She was probably part of the reason for that, and what better way for him and his friends to stop them than to kill her?
Chapter Seven
Elyse gulped; she’d jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. The Savages wanted her alive at least for a little while; Saxon might kill her to end it. And could she blame him if it meant slowing the spread of the monsters who kept her here?
She’d accepted that she probably wasn’t making it out of this cabin alive, but it was a cruel twist of fate to give her hope of escaping before ripping it away again.
“I’m sure you’ve killed humans before,” she said.
“Never. I don’t hurt humans or innocents.”
He was so emphatic in his response that she almost believed him. “You’ve never fed from a human before?”
“Yes, I have, but—”
“But it’s excruciating!” she interjected. “You can’t say you’ve never hurt a human and then turn around and admit to feeding on them.”
Before Saxon knew what he was doing, rage propelled him to his feet. “They fed on you?”
Elyse backed herself into the door and lifted the chair between them. It was useless against him, but she couldn’t bring herself to release it. “Stay back!”
Saxon froze; he didn’t want to scare her again, but he’d reacted before thinking. His gaze ran over the slender column of her throat and delicate collarbone; he didn’t see any marks on her, but that didn’t mean anything. They could have fed from her only days ago, and the bites would have vanished by now.
For some reason, the idea of another vampire feeding from her made him want to go back outside to kill them all again. He took steadying breaths to calm himself as he realized he’d never felt possessive of another before, but no one else was going to touch her.
“Did they feed on you often?” he asked.
Elyse’s hands trembled as red shone around the edges of his eyes. She’d seen plenty of red-eyed vamps during her time here, but she’d never seen one who still had their original color mixed in with the red. It was strange yet oddly entrancing.
“Once,” she said and was startled when his eyes turned completely red and his nostrils flared.
“That will not happen again.”
“Oh, really, and what do you plan to eat while you’re here?”
Her heart fluttered like a trapped bird against her ribs when his gaze fell to her neck, and his lips flattened into a thin line. She didn’t have to see the deepening red of his eyes to know he was starving; it radiated off him.
“I will hunt animals.” But what he wouldn’t give for a little taste of her. He tore his eyes away from her throat to meet her wary gaze. “And I’ve fed from humans, but I’ve never hurt them while doing it.”
“That’s not possible. You may not realize it, but it hurts.”
He touched the healing mark on his throat. “It’s painful for everyone if their blood is drawn unwillingly from them, even me. But those I feed on don’t know I’m doing it, and if someone gives their blood willingly, there is a lot of pleasure in it.”
The way he almost purred those last words caused her toes to curl. There was something about the huskiness of his voice that awoke a desire she’d believed dead and buried. Elyse stared at the wall over his shoulder as heat crept into her cheeks.
He was one of those things, and she was feeling all warm and fuzzy about him.
But he wasn’t one of those things. He’d proven to be nothing like them so far, and he’d killed them. Still, he was a vampire who’d come here for a reason. He might not kill humans, but if he learned the truth about her, he might make an exception.
“Why did only one of them feed on you?” he asked.
“I’m sure others would have too, but Joseph killed the one who bit me and told the others a worse fate awaited them if they harmed me.”
Saxon’s skin prickled at Joseph’s name. The bastard had been dead for months, but the mention of him still sent a bolt of wrath through him. Joseph had caused so much destruction while he was alive that they were still dealing with the aftermath of it.
An increased number of Savages were entering the cities, and since Joseph managed to take down and turn a fair number of hunters before his death, some of those Savages were more lethal than normal. They’d be dealing with the repercussions of Joseph’s betrayal for years to come, but they were building their numbers and systematically destroying the Savages.
It wasn’t his business, and there was no delicate way to ask her, but he had to know. “Did they ever rape you?”
“No. I’m not sure why, but they never tried it.”
He suspected it was because they needed her, and raping her might have broken her before they finished with her. Joseph made her off-limits, but once they finished with her, all restrictions would be lifted.
“Joseph brought you here?” he asked.
The underlying hostility in Saxon’s voice caused her to hesitate before answering, “Yes.”
“Why?” When her mouth flattened into a thin line, he realized she wasn’t going to answer him, but he decided to push her on it. “Why did they bring you here, Elyse?”
“This is where they put me after they took me.”
He realized it was an answer but not the one he was seeking. “Took you from where?”
“I was leaving work when they grabbed me.”
She’d been in a good mood that night too. She’d made enough in tips to pay her cell phone bill. Her good mood went to shit when a couple of goons bound, gagged, and knocked her out before tossing her into a car.
“How long have you been here?” Saxon asked.
“What month is it?”
“January.”
The blood drained from her face. At first, she tried to keep track of the time, but she had nothing to write with here and no calendar. She was scared to scratch a mark indicating the passing days as she had no idea how the things holding her would react. Eventually, she’d lost all track of the days and only knew the general time of the year by the changing seasons.
“I’ve been here since May, so… nine months.”
“Wow.”
Saxon ran a hand through his hair as he studied the cabin. As far as prisons went, it wasn’t awful, but he couldn’t imagine being stuck somewhere for so long. Judging by her thinness and too baggy clothes, she hadn’t been treated great.
“Do you know that Joseph’s dead?” he asked.
Elyse’s mouth dropped, and her eyes widened. “Dead?”
“Yes. Some of my friends took him down.”
“Oh, thank God.”
After all the torment that bastard put her through, she wanted to run outside laughing at the top of her lungs while she spun in circles. She hadn’t seen him in months, but she’d spent every day fearing he would return to finish the torture he started.
“That’s why he hasn’t been here,” she said. “He came at least once a week in the beginning, but I figured he’d found something else to occupy his time and moved on from me.”
“And what did he do with you?”
Tears burned her eyes; she couldn’t tell him the awful things he’d done to her and made her witness. There were many times she’d prayed he’d kill her and get it over with, but he’d never be that merciful.
Then her relief over his death vanished as she realized she’d still been kept here and forced to use her strange ability for these monsters after his death. She’d also remained off-limits as none of her guards tried to touch her. That could only mean one thing…
“He may be dead, but someone else is running things,” she said.
“How do you know?”
“Because those Savages outside didn’t come in here and kill me. Because I’m still here and they’re still using—”
She clamped her mouth shut when she realized she might have given away too much.
“They’re still using you for what?” Saxon asked.
“Nothing.”
Before he could reply, the lights went out.
Chapter Eight
The only sound in the room was the wind battering the windows as it howled through the mountains. She tried to see Saxon through the gloom, but the shadows had swallowed him. She pressed her back more firmly against the door as her heart thundered. She was trapped in this cabin with a predator, and she couldn’t see him.
“Are there any flashlights or candles?” he asked.
“There are some flashlights in the kitchen,” she answered, unwilling to peel herself away from the door.
“I’ll get them.”
She didn’t hear him move, but she sensed he’d left the room. “They’re in the drawer next to the fridge!” she called after him.
“Got it!”
She listened as he opened the drawer and shuffled through the contents. Something clicked on a couple of seconds later, and a beam bounced around the kitchen. Water splashed into the kitchen sink before the light came back toward her. Saxon strode into the living room, turned on another flashlight, and set it on an end table so the beam pointed at the ceiling.
“I’m glad it’s not well water,” he said.
“I don’t know what it is.”
“If it were well, it probably wouldn’t be working now. If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a shower before the hot water’s all gone.” He also wanted to give her some time to relax and hopefully grow to trust him a little. “I’d like to get this blood off me.”
She’d like it if he did too.
“The bathroom’s the first door down the hall,” she said and pointed at the hallway. “There are towels in the closet.”
“Would you like to take one before me?”
“I’ll wait. I think you need it more than me.”
He hesitated as he stared at her. “Don’t run out into the blizzard while I’m gone.”
Though it was an enticing prospect, she had enough of nearly freezing to death earlier. The idea of sitting around and waiting for him to come back out to question her was as appealing as a root canal, but it was more appealing than death.
No matter how fucked up her life had become these last nine months, she still preferred to live it. But then, she’d gotten used to having a screwed-up life when she was twelve.
“I’ll be here,” she said. “There are some men’s clothes in the guest room, which is the first door on the right. They’ll probably be too small on you, but at least they’re not coated in blood.”
He glanced down at his blood-caked clothes before her words sank in. “Does someone else live here?”
“Most of the time, the guards stay somewhere outside, but at least one of them spends the night here. They rotated through who would stay inside, but they all kept some of their things here.”
He would have to find out where they’d slept outside. “So that’s how they got around the invite.”
“What invite?” she asked.
“A vampire must be invited into a residence before they can enter it, but if they were living here on a rotating basis, then they could enter at any time, and they could invite others inside.”
“Oh,” Elyse breathed as her hand went to her mouth. One of her guards had always been inside with her when the visitors arrived. They opened the door and either gestured the vamp inside or said “come in” to them. “You really have to be invited inside? That’s not some myth?”
“It’s real,” Saxon confirmed.
“So, if I’d left you on the porch instead of dragging you in here…?”
“I couldn’t have entered unless you invited me in.”
Elyse didn’t know how to react. She’d been safe inside here; well, as safe as she could possibly be in this place, and she’d dragged her enemy through the fucking door. “Perfect.”
Saxon smiled at her. “Thank you for not letting me freeze.”
She set the chair on the ground and mentally berated herself, but she couldn’t beat herself up too much when she hadn’t known. She still had no idea what was going to happen, and she had to make sure he never found out what she could do. But, so far, he hadn’t killed her or tried to attack her, and he’d said he was going to get her out of here.
It may be foolish, but for now, she was choosing to believe him. She didn’t have any other options.
“Anytime,” she said.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Saxon hated the idea of leaving her standing by the door, but he wanted to give her some time to realize he wasn’t a threat. He glanced at his jacket and almost took it with him; instead, he decided to leave it. Hopefully, it would be another indication he meant her no harm. Besides, if she tried to stake him in the shower, he’d drag her in there with him.
He smiled at the image the possibility brought to mind as he strode down the hall. The feisty little human with striking eyes would be a pleasant way to stay warm on what was bound to be a cold night. This cabin had to have a fireplace, or at least he hoped it did because, after his shower, he was going to start a fire to keep them warm.
Opening the first door he came to, Saxon discovered a twin bed pushed against the far wall. A scarred table sat beside the bed, and a battered dresser stood beside him. Dust coated the furniture, and opening the door caused balls of it to float into the corners.
Grime coated the floor, and the blankets on the bed were a tumbled heap at the bottom of the mattress. This room was filthy compared to what he’d seen of the rest of the house; he suspected it was because Elyse didn’t come in here.
Placing the flashlight on the dresser, he opened the top drawer and discovered a pair of wool socks. There were a couple of T-shirts and some boxers in another drawer, but most were empty. He strode over to the closet and pulled open the sliding doors.
Removing some of the jeans, he looked at their sizes before tossing them aside. Due to the assortment of sizes, he guessed at least three different Savages had slept in this room, maybe more. He finally found a black sweatshirt and a pair of sweatpants he could make work.
Turning, he stared around the room again. What had been going on here? What were they doing with Elyse, and why hadn’t they turned or killed her? He had a feeling he might not get the answers to those questions unless he compelled them from her, but taking over her mind would be the last resort.
Even then, he didn’t think he could do it. He’d used his powers more times than he could count over the years, but the idea of using them on Elyse made his stomach churn.
When he exited the room, he saw the open bathroom door diagonally across the hall. Beside it was another closed door. He glanced down the hall but didn’t see Elyse. He seriously doubted she would make a run for it, but it would be nice if she made some noise so he knew where she was. Then, he heard the scrape of what he assumed was the couch on the floor.
He stopped outside the closed door of her room. Curious as to what lay beyond, he rested his hand on the knob but didn’t turn it. If he wanted her to trust him, then going through her room was not the way to go about it. He retreated to the bathroom, but he left the door open to hear her if she approached.
Elyse stopped shoving against the couch when the water turned on. Her heart skipped a beat as she imagined Saxon peeling off his clothes before climbing under the stream of water. She had no doubt the man was more chiseled than Michelangelo’s David, and the water running over him would only emphasize every sculpted muscle. What she wouldn’t give to run her fingers over his etched flesh before dipping her hand between his legs and….
Disgust at herself filled her, and she gave the couch another shove. She was pretty hard up if she was getting all drooly over a vampire. Sex had been the last thing on her mind since coming here, but Saxon could make a nun contemplate sinning.
The stake Saxon plucked from her had fallen near the doorway of what she’d come to consider the den. If it had gone a few inches further, she would have written it off as a lost cause, but she should do that anyway; the thing had proven useless.
Still,
she set it on the table next to the flashlight before she finished pushing the couch back into place. Next, she pushed the coffee table back and limped away. Her feet had been feeling better, but now they ached, and a few of the scratches were bleeding again. Because they were wet and bloody, she’d thrown out the bindings she used on her extremities to drag Saxon inside; she would have to find something else to use now.
She lifted the torn sheets she’d used to tie up Saxon and wiped away her blood before wrapping one of them around her foot to stop the bleeding. The last thing she wanted was to leave a blood trail with a vamp in the house.
When she finished, she lifted the flashlight from the table and wandered into the kitchen to toss the rest of the sheets away. She picked up the larger broken pieces of the chair and threw them out before getting the broom and dustpan from the closet to sweep the floor.
She’d spent a lot of time cleaning while she was here and couldn’t stand to see it messy. It was a stupid thing to do, but she had to find something to occupy her time as she’d read all of the whopping twelve books they’d given her numerous times. There was only so much TV someone could watch before contemplating running headfirst into a wall. Cleaning had proven to be one of the few distractions she had here—as much as she could be distracted in this place and considering she didn’t clean all the rooms.
Dumping the contents of the dustpan in the trash, she returned the broom to the closet and closed the door. Outside, the lonely howl of the wind made her shiver as she reclaimed the flashlight and walked over to stand before the window above the kitchen sink. The white curtains framing the window rippled in the draft filtering through the old pane as she turned the water on and let it trickle into the basin.
She guessed the cabin was built in the fifties as its age showed in the warped floors, creaky doors, drafty windows, and mildew aroma, which was much stronger in the summer. The appliances were all newer, stainless steel, and the cabinets were all new, but that couldn’t hide the actual age of this place.
Outside, the wind whipped snow across the open field to create drifts taller than her. They were going to be here for a while, she realized with a sinking heart.
Bound by Passion: The Alliance Series, Book 4 Page 5