Page 63 of Bound By Blood

At the mention of his failure, Landon ground his teeth together in irritation. Why did everyone underestimate him? It really pissed him off. “I’m not going to fail. Tell me what this plan of yours is.”

“I was hoping you would say that,” Loxton stated with an eerie smile. “Now, listen closely. I don’t have much time to get this all out.”

Landon leaned against the wall and settled in as Loxton dove headfirst into the plan he had come up with to help Landon take down his father and free the vampires from his reign. He still wasn’t sure if he could completely trust Loxton not to betray him as Oakley had, but he didn’t have any other options at this point. Loxton was the first person he had seen since he’d been locked up.

It was obvious that this was his one and only shot at getting himself and Carly out of there. As well as his chance to take care of his father once and for all.

Chapter 24

Carly Harris

Dripping wet and her hair soaked, Carly stepped out of the steaming shower and grabbed the towel off the hook. Steam curled at the ceiling like fog on a bank in the early morning. Normally, at her and Lily’s house, she’d feel bad about taking such a long shower and using up all the hot water. She didn’t use up all the hot water here, but she tried her damnedest to.

Fuck these guys. Fuck them and their endless hot water, expensive furniture, and their asshole leader.

She was still angry at the whole situation. Two weeks hadn’t changed that. She hadn’t lost her fire yet, but she didn’t know how long that was going to last. She was beginning to feel the hopelessness creep in, and that frightened her. What would another week look like to her? Two weeks? A month? Hell, what would the next hour look like?

How long were they going to keep her here? Landon clearly hadn’t made a decision and she hadn’t seen Drayton since the first night. She didn’t know where her life stood or what her future looked like. Every decision wasn’t up to her, and that made her anxious and worried. So she decided to make every vampire she came into contact with lives a living hell.

She toweled herself off and stepped onto the cold and slippery marble floor. She paused while scrunching her damp hair when she heard her bedroom door unlock. She was a bit curious about it, but Drayton’s servants came and went. They were probably there to change the bedding or something, which they did every other day. She was surprised that they do that at all. Why treat her like an imprisoned queen if they were just going to possibly kill her in the end?

None of this made sense to her. But what the hell was she going to do about it?

A bout of nausea overcame her, and she rushed to the toilet and threw up. She kneeled there for a moment, making sure she wasn’t going to throw up again, and then stood and went to the sink. She’d been sick for the last few days, an illness that came and went whenever it wanted to. She was almost positive that the vampires were poisoning her. Or trying to weaken her. Either one was probable. They were probably sick of her shit.

Grabbing her toothbrush and the toothpaste, she scrubbed at her teeth to get rid of the rancid taste from being sick. Once she was done, she searched the bathroom for her clothes and then sighed dramatically.

“Fuck,” she grumbled. She forgot to grab clothes from her suitcase before she came in here. She also didn’t anticipate someone coming into her bedroom either, so it was not entirely her fault.

Every day, someone came in, grabbed her clothes, and brought them back later smelling fresh and clean. She hadn’t bothered utilizing the closet and putting away her clothes. What was the point?

Sighing, she wrapped the towel around her middle, turned to the foggy mirror to make sure it was covering all her bits, and headed out into her room. As soon as she was out the door, she stopped in her tracks. She had expected to see a vampire dusting or something, but instead, she found a vampire she’d never seen before. He was tall and thin, African American with a stunning color of mocha skin. His grey eyes pierced her in her spot.

For a long moment, they stood there staring at each other, until Carly broke the silence. Some vampire, one she had never seen before, was standing in her room while she wore nothing but a towel and her head looked like a drowned rat. “Who are you?” Her question was tentative.

He didn’t immediately answer her. She took a step back, ready to bolt back into the bathroom and lock the door. Did Drayton finally order her death? He didn’t come with an axe or a knife or something to end her life, but a vampire didn’t need those things. Bare hands would do just fine. She’d seen Landon work. She knew what they could do.

The man smiled at her, and not in a menacing way. It was kind, which confused Carly. “Carly, it’s nice to finally put a face to the name.” He touched his chest. “I’m Loxton, one of the vampire elders and . . .” He glanced behind him toward the door and lowered his voice a little. “I’m a friend of Landon’s. And, hopefully, yours as well.”

Feeling underdressed compared to his expensive clothes, Carly made sure her towel was still tucked around her, but despite her insecurities, she sneered at him anyway. “I don’t have any friends here, nor am I interested.”

“They said you were feisty.”

She sniffed, uninterested. “Can you blame me?”

“No.” He cocked a beautifully shaped eyebrow at her. “But you’re not interested in your freedom? In living out the rest of your immortal life with Landon by your side? I’m surprised. He seems to think the two of you are in love.”

Her heart fluttered, and her earlier distaste fled. She wanted to ask if Landon was okay, but the vampire implied that he was and . . .

The hope seeped back in, especially at the words freedom and Landon. No one had promised her any of those things. In fact, Drayton promised the opposite. And now this vampire was dangling it in front of her. She was interested in what he had to say.

“Of course, I want to be with –“ She paused to frown at him. “How do you know I’m immortal?” And what the hell was she going to do if Drayton knew? If one vampire knew, the rest did too.

“Landon informed me of that tiny little tidbit a few minutes ago.” He waved a hand in the air. “But don’t worry, only the three of us know, and I plan to keep it that way.”

She looked at him skeptically. “How do I know I can trust you?” After all, an elder sounded important. Important people tended to the top dog, meaning Drayton. Why would this man turn his back on Drayton Creed? And so openly and easily too? She didn’t trust it. Not for one second.

What he said next would seal his fate, however: Either she would believe him, or she would make his life a living hell until he left like all the others.