Shon (The Seeker Series Book 2)

by Ditter Kellen

  Bursting through the front door of the house, Laura limped her way down the dimly lit driveway and into the woods beyond.

  * * * *

  Laura wasn’t sure how long she’d traveled before her legs finally gave out. She crawled to the nearest tree and propped her back against it.

  Tears of fear and weariness dripped from the corners of her swollen eyes. She had no idea where she was or how far she’d have to go for help.

  Sounds seemed to come alive around her. The hoot of an owl, crickets singing in the distance…and the howl of a wolf.

  A wolf? Where the hell had Ellis taken her? she wondered, scanning the area with the one eye she could see from.

  Footsteps ricocheted off the trees, growing louder by the second as they rapidly approached her.

  Laura tried to stand, but her legs wouldn’t cooperate.

  “You fucking bitch,” Ellis snarled, gripping a handful of hair as he stopped in front of her.

  He yanked her head back. “You’re going to wish you’d never been born.” His fist slamming against her eye was the last thing Laura felt before the blackness claimed her once again.

  * * * *

  “Wake up, Miss Donovan,” Ellis crooned, tapping her on the face with his open palm.

  Laura moaned in agony. If she thought her body hurt before, that was nothing compared to the anguish she felt now.

  The feel of her shirt being ripped open sent panic soaring through her. She tried to fight before realizing that her wrists were tied above her head, and her feet were spread apart and restrained.

  “Please don’t,” she croaked, forcing the words through her swollen lips.

  “Yes. Beg. You’ll be doing a lot of that before I’m finished with you.”

  Laura tried to open her eyes, to no avail. She jerked at her bonds, sending white-hot pain shooting through her arms and shoulder.

  Her pants were cut away next and her shoes removed.

  “Where shall I begin first?” he muttered in a singsong voice that nauseated Laura. “Oh, yes. This looks like a good place to start.”

  The feel of a blade sinking deep into her thigh forced an agonized scream from Laura’s throat. The sound seemed to go on forever, reverberating through the room in a horrifying sound of pain and desperation.

  He pulled the blade free and sank it into her other leg.

  Laura’s continuous scream grew hoarse until no sound could be heard but the laughter of the Seeker.

  Another slide of the blade sinking into her abdomen bowed her back off the bed. Her mouth opened without sound.

  The laughter suddenly stopped. A vicious growl rent the air, filling the room with an unearthly presence.

  Ellis’s weight was suddenly ripped from Laura’s legs, and a crashing noise could be heard above his terrified screams.

  The growling intensified, followed by snarls and the evidence of furniture breaking.

  Laura moaned, no longer from fear, but pain. Blood filled her throat, choking her until she could breathe no more.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Shon’s cell phone buzzed in his shirt pocket. He fished it out and brought the device to his ear. “Hey, Em. What’s up?”

  “Laura’s hurt, Shon. Where are you?”

  Shon’s stomach clenched so tight he could barely speak. “What? Where is she?”

  “Nita found her in some house a few miles from here. Nita’s bringing her to us, but she said Laura’s in bad shape and is in need of blood.”

  “Fuck,” Shon snarled, bringing the bike to a stop. He spun it around and shot back toward the condo, opening it up full throttle. “I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”

  Returning the cell to his pocket, Shon tucked his head low and gloried in his fangs ripping through his gums. He would rip out the throat of the one responsible for hurting Laura.

  Minutes felt like hours as Shon sped down the Parkway, weaving in and out of traffic until he slid sideways into the parking lot of the condos.

  He blurred his way up the stairs, bursting through Ember’s door without knocking. “Where is she?”

  Ember stood in the kitchen, wringing her hands. “You beat them here. Nita is trying to drive and stanch Laura’s bleeding.”

  Shon put his fist through the wall.

  “He is a hothead, that one,” a voice murmured from the living room.

  Slowly turning around, Shon lifted his gaze and met that of a short, blond vampire wearing a burgundy-colored robe. “And you are?”

  Angel intervened. “This is Atticus. One of the elders.”

  Shon nodded before dismissing the elder from his mind. He spun toward Ember. “What happened?”

  Ember took him by the hand. “Let’s go next door. That’s where Nita’s bringing her.”

  Blurring his way back to Angel’s condo, Shon tossed his key on the counter and rested his hands on the bar. “Tell me.”

  Ember closed the door and moved to stand next to him. “I sent Nita to Laura’s place to deliver a note. When Nita arrived at the house, she found the door standing open, the scent of blood in the air, and Laura’s bag lying on the living room floor.”

  Shon squeezed his eyes shut to try to block out the image of Laura being attacked. “Go on.”

  “Nita shifted and followed the scent of Laura’s blood. It led her to some woods a couple of miles from Laura’s house. More blood was discovered in the woods, along with signs of a struggle. Nita followed the trail back to a little farm house on the outskirts of town.”

  “What happened next?” Shon prompted between clenched teeth.

  “I-I don’t really—”

  “Tell me,” he growled, keeping his head down and his eyes tightly closed.

  “Nita found her tied to a bed, naked, with…”

  “With what?” Shon shouted, gripping the bar tightly to prevent his hands from trembling.

  “A man on top of her, stabbing her repeatedly.”

  The countertop splintered beneath Shon’s crushing grip.

  He opened his rage-filled eyes and turned to face Ember. “Is he still alive?”

  “Barely. Nita tied him and dumped him in the trunk. She figured we’d want to question him before killing him.”

  “She figured right. No one touches him but me.”

  The sound of a vehicle pulling into the parking lot caught Shon’s attention. He blurred his way outside and down the stairs, jerking the passenger-side door open on Ember’s car before it came to a complete stop.

  The sight of Laura’s naked and bloody body huddled in the seat tore at his heart.

  “It’s okay, baby. I got you. He can’t hurt you anymore. No one will ever hurt you again. I swear it.”

  Scooping her limp form out of the seat and into his arms, Shon blurred his way up the stairs, back inside the condo, and rushed to the master bedroom.

  He gently deposited Laura onto the bed and touched his fingers to her neck.

  “Oh, God,” Ember gasped, running into the room behind him. “Is she…?”

  “She’s alive, but I don’t know for how long. Her pulse is weak.”

  Shon bit into his wrist and placed the bleeding wound over Laura’s parted lips. “Take it, baby. It’ll help you heal.”

  Laura moaned and tried to turn away.

  “You have to drink it, Laura. It’ll make the pain stop.”

  Her tongue tentatively touched his skin before she opened her mouth and allowed Shon’s blood to flow freely inside.

  Relief poured through him with the first sign of her swallowing. “That’s right, love. Take more. You’ll be better in no time.”

  Shon wasn’t sure how much time had passed as he knelt beside the bed, feeding Laura from his vein.

  He allowed his gaze to drift away from her face, down her neck, across her chest, to the stab wound in her stomach.

  Tears gathered in his eyes to spill down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry, baby. Ah, God, I’m sorry.”

  More wounds could be seen on her thighs. Her
shoulder was swollen and black, as were both her eyes.

  He lifted his tormented gaze to Ember. “She suffered greatly because of me.”

  “Because of us,” Ember corrected, her voice wavering with sorrow.

  Shon reached up with his free hand and laid his fingers against Laura’s throat. “Her pulse is getting stronger.”

  “Look,” Ember breathed, pointing at one of the wounds in her thigh. “It’s closing.”

  Another tear tracked down Shon’s face. “Thank God.”

  Minutes ticked by as Shon watched Laura’s injuries slowly began to close. The swelling around her eyes subsided enough that she could open them. She stared up at him with an empty look, as if not really seeing him.

  Laura suddenly jerked back with an ear-piercing scream. Her arms flailed at her sides, and she kicked out with her feet.

  Shon threw his body across hers, holding her down to prevent her wounds from reopening. “Laura? It’s me, Shon.”

  “Laura!” he shouted to be heard above her screams. “Look at me.”

  Tears poured from her black and swollen eyes as she stilled and met Shon’s gaze. “Shon?”

  “Yes, baby. It’s me. You’re okay now. No one is going to hurt you ever again.”

  “Laura?” Ember whispered, sitting on the side of the bed to take one of Laura’s hands. “You’re safe.”

  “It hurts,” Laura whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut. “It hurts so bad.”

  Ember bounded from the bed. “I’m going to get one of Angel’s concoctions. The one he gave me last year when I was in heat. It’ll help with the pain.”

  Shon watched Ember run from the room with vampiric speed. He was grateful she had something to ease Laura’s suffering.

  “I didn’t tell him anything,” Laura rasped between bouts of shivers. “He wanted me to help him set a trap.”

  “Did he…” Shon paused, afraid to know the answer to the question he needed to ask. “Did he rape you?”

  Laura shook her head. “No. But he would have killed me if Nita hadn’t shown up when she did.”

  Rage unlike any Shon had ever felt slid through his body. Laura had almost died. If not for Nita arriving when she had… He couldn’t finish the thought. “I’m so sorry.”

  A wrinkle appeared between her brows. “It’s not your fault.”

  “Yes, it is. If I hadn’t left that note, you would have been with me instead that psychopath.”

  “Don’t feel guilty about the note. You can’t help how you feel…or don’t feel.”

  “I only wrote that damn note to keep you safe. I knew your pride would demand that you leave.”

  “But why?”

  “The elders were coming, and no one could guarantee yours or Nita’s safety from them. Not even Vlad. Plus, Gina will be summoned and judged. I knew the only way to make you go would be to hurt you.”

  “But my parents—”

  “Are tucked away in Alabama, safe from harm.”

  “How?”

  Shon averted his gaze. “By striking a deal with the devil.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Some of the burning sensation had eased in Laura’s thighs. Her stomach pain still teetered on unbearable, making it difficult to speak. “A deal?”

  Shon avoided her gaze. “It’s not important now. All that matters is that you get well. The blood you took will heal your wounds, but you will need to sleep to speed up the process.”

  Ember rushed back into the room, holding a foul-smelling concoction. She leaned over the side of the bed and held the glass to Laura’s lips. “Drink it all.”

  Shon snaked his arm behind her neck and lifted her enough that she could drink without choking.

  “All of it,” Ember urged, tilting the glass slightly higher.

  Laura finished the disgusting drink and lay back against the pillows with a shudder. “I’m naked.”

  Shon quickly dragged a sheet over her body. “Not anymore. How are you feeling now?”

  Laura gingerly moved her arms and legs. “It still hurts like hell, but it’s mending.” She met Shon’s gaze. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  “Don’t thank me,” he growled. “I’m the reason you’re in this situation to start with.”

  Ember bent and kissed Laura’s forehead. “I’ll leave you two alone to talk before the medicine kicks in. I love you, my friend.”

  “I love you too,” Laura whispered, watching as Ember left the room. She pulled the door closed behind her.

  Laura returned her gaze to Shon. “You fed me your blood. Does that mean we’re bonded now?”

  Shon shook his head. “I did not take blood from you.”

  Laura’s heart began to pound. “That would bond us? If you took my blood as well?”

  “I’m not going to do that to you. I won’t.”

  A different kind of pain sliced through her heart. “It was merely a question.”

  “Laura…”

  Quickly changing the subject before she burst into a fresh set of tears, Laura stared at a spot above Shon’s shoulder. “The guy that did this to me is a Seeker. His name is Ellis. I’m pretty sure he acted alone. I didn’t see or hear anyone else there but him.”

  “Then why take you? It makes no sense.”

  Laura’s gaze wavered. “He wanted me to call Ember and Angel. To lead them into a trap. When I refused, he…he tortured me.”

  “I’m so sorry. If I could go back and take your place, I would gladly do it. I’d give anything to take away your pain, your memories of what happened.”

  “I thought I’d never see you again,” Laura choked out, turning her head away.

  Shon tucked a finger beneath her chin and gently brought her gaze back to him. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

  She watched in a sleep-induced haze as Shon’s beautifully full lips slowly descended toward hers. He brushed them against hers before adding a slight pressure.

  Laura moaned into his mouth, glorying in the feel of his tongue sweeping across the seam of her lips. She opened for him, loving the taste of his delicious tongue swirling around her own.

  He pulled back, softly kissing the tip of her nose. “Do you want to see me again?”

  “Yes,” Laura whispered, staring into his beautiful brown eyes.

  Shon leaned in and rested his forehead against hers. “Are you sure?”

  Laura couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat. She nodded instead.

  “I’ve waited so long for you,” he rumbled, his warm breath caressing her face.

  Finally finding her voice, Laura whispered. “I’ve wanted you since high school.”

  Shon lifted his head and brushed the hair back from her injured eyes.

  Bitterness reared its ugly head at the years they’d lost due to Laura’s mother. He swallowed the feeling back, pushed it to the far recesses of his mind. The last thing Laura needed right now was his anger. “I wish I’d known.”

  “I know. I’m so sorry for what my mother did.”

  Laying a finger against her lips, he shushed her. “It’s water under the bridge.”

  Shon stiffened, turning his head toward the door.

  “What is it?” Laura questioned in a drowsy voice. Ember’s concoction had begun to work. The pain in her stomach had subsided enough that she could finally take a deep breath.

  Shon’s shoulders visibly relaxed. “The shifter.”

  Nita stepped into the room and studied Laura a moment before turning her accusing gaze on Shon. “You fed her your blood.” It wasn’t a question.

  A muscle ticked along Shon’s jaw. “She would have died without it.”

  Anger sparked in the shifter’s eyes. “What do you want me to do with the piece of shit cowering in the trunk.”

  “Nothing,” Shon stated in a soft tone. “No one touches him but me.”

  “Be my guest,” Nita muttered on the way out. “But I suggest you hurry before he’s discovered by one of the condo residents or Dracula looking for a s
nack.”

  Laura touched Shon on the arm, bringing his attention back to her. “What are you going to do?”

  “Kill him. Slowly.”

  Sorrow welled up inside her chest at the thought of what killing Ellis would do to Shon’s soul. “Let someone else do it,” she slurred, fighting the effects of the drugs.

  “He hurt you, Laura. And he’ll pay with his life.”

  Visions of Ellis leaning over her, sinking that blade into her flesh, taunting her, tormenting her flashed through her mind. “We will never be safe as long as he lives. Do what you must.”

  Shon brushed another kiss across her lips. “Get some rest. I will be right here when you wake up. I won’t let anything happen to you ever again. I swear it.”

  Laura’s eyes began to drift shut. The pain had subsided, thanks to Shon’s blood and Ember’s concoction. The last thought Laura had before sleep finally claimed her was how grateful she felt that everyone she cared about was safe. For now…

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Shon watched Laura’s eyes drift shut. He remained at her side until her breathing grew even before leaving the room and heading downstairs.

  Rage burned in his gut at the thought of what Laura had endured at the hands of the Seeker. The guy would pay for what he’d done to her. And not without equal amounts of suffering.

  Shon opened the trunk of Ember’s car to find Ellis lying in the fetal position, bound and gagged. “Are you up for a little fun, Mr. Clean?”

  Ellis shrank back as far as the trunk would allow. Pleading sounds came from behind his gag, garbled and desperate.

  “What was that?” Shon taunted, bending to pull a knife from his boot. “You’d like for me to untie you?”

  Ellis stilled, his eyes huge as Shon toyed with the tip of his blade.

  Shon laughed without humor. “Scared? No worries, Gollum. I’ll be just as gentle with you as you were with Laura.”

  Closing the trunk, Shon skirted the car and climbed behind the wheel. He would take Ellis to the same lake where he’d tossed the pimp’s remains.

  It took less than five minutes to arrive at the abandoned strip mall. Shon parked around back and opened the trunk once more.