I was in their position the first thing I’d do would be to tear out
the surveillance system.”

He looked up, his gaze narrowed.

She didn’t know if this helped or would only make him more
suspicious, but she couldn’t veer off course now. “You have hundreds of humans
in there, all different ages and experiences. I bet you there will be more than
one electrician in that group, probably more than one guy who works maintenance
on a transport vessel.” She shrugged, fighting the adrenaline pounding through
her body. She had to control her heartbeat or give herself away.

For a minute he studied her and she was sure she had made it
worse. Then he smirked and nodded. “I always underestimate how savvy the cattle
really are.”

She knew that description should have made her angry, but
she had sunk so deep into her dark place she no longer cared.

“What, no passionate defense of how humans have the same
rights as all of us?” He set down his comp and leaned back in his chair, giving
her an opening.

Sydney struggled to put together an argument that would keep
him distracted, but in the end she had nothing. “I can count the number of
humans I’ve met in my lifetime on two hands and have had a conversation with
maybe four of them. I can’t speak for a race I know nothing about.”

His eyes widened and then he roared with laughter. “Jade,
that is hilarious. So why were you so determined to defend the pet that arrived
with you?”

“Just because I don’t know humans doesn’t mean I believe you
have the right to use them as chew toys. Every species in our galaxy has the
same right to exist.”

He leaned forward. “But what if they don’t have the strength
to defend themselves? Humans are weak. If I can kill one with a twist of my
wrist, if I can take down a whole town with a group of Vampires, why should I
respect them or their rights to live?” He gestured with his finger at her.
“Only the strong survive. The weak will be eaten.”

“But for how long will they remain weak?” She took two more
steps closer to the display and crossed her arms over her chest. “Once they
learn they’re hunted they will fight back. They will develop weapons. They will
discover your weaknesses and learn to exploit them.”

Nasir shrugged. “We’ll build better weapons.”

She snorted. “Yes, mutual escalation, that calms everything
right down.”

His smile dropped and he looked at her like a bug under a
microscope. A shiver went down her spine. “Interesting theory.” He turned back
to his comp.

Silence fell across the room. Sydney swallowed, not
understanding what had happened.

His fingers flew across his comp, his eyes filling with more
and more darkness. The temperature in the room appeared to drop lower and
lower.

“It appears I have been betrayed.” He lifted the comp and
waved the feed onto the wall.

She turned but didn’t step away from the knives. “I don’t
understand. What am I looking at?” All she could see were Vampires fighting.
Everyone wore black, so she couldn’t identify who was who.

Then one familiar face jumped into focus and before she
could stop herself she flinched.

“Ah, the Council has found me. Pity.” He rose. “I liked
these facilities and I’ve collected a number of treasures I’ll now have to
leave behind. That makes me very unhappy.”

Sydney swallowed and her control cracked. She grabbed the
dagger and retreated. It was as if Nasir had flicked a switch. He was frightening
enough under usual circumstances, but right now he scared her to death.

He raised his brows. “Really, you honestly believe you have
the slightest chance against me with that little thing?”

She tightened her grip around the hilt, her mouth dry.

He tutted at her. “Just give in. Resistance is futile.”

“Maybe not, but how much of a chance do
you
stand
against us?” Miguel’s deep baritone echoed through the room. Jayden was only a
couple of steps behind him. A tiny voice inside her mind screamed for them, but
she stomped on it before it could grow stronger.

Nasir turned to the two Vampires and scoffed. “Seriously,
boys. You honestly think you have a chance?” He shrugged and rolled his neck.
“Never mind. I welcome the opportunity to kill you.” He cracked his knuckles.
“I will break every bone in your body and then I will kill your pet while you
are helpless and watching.”

In the depths of her mind something slammed against the door
that linked Miguel and her. But now the door was nearly gone. It had faded,
confirming her deepest fear—she wasn’t really meant to be with him.

He didn’t
…know
…didn’t betr
…you…Jay…did
it…thought…only way to keep…together…we…

And with that Miguel was gone and the door faded completely.

Sydney hadn’t thought her heart could break any further. She
was wrong. Seeing the door disappear was the final slap.

She lifted the dagger and cut across her wrist. Blood welled
up. It surprised her how little the cut hurt her. The knife was very sharp.

Everyone turned to her.

“What the fuck are you doing, Sydney? Are you insane?”
Jayden turned as if to come to her, but Nasir attacked in that moment. He
grabbed his katana and swung it at Jayden.

Jayden pulled a sword from his back, hidden until now by his
jacket. They got into a furious exchange. The blades clashing together and
echoing through the room.

It looks kind of beautiful.
Sydney moved the dagger
into her bleeding hand. The blood ran down her arm and dripped onto the floor.
The drops made a weird kind of pattern. It would be an interesting experiment
to measure the blood splatter. It would tell her how fast her blood flowed. She
raised her arm and then lowered it again. And how certain movements changed
said flow.

“No, Sydney. Don’t do it!” Miguel roared.

In that moment Nasir whirled around, faster than she had
ever seen anyone move and attacked Miguel. In the last minute her lifemate drew
his sword and attempted to deflect the katana blade. But it wasn’t enough. Nasir’s
blade slid deep into Miguel.

Nasir pulled it back, Miguel’s blood spraying. Jayden went
on the attack.

Sydney studied the battle before her. Her knowledge was
limited, but she understood that Miguel and Jayden were losing. She hadn’t
planned to cut her second wrist, but the blood didn’t drain out of her fast
enough to make a difference for her men.

And despite everything she still loved them. She didn’t want
to see them die. Sydney cut her second wrist and watched her blood spill. She
dropped the dagger and lowered her hands, increasing the blood flow. She prayed
to every deity under the sun that it would work.

The battle between the three raged on. Miguel’s white shirt
slowly turned red, the spreading blood only visible when he whirled and moved
enough to lift the edges of his jacket. Jayden was covered in cuts and nicks.

It was taking too long. Sydney didn’t know what to do,
wondered if she should cut her neck or her femoral artery. She hadn’t planned
to kill herself, only to weaken Nasir.

Miguel swung his blade and cut across Nasir’s back. Leaving
behind a bloody slice.

Nasir roared and jumped back, but Jayden and Miguel followed
him, each step forcing Nasir farther and farther back until he stood in the
corner. Trapped.

Sydney slumped to the floor. Her vision edged with gray. She
squinted in an effort not to miss anything. She wasn’t sure, but it looked like
Nasir was slowing down.

But so did her guys.

The battle had gone on for too long.

She struggled to stem the blood flowing from her wrists, but
her lids dropped shut.

A scream of pain forced her to open her eyes again.

Jayden had pinned Nasir to the wall with his sword like one
would pin a butterfly to a collection tableau. Nasir struggled and screamed,
stabbing and whacking at Jayden, but the other man was too close. The katana
was too long and unwieldy.

Sydney nearly laughed when Jayden pulled all the short
knives she’d seen him line up on his arms this morning and turned Nasir into a
pincushion. But nothing seemed to be enough.

Miguel stumbled. Sydney frowned.

Miguel always moved with the utmost grace. She loved
watching him move. He was just so pretty…now he needed to lean against the
wall…

“For fuck’s sake, do it, Mik! Now!”

Mik. Sydney liked that name. She smiled dreamily when she
saw Miguel raise his sword while Jayden held a screaming and struggling Nasir.
He really should stop making such a racket. Miguel—no, Mik swung his sword and
cut off Nasir’s head. It bounced across the floor and came to a standstill at
the leg of Nasir’s desk.

She frowned. They had made quite a mess. The wall was
splattered with blood and—

Mik slumped to the ground. Jayden pulled his comp out and
shouted “We need a medic. A medic to Nasir’s office. Hurry, Miguel’s lost a lot
of blood.”

Sydney studied her wrists.
I have blood. He should take
mine.
She tried to get to her feet, but for some reason didn’t manage. That
was all right, she could crawl. Mik needed blood and she had lots.

Jayden turned to her and cursed a blue streak. He rushed
over and picked her up. “What the fuck did you do to yourself, love?” He
screamed medic into his comp a few more times, but Sydney ignored his tries to
tie off her wrists and knelt beside Mik. She had to steady herself with a hand
on his chest. It was wet. Wet with blood.
That’s not good.

She shuffled up until she could lift his body into a sitting
position. It was awkward, but Jayden had stopped screaming and finally started
helping after stopping the bleeding on one wrist. She pressed her lips against
Mik’s. “Take my blood,” she whispered.

His gorgeous black eyes, dazed with pain, widened. “No,
Sydney, that is the one line you drew in the sand. You are too weak to make a
conscious decision.”

She rolled her eyes. “Idiot. I love you. You are my heart
and my soul.” She lifted her gaze to Jayden who had wrapped his arms around the
both of them. “And so are you.” She lifted her hand. “My blood made him
powerful, my blood could weaken him.” She pressed her wrist against his lips.
“My blood has done so much damage across the galaxy. Please let it, for once,
do something good.”

For a moment Mik stared into her eyes. This was the end of
the line for her. She had nothing left to lose and she wanted to share herself
with the both of them. No matter what, they were hers. “I love you, Sydney. You
and Jayden are my world. Lifemate bond or no lifemate bond, I cannot imagine a
lifetime without you. I was a coward and an idiot.”

Lightness raced through her, followed by warmth. But then
she remembered Jayden’s betrayal, the fact Miguel had pushed her aside from the
moment their link had come to life. She patted his cheek. “It’s not necessary.”
Her lie-detection power hadn’t flickered when he’d declared his love, but in
her current state she didn’t believe she would know either way.

He held her arm, which was a good thing as it turned heavy.
“What’s not necessary?”

“For you to lie to me. Just because I love you doesn’t mean
you have to pretend you do too.”

“I am not pretending.”

Her world exploded and realigned itself. She felt the truth
of his words through their connection. It had flickered back to life as both of
them expressed their love.

But she didn’t trust that truth. Then Miguel opened every
part of himself to her. She walked through his memories. The last few hundred
years flashed past her. The dancer. She’d been important, but she hadn’t held
his heart, which is why they hadn’t lasted. Life as a mercenary, a strategist.
One fight after another, always seeking to protect the innocents. When it had
become too much he’d just disappeared, left everyone behind and stayed on his
own.

Then the first stirrings of the Ferals. His information
network would be the envy of every spy or government official in the galaxy.
The first victims and reports. The decision to go undercover no matter the
cost. The horrors of working for Nasir. She understood that the victims he
couldn’t save dominated his memory, that he didn’t see the faces of the ones
he’d managed to save. That he believed himself beyond redemption.

And then she’d come into his life. From the first moment
she’d grabbed his attention, took him by surprise. The agony he’d experienced
when he discovered she was his lifemate nearly took her to her knees. He had
done what he believed necessary to protect her.

It angered her that he hadn’t given her a choice, but she
understood his motivation.

Miguel shared everything. He hid nothing, including his fear
that he was behind redemption. Every decision, every action had been driven by
the need to love and protect her the only way he could.

She gave him a soft kiss. He had laid himself bare before
her. She had no choice but to do the same. “I love you so much. I want our link.”

For a second it was as if she’d been sucker punched. Once
again her world shifted and changed, but their link, shining with every red
ever imagined, remained strong.

He wrapped his hand around her wrist, pressed it to his lips
and sucked.

Her vision flickered, so she closed her eyes, happy that
after all the pain and havoc her blood had wrought it now saved her hero.

Her heart stuttered. In a part far away from her she
realized it no longer had enough blood to pump through her body. No! If she
died, so did they. What had she done?

“Sydney!”

Good, his voice sounded strong again.

Mik had stopped sucking and now licked his tongue across her
wrist. It tickled. She giggled when Jayden repeated the process on her other
wrist. She forced her eyes open and looked at their beloved faces. Maybe their
lifemate connection could save them. “I love you both. Promise me you will be
happy.”

With everything she had left she clung to her link to
Miguel. Then the black could no longer be held at bay and she gave in to the echo
of what sounded like bellows.

Miguel roared when Sydney slumped into his arms. He
unleashed his power fully, like he had not done in a millennium, breaking
through every single shield, every single wall or barricade in her mind,
searching for Sydney’s spirit along their lifemate connection. Shocked by its
weakness, by how far gone it was, he clung and dragged her back with him.

It was an uphill battle, but he wouldn’t give up. He turned
to Jayden.
What is happening? How much longer until we have medical support?

Galen said ETA thirty seconds. Hang on, Mik, don’t let go
of our girl.

Miguel gritted his teeth. Sydney’s blood had healed the
worst of his wound, but he was nowhere near peak condition and the amount of
power he had to use to hold Sydney to him drained his reserves.

Take from me.
Jayden pushed power and strength along
their bond.

Miguel welcomed the support.
Only as much as you can
spare. I need you to be my eyes and ears.

Understood.
Jayden agreed, but Miguel knew if it came
down to it he would give more than would be wise.

Galen is here.

Miguel cursed. He hated being unaware and vulnerable, but he
couldn’t afford to pull back from Sydney even the slightest bit. She fought
like a she-wolf, but she was too far gone.

Let me.
Jayden pulled Miguel into his mind so he
could see and hear everything that was going on through Jayden, but did not
have to release Sydney.

ArchNaema Galen Kinvin came to a stop beside their little
group. “Status?”

“Sydney is dying,” Jayden said, his voice cracking the
slightest bit. “She has lost a lot of blood. Miguel is holding her to us.”

Galen frowned and threw a quick glance to Nikolai while
pulling open a medical response bag.

Don’t go into more detail on what I am doing. They understand
that the same power I am using to save Sydney can be used in a much worse way,
Miguel told him.

No one knows how powerful you really are, do they?
Jayden didn’t take his eyes off Galen.

No.

Nikolai settled across from Galen on their other side and
gently lifted Sydney’s wrist. Miguel grew uncomfortable with all the men in
such close proximity.

“Nikolai, give us some room.”

Nikolai did as Jayden asked, but his frown remained. “Why do
Sydney’s wrists look like she cut them open herself?”

“Because she did.”

Everyone stilled. Brooke rested a hand on Galen’s shoulder.
“Does she want to be saved? Maybe the horrors she experienced were too much for
her.”

Jayden cursed and yanked the transfusion link out of Galen’s
hand. With two quick moves he had inserted it into Sydney’s vein. “I will
explain everything in a second, but by everything that is holy, either help or
get the fuck out of the way.”

Everyone but Galen took a step back at the venom in Jayden’s
voice.

Miguel stroked Jayden through their link.
Didn’t you say
something earlier today about being more friendly?

Jayden spat another curse, but some of his rage softened.

Galen took the other end of the transfusion link and
inserted it into his vein. “Sydney and I have the same blood type.”

Miguel and Jayden followed the first bit of blood as it
trickled through the link and hit Sydney’s vein. They watched as more and more
blood followed.

“Is Tanasha close?” Jayden asked. “Galen can only give so
much and Sydney lost nearly her complete blood supply.”