Blood and Bondage: Under the Skin Serial Part Three

by K. B. Ladnier

  “I’ll tell you what I can,” he finally said, shaking his head as his eyes changed back to normal. “My name and who I am to you will hopefully make you see that you can trust me, Lucy. But only if you agree to drink some tea. I don't need you losing your shit because you’ve been underfed. I’m going to need you strong if either of us is going to survive what we have to do next.”

  I stared at him a moment, pondering if I truly wanted to hear what he was about to tell me. On one hand, I wanted answers. Which he seemed to be the only one able to give me. But on the other, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear it.

  After deliberating it, I finally nodded and let him get up to grab me another cup from a table nearby. He set it in front of me and poured the brown and red mixture for me, adding some honey in for a little sweetness. After he stirred it around he sat back and waited.

  Taking that as a sign he wouldn't talk until I drank, I gripped the small handle of the cup and sipped. This was the strangest fucking thing to be doing. If someone had told me the day before the stakeout that I’d be captured, then forced to drink tea with a vampire who just ripped a guy's heart out without blinking, I’d have laughed.

  The next words he said were enough to make me drop my tea, breaking yet another cup.

  “My name is Vex and I’m your maker.”

  I gaped at him, not believing what he was telling me.

  He chuckled at my expression before grabbing my hand with some force and pulling me closer to him to whisper.

  “I can see it in your eyes you want to deny the pull you feel for me. So, allow me to tell you a story, darling. Then maybe you'll see I am what I say and that you are the most precious thing there has ever been in my existence.”

  Chapter 17

  Vex

  Forty-three years ago…

  It’s laughable that humans were trying to fight our battles for us.

  What had turned from my nightly stroll to find something – well someone – to eat before I got down to work, had turned into me dodging molotov’s from angry spectators as they trashed businesses owned by suspected vampires. Baltimore, Maryland was a joke right now. The police had organized a strike, refusing to go after vampires without fair wages to accompany the danger of killing us. The humans they protected were either mad at them for refusing to protect them, or taking matters in their own hands and trying to destroy us. The ones I was laughing at though, were the few dozen standing on the outskirts of the protest, holding signs up demanding equal rights for us.

  What a bunch of wankers.

  I pulled the hood of my coat up further, covering my face from the light of the fires dancing around me. As long as I stayed hidden, I could keep moving without issue. I had a job to do.

  “Stop the violence! Live in peace!” I heard a lilting voice yelling within the group of do-gooders.

  I peeked at the woman whose voice carried over the others from beneath my hood and almost froze in place.

  She was beautiful. I’d been alive for longer than two hundred years, and never in all my life had I witnessed such an earthy beauty. Her pale gold locks were twisted in to long braids. Her skin tanned and flawless beneath a dark gold bohemian dress that barely kept the chill of the coming winter. A knit hat set upon her head and gloved hands waved around a sign. Her eyes were like spring; greens the shade of grass with splashes of light browns. She shouted those words over and over, stomping her boot covered feet as she marched back and forth along the line of protestors. Even from where I stood a hundred feet away, I could smell the sweetness of her blood.

  I wasn’t sure what made me stop when I heard her voice, but I knew without a doubt I wanted her the second I could smell her. Not for just one moment. Not for a meal. I wanted her by my side for eternity. I’d never made another vampire, never having the urge to. For once, I was thinking of the possibilities of not having to wander this world alone. My maker was the only one I had, and he treated me like nothing more than a dog, doing his bidding while taking credit for everything I did. I didn’t want to follow him, but it was the price I paid to be taken from the asylum my family had locked me away in.

  The funny thing about asylums from my time, was people were put in them for anything from hearing voices, to being attracted to the same gender. I was thrown in for having an eye for chemistry. I messed around with chemicals, occasionally using them on myself, and it sometimes had adverse effects on me. That was what drugs did. For simply being addicted to things like opiates and tranquilizers, I was an embarrassment to my family. So, they did the only thing people did back then for troubled minds; they threw me into a nut house. My master may have saved me from endless rounds of shock therapy, but it was all for selfish reasons. He saw me for my talents of dealing with combustible mixtures and turned me to use me.

  Looking at this girl, was like looking at hope in corporeal form. She was water to a man dying in the desert. A breath of air, to lungs cut off from oxygen. Sunlight, to the vampire who could no longer walk beneath its rays. She represented everything I thought I could never have after I was changed or even before. I couldn't get out of my predicament, but I could make it easier to bear if I had someone like her at my side.

  Master would be angry for making a pit stop before returning to him, but honestly, I didn’t care for the consequences. As long as I could see her for just a bit longer, it’d be worth it.

  So, I waited for her to wander off alone.

  I watched her for a while within the shadows of a nearby alley. The way she moved. The way her face lit up with conviction as she screamed against the violent actions of her fellow man. As the riot began to die down, she broke off from her group. They had accomplished nothing, but she still smiled victoriously as she collected a bag, slung it over her shoulder and said goodbye to her friends.

  This was just the first of many times I saw her. After that night, I followed her again and began making it a nightly routine. She showed up throughout the whole protest, so it wasn't hard to find her each time. When the protesting finally ended with the police getting what they were on strike for, I relied on information I dug up on her each night. I figured out her name was Lucy Bryant and she had finished college not long ago. She was an amazing artist and had a thing for chocolate ice cream. Each night I found her, I learned more, which only made it harder not to want her.

  One night, I actually met her. It wasn't planned. I had watched her getting a coffee in a local cafe and settling in to read a book. My original plan was to casually walk by and continued on my way. Unfortunately, I was so busy watching her as I past, I missed the man walking on the other side of me in the opposite direction. His shoulder hit mine, which normally wouldn't have done anything, except I was distracted. I lost balance and my hip rammed into her table, knocking her coffee into her lap.

  She jumped up in surprise, letting out a girly scream as the hot liquid soaked her long, flowing skirt and burned her skin.

  "Bollocks! I'm so sorry!" I shouted, grabbing some of her napkins and handing them to her.

  "It's alright. Things happen," she replied, taking the napkins from me and dabbing at the stain. She pushed her braids behind her ear and threw the napkins on the table before looking up and smiling at me. Her smile changed when she saw me, though, undoubtedly knowing I was a vampire. Even with the dim lighting outside the cafe, there was no mistaking my eyes and skin color. For the first time, I almost felt ashamed about being what I was.

  I cleared my throat and averted my eyes. "I can be a bit clumsy sometimes."

  "The best people are usually clumsy, I think." She replied.

  Her soft tone made me look back up at her, only to find a curious look lighting her face. She wasn't horrified by me. Though as she stared, I lost my nerve.

  "Sorry again," I said before shoving my hands in my pockets and hightailing it away from her. I didn't turn back as a walked, but I did stop once I reached a corner and hid, peering around the side to see her sitting again. However, her eyes weren't on the book in her
hand, but in the direction which I ran.

  My master had finally questioned where I was disappearing to each night. When I explained, he looked down on me in condescension, thinking it beneath us for me to change someone because I wanted to, rather than because they were needed. He chastised me and stated his disapproval, telling me to forget her and be prepared to leave soon. He was furious for my dalliances and knew by taking me away from there, he was ripping away the one chance I had to make myself happy. That's how he kept me where he wanted me. It was how he played his games. Well, I would make sure he wouldn't win this round.

  Tonight, had to be the night or I’d lose her forever. I was angry with myself for not having done it sooner, but at least it would give her a chance to live as long as it took me to find her again.

  When I found her walking home from her friend's house on my last night, I followed her for two blocks before rushing into position to a spot just ahead of her. I hoped when I was done changing her, she would forgive me for taking her life. I didn’t care how long it took, I would gain her trust and whisk her away with me when I managed to find a way out of my master’s grasp. I could order her to do what I wanted, since being her maker gave me influence over her, but I didn’t want that.

  As she passed the alley I hid in, I grabbed her from behind. Her scream was muffled by my gloved hand as I pulled her into the darkness with me. I quickly sank my fangs into her neck, taking in her blood. She fought me for a moment, but after peering over her shoulder to see who had just captured her, she just stopped. Her beautiful body sagged in my arms, completely relaxing. I held on for dear life, not daring to let go until I knew I had taken all I needed to change her.

  I slid down the wall behind me, cradling her in my arms as we collapsed together. Her eyes stared up at me blankly when I adjusted her across my lap, searching through the haze for answers as to why I would do this to her.

  “In time, you will forgive me, darling. For now, drink,” I soothed, biting into my wrist and bringing it close to her. I had to get my blood in her fast or she’d die before the change could happen. I refused to let that happen. But her hand lifted and she grabbed my wrist gently, stopping me from putting it to her mouth.

  Somehow, she seemed to understand what I was doing. I wasn’t sure how she did, but the look she gave me said it all. Her eyes, while drooping with fatigue, looked at me softly. Her mouth tilted into a smile that seemed to tell me she was not angry. She hadn’t lost the ability to fight while I drank from her, she just simply stopped wanting to fight. For whatever reason, she was accepting what I was doing.

  “Take me away…” she whispered hoarsely before grabbing my wrist and forcing my open vein to her lips. Her eyes closed as she moaned when my blood coated her tongue.

  I stared at her stunned, not sure why she was willingly giving herself over to me. I brought my other hand up and stroked her cheek, her skin losing its warmth and color as my blood replaced hers. It was a breathtaking sight, watching her body change before my eyes. She’d sleep the moment she was done taking what her body needed for the change, but I wasn't sure for how long.

  We sat like this for another five minutes before she was finally overcome with exhaustion and fell still. My wrist wound closed and I picked her up bridal style, making my way back to an abandoned flat I used when I wanted to get away. Thankfully, the streets were empty that night, the humans snuggling into their warm beds to escape the downpour of snow that showcased the beginning of winter.

  Unfortunately, this would be the last night I could touch her for a long time. I didn't know what my master had in store for me, but I knew it would be a while before I could figure out a way to leave him, breaking his influence over me for good. But no matter how long it took, I would find her again.

  As I watched the first woman to enrapture me in almost two hundred years, sleeping upon the cold floor of the flat's basement, I made a vow to her that I'd come back. I kissed her cheek as my first ever bloody tear left me, and stood. But as I began to walk away, I heard her shifting around behind me.

  I startled when I turned and saw her sitting up. She was supposed to sleep a while longer. Her new vampire eyes looked at me in dazed confusion.

  "Who are you?" She asked in a hoarse whisper.

  "I am your maker. I'm sorry, but I must leave you."

  She rubbed her eyes and asked, "What's your name, at least?"

  I walked up the stairs until I reached the door, turning to look back one last time at my beautiful progeny looking up at me.

  "V. My name is V."

  And then I left her. My heart ached at the missed chance to teach her the things she'd need to know to survive in this world. I did the only responsible thing I could do for her. I asked two vampires I trusted outside of my master's control to watch over her. They promised they'd do their best and immediately went to her aid. I watched from a distance as they exited the flat with her, longing to be the one holding her hand as they took her to feed for her first time.

  "I'll come back for you, Lucy. I swear it," I muttered to the wind.

  I walked back into the darkness, her face etched into my brain to hold me over for however long necessary until I could have her back in my arms once again.

  Chapter 18

  Hollis

  “Agent Grey,” a deep voice said behind me.

  I turned my head from the table all the maps of the city and surrounding areas were strewn upon. My men and Sloan had gone over every known nest in the city and some places we suspected a nest could be. My team had gone home for the night while Sloan and I stayed to look for anything we missed. It had been almost three weeks since Lucy was taken and weren't any closer to figuring out where they took her.

  Agent Bishop Bentley walked up to us, towering with authority. He’d been out of state for an assignment and I hadn’t expected him to show for at least another two days to help us. It made me confused for a second as to who was speaking.

  He stopped to the side of me and glanced over the table before setting his leering, sand colored eyes on me. He was a beast of a man. I wasn’t joking with Sloan when I said he made me look like a shrimp. While I was a pretty huge guy that towered over most of my men, Bishop Bentley was a giant. I was only just over six feet in height, he stood at around six-foot-seven. His body mass was intimidating with how much space it took up and his permanent scowl always screamed that he wasn’t one to be fucked with.

  I reached out and to shake his hand, but of course he ignored it. I figured he wouldn't take the gesture. It didn’t stop me from trying for politeness anyways. “Agent Bentley. Thank you for coming. I know this isn’t your usual thing to take on, but we could use your help.”

  He nodded and glanced at Sloan “Who are you?” Bishop asked him with a grunt.

  I looked over and saw Sloan’s Adam’s Apple slide up and down as he swallowed. I smirked, knowing he was definitely intimidated. Smart man, I thought to myself.

  “Sloan Jenkins. I'm helping Hollis find our girl.”

  Bishop snorted in a way that showed the inner bull inside him. “A Were sharing a mate. That's new,” he replied harshly then leaned over and thumbed through the maps.

  I began filling him in on the case my team and I’d been working on; last known locations, distribution points, the lead I had with Lucy, and finally what happened at the stakeout and where.

  “It’s a good thing you called me,” he went to the filing cabinet where we kept copies of city maps and grabbed a few before returning to the table. He unfolded one that was completely outside the city. It was a map of an area within the Catskill Mountains further north in New York. He looked it over before taking a marker and putting a circle around small towns and a few mostly forested areas.

  “You're narrowing down you're search too much. These areas are different nest houses my team and I encountered,” he shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. “The odd thing is, these are all for one nest, moving to different locations. Nests don't move like that unles
s they have a damn good reason or are running from something. If it was a nest that took your girl, I’d say it was that one. We came across a small warehouse that the pack had circled around, trying to throw us off their scent. It was completely abandoned, but the scent of the nest we smelled a few days earlier was all over it. They seem to move to all the same places though.”

  How did he know about these, but I didn't? I felt kind of irritated with myself for not thinking of asking Bishop and his team about suspicious vampire activity. It wasn’t something I figured he’d know, though. Nor did I think of expanding the radius a bit further. Vampires liked highly populated areas, not forests and small towns. Especially vampires who didn't care for rules.

  Sloan was the one to ask Bishop the questions I was cooking up, though his level of bravado when asking wasn’t the level I’d have used. “How are you so sure? You deal in Weres, not vamps. Who’s to say you’re right?”

  Bishop raised a brow at me in question, also seemingly surprised at the tone Sloan just took with him. I shrugged, not having an answer for his unspoken question. I wasn’t Sloan’s keeper. If he wanted to be dumb, I’d let him learn his lesson.

  “While it's no concern of yours since you’re not my superior, nor are you even a part of the STF, I’ll enlighten you anyways, pup,” he stated with condescension, picking up a map and shoving it into Sloan’s hands. “I may not deal in vampires, but I do cross them. These nests are all ones my team and I sniffed out while chasing after a few rogue Weres two weeks ago. You may be a werewolf, but my whole team is trained with having a superior sense of smell and being able to remember them. These vampires smelled exactly the same each time we passed their hiding spots. That’s how I can say that I’m right.”

  Sloan scowled at him, his eyes flashing with anger. I put an arm on him to get his attention. “Go walk it off, Sloan.” I ordered, giving him a tone that said not to argue. He growled low then tossed the map on the table, stalking off out the door of the briefing room.