Page 51 of Bound By Blood

Behind him, Carly scrambled out of the car too. “What are we doing here, Landon? We already got our answers; there’s nothing more she can do for us.”

“I’m not here for answers.” His voice had deepened into more of a gravelly growl, and his fangs began to elongate in his mouth. His hands were balled into fists at his sides, his nails digging into his flesh. “Remember to stay the fuck out of my way.”

He could feel her frown as she struggled to keep up with his long strides. He was purposely walking faster because she didn’t want to be that close to him when he gave in. He wouldn’t risk hurting her too.

“Then what the hell are we doing here?”

Instead of answering her question, Landon strode to the door where he didn’t even bother knocking. In one swift move, he reared back and kicked the door in. The rotted wood snapped easily as it came off its hinges and flew across the tiny cabin with a loud crash that scattered a nearby flock of birds.

The sound had roused Kata from sleep, and she was sitting up in her moldy bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The sight of her had Landon releasing the last restraint, and his monster burst free. In the blink of an eye, he yanked Kata out of bed by her throat.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Carly exclaimed. Everything had happened so fast that it had taken her a minute to catch up.

Holding a struggling Kata in one hand, Landon grabbed a couple of chains he had spotted when they were in the cabin earlier that day. He then used them to tie the other vampire to one of the metal chairs. Kata hissed and struggled, but she was weak due to being caught off guard and from being denied a meal that day. Which was exactly what he had been banking on. While he did love a good struggle, with Carly here, he wanted to mitigate the risks to her and her safety.

Once Kata was secure, Landon turned to Carly. His eyes were pitch black, his fangs were fully extended, and he held a menacing smirk on his face. He was more than ready to have some fun. “She knows too much.”

Carly swallowed hard. “That may be so, but she’s a banished vampire. Who the hell is she going to tell?”

Yet another indication of how little she understood of his world. Kata could use the information of their bond to get back into his father’s good graces. She could use it against him with his enemies. He knew, without a doubt, that there were those out there who hated him and his father enough to use whatever they could against them, even if that information came from a banished vampire.

“I can’t and won’t take that risk, Carly. Not with you. If you have a fucking problem with this, then there’s the fucking door,” he sneered at her, pointing angrily at where the door used to be. “I warned you not to get in my fucking way!”

Even though her eyes were wide with fear, Carly crossed her arms defiantly. “I’m not going anywhere.”

His wicked grin widened, his monster pleased by her response. “Then buckle up, baby. It’s going to be one hell of a show.”

With his monster completely free now, the darkness of the cabin seemed to intensify as if a shadow had covered what little light had been filtering in through the dirty windows and busted door. Landon turned to Kata and studied her for just a moment before he suddenly grabbed her lips and ripped them from her face with his bare hands. “You won’t be needing these,” he said at the same time.

He tossed the flesh across the room where it hit the wall with a sickening yet satisfying splat. Blood spurted out, hitting his once pristine shirt, as Kata wailed in pain. The sound of her cries was like music to his ears, and he closed his eyes to revel in the moment. The feel of her blood on him helped to relieve some of the tension he’d been holding onto while around Carly. Now, he was basking in how freeing it felt to finally have the release he had been denying himself.

Looking back down at Kata, blood, snot, and tears streaming down her cheeks, he rolled his eyes at how pitiful she looked. She was a disgrace to his kind, not even worthy of the title of vampire. “Oh don’t act like you didn’t see this shit coming,” he told her. “You, of all people, should know how far we go to protect the ones we are bonded to. And as I said, you know too much.”

“Can’t you just kill her and get it over with?” Carly asked softly from somewhere behind him.

Landon gritted his teeth and spun on her, his hands balled into fists at his sides. “Isn’t this what you fucking wanted?” he screamed, making her jump slightly. “You wanted me to show you all of me. You begged me for it. Well, here I fucking am, sweetheart! Take a good fucking look!” He grabbed a rusted sandwich knife off of the table and turned to slash it across Kata’s chest, making her scream again. “Still think you can handle being with me?” He used the knife to cut off one of Kata’s ears, dropping it to the ground unceremoniously. “Still think you want to be a part of my world?” He sliced the other ear off, and it quickly joined the other. Kata’s screams had become louder and more constant, forcing him to yell over her so Carly could hear him. “This is who I am, Carly. This is who you claim to want to be bonded to!”

Dropping the knife to the ground, Landon shoved his fist through Kata’s stomach. His long fingers tangled in her insides before he yanked them out, causing them to pool in her lap before sliding onto the floor. It wouldn’t kill her, due to her being immortal, but it would hurt like hell and make her wish she were dying.

Landon slowly turned back toward Carly, his entire front, his face, and his hands now covered in blood. He held out his arms, a sneer on his lips. “Still want to fuck me?” he asked pointedly. “Huh? Do you? This is what you asked for, Carly. Even though you refuse to show me who you truly are, you demanded to know the real me. This is the real me, sweetheart. The darkness. The monster. This is what I truly am.”

For several moments, Carly said nothing. The cabin had fallen into a dense silence that was broken only by Kata’s sobs and the sound of her choking on her own blood. He knew he had accomplished what he had set out to do, the stench of Carly’s fear was just as strong as the stench of blood that now filled the small cabin. The look of horror on her face was enough to break his heart, but he knew it was for the best. It was better this way.

Just when he thought it was over and that Carly would reject him and the monster that he was, she suddenly began moving toward him. The movement had taken him by surprise, and he found himself taking a small step back in response. He watched with rapt interest as she bent down and plucked the knife up off of the ground. Her beautiful, innocent eyes watched some of the rivulets of blood dripping off and onto the floor.

“It’s an adjustment, I will admit,” she began, her voice quivering. “But I never said I didn’t have a monster too.” That’s when she took the knife and pressed it to the right side of Kata’s chest.

Landon continued to watch as she stood there for several moments, her hand shaking. He was beginning to think she didn’t have it in her, but after a little while, she slowly put her weight into it. The knife inched slowly inside as Kata panted to the pain. Eventually, those pants turned into a blood-curdling scream.

Completely taken aback by his mate's actions, Landon was rooted to the spot by his own shock. His monster was pleasantly surprised and strangely aroused by Carly’s actions, her willingness to not only accept what was going on but to participate as well. His dick was hard and throbbing in his jeans at the sight of her holding onto the blade protruding from Kata’s chest. His body began to act of its own accord, and he found himself moving toward her, like a predator stalking its prey.

He stopped when he was right behind her and bent at the waist until his lips brushed against her ear. “Tell me, Carly,” he whispered. “Does blood turn you on too?” He glanced down and trailed his bloody finger up her side beneath her jacket. “Or are you just doing this because you think it’s what I want?”

Her shiver did not go unnoticed, though he still wasn’t sure if it was due to arousal or fear. ”Both,” she admitted. “But there is also a third option.”

Landon grinned as he brushed his lips against the side of her neck, teasing her with feather-light touches. “What’s that, baby?”

“I don’t just like pain with my pleasure. I find pleasure in pain.”