Bound in Sin (Bound #3)(9)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Paige yanked open the door. The screams and yells and shouts to “Stop!” had her racing down the hallway.

Faster, faster she went. She bounded down the stairs, taking three at a time, and Paige realized could she smell blood.

Her fangs were already coming out.

“Stop, dammit, stop!” A man’s ragged plea.

She rushed down another flight of stairs, one that led to some kind of basement or–

A line of werewolves blocked her path. Paige stumbled to a halt just seconds before she would have barreled into those guys.

The screams continued, coming from a room directly behind that living wall of werewolves.

What the hell?

Her gaze darted over the men. She recognized the two werewolves who’d escorted her in…jeez, had that just been last night?

The smaller one–the guy who’d made the mistake of touching her before–shook his head. “He doesn’t want you going inside.”

Yeah, well, screw that. “He also doesn’t want you touching me.” Drake had been more than adamant on that point the last time he’d squared off with this wolf. What had been the guy’s name? Mark? Matthew?

Michael. This wolf was Michael.

Drake had been more than clear when he’d said the guy wasn’t supposed to touch her again. If Michael couldn’t touch her…

Then you can’t stop me, wolf.

She marched right ahead. Damn straight that line of wolves backed up. She figured none of them wanted to dare to actually physically try and stop her. “So I’m betting you’re just gonna get out of my way.” Or else they’d get an ass kicking from Drake.

Then before one of them could grow some balls and maybe try to stop her, she sprang forward, leapt right over them, and kicked open the door behind the assembled wolves.

It was a metal door, heavy and huge, but it easily sprang open beneath her booted heel.

Wow. That blood of Drake’s had really amped her up. She’d always heard werewolf blood was powerful, but…damn. She’d never felt so strong.

The metal door slammed into the wall and bounced back at her, but she dodged it with a little sidestep, and then she noticed that she was in hell.

Or as close to hell as she’d been in a few months.

Cages lined the walls. Cells. Prisons. There was blood on the floor. The coppery scent of blood filled the room. She knew that scent too well. And there, in the middle of the area, strapped to what looked like an operating table, was a vamp that she recognized.

Malcolm Douglas. Another one of Gabe’s henchmen.

Guess you couldn’t run fast enough.

The wolves had caught him, and now they were making him pay.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Drake grabbed her arms and turned Paige away from the sight of Malcolm’s bleeding body. “Dammit, I told them to keep you away.”

“You also told them not to touch me,” she said, lifting a brow, “so it’s not like they could really stop me.” Not unless they’d wanted to fight the alpha.

A muscle flexed in Drake’s jaw. “You don’t need to see–”

Malcolm started to laugh. “Fool. What you’re doing to me…we’ve done so much more…to her.”

Oh, crap. Ice flooded through Paige’s body. Malcolm shouldn’t have said–

“We sliced her open…” Malcolm snarled out. She glanced over and saw the wildness in his eyes. “Drained her blood while she screamed–”

Drake lunged for him. His claws wrapped around the vampire’s neck and ripped the skin. “I won’t make death easy for you.”

Malcolm just smiled. His fangs were stained with blood. Despite his screams, she knew he didn’t fear death. The guy probably welcomed it.

Hell…had he been screaming just because he knew that she was in the compound? Had he been trying to draw her down here? So that I’d suffer…and Drake would suffer.

“Want me to tell you…” Malcolm muttered, “all that we did to her?”

No. She’d never wanted Drake to hear that story. “Drake!”

“Get out of here,” Drake ordered without looking at her. His claws sank deeper into Malcolm’s throat. Pretty soon, Malcolm wouldn’t be able to talk at all.

Paige didn’t move. The screams had pulled her in, but she was staying because… “I can help you!” If Drake would just give her the chance.

Malcolm was the one still doing the talking. “She was…waiting,” he said, “for you–”

“Take her out, Heath! Now!” Drake snapped and a fair-haired wolf came her way. His hands closed around her arms, but she jerked against him.

Paige wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet. “Dammit, Drake, let me–”

“She was near the lake when we found her…” Malcolm’s blood dripped onto the floor. “You were supposed…to meet her.”

Why couldn’t the vampire shut the hell up?

Drake stiffened at the vampire’s words. “I went to the lake.”

Lost Lake. A fitting name.

She’d lost her own life at that lake.

“You went later.” Malcolm’s eyes were bright. He liked power. Craved it. Always had, always would. Right then, despite the claws at his throat and the blood around him, Malcolm had the power.

And she had a stake in her boot. So if she could just get away from Handsy Heath, she’d use it and make sure Malcolm never hurt another human again.

The way he hurt me.

“Your alpha…” Malcolm growled, “he made sure you went late…to that little rendezvous…”

His words caused Drake’s hold to loosen, just a bit, but the Malcolm’s revelation didn’t surprise Paige. She’d learned this truth long ago.

The old alpha, Jeremiah Quintock, hadn’t wanted a human in his pack. He’d thought wolves were far too superior to humans. But Drake had wanted her to be his mate, and he’d been determined to bring Paige into the pack, and it hadn’t mattered to him who he pissed off.

Drake had thought he was safe because he was the next in line to be alpha. One day, he’d lead the Alaska wolves. He’d known that, even when they’d dated. So he hadn’t thought anyone in the pack would deny him the mate he’d chosen.

But Jeremiah hadn’t wanted the next alpha to have a human at his side.

So he’d sent me to die.

She saw the shock on the faces of the wolves around her. Even Heath eased his grip on her. What? Had they all really not known that old jackass Jeremiah had been dealing with the vamps for years?