by Nicole Rae
CLANDESTINE
Bound In Blood: Book 1 By
Nicole Rae
Clandestine © 2011 by Nicole Rae
All Rights Reserved.
Published by Euphoric Publishing & Design ASIN: B009144HY6
Table Of Contents Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Epilogue
About The Author
DEDICATION This book is dedicated with much love to my two beautiful daughters, Alexeea and Ellyana. Without you I would not be me. Thank you for being my inspiration and my life every minute of
every single day. PS… GO CLEAN YOUR ROOMS!! Just kidding… well, kinda. From this moment on, my first published novel will forever have the same birthday as my oldest daughter… Happy Birthday sweetie.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank everyone for all your support and assistance during the editing process. It takes a village to raise a baby and I’m grateful that you’ve all helped me with mine. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you being my eyes and my counselor when I wanted to pull my hair out. You guys rock! I love you all very much and I couldn’t have done this without you.
I am a lucky author. I already have a number one fan, as well as a best friend. I love you Gram and thanks for all of your support and wisdom. Also, I expect good placement on your book shelf… just sayin’
I would also like to give special thanks to J.D. Stroube at Dreamscape Covers (www.dreamscapecovers.com) for putting
together a gorgeous graphic art design for my cover and chapter headings. You went way above and beyond the call of duty. I’ve come to value the friendship we have made very much and consider you one of my besties.
CHAPTER 1 The blinds on the huge store front windows were closed. Emily spread apart a section, peering into the blackness. Crap, she knew it! She was hoping teenagers were loitering around, thenshe wouldn’t feel so alone. It was silly, but a wary feeling always crossed her mind when she had to be out at night, especially by herself.
Lakeview was an okay town, not a lot happened most of the time, but she couldn’t help her apprehension. Especially lately, at times, she had been getting a wrenching pain in her gut that nearly dropped her to her knees. It was so bad that sometimes she thought she would die. It always coincided with the hair on the back of her neck standing up. She let her fingers release the blinds, obstructing her view from the outside world.
It took her way to long to close the bookstore. Her tyrant of a boss wanted the inventory done and the new books on the shelves before closing. Well,that wasn’t going to happen. The store had been closed for over two hours. Too bad,he wasn’t generous enough to pay overtime.
Main Street wasn ’t very appealing at night. There are no street lights or at least not regular ones. Some idiot somewhere along the line, thought it would be a brilliant idea to use lantern lightsinstead. It’s supposed to bring a romantic ambiance to the store fronts for the tourists, that Lakeview never has. The solar lights turn on at dusk. However, the whole street is still covered in shadow. Sinceeverything is closed, there isn’t much traffic. The only visible signs of life after dark are usually from the tenants of the apartments above the shops.
Emily willed herself to relax. It wouldn’t do her any good to sit and dwell on it. The only other option was to sleep here and the boss wouldn’t like that. He was a cranky old man; his frame was slight, but anyone who knew him, wasn't fooled. He had a boiling temper on the verge of spilling over at any moment, pretty much all of the time. Crossing him was futile. She just did her job and kept her nose to the ground. Every now and then, there was a hint of a crack in his otherwise mean demeanor. She never let him know that she noticed. This job was necessary, at least, through the summer to earn money for school in the fall.
Lakeview was the home of a local community college. Emily was enrolled and attended there for now. There were only a few semesters left and then she would transfer to UCLA where she had received a scholarship. It wouldn’t cover everything. That’s why a few semesters here were unavoidable. It allowed her to get prerequisites out of the way, so the cost of the University would be cheaper.
The heavy class load didn’t leave much time for a job, so she was working this summer to make up for what financial aid didn’t cover. Her family wasn’t poor. Their money was simply tied up into other things. Emily pushed the thoughts of college and her family’s financial state out of her mind. It was either that or she would sit and sulk about it forever. She didn’t have time or the energy to be bitter about it anymore. It is what it is. Making herself miserable aboutit wouldn’t do her or anyone else any good.
She hauled the last box of books to a shelf in the back. They would have to wait for morning. Her boss, George would have to get over it. Blake’s Books would not burst into flames, if one box of books wasn’t stocked. She had to hurry up, her dad would be home soon and he hated when dinner was late. She flipped off the remaining lights, as she headed out the door, locking up behind her. As she took the key from the lock and crammed it into her purse, shivers raced down her spine. It felt like someone was watching her. She quickly gave a scan to her right and left trying to look nonchalant about it.
Don’t be crazy there’s no one out here. Why would there be? Pushing her paranoia to the back of her mind as best she could, she headed off down the sidewalk, holding her chin up and alert. She remembered someone telling her this would exude confidence and would make a bad guy less likely to attack. Even though it seemed absurd, she couldn’t help carrying the position anyway, just in case. What could it hurt?
It was then that her stomach convulsed into spasms. Her hand came up to put pressure on the pain but it didn’t alleviate it. Emily clenched her teeth together so she couldn’t cry out. Why was this happening again?
Her long medium brown hair, whipped behind her in the wind, as a big breeze seemed to blow right through her. She found herself fighting a violent shiver that made her teeth chatter. The sudden wind wasn’t doing much for her creep out meter that was for sure. Buying a car really needed to jump up the list of priorities.
A noise from behind made her jump and stop abruptly. For a second, she was afraid to turn around. Curiosity trumped her fear, she had to know what that sound was. It sounded like a piece of paper or some garbage shuffling on the pavement. Yeah that’s what it was, garbage, she told herself as she hurriedly started walking again. She tried not to give the noise a second thought. There it was again. This time it sounded like a shoe scuffing the concrete. She gave a quick glance behind her and to her relief saw nothing. It was probably litter flying by in the wind or maybe even a cat. There were apartments a block up from where she was after all.
The apartments above the businesses on Main Street are not very nice, well at least the few she had ever seen anyway. Emily once had a friend, who lived in a studio there. It was so small that kitchen was literally in a closet and the fridge was in the living room. She supposed that would be a bachelors dream. He could watch the game on Sunday, comfy on the couch and reach over to pull out a beer, never having to get up. All it would need is a toilet on
the other side, she thought, laughing to herself.
Her comfortable laughter was brought up short by more sounds coming from the opposite direction that she was headed. This time it was evident what it was, someone was walking a ways back behind her. It’s just a harmless person walking home to their apartment after work. Get a hold of yourself Emily. They’re not running and they are not sneaking. So, clearly they are not after you, right? Yeah that’s it, just walking home. Then why was there a knot in the pit of her stomach that seemed to clench with every second that passed?
A voice screamed in her head to run. S he couldn’t do that. This person hadn’t posed any threat to her. There were no signs of immediate danger, at least not yet. STOP IT! You’re psyching yourself out, Emily instructed herself firmly. This was ridiculous, just because there is a man walking on a deserted street in the dark, did not mean he was a serial killer. After all, she was walking alone in thedark and she wasn’t dangerous.
Through the endless babble in her mind, she heard the strangers footsteps quicken. She picked up her pace too, trying to make herself move faster than whoever was behind her. She could see the corner up ahead, where the wonderful glow of a street light promised safety. There was no point in yelling, the noise from the cross street was too loud. Besides, maybe he was in a hurry too. She sped up again anyway. Better safe than sorry.
Emily risked a glance over her shoulder to see her possible pursuer. She couldn’t tell who it was, other than that it appeared to be male. The figure was broad shouldered like a linebacker. She couldn’t make out a face but she could tell it was looking right back at her. At least it seemed to be. Why did it have to be so dark? Never mind, she told herself. It’s not important, just keep going.
Her breath was shallower, as she tried to be as silent as possible. She listened for any possible sign that he was getting closer to her. Man, he looked really big. If she panicked, he could probably catch up to her in a millisecond. There was no point in running. The guy was tall and one of his strides, would addup to several of Emily’s. Besides, she couldn’t take a chance she tripped or something. He would have her then and all her efforts would be wasted.
Oh God, her mind exploded. It sounded like he was speeding up again. He had to be following her. Why else would he speed up every time she does? She still couldn’t help but hope and pray that he was an innocent bystander. Even though she knew in her gut it wasn’t true, she had to hold onto something. She had to get out of there and fast.
As she started across the alley, an overwhelming blow hit her back sending her sprawling. She wondered how in the world he caught up so quickly. A voice screamed out in her head to stay awake. Despite the sound advice, her lids got heavier and heavier. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, she didn’t think she was ever going to hit the ground. She tried to position herself to break the fall but she was helpless against it. All she managed was to stretch her arms out in front of her.
Emily didn’t recall hitting the ground. Her next awareness was of being flat on her face in the dark. There was a gritty, dirt taste in her mouth from the gravel lining the alleyway, but she didn’t dare spit it out. Her forearm stung where a jagged rock was biting into her tender skin. Maybe if she lay very still, it would all just disappear, at least that’s what she prayed for.
She soon realized her prayers would go unanswered, when she heard something slipping across the rocks near her feet. She could hear deep, ragged breathing and felt eyes boring into her but she didn’t move. She knew there was no point in trying to escape. Her speed was mediocre at best, no match for his. So. what was the use? She asked herself. Plus, she felt intense pain from the fall and didn’t think she could make her limbs cooperate anyway.
What was taking him so long? Why hadn’t he done anything yet? From all the stories she had heard in the news, this was definitely not their style. Was it? Don’t killers usually attack for the thrill? What was the thrill in letting her lay there and eat dirt? For all he knew, she wasn’t even awake yet. As long as she couldn’t drag herself up, she would let him think so. He must be anticipating what he wanted to do to her next.
“Turn over.” His voice was forceful but quiet. The sound of it made Emily’s body tense and her skin crawl.
Heart pounding, she did what she was told. As she moved, she felt a sharp pain stretching across her back. It must have been from when he pushed her down. She carefully moved into a sitting position and looked up into her attackers menacing eyes. They were emerald green. What was even more startling was that they seemed to glow brightly in the darkness. The sight made Emily cringe away. Those were like no human eyes she had ever seen before. Even though he was average height his frame seemed towering compared to Emily’s. His hair was short and she thought it might be dark, but it was hard to tell. It looked like he was in a crouch, ready to pounce at the first sign that his prey might run.
“Why aren’t you running or screaming? Don’t I scare you?” He almost seemed like he was genuinely curious. His voice held an eerie fascination that made Emily’s skin prickle. “I’ve been observing you for a while,” he continued. “You’re different from the others, but I still smell the stench of themon you.” The attacker’s voice was thick with disgust. Just as quickly, he switched it up and purred, “no matter, I’ve got you now and I won’t be wasting this opportunity. After all, you don’t even seem to realize your potential or abilities, so they must not have summoned you yet. Therefore, they probably won’t even miss you or hold me accountable for your loss."
Through the curiosity, she could tell he was growing angry. He took a slow purposeful step towards her and she still didn’t move. She didn’t know if it was fear or pure stupidity that held her still. She sure as heckknew it wasn’t courage, her inner voice was screaming at her like a little girl to run, but as usual she couldn’t respond. Her fight or flight mechanism was apparently broken. She was frozen, totally and completely locked in place, where she sat utterly defeated on the cold, hard ground.
Somewhere in the back of her panicked brain was another voice, whichdidn’t sound like her own. It sounded safe and somehow that made her feel better. It reminded Emily of the old rule that when approached by a bear, never run. Only this was no bear, it was a man and he wanted to do more than hurt her.
Then as if he were trying to be friendly, he squatted down in front of her and asked her, if she was okay. His rough voice had a peculiar sense of concern.
Emily wasn’t fooled. Something inside her knew he couldn’t be trusted.It was important that she didn’t show him fear either. People like this creep thrived on the fear of others and she refused to give him the satisfaction. She drew from her own strength and forced her nerves to steady.
Emilysquared her shoulders and said simply, “I’m fine, I’m not really loving your social skills though. Don’t you know this is no way to start a conversation?” Emily’s mouth clamped shut at the expression on the monsters face.
His sneer was a mixture of sarcasm and anger. Was that a hint of red she saw in his eyes? It couldn’t be. That’s not possible. Her fear was simply making her delusional.
“That’s funny. You would think after being followed and shoved into a dark alley by a stranger, you would be at least a little shaken. Don’t tell me, you are a black belt just waiting for the perfect moment to strike?” He laughed soundlessly. “I mean, your words do sound brave but your eyes and the fact that you’re trembling like a scared little kitten, saysomething else entirely.” Though the alley was submerged in darkness, it was obvious there was a devilish grin stretched across his face.
This sickened Emily to the very pit of her stomach. Even though he was just mocking her, she still wished it were true. If it were, she could kick his worthless butt. She didn’t answer him. He was clearly baiting her. Her resistance was wearing thin and the terror that rocked her core was beginning to surface. With great effort, she pushed the tears that threaten to spill out, back and swallowed hard. She worked to school her features into a de
fiant glare. It didn’t feel natural and more than likely didn’t look that way either.
Be strong, the weird inner voice told her. Stall him, but stall him from what? There was no one around. There were no street lights or traffic and all the nearby shops were closed.
She wished he would get it over with. The thought of what he might be planning made her shudder. She didn’t want him to touch her. Unfortunately, she was a whopping hundred and twenty pounds and generally speaking, small in stature. What kind of damage could she do? Besides that, she had never been in a physical fight, even with a sibling, since she didn't have any. Her thoughts weren’t making sense anymore. She had no idea what to do in a real fight, even if it was for her own life. She was sure not much time had passed, but her mind raced on for what seemed like forever.
“This is ridiculous!” His firm voice broke through her inner babble and she jumped at the unexpected change of emotion. When he spoke again she could hear the sneer return. “See, now that’s a normal reaction. I was beginning to think you were wrong in the head and felt guilty about our little game. Now, my little mouse,we can continue.” Without further hesitation, he gave her shoulder a hard shove and knocked her flat on her back. Suddenly, he was on her cutting off whatever air she had left in her burning lungs.
CHAPTER 2 “Please stop! You can’t do this. I’m meeting my ride at the corner and when I don’t come, they’ll look for me.” Her pathetic voice squeaked, as she panted,trying to struggle free. She didn’t really have a ride coming, but she figured it might buy her some time or scare him off.
“Silence!” He growled. “This doesn’t have to be bad or even painful,just relax and enjoy the ride.”
“Please,” Emily desperately begged. “I’ve never done this before. Don’t do this!” Her heart was beating out of her chest so hard that she thought it might burst. She opened her mouth to scream and again, nothing came out but a defeated whimper.
“I don’t believe that.” He whispered in her ear. “My kind has been in this pathetic little town for weeks. You’re too alluring. No matter, even if you’re not lying it only makes this sweeter. I love being the first.” He stretched the last word out like a purr. He brought his face to hers and kissed her cheek. “Don’t worry you’re going to love this, as much as I do, I promise. Relax, it’s not what you think…. It’s better.” His voice was husky and only made him sound more fierce and hungry.
