Layla tried to follow him into Louise's apartment, but Craven asked that he be allowed to look around by himself. She objected at first, but agreed after he'd persisted. Thirty minutes later, the apartment had yielded no clues as to who had taken her or where she might be. Their next port of call was Jesters or at least what was left of it. The building had been razed to the ground.
“Why do you think the vampires would have wanted Krell dead?” Craven asked.
“I've no idea.” Layla shrugged. “I have as little as possible to do with humans or vampires.”
“You must have heard talk? Rumours?”
“Nothing. Sorry.”
“I'd like to meet with the vampires.”
“You can't.”
“Milton said I can go where I want, and speak with anyone I please.”
“He didn't mean—”
“Anyone I please.”
Layla's smile had now evaporated. “I'll have to see what can be arranged.”
“Do that. Who's their leader?”
“Lassiter is the head of the local cove. I doubt he'll see you.”
“Contact him.”
“Okay, but it may take some time. I'll see if I can set something up for the morning.”
“If you have any problems, let me know. In the meantime, I'll need somewhere to stay tonight.”
“You can stay with me.” Her smile had returned.
“A hotel will be fine.”
“No hotel is going to give you a room.”
“Why not?”
“Having an Alpha from another pack in one of their rooms wouldn't be good for business. There's plenty of room at my place, and I'll have you close at hand if I run into any problems with Lassiter.”
Reluctantly, Craven agreed.
*********
“Your meeting is set for ten AM tomorrow morning,” Layla said.
She'd spent the last thirty minutes making calls to vampire HQ. Craven had just finished his call to his Beta—bringing him up to speed with progress or the lack of it.
“Thanks, Layla. That's great,” Craven said, as he glanced around. “Nice place. Have you lived here long?”
“Actually, I only moved in this morning.”
Layla lived in a penthouse. It must have cost a fortune to rent. Milton had described her as his assistant—the job must pay well, Craven reflected.
“I'm done for,” Craven said. “Is it okay if I take a shower before I turn in?”
“Sure. Help yourself.”
“Goodnight then.”
He wasn't really tired, but he couldn't bear the thought of making small talk with Layla for the rest of the evening. The day had been a washout, and he wasn't optimistic about his meeting with Lassiter. Craven wouldn't trust Milton as far as he could throw him, but Craven had been given carte-blanch to search the territory, and to speak with anyone he chose. He couldn't really have asked for more.
Craven took a shower in the en-suite bathroom.
“Where are you, Louise?” he said, as he tilted his head up so the water streamed down over his face. He cursed himself again for having left her alone in his apartment. If anything happened to her, he'd never forgive himself.
Craven turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.
“Hi,” Layla said. A huge smile lit her face as her gaze slid down his body.
She was wearing a white towel tied above her breasts.
“What do you think you're doing?” he said.
“I thought it might be nice to share a shower with you.” As she took two steps forward, she allowed the towel to fall to the floor.
She was petite with curves in all of the right places.
“No.” Craven averted his gaze.
“It will do you good.” She put her palms on his chest. “I can help you get rid of all that stress.” One of her hands began to slide slowly downwards.
“Stop!” Craven grabbed her wrist.
“What's wrong? Don't you think I'm pretty?”
“This isn't why I came here.”
“Who's to know? I won't tell.” She tried to free her hand, but his grip was too strong. Instead, she stood on tip-toe, and pressed her lips to his.
“No.” Releasing her hand, he took her by the shoulders, and forced her back. “I'm here to look for my fated mate, not for a cheap easy shag.”
Craven grabbed a towel and pushed passed her.
“Your loss!” she called after him.
Chapter 9
The next morning, Layla had turned on the ice-works. She spoke to Craven only when it was absolutely necessary. That suited him.
“I'll come in with you,” she said when they arrived at Lassiter's offices.
“No. I want to see him alone.”
“But—”
“Alone. If you have a problem with that, I'll talk to Milton. I'm sure he'd be interested to hear about last night.”
“No. It's okay. I'll wait here.”
Her reaction confirmed what Craven had suspected. Layla was more than just an assistant to Milton.
A young female vampire greeted Craven with an insincere smile. He followed her into an office which was all chrome and black leather.
“Sit,” Lassiter said. He did not stand or offer to shake Craven's hand.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Craven said.
“You have ten minutes.”
“I'm looking for my fated mate. She was snatched from my apartment in Terroun territory.”
“What makes you think I can help?”
“She's Krell's daughter. I think her disappearance may be connected to his death.”
“I still fail to see why that has anything to do with me.”
“Louise saw her father's killers. One of them was a vampire.”
“That's nonsense. We have no interest in the affairs of shifters. She must have been mistaken.”
“What about the attack on Jesters?”
“I'd hardly call it an attack.”
“What would you call it?”
“A few youngsters had a little too much to drink, and—” He hesitated. “Lost control.”
“That's not what I heard.”
“Then you heard wrong.”
“I heard it was a co-ordinated attack. I heard it was a massacre. I heard—”
“Frankly, I don't care what you heard or what you think you know. I've told you what happened.”
“Rather a coincidence that it happened the same night as Krell was attacked and killed.”
“That's just what it was. A coincidence.” Lassiter stood up. “Now, if you don't mind, I'm rather busy.”
“Where were you the night before last?”
“What business is that of yours?”
“A man with a build similar to yours abducted Louise from my flat.”
“I've listened to enough of your nonsense. You should leave now while you still can.”
“Is that a threat?”
“The door's behind you.”
“If I find out you have taken her or hurt her in anyway, I'll come looking for you.”
“That, I'll look forward to.” Lassiter grinned—his fangs bared.
“Well?” Layla asked when Craven returned to reception.
He ignored her.
“What happened in there?” She tried again as they walked back to her car.
“I'm done here,” he said. “Take me back to the border would you?”
“Don't you want to see Milton before you leave?”
“Just take me to the border.”
“What will you do now?” she asked, as they drove back towards his territory.
“I'll keep searching until I find her.”
*********
“Any joy?” Hill asked.
“Nothing.”
They were in Craven's office.
“Did you have any problems over there?”
“The new Alpha was most accommodating. Almost too accommodating.”
“What do you mean?”
“Doesn't that show he has nothing to hide?”
“Does it? Or is that just the impression he wanted to convey?”
“Did he allow you to travel through their territory unaccompanied?”
“I had his assistant with me. Layla—a nasty piece of work who claimed to have been a friend of Louise.” Craven pulled a face—just the thought of that little bitch made him sick to his stomach. What kind of person would try to seduce her friend's mate? “I also met with Lassiter—head of the vampires.”
“How did that go?”
“It didn't. He denied any knowledge of Louise's abduction or Krell's death. When I mentioned Jesters nightclub, he brushed it off as if it had been nothing. I wouldn't trust anything he said.”
“What now?”
“I keep on searching.”
“Where?”
“Everywhere until I find her.” He put his hand on Hill's shoulder. “I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
“I need you to take over as Alpha.”
Hill spun around to face Craven.
“I can't do that.”
“You have to. I have no idea how long I'll be gone.”
“I don't need to become Alpha. I can keep things going here while you're away. ”
“The pack needs an Alpha who they can see every day. You've earned the right.”
“But—”
“No buts. I'll make an announcement later today.
“On one condition,” Hill said.
“What's that?”
“When you find Louise, and you both return, I'll step down and you can resume your role as Alpha.”
“I've got a better idea. We can fight for the role.”
“Same result. You always could kick my arse.”
They both laughed.
Part 3 – LOUISE (1989)
Chapter 10
“Craven?” I walked over to the door which was still wide open. “Stop messing around.”
The corridor was deserted. What the hell? Where was he?
A hand covered my mouth. Someone was standing behind me.
“Who did you think it was?” Craven whispered into my ear as he moved his hand away.
“You scared me half to death.” I spun around and thumped my palms against his chest.
“I'm sorry,” he said as he pushed the door closed with his foot. “You look exceptionally beautiful this morning.”
“Are you kidding? I look like shit. I haven't even had a shower yet.”
“In that case—” A wicked grin crept across his face as he pinched my nipple lightly through the thin fabric of the tee-shirt. “Maybe I could join you.”
“I'd like that.” I hurled myself at him—wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs tight around his waist. A tingle ran through my body as I felt his erection pressed hard against my sex.
“It's cold!” I screamed.
He'd pushed me into the shower—I was still wearing tee-shirt and panties.
Craven grinned at me from the other side of the shower door. “Don't worry. I'll soon warm you up,” he said.
I watched impatiently as he discarded his clothes. By the time he'd joined me, the shower was running warm.
“Why have you got your clothes on?” he said.
Before I could respond, he'd ripped off my panties. Then he ran his hands under my tee-shirt, and pulled the soaking wet top off over my head. I grabbed his firm buttocks and pulled him hard against me. I could feel his erection throbbing against my tummy.
He grabbed my leg and hoisted it up onto his thigh. Our eyes met as he slid first one, and then a second finger inside me. Water cascaded over our faces as we kissed with a ferocity born out of pure lust.
His thumb flit back and forth across my clit as I rode his fingers hard. I was on the point of orgasm when he grabbed me by the hips, and spun me around so that I was leaning with my hands against the wall of the shower.
After he'd nudged my legs apart with his foot, he whispered, “I'm going to fuck you harder than you've ever been fucked.”
“Do it!” I shouted, and then gasped as he thrust his rock hard cock deep inside me.
He fucked me with such force that my arms almost gave way.
“Don't stop!” I said, as I pushed back to meet his every thrust.
His hand slid between my legs, and his fingers found my clit.
As my own climax overtook me, I felt his body grow tense. I knew he was about to come. He began to thrust even faster—even harder—until I felt him spill his seed deep inside me.
It took me several seconds to catch my breath. When I turned around he'd gone. The shower had gone. The bathroom had gone. All that was left was the blackness.
I sat up in bed, and looked around my prison. A beetle made its way across the floor. Outside, a bird sang. I hated the dreams and the false hope they gave me. The nightmares I could handle—after all I was living one every day.
The back of the toilet door was covered in small nicks. I'd long since abandoned recording the days. I knew what date it was, but only because Marlow kept me posted. The days had turned into weeks, the weeks into months, and the months into years. It was difficult to believe I'd been there fifteen years, and yet it felt more like a thousand. The boredom was the worst part. I knew every blade of grass in the small enclosure. I could pick out a dozen different bird songs although I couldn't put a name to any of the species. Occasionally, a small creature would appear in the clearing: a rabbit, a mouse or a hedgehog. That would make my day. I sometimes had to throw stones at the rabbits to keep them away from the fence. I'd even grown accustomed to the smell of the wender berries which filled the air all year round.
For the first few years, I'd held onto the hope that Craven would rescue me, but I'd long since realised that was never going to happen. Had he been killed or just given up the search? I had no way of knowing.
What was the point of living if this was all I had to look forward to until they decided it was time for me to die? Why had they kept me alive for so long? That was the question that still drove me crazy. It made no sense, but then nothing about my life made sense any more.
The first three years had been the worst. During those years, I'd had to endure visits from a woman I'd once considered to be a friend. Layla had taken a perverse pleasure in torturing me at every opportunity. Not physically—she'd never stepped foot inside the fence. She'd inflicted her brand of pain with words. I hadn't seen her for twelve years. It was Marlow who'd told me she'd been taken by Milton as his mate. Having to associate with me was now below her status. I had three guards who worked a rota. Each of them covered one week in three. I didn't know the names of two of them, and had never exchanged a single word with either. Marlow was different. He not only spoke to me, but treated me like an equal. We talked. Or at least he did. I mostly listened to his tales of my pack. I'm sure he didn't tell me everything, but I was grateful for the small crumbs of information he fed me. From what he'd told me, it was obvious Milton's reign had brought chaos to the pack. For decades the Maja had lived in security under my father. His alliance with the vampires, and his tolerance of the humans, had meant the pack had thrived and expanded. Things had changed and not for the better. Milton had entered into a pact with Lassiter, but it was an uneasy alliance. Instead of co-existing peacefully with the humans, the vampires had persuaded Milton to turn a blind eye to their open blood-lust. As if that wasn't bad enough, there had been numerous attacks by shifters on humans. It was exactly the kind of folly my father had strove to avoid. Humans may be the weaker species, but they aren't stupid. While shifters and vampires had kept the peace and remained in the shadows, the humans had been content to perpetuate the illusion we were simply mythological creatures. The whole territory was now like a bomb about to explode.
It was Marlow's turn on the rota. My
other two keepers spent the bare minimum of time with me. Just long enough to deliver food, a change of clothing, and any other provisions I needed. Marlow stayed much longer—sometimes as long as three hours. Today was his last before the change of guard.
It was late morning—I was in the cabin. Every day I washed with cold water from the sink. I'd managed to secure soap, hair shampoo and other toiletries, but it was still an unpleasant experience. My outer clothes and towel were swapped only twice per week. I did at least have a change of underwear for each day. That 'privilege' hadn't been introduced until the fourth year of my captivity. I don't think it was any coincidence it was granted shortly after Layla stopped visiting me. Marlow had never admitted it, but I was sure he'd been responsible for negotiating my additional privileges.
A clanking sound caught my attention. I stood perfectly still and listened. No one else had actually been inside the enclosure since the fence was erected. Even when I'd fallen ill with a severe stomach bug, the medicines had been slid underneath the gate. I heard footsteps—coming closer.
The door to the cabin swung open.
“Hi,” Marlow said.
I tried to speak, but the words died in my throat.
“Can I come in?” he said.
I nodded—still unable to speak.
During the early years, I'd tried every trick in the book to lure one of my guards into the enclosure. I'd planned my attack in minute detail. Once I'd overpowered them, I'd make my escape, and then find Craven. That seemed so long ago. Escape wasn't something which even crossed my mind now.
This was my opportunity. Marlow was only a few feet away. He was a strong shifter, but I'd be in with a chance in a fight. So why didn't I attack?
The Lost Years Page 4
