BuriedSecrets (3 page)

I recoiled and stared at him in shock. “Why would they do
that?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe they wanted a servant? It happens.
I should know.”

His voice was cold and it jolted me out of my shock.

“Shut up,” I hissed at him angrily. “You don’t know
anything.”

He cocked his head at me and appeared doubtful and I turned
away to look out the window again, fuming. After a second, I got up and tapped
one of the guards.

“I’m going to have a nap. Keep a closer eye on him.”

The guard nodded and I returned to my seat and stretched out.
I gave Crispin one last dark look and closed my eyes. Through long practice, I’d
managed to train myself to fall asleep at a moment’s notice, and, despite my
worries, today was no exception. When I woke up I saw by the clock on my phone
that I’d slept for several hours. Crispin was watching me when I opened my
eyes.

“You know,” he told me as I sat up, “you look much younger
when you’re sleeping. And rather innocent.”

I glared at him and he smiled at me.

“I know you’re not, of course, and I assure you I am
appropriately terrified.”

Despite myself I smiled back at him.

“Ahhh,” he told me, his smile widening. “A genuine smile.
That’s nice to see.”

I immediately frowned and he chuckled at me. As I glared at
him, the little witch came over and sat next to me. I got the impression she
was bored and fascinated by Crispin. A captive vampire was a rare thing indeed.
She stared at Crispin as she made half-hearted small talk with me and he gazed
back into her eyes. To my dismay, I felt myself growing a little jealous. My
responses grew shorter and shorter and I eventually just stopped answering her
entirely. Finally she got the hint and got up to return to her seat.

Crispin was smiling at me in a somewhat smug way, but when I
grumpily asked him why he was smiling he just shook his head. Annoyed, I tried
to ignore him. His words kept running through my mind, though. I had been a
faithful servant for almost all my life. What better way to create a perfect
serf than to train one from childhood? But how to get a child? I suppose they
could have saved me, or Crispin could have a point. I could just as easily have
been stolen or bought. Maybe more easily, even. I sat and thought about it,
trying to ignore Crispin’s gaze, until finally the pilot announced we were
about to land.

Night had fallen over Cuzco when we landed and the
bodyguards exited the plane first, scouting the tarmac and checking to make
sure the car we’d ordered had arrived. The tracker went next and then I exited
with Crispin, one hand on his elbow. The witch trailed us.

We had made it about ten feet from the plane when suddenly
the witch behind me spoke a short burst of Latin. I was looking back at her to
see what the danger was when a puff of smoke made me look down. In horror, I
saw the silver bindings on Crispin’s wrists and ankles dissolve. I looked back
up at him and he grinned at me in ecstasy before wrapping an arm around my
waist and flying straight up into the sky with me in his arms like a sack of
potatoes. It happened so fast that looking down, I just had time to see the
others darting around in confusion and pointing upward before they receded out
of my sight.

“Let go of me,” I shrieked at him, beating at his chest with
my fists.

“You’re kidding, right?” he responded. “If I let you go now,
you’re dead.”

I looked below me and saw we had to be at least a hundred
feet above the ground. I squealed and threw my arms around his neck, clutching
him tightly. He laughed and increased his speed, heading toward what looked
like a mountain range. I just held on and wondered what would happen next,
while cursing myself. Why hadn’t I noticed him enslave the witch? A combination
of reasons, I decided. I hadn’t thought she’d be stupid enough to let a vampire
meet her eyes if she couldn’t protect herself. I was distracted and worrying
about what Crispin had told me and, if I was honest with myself, I was jealous.
Dammit. The first time I’d been distracted in years and look what happened. The
Three were going to be furious. I shuddered and hoped their anger came down on
the witch and not me. Not a generous thought, I know, but I was terrified of
their fury and this epic fuck-up was totally not my fault.

We flew into the mountain range and over numerous peaks and
valleys as well as several old ruins. After what felt like forever, we turned a
corner and flew into a narrow cave. Several twists and turns later, we stopped.
It was pitch black and when Crispin put me down I stood stock still, afraid I’d
run into something. After a second, a light turned on and I saw we were in what
looked like an underground cave done up like a bunker. I saw two heavy-duty
flashlights and some other camping supplies—including cans of beans, packs of
dried food and bottles of water—sitting on a table in the corner. At least I
wouldn’t starve to death. Vampires weren’t particularly good about considering
the necessities when they had human captives. There were thick carpets on the
floor and a large futon on a frame against the far wall. The light was coming
from a camping lantern.

If there was a flashlight, then I was sure I could get out
of here. If there was food, then I was sure I could survive in the mountains. I
sat down delicately on the futon and Crispin nodded at me approvingly. When he
turned away I grabbed one of the heavy flashlights and swung it at his head as
quickly as I could. He saw my shadow on the wall at the last second and darted
aside with a cry. I just missed him. He snarled at me and with a quick move
took my wrist and twisted it, making me drop the flashlight. I kicked him in
the knee and he faltered slightly before, cursing, he smacked me hard across
the face.

Dazed, I fell backward limply. He scooped me up as I fell
and deposited me on the bed. Holding me down with one hand, he dug around in an
old chest sitting at the foot of the bed and pulled out several ropes. Quickly
and expertly he tied my wrists and ankles before sitting back on his heels and
regarding me.

“Sorry about that. I really can’t have you trying to escape
right now. I need to think about what to do.” With that, he stood up and
started pacing.

I lay there, my head swimming, and watched him. Finally he
turned to me.

“Assume that what I have told you is true. Would it be safer
to retrieve the Amulet now and try to destroy it, or to run and hide until they
forget and then return for it?”

I stared at him. Was he serious? He certainly looked
worried. Why would he even consider trying to destroy it if what he was telling
me wasn’t true? I thought about his question. If they had found him once, they’d
find him again. Assuming what he told me was the truth, destroying it now had
the best chance of ensuring his survival. The Three were relentless but if he
no longer had what they wanted, they’d be likely to cut their losses and move
on. But I kept silent. I couldn’t believe my masters were evil. I just couldn’t.

He frowned down at me as I shut my mouth and stared at him
defiantly.

“Should I torture you for information, do you think?” he
asked me, his voice deepening as he spoke.

I felt an answering tingle in my belly along with a thrill
of apprehension. I looked at him wide eyed and he smiled slowly, his eyes
smoldering.

He reached into the chest next to the bed and pulled out a
riding crop. He slapped it gently against his palm and I flinched. He reached
out and flipped me onto my stomach and I gasped and tensed. He slowly pulled down
the zipper of my leather bustier to expose the skin of my back. My pants also
zipped in the back, and he pulled them down too, tugging on the leather to work
it over my hips and down my ass. He stroked me and I twitched. I couldn’t see
what he was doing and I found the anticipation of where he would touch me next
was intense. I was just beginning to enjoy his hands on me when the crop came
down on my ass. I cried out in surprise and shock. The pain was fleeting and
nowhere near as bad as I’d imagined. Crispin slid a hand under my body and
found my nipple. He gripped it firmly and I gasped and writhed, pressing my
hips into the bed.

“Oh, so you like that after all, do you?” he asked me before
flicking the crop down on my back.

He hit me quickly several times in a row and with each
impact I shuddered, taken away from myself until all I felt was the marks left
by the crop and Crispin’s hand on my nipple. My bonds cut into my wrists and
ankles as I squirmed but I barely noticed. Suddenly, Crispin stopped hitting me
and leaned down to run his tongue up my back. The feeling of his hot, wet
tongue on the tender places he’d just hit was the most amazing sensation. Every
nerve felt alive, and warmth rushed through me. I moaned and he laughed.

“Like it?” he murmured.

I groaned something and he laughed again and slid a hand
around to my clit. I gasped and sighed as he rubbed it, my pleasure increasing.
He removed his hand and I cried out in dismay. He laughed again and shifted
over me. I felt the tip of his cock pressing against me and I begged him to
take me.

“Get the Amulet now? Or later?” he asked me. “I’ll take you
with me. You’ll see. It has to be destroyed. You can try to take it then, if I
betray you.”

He moved his swollen member, sliding it away from my
entrance and up my cleft to press against my clit. Moving slightly, he ground
himself into me as he stroked my tender back. I groaned in frustration and gave
up.

“Now! Get it now. They’ll find you again. The only way is to
destroy it now.”

There was a momentary pause and then he spoke again. “Thank
you.”

With that, he rammed himself into me and I gasped and cried
out as he thrust again and again. I couldn’t think, couldn’t reason. My whole
world became the feel of him pushing into me, his hand on my back as he held me
down. I screamed his name as I came, shuddering, my face pressed into the
mattress. He gasped and exhaled loudly, holding himself rigidly above me, and
then collapsed on top of me.

When we had recovered enough to be able to move again, he
rolled off me to lie on his back.

“If I release you, will you attack me again?”

I thought about it for a bit. If what he said was true, our
next stop was to get the Amulet and destroy it. He’d said he’d take me with
him. If he didn’t destroy it, I’d have another chance to take it off him and
return to the Three. If he was telling the truth, well, then maybe it was best
that I knew that. If they had stolen me as a child, if I was their slave, it
was best to know. If I aided Crispin now, I was sure I could convince him to
help me find out the truth.

“As long as you destroy it, like you say you’re going to, I
promise.”

He nodded in acceptance and reached over to untie the knots
binding me. I stretched out after he’d done so, still feeling languid and
satisfied. Crispin stood smoothly, grabbed a pair of jeans out of the chest and
pulled them on before sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at me
seriously.

“The Amulet is hidden in a valley in the mountains, not too
far from here. We should go as soon as it’s light out.”

“No, we need to go now. We’ve waited too long already. The
tracker will be after us soon. We need to fly directly there right now.”

He looked at me questioningly before giving a slow nod. I
pulled my leathers back on and stood. He joined me and turned around, offering
me his back. I climbed on carefully, thinking it had been a long time indeed
since I’d had a piggyback ride, and we were off.

Crispin flew as smoothly as he did on the way here and we
twisted and turned through the dark tunnels. Suddenly we exited from an opening
cut high into a cliff face. I gasped in shock as we flew out and the mountains
spread out below me. We swung into a steep dive and I laughed in exhilaration
as the wind whipped through my hair and my stomach dropped. He chuckled at my
delight and came out of the dive sharply, banking to fly close to the ground.
We sped along for about an hour and my limbs were starting to stiffen and ache
before he swooped to a halt and entered a small fissure in a cliff face. He put
me down carefully and I took a moment to stamp some feeling back into my legs
and rub my arms before we headed off.

The terrain was rough and I had to pay careful attention to
my footing as we went. The fissure widened as we continued down into it before
making our way out into a partially sheltered valley floor. Vegetation grew
here and there amid jagged rock spikes that reached into the sky. I looked
around me in wonder. It was an amazing place. Crispin smiled at my reaction and
picked his way carefully among the rocks, heading toward a small, high ledge
cut into a vertical rock face that loomed above the rocky ground. We reached
the bottom of the cliff and I stared upward. From below, the small shelf was
invisible.

“It’s too fragile for two,” he told me, ruefully.

I looked into his eyes steadily. I thought about reminding
him he said he would destroy it but decided not to. He looked back at me and I
felt as if he were reading my thoughts for a moment. Without another word, he
took off. He landed lightly on the ledge and I saw him bend down to a spot I
couldn’t see. I saw his lips move, though I couldn’t hear what he said, and
when he straightened again I saw a small wooden box in his hands.

I held my breath and stared up at him. If he returned to me,
then I would have to believe him. My whole world would change. If he flew
off…well, at least the Three wouldn’t have any cause to think I’d betrayed
them. I took a second to pity the little witch and then saw Crispin looking
down at me. I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was. If he was
wondering if he could trust me after all.

He stepped off the cliff ledge and plummeted toward me,
stopping just before he hit the ground. I exhaled with relief and smiled at
him.