Bound By Blood

by Amanda Ashley

  Nadiya’s eyes narrowed ominously. “You dare say that to my face!”

  “It is the truth and you know it!”

  “Be gone from here!”

  “Drake?” Elena looked up at her husband, her cheeks damp with tears.

  “Come, wife, let us go.” Taking Elena by the hand, he started down the trail, then turned back to face Nadiya. “Know this. If you harm so much as a hair on my daughter’s head, I will hunt you down and rip out your heart no matter how long it takes me to find you, no matter what the cost.”

  Without waiting for her reply, he stalked down the long, winding path that led to the valley below.

  Lucien stood at the foot of the trail, his men stretched out behind him.

  Drake paused in front of the other Master Vampire, his eyes narrowing. “I should have known you would be in on this,” he said, his voice thick with contempt. “I have always known you coveted this place. It is a shame you lacked the courage to fight me for it, man to man, instead of hiding behind a woman’s desire for revenge.”

  Vampires didn’t blush with embarrassment or grow flushed with anger, but Lucien’s eyes filled with shame as he stepped aside to let Drake pass.

  “Be warned, Lucien,” Drake continued, his voice laced with quiet menace, “if anything happens to my daughter, your life will also be forfeit.” Back rigid, he swept past Lucien and the other vampires.

  Stefan and Liliana followed Drake and Elena down the mountainside.

  Zack brought up the rear.

  As he started to pass Nadiya, she put a staying hand on his arm. Magical power rippled over his skin like tiny electric shocks. “Who are you?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “Just a friend of the family.”

  She stared at him. “What is your name?”

  “Zack Ravenscroft.”

  Recognition flared in her eyes. “You knew my son, Daryn.”

  Zack nodded. “I saw him a couple of times.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “Yeah,” Zack drawled. “I know.”

  Her eyes glittered with a fierce intensity. “Tell me.”

  “Sure,” Zack replied affably. “Right after you tell me what you’ve done with Kaitlyn.”

  Nadiya glared at him. “All I have to do is say the word and she is dead.”

  Zack’s hands clenched into fists. He had never hit a woman but he was sorely tempted to start with this one. “Kill her and you’ll never see your son again.”

  Nadiya’s gaze searched his. She had not seen her son’s body. She grabbed at the slender thread of hope Ravenscroft’s words offered. “Is he still alive?” Her voice broke on the last word.

  “Is she?” It took all Zack’s concentration to keep his voice even.

  Nadiya straightened to her full height, her eyes flashing fire as they met his. “This is getting us nowhere.”

  “I heard what Drake said about hunting you down if you harm Kaitlyn. If he fails, I will find you, and I will finish it.”

  Anger flashed in Nadiya’s eyes. She glared at him, her body quivering, her eyes narrowing in concentration.

  Magick shimmered in the air as she summoned her power.

  Zack felt it push against him like an invisible hand. He steeled himself against it, his own power surfacing in response. Her magick swept over him like fingernails raking across his skin, but whatever spell she was conjuring had no other effect. Her magick had worked on Drake. Zack had no idea why it didn’t work on him. He frowned thoughtfully. Maybe her witchcraft was nullified because he wasn’t a Romanian vampire but one of the dreaded Others.

  It was the only reason that made sense.

  Chapter 30

  Wolfram Castle was a formidable structure, even in the moonlight, Zack mused. Large and rectangular, there were round turrets at three of the corners and a high, arched entrance. Battlements edged the flat roof. The single entry, flanked by two towers, faced the rising sun. Stone steps led to an impressive, iron-barred door made of what looked like solid oak.

  Zack stood aside as Drake opened the door. The Master Vampire’s expression was grim, his thoughts obviously deeply troubled.

  It was Elena who invited Zack into the castle. He felt the faint brush of preternatural power over his skin as he crossed the threshold.

  Wolfram Castle was as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside, he thought, taking a quick look around. If this room was any indication, the castle interior had been remodeled, perhaps several times. In spite of its massive size, the room, probably once the great hall, had a homey feel to it. A pair of flowered sofas faced each other in front of a large stone hearth, several overstuffed chairs were grouped together around an oval coffee table. He guessed the trestle table against the far wall was part of the original castle furnishings. No doubt the hearth was also part of the original structure.

  “Nice place,” Zack remarked.

  “Thank you,” Elena said. “Your room is this way.”

  Drake laid a staying hand on Elena’s arm but his gaze was on Zack. “There are a few things I need to go over with Mr. Ravenscroft.”

  “What might those be?” Zack asked, faintly amused by Drake’s formal tone.

  “There is a small town at the foot of the mountain,” Drake said. “You will not hunt there.”

  Zack nodded. “Your territory, your rules.”

  “There is a large city to the east. I ask that you be discreet when you hunt.”

  “Right. No bodies drained of blood left lying in the street.”

  Drake glared at Zack; then, his expression softening, he looked at Elena. “You will not leave Wolfram, day or night, without me.”

  “But . . .”

  “We will not discuss this,” Drake said adamantly. “Until Nadiya has been captured or destroyed, you are not to go out alone.”

  Elena blew out an aggrieved sigh. “All right.”

  Drake kissed Elena’s cheek, then vanished from sight.

  “We’ve been married over twenty years,” Elena remarked, “and his ability to disappear like that still amazes me.” She smiled at Zack. “Sometimes I wish I was a vampire.”

  “I could arrange it,” Zack said with a grin. He had been joking, of course. Had expected Elena to laugh. Instead, she looked thoughtful. And then interested.

  “Does it hurt, becoming a vampire?”

  “No. The act itself was pleasant, although I didn’t realize what was happening at the time. I woke alone the next night, terrified by what was happening to me. And hungry as hell.” He shook his head. “I’ve never forgiven her for abandoning me, for not telling me what to expect. For not teaching me how to be a vampire . . . hey.” He looked at her, his eyes narrowing. “I was only kidding about turning you, you know.”

  “Of course. I was just curious. I mean, Drake was born a vampire, but you weren’t. Have you ever turned anyone?”

  “Just once. You’ve given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?”

  “Of course not. Drake can’t turn me, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to do it.” She made a vague gesture with one hand. “It’s just that, after living with Drake’s people for so long, well, you can’t blame me for thinking about it.”

  “I guess not,” Zack said. But he had the feeling that, had it been an option, she would have willingly let Drake change her.

  “You won’t say anything to Drake about our conversation, will you?”

  “Not if you don’t want me to.”

  “Thank you. If you’re ready, I’ll show you to your room.”

  Zack replayed their conversation in his mind as he followed her up a winding staircase to the second floor. He had the feeling that, if he offered, she would happily become a vampire. He couldn’t blame her. It had to be difficult, being the only mortal in the family.

  He followed her past closed doors on both sides of the carpeted hallway. Paintings of sunny landscapes graced the walls between the rooms.

  Elena stopped in front of the last door on the right. “Please, make
yourself at home. And please be patient with Drake. In all the years I’ve known him, this is the first time he’s been at a loss as to what to do.”

  Zack nodded. He wasn’t used to losing, either, and he damn sure didn’t like it when it happened. But he wasn’t about to give up, not now, not until Kaitlyn was back where she belonged.

  “Feel free to look around,” Elena said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to be with Drake.”

  “Sure.” Truth be told, he would just as soon be alone.

  Zack glanced at his surroundings after Elena took her leave. It was a large, rectangular room. A comfortable looking queen-sized bed was flanked by a pair of mahogany nightstands. A thick, dark green carpet covered the floor. Flowered curtains hung at the windows; a matching spread covered the bed.

  He grunted softly when he saw the beveled mirror over the dresser. He wondered if Romanian vampires could see their reflections, something foreign to his kind. There were no mirrors on the floor of the casino; at night, blinds covered the windows, preventing anyone from noticing that the owner of the club didn’t cast a reflection, nor did a few members of his staff.

  His internal clock told him dawn was still hours away. Pulling out his cell phone, he flipped it open and called Scherry.

  She answered on the first ring. “Hi, boss, when are you coming home?”

  He grinned at the sassy tone in her voice. “I’m not sure. How’s business?”

  “Good, as usual. I’m glad you called. I was just about to call you.”

  “I thought everything was good?”

  “Oh, it is. This has nothing to do with the club. There was a man in here night before last, asking questions about some guy named Eddie Harrington. And last night, a woman showed up asking after somebody named Daryn Korzha. I couldn’t be sure but I had the feeling both the man and the woman were vampires.”

  “What made you think that?” Zack asked, though he was pretty sure she was right.

  “Something about the way they smelled—not human, but not like us. It was weird.”

  “You were right. They’re vampires, only a different breed. I’ll tell you all about it when I see you. Everything else okay?”

  “Jackson’s been seeing this woman, Adele. She works the late shift at the hotel in town. He turned her earlier tonight. He was afraid to tell you.”

  “Smart boy.”

  “Do you want him to leave the club?”

  “No, but let him worry about it for a few days.”

  Scherry laughed. “You are evil.”

  “Yeah. I’ll call you in a day or two. If you don’t hear from me, don’t worry.”

  “I always worry about you.”

  “Yeah, well, stop it.”

  “Take care, boss.”

  “You, too.”

  Zack closed the phone. So, Nadiya was sending her people out to look for Daryn. “Well, good luck with that,” he muttered.

  And wondered if he would have any better luck finding Kaitlyn.

  Chapter 31

  Elena sat on the sofa in front of the hearth, a furry blanket wrapped around her shoulders, a cup of cocoa in one hand.

  For Drake’s sake—and to hang on to her own sanity—she forced herself to stay positive. She told herself over and over again that there was nothing to worry about. Drake would find their daughter and bring her home.

  In an effort to keep from sinking into despair, she thought about what Zack had said the night before. He could make her a vampire. It troubled her that she found the idea so appealing. She had lived with Drake and his people for over twenty years but if the truth were known, she had never truly felt like she belonged. Oh, the people treated her well enough. They were as much a part of her life as she was of theirs. And yet she couldn’t escape the fact that she was different. What would it be like, to be able to will herself into the city whenever she wished to go? To be like Drake? To share his whole life? To see the world the way he saw it? Even the blood part no longer repulsed her. She had been drinking a little of Drake’s blood for years. What would he think if she told him she wanted to be a vampire? What would Kaitlyn think?

  “Kaitlyn.” The tears she had been holding back flooded her eyes as she murmured her daughter’s name. Where was she?

  Elena stared into the flames, her heart aching. She hadn’t been up this early in the morning since Kaitlyn was an infant. She smiled, recalling how thrilled she had been the first time she held her baby daughter in her arms, how impatient she had been for Kaitlyn to wake up so she could hold her again. Her miracle baby. All babies were wonderful, of course, but Drake had told Elena there was little chance they could have a child, so when Kaitlyn was born strong and healthy, it had truly seemed to be a miracle.

  She remembered the early years, when she had worried that Kaitlyn would get sick or hurt, and how she had prayed every day that Kaitlyn would be happy, that she would be able to accept her heritage. She recalled her bittersweet feelings when Kaitlyn went to kindergarten and how she had worried that her daughter might not fit in with the other children. So many foolish fears. None of the things she had worried about had come to pass.

  She wiped her tears with a corner of the blanket. Her little girl had grown up into a beautiful young woman—sweet-natured, kind-hearted. She had never given them a moment’s worry.

  Until now. Of course, she wasn’t responsible for the trouble with Nadiya. The blame for that lay squarely on Nadiya’s shoulders.

  She drew the blanket around her, cold in spite of the fire. Where was her little girl now?

  Kaitlyn woke feeling groggy. There was a horrible taste in her mouth. When she tried to sit up, the world spun out of focus. Feeling like she was going to vomit, she quickly closed her eyes again.

  When she opened them a short time later, she felt a little better. When she sat up, an ominous clanking drew her attention. Looking down at her foot, she saw that a thick cuff made of silver circled her left ankle. A long silver chain was attached to the shackle, which was linked to an iron bolt in the wall. Taking hold of the chain, she gave it a tug, thinking she could easily dislodge it, but nothing happened. Apparently, silver negated her preternatural power, just as it did her father’s, though it didn’t burn her skin.

  Fighting down her fear, she glanced at her surroundings. She was sitting on a mattress in the corner of a small basement, or maybe an old wine cellar. There were no lights, no windows, and only one entrance.

  Rising on shaky legs, she staggered toward the iron-barred door. The chain on her foot drew her up short. Try as she might, she couldn’t reach the latch. Not that it would have done her any good. Still, pounding on it might have brought help. Now, more than ever, she wished she had her father’s ability to transport herself wherever she wished to be. Or to dissolve into mist so she could slip her bonds and gain her freedom.

  But wishing was a waste of time.

  Returning to the mattress, she resumed her seat. Where was she? And how had she gotten there? The deliver yman . . . he had drugged her and stuffed her into a box. She remembered now. Lifting her head, she took a deep breath. Her nostrils filled with the scent of mold and dust and . . . Nadiya.

  Kaitlyn fought down the chill rush of fear that rose within her at the realization that Nadiya had been there not long ago. Everyone knew Nadiya hated Drake and would never forgive him for Florin’s death. Did Nadiya know that Zack had killed Daryn and Marius? Was Zack also in danger?

  Kaitlyn blinked back her tears. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t panic. Wherever she was, Zack and her father would find her.

  Her heart jumped into her throat when the door opened. She had been expecting Nadiya, but it was the man who had abducted her. Seeing him now, she realized he was a drone—a creature whose mind was no longer his own.

  Eyes blank, footsteps stiff and unnatural, he walked toward her. She sprang from the mattress, backing away from him, and from the needle in his hand, but there was no place to go.

  He backed her into the corner, his hand cir
cling her throat to hold her in place. Had she not been so weak, she would have fought him off, but she was helpless to resist when he jabbed the needle into her arm.

  The world swam out of focus, her vision blurring as the room grew dark, darker.

  She was vaguely aware of another presence in the room. Words chased themselves through the air, but they had no meaning.

  “You will have to feed her soon.” The drone’s voice, empty of emotion.

  “She does not need to eat.” Nadiya’s voice, filled with hatred.

  “She is not a full vampire,” the drone said. “She must have food or blood if you want her to survive.”

  “Oh, very well. Give her something to eat when the drug wears off.”

  “Survive.” Kaitlyn mumbled the word. She had to survive. For Zack. It was her last conscious thought.

  Zack woke with the setting of the sun, his thoughts turning immediately to Kaitlyn. Closing his eyes, he opened his vampiric senses and tried yet again to connect with Katy, but there was only darkness. He refused to think she could be dead. He couldn’t lose her now, when he had just found her.

  After showering, he dressed, absently thinking that he needed a change of underwear and clothing.

  When he went downstairs, he found Drake and Elena sitting side by side on one of the sofas. It was obvious Elena had been crying.

  They both looked up when he entered the room.

  “Any word from Nadiya?” Zack asked.

  “No.” Drake’s answer was curt.

  “We need to find one of her kids.”

  “What will that accomplish?”

  “You don’t think she’d tell us where Katy is to save the life of one of her children?”

  “Do you?”

  Remembering the hint of madness in Nadiya’s eyes, Zack shook his head. “No, I guess not. Dammit, where does that leave us?”

  “My brothers and sisters are making inquiries at Fortresses around the world. If they hear anything of Kaitlyn, they will let me know. Until then . . .” Drake let out a sigh that came from the very depths of his soul.

  “She can’t be dead,” Elena wailed softly. “She can’t be.”