Buried Secrets
Ashley Shayne
Vampires stalk the earth and you wouldn’t want to run into one in a dark alley. Unless, of course, that’s your job. Kayla’s very good at her job and hasn’t let her masters down yet. This time however, her task is to capture and torture the handsome Crispin. There’s only one problem—the sexy vampire seems to like it. A lot. To Kayla’s surprise, she finds her passions aroused and her loyalties tested.
Reader Advisory: This story has graphic sexual language and scenes—no closed bedroom doors (or other rooms) here!
A Romantica® paranormal erotic romance from Ellora’s Cave
Buried Secrets
Ashley Shayne
Chapter One
I crouched on top of the building carefully, making sure I didn’t lose my balance on the slick roof, and peered into the alley. I could see my prey below me, as yet unaware he was being stalked. Two streets more and he would fall into our trap. From this high up, I couldn’t see him clearly, but I’d studied pictures for months and I knew what this vampire, this Crispin looked like. He was lean and muscular with blond, shaggy locks and piercing green eyes. He had a firm, square chin and a sexy smile. Crispin’s looks were part of the reason he was so dangerous. Not all of it, but part.
The attractiveness of the target, though undeniable, was irrelevant to the matter at hand. My mission was to capture him—alive, mind you—and bring him back to our headquarters. I wasn’t exactly sure why my masters wanted him. My masters had mentioned something about a secret location hiding something they valued. They thought he knew where it was; therefore, he had to be caught. As usual, when something dangerous with a low-survival rating came along, the job fell to me.
I paced carefully along after the creature, keeping to the rooftops.
“Any minute now,” I murmured to myself as he crossed the first of my wards.
A second later, it happened. Crispin crossed the inner circle and a soft light glowed as the wards flared into life. The magic would keep him in the circle for a short time. I’d been caught in a similar trap once and knew it felt like a giant hand pressing down on you, draining your energy and holding you in place. As the vampire reeled, a silver net dropped over him. Quickly I swung down a line to the ground and pulled the tail end of the silver net, tightening it around his ankles. He gave a cry of despair as he saw me and fell to the ground as the noose bound his legs together. I gave a smile of feral pleasure and paced toward him.
“Hello,” I told him softly.
He recoiled and snarled at me, and I jabbed him in the leg with a needle I’d taken from my waist holster.
“And goodnight,” I continued.
His eyes closed and he stilled beneath my feet. Moving quickly, I pulled a cell phone from my pocket.
“I’ve got him,” I murmured when my call was answered, and then I disconnected the call. I knelt down next to the vampire and looked at him with interest. He really was attractive. He seemed to draw my eyes to him, even if I didn’t want to look. I felt a shiver run down my spine and turned away reluctantly.
I had to wait only seconds before a large black van came speeding into the alley. The back doors opened and two men jumped out. They grabbed my catch and hauled him into the back of the van. I took my place up front, pausing only to wipe a charcoal mark off the wall as I went, and we were off.
“Any problems?” the driver asked me, shooting a quick glance in my direction.
“None. Smooth as silk,” I replied.
I looked back at him just in time to catch him sneaking a look at my body. I was in my hunting outfit—tight black leather that hugged my muscular frame. I don’t have a womanly figure, by any means. My breasts are small and my hips are practically nonexistent. What I did have was perfectly toned, and men certainly seemed to appreciate it. My face was long and thin, and my dark hair was cut short, close to my skull. I always thought I looked dangerous and mean, not at all like a beauty queen, but despite that—or perhaps, in part, because of it—I didn’t have trouble getting men’s attention.
The problem was that I rarely ever wanted that attention. I only met men I was associated with in a business sense and they usually saw me as a trophy to be won. Either that or they assumed I was so sex-starved that the attention of any man was sure to be the fulfillment of my wildest dreams. I’d broken a few noses when disappointed men wouldn’t take no for an answer. I could take care of myself, but the men I worked with were also universally dangerous, and I worried one day I’d get into a situation I couldn’t get out of. I hadn’t met anyone yet that seemed worth the risk.
I kept silent for the rest of the short trip and we pulled up to our safe house in the city without incident. The big black gates opened and we drove into the parking lot under the old concrete building. It had been the headquarters for a small computer company prior to us buying it, and despite looking boring and square from the street, the inside was surprisingly nice. More men were waiting for us, and they opened the back doors and dragged the vamp away. I hopped down from the passenger seat and watched them until they disappeared through a door to my left. Then I went to make my report.
I knocked sharply at the door of a small office.
“Come in,” a voice called.
I entered warily. To my surprise, all three of my masters were there. The Lady, the Tramp and the Tycoon. They were known as the Three and only select individuals were ever allowed in their presence. I was one of those few. Even for me though, it was unusual to see them all together, and a shiver of apprehension ran through me. I nodded at them and stood there at ease, waiting to hear what they wanted from me.
“You got him? He’s here?” the Lady asked me, her voice curling melodiously around me.
I nodded again.
“Good,” the Tramp continued, his jagged voice scraping up my spine. “We have further work for you.”
I nodded once more. I had assumed as much.
“We seek the Amulet of Kain. He knows where it is. He must tell us. You must make him.” The Lady looked at me intently, her eyes seeming to shift from purple to blue and back again.
“How, Lady?” I asked her, wondering if there was a new spell to learn or a potion to make. I was better at the physical side of things and learning other skills took time, but when I mastered them, they usually worked consistently for me. I was definitely no witch however, and I wondered why they’d need me. They had way more proficient magic users under their control; whereas, some spells would always be impossible for me. Defensive spells, wards and potions worked best when I tried them and I couldn’t really see any of them helping to get information out of a vamp.
“Why, by torturing him of course,” the Tycoon answered me.
His voice was hard as steel and I shivered as I always did when I heard it. I looked back at him in dismay. I had never tortured anyone before, and despite the fact that the vamp was a monster and I a hunter, taking pliers to him was entirely different from putting an arrow into his heart. I briefly considered protesting, but my good sense got the better of me in time. My masters did not appreciate protests. Or failure. I nodded one last time and when they said no more, I bowed and went to leave the room.
“Oh, and Kayla,” the Lady called after me softly, “we expect it to take a while. Don’t worry if it takes you a few days. We give you a week to bring us this information. One week.”
I nodded my understanding and left, closing the door firmly behind me. I paced down the hallway to my room and ducked inside, closing the door and leaning against it. I stared blindly across the room and my stomach clenched. Shit. I so completely did not want to torture someone. Even a monster like the thing chained in the basement. I hadn’t disobeyed an order from the Three yet though, and I wasn’t go
ing to start now. Best to get it over with…
I crossed to my bathroom and showered quickly. I had at least an hour before the beast woke up again. The tranquilizers I’d shot into him were strong enough to drop a rhino but only strong enough to make him sleep for two or three hours. I made the shower as hot as I could and stood under it for a good while, letting the heat wash over me. Eventually, I got out and toweled my hair dry. Unhappily, I went to my closet and pulled on a latex cat suit. I figured the rubber would be easy to clean. I suspected this was going to be messy. I sighed again, pulled on high leather boots, steeled myself and headed down the hall to the basement stairs.
There were two men guarding the door to his room, and I nodded at them as I approached. I noted that he’d been put in the soundproofed cell and inwardly flinched again. Maybe I could convince him to tell me without having to hurt him too badly. I hoped so.
The guards unlocked the cell for me and I entered. The vampire was chained in the middle of the room, his wrists bound with silver chains attached to the ceiling. He was naked and half hanging from his bonds. His body was lean and well muscled and his penis, even flaccid, was impressive. His head was bowed and his face was hidden under his shaggy hair. His breathing was regular and even, but something told me he was awake.
“Hello again, monster,” I said softly, closing the cell door behind me.
I heard it lock and we were alone. He didn’t answer me, and I walked over to him and slapped him across the face, hard. He gasped and jerked up his head to glare at me, and I realized again how hot he was, even spitting angry and chained in a dungeon. His eyes were gorgeous, a smoky green with flecks of amber in them. I reminded myself I was there on business and gave him a sardonic smile.
“Well, it seems you are awake after all. It’s only polite to speak when spoken to, you know, even if you are a foul beast from hell.”
I moved to stand before him, trying not to look at his fabulous, naked body. I couldn’t help but notice how the muscles in his abs rippled as he strained at the chains, and I forced my mind back to the task at hand with distaste. He watched me, anger in his eyes.
“I need some information from you,” I told him. “And I’m going to get it. We can do this the hard way or the easy way. Your choice.”
To my surprise, he gave a low laugh. “The hard way or the easy way? How corny can you get?”
I raised an eyebrow at him and then slapped him twice as hard. He gave a gasp as his head rocked to the side and I saw his cock give a small jerk as well. Odd, I thought to myself. I didn’t know they did that when you hit them. I had a sudden vision of all the men I’d hit and their cocks dancing in their pants as I did so and grimaced before dragging my eyes back up to his face. He spat to my left contemptuously and turned his gaze on me. I felt his mind pushing against mine and I widened my eyes and stared back at him. His gaze intensified as he channeled more and more energy into taking over my mind. I held firm and blessed the countless hours of practice the Three had imposed on me. You couldn’t learn mind control; you had to have the talent. But you could learn to block it, and I was a master of the skill. He gave up after a hard couple of minutes and sagged back into his chains, glaring at me.
“The hard way it is then,” I told him, a hint of triumph in my voice. I turned and walked over to a narrow table set up against one wall, using the time to recover myself. He was very strong and I hadn’t been pressed that hard in a while. I breathed deeply, slowing my heart rate, and considered a small table sitting next to the door. My masters had prepared well. A surprising variety of torture implements were set out on it. I glanced over them with a shudder and opted to pick up a small whip. It seemed somehow less extreme than taking knives to him. I took a breath and turned around.
Without giving myself time to think about it, I took two quick strides to stand behind him and laid the whip across his back as hard as I could. A bright-red welt sprang up instantly and he jerked forward with a cry. I took a breath and quickly raised the whip, bringing it down twice more against his back. His breathing was ragged and the marks of my whip stood out brightly against his skin. I circled around him to check his reaction and then came to a sudden halt. I expected to find pain. Instead I found his cock was fully erect and straining against his belly. His breathing remained shallow and his eyes were dark and steamy as he stared at me.
I stood there in shock for a moment, feeling an unfamiliar flutter in my belly and had a moment where I didn’t know what to do. Despite my lack of experience with torture, I was pretty sure a throbbing erection wasn’t the desired result. He must have seen my confusion because he moaned suddenly and thrust his hips toward me.
“More,” he gasped in a light voice, husky with desire.
I just stared at him for a moment before throwing down my whip and stalking to the door of the cell. I banged on it and the guards quickly unlocked it and released me. I could hear him chuckling behind me as I went.
“Everything all right?” one of the guards asked me as I prowled by.
I ignored him and continued down the corridor, out the door and through to the park that was next door to the safe house.
I paced the woods in some agitation. The sight of his beautiful, erect penis straining toward me was lodged in my thoughts. I remembered the flutter in my belly when I’d realized the whip had turned him on. Then I thought of the Three, sitting in the small office, looking incredibly out of place in its modern space. I would be in a lot of trouble if I didn’t get them the information they needed. At least I had a week to think of something. I walked in the woods for about a half-hour, thoughts of the vampire alternating with thoughts of my likely punishments for failure, before I returned to the safe house.
I steeled myself and returned to his cell. Avoiding the issue wasn’t going to help at all. The guards remained expressionless this time and silently opened the door for me. The creature’s head lifted as I entered, and a small smile curved his lips as he watched me approach.
“Oh good,” he said languidly. “I’ve missed you. You rather left me hanging last time. Are you here to finish me off?”
I raised an eyebrow at him and paced forward. “Will you tell me what I want to know if I do?”
“Oh, perhaps.” He smiled at me sexily and his voice held promise. “What exactly is it you want to know?”
I leaned in closer to him and noted how he inhaled my scent as I did so.
“Where is the Amulet of Kain?” I whispered at him.
His reaction surprised me. He reared back as far from me as his chains would permit and stared into my face in shock.
“You can’t be serious?” he gasped.
“Of course I’m serious,” I told him and I slapped him across the face again.
This time I was watching for it and I saw his cock jerk as I hit him. I felt my pulse rate increase as I turned to the table and grabbed the whip I’d used before. Quickly I laid several strokes across his back, and listening to him cry out, I realized I felt flushed. I took the whip and gently draped it over his shoulder as I came around in front of him, trailing the end down his chest and around the base of his thick cock. He groaned and strained toward me, and I had an idea. Maybe, if I couldn’t get the information out of him by torture, I could try another way.
I put my hand on his chest, surprised to find him warm, and he looked at me, his eyes heavy lidded with desire. I slid my hand down to his nipple and gently pinched it, leaning in so my face was close to his. He gasped and writhed in his chains, his breathing ragged and his penis straining. I pinched harder and slapped the whip around his hip to land across his ass. He moaned again and I released him, sliding my hand farther down and dragging my nails down his chest as I did so. He was panting now and I reached down farther and circled his member, gripping him firmly.
“Where’s the Amulet?” I whispered in his ear.
“I can’t tell you,” he moaned back, his body tense and quivering.
I moved my hand up the length of him and down
in one swift motion, and he moaned again. I dropped the whip and dug my nails into his thigh.
“Please,” he begged me, thrusting his hips against my hand.
I moved backward with his motion, out of reach of his thrusting cock, and slapped him again.
“Where is it?” I repeated.
“I can’t!” he cried back.
“Too bad,” I whispered and let him go, turning abruptly and heading to the door.
“No,” he cried, struggling in his chains.
I ignored him and left.
I headed back to my room and fell onto my bed. I took a moment to evaluate and realized that I was incredibly wet and hot. I tried to tell myself he was nothing more than a devil. A fiend and a murderer. To my dismay though, I realized I didn’t want anything as much as I wanted him in me. Crap.
I gave him an hour before I returned to his cell. This time when I entered he didn’t look so happy to see me.
“What do you know of the Amulet of Kain?” he asked me as soon as the door was locked behind me.
“What should I know?” I asked him, making my voice low and husky. I figured anything he told me could be of use to my masters and also possibly point to its location, even if he wouldn’t tell me directly.
“You should know it is trouble and you shouldn’t mess with it. There is absolutely no good reason to want it. All it does is evil.”
“And I should believe you? A creature of evil?”
“You should.” He stared intently into my eyes before continuing. “It is a plague and should never see the light of day again.”
“Well, that’s not up to you now, is it?” I asked him before getting up and heading over to the table. I picked up a set of nipple clamps and a cat-o’-nine-tails and moved back to him. I bent down to place them on the ground next to him, making sure he got a good view of my ass as I did so. His cock stirred as I glanced at it and I smiled. I attached the clamps to his nipples firmly and tightened them until he moaned before I reached down and cupped a hand around his balls. They were firm and large and the muscles in his thighs jumped and twitched as I squeezed. I closed my hand tighter and tighter until I released him suddenly, and he gasped and shuddered.
Buried Secrets Page 1
