Blood and Bondage: Under the Skin Serial Part Three

by K. B. Ladnier

  ***

  What felt like days, went by. I wasn’t sure how long I was there for. There was no way to tell the time, so I had to rely on counting the minutes and hours in my head. I counted at least six days, with some random asshole coming in every other day to hand me bagged blood that barely staved off my starvation. It kept me sane and away from a haze, but my throat burned with hunger nonetheless.

  On day seven, the vampire who had first appeared when I woke up, finally came back.

  When he stepped into the cell, he had a smile lighting his face like it was Christmas, but I could see his eyes had the telltale signs of a vampire under the influence of BloodLust. Were they drugging him?

  “It’s tea time! Guess we need to remove these chains now, don’t we?” He pulled a silver key from his pocket and held out his hand. “I don’t bite. Well, I do, but not you. Not yet, at least.”

  I wasn’t sure if he was messing with me or being serious. He was really hard to read. I put my shackled wrists into his hands and let him unlock them. They fell to the floor with a loud crash. He knelt down and began unlocking the ones around my ankles, and that’s when I saw my chance.

  He had made the mistake of undoing my wrists first, so the second the ones around my ankles fell and he stood, I kicked him in the balls with all my might. He fell to the floor with a gasp and I jumped over him. With a crash, I slammed the door of the cell behind me and looked back and forth, trying to decide which way to go.

  I heard him curse before a bang came from the other side of the door. I didn’t have long before he’d get out. So, without thinking, I ran left.

  The hallway was narrow and made completely of concrete just like the cell. Fluorescent lights lit the way as I ran. Left. Right. Right again. Each hallway only had a door that turned out to be a cell just like mine. All of them were empty, and none led me out. The place was like a fucking maze. I didn't see any stairs leading up or down.

  I cursed with aggravation. How the fuck was I supposed to get out of here?

  Somewhere behind me, I heard his voice carry like an echo. But he wasn’t talking. He was singing.

  “Hey, Lucy, I remember your name. I left a dozen roses on your grave today…”

  Realizing I wasn’t getting anywhere without knowing where I was going, I started tugging on the cell doors along the hallway. His voice continued singing behind me, closer by the minute.

  “Now that it's over, I just wanna hold her…”

  How the hell had he managed to make such a nice song sound so fucking creepy? I tugged on another door and was happy when I finally found one that opened. I ducked inside and closed the door lightly, cowering as I pressed against it. I heard him still singing as he passed by and sagged to the ground in relief. If I waited long enough, maybe I could slip out and find a different escape route.

  “Lucy?” I heard to my right just before chains rattled against the concrete floor.

  I jumped in surprise at my name and saw a man chained to the wall much like I had been. He wasn’t familiar to me at all, but his shirt was ripped open and the words ‘STF Scum’ were carved into his chest. The words were burned around the edges, making me sure he was a vampire who’d met a blade of silver. It’s then I remembered Hollis saying he had a man on the inside. My guess was he was that twelfth member of his team and had been found out.

  I slid closer to him, keeping my voice in a whisper just in case. “You’re part of Hollis’ team, aren't you?” I asked him.

  His eyes were drooping and body even paler than normal and limp, most likely from being starved of blood. No wonder they didn’t lock his cell door. He wasn’t getting out of these chains in this state.

  “Yeah. They pegged me as an undercover agent pretty quickly,” he rasped. “They shot me up with their BloodLust shit and strung me up in here. I had no choice. They made me tell them everything.” His tone was solemn.

  I scooted up next to him and tried yanking on the chains that held his wrists up, the silver burning my palms in the process. I hissed through my teeth, but kept tugging. It was useless, though. I wasn’t much better off than this guy.

  “What's your name?” I asked him, giving up on trying to free him and resting my head against the wall as I sat there. I was losing hope either one of us would get out of here.

  “Diego Brody,” he said. “I’m sorry you're here. It’s my fault for getting caught.”

  I looked over at him and saw his chin resting against his chest in defeat.

  “I don't blame you, Diego. Something about that drug gives you little choice.” I paused, running through every option on how to get us out of here. As much as I wanted to leave this place now, I couldn't in good faith leave him here to die. “I don't know how to get us out of here.” I admitted dejectedly.

  I tried to hold back the tears, but it was hard. Why was I even here? Who was that vampire and why did he want me?

  “Don’t worry about me. Just get yourself out. Once you do, my team will come.”

  I shook my head and placed my hand on his leg. “I’m not leaving you. They’ll kill you before we could come back for you.”

  “Damn it, Lucy! They don't want me. They want you. I don't know why, but that guy that runs things around here isn’t right in the head. Somehow, you're important, and them having you has got to be worse than them having me.”

  I sighed. I understood what he was trying to do, but my life wasn’t more important than anyone else’s. I was just a tattoo artist who grew up in a small town. There was something else going on and I had to figure out what it was.

  I couldn't respond, though. The door to the cell flew open and the vampire who’d been looking for me stepped in.

  “I found you,” he whispered.

  As he stalked closer, Diego fought against his chains.

  “Leave her alone! She doesn't have anything to do with this!” He screamed.

  I tried to bury myself between Diego and the wall behind him, but it was pointless. The vampire grabbed me like I weighed nothing and threw me over his shoulder, exiting the room as I kicked at him. Diego’s screams for me echoed through the door as the vampire slammed it behind us and started down the hallway.

  “You had your fun, pet. Now stop kicking and I'll let you down.” The guy said in a deep growl, delivering a swift smack to my ass that was hanging out of the shirt I wore.

  “Hey! Alright! Just don't fucking spank me!” I replied with an elbow to his lower back.

  Suddenly, I was on my feet and thrust against the wall, him crowding me and pinning my hands above my head. I instantly stilled when he ran his lips along my throat. I felt a little sick with myself for the way I shook as his hard body sank against mine. I stared straight ahead and unmoving, fearful of what he might do if I shifted even an inch, and slightly embarrassed at the possibility that my body would betray me and like it if he did do something to me; like drink from me.

  If this wasn’t Stockholm syndrome, I didn’t know what was.

  “I won’t hurt you, darling. It’s just been so long since I’ve been this close to you and able to touch you again. It’s comforting.”

  I stilled. “A-again?” I stuttered out. What the hell did that mean?

  “Story for another day,” his tongue flicked out and ran up the column of my neck. I felt one hand leave from holding mine up and a finger trace down my cheek as he leaned back to stare at me. “My master doesn't know you're here and we should keep it that way.”

  Why doesn’t he want him to know? I thought he was in charge, I pondered.

  The way he was looking at me was strange. Earlier, his eyes were crazed and unfocused, but now he looked more aware than when he talked to me in my cell. There was sadness behind the look that I didn’t understand. I couldn't process his words, since I was too busy processing his face.

  I knew his face. From afar, he was a stranger. But the face I looked at now was pulling at a memory embedded deep within my brain.

  He released his hold on me and stepped back
, not fully letting go as he looked at my wrists. “How’d you get out of your shackles?” He turned them over back and forth.

  Seriously?

  He looked back up at me and his eyes were again unfocused. Fuck, he was crazy...

  “Uh, you undid them…”

  He blinked at me a few times and smiled. “Right.” He looked at his non-existent watch. “Tea time! We must be off!” He pulled me further down the hallway before we came to a split. He turned right and there at the end was a set of steps.

  We walked up three flights before he stopped in front of a wall. I watched in confusion as he dusted off some chalky residue, revealing a small key hole.

  He reached into his front pocket and pulled out a small key, inserting it into the slot and turning it twice counter-clockwise. A clicking sound like gears moving sounded just before the door slid open to reveal a long, dark tunnel. There was a lit torch anchored to the wall. The vampire grabbed it and pulled me into the tunnel, the secret door sliding closed behind us.

  I wasn’t sure what to expect at the end of this tunnel, but I prayed that I could figure out a way to escape this place wherever we ended up. Everything depended on my escape. I needed to get help for Diego.

  I needed my men…

  Chapter 16

  As the vampire continued to lead me through the narrow tunnel that wreaked of mildew and dust, I’d tried kicking out at him and yanking myself away several times. But it was all futile. He was stronger than he looked and I doubted he’d give me an opening for another ball shot.

  Since he’d yet to give me his name, I started calling him Mr. Insanity in my head. It seemed fitting. I began dreading what would be at the end of this tunnel as we walked, hoping it at least smelled better. I was imagining some creepy castle or another warehouse like the one the guys and I had staked out.

  I was wrong on both fronts.

  My thoughts wandered to Diego still locked in the cell. I was scared for him and hoped I’d figure things out before they decided his usefulness had diminished. In all honesty, I was surprised they kept him alive after gaining the info about the stakeout.

  Mr. Insanity yanked me forward and pulled something from his back pocket. “I’m sorry for this, but it's necessary for a moment,” he said before throwing a black, hard to see through bag over my head. I went to protest, but he shushed me before opening the metal door we came to at the end. My eyes opened wide with surprise at what I could see through the sack.

  The room we walked into was luxurious and huge. The floor was made of black marble and the walls were painted blood red. It was some type of large common room with large, black leather sofas, a fireplace in the corner, high ceilings with black chandeliers, and a few expensive area rugs scattered around the floor. There was a bar set to the left next to the fireplace that was filled with hundreds of bottles; some filled with alcohol, some filled with blood.

  Several vampires were milling around the room. They all stopped as we entered and bowed their heads at the vampire leading me before turning glares in my direction. I didn’t know why I was here or why they hated me. I just hoped I’d find out what they planned to do with me soon.

  Mr. Insanity looked back at me as we kept walking. “Don’t worry. They won't bother you. Bothering people is my thing,” he whispered to me before adding out loud, “We are not to be disturbed! I want to dine in peace tonight.”

  I heard several murmured responses before the vampire quickly started pulling me forward again.

  He brought me through some double doors and into a room that had a long dining table. The room was decorated in much the same style as the last, but with grey walls instead of red. The table was at least fifteen feet long, making me realize this was a type of nest house. There were windows here with black curtains drawn open to reveal the night sky, so the cells had been underground. Unfortunately, the windows were barred, so there was definitely no escape from them.

  Mr. Insanity lead me to the far end of the table before shoving me down in the seat next to the end and pulling the bag from my head. He sat in the end seat that was much larger and more decorative than the others at the table.

  Mr. Insanity grabbed the teapot sitting between us and poured what looked like blood tea, setting the cup in front of me. He sat back after pouring his own cup and leaned the chair on it's back legs, rocking as he inspected me.

  “Drink up. It’ll make you strong,” he said, waving his hand at my cup. It was a little strange seeing this vampire sipping from a tiny teacup like this was Sunday brunch.

  This was getting too annoying. I’d had enough with his games. “I don't want any damn tea. I want answers!” I knocked the teacup away from me, spilling its contents across the table. He glanced at it with a smile before setting his chair and cup down, leaning his chin on his clasped hands.

  “Fine. No tea for you. What do you want to know?”

  “Who are you? Why am I here?”

  He sighed. “You are here because I need to keep you safe. But who I am is all very complicated.”

  I was a bit surprised his answer was so normal. It was the first time he hadn’t said something in riddles. Well, mostly. That bit about who he was still irked me.

  “Safe? You call this keeping me safe? I was perfectly fine where I was! And why would you care about my safety anyways?”

  He clucked his tongue at me. “If you’d been paying attention to your surroundings, you would've seen you were not in fact safe. Ergo, I brought you here to protect you myself.”

  “I’ve met you before. I know I have, but I can't figure out when or where I’ve met you.”

  “Maybe you have. Maybe you haven't. Who knows?” There was the riddled reply.

  I rubbed the bridge of my nose in aggravation. This was going to take forever.

  “Can you at least tell me why you care about my safety?” I made air quotes with my fingers. His idea of safety was a load of shit. Who kidnaps someone then claims it's for protective reasons?

  Another vampire suddenly barged into the room and was about to speak, but Mr. Insanity was out of his chair and in the vampire’s face within a second, his hand around the man’s throat.

  “You were told not to disturb me!” He yelled before pushing his other hand into the vampire’s chest, pulling out his heart. The man could only gape at Mr. Insanity before his body crumpled to ash.

  I stared in shock as the vampire walked back to his seat, heart in hand, and sat back down. He laid the heart on a plate gently and smiled at me again, licking the blood from his fingers like everything was completely normal.

  “Sorry about that. I hate insubordination. You being here is not to be known by anyone,” he said as he stared at me, continuing to suck the blood from his fingers.

  “Can you just like stop licking your fingers and answer my questions?” I asked in disgust. I tried keeping my tone even, not showing the fear I was finally feeling after that display.

  He smiled and grabbed the napkin next to his tea, wiping the blood away and throwing the napkin over his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry about the chains and you being knocked out, but they were necessary. Viper and my other men were not to harm you when they grabbed you, and for hitting you, one’s been punished. You are mine and I don't take kindly to someone messing with what’s mine. They are the select few who were allowed to know of your presence here.”

  I scoffed. “I’m not yours. I don't know you and I belong to someone else. Two someone's actually.” I crossed my arms in defiance. Who the hell was this guy to lay claim to me?

  “Ah. The wolf and the agent. Yes. Diego explained that one to me. While it doesn't bother me to share, it does bother me when you’re hurt,” his face fell into a dark leer as he stared at his cup, swirling its contents around.

  “If that’s true, then why did your men attack me in the alley?” I retorted, shuddering a bit at remembering them once again.

  “They weren't following my orders. They're lucky your agent got to them first. Thei
r deaths would've been a lot more painful if it’d been me. Alas, that was my master’s doing and the very reason only the few who helped capture you are in the know,” he replied without looking up.

  This was all so damn confusing. He kidnapped me and chained me up, yet he didn't want me hurt, was claiming he was protecting me, and was convinced I was his. Wait...

  I leaned forward and stared at him dumbfounded. “How did you know about Hollis saving me?”

  His eyes flicked up to meet mine, boring into me with a look I couldn't decipher. “I’ve watched you for years, Lucy Bryant. I know more about you than you can fathom.” He smiled and set his tea down, leaning his chair on its back legs once again and weaving his hands behind his head. His torso was on full display beneath the leather jacket, causing my stomach to stir with a weird sense of desire. I stamped it down and averted my eyes to the bloody heart on the table. It wasn’t a very appealing sight, but it beat thinking things about my captor that I didn't want to.

  “Why the drug? What’s your end goal with that?” I asked him, skirting away from the last subject. I needed to process why he’d been following me or knew about me before I broached that one. I figured if I was stuck here for now, I may as well be getting all the info I could to help Hollis if I escaped.

  “It is not my end goal. I created the drug because I had no choice, but that’s all.”

  “Why do you have no choice? Is this master of yours the one in control of everything?”

  He set his chair down and leaned his elbows on the table. His smile faded quickly to a sneer and his eyes glazed over with dark red veins across the white of them. It was a terrifying change. One second he was completely there, the next, gone.

  Whoever his master was had done something to him. My guess was mind control like what the drug was doing to all the other vampires, but this was on a more mental level. It was possible by master, he meant maker. I couldn't believe it had taken me this long to figure it out. His maker was using the drugs and his power over him as his maker to keep him doing his dirty work. The signs were there. This vampire had mood swings going from normal to sociopathic, and he was sometimes completely out of his mind and forgetful. It all fit.