Page 56 of Bound By Blood

Carly didn’t even have to think about her answer. “Besides you, there’s not a person in my life that I could trust more. She was there for me even when I didn’t deserve it. She’s the one who pushed me to tell you how I feel.”

“So, tell her the truth then.”

Carly giggled a little and laid her head on his chest. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.” The smile was wiped from her face when another pressing thought came to mind. “Won’t that put her life in danger?”

“Not if she doesn’t tell anyone she knows the truth. You say you trust her not to say anything, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Carly wrapped her arms around him, and the shower sprayed both of their shoulders. “Okay, then it’s settled. I’ll tell her when I pack my things. I don’t know if she’ll believe me, but I don’t want to keep anything from her anymore. She deserves more.”

Landon chuckled. “If you need me there to do a little show and tell, just let me know. The fangs and black eyes usually sell it.”

She smiled as his laughter rumbled against her ear. “I might take you up on that.”

Landon looked down at her and tipped her chin up again with his fingers. “Are you sure this is what you want, Carly? That I am what you want? Even after everything you’ve seen tonight. The monster that lives inside me and who I struggle with on a daily basis.” She could hear the worry and hesitation in his voice.

She couldn’t be more sincere when she said, “Would it be so wrong if I told you I liked it?”

He pressed his lips to hers and said against them, “Liking it and living with it for all of eternity are two different things.”

She smiled softly at him and touched his cheek. “I can live with it, Landon.” And she meant it.

His gaze pierced hers, looking for the lie. When he found none, he nodded.

Carly sighed in relief. She didn’t want to keep having to explain to him that she wasn’t scared of him, that she wanted him exactly as he was. She wouldn’t take anything less, either.

“When do we go home?” she asked. Because she was ready for their next step.

Chapter 21

Landon Creed

The flight back to Gravesdale had been uneventful but far less silent than the flight out had been. Carly spent the entire flight peppering him with questions, all of which he had answered honestly. He told her what his life was like before he became a vampire, when his father began to change into the evil and vile monster he was now, and anything else she wanted to know. With her now completely immersed in his world, there was no need to hide anything from her anymore. No need to try to keep her at arm’s length. He wanted them to have no secrets between them anymore.

Whatever wedge had been between them was gone now as was his desire to break the bond they shared. Carly had accepted him and everything he was, and she had done so without batting an eye. In turn, she had revealed parts of herself to him as well. They still had a long way to go to fully open up to one another, but that would come with time, and now they had all of eternity together. He never thought he’d see the day when he would welcome someone like Carly into his life with open arms, but here they were. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Before they had gotten on the jet, Landon had asked Carly to officially move in with him. He knew it was rather soon, but their bond expedited things. Thankfully, she agreed, and he made plans to go with her back to her place after they got back in order to help her pack up her things. That way he could also be there when she had, what was bound to be, a very difficult conversation with her friend Lily. That part still worried him, but he trusted Carly to make the right decision. He knew she wouldn’t do anything that would put them in danger.

He also arranged for a moving company to meet them at her place the next day to get her things moved to his penthouse. Most of her belongings would have to go into storage, or she’d have to sell them, but the stuff she wanted to keep, he would make room for. He was still surprised but grateful that she had actually agreed to move in with him and didn’t want to give her the chance to change her mind. The sooner they got all that taken care of, the better.

The sun had long since set by the time they finally landed back home. Landon could tell that Carly was exhausted. Neither one of them had slept much over the last few days, and with the travel time as well, he was sure she was jet-lagged. Packing would have to wait until she had a good night’s sleep, and she was going to be doing that back at his place. He wasn’t going to spend a night away from her any longer.

Landon wrapped his arm around her waist as the two of them exited the jet at his private hangar, and he realized then that he was feeling better than he had in centuries. While he wasn’t a fan of change, Carly had changed him in ways he didn’t think possible. She had given him everything he didn’t even know he was missing, and he found himself smiling. At least until the hair on the back of his neck began to stand on end as they approached his vehicle.

He knew in an instant that they were being watched. He could feel it. They were no longer alone, and Carly was no longer safe. He barely had the chance to position Carly behind him before they were suddenly surrounded by at least thirty vampires. All of whom were under his father’s control. Somehow, his father had discovered the truth about him and Carly and had come to exact his revenge. Landon silently cursed himself for not taking better precautions. He should have known better.

Everything happened so quickly that Landon didn’t have the chance to react. One of the vampires grabbed Carly and darted to the other end of the hangar, taking them both by surprise. Carly tried to fight back, something that was in her nature, but the vampire was too strong for her. At the same time, he injected her with some kind of sedative, and Landon watched as she passed out within seconds.

It was then that Landon saw red. The beast inside of him burst free from his restraints, and he bolted toward the man who dared put his hands on his mate with a loud growl. However, his father suddenly appeared in front of the man, causing Landon to skid to a stop. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Drayton stated, his voice sounding bored as he examined his cuticles. “I will have her killed before you can even blink.”

Drayton Creed was a tall man with the same dark black hair and strong jawline Landon had. Landon looked an awful lot like his father, a fact he currently resented. But while Landon had his mother’s light blue eyes, Drayton’s eyes were a dark brown. So dark, in fact, that they almost appeared to be as black as his soul.

He also had an air of power and authority about him that intimidated everyone that came to be in his presence. Landon had that quality as well, but it wasn’t nearly as strong as his father’s, which was why Drayton was the leader of the vampires.

After the words left his father’s lips, several red dots appeared on Carly, indicating that there were more vampires scattered about the area. And they all had guns trained on the woman he loved.

Landon swallowed hard, quickly searching for a way to diffuse the situation before it got even more out of hand. “Don’t do this. She’s no threat to you or your power.”

A wicked grin spread across Drayton’s face. “I see you’ve had a little chat with Kata,” he sneered. “Tell me, how is she? How’s banishment treating the little traitor?”