Blood Slave: A Realm Walker Novel (18 page)

Tearing her eyes away, she looked at Morgan. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything move like that before.”

“I used the best necromancer I could find. He was worth every penny.”

He was undoubtedly waiting for her agreement but since she still found the whole practice of wights, abhorrent, she kept her mouth shut. She glanced back up at Bobby and froze. Shit. Now she knew what had been gnawing at her. Gluttony. That’s where she’d seen the latest victim. And she’d been there with Bobby. Clayton said the woman had been missing several days before her body turned up.

Juliana suddenly thought maybe agreeing to this dinner hadn’t been the best idea she ever had.

“Everything okay?” Morgan asked, snapping Juliana back to the present.

“Sorry, just daydreaming,” she answered with a smile. She just needed to get through this dinner without getting killed. She could do that, right?

Thomas. I just remembered where I saw our last victim.

Where?

Gluttony. With Bobby.

Who’s Bobby?

Apparently he’s Morgan’s driver even though I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of them together before tonight
.

There was a long pause.
Where are you?

Heading to Morgan’s house for dinner
. She cringed inwardly but did her best not to let it show.

This Bobby, does he have dark hair, medium build, scar over his left eye?

Juliana glanced at him again, thinking. He did have a small scar that intersected the brow.
Yes.

You need to get out of that car.

We’re going sixty-five on the interstate. How exactly do you propose I do that?

Bobby is Robert Guilletti, one of Morgan’s associates from his mafia days. He turned him just before the rending. He’s not a good man,
Joya.

I’ve just got to get through dinner. I’ll let you know when I’m back in the apartment.

She put her shields back up. She needed to keep her wits about her and arguing with Thomas wasn’t going to help that.

They eventually pulled up to a gate in front of a large house. A ten foot fence topped with metal spikes surrounded the property. Bobby pushed a button and the gate slid open. Lights burned in the windows on the ground floor. She opened the door and stepped out without waiting for one of them to come around and assist her. “Beautiful home,” she said sincerely. The house was gorgeous. Her absolute disdain for the man that owned it didn’t change that.

“Thank you.” Morgan put a hand on the small of her back and steered her inside the house. The interior was as opulent as the outside and, for a moment, Juliana felt like she was back in the Roma. Morgan steered her toward a door on the left. “I’ll take you on a tour later if you’d like. First, we eat.”

Two places were set at the end of a long table. Morgan pulled out one of the chairs and she took her seat. After he’d taken his, he signaled and a thin man standing in the corner disappeared through a door. He came back with two steaming bowls of soup, placing one in front of each of them.

“Hope you like tomato,” Morgan told her before taking a sip.

She followed suit and was surprised at the depth of flavor in the soup. She was also suddenly reminded how long it had been since she had a real meal. She finished the soup quickly and looked up to find Morgan leaning back in his chair watching her with a little smile playing with the corners of his mouth. “How stupid do you think I am?”

“Excuse me?”

“You aren’t the type to be a plaything. And Thomas Kendrick doesn’t chase a piece of ass half way across the country. What are you to him?” He leaned forward and looked her over. “Are you his girlfriend? His wife? I suppose you could be his mate but he gives you far too much leeway if you are.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Juliana felt light-headed and the room started to spin at the edges of her vision.

“Don’t you? So why are you really here? Maybe you’re running from him. Or maybe he sent you here to spy on me. To work your way in and find my weakness.”

He stood from his chair and leaned against the table. Her vision blurred.

“I don’t have any weaknesses, Ms. Norris.”

It was becoming harder to focus on his words, on what was happening. Fear spiked through her. “What’s wrong with me?”

“I would think that would be obvious by now. I drugged you.” He nodded to someone across the room and Juliana found herself being pulled from her seat. “I’m going to take my time with you, just like I did all the others.”

“You killed them.” She fought against the darkness trying to claim her. She wanted answers.

“Of course I did. Well, Bobby and I did. I told you he wasn’t a good guy, didn’t I?”

“Why?”

He paced the end of the room. “The first one was an accident, but it was such a rush. All that power running through me when I drained her. The orgasm was exquisite.”

She blinked at him hoping her foggy brain just wasn’t understanding what he was telling her. “You killed those women so you could get off?”

“No, that was just an added bonus. I killed them because they brought me power. I was stronger when I had absorbed their life essences.” He closed his eyes and inhaled as if he was remembering savoring a fine wine.

Why did she always get the nut jobs? “And the wight?” Was her voice starting to slur?

“I wondered what happened to Nicodemus. As you could tell, he was quite old. I used him to dispose of the bodies when I was finished with them. It would hardly do for Bobby or me to spend our time on such a frivolous task. And when I’m through with you, I’ll have another one deliver what’s left of you back to Thomas Kendrick in a box with a bright red bow on it.”

She wanted to protest, to scream for help, instead, everything went black.

Chapter Eighteen

Her dreams were filled with hands holding her down and rivers of blood running over her. When she woke, it was to a dark room and the taste of bitter copper in her mouth. Thomas screamed in her head.
Okay, okay. I’m awake. Knock it off.

Relief flooded through their bond but whatever else he tried to say came across garbled, like a radio with a weak signal.
I don’t know what you’re saying. I can’t hear you.
Panic, worry came through then. Well, there wasn’t much she could do about it. If she couldn’t hear him, she couldn’t hear him.

She pushed herself up on the edge of the bed and looked around. The room was dark, but not pitch as she’d first thought. It was sparsely furnished with a door on the wall across from her. She had no idea how long she’d been out, but she did know she needed a bathroom and something to wash the taste out of her mouth. Standing slowly, uncertain of her legs, she shuffled to the door across from her. After opening it, she felt along the wall until she found the switch and flipped it on. Juliana had never been so happy to see a bathroom. After making use of the facilities, she stood in front of the mirror.

A wicked headache pounded behind her eyes and what she saw reflected back at her didn’t help any.  Dried blood covered her chin and stained her shirt. Scooping water up in her hands, she scrubbed at her face. What the hell had they done to her while she was out? She gave her cheeks one more splash of cold water for good measure then patted them dry with the hand towel hanging beside the sink. Leaving the room, she cracked the door to let some illumination into the bedroom beyond. In the dim light she saw another door on the opposite wall. Making her way to it, she eased it open and peered into the hall beyond.

The hallway was empty and she stepped out cautiously. Ignoring the voice drifting up from below, she kept herself pressed to the wall. She had no idea where she was going, but there had to be a way out of here. One that didn’t go directly past the owners of the voices downstairs. If she could just get outside, she’d be okay. Thomas was undoubtedly prowling the perimeter of the fence, looking for a way in. The fact he wasn’t already here meant Morgan’s defenses were stronger than she’d thought they’d be. It was a thought she didn’t want to dwell on for too long.

She was in the midst of looking for a back stairwell when she heard footsteps on her level. Opening the nearest door, she peeked inside. Seeing no one, she slid into the room, pulling the door to behind her. She left a large enough gap to overhear what was going on. A curse came from down the hall and then hurrying steps. “She’s gone.”

The voice was irritated but not panicked. Which meant they weren’t worried she might have found her way out of the house. Which meant there probably
wasn’t
a way out of the house. Fantastic.

“Calm down,” said another voice she was almost certain was Morgan’s. “We’ll just send Henry after her.”

Henry, the wight who’d had her blood. No wonder they weren’t concerned she’d escaped. That cursed thing could find her anywhere. She was going to have to kill it. With what, she had no idea. They’d taken her boots and along with them, her knives. There had to be something she could use as a weapon. After shutting the door and locking it, she turned and took in her surroundings.

Another bedroom. No bathroom this time. There was, however, a desk. A quick search revealed a letter opener and a pair of scissors amongst various other office supplies. Pulling down her jeans, she strapped the letter opener to her calf and wound about half a roll of tape around her leg. She had no idea how long it would hold, but hopefully between the tape and her sock it would stay put until she needed it.

Gripping the scissors she made her way back to the door. Pressing her ear against it, she heard sniffing and the clicking of claws on the wood floors. Either Morgan had a dog, or the wight was searching for her. Not wanting to face either option, she turned from the door. It was only then she realized someone was in the bed and she sucked in a breath in surprise. Momentarily forgetting the need to hide, she eased over to the side of the bed. Long blonde hair covered the girl’s face and Juliana brushed it to the side. Kelsey lay there, eyes wide and unseeing. A sob caught in Juliana’s throat and she swallowed it down.

Damn it. Curse Morgan for this. A scratching sounded at the door and Juliana forced herself to focus on the problem at hand. She headed to the closet and shut herself inside. She crouched in the darkness, scissors gripped tightly in her fist, ready to strike the instant the door opened. Her only chance at defeating the wight was to take it completely by surprise. And even then she knew she wasn’t getting out of this without it hurting. A lot.

It wasn’t long before she heard someone unlocking the door to the bedroom and it clicked open. Unless Henry had gotten less feral, he had a companion. The sniffing and scrabbling moved ever closer to her position. When it stopped right outside the door to the closet, she took a deep breath and braced herself for the confrontation. But the door didn’t open.

Easing herself forward, she pressed her ear to the door. From the other side she heard a faint clicking noise. A tremor of revulsion and fear went through her when she recognized it for what it was. The wight was gnashing its teeth together.

Pushing herself away, she pressed into the back corner. There had to be a way out of this. She felt something cool between her breasts and looked down. James’s necklace. How could she forget the necklace?

She grasped it in one hand and pressed the dragonfly, counting off the seconds in her head. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Nothing changed, No blue light filtered under the door indicating a portal had opened in the outer room. That subtle shift in the air that happened when one opened was missing as well.

She pressed the pendant again and again. Still nothing. Morgan must have portal dampeners cast on his property. No portals in or out. That unmitigated bastard. Juliana suppressed the urge to weep. There had to be a way out of this. There was always a way out.

A light clicked on in the outer room. Heavy footsteps sounded outside the door and she froze. “Good boy, Henry.” Morgan commended his pet. He was probably patting the damned thing on the head while he was at it.

“I’m going to open the door now, Juliana, and you are not going to attack me.” Morgan’s voice was measured, reasonable and completely infuriating. “You could perhaps injure Henry or myself but not both of us and the other would make you suffer. Besides, if you should by some miracle make it past both of us, Bobby is waiting just outside the room.”

She clenched her teeth together until her jaw ached. She didn’t do the compliant prisoner thing very well but she also wasn’t an idiot.

I don’t know if you can hear me, Thomas but Morgan’s got me. The wight’s had my blood. I can’t get away without killing him.

She knew he was trying to respond, could feel him trying to reach her but nothing came through.

I don’t know why I can’t hear you but we’ll get me out of this. We always do.

The closet door opened and Juliana blinked in the surge of light from the other room. She placed the scissors on the floor beside her and lifted her hands in surrender.

***

Thomas howled his rage and kicked the chair beside him. It sailed across the room and shattered against the wall.

“Feel better?” Michael asked from his spot where he leaned against the wall.

“Three days. He’s had her for three days and she’s telling me that he’s taken her prisoner which tells me she has no idea how long she’s been there or she’d know I already would have figured that out.”

“This isn’t helping her,” Hamilton, ever the voice of reason, said. They’d taken up residence in a hotel a mile from Morgan’s estate. The past three days had been spent with them calling in their resources and trying to make a plan of attack. So far, they’d had little luck.

“No, but it’s helping me,” Thomas snapped. Morgan had done something to her that made her unable to hear him through their bond. He didn’t want to think about what that might have entailed.

Suddenly feeling exhausted, he ran a hand down his face. Damn, Juliana. If she had just let this rest when he asked her to they could be home arguing over when they were going to move out of the Roma. Instead he was launching a rescue operation.

He sat on the arm of the couch and glanced around the room. Rebel and Hamilton had called in Deke, no longer concerned if the ogre blended in or not. Juliana’s elemental and wolf were here, on an unofficial capacity. Both of them had taken vacation time when their boss had refused to allow them to come on company time. James had also joined them after leaving Rachel with the elemental’s wife.

He had a room full of people motivated to save Juliana and they had yet to come up with a viable option. James had reached out to the local mages and found out that Morgan had two powerful mages working for him that had gone completely off the grid. The look on his brother-in-law’s face when he’d heard their names was far from comforting. The Council was refusing to get involved stating Juliana and Thomas shouldn’t have been in Morgan’s territory without his permission. The fact she was on assignment meant nothing to them. It was a slight he’d make them pay for later.

They had attempted to get onto the property several times and failed miserably. One of the mages had cast a portal dampener on the estate. A frontal assault had been met with wights and armed guards. They’d backed away knowing it would do Juliana no good should they all get themselves killed trying to rescue her.

James could get them in. He could call on the Gathering and blast through the gates with a force of mages. However, doing so would be tantamount to declaring war. And as they couldn’t get the Council’s backing it might start a full on war between the vampires and the mages. They were trying to find a way to avoid that.

“It’s me he wants,” Thomas said after a moment. “Just give me to him.”

“And how is that going to help anything?” the elemental snapped. “She’ll never forgive herself if you died for her.”

“But she’d be alive.”

“Would she?” he said. “I’m not entirely sure of that.”

“There has got to be a way to get her out of there.”

“Actually, I think I might have an idea,” James said and stepped over to the table where he began sketching out his plan.

The more he heard, the more a cautious hope began forming in Thomas. This just might work.

***

It quickly became apparent to Juliana what Morgan had been doing to her while she was passed out. He led her downstairs and tied her to a chair in what looked like a throne room. Leave it to Charles Morgan to have a throne room instead of a living room. Somehow she wasn’t even surprised.

“You will obey me, puppet,” he told her and poured more blood down her throat. She choked and gagged on it, but only threw it up once. The blow he’d given her when that happened had encouraged her to make sure it didn’t happen again.

When they were done force feeding her blood they’d began taking it back. Morgan, Bobby and a vampire she didn’t recognize would take turns feeding from her. She could feel them pumping magic into her, trying to make it a euphoric experience but it wasn’t working. Her tie to Thomas was keeping their magic at bay. Not that she’d let them know that. She moaned and writhed in the chair and generally acted like she was in a state of absolute bliss.

Morgan was trying to make her a blood slave. More than that, he was trying to tie her to him or he wouldn’t be feeding her his blood. The terrifying thing was she thought she was beginning to crave that red liquid. May have already gotten to that point if it wasn’t as bitter as Thomas’s was sweet.

The cycle was exhausting and at some point they’d stopped, letting her sit with her chin tucked against her chest. Her hands were numb from the lack of blood flow.

Suddenly, Morgan’s voice was there in her ear. “If I let you go, are you going to run?”

“Why would I do that?” her voice was rough, her throat raw from the abuse it had endured. It took a second to remember why she should want to leave this man and that second terrified her. She was supposed to be pretending she was under his influence, not actually succumbing to it.

“That’s my girl,” Morgan said and undid the ropes on her wrists. She shook her hands in front of her, wincing at the pain as they began to wake up.

Morgan dropped onto his throne and studied her. “You were much more difficult than the others. Kendrick must have already had you blood bound to him. But you’re mine now, aren’t you, pet?”

She blinked up at him. “Of course, I am.” Gods, this guy was an asshole. If she could just get her limbs in working order, she’d drive a letter opener through his throat. She didn’t give a shit if a wight ate her afterward. She just wanted him to bleed.

An explosion sounded somewhere outside the house and Morgan sat up straight. An underling ran into the room and spoke into Morgan’s ear. He smirked.

“It seems we’ll get to put your loyalty to the test soon. Your ex-boyfriend is here to rescue you.”

She furrowed her brow. It felt like there was something important she was forgetting. “Rescue me from what?”