“Stupid Danny,” Layla muttered. “He may be good, but he’s not that good. Why the hell does he have to act like a hero?”
Cam shrugged. “Sounds like the choice was him sending the others away or all of them being taken. Danny was the only fighter with any experience, so the younger ones would have just gotten in the way. Besides, the female is breeding, and she needed to be protected. He sent them in the direction of a patrol, probably hoping they’d send help in time. If the younger ones hadn’t run into those undead vampires, his plan might have worked.”
“You’re right,” Layla reluctantly agreed. “I just feel so helpless right now. Why the hell would Connor send him out alone? Even if we haven’t had any problems on that road lately, it was still stupid.”
Cam didn’t answer because he had no idea why the vampire had chosen to send them out without backup. Although, he suspected there was a good reason since Connor rarely did anything without a good reason.
“We have to find a way to get him back,” Layla said almost desperately. “Con’s hands are tied because the council ordered him to stay away from that settlement. He can’t just go after Danny without putting the people who count on him in danger.”
“Seems like this shouldn’t be an issue,” Cam said thoughtfully. “They attacked you first, so the council should be okay with you defending yourselves.”
Layla snorted. “Those bastards turned the time they kidnapped Simon around on us. Somehow, they made it sound like they were the victims and complained about us attacking them and bringing monsters that could turn into wild cats.”
“Vampires have a lot of stupid politics, don’t they?” he asked.
“This coming from a man who sneaks around behind his father’s back to visit us.” Layla’s eyes lit with excitement as an idea came to her. “What about Claire? Don’t even try telling me you aren’t in contact with her. Zane already told me you’ve been meeting up with her every chance you get.”
Cam hesitated because he wasn’t sure how much he wanted to share about Claire. To say his relationship with her was complicated would be a huge understatement. The female was a turned vampire, one who still had a beating heart. He was hot for her in a way that made him very uncomfortable. That was why he’d gone out of his way to avoid discussing any interactions he’d had with Claire after her return to her own settlement. No matter how many times he told himself he simply wanted to fuck Claire, he didn’t believe that lie, and it scared him because getting involved with a vampire wasn’t an option. Layla could take a vampire as her mate because she wasn’t part of their clan. In fact, his father didn’t even know Layla existed.
“Stop stalling, Cam,” she growled. “How often do you see Claire?”
“Not often,” Cam admitted. “But I have some idea of what’s going on over there. Things have been kind of quiet, and she’s not hearing much about what Roger has planned. I was worried he might not trust her because of her time here, but she’s pretty sure that’s not the problem. In her opinion, Roger doesn’t trust anyone. To me, that makes him even more dangerous. Claire seems convinced he’ll keep things quiet over there until after the council meeting. At least, she’s convinced he won’t hurt her while she’s still a necessary part of his plan. I’m just worried about what will happen if he finds out she’s not on his side.”
“Roger definitely doesn’t handle betrayal well. That’s one of the reasons I’m so worried about Danny. Roger will see him as a traitor,” Layla said. “Of course, if Claire’s right about them keeping a low profile, this might not have been Roger. Do you think we have other turned vampires with this new version of the virus running around?”
Cam shrugged. “Claire thinks it’s unlikely that the virus has spread that much, but she’s not sure of everything going on. It’s not quite as easy to infect someone with this new version. Like your born vampires, these can’t pass the virus through saliva, so Roger was most likely involved with the attack.”
“I didn’t know it couldn’t be passed though saliva,” Layla said thoughtfully. “I should probably pass that information on to Connor.” Then she pinned him with a determined stare. “You need to talk to Claire. She’s the only one we have on the inside.”
“I’m not supposed to see Claire for another five days,” Cam said with a sigh.
“Five days!” Layla gasped. “Danny could be dead by then. We have to do something sooner.”
“It’s not a guarantee she’ll show up then,” Cam admitted. “There’s so much suspicion around there that Claire can’t always get away. She has some things going on behind the scenes.”
“Like what?” Layla asked.
“There are others who aren’t happy with Roger. He’s making more enemies in his own camp, but there are still too many following him for them to do much out in the open.”
“Will you help me attack the settlement?” Layla asked.
Cam wanted to say yes for a lot of reasons. Aside from wanting to rescue Danny, he also wanted to get Claire away from danger. Killing Roger sounded better every day.
“No, he will not help you,” Simon said from the door leading to the house. “We can all hear you inside, and while I want to get Danny back, this is not the way to do it. Do you think he’d be happy if you rescued him at the expense of the lives of our people here? He put his own life at risk to save Faith and Jared because that’s the kind of man he is. We can’t attack.”
“You’re right,” Layla admitted in a sad, tired voice.
Simon moved across the yard and gathered Layla in his arms. “We need permission to attack. In order to get that, some of us need to travel to Fangri La.”
“Who is Connor bringing with him?” Layla asked.
“Con’s not going,” Simon said. “He’ll lead the attack as soon as we tell him it’s okay. I’m going with Rand, Jared and Mark.”
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring a human?” Cam asked because, despite what they said, the vampire council was anti-human.
“He lived at the island settlement and saw what was done to Raven while she was being held captive,” Simon explained.
“Why can’t you call them?” Cam asked. They had communication devices that could put them in contact with the vampire council within a few seconds, so driving out to see them hardly made sense.
“It’s because the vampire council is full of power-hungry assholes,” Layla explained angrily.
“That about sums it up,” Simon said. “We could handle a lot without ever setting foot in Fangri La, but they like making us travel out there to beg at their feet.”
Cam just shook his head in disbelief, thankful he only had his father to deal with.
Layla was struggling with her desire to argue, and Cam was impressed when she reined it in. As much as she knew it was wrong to try to rescue Danny, Cam suspected she still wanted to do just that.
“I need to head out,” Cam said. “My father is probably annoyed that Jase and Zane came back without me. My cousin is missing too, so my father was already in one hell of a foul mood. After I soothe him, I’ll see if I can scent out Claire. You know how to find me.”
With that, he left through the back gate, quickly making his way out of the settlement.
Chapter Seven
Someone must have run over his head with a jeep. Danny figured that was the only explanation for the pain. For a moment, he wondered if he’d been stupid enough to get drunk again. That is until the events of the day began to slowly filter through his fuzzy brain, reminding him of how truly fucked he was. Opening his eyes just a slit, Danny scanned his surroundings. He was in a lab, strapped to a table. That did not bode well for his chances of survival.
“You can stop pretending to be asleep,” said a familiar voice.
Danny looked up into Roger’s eyes, and all hope of getting out of this mess alive disappeared. Roger had mostly been in the background when they’d both lived at the island settlement. Graham had been in the center of everything, and Danny had always beli
eved Roger was a harmless ‘yes man’. It wasn’t until after Graham’s death that they all saw how deranged Roger was. Roger had caused much suffering in his lifetime. Danny doubted many people would grieve this man’s death, even those loyal to him.
“Nothing witty to say?” Roger asked and clucked his tongue. “You always have something smart to say, but maybe you’re already realizing who your new master is.”
“Fuck you,” Danny said in a strained voice. It hurt to breathe, meaning he probably had at least one broken rib. Evidently, his captors had been angry enough to do some damage after he was already unconscious. “You’ll never be my master. I’d rather die.”
Roger laughed. “That’s exactly what I have in mind. You’ll die, and then I’ll be your master.”
Dread washed over Danny, and he was sure what little color he had left to his skin had quickly drained from his face.
“I see you’re finally getting the idea,” Roger sneered.
“Please, not that,” Danny pleaded, ashamed of the fear in his voice. This was his greatest fear coming to life, and he didn’t have it in him to be brave.
Roger leaned forward until his lips brushed Danny’s neck before inhaling deeply. “Your fear is intoxicating. You have no idea how much I want to prolong this, make you beg me over and over again.” The shudder of desire that ran through Roger’s body nearly made Danny vomit. “Naturally, the end result would still be the same, but I’d love to drag out your torment and see what you’d do to avoid the inevitable end of your humanity. Sadly, I need you under my control before the meeting in Fangri La, so there’s no time to play with you.”
Stepping back, Roger let out a regretful sigh.
Danny watched as Craig approached, looking more than a little nervous himself. If Danny remembered correctly, that was the norm with Craig. What seemed different was the quick glimpse of hatred Danny saw when Craig looked at Roger. He definitely wasn’t completely on board with Roger’s rule anymore, but Danny figured Craig didn’t have the backbone to do much about it, so he was still fucked.
“We’ve learned a lot about this new version of the Moon virus since its creation,” Roger said in a conversational tone, as if he weren’t discussing the virus that would end Danny’s life. “I’m sure if we still had Bethany St. James handling the research, we’d be even further along.” Roger shot an annoyed look at Craig. “Still, we have learned how to keep the heart beating in most cases. There are some instances where things just don’t go the way we’ve expected. Not that it’s bad when things go wrong. After all, we need mindless slaves as well, don’t we? I suppose it is a problem for those who die, but who cares about them? They’re nothing but weapons.”
“I’m surprised no one has put a knife in your black heart,” Danny ground out.
Roger grinned at him. “This raw passion makes me want to toy with you. Too bad I couldn’t have captured one of your friends as well. Then we could’ve had months of play time together. Now, where was I?” Roger asked thoughtfully. “That’s right! Knowing how to keep the heart beating also means we know how to end the lives when we choose. Unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll be cooperative until after you’re undead. The process of dying is quite painful for some.” Smirking at Danny, Roger continued. “It’s hard to say which way things will go for you. We’ll see soon enough.” Stepping aside, Roger allowed Craig to move forward with the syringe.
No matter how futile it was, Danny struggled against his restraints, fighting his inevitable fate with everything he had. The needle entered his arm, and the plunger on the syringe made its slow journey down. It was no exaggeration to say it hurt like hell, but that was nothing compared to what came next.
Fire licked through Danny’s veins, burning him from the inside out. He clenched his teeth, and his back arched as much as his restraints would allow. While he’d suffered much worse pain, it had always been accompanied with hope for survival. With all hope gone, Danny screamed. So far gone was his mind, he barely heard the urgent voices in the room, followed by Roger’s cursing. Doors slammed, and soon, another needle entered his arm.
“The pain will let up soon,” Craig said, and he was telling the truth. It felt like ice water was chasing the fire through his veins, easing his burning pain. Then his teeth shifted painfully just before the points of his fangs tore through his gum line. The tangy taste of blood made him salivate and sweat.
“What did you give me?” Danny asked in a ragged voice.
“Blood,” Craig said simply. “There isn’t much time, so you need to listen carefully. Trust no one other than me and Claire. Do you understand?”
Danny gave a weak nod because it was all he could manage at that point. Pain, shock, and loathing for what he’d become drained his remaining energy.
“When anyone else is around, you have to continue to look like you’re starving and have lost all hope,” Craig continued.
That wouldn’t be hard, since Danny wasn’t sure he had any hope.
“Roger is expecting your heart to stop beating in the next few days, a week at most. The shifter blood I gave you will allow you to go longer without blood, so it will be easier to keep you fed without arousing suspicion. We’ll get you out of here as soon as possible.”
Danny nodded as his limbs grew heavy.
“Don’t fight sleep. The change takes a lot out of your body,” Craig said in a voice that sounded more like a tinny echo.
As Danny drifted off to sleep, he wasn’t sure if he was glad he hadn’t been killed on the road or not. His tongue toyed with the fangs he’d grown moments ago. Maybe he wouldn’t become an undead tool, but he still didn’t know if he really wanted to live as a vampire.
Chapter Eight
“This had better be urgent,” Roger snapped when he got to the room where Claire was waiting for him. “I was quite enjoying myself, and you made me miss the best part.”
“Sorry,” Claire said, standing at attention like a good soldier.
While Roger didn’t care much for women, or see their purpose most of the time, Claire impressed him in some ways. She was strong and ruthless. She’d also proven her loyalty to him when she’d returned after being held captive by his enemies. The vampire council had offered to take her to Fangri La, where she would have been safe. Her life would have been much easier there, but she’d insisted on returning here. So, Roger should trust her, but only fools gave their trust to anyone.
“Tell me what was so urgent that you needed to speak to me right away,” Roger demanded.
There were three other vampires in the room. All were younger, like Claire, but none were stupid enough to speak.
“One of our patrols didn’t return today,” Claire explained with a hint of concern in her voice. “We have reason to believe they may have left willingly, but we aren’t sure if they plan to betray us to our enemies.”
Roger’s rage grew at the idea of his people betraying him. “Vampire or human?” he asked so he could envision the best torture for the traitors.
“Vampire,” Claire said. “They were from your private guard, so we’re hoping they turn up dead.”
Roger loved how her mind worked. She was right about it being best if they turned up dead. His private guards knew too much, and that was why he rarely sent them out on patrol. While none of them had seemed ready to betray him, there was no true loyalty in life. If he got his hands on the traitors, he’d flay the skin from their bodies before letting them heal enough to do it again.
“They’ll wish they were dead if I get my hands on them,” Roger said angrily.
“Should we continue to search for them?” Claire asked.
Roger hesitated because, as much as he needed to find the traitors, he was more worried about reinforcing his guard at the settlement until he was certain the blood whores wouldn’t attack. If they were smart, the blood whores would sacrifice the life of one human to save themselves from the council’s wrath. In Roger’s experience, people allowed emotion to influence their decisions far
too often, so there was no telling what they’d end up doing.
Claire continued to wait for his orders.
“We’ll send out two small groups to search for them,” Roger finally stated. “At this point, we can’t afford to send too many people out. I’m worried there might be trouble.”
“Is there a reason to believe we’ll be attacked?” Claire asked.
“We’ve recently acquired a guest,” Roger said with a smirk. “I don’t suppose you recall Danny from the island. He had reddish hair and spent a lot of time around the nymph.” This was a test of sorts because he knew she’d seen Danny again during her captivity.
“I remember him,” Claire said. “He lives with the born vampires. I saw him when I was being held at their settlement.”
Roger couldn’t read anything from her voice, so he continued. “As we speak, the Moon virus is working its way through Danny’s system.”
“He asked to become one of us?” Claire asked, looking only mildly curious.
Roger laughed. “No, I wouldn’t say he asked to be changed, but it is a necessary step in winning this war.”
The vampires with Claire were all looking at their feet, and he wondered how this would play out. While Claire hadn’t said or done anything to make him suspicious, he still didn’t trust her. That was why he tested her loyalty regularly.
Claire shrugged. “I can’t say I approve of infecting someone against their will, but I guess we don’t have any choice. I’ll head out now with my team to search for the missing patrol.”
“Send someone else,” Roger said.
“I’m scheduled to be on patrol today,” Claire argued.
“Not anymore,” Roger said and waited for her to argue, which she clearly wanted to do.
“Fine,” Claire said. “I’ll assign someone to take my place now.”
Roger nodded and watched her walk away. Her answer had been fine—not too eager—but he still didn’t trust her. Shrugging off his concerns, Roger’s thoughts returned to Danny. By now, he’d probably missed all the fun, so he’d have to find some other way to entertain himself. There must be at least one person who deserved to be tortured.
Shattered Restraint Page 4
