Page 66 of Bound By Blood

Landon couldn't bring himself to respond to her and just lifted his chin defiantly. He didn’t trust himself to speak because he might end up calling the whole thing off. Knowing Carly was pregnant with his child changed things.

His father, on the other hand, didn’t have any problem with telling her what was happening. “What’s going on is you’ve overstayed your welcome.” There was a hint of humor to his voice that sent chills down Landon’s spine.

“Are you assholes going to finally let us go?” Carly asked, the fire evident in her voice as she placed a hand on her hip.

Drayton laughed as did the guards. “My dear, did you really think you were going to get out of here alive?” he asked pointedly. “Not only does your knowledge of our existence put us at risk, but you’ve caused a lot of problems between me and my son. I’ve killed people for far less.”

Carly looked at him and then back to Drayton before she backed up a step, her knees hitting the side of the bed. “Why is he here? If I’m going to die today, why did you bring him?”

Drayton looked over at Landon, who swallowed hard. It was showtime.

Landon released a bit of the darkness inside of him, allowing his eyes to darken, as he stepped out from behind the group and closer to Carly.

“Who do you think is going to be the one to kill you, Carly?” Drayton asked.

“You’re a fucking monster,” she whispered in response. And she wasn’t wrong. Drayton was the worst kind of monster, he had warned her of that. “Landon would never kill me.”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” Landon retorted, his monster turning his voice to acid. “I warned you, Carly. I warned you to stay away from me, that you didn’t want to be a part of this life. You didn’t listen.”

Fear etched the lines of her face, and he wasn’t sure if it was real or fake. “After all we’ve been through, this is how it ends?”

Landon laughed, the sound hollow. “Did you expect it to end any other way? Did you think you could tame me? Did you think that we’d ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after? I’m a fucking murderer, Carly. A monster. And I could never be with someone like you.”

Even though he didn’t mean them, his own words cut him deep, and he knew that they had to hurt Carly too. They were lies, but they were necessary. He had to make his father believe it, even if it made him feel dirty and wrong on the inside.

Carly backed up again, but there was nowhere to go. She fell onto her butt on the bed. When she looked up at him, her eyes were brimming with tears. “You told me you loved me. Was it all a lie?”

“I told you what you wanted to hear so you’d put out. That’s all your kind is good for anyway,” Landon stated flatly. “You’re not good enough for anyone, Carly. Especially me.”

A tear streaked down her cheek, and it absolutely gutted him. “I don’t believe you.”

“I honestly don’t give a shit what you believe. It’s the truth.” Landon was grateful his voice didn’t crack and betray him. The emotions swirling in his chest were threatening to strangle him from the inside out. Either Carly was a very good actress, or his words were actually getting to her. All he wanted to do was run to her and reassure her over and over again that he didn’t mean a single one of them.

She looked down at her hands as if they had the answers to all her problems. “Will it be quick?” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “My death? Even if you don’t love me, can you at least give me that?”

Landon looked over at his father at her question. Drayton never told him how he wanted him to kill her, just that he wanted her dead. If he wanted him to make it hurt, that would cause a lot more problems, especially since she was pregnant. He didn’t want to risk harming their child.

Thankfully though, Drayton nodded. “While we are not usually in the business of compromising, I will grant your request for a quick death,” he told her before focusing on Landon again. “I don’t care how you do it; just get it done. I tire of this game.”

Landon inclined his head and, in a flash, crossed the room and yanked Carly to her feet. He had moved so quickly that her yelp was genuine. Before he could talk himself out of it, he pushed her hair off to the side and sank his fangs into the soft flesh of her neck.

The moment Carly’s blood coated his tongue, Landon’s monster was unleashed. However, he was no longer worried about hurting Carly or the baby. His monster had even grown to love and care for her, so he knew he wouldn’t actually kill her. Instead, feeding from her brought on the memories of them back in Kata’s cabin, and all the blood went straight to his dick. He embraced the beast inside of him and clutched Carly to him as he drank his fill. She played her part well too, gasping, panting, and clawing at his hands.

With each pull, he could feel her blood strengthening him from the inside out. He could feel the warmth as it spread through his veins. The effect was instantaneous, and he felt stronger than he ever had in his life.

After several minutes, Landon slowed his drinking, which Carly took as her cue. She fell limp in his arms, her hands dropping to her sides, leaving him to hold her up. He took a few more gulps before he shoved her face-first onto the bed in front of them, which he did intentionally in order to cushion her fall and protect his child.

Landon spun on his father, Carly’s blood coursing through his veins and merging with his own. He felt all-powerful and completely unstoppable. In that moment, there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he could kill his father. He was a threat to Carly as well as his child, and that wasn’t something he could let go of. Not now, not ever.

Drayton just nodded at him. “Now that that’s all taken care of, come. I have a job for you.” He turned back in the direction of the door and glanced over at the guards. “Dispose of the body, will you?”

The guards nodded and moved toward the bed while Drayton continued to the door. That was when both Landon and Loxton struck.

Because Landon had to be the one to take out his father, Loxton jumped in front of the bed to keep the guards away from Carly. He knew that he was putting a lot of trust in Loxton to keep her safe, but he didn’t have time to worry about that.

With Loxton protecting Carly, Landon surged forward and grabbed his father by his hair before he slammed his face against the door. He could feel the crunch of cartilage as Drayton’s nose shattered from the impact. “You just made the biggest mistake of your life, Drayton,” Landon growled into his ear.

Landon threw Drayton down onto the ground. The guy looked terrified, blood streaming down his face, as he tried to scoot backward on the floor. He was not as strong as Landon had always believed. Instead, Drayton was pathetic, a coward, and Landon didn’t know why he had ever followed him. Drayton ruled by fear, not leadership.