Secrets (The Serenity Series Book 1)

by Dawn Kirby

  Out of desperation, I hit him over and over again with my bound fists. I pounded on him using the power of every emotion I’d felt for the last few days. The cold rope around my wrists bit into my skin. Trembling and exhausted from the pain, I collapsed on my back and stared up at the black ceiling, sobbing.

  Everything came crashing down on me all at once. Mom’s beaten body. Judith’s pride when she’d set her on fire. David’s peace when the sun took him away. Raine’s mangled arm. Drew’s kidnapping. Kale’s being hurt. Even the sight of JD’s and Deana’s death weighed on me.

  Because of my secret, five people were dead. Not one of them had died naturally. If this is what life is like as a supernatural being, I didn’t want any part of it.

  I cried until there was nothing left. I was beyond tired. Maybe if I could sleep for just a little while, I could clear my head enough to think of a way to get us both out of this.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I don’t know how long I slept, but Donovan was still out cold when I woke up. That alone told me it was still daylight. Since I felt like I’d been hit by a Mack truck, I kept my body as still as possible. Now was as good a time as any to check out the room. Thank God I could see everything clearly in the dark. All I had to do was move my head.

  To my right, about six feet away, I could see a small desk. It was plain compared to the fine furniture downstairs. A sturdy wooden chair sat behind it. I tried to lift my head to see if there was anything I could use on top of it, but the room began to swim. Whatever Dane hit me with outside had left a lasting impression.

  Directly above my head was a small metal bed. Another ten feet and I could have landed on that. The height would have made my inspection of the room a lot easier. Being laid out on the floor didn’t give me the best vantage point. So far I hadn’t seen one thing I could defend us with.

  I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. My body tensed. I knew good and well they were coming for one of us. It didn’t keep me from hoping the person would walk right by though. Maybe their room was up here. I held my breath when the footfalls stopped outside the door.

  The person shoved a key in the lock and turned it. I listened intently as the tumblers moved around, then the door swung open. Mark stood in the doorway, glaring down at me. Drew had left her mark across both sides of his face. Apparently long, manicured nails do come in handy.

  The choking stink of ash filled the room. How I missed his smell before was beyond me. I’d seen him several times over the past year, but I never could get past his eyes. There was never any light in them. Lucky for me, they were on fire today. That scared me worse than his sadistic smell.

  “Come on bitch,” he said, throwing me over his shoulder. My already pain-racked body tensed, bracing against his bony shoulder. The shallow breaths I’d been used to stopped as I closed my eyes to block out a new wave of anguish. “My father would like to have a word with you.”

  He didn’t bother closing the door when we left the room. The key was still stuck snugly inside the lock. Obviously, Mark wasn’t worried about Donovan getting out. Why would he be? Until nightfall Donovan was dead to the world.

  Mark carried me downstairs and through the huge living room. He opened the front door and my eyes instinctively snapped shut. The sunlight was already too bright and I didn’t have my sunglasses. No matter what else happened, I needed my sight.

  Carrying me a few yards away from the house, he unceremoniously dropped me onto my right side. A concrete patio was there to break my fall. Both sides of my ribcage screamed in pain, which only intensified when Mark kicked my hip to roll me on my back.

  “Open your eyes and look at me,” Dane demanded. After this morning, I’d know his voice anywhere. I rolled my head to the side and slowly opened my eyes. Almost immediately they started to sting. If I could stay focused on his brown shoes, I might be able to keep them being hurt too badly. “Look at my face, not my feet!”

  Mark kicked my shoulder when I didn’t obey. Hiding the pain his foot had caused, I tried to look up at him. My eyes automatically shut. The sun was too bright.

  Dane planted his foot on my injured shin and pressed down. I could feel a sharp piece of bone threatening to poke through the skin. The bone wasn’t just broken; it felt like it had been snapped in two. Unrelenting agony forced me to do what he said.

  Slowly, making sure I didn’t close my eyes, he let up. The broad smile on his face disgusted me. It actually pleased him to see the water flowing in streams from my eyes. Not because I was crying, but because my eyes felt like hot pokers had been forced into them.

  “Very interesting,” he said, placing his foot back on the ground. “The sun does have an effect on you after all.”

  He squatted down beside me and brushed his hand over my eyes allowing me to close them. The darkness behind my eyelids was a welcome relief. The scent of ash around me was stronger now. I didn’t know if it was because both of them smelled the same or if Dane’s enjoyment in the torture he was inflicting strengthened his odor.

  “Mark, let’s see how fast she can heal,” he said nonchalantly.

  “Michael may find it useful.”

  “Michael has already killed one person for hurting me. What makes you so sure he won’t do the same to you?”

  “I am simply doing his research for him,” he said. “If he already knows what your strengths and weaknesses are, he can get on with the good stuff.”

  That comment shut my mouth. I didn’t want to hear what his idea of “the good stuff” was.

  They both walked away from me. I heard the distinct sound of blade sliding across a Whetstone a few feet away. I tried to crack my eyes open slightly to observe my surroundings, but my eyes were now completely out of commission. They wouldn’t open anymore. All I could do was wait for what was to come next.

  Suddenly I felt big hands holding down my legs at the knee. I instinctively tensed up.

  “Start small,” Dane coached.

  Mark cut a slit along the left thigh of my jeans. Then a cold blade quickly slid across my exposed skin. The wound was little more than a scratch. I knew from experience it would heal immediately. The next cut was a little deeper. That one healed after only a couple of minutes.

  Mark put his hand on the upper part of my thigh. I felt him position the knife below his thumb and press down. He slid the blade in deep and slowly cut a six or seven inch slice into my thigh. Tears leaped to my eyes as the blood poured out, but I didn’t cry out. I wasn’t going to give either one of them the satisfaction. It was the deepest cut I’ve ever had and something told me it wouldn’t heal like the other two had.

  While they waited for my leg to heal, one of them ran his hand along my neck and shoulders. I was sure he was looking for fang marks. Obviously, David’s comment about someone coming for me was still weighing on his mind. When his inspection was complete, he chuckled ominously.

  I felt two boney hands wrap something around my thigh. The thin material didn’t do a thing to stop the bleeding. Blood still dripped out of it. The left leg of my jeans was already soaked in it.

  “Are you satisfied now?” I asked angrily.

  “Not yet. I still have a few questions I need to ask you.” Dane was trying to sound pleasant but it wasn’t working.

  “Was this just a warm up?”

  “No dear, persuasion. I want you to know I mean business. Mark, take her back upstairs.”

  Again, I was picked up and carried away. Apparently, Mark had lost his shirt to my leg. I could feel the sweaty skin of his back on my arms when he threw me over his shoulder for a second. He took me back through the living room, up the stairs, and to my dark room.

  This time when I was tossed to the floor, Donovan’s body wasn’t there to break my fall. He was feet away and still asleep. I was powerless to brace myself since both my hands and feet were still tied. My head hit the wooden floor as hard as the rest of my body did. A felt a pop and the room went dark for a few seconds. I thought I’d never take another b
reath again. I opened my eyes slowly, hoping to find myself alone. Everything in the room was shrouded in red. As long as a light wasn’t turned on, I’d be able to keep them open.

  Mark pulled the chair out from behind the desk and sat it in front of me. Dane walked in the room and Mark went to wait by the door. Two men joined him, standing guard outside the door. Once Dane had his pipe lit, he sat down in the chair and stared down at me. I looked back at him. I found out I couldn’t read his eyes. They were as red as the outline around him.

  “Which one have you been with?”

  “I’m sorry? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Every breath, every word, hurt like hell, but I knew if I lay there silently I’d pay.

  “I know there is a relationship between you and one of the Weres,” he explained, “Which one is it?”

  “Even if you are right, what difference does it make to you?”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about, but I must warn you against one of them.”

  “Really, why would you need to do that?”

  “Kale is a member of my pack and lives as such,” he said respectfully. His smell instantly got stronger. “Raine, I’m afraid, is a rogue and will therefore be punished. He has werewolf traits and should have become a member long ago. Just because he can’t make the change doesn’t give him the freedom to choose life outside my pack.”

  “A few traits don’t give you power over anyone,” I said. “We all have secrets.”

  “True, but some secrets can disrupt the flow of lives,” he growled. “Some can even destroy those lives.” His red eyes glowed dangerously at me. Finally I had a guide.

  “Secrets like yours?” I asked, before I could stop myself.

  The second the words touched his ears he punched me. Now, I had a cut below my eye to add to my growing collection of wounds. Oddly enough, I didn’t care. If I was going to take a beating, I was getting my licks in too.

  I had so much rage in me I needed somewhere to place it. My heart still ached over the loss of my mother. David’s death, still so fresh in my mind, hadn’t really set in yet. Maybe it was shock, but I knew sometime soon his passing would hurt me just as much as Mom’s. Dane may not have killed my parents, but he sure hadn’t done a thing to stop it.

  “You have no idea what you are talking about,” he roared at me. “WHICH ONE?!”

  “Which one what?”

  Another punch landed on the side of my head. Apparently, I’d been hit there before. Hair caked in blood clung to his hand when he pulled back.

  “Don’t play games with me, girl. You won’t win.”

  “Don’t ask personal questions. Who I’m with is none of your business! I don’t care who or what you are!”

  He waved to Mark. Before I knew it Mark was sitting on top of me. His knees slowly squeezing my sides. Tears poured out of my eyes. Thankfully, I could still breathe. He wasn’t putting any weight down on my torso, not yet anyway. The pain he was causing in my sides was more than enough.

  “Tell me son, who does she smell like? Kale or Raine.”

  Still squeezing, he leaned down on top of me and sniffed my neck and shoulders. I knew he’d smell Raine. He’d held me after I’d already taken a shower. Maybe, I hoped, with the blood I had all over me, he’d miss it.

  “I know Kale’s smell,” he said, raising back up. “It’s not him.”

  “Then its Raine,” Dane said, slapping his knee happily. Once he had his answer, Mark finally quit squeezing my sides, but didn’t move off of me.

  “Of course you’d smell him,’ I said hatefully. “He’s been protecting me.”

  “From what?” Mark sneered. “Bedbugs?”

  “I’m a job to him. We just needed to blow off a little steam.” I couldn’t deny that I was with him, but I could play it off. If they thought I was nothing more than a fling, they couldn’t use me against him. Raine’s safety was definitely worth my reputation. “You can’t imagine how much being chased can stress you out.”

  “I admit I don’t know him that well,” Mark said, adding more weight. “But I do know that Raine is not one who simply blows off steam.”

  He kept putting more and more of his weight down on my body making breathing increasingly more difficult for me. I pushed my bound hands against his chest. I knew I couldn’t make him stop, but I had to try.

  “You are so much more than a job,” Mark said.

  I did the only thing I could think of. Knowing full well I would pay for it, I spit in his face. Mark was so surprised he lifted his body enough for me to pull out from under him. While he wiped the spit out of his face, I crawled towards the bed. If I could get under it, I’d have a little cover. Unfortunately, he didn’t let me get that far.

  He groped at my legs, catching me inches away from the cover of the bed and yanked my body backward until he had me on my back. He punched at my face and upper body repeatedly. Mark was so strong and angry I couldn’t get away. The raw violence amused Dane. Low laughter was coming from his direction.

  I put my hands in front of my face to keep his hands away. He locked my wrists over my head and kissed me. His weight pressed against the bindings so hard they cut into my skin. While he forced his tongue in my mouth, his free hand groped at my body. I tried my best to wriggle free, but his legs kept my body locked between them.

  When he put his tongue in my mouth again, I let him. As soon as I felt his body relax, I bit his bottom lip as hard as I could. The second I tasted blood I let go. Half vampire or not, having his blood in my mouth repulsed me.

  My bold move didn’t have the effect I’d hoped for. Mark jumped to his feet and put his hand to his lip, drew it back and saw the blood on it. He was furious. He picked me up with one hand and tossed me on the bed. I’d only managed to make him angrier. Now he was really going to make me pay.

  Dane still did nothing. He just sat in his chair, smoking his pipe, watching.

  Mark crawled on top of me, biting my neck and shoulders. His teeth broke through the skin in several places. When he’d punished me enough for his lip, he tried to kiss me again and ripped my shirt. Mercifully, it didn’t come off. The tear was just long enough to expose my chest.

  Fear gripped me when he unzipped his pants and started pulling at mine. Feeling his fingers fumble with the button of my jeans gave me the strength to fight him. No way was I going to let him rape me.

  He had the button unfastened before I could knock his hand away. He slapped me for my trouble and jerked at my bra. Luckily, my legs were tucked in between his. I put my left knee into position and waited for his lips to move from my neck to my chest. As they did, his body raised just enough for me to strike.

  With every ounce of strength and anger behind it, I planted my knee hard into his crotch. He fell off of me instantly. I pulled myself into a fetal position and waited. There was nowhere else to go. Donovan was my only defense and he couldn’t help me even if he wanted too. Dane finally stepped in.

  “That’s enough, Mark,” Dane yelled.

  Mark didn’t want to stop, but did. His eyes flashed blood red at me as he backed away. Dane brought his chair over to the bed and calmly sat down. The fact that his own son had tried to rape me right here in front of him didn’t seem to bother him at all.

  I laid there, pain screaming all over my body, tears streaming down my face and glared at him. Mark retreated to the open door. That was perfectly fine with me. If he dropped dead now, it would be even better.

  “Where is he?” Dane asked.

  “I don’t know. I’m not his keeper.”

  It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either. I’d asked Declan to take them to my house, but that didn’t mean he did. For all I knew they were back at Serenity. As long as they were all safe, I didn’t care where they were.

  “Young lady, I don’t want to hurt you further.” His voice stayed calm and even. “Where is Raine?”

  “I don’t know. The last time I saw him was when you dragged me away. If he’s smart he won’t c
ome back.”

  “He was here?” he asked stunned.

  I smiled at him. He’d missed his chance to get him and now he knew it. I let him chew on it awhile before I spoke again. This wasn’t a man that was used to not getting what he wanted, when he wanted it. That includes people. “Yes, he was,” I said. “All you had to do was look through the fence.”

  “No matter,” he said, waving the thought away. “He’ll come back for you. When he does, I’ll be waiting for him.”

  “What makes you so sure? He may decide I’m not worth the trouble and leave me here.”

  “Oh, he’ll be back,” he said seriously. “If his feelings for you are what I think they are he won’t be able to stay away. You see, my dear, werewolves, once they find their mate will do anything to keep them safe. Sex is a basic thing for them. Nothing special really. Commitment to one another is so much more.”

  “Raine is not a werewolf,” I reminded him. As long as I could keep that in his mind, Raine wouldn’t be such a threat to him. All he knew was what Judith had assumed.

  “You’ll excuse me if I don’t take your word on that,” he chuckled. “Your man will come for you.”

  With a triumphant red glint in his eye, he got up and walked out. He left me there thinking he had the upper hand. That shape-shifting son of a bitch had no idea what he’d face when Raine did show up.

  Mark and Dane left the room, and one of the men standing guard pulled the door shut. Once I heard the lock engage I let the tension slowly leave my battered body. It hurt so much I wanted to melt away. I touched my face and drew back a bloody hand. The swelling alone felt horrible. My left eye was so puffy I could barely see out of it. I tried to feel the back of my head, but my fingers got caught in a sticky mess of blood and hair. If I took any more blows, there wouldn’t be any blood left for Michael to take.

  Nothing seemed to heal. I wondered if the reason for that could be trauma. Maybe it was because I’d taken one hit right after another. Not to mention substantial blood loss. After the brawl I’d had with Mark, my thigh hurt much worse. It was bleeding heavily again and I was sure it had torn more during my struggle.