Blood and Bondage: Under the Skin Serial Part Three Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Copyright © 2017 by K.B. Ladnier

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

  Cover Design by Stacy Ane

  Dedicated to Taco Bell

  Because every dedication has been meant for some type of food and Taco Bell is the real MVP in my eyes.

  <3

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Chapter 14

  Sloan

  No. No fucking way!

  “Lucy!” I managed to get out one last time as those fuckers drove away with my girl.

  She was supposed to be safe.

  She was supposed to be protected.

  And I fucking failed her again!

  The anguish of watching Lucy being driven out of my sight, quickly gave way to a much darker emotion. It seethed into me like a poison, flowing out of every pore as my body began to respond with violent vibrations.

  I may not have saved her from being taken, but fuck the souls who helped keep me from doing what I promised her I would.

  An almighty howl, that could probably be heard two cities over, left my lips before I shifted with a speed unheard of for any werewolf.

  These assholes would be dust between my teeth by the end of the night. Every. Last. One of them.

  The vampires holding the chains that bound me, looked on with fear clouding their eyes as my wolf gnashed his teeth. Not giving a shit about how badly this would burn, I grasped the chain in my mouth that the vampire closest to me was holding and ripped it from his hold, slinging him over my shoulder like he was made of feathers.

  The remaining vampires began to pull tighter. The skin beneath my fur emitted smoke as the silver cut into me from their grip, but I was on a war path. I lunged at them, grabbing each chain with paws or teeth and yanking the vampires off their feet. Steadily the hold on me lessened enough until I was free.

  The vampires pounced, but I was ready. One by one, I clawed and bit my way through each of their chests, wrenching their hearts. I growled, snarled and fought until every last one of those fuckers was ash at my feet.

  I was about to start sniffing out the trail of the car, when I heard Hollis shout for me. I heard his boots scuffing against the sidewalk behind me just before he reached me.

  “They fucking took her, didn't they?” He asked, his eyes filled with the same malice I was sure reflected in mine.

  I nodded slowly, trying my best to hold back my wolf. He was still high on his rage, so it was hard to say if he’d attack Hollis unknowingly.

  “Then we have to find her. We can’t do this alone, though. This whole thing was a damn set up. Again,” he paused and pulled out a gun from his vest, looking around as if hearing something. Then I heard it, too.

  People running towards us.

  I lowered my head and bared my teeth, ready to strike whoever was coming.

  “It’s my team,” Hollis said over his shoulder to me when he realized I was still in a volatile state. He shoved his gun back in its holster and turned back to me. “Shift back. They're all dead.”

  I closed my eyes, willing myself to breathe slower. My wolf didn't want to go, so it took some force and concentration before the shift back finally happened.

  When I opened my eyes, only 7 of his team members were visible under the street light as they slowed their pace and made it to us; some of them looking worse for wear. They were all covered in blood and ash, making me jealous that it wasn’t me exacting revenge on the vamps for setting this shit up.

  “We lost O’Malley, Gregor and Stennis, Sir. Willis needs medical attention for a broken leg and Smith had his fangs ripped out, but otherwise we’re good,” one of his guys said, sounding a little winded.

  Hollis nodded and patted his shoulder. “You all fought good, but they got what they wanted.”

  The men then noticed Lucy missing.

  “She was what this was about?” The guy asked. “Why?” He added.

  Hollis pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. “That, I don't fucking know. But this whole stakeout was to distract us. They intentionally lured us all away so they could take her and I didn't even fucking see it. I just don't know how they knew we’d be here.” He walked over and slammed his fists down into the hood of his busted Camaro, leaving two massive dents in it.

  “I should've fucking seen it!” He yelled.

  I couldn’t handle him breaking down right now. Not after all the shit that just happened. A growl rumbled from my chest right before I grabbed him by his shoulders and shoved him around to face me, poking my finger into his chest.

  “You don't get to fucking fall apart right now!” I bellowed. “Yes! They fucking schemed this whole damn night, but sitting here and getting pissed off is not going to help us find her! So, you're gonna man the hell up and help me start tracking!”

  My chest heaved as I shoved him away from me. His face was an emotionless mask, but I knew he heard me.

  “You’re right,” he replied, pushing himself up off the hood and going to the trunk of the car. He wrenched the collapsed in trunk open with one hand and grabbed a bag. When he opened it, I saw he had more ammo and guns tucked away. He started refilling the empty mags in his vest, motioning for the others to follow suit. I stood there with my arms crossed, already deciding I’d shift back to my wolf so my sense of smell was stronger.

  When they were all ready, he turned and faced his men. “Smith, I need you to get Willis to the hospital. You need to get back indoors anyways because sun up is in less than two hours. The rest of you will follow me and Sloan. We're going to see how far the trail goes and get at least a general direction of where they were taking her. Odds are they haven't left the city.”

  His men responded with a round of “Sir, yes Sir,” before he went to the one I was assuming was Smith, since blood was still steadily flowing from his mouth.

  “Keep your weapons ready. You never know if there’s more of them.” He said to him. Smith nodded, then put an arm around Willis, who was hopping on one foot to keep up as they disappeared around a corner.

  “Let’s move out!” Hollis yelled.

  As he went to check that his car still worked, I shifted back to my wolf and jumped in through the broken window, settling myself uncomfortably in his passenger seat. When the engine finally started on the third try, Hollis turned his head and faced me, letting out a loud chuckle.

  I glanced at him in what I hoped was a ‘what the fuck is your problem’ way. He shook his head and shifted the car into gear.

  “You look fucking ridiculous hunkered down in my passenger seat. Can you even fit?” He asked with amusement as he quickly spun the car into a U-turn, essentially smashing me against the door.

  I snorted at him. Werewolves definitely weren't meant to ride passenger in sporty cars like this. My tail was smashed uncomfortable under my butt,
coming out between my back legs in an awkward position, and my head was touching the roof. Thank fuck it was still dark out, otherwise phones would be ringing off the hook at the STF station about this.

  As we drove, I'd occasionally catch a slight scent of Lucy in the wind and would turn my head and give a short bark in the direction for Hollis to turn. His lights flashed, so at least people driving were getting out of his way. Two other STF cars followed closely behind us, blaring their sirens as we went. We drove for over an hour and had ended up driving in zig-zag pattern that lead us in circles a few times.

  When I finally started to lose Lucy’s scent, day was breaking on the horizon and we’d found no trace of where the fuck they went with her. Not only had they set the perfect trap to get her, but they made sure following her trail would be next to impossible.

  My wolf and I were seething when Hollis finally pulled back up at the station. My heart sank in defeat when he shut off the engine and just sat there, staring at the concrete wall of the parking garage like it offended him. The other two agents had pulled up on either side and vacated their cars to go inside, leaving just Hollis and I alone.

  “We won't find her today. They were smart,” he said through clenched teeth, his voice on edge.

  I finally shifted back into my human self, grabbing the clothes I’d left on the floor and putting them on.

  “What the hell do we do now?” I asked him. “You’ve been tracking this Viper guy for a while and hadn’t even seen him until tonight. How do we find a guy that's practically a ghost?” I tried not to take my anger out on Hollis. I didn’t blame him for this, even though I wanted to. He was the one who dragged her into this in the first place. But I couldn't fault him for the mistakes made. He cared about her just as much as I did. He wouldn't have put her into this situation if he’d expected this outcome.

  “Unfortunately, we don't have any leads as to where he’d go. My man inside may have been found out, as well. I thought about it and there's a good chance he’s how they knew we’d be there. He’s trained in withstanding torture, though, so I don't know how they’d get that info out of him,” he glanced at me. “But I’m not giving up. I’ll pull the whole fucking force in on this if I have to. This isn't just about vampire crime anymore. This concerns the city with this outbreak of BloodLust hazed vampires. I’ll call in some favors with the other team. It’s not something they normally handle, but I think they’ll make an exception.”

  I arched my brow in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  “My team is only one of many. I know you knew that, but each team is responsible for a specific thing. Mine is for the apprehension or execution of vampires dealing in drugs and petty crimes. We’re basically the Narcs of the system.”

  When I gave him a look of amusement, he pulled the thought I was thinking right out of my head, waving his hand at me.

  “But that doesn't make us any less deadly. There's other teams that deal solely with the human side of things and then there’s the teams that deal solely with werewolves and any other supernatural creature known or unknown. Bishop Bentley leads the Alpha Team that focuses on werewolves. He’s not an appealing person to deal with, but he’s the best and strongest of all the men in the precinct next to me. He could help us.”

  I inclined my head, wondering what was so bad about the guy. “What is he?”

  When Hollis gave me a questioning stare, I continued.

  “I mean supernatural wise.”

  Hollis’ lip twitched as he shook his head in disbelief. “Honestly, that guy is scary to even me. Believe it or not, he’s a bull shifter.”

  I gawked at him, not knowing that bull shifters still existed. I grew up hearing stories, but

  “You're fucking joking! You’re telling me that those scary shifters that the Minotaur myths are based off of, are still alive and kicking?”

  Hollis laughed. “The very same. Never seen him shift, but I believe it. He makes me look like a shrimp.”

  I scoffed, not entirely sure I believed him. “Well, I’ll believe it when I see it. I call bull.”

  Hollis laughed again at my attempt at humor and got out of the car, me following behind him. “You’ll believe me when you see him. Come on. I don't wanna waste daylight. They won't be moving with her while the sun’s up, so we may be able to get something done while they rest.”

  With a little hope blooming in my chest that these other teams could help, I followed Hollis into the station. I was exhausted, but I’d be getting no sleep today.

  I’ll rest when Lucy is found, but until then, come hell or high water, I would use every second looking for her.

  Chapter 15

  Lucy

  “Welcome, Lucy. I’ve waited a long time to meet you.”

  I shuddered when the man walking into my room spoke. His voice was deep and had a British accent. He sounded very chipper rather than evil, and I wasn't sure if that was good or bad.

  My eyes were having a hard time adjusting with that damn light shining through the open door. Between that making him look like some dark silhouette and my hand held up to block out the brightness, I still couldn't make out what this stranger looked like. I did, however, finally notice what I was wearing. I was so spaced out on what was going on, it hadn't occurred to me that I wasn’t wearing shoes. Or pants. Or anything that I had on when I was taken, for that matter.

  Someone had dressed me in a long white tank top. It barely skimmed my thighs and was almost see through with how thin the material was. With enough slack on my chains, I surged to my feet and turned a glare towards my captor. It was worthless even bothering to do it though, considering I still had to shield my eyes from the light.

  “Think you could turn that fucking light out? Can’t exactly meet ya back if I can't even see you, asshole.” I snarled out at him. The clothes thing almost pissed me off more than the being kidnapped. Almost.

  He completely ignored my insult and slowly closed the door, dimming the light.

  I lowered my hand and blinked a few times as my eyes adjusted back to the darkness. The vampire standing before me wasn’t at all what I was expecting.

  He was definitely vampire with his eyes bright red and skin a shade darker than the paleness of my own. His hair was a light, golden blonde and pushed back like he continually ran his hands through it. He was roughly six feet tall, give or take an inch. He had a thin face that was on the verge of being feminine, yet somehow retained its masculinity. His nose was long and slightly pointed and his perfectly plump lips were tilted up in a very large grin as my eyes flowed over him.

  He wore only a leather jacket with no shirt beneath, revealing a very slender but toned chest and torso. His black jeans were loosely fitted around his hips, but tight as they went down his legs and tucked into black Doc Marten boots that went up just past his ankles with the laces untied.

  All in all, he was gorgeous, but something about him scared me and pulled me all at once. His posture and the way he seemed to rock on his heels with his hands in his pockets, put me on edge.

  I didn’t know how long I stared at him, but it must’ve been a good bit. His facial expression told me he noticed my intense perusal of him. He didn't seem to mind.

  “You are more fascinating than I imagined you’d be. If you're done checking me out, I think it’s time we talked.”

  Holy shit. Why was I checking him out?

  “Then talk. Who are you and where the hell am I?” I asked with irritation. “And who the fuck changed my clothes?”

  The vampire smiled, walking closer again and stopping within two feet of me. He fiddled with something behind his back, making me eye him warily. I clenched my fists, readying myself in case he wanted a fight.

  “To answer your questions, this morning I was someone, but now here with you, I'm someone else. It’s very odd really. You are here, and as for your clothes -” he paused in the middle of his cryptic response before stepping closer and snagging the strap on my shoulder. I tensed when his fingers graz
ed my skin, sending a weird warming sensation down my arm.

  “I dressed you, but I didn't choose what you are wearing. It is rather fetching on you, though. I wonder if it's mine.” He stepped closer and sniffed the material. I scrunched my eyebrows in confusion. Why was he sniffing me?

  He was a strange vampire. His demeanor was terrifying, but he didn't seem to bring out the fear in me that Viper had. This guy had to be the boss they all talked about, so why was I not afraid?

  He stepped away and smiled. “Yes, definitely mine.”

  “That was the weirdest way to answer me. You do realize that, right?” I stated blandly. Why did it feel like I’ve met him before? When I first heard him speak, his voice wasn’t familiar. But now that I've gotten a better look at him, I felt like I’d met him before.

  “I realize a lot of things, actually.” He stepped back and looked down at his wrist as if something was there. But there was nothing. Has he lost his damn mind?

  “I have some things to attend to, so I hope you don't mind your living quarters for a little while,” he waved his hand dramatically at my cell. I looked around with my brow raised in an ‘are you shitting me?’ manner.

  “At least until you learn you can trust me.” He added with a smile that made me little inclined to even think about doing that.

  I surged forward at him until my chains tugged at my wrists, putting my face only inches from his. “That’s not going to happen,” I spat coldly at him.

  “We’ll see about that, Lucy.”

  Without another word, he left.

  I scooted backwards until my back rested against the wall and slid down. The questions of how long I’d been out and where my guys were, began to consume me. I had a feeling I’d be getting a lot of time to think things over while in here. I just hoped he at least fed me.