Page 58 of Bound By Blood

“Understood,” he growled, knowing that he was going to have to placate his father until he knew what he was going to do.

Drayton nodded once, and the guys steered him toward a black SUV. As he was being loaded into the back, he watched the man who took Carly as he tossed her in the back of the van unceremoniously. That vampire was going to be the first to die for manhandling her like that.

The ride back to his father’s estate was silent, and Landon kept his eyes trained out of the window, his mind running rampant as he tried to come up with a plan. He could feel his father’s eyes on him the entire time, studying him, but Landon refused to acknowledge him. The only reason Landon hadn’t killed them all was because of Carly. He still didn’t know the extent of her immortality, and he didn’t want her to get caught in the crossfire. He had to be smart about this. He had to come up with a plan that wouldn’t backfire. It was going to take time, but it appeared as though he was going to have plenty of that.

Drayton Creed lived in a massive estate out in the middle of nowhere. The nearest neighbor was miles away, which worked out in Drayton’s favor more often than not. The van stopped in front of the house, and the SUV stopped directly behind it. Landon was herded out of the car and forced to watch helplessly as Carly was lifted out of the back of the van and carried toward the house.

Landon turned to his father. “You gave your word that she would be taken care of,” he reminded him.

Drayton nodded. “I did. And I will keep my word, Landon,” he replied. “She’s being put in a spare room on the third floor. She will have everything she needs. Food, water, clothing, all will be provided for her while you figure out where your loyalties lie.” He took a step forward, his dark eyes narrowing dangerously. “But know this, son. My patience only goes so far. Don’t drag this on too long, or I might grow tired of caring for your pet.”

Before Landon could respond, he was escorted up the massive porch and into his father’s house.

Landon himself had expensive tastes, but his father’s desire for the finer things went far beyond that. A massive crystal chandelier hung over the foyer, illuminating the double staircases on either side of the entrance. To the right was a large sitting room with four leather couches and several leather recliners, all of which sat in front of a large fireplace. It was where his father hosted his guests when he was trying to make a good impression.

To the right sat the sunroom, which sadly went unused most of the time. His father didn’t have time for trivial things, such as sitting and relaxing. The dining room and kitchen sat further ahead of them and the upper floors were a mixture of bedrooms, offices, and playrooms. Carly was, in fact, being carried up the stairs toward one of the rooms while Landon was led to the door that sat tucked away beneath the stairs. The door that led to the basement.

The basement was where Landon had spent the majority of his time before he decided to get his own place. It was where the torture happened, where blood was spilled. Only a few dim lights lit the dirt walkway, and the air smelled of mold and decaying flesh. Several cells lined the walls, many of which were occupied by those who had disobeyed his father in one way or another. Some of whom he had put there himself. He never once thought that he, himself, would be placed in one and left to rot.

Landon was led to one of the furthest cells where it was quieter. He was then shoved roughly into the room and the heavy door slammed shut behind him with a loud bang. Darkness surrounded him, and it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust.

The cell was completely empty apart from him. There was no bed, no furniture, nothing. There were scratch marks on the walls from its previous occupant and he even spotted a torn-off fingernail embedded in the stone. The air was chilly and damp, mixed with the stench of death. The atmosphere alone was enough to cause the fear to begin to creep in through the cracks in his mind. But Landon shut it down as quickly as it began. He refused to let himself lose it.

Instead, Landon took a seat on the dirt ground, leaning against the wall, as he began to plot his revenge against his own father. He wanted Landon to embrace the monster inside of him, to prove that he hadn’t gone soft, and that was exactly what he was going to do. Drayton Creed had no idea what was coming for him, but he would find out soon enough.

Chapter 22

Carly Harris

Carly slowly pulled out of her dreamless sleep. Her breaths were leisurely and relaxed, but her body didn’t feel anything of the sort. Her head pounded like she was hit with a hammer repeatedly, and her limbs felt weighted, so she knew they’d be sluggish whenever she decided to move.

She groaned and pressed a hand to her forehead, applying pressure to ease the pain. It barely helped.

She cracked open her eyes, peeking past her palm, and stared before her. The ceiling spun for a moment before it settled. A bout of nausea churned her stomach because of it though, and she clenched her jaw to keep from heaving. She didn’t even know what day it was, let alone the last time she ate. She probably had nothing to throw up.

This felt like the worse hangover she’d ever had.

Taking a deep inhale to calm her stomach, she frowned and dropped her hand back to her side. It didn’t smell like her and Lily’s home. Lily’s favorite perfume she wore every day always clung to everything. It didn’t smell like Landon’s either, which smelled like him. No, this aroma was of clean linen, the fresh dye of brand-new clothes, and the crisp smell of faint bleach.

Slowly, she sat up. Her heart raced when she took in the unfamiliar space. The chairs in front of the lit fireplace to her right were plush and red. The walls were cream-colored, and the curtains covering both large and long windows on either side of the massive bed were white.

There were two doors next to each other on her left. One was closed, and the other led to a bathroom. She could see the marble tile and vanity from where she sat.

Beside her thigh, she ran her hand across the soft white comforter. She could tell by the feel and the look that it was expensive material. More money than she’d make in a month. It made her feel homeless all over again, unworthy, and too dirty to be sitting on it. It almost made her wonder what kind of person lived in this kind of luxury. No one she knew.

Where the hell was she?

She searched her memories with a scowl. The last thing she remembered was the plane ride home, her and Landon getting off of it, and . . . the vampires. Well over a dozen of them. They were surrounded. One grabbed her, and she felt a sharp prick against her skin. She remembered everything going black after that.

Her heart picked up in pace. She’d been kidnapped. And now she had no idea where she was.

Where was Landon? She looked around again. There was no trace of him in the room, and she began to panic. Her breathing became short gasping heaves.

Quickly, she searched her bra for where she kept her knife. “Fuck,” she cursed when she came up with nothing but her own flesh. She left it at Kata’s. She had nothing to protect herself with. She may be alone now, but she wasn’t stupid enough to believe that would last.

There was no way Landon was behind any of this. She had no doubt in her mind that that was true. Back at the airport, he looked just as shocked as she had been when they were suddenly surrounded. And she knew there was no way he could have stopped them from taking her either. There were too many vampires. He would have never survived. But where was he now? What kind of trouble was he in? Because surely, he didn’t walk away from that ambush. No. The only logical conclusion was that he was taken too.

“Calm down, Carly,” she whispered to herself between clenched teeth. “Think this through.”