Love Bites

by Aleera Anaya Ceres

  So much for my great escape, she thought lamely. She should have known the opportunity was too good to be true. Hunter would never have just left her alone with the perfect chance to escape.

  When Hunter emerged from the shower some time later and found her silently fuming, he merely chuckled. “Escaping is futile, Katheryn.”

  He went to the side of the bed and began pulling clothes on his skinny frame.

  Katheryn said nothing, didn’t even spare him a glance. She kept her gaze straight ahead as her mind turned over the possibilities for escape.

  When the cons in her mind became greater than the pros, she heaved a sigh and let her mind drift elsewhere. She thought of Ignacio and wondered what he was doing at that moment. If he’d realized she’d been taken yet or if he was still waiting for her at his house.

  She stared out the windows at the bright sunshine and remembered the time difference. Ignacio would be awake by now. Somehow, she’d have to get a new phone, since Hunter had taken her purse after he’d slapped her, and the phone inside.

  If Hunter planned on having her trailed everywhere, maybe she could go on a shopping spree. She’d pick up some new clothes, a new phone and make a cash withdrawal. She’d use some excuse about needing new dresses for parties and make him hold her bags as she tried on clothes in the dressing rooms. Then, she’d slip out when he least expected it. She could get a ticket and escape right after she called the police on Hunter.

  “I need my phone back, Hunter,” Katheryn stated impetuously.

  Hunter eyed her suspiciously as he did up his tie. “No.”

  “I thought I could go and—”

  “No, Katheryn,” he interrupted, shooting her a stern glance. He picked up his vest and put it on, buttoning it up. “I don’t need you running around town. If you need to make a call, the house phone is available to you and if you need anything else, let me know or let your escort know, and it will be delivered here.”

  Katheryn glared. “So, I’m your prisoner now?”

  He shrugged. “I’m just taking the necessary precautions.”

  Finished dressing, he went to the bureau and fixed his hair. “You’ll be confined to certain locations until your stubbornness recedes and you start acting like the Katheryn Meyers I know.”

  She tried not to scream and pelt another lamp at his stupid face. “So where am I allowed to go?” She had to think of a new plan and fast.

  “Here, your parents’ house, my office, the museums or your office, the grocery store, etc. But there will be no clothes shopping, no internet or ordering online and most definitely no calling your lover. I will be informed of your every move.”

  When he was finished combing his hair, he walked over to where Katheryn sat.

  “Have a good day, darling.” He bent down for a kiss.

  She tried to turn her head away to refuse, but he held her in place by the back of the neck, gripping her almost painfully. When she stopped struggling he pressed his lips against hers then walked out of their apartment.

  Katheryn spat his taste onto the floor and threw herself onto the bed, took in a deep breath, and began to scream, not caring if her escort reported it back to him or not.

  “Kathy, dear, do pay attention,” Mrs. Meyers snapped her manicured fingers in front of Katheryn’s dazed eyes.

  “I’m sorry, what?” Katheryn looked up at her mother, not having caught the gist of the conversation.

  “I said the cookies and tea are delicious, and it was such a good idea to replace our old bag of a cook for a new one, don’t you think?”

  Katheryn stared at her mother, trying not to let her distaste and unhappiness show. The woman wore a pretty little sun hat that shadowed her freckled face, and wisps of red hair flew around her plump cheeks. The bright yellow sundress she wore was almost too painful to look at.

  After Hunter left, Katheryn had attempted to sleep, but memories of Ignacio and feeling of hopelessness had kept her awake. She'd tried reaching out for him with her mind, sensing him like he said Soul Mates were able to do, but she'd found nothing. Instead of falling into despair like she wanted to, she’d hopped in the shower and changed into more comfortable clothing to meet with her mother for tea.

  Her parents’ betrayal gnawed at Katheryn, and she hadn’t really wanted to see her mother, but she had to ask for herself if what Hunter had told her was true or not. Had they sold her to Hunter like a slab of meat? However, from the moment she’d arrived at her parents’ house, her mother had talked nonstop, not letting Katheryn get a word in edgeways. Katheryn had settled into her chair on the balcony where they were taking tea, and let her mind wander back to Spain, where she belonged.

  “Hmm,” Katheryn replied noncommittally then absently stirred her tea. Bone-deep sadness threatened her with tears, but she kept them at bay. She was a prisoner, being watched like a hawk by Hunter’s burly guard, who stood behind them. And mother doesn’t give a rat’s ass about me.

  She sighed.

  “Kathy, are you feeling jetlagged? Is that why you’re so quiet?”

  A vein in Katheryn’s neck twitched with annoyance. She slammed her teacup into its saucer and confronted her mother. “No, I am not jetlagged, I’m pissed off, Mother, and very annoyed!”

  Her mother narrowed her eyes then set down her own teacup. She crossed her fingers on the table in front of her.

  “I don’t understand why. You’re home now, with your family and, more importantly, you’ve made up with Hunter.” She gave a wide smile that chilled Katheryn to the bone.

  “I haven’t made up with Hunter, Mother. In fact, I don’t want to even be here.”

  “I’m afraid you have no choice, Kathy,” her mother replied.

  “I don’t have a choice, because you sold me!” Katheryn stood, letting her chair scrape across the ground behind her, palms slapping against the surface of the table.

  But her mother appeared unscathed by the accusation. Her eerie calm distressed Katheryn even more.

  “What is your point, Kathy?” she asked after a moment. “Do you want an apology?”

  Katheryn’s mouth fell open. “You won’t even deny it?”

  Mrs. Meyers shrugged. “There’s no use denying what’s true. Although, I wouldn’t quite say we sold you. That sounds a bit extreme.”

  “So what would you call it?” Katheryn demanded through gritted teeth.

  “You have to understand, Katheryn. We were in debt up to our necks. Your father was about to lose his job, and so was I. You weren’t making enough money at the lab to pay off your student loans and our debts, as well,” her mother said then took a dainty sip of tea. “When we first met Mr. Francis and Hunter, I wanted to set you up on a date with the young bachelor in hopes you’d win him over and get married. When he met you, it was obvious you barely spared him a second glance. But you know how men are. They see some uninterested woman, and they have to conquer her.

  “When you paid him no mind, it drove Hunter crazy. He approached your father and me and said he wanted you...that he intended to conquer you. Of course, we had to secure your future, And our future. We couldn’t just let him have you then leave. So, we told him we’d help convince you, help groom you, but for a price. He was to marry you and see to it that we lived comfortably.”

  Katheryn frowned. “That’s a lot of money and trouble to go to for one woman. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “The amount we owed was less than Hunter makes in a day. He was happy to throw it our way, as long as it helped him get what he wanted. Men like Hunter are used to getting everything they want. Hunter has always had the world in the palm of his hand. When you showed no interest in him, you were a challenge to him, and he had to have you. It’s as simple as that.

  “He wanted you. He paid to get you. And he’s not going to let you go, because you’re good for his public image.” Mrs. Meyers shrugged as if this matter were so obvious that Katheryn should just let it go and move on.

  But Katheryn couldn’t do that. She’d be
en betrayed. Her parents had callously sold her to Hunter just to pay off their debts and live like rich folks.

  “You lied to me,” Katheryn whispered, swiping at the tears that formed at the corners or her eyes.

  “It was for your own good, Kathy.” Her mother’s voice softened as she reached out to grip Katheryn’s hand across the table. “We never would have made it without him and, more importantly, without you.”

  Katheryn jerked her hand from her mother’s. The thought of being touched by her sickened Katheryn, making her stomach churn. “You should have at least told me.”

  “You would never have gone along with it. You’re stubborn, Kathy. And Hunter needed the satisfaction of winning you over.”

  Katheryn’s throat tightened. She’d been nothing to Hunter except a trophy, a prize to be won. He’d probably never loved her.

  Ignacio’s image flitted through her mind. Where Hunter was fair-skinned and fair-haired with bright eyes, Ignacio had a darker skin tone and light brown hair with honey-colored eyes. There couldn’t be two more different people. She’d been manipulated into loving Hunter but had fallen in love with Ignacio all on her own.

  She missed him, longed for him. Without his presence, there was nothing but an empty hole where her heart should be. It wasn’t just a fleeting emotion. It was an emptiness only he could fill. Only when faced with his absence did she realize what being a Soul Mate truly meant. She hadn’t understood it before, hadn’t understood why they gave the term such reverence. But it was all so clear now. Ignacio was gone from her life, and she felt as if her soul had been ripped from her, like a limb or some essential part of her had been torn away.

  Tears stung her eyes, but instead of swiping them away, this time, she let them flow as she rose slowly from her seat. She wanted her mother to see the pain she’d caused, the hurt she’d inflicted on her own flesh and blood for money.

  “Thank you for finally opening my eyes, Mother, and helping me to see exactly how selfish you and Father are. I’m sure you’ll understand why, after tonight, I never want to see you again.”

  Without another word, Katheryn turned from the table and walked away.

  26

  Ignacio leaned back in his seat, resting his face against the cold glass of the windowpane. He longed to look out and see the sky, to watch the dark clouds roll peacefully with the wind. But the window’s black tint hid any signs of nature, and more importantly, hid him from the sunlight.

  The airplane had been designed by a company that catered to supernaturals, vampires in particular. It was a private plane, and he was the only passenger at the moment. He tried to get comfortable, but the idea escaped him when there was a giant, gaping hole in his heart.

  So much had happened in the few days since Katheryn had left. The pain of her absence overwhelmed and had nearly killed him. He’d barely slept, barely eaten, and when he did sleep, he was plagued with nightmares instead of sweet dreams of his Soul Mate.

  He worried endlessly about Katheryn. A few witnesses said she had been shoved into a dark car by some rich-looking American, leaving no further doubt in his mind that it had been her ex.

  He’d raced to the airport, but had been too late. They’d already gone, whisked away on a private jet. He hadn’t wasted any time after that. He’d gone home, packed a bag, and the next night, he’d contacted his boss, Michael von Angel, and asked to borrow his private plane.

  He knew it was a huge favor to ask, but his boss was surprisingly accommodating after Ignacio had explained the situation. He figured somewhere deep inside that black heart of his, there lived a hopeless romantic.

  Now, Ignacio was on the plane, trying to get comfortable but not able to do so. Thoughts of Katheryn’s well-being plagued him. He tried calling her, but it had gone straight to voicemail. When that didn’t work, he’d attempted to reach her through dreams and mind link, but he assumed the distance was what made it fail.

  So, he had no choice but to wait until he reached Washington. Then he’d find her.

  Please wait for me, Katheryn, he thought. I’m coming.

  27

  Katheryn counted herself lucky when Hunter hadn’t returned home that first night. Or the night after, or the night after that. It had been a week, and each night, he’d called to inform her he wouldn’t be home. He was probably with his mistress, but Katheryn didn’t care. She was glad that he hadn’t shown up. If he had, she wasn’t sure what would have happened. He probably would have wanted to sleep in the same bed, maybe even force himself on her. The bodyguard wouldn’t have been much help. The man would probably have watched without lifting a finger.

  Each day, she tried to devise a plan to escape her prison. She barely left the house, and when she did, it was with the burly fellow following her. She’d tried to converse with him, but he ignored her efforts. Eventually, Katheryn had given up and kept to herself.

  At night, when she lay in bed, she’d hoped she would visit with Ignacio in her dreams, but he never came to her. The time difference might have prevented it. As hard as she’d tried to sleep during the day, she couldn’t seem to shut off her worries.

  With a sigh, she sat down at the dining room table just as the home phone rang. Reluctantly, she walked to the phone, answering it on the fifth ring. Her bodyguard stood behind the island that separated the dining room and the kitchen, observing her.

  “Hello?” she said, unhappily. She knew it would probably be Hunter or one of her parents—neither of whom she had the desire to speak to.

  “Katheryn.” Hunter’s cool voice came on the other end.

  “What do you want?” she asked.

  “Always the ray of sunshine, I see.” He chuckled. “I just called to inform you I’ll be coming home tonight. My business has been finished, and now, I’m free.”

  He sounded as though he were making an appointment with her. She sighed, wearily. Of course, he was making an appointment with her—an appointment she didn’t want to attend. Katheryn hated his guts, and if he’d decided to never return, she wouldn’t have minded. But her heart dropped at the news he was coming back tonight. He’d probably expected her to perform her “wifely” duties. She shuddered at the thought.

  “Katheryn, did you hear me?”

  “Yes, I heard you,” she snapped.

  Her mind raced, trying to work up a plan of escape. Damn it, why wasn’t she smarter? Why couldn’t she trick her guard or have vampire strength to knock him out?

  “I’ll be home soon. And I expect you to be on your best behavior,” Hunter told her then hung up.

  Katheryn placed the phone back. She wasn’t a vampire, but she wasn’t helpless, either.

  Eagerly, she rushed to the bathroom. As expected, the guard followed, closely behind her. Katheryn kept her hand on the door handle and turned an annoyed glance on him. He was staring at her with his mouth set in a tight line.

  “What?” she demanded. “Are you gonna follow me into the bathroom and watch me take a shit, too?”

  She swung the door open and stepped aside to reveal the inside of the room. “As you already know, there’s only one small window,” she said, indicating the small square window above the shower. “I can’t fit through it, and even if I could, I’m not going to jump from the third floor, you dumb shit, so let me use the bathroom in peace.”

  The side of his mouth quirked up, whether with annoyance or amusement, she couldn’t be sure. However, he walked away. She breathed a sigh of relief as she shut the door behind her.

  She couldn’t believe it had worked. She should have thought of it sooner, but she’d been too depressed, too busy thinking about Ignacio, wondering if he’d ever find her. She should have been doing something useful on her own. Well, now, she wouldn’t wait for Ignacio to rescue her. Now, she’d take matters into her own hands and deal with it herself.

  She frantically searched around for something she could use to defend herself with. The toilet seat came to mind, but she knew if she tried to wiggle that thing off, it’d
make too much noise. She needed something sturdy, something quiet…

  Her eyes snagged on the metal rod that held the shower curtain up.

  Bingo.

  She turned on the shower, letting it drown out the noise. She pushed aside the curtain and stood on the edge of the tub and pulled the rod down with a hard yank. She tossed the curtain into the tub and held the long, shower rod in her hand, testing its grip.

  Perfect.

  Now all she had to do was wait.

  It felt like an hour had passed, though she couldn’t be sure, when her guard finally knocked on the door. She planted her feet on the floor, held the rod in her grip, and waited. Anxiety ratcheted up her fear, but she didn’t give into the tremors of her nervous body.

  Another knock came, followed by a curse. Then slowly, the door to the bathroom was wrenched open.

  Katheryn didn’t think.

  She swung.

  A cry on her lips that sounded almost animalistic belted from her chest. She swung with all her might and the poor, unsuspecting guard, felt the blunt of her blows. Once she started, she couldn’t stop. Over and over again, she swung the rod against his head until he dropped to the bathroom floor. Even when he went down, she screamed like a madwoman, hitting and hitting until blood pooled beneath his head and against his face.

  The rod slipped from her fingers and she took in a gasping breath.

  Shit, shit, shit!

  Chest heaving, she bent cautiously and pressed her fingers to his neck. When she felt a pulse, she sighed. Her fingers and clothes were smeared with his splattered blood, but she didn’t care about that. He would be fine. Surely Hunter would find him a doctor once he came home.

  Katheryn had to leave.

  And she couldn’t waste one more moment of time.

  So she jumped over the guard’s body, and she ran out of the apartment.