Trinity Bound
by
Carrie Ann Ryan
http://www.carrieannryan.com/
Copyright Carrie Ann Ryan
March 2012
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Cover by Leia Shaw
Trinity Bound
Hannah Lewis, a rare earth witch, is taken from the only life she’s ever known. Held at her will by a sadistic wolf, she almost gives up hope that she’d ever see her real life again. But as her fellow captive, a werewolf named Reed, tries to calm her fears, she begins to feel a spark of something she never thought she’d feel – love. But is Reed, alone, enough to get her out of this dark basement so she can move on with her life?
Reed Jamenson, the artist of a werewolf Pack of Alpha males, knows instinctually that Hannah is his mate. Thus, despite their imprisonment, he will do all to protect her and then worry about their hearts. But is he strong enough to find a way for both of them to escape? And why does he feel as though something else is missing?
Josh Kolb, an ex-military human, stumbles upon Reed and Hannah and finds he must trust this new world of supernatural beings to survive. But that desire will lead the three to a triangle of attraction that will test the boundaries they all possess and its consequences in defeating the enemy. Can they all trust one another to save themselves and life as they know it? Even at the cost of their own hearts?
Dedication
Writing this book sometimes seemed to take out every piece of me and beg for more. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything without people like Lia Davis, Gina, Devon, and Kitty. You guys are awesome and thanks for helping me write this thing!
Lia Davis, my crit partner, “work-out” partner, and all around best friend in this writing world—I love you dearie. Thank you so much for chatting with me and letting me scream at my computer.
And a special thanks to Angela Stone for saying the word fire and letting this story come to my mind.
And of course, thank you to my wonderful husband who supports me, even though I freaked him out when I said I wanted to write an m/m/f.
And again, thank you to my readers. Your outpouring support of my Redwood Pack and Reed makes my day and makes this writing thing worth it. Thank you so much.
Prologue
The sweet coppery scent of freshly spilled blood tingled Corbin’s nose as he inhaled deeply. His sister, Ellie, struggled against the restraints digging into her arms and legs, but she didn’t make a sound.
Much to his disappointment.
He supposed he must play a bit harder to get his desired results. Yes, that would be quite nice. She was draped in his favorite sundress, bright yellow and white daisies smiling at him from a creamy ivory background. So cheerful to look at, and even better, the blood stains marked it vividly. And, of course, his Ellie needed to look pretty for her brother, even if he’d had to force her into the damn thing.
There was no use looking like a fucking Redwood without class if you were a Central.
His palm stung as he slapped her face then moved to hit her body, over and over again. The stinging increased with each brutal hit, and he sighed. Yes, this would help his headache and aid his thinking. Her skin began to redden from the contact as he beat harder. Laughter burbled from his throat as he continued. This was true contentment.
“Hit me all you want, big brother. But you won’t break me. You can’t break me.” Ellie’s voice was steady, without a hint of strain. One would think they were on a leisurely walk and not in a dungeon where he beat her. Corbin slapped her across the face, the sound of flesh against flesh echoing against the walls.
Bitch.
Fury pulsed in his blood and raced up his spine. He bit his lip and relished the tangy taste of blood. He couldn’t kill her. Not yet.
It was her fault he was in this situation in the first place. If she hadn’t healed that stupid woman, Willow, in the circle after he’d gutted the bitch, this never would have happened. But no, Ellie had to go and help the bitch. So Corbin was forced to save face. He’d stormed the Redwoods’ den and attacked. Yes, he may have lost a few wolves to the enemy, but they were useless anyway. There were plenty of other men to die for him in any case.
“I may not break you now, little sister,” Corbin snarled, “but I will eventually. Plus, the real fun comes from the play. The longer you stay your typical brazen self, the longer I can try and bleed that from you.” He shrugged. “I really don’t give a fuck. But you need to learn your place.”
“They’ll come for him, you know.” A thin line of blood trickled from her mouth. He needed to stop soon so her internal bleeding could begin to heal before he started again. The next time he might take out his sharper toys. He smiled at the thought.
“Oh, they’ll come. This is, after all, their weakling, their artist.” He spat the word. Art. This Reed was an egotistical loser without a designated title in his Pack. He was just one son of the many, nothing like Corbin, the only son and Heir to the Central Pack. He cursed under his breath as he hit Ellie again. They’d gone into the Redwood den with a purpose—to find Jasper, the Redwood’s Beta, and take him. But, instead, they got Reed.
They’d kidnapped the wrong wolf, but it would be okay. If Reed’s family didn’t come for him, Corbin would just kill him—slowly. It was no skin off his back. He hit Ellie again, and this time a slight whimper escaped her.
Ah, progress.
Though the whole wolf debacle grated on him, what really bothered him was the witch. He needed to know more about Hannah. What made her tick? What were her powers? Why did the demon, Caym, tell him she was important? Damn it. He hit Ellie square in the face, harder than he’d planned, and she passed out cold.
Fucking temper.
He missed his other sister, Ellie’s twin. But she was dead by his father’s hands so they could bring Caym to this world. That sister would have at least screamed for him and moaned in pain. But no, Corbin was stuck with Ellie. Always perfect fucking Ellie, the one who wouldn’t join in their father’s plans.
Ah, Father.
Hector was getting on his last nerve. The old man didn’t have the vision Corbin did. No, his father only saw the small picture. Ruling the wolves and killing some humans. Corbin saw it clearer, but as Heir, Corbin had to stand back and let his father have the power. That would have to change soon. He smiled at that promising thought. His jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth together and fisted his hands.
Caym prowled into his chamber and smiled at him. The demon’s dark looks reminded Corbin of a fallen angel. Yet there was nothing angelic about the being in front of him. Midnight black locks of hair framed his chiseled, pale face. His black eyes had a rim of deep red around the iris, enhancing his darkness.
Simply beautiful.
“I see you’ve let Ellie sleep for a bit.” Caym’s smooth voice washed over him like liquid silk.
Corbin smiled. “Yes, I’m such a giving wolf.” They both laughed.
“They have the video feed finally ready, if you’d like to join me.” Caym slid his hand up Corbin’s bare arm, causing shivers to race up his spine. Warmth tingled in his icy chest and his pulse raced.
“I’ll just leave dear sister here. When she wakes up, she can think about what she’s done.”
“That sounds reasonable.” Caym danced his fingers across Corbin’s chin before turning to leave the room.
Intriguing.
He followed the demon out, watching him glide with each step. Caym really was a handsome man. Though Corbin liked to torture and
play with women, he preferred men for his bedroom activities. And if the subtle, or rather not so subtle, touches that just occurred were any indication, Caym might prefer him as well.
Interesting.
They entered the viewing room. Two video screens hung on the wall, with buttons and knobs on a control panel beneath them. The demon sat back in a black leather chair, arms cradled behind his head. Lean muscles bunched as he stretched.
Nice.
Corbin strolled past and turned on one of the viewing screens. He walked to a chair, took a seat, and sat back as Caym rested his hand on Corbin’s. The image came on the screen, bringing a smile to his lips. His two prisoners lay on the cement floor, chained to stone walls.
Very picturesque.
The male, Reed, clad only in his jeans, pulled at his chains. Silly wolf, those chains were reinforced and not easily broken. He knew from experience. Chills of need racked his body at the memories. The woman, Hannah, slept on the floor, just out of reach of Reed’s hands. Perfect. Reed would try and help the girl but wouldn’t be able to. It would only hurt and entice his wolf more. Corbin licked his lips in anticipation. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on them both, if his father let him.
His fingers ached to see what would happen to the two in his chamber. They would give him information, no matter what it took. He hoped the process would drag on. He loved the prolonged screams of agony, the blood and pain like a cherry on his sundae. How he longed to play. And when he was through with them, he would kill them. There was no use, beyond his own pleasure, for a low-level wolf and a witch with no coven.
Caym squeezed Corbin’s hand then brushed his fingers up his arm before standing and taking a step toward the screen.
“I can imagine what you and I could do with the pair of them.” The demon’s voice sank into his pores. His eyelids closed as his arousal peaked. “But,” Caym continued, “we need to get rid of some...obstacles.”
“Obstacles.” Namely his father, Hector. The Alpha.
“Yes, once we achieve that, you and I could have a great partnership.” He paused. “In more ways than one.” He smiled, his angelic face taking on an evil light.
Corbin panted in need. “I agree.”
“The two of us could strive for even greater progress together. We can call forth the whole of the demons and control them.”
They both laughed with insatiable hunger. Yes, this would be a partnership made in hell. Literally.
Chapter 1
Cold spread from a pinprick of sensation as a droplet of water hit Hannah Lewis’s cheek. It trailed down to her eye, forcing her to open them to blink it away. Stone walls surrounded her, and the frayed edges on the cement floor dug into her skin. The only means of escape seemed to be a lone rusty metal door in the stone wall. No windows illuminated the room. Cut off from the outside world, she couldn’t feel the earth.
As an earth witch, she needed the sensation of soil beneath her feet, the air dancing across her face and through her hair. But cut off, she drifted without an anchor. Hannah slowly sat up, and her muscles ached from her stay.
She snorted. Stay. Right.
That sounded like she was happy to be here. No, the bruises and cuts from her captivity hurt. But she thanked the goddess she wasn’t hurt any more than she was.
The man sharing her room moaned in his sleep. No, not a man, a werewolf. By the shouts of their captors, she knew him to be Reed, a wolf of the Redwood Pack, son of the Alpha. They’d brought him in three nights before. At least she thought it was three nights. She couldn’t be sure anymore. He seemed to hurt more than she. They had chained him to the wall, same as her, but far enough apart they couldn’t touch. And if they were to speak to each other, the guards came in and beat Reed. Never her though. It was almost like a cruel joke to have someone share her burden but be allowed no contact. Her gut twisted, and bile filled her mouth.
Her fingers ached to touch his smooth skin and heal his pains as the healer she was. But she couldn’t get close enough to him to do so. Another cruelty. She couldn’t bear to see him hurt.
Reed shifted, then snapped open his eyes. She gave him an encouraging smile, the best she could come up with under these conditions. He smiled back, that small gesture almost lighting up his face. Maybe in another time, another place, when they weren’t being held in the Central’s basement, with no clue whether they would live or die, they would have met and gone on a date. She smiled again at the thought. Yes, that would have been nice. Her smiled faded. But that was not the case. And by the looks of this place, it would never be. Sadness filled her at the loss of something she didn’t know she wanted.
Reed reached out and spread his fingers toward her, careful of the cameras watching their every move. Hannah did the same, longing to feel contact. To remember who she was.
The metal door scraped open, the screeching sound echoing in the dank room. They both pulled their arms back as she began to shake in fear. She cursed herself for her cowardliness. But it had been too long since she held hope. She didn’t want to die. Not here. Not now.
The Central Alpha’s son, Corbin, walked into the room with his smooth glide and a snarl on his lips. Hannah hid the shudders fighting to rack her body at the sight of him. His eyes were dark orbs with no light of goodness hiding within. Whatever was on his mind reeked of evil, an evil she wanted no part of, but it looked as though she had no choice.
The man strode to her, nodding to his two accompanying guards. The guards walked toward her and unshackled her arms and legs. Pain tingled in her fingers and toes as the blood rushed through them from being cut off from good circulation for so long. Oh goddess. What is he going to do with me? The guards lifted her to her feet, their grips digging into her arms, hurting her further.
“Let go of her. Take me,” Reed’s growled from his place on the floor, his voice gravelly.
Oh, how she wished she could just be with this stranger and not go where Corbin wanted. But she couldn’t let him be hurt either. She didn’t know why, other than the fact she hated to see anyone harmed. It pained her to think about him in her position. He might be a werewolf and be able to heal at a faster rate, but she could take what Corbin brought. She had to.
Corbin laughed at Reed and took a previously unseen whip to her companion’s back. Reed groaned in pain at the contact of the whip flaying his flesh. Hannah whimpered at the sight of his blood leaking to the floor. The guards pulled her toward Corbin, her feet trailing the ground as she fought their hold. They merely shook her violently for her to comply. The Alpha’s son grabbed her from them and forced her against him. Bile rose in her throat at the oily feel of his skin, his aura.
She looked back over her shoulder at Reed. He lay bleeding, glaring at the guards and Corbin, still struggling against his chains to reach her. Why did she feel such a connection to a man she’d never met outside these stone walls? And, by the look on Reed’s face, he might feel the same. Corbin dug his fingers into her arm and shook her, forcing her back to her cold reality.
As the man pulled her to the door, she fought against his hold. His hand came across her face, the sting radiating in her cheek, bringing tears to her eyes. Reed’s shouts and pleas followed her out the door until the men closed it with a slam, along with the hope she would get out of this alive. A sinking feeling bottomed out in her stomach. This might be the end.
Corbin dragged her down the hall, and she pulled against at his grip, struggling to get free. She screamed at the guards for help. Surely, there was at least one person out there who could help her. Dear goddess. Her captor’s hand, again, contacted her face, bringing stars to her eyes and a thin warm trickle of what must be blood down her chin.
At the end of the hall, a door with natural light spilling out along the cracks on the side and bottom, tingled that last spark of hope. Could she escape? She fought to release herself from Corbin’s hold. If she got out, she could get help and come back for Reed. She didn’t know when she’d started to think of not only herself, b
ut Reed, but she didn’t care. Her foot came down on Corbin’s instep. She used the surprise to kick him in the groin and twisted free. The evil man yelled, as she ran toward the light. She panted and prayed she could make it. Corbin’s hand shot out and grabbed her again. The spark of hope dulled to a slight numbing light. He took her arm in an unforgiving grip and threw her against the wall. Her head cracked against the stone, but she was thankful he hadn’t used the whole of his strength.
“Don’t you fucking try that again, girl. Or I won’t kill you when I’m done with you,” he snarled. His torment promised pain and suffering if the reward was death. She held onto the whimper that threatened to escape her throat. She refused to give him the satisfaction.
Corbin lifted her up and carried her to another room off the hall. Before she could pull her mind out of the fuzziness caused by his strikes, he had her strapped down onto a cool metal table, the leather straps digging into her arms and legs and around her stomach. He tightened the straps with a bruising force. The one on her stomach cut into her skin, a thin line of blood forming.
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