Lovers Unchained (11 page)

Cole laughed at Jude’s comment. “She did taste a little tart.”

 Both men laughed.

 “Now, what?” Cole asked.

“You’re the one with the master plan. I’m going to jump in the shower.”

Jude walked over to Lana’s shower and pressed the word
hot
on the control panel. The water fell from the shower head, filling the room with steam.

“You’re taking a shower while I’m trying to find a way to escape,” Cole said, searching Lana’s room for a key to the handcuffs.

“I can’t find a key, she must keep it somewhere else.”

Jude saw Cole staring at him through the clear, shower door. The vamp would have to wait one more second. There was no way he was going to see his mate for the first time with another woman’s scent on him.

Jude stepped under the spray and allowed it to wash the soap and scent of Lana from him. He turned the shower off and stepped out, wrapping one of her blood-red towels around his body. Jude walked over to Lana’s small table which contained an array of chocolates and candies.

 “Look for a knife, or something we can use to get these handcuffs off,” Jude said. The two of them searched Lana’s room for a knife or a key, but didn’t find anything.

“What were you trying to tell me earlier with your fucked up, sign language?” Cole asked, lifting a chaise and looking under it.

“I’m sure she didn’t hide a key under her chair. I was telling you we can’t kill Lana here. She let it slip that her home was charmed. We kill her here and her brother and his crew will be on us before we leave the building. Probably, before we got these damned handcuffs off.”

“Don’t tell me we made it this far and still we have no way of getting out of these cuffs,” Cole complained, walking over to Lana’s bed and using her sheets to tie her up. Jude knew tying her up wouldn’t hold her when she finally awoke, but it would buy them some time.

She wouldn’t stay unconscious long and they needed to figure something out quickly.

“I know what we can do.” Jude walked over to Lana’s night stand and pushed the buzzer twice.

“Get ready. When she doesn’t answer, he is going to get worried and teleport in to check on her,” Jude said.

When Bruce didn’t arrive right away, Jude pressed the buzzer again. Usually, Bruce responded quickly when Lana buzzed. Finally, Bruce teleported and both men jumped him from behind.

* * * *

Bruce figured something was wrong when his buzzer went off, but Lana said nothing. He got out of bed slowly, careful not to wake his sleeping mate and buzzed Lana twice, but she didn’t answer. When she didn’t respond a third time, Bruce reached into his drawer and pulled out two of his high power, stun guns, and then quickly dressed. 

He was prepared for the worst and hoped for it when he teleported into Lana’s bedroom. When Cole and Jude jumped him from behind, he pressed the two, small weapons against their arms and shocked them.

They released him and fell to the ground, their bodies convulsing from the shock. Bruce turned and looked for Lana. He found her on the bed, sprawled out and unconscious.

 “What have you done?” Bruce asked Cole and Jude when they got up off the floor.

Cole bared his fangs as he and Jude circled around him. Bruce wasn’t worried about the starved vampire or the demon. The only thing he was thinking of was getting his mate out while Lana was unconscious.

“Goodbye, fellas,” Bruce smiled at the two of them and prepared to teleport.

“Wait,” Jude yelled and Bruce stilled. “You’re going to get Faede and leave here, aren’t you?” Jude asked.

“What Faede and I do is none of your business, demon,” Bruce snarled.

 “I have a mate, too,” Jude said. “You don’t have to help me escape, just take off these handcuffs, so I can find her and get her out of here.”

Bruce knew helping the demon was the right thing to do, but he didn’t have much time before Lana awakened.

“I know where she keeps the key, but you two have to stay here while I go find it.”

 Cole started to protest, but Jude cut him off. “We really have no choice but to trust him.” 

Bruce nodded his head to Jude. “I’ll return.”

Bruce teleported back to his room and opened his closet door. He grabbed the two outfits and two pair of shoes and teleported them back to Jude and Cole.

“Put these on. I won’t have naked men parading around my bride.”

Bruce teleported back to his chamber and awakened his mate. “Dress quickly,” he said, laying her black dress on the bed next to her. She sat up and rubbed her eyes while he frantically searched through his belongings, looking for a dagger he kept hidden.

Bruce turned to his mate. “Keep this with you at all times. Don’t be afraid to use it if we get separated.”

“What’s going on?” Faede asked, taking the dagger from him.

“Lana is unconscious and we need to get out of here while we have a chance.”

“I can’t leave without Carissa.”

“It’s too risky for us to go search for your friend. I already have two other people I’m helping escape. One more may be pushing it.”

Faede frowned. “I’m not leaving without Carissa.”

 “You have no choice,” Bruce said, walking over to stand before her. “Because, I’m not leaving you behind.”

Faede bit her lip; he saw she was worried about her friend. “Who are the two other people you’re helping?”

“A vampire and the demon, Jude, you stared at earlier today.” Bruce didn’t try to hide his jealousy.

Faede ignored his sarcasm. “I’m quite sure Jude isn’t going to want to leave here without his mate.”

 “He did mention having a mate and it’s one more person I’m going to have to see to safety—more reason why this Carissa can’t come.”

Faede smiled, “But Carissa is his mate.”

Bruce frowned and then sighed. “Let’s go get Carissa.” Faede smiled and took his hand while he teleported them to Carissa’s cell.

Carissa jumped up when Bruce and Faede appeared.

 “It’s time to escape,” Faede said, walking to Carissa. Bruce wanted to hurry them along.

 Carissa eyed Bruce suspiciously. “Faede, um, he’s kind of the enemy.”

Faede spoke softly. “He’s my mate. I’m his bride.”  Carissa shook her head.

“Oh, I forgot,” Faede said, closing her eyes and blending in with the scenery. “It will be easier to escape if I’m barely noticeable.”

 “Faede,” Carissa said stepping closer. “He is the enemy. If he convinced you he can help us, he is lying. We can’t trust him.”

Bruce didn’t want Carissa filling his mate’s head with confusion. “My mate and I are leaving,” he said. “You can come with us, or you can stay here. My mate is the only one who cares, because I don’t.”

Carissa stared at him as if she still didn’t believe a word he was saying. Faede stepped closer to her friend and grabbed Carissa’s hand.

“My disappearance was not an accident; I left on purpose. I came here in search of him.” Faede turned her head toward Bruce and pride coursed through him.

Faede smiled. “I dreamed of him.”

Carissa frowned. “You mean you had
the
dream…about him?”

Faede nodded her head. Later, he would have to ask her what
the
dream was.

“Ladies, we have to go,” Bruce said, but the women paid him no attention.

“But he’s a vampire,” Carissa complained.

“I know. He’s a wonderful vampire and I can’t wait to begin my life with him outside of these walls, but first we have to escape. Are you ready?

Carissa nodded her head, but her eyes still stayed on Bruce. Bruce guessed she wasn’t one who trusted easily.

“First, we have to go and get your mate,” Faede said.

“I’m not mated.”

Bruce and Faede stared at each other.

 “But I thought you belonged to Jude?” Faede said. “When I spoke to him earlier, he emitted your scent. He smelled like you.”

Once again, Bruce had no idea what they were talking about.
Why would Jude smell like a woman? Why did it matter if he did?

“No,” Carissa responded. “He couldn’t have. He hasn’t seen me, yet. Are you sure my pheromones lingered with him?” 

What are pheromones?

“All over him,” his mate said smiling.

Chapter 8

He can’t be.
Then it dawned on her when she recalled their first and only physical encounter. “It’s you,” he said, as if he recognized her though he couldn’t see her. She did obtain a large amount of energy from him when they
played
together. Carissa’s face flamed red. Jude was her mate.

She should have known he was the one for her when the dragon tattoo on her lower back burned when she touched his body. A Guardian’s tattoo only burned when a protector’s mate, or charges needed protection. Since her charges were in constant need of protection, she got accustomed to the burning on her back.

“I didn’t realize,” she whispered to herself. She considered it, but it felt illogical. He’s a demon and she’s a witch. She always assumed she would marry a warlock, there were only a few warlocks alive and most of them were children. Still, one day she expected to meet one and mate with him.

Faede smiled at her. “I know things are troubled back home. I’m sorry my disappearing act pulled you away from your mission, but you can’t change fate and fate has chosen him for you.”

Fate or Elder Isis. C
arissa recalled what the Elder said to her the day she departed to come in search of Faede.

“Be safe young guardian. Remember the skills I taught you. Heed the warnings of your dragon. If she becomes antsy, then there is something lurking near you that you cannot see or smell. Be safe and return with your Sister Guardian. I have a feeling you will succeed on this journey. I have a feeling you will return with more than you expect.”

“He’s waiting for you,” Faede whispered.

“But he’s never seen me. What if he doesn’t like the way I look? What if I’m not the kind of mate he’s dreamed of?”

Before Faede responded, Bruce chimed in.

“Time is of the utmost importance. I’ll leave you two here while I go and find the key to the handcuffs; when I return I will have your mate with me.”

 Bruce kissed Faede on the top of her head, and then disappeared.

“He’s really your mate?” Carissa asked.

 Faede nodded her head and smiled proudly.

 “Congratulations. I like your real form better.”

 Faede switched back into her true form.

A noise down the hall startled the two women. Someone was coming.

 “Get under the bed,” Carissa whispered.

Faede slid underneath the cot while Carissa climbed on the bed and pretended to be asleep. Two ghouls passed by staring into each cell. Once they passed by, Faede climbed from under the cot. She wiped the dust off her dress.

“It’s nasty under there,” she said.

Carissa sat up. “Here, get in the bed with me. I’ll throw the covers over you when they come back through, so they won’t be able to see you.”

 Faede climbed over Carissa and pulled the covers up to her chest.

“So, what’s their plan for getting us out of here?” Carissa asked.

“I have no idea.” 

“I know you’re mated now and all, but we still have a village to restore back home. We still have young warlocks who have not come into their power, yet, to protect. The witches of the Black Coven are still trying to destroy our Coven. There is a lot to be done, Faede. Couldn’t this mating of yours have waited a few years?”

“I know we have a broken Coven back home and I know my mating has come at a bad time,” Faede said. “In my dream, Bruce was there in the village helping us. I think in the end we will succeed and I believe he is the one to help us. In my dream, the Black Coven feared him. I need him, our Coven needs him.”

Carissa bit her lip. “Was he there also…my mate?”

“I’m sorry Carissa. In that dream, I only saw me and my mate.”

“That’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I know how you think. Everything has to make sense to you, or you don’t believe in it. Well, love doesn’t make sense. Sometimes, you have to follow your heart.”

Easier said than done, her heart didn’t have a brain.
How did one follow their heart?

She knew nothing of love between a man and woman, all she knew was lust.

“I know a place where we can lay low until Lana stops looking for us.” She needed to think about something other than mates and love.

“Great,” Faede said. “I wish he would hurry up. The longer he takes, the more worried I’m going to get.”

Both women lay side by side and thought of their mates.

* * * *

It was easy for Bruce to find the key to the handcuffs. He knew Lana kept it hidden in her library, in a wall safe with a combination lock. Lucky for him, the combination for the lock was the same as the combination for the front gate. Bruce opened the small safe and pulled out the golden key. It was a master key which unlocked all the handcuffs on all the captives. He closed the safe and turned around, putting the key into his pocket.