Undone (Vampire Awakenings, Book 5)

by Brenda K. Davies

  He hung up the phone and slipped it into his pocket. “Ronan wants to see you, now.”

  “Where is Brian?” she demanded.

  “Brian, Declan, and Killean have vanished. He’s hoping you can help find Brian.”

  Abby’s heart sank. She’d known something was wrong, but the confirmation of it was a knife to her soul. Not dead, missing. If he were dead, I would know it. I’d be dying too.

  “Let’s go,” she said brusquely and threw the crossbow onto her back.

  “Can I get dressed first?” he inquired.

  “No.”

  CHAPTER 30

  In the end, Abby had to wait as Lucien, Vicky, Aiden, and David all dressed. She’d paced ceaselessly back and forth, fighting the urge to scream as the five minutes had dragged endlessly on. She’d practically ripped the door off the Range Rover Lucien pulled in front of her, earning her another glare from him. She ignored it as she dove into the passenger seat.

  “Blindfolds,” he said and gave her a warning look when she heaved an exasperated sigh. The others all pulled theirs on, except for Aiden who silently urged her to do so with his eyes.

  “I can run from here,” she said. “And probably get there faster.”

  “You’ll never make it beyond the gates on foot. Put it on or I’ll sit right here all night.”

  She almost pointed out that would probably only piss off Ronan, but she was wasting time. Reluctantly, she pulled the blindfold over her eyes and sat back in the seat. Her foot tapped against the floor. Not being able to see did nothing to ease her growing anxiety.

  Still alive. Still alive.

  It was all she kept telling herself as she listened to the gates rattling closed behind them and the vehicle descending a hill. The others tried to draw her into conversation, but she was having none of it as the tires hummed on the road and she sensed the flashing of headlights washing over them through the blindfold.

  Her fingers dug into her palms as the sounds around them changed. Blood welled forth beneath her nails, but she couldn’t stop herself from tearing at her skin. “You can take them off now,” Lucien said.

  Abby tore hers off and flung it aside as she drank in the sights around them. They weren’t in the city, but what looked like a large, run-down town that progress had forgotten as they passed empty businesses and crumbling, boarded-up homes. There was a fair amount of people on the streets and wandering through what businesses remained open at this hour, mostly bars and strip clubs.

  Lucien pulled the Rover to the side of the road behind a sleek, black Mercedes. Abby jumped out of the passenger side of the SUV before he came to a complete stop. Her gaze flashed around the area, and her nose wrinkled at the scents assaulting it. Exhaust, decay, sewage, and body odor all combined into a mix the likes of which she hoped to never encounter again.

  She barely glanced at the Mercedes when the driver and passenger doors opened. From what she’d heard about Ronan, she assumed it was he who emerged from the driver’s side due to his reddish-brown eyes, sable hair, and the air of authority he emitted in waves. The other vampire with him had dark-blond hair that hung in curls to his collar and vivid hazel eyes.

  Her attention was drawn across the street when a loud squeal of laughter pierced the air. Ignore it all. Ignore them. Focus on Brian. You can find him.

  Abby forced herself to smell past the hideous odors burning her nose and to open her mind to the pathways connecting her and Brian. The bond between them was more sealed off than it had ever been before, but she could still feel the tremulous thread of it calling to her and connecting them.

  “I brought you here because, as his mate, I believe you can track Brian, and hopefully find my men.”

  Abby didn’t glance back as these words were spoken just behind her. The depth of the power washing over skin told her it was Ronan without having to look. Abby closed her eyes as the cool breeze drifted over her face. She scented the air again, but it wasn’t a smell that drew her onward. It was something else, something within her blood.

  She didn’t look back at the others as she fled heedlessly down an alley.

  ***

  “I suppose you’re curious as to why you’re still alive,” a voice said from somewhere within the white room Brian had awoken to find himself in.

  The effects of the drug still pulled at his eyes, and his head pounded as he strained against the bindings holding him to the table. He tried to look down, but found he couldn’t move his head. His forehead was also locked down with a metal binding, the same as the ones strapped over his limbs and torso. Metal bit into his flesh and broke his skin when he flexed his muscles. He gritted his teeth and pulled against the holds as violently as his drugged body would allow him to.

  “Enough of that,” the voice chided. “We’ll have to give you another dose if you can’t behave.”

  He fell limply against the table, shaking as he inhaled a breath. The small burst of strength had left him weakened. He tried to hide the tremor in his muscles, but he was aware the voice had seen them when he heard a chuckle.

  “Might just keep you alive,” the voice purred.

  Why am I still alive?

  He blinked against the harsh glow, but he couldn’t lift his head to look at who was speaking to him. “Oh, forgive me. I forgot you can’t move.”

  The rays of the lamp positioned beside him lit the vamp who stepped forward with a halo that burned Brian’s irises when he tried to focus on him. Closing his eyes, he counted to five before opening them again. A sneer curved his lip when he recognized Drake illuminated by the light. Brian lunged against the restraints, a snarl escaping him when the movement failed to gain more than a couple centimeters of space between him and the table.

  “I’m going to rip your throat out and bathe in your blood!” he spat at Drake.

  Drake’s thin lips quirked into a twisted smile that caused the grotesque right side of his face to pull back awkwardly. Judging by the left side of his face, Drake had once been handsome enough with his jade green eye and refined features. An accident as a child had left the right side a sunken mass of twisted scars and flesh. He had no ear on that side, his eye was a socket, and the hole in his cheek revealed his teeth and tongue beyond.

  In public, Drake usually wore a mask to shield the ruined side of his face, but Brian had already seen him without it and wasn’t shocked by his appearance now. He kept his face impassive as Drake moved his tongue within the hole, purposely playing with his teeth on that side.

  “What a colorful image you paint,” Drake replied and folded his hands before him. “Unfortunately, I don’t think you’re going to get the opportunity.”

  Brian stared relentlessly at him. “Where are Declan and Killean?”

  “Safely locked away. Their blood is what I need.”

  “And what do you want from me?” he demanded.

  That hideous smile tugged at his face again. “You’re going to bring me the prize I seek.”

  A sick feeling, which had nothing to do with the gas he’d inhaled, twisted in his stomach. “I’m not bringing you shit.”

  “Oh, but I believe you already are.” Drake stepped forward and leaned over him to inhale deeply. A sigh escaped him, and his tongue clicked against his exposed teeth. “One of my men was hidden in the warehouse. He saw you leave with the twins; I want them back. One alone made me a lot of money, but two of those pretty little darlings will draw a lot more vamps here and fetch me a high price. Judging by your scent, you’re mated to the one I didn’t possess. The fresh blood so to speak. She’ll come for you; I’m sure of it. She will find you through the bond. I could never forget what her sister smelled or tasted like, and I can’t wait to find out how your little darling tastes too.”

  Brian howled and jerked against the bindings holding him. The effects of the gas were wearing off as his muscles strained against the restraints and adrenaline coursed through him. The veins in his arms stood out starkly as he thrashed against the bonds. At first Drake watched
him in idle amusement, but when something popped and a few bolts gave way, Drake took a hurried step back and left the room.

  Gas began to fill the room when Brian tore his right arm free of the restraints. “I’m going to kill you!” he roared as the effects of the gas seeped into his system once more.

  ***

  Abby stood across the street from the club, her heart racing as her blood pulsed through her body. She took a step into the street, but Ronan grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back. “You will stay out here,” he commanded brusquely.

  “No, I won’t,” she replied.

  His reddish eyes narrowed on her. Aiden stepped forward and rested his hand on her shoulder. She resisted his grip when he tried to draw her away. “Abby—”

  “I’m not arguing,” she cut Aiden off. “I’m simply stating a fact. I won’t stay out here. I… I can’t.”

  Ronan’s nostrils flared, and the power emanating from him increased, but he bowed his head in acquiescence. “If that is what you want.”

  “It is.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Aiden said.

  “He is her mate. She will die if he does. She has a right to defend her life and his, if she can,” Ronan replied.

  Her brother opened his mouth to protest further, but Ronan turned away from him. Aiden took a deep breath. “Stay close to me,” he told her.

  “I’m stronger than I look,” she retorted.

  “Maybe so, but I’d prefer to have you where I can see you.”

  Abby wasn’t going to spend the time arguing with him over it. “I’m coming too,” Vicky said. “No way I’m staying behind if Abby and Aiden are in there.”

  “Stay out of the way,” Ronan said and stepped into the street.

  Lucien and the other vampire walked by Ronan’s side while David, Vicky, and Aiden stayed near hers. Abby kept her gaze focused on the club as she tried to contain her excitement and dread. He was in there. She knew he was, but would they be able to get him out? Were Ronan’s men in there with him, or were they somewhere else?

  She swiftly descended the steps, nearly colliding with Ronan’s back when he stopped abruptly outside the door at the bottom. He gave her a look that caused the others to take a step back. She had to fight the urge to shove him out of her way and plunge into the club.

  Ronan thrust the door open and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He pinned her firmly against his side as they stepped into the shadowed interior. After club Dracul, she was pretty much prepared for anything. She barely noticed the people and vampires grinding against each other as she frantically searched the crowd.

  She went to step away from Ronan, but he pulled her back. “I agreed you could come, but you will not run off on your own or draw unnecessary attention to us.”

  She opened her mouth to protest, but the look he gave her silenced her. He was being benevolent right now, that wouldn’t last if she pushed him. Clamping her lips together, she gave a brisk nod. He kept his hand firmly on her shoulder as they walked through the crowd.

  Abby followed the pull of her bond with Brian to the back wall. She stood, staring at it in helplessness and frustration. “I don’t understand,” she murmured. “He’s here, I know he is.”

  Ronan gazed over the wall before turning to the vampire who had arrived with him in the Mercedes. “Saxon, Lucien, see if you can find something.”

  They both faded away into the crowd. Still holding her shoulder, Ronan maneuvered her to face the dance floor as he leaned against the wall. Abby glanced behind her again before looking at the powerful vamp holding her. His eyes surveyed the room with a casual air that belied the tension she felt in the rigid body beside her.

  “What is going to happen if they can’t find something?” Abby asked Ronan.

  “Then I will find a way to get these humans out of here and tear this wall down with my bare hands if necessary.”

  “I like the way you think.”

  She itched to do the same thing herself. She was half-tempted to start killing the humans in order to get them to scatter. Humans had never bothered her before. She’d always liked them and their world, but their presence here grated against her skin. She had to fight the urge to scream at them that they were a bunch of idiots for being here. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to steady her mounting impatience.

  “They are my men,” Ronan said, drawing her attention back to him. “I will do whatever it takes to get them back.”

  “Brian’s not one of your men.”

  Those strangely colored eyes slid to her. “He may not have gone through the training, or be a pureblood, but he is one of us. He will not be left behind.”

  Abby almost sobbed with relief. She bit her lower lip to keep it from quivering as his eyes burned into hers. He didn’t come across as the hugging type, but Abby almost threw her arms around him. Saxon and Lucien saved her from the impulse when they reappeared.

  “I think we’ve got something,” Lucien said and jerked his head toward a back hallway.

  Ronan’s hand on her shoulder kept her restrained. “It will do him no good if we find him, only to lose you. Remain calm or I will have Lucien drag you out of here.”

  Lucien gave her a smirk that made her realize he would enjoy doing just that. Abby glowered at him. “Stay here and keep watch behind us,” Ronan said to David as they stepped into the hall.

  David’s eyes shot between her, Vicky, and Aiden but he took up a protective stance at the beginning of the hall. Ronan turned to Vicky next. “You’re to stay with him.”

  “But—” she started to protest.

  “There are no buts,” Ronan interrupted firmly. “Stay with him.”

  Abby recognized the fighting expression on Vicky’s face as she thrust out her chin. Aiden grabbed hold of her arm and turned her around before she could gear up for an argument. “Stay here,” Aiden commanded her.

  “I can help!” Vicky protested.

  “Being here is as important as being with us. We’ll need a warning if someone tries to come at us from behind.”

  Vicky sulked as she folded her arms over her chest. She relented when David grabbed hold of her shoulder and pulled her closer against his side. “This sucks,” Abby heard Vicky mutter before Lucien all but shoved her into a room full of cleaning supplies and various extras from the bar.

  She glared at Lucien when he brushed by her to press against something on the wall. Abby stepped back as the wall swung inward to reveal a long, dimly lit hallway.

  “That looks about as welcoming as the closet in Poltergeist,” Aiden said.

  Abby shuddered at the comparison and wondered if something would slither out to grab hold of them. “I don’t like this,” Saxon said.

  Ronan’s gaze ran over the walls of the hall before them. “Neither do I.”

  As they stood there, the door started to swing closed again. Ronan thrust his hand out, his muscles bulging as he strained against the door. Abby realized it was made of a foot-thick steel. The metal beneath his hand bent in. With a low creak, the door stopped moving and ground to a halt. A bolt fell from somewhere and clattered against the floor before rolling away into the shadows.

  Abby almost laughed out loud at the realization he’d literally busted the springs out of the door but managed to keep it suppressed.

  She barely kept her jaw from gaping when he released the door to reveal his handprint dented into the steel. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. The vast amount of power that had taken rattled her. Thankfully he was on her side. She hadn’t felt overly confident they’d all get out of here alive; now she knew this man really could tear this place down with his bare hands, probably in a matter of minutes.

  They remained in the doorway, peering down the hall. Ronan stepped inside first. He didn’t bother to pull weapons free like the rest of them did, but she realized now he was his biggest weapon. Abby had believed they would creep down the hall. No, Ronan and his men stalked down it as if they owned it.

  S
he glanced at Aiden who nudged her arm before stepping inside. Was he really going to become one of these men? Was he really going to do this for the rest of his existence? It seemed so at odds and out of place with the easygoing brother she’d always known. Right now though, his leaf-colored eyes were as steely as the door Ronan had just dented.

  “Come on, Abs,” he said.

  She walked by his side down the hall. Focusing inwardly, she sought Brian through the connection binding them. The call of him drew her onward, but his mind remained blocked to hers.

  The scent of drying blood wafted to her before they stepped into the small room littered with dead bodies, cards and poker chips. None of them are Brian. She knew that, but her gaze still darted around as she sought to reassure herself none of the dead bodies were his.

  “They came through here,” Lucien said as he kicked aside a head with the spine still attached.

  A queasy feeling assaulted her and sweat broke out across her upper lip when the head thudded across the floor before settling against the wall. Saxon bent to examine another vamp with arrows protruding from his chest. “Definitely Declan’s bolts.”

  “What is that smell?” Aiden asked as he sniffed the air from the doorway.

  “I don’t know,” Ronan replied.

  The door began to close behind him when Aiden stepped the rest of the way into the room.

  CHAPTER 31

  “Ah, they’re here,” Drake purred from beside him.

  The effects of the last round of gas made it so Brian could barely get his eyes open to look at the monitor one of Drake’s men had wheeled in while he’d still been struggling to wake up. There were at least twenty separate pictures on the large screen, each showing a different space or viewpoint. Most of them were focused on empty halls and rooms.

  On one of the screens, he spotted Declan restlessly pacing behind the wall of a glass cell. Killean sat on a bed in a separate cell with one of his knees drawn up and his arm draped over it. Whereas Declan looked about ready to start beating on the glass and shouting, Killean appeared bored.