Bound In Sin (A Vampire/Werewolf Romance) (5 page)

Her fangs were already coming out.

“
Stop, dammit, stop!”
  A man’s ragged
plea.

She rushed down another flight of stairs, one that
led to some kind of basement or–

A line of werewolves blocked her path.  Paige
stumbled to a halt just seconds before she would have barreled into
those guys.

The screams continued, coming from a room directly
behind that living wall of werewolves.

What the hell?

Her gaze darted over the men. She recognized the two
werewolves who’d escorted her in…jeez, had that just been last
night?

The smaller one–the guy who’d made the mistake of
touching her before–shook his head. “He doesn’t want you going
inside.”

Yeah, well, screw that. “He also doesn’t want you
touching me.” Drake had been more than adamant on that point the
last time he’d squared off with this wolf. What had been the guy’s
name?  Mark? Matthew?

Michael.
This wolf was Michael. 

Drake had been more than clear when he’d said the guy
wasn’t supposed to touch her again. If Michael couldn’t touch
her…

Then you can’t stop me, wolf.

She marched right ahead. Damn straight that line of
wolves backed up. She figured none of them wanted to dare to
actually physically try and stop her. “So I’m betting you’re just
gonna get out of my way.” Or else they’d get an ass kicking from
Drake.

Then before one of them could grow some balls and
maybe
try to stop her, she sprang forward, leapt right
over them, and kicked open the door behind the assembled
wolves.

It was a metal door, heavy and huge, but it easily
sprang open beneath her booted heel.

Wow.  That blood of Drake’s had really amped her
up. She’d always heard werewolf blood was powerful,
but…
damn.
She’d never felt so strong.

The metal door slammed into the wall and bounced back
at her, but she dodged it with a little sidestep, and then she
noticed that she was in hell.

Or as close to hell as she’d been in a few
months.

Cages lined the walls. Cells. Prisons. There was
blood on the floor. The coppery scent of blood filled the room. She
knew that scent too well. And there, in the middle of the area,
strapped to what looked like an operating table, was a vamp that
she recognized.

Malcolm Douglas. Another one of Gabe’s henchmen.

Guess you couldn’t run fast enough.

The wolves had caught him, and now they were making
him pay.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Drake grabbed her arms and
turned Paige away from the sight of Malcolm’s bleeding body. 
“Dammit, I told them to keep you away.”

“You also told them not to touch me,” she said,
lifting a brow, “so it’s not like they could
really
stop
me.” Not unless they’d wanted to fight the alpha.

A muscle flexed in Drake’s jaw. “You don’t need to
see–”

Malcolm started to laugh.  “Fool. What you’re
doing to me…we’ve done so much more…to
her.”

Oh, crap. Ice flooded through Paige’s body. Malcolm
shouldn’t have said–

“We sliced her open…” Malcolm snarled out. She
glanced over and saw the wildness in his eyes. “Drained her blood
while she screamed–”

Drake lunged for him. His claws wrapped around the
vampire’s neck and ripped the skin. “I won’t make death easy for
you.”

Malcolm just smiled. His fangs were stained with
blood. Despite his screams, she knew he didn’t fear death. 
The guy probably welcomed it.

Hell…had he been screaming just because he knew that
she was in the compound? Had he been trying to draw her down here?
So that I’d suffer…and Drake would suffer.

“Want me to tell you…” Malcolm muttered, “all that we
did to her?”

No. She’d never wanted Drake to hear that story.
“Drake!”

“Get out of here,” Drake ordered without looking at
her. His claws sank deeper into Malcolm’s throat. Pretty soon,
Malcolm wouldn’t be able to talk at all.

Paige didn’t move. The screams had pulled her in, but
she was staying because… “I can help you!” If Drake would just give
her the chance.

Malcolm was the one still doing the talking. “She
was…waiting,” he said, “for you–”

“Take her out, Heath! Now!” Drake snapped and a
fair-haired wolf came her way. His hands closed around her arms,
but she jerked against him.

Paige wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet. “Dammit, Drake,
let me–”

“She was near the lake when we found her…” Malcolm’s
blood dripped onto the floor. “You were supposed…to meet her.”

Why couldn’t the vampire shut the hell up?

Drake stiffened at the vampire’s words.  “I went
to the lake.”

Lost Lake.
A fitting name.

She’d lost her own life at that lake. 

“You went later.”  Malcolm’s eyes were bright.
He liked power. Craved it. Always had, always would. Right then,
despite the claws at his throat and the blood around him, Malcolm
had the power.

And she had a stake in her boot. So if she could just
get away from Handsy Heath, she’d use it and make sure Malcolm
never hurt another human again.

The way he hurt me.

“Your alpha…” Malcolm growled, “he made sure you went
late…to that little rendezvous…”

His words caused Drake’s hold to loosen, just a bit,
but the Malcolm’s revelation didn’t surprise Paige. She’d learned
this truth long ago.

The old alpha, Jeremiah Quintock, hadn’t wanted a
human in his pack. He’d thought wolves were far too superior to
humans. But Drake had wanted her to be his mate, and he’d been
determined to bring Paige into the pack, and it hadn’t mattered to
him who he pissed off.

Drake had thought he was safe because he was the next
in line to be alpha. One day, he’d lead the Alaska wolves. He’d
known that, even when they’d dated. So he hadn’t thought anyone in
the pack would deny him the mate he’d chosen.

But Jeremiah hadn’t wanted the next alpha to have a
human at his side.

So he’d sent me to die.

She saw the shock on the faces of the wolves around
her. Even Heath eased his grip on her. What? Had they all really
not known that old jackass Jeremiah had been dealing with the vamps
for years? 

Because Jeremiah had a taste for blood, too. A taste
for blood and death and screams and pain.  Not the best image
when the werewolves in the pack were trying to show that they were
more than beasts.

But Jeremiah had sure liked to play with his
prey. 

The vamps had gotten rid of the bodies for Jeremiah,
and he’d gotten to pretend he was an evolved, strong
alpha. 

An agreement, of sorts, had been reached between
Jeremiah and the vamps. But, sooner or later, all good and evil
deals came to an end.

Jeremiah was dead. The old truce was gone. Now the
vamps were looking to take back what they thought of as
theirs.

Their land. Their power.

“You’re lying,” Drake snarled at the vamp.  He’d
yanked Malcolm right off the table, easily snapping the restraints
that had held the guy. Drake lifted the vamp into the air, and
Malcolm didn’t even try to break free. He just hung limply,
laughing.

“
Ask her…”
Malcolm said, choking a bit on
blood. “She begged…for you.”

Bastard.

He’d enjoyed it so much when she begged.

I stopped begging.
Stopped crying. Stopped
letting him enjoy her pain.  In the end, she’d been the
stronger one.  Damn him, she’d been
stronger.

Heath’s hands slackened even more on her. She yanked
away from him. “Vamps use distraction as their number one attack
method.”  That’s what Malcolm was trying to do then. Why
didn’t the wolves realize what was happening? “He wants to buy
time, to give the others a chance to regroup and come in again for
an attack.”

Paige inched forward as the wolves glanced around the
room. She just needed to get within striking distance.
Almost…there.

Drake swung his gaze back to her. “You
weren’t
at the lake.”

Paige could still smell the lake. That long ago day,
the polar night had ended. The darkness had faded and the sunlight
had just been about to come her way. Everything had been fresh.
New.

She and Drake had wanted to see the sun together.

Then start their lives together.

She’d gone to Lost Lake early because she’d been so
excited.  She hadn’t cared about what Drake was. She’d just
loved him.

When she’d heard the twig snap and the rustle in the
bushes, she’d thought it was him. She’d spun around with a smile on
her face. 

Hello, little wolf whore.

“No,” she whispered through numb lips as the past and
the present fought in her mind, “I wasn’t at the lake.” 

Drake’s claws dug into Malcolm’s neck.  More
blood flowed. “I waited for you,” Drake told her, sounding lost.
She’d been lost, for so long. His eyes were still on her as he
said, “I waited for hours.  But you never came. You
left
me. You couldn’t stand what I was.”

A few more steps, and she’d be at his side. “I left,”
Paige agreed softly. Wasn’t that what she wanted him to know? 
 

“She
screamed
,” Malcolm gasped out the
words. Damn him.
Shut up.
Only he wasn’t shutting up. He
was saying… “Jeremiah had taken you too far away…and you couldn’t
hear her.  We cloaked our scents, so you never knew we were…at
that lake.  Then the old alpha came…because he wanted to make
sure…she died…”

You won’t tempt the boy again.
Jeremiah’s
vow to her.  He’d met up with the vamps. In some God-forsaken
cabin.  A place that had reeked of death and fear. 

But by the time he’d gotten there, she’d stopped
screaming. She’d realized her screams were only building the
excitement for the vamps. They got off on her pain.

So the tears had streaked silently down her cheeks,
but she’d stopped crying out.  Her lips had clamped together.
She’d bit through them to hold back her cries. 

Jeremiah had come to kill her. She’d understood that
instantly. He’d wanted to be the one to send her to the
grave.  Personally. Because she’d dared to try and taint his
pack with her human blood. 

But Gabe…oh, Gabe, he’d always been so smart. He’d
known that Jeremiah wouldn’t be around forever, and with Drake
growing bigger and stronger every day…

A new alpha’s taking over.  When he rises,
I’ll have what he wants most.
Gabe had whispered those words
to her.  Then kissed her tears away. 
Don’t be
afraid, love. You’re not dying…yet.

“I wasn’t at the lake,” she said again as she tried
to push the past back into the dark hole in her mind.  Drake
needed to remember her leaving him. He had to be strong. He
couldn’t have a weakness.

Gabe was counting on his weakness.

She blinked. Why were her cheeks wet? Dammit, she was
crying, and the wolves were all staring at her, dead silent.

As silent as she’d been when Jeremiah had raked his
claws down her arm. Then her side. 

But Gabe had stopped him before the bastard could rip
out her heart.

“She’s not yours to kill, Jeremiah.”
Gabe’s
taunting voice still haunted her mind. “
She’s ours
now.”

“We didn’t turn her right away.” Malcolm’s body
trembled and his voice shook. “She…got away from us…gave us quite a
chase…”

Didn’t Drake get it?  Malcolm was wasting time
with this story. Distracting them all.

Making Drake weak.

Because Gabe wanted Drake to be weak,
distracted…
broken
when the real attack
came.  

She remembered the desperate time she’d spent
running. She’d fled through the snow. Hitchhiked. Gotten as far
from Alaska as she could.

Hello, Florida.

But Gabe had always been chasing her.  He hadn’t
planned to let her go.  Not when she could be such a valuable
tool in his battle.

She’d never called Drake after she escaped. Never so
much as spoken his name again. Why?  Because Jeremiah had
still been there, still wielding his power, and if she’d tried to
get close to Drake again…

The old scars on her body seemed to burn. 

Her heartbeat thudded in her ears. Fast. So
fast. 

“All vampires aren’t sick pricks like him,” she spoke
quietly, but her voice filled the room. “There are others out there
who are different. They’re
good.”
They’d found her. Hurt.
Wild. So desperate after her change. And they’d helped her.

I won’t drink from a human.
She’d been
starving because she refused to drink. But she hadn’t wanted to
attack another person, hadn’t trusted herself to stop once she sank
her teeth into prey.

Gabe had told her that she wouldn’t be able to pull
back after she had her first taste of blood.

“Once you taste the blood, it’ll drive you wild.
You’ll do anything to get more.  You’ll drain humans, one
after the other, and leave their bodies in your wake.”

His promise to her, right after he’d turned her. He’d
leaned close, pressed a kiss to her cheek and said, “
Then
you’ll be just like me.”

Never.

Drake had dropped Malcolm. The vamp lay sprawled on
the floor while her werewolf stared at her with a face gone
white.  No, he shouldn’t be like this. She hadn’t ever wanted
him to know all the secrets she carried.

“Paige…” Her name was a ragged sound of pain, torn
from Drake. 

And Malcolm–his eyes were on her. On her, then Drake.
No, not just on Drake…on his neck.

Malcolm’s smile said he knew what she’d done.

After resisting for so long, she’d broken down and
taken blood from a live source, from
him.
The one who
mattered the most.

“Guess I am a monster,” she told Malcolm, then she
lunged forward. No one tried to stop her. They couldn’t. She was
too fast then.