Bound By Blood

He trapped her gaze with his. “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.”

She wanted to argue, but she was helpless to resist his compulsion.

A wave of his hand opened the car door. “Get in.”

Her movements were jerky, like a puppet’s, as she climbed into the front seat.

Zack closed her door, then went around the front of the car and slid behind the wheel. “Give me your keys.”

She handed them over without a word.

“Relax . . .” He searched her mind for her name while he put the car in gear. “Lavinia. We’re going to go for a little drive, and then I’ll take you home.”

She stared at him, unblinking, as he drove out of the city, then turned off the highway onto a dirt road.

She was trembling uncontrollably now.

Zack swore softly as he put the car in PARK. His hand curled around her nape, drawing her toward him. “Lavinia, listen to me. I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” He ran his fingertips down the length of her neck. “Do you believe me?”

She shook her head.

She had a strong will, he thought irritably. Too strong to fully succumb to his suggestions. Well, he knew how to take care of that. He drew her closer, felt her body tense as his fangs brushed her tender skin. One bite, one taste, and she surrendered her will to his, a sigh of pleasure rising in her throat as he took what he needed.

And wished it was Kaitlyn in his arms, her blood chasing away the cold, filling the emptiness deep inside.

Chapter 32

Awareness returned slowly. Feeling as though she was swimming through a sea of thick black molasses, Kaitlyn fought her way up out of the smothering darkness, then lay there, feeling weak and disoriented.

It took three tries before she could sit up. When the dizziness passed, she noted that she was in the same room as before, on the same disgusting mattress. Her eyes felt gritty. There was a horrible taste in her mouth.

How long had she been here? Where was Nadiya? Where was Zack? Had her parents stopped looking for her? No! They would never stop looking, and neither would Zack. She had to believe that, had to keep hoping they would find her.

When she stretched her legs, her toe hit something on the floor beside the mattress. Looking down, she saw a wooden tray. A tin plate held two slices of bread and a hunk of cheese. There was also a cup of water. She had no appetite for food, but she drained the cup and wished for more.

She looked at the bread and cheese again. She wasn’t really hungry but she picked up a slice of bread and took a bite. Who knew when they would offer her nourishment again? Surprisingly, she discovered she was hungry, after all, and she wolfed down the bread and cheese, then licked her fingers.

How long were they going to keep her here? How long did she have before Nadiya came to exact her revenge? And how, exactly, would she do it?

Kaitlyn bit down on her lower lip to keep from crying. She couldn’t die, not now, now when she had just found Zack. She wanted more time—time to get to know him better, to discover what it would be like to make love to him all night long, to explore him from head to foot and every masculine inch in between. She had saved herself for the man she loved. Surely fate wouldn’t be cruel enough to let her die before she discovered what it truly meant to be a woman.

“Zack.” She whispered his name into the darkness. She was a vampire. She was strong enough to endure this. But the thought of never seeing Zack again was more than she could bear. Curling up on the mattress, she whispered his name again, and let the tears flow.

Zack was on his way back to Wolfram when he heard Kaitlyn’s voice. He came to an abrupt halt. “Kaitlyn?” Dammit, had he only imagined it?

Closing his eyes, he again opened his vampiric senses, seeking the blood link that bound him to Katy. It took several minutes but gradually, the link between them stirred, solidified. Zack breathed a sigh of relief. She was alive. His mind brushed hers, seeing what she saw, feeling what she felt.

She was in a dark place. A basement. Shackled to a wall. She was cold and afraid. Crying softly.

Kaitlyn? Katy, can you hear me?

There was a long moment of silence and then her voice, filled with hope. Zack?

Do you know where you are?

No.

Is Nadiya there?

Not now, but she’s been here.

Stay calm, Katy darlin’. We’ll get you out of there, he promised. And hoped it was a promise he could keep. I need to tell your parents you’re okay, but I’ll be in touch again soon. And Katy? I love you.

I love you, too.

A thought carried him to Wolfram. He found Drake and Elena on the sofa where he had left them. Drake was staring into the hearth. Elena was asleep in his arms, her eyes red and swollen.

Drake looked up when Zack appeared in the room. “Where have you been?”

“Hunting. In the city. Listen, I found Katy. That is, I know where she is. Dammit, that’s not right, either. But I think I can get to her.” There was just one small flaw in his plan. He couldn’t materialize inside a dwelling without having been previously invited. Usually, whoever owned the place had to do the inviting, but maybe that wasn’t true with Romanian vampires. Of course, there was really only one way to find out.

“What are you talking about?” Drake demanded.

“We have a bond, Katy and I, forged by the blood we’ve shared. . . .”

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”

“That doesn’t matter now. I was able to link with her a few minutes ago. She’s all right. I should be able to follow the link to where she’s being held. There’s just one problem.”

Drake stared at him a moment, then nodded. “You can’t materialize inside the building if you’ve never been there before.”

“Right. Unless Kaitlyn’s invitation would work.”

Drake grunted softly. “Only one way to find out.”

“Yeah,” Zack said, grinning. “That was my thought, too. I’ve never tried to enter a place where I wasn’t welcome, so I’m not sure how this will play out.”

“There are three possibilities.” Drake ticked them off on the fingers of one hand. “One, nothing will happen. Two, we will end up outside our destination. Or three, we will find Kaitlyn.”

“I’m ready to go if you are.”

Drake kissed Elena’s cheek, then softly called her name. “Elena.”

She woke with a start, a look of alarm in her eyes. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, love. Zack thinks he knows where Kaitlyn is. We are going to try to get her back.”

“I’m going with you.”

“No.” He caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “You must wait here. We will be back soon.”

Elena glanced at Zack, then back to her husband. “How did you find out where she is?”

“Zack and Kaitlyn have exchanged blood, much as you and I have done. There is a bond between them now. Zack thinks he can follow it to our daughter.”

Elena looked at Zack. It pained him to see the hope shining in her eyes.

“Be careful,” she murmured as Drake kissed her cheek. “Both of you.”

“So,” Drake said. “How do we do this?”

Zack shrugged. “Beats the hell out of me. Just hang on to my arm and I’ll see if I can connect with Kaitlyn.”

Drake nodded curtly, then grasped Zack’s forearm.

Zack closed his eyes, opened his senses, and concentrated on Katy’s whereabouts. He formed a picture of her in his mind, felt the link between them interlock.

Katy?

Zack?

We’re coming for you. I need you to invite me into wherever you are.

Come to me, Zack. Your presence is welcome.

You’d better include your father. He’s with me.

Drake Sherrad, she said, her voice rising with excitement, you are also welcome.

Okay, darlin’, hopefully we’ll see you soon.

Hurry!

Zack glanced at Sherrad. “Hang on. Here we go.” It was an experience that could not be described, the sense of moving through time and space at an incredible speed. Zack’s vision blurred, the sound of air rushing past rang in his ears.

The abrupt sensation of motion was jarring.

Zack glanced at the small, two-story house located on a patch of dead grass. A six-foot chain-link fence surrounded the yard. There were bars on the windows, a security screen on the front door. The house was dark save for a light in one of the upstairs windows.

“Apparently her invitation was not sufficient,” Sherrad remarked.

“So it seems. I guess we’ll have to do it the hard way.”

“Fine by me,” Sherrad said.

Zack moved closer to the fence, his senses probing the interior of the house. “I don’t sense any vampires inside, just Katy and a man and a woman.”

Drake sniffed the air. “Nadiya has been here recently.”

Zack nodded. Hers was a smell he wouldn’t soon forget. “Let’s go.” He didn’t wait for a reply, simply vaulted over the fence. No sooner had he reached the other side than an enormous Rottweiler came charging toward him from the backyard.

In an instant, Zack transformed himself into a wolf and growled in the dog’s face. With a sharp whine, the Rott tucked its tail between its legs and ran back the way it had come.

Grinning, Zack assumed his own form once again.

“Impressive,” Drake remarked.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t think your pussycat would have any effect.”

“Let us find Kaitlyn, shall we?”

Choking back his laughter, Zack strode up to the front door and knocked. He could feel Sherrad’s gaze burning an angry hole in his back.

When there was no answer, Zack knocked again. Three minutes later, a middle-aged man wearing a pair of worn jeans and a flannel shirt opened the door. He looked harmless enough, until they saw the doublebarreled shotgun in his hands.

“He’s a drone,” Sherrad said quietly.

“What the hell’s a drone?”

“A human whose mind has been tampered with. Have you never made one?”