Bond Betrayed (3 page)

“You’re mine.” He said the words triumphantly, but there was a sadness in his eyes. Refusing to see it, she leapt for the knife he’d left foolishly close to her.

“Like hell I am.” Her fingers closed around the sleek handle of the blade. She wasn’t an expert on blood bonds by any standard of measure, but she did know if you killed the holder, it’d set the slave free.

“You can try.” He held his arms out, giving her a clean shot at his heart. She’d never killed anyone, but if it was to free herself she was pretty sure she could. She tried to force the knife toward him, but as excruciating pain exploded in her head she dropped it again. “But the bond won’t let you hurt me.”

Cursing, she brought her gaze to meet his. “Bastard!”

His sigh was exaggerated. “If you can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all.”

The word
asshole
sat on her tongue, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t say it.

“That’s better.”

The condescending prick was going to pay. Maybe she couldn’t hurt him directly, hell, now she couldn’t even call him names, but she’d figure out a way to make him pay.

“If you promise to play nice, I’ll let you speak.”

She shook her head emphatically from side to side.

“Fine, if that’s how you want it, I don’t mind the silence.”

Sitting on his bed, glaring at him, she was reminded of a game she and her sister used to play to pass the time. Raising her index finger, she pointed to him and then motioned him to leave.

He smiled as he stared at her. “Go?”

She nodded before imitating him jacking off.

“Masturbate?”

She shook her head. It was close, but not quite right. Raising her eyebrows, she put on her best seductive look and motioned from him to her before doing an imitation of them having sex, rocking her hips as he was between them.

“Making love?”

She would have laughed if she could talk. She shook her head again and pointed between them once more.

“Fuck?”

She nodded then pointed at him.

“Me?”

She rolled her finger in small circles asking him to pick a related word, but he sighed again.

“Fine, I give up. Speak.”

“Go fuck yourself!”

“How very ladylike.”

“Maybe you missed it, but I’m not exactly debutant material.”

“No, I didn’t miss that. But I was hoping for some civility.”

She laughed at the absurdity of the statement. “Because bonding someone against her will is civilized in your world?”

“Maybe not, but you freely offered me your blood. You can’t blame me for your miscalculation.”

He was right. And it sucked. She should’ve known better than to allow anyone close to her blood. She’d let her nature, her passion, get the better of her and now she had to pay the price for her stupidity. “You’re right. My bad, especially after all the times I’ve mocked my sister for the trust she’s put in our kind.”

“If it’s any consolation, mine’s made the same stupid mistake. Trusting one of ours, that is.” Fear and pain flashed across his face before his features slid into an unreadable mask.

“Trust makes idiots of us all.”

“I’ll send someone to your place to pick up your stuff. In the meantime, feel free to make yourself at home in the guest room just down the hall. You’re going to be here awhile.”

She glared at him as she got off the bed. “You do realize I’m going to break this bond, don’t you? And when I do, I’m going cut out your heart while it still beats.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less from a Rathe.”

She didn’t think she could be any angrier, but she was wrong. No one compared her to her father and lived. Grabbing the knife again, she charged him. Pushing through the incapacitating pain, she concentrated on her rage. For one moment she thought she was going to be able to do it but, as the tip of the metal touched his skin, everything went black.

Chapter Two

Isaac’s heart was still pounding as he stared down at her almost-naked body. Fear from the near miss mixed with the desire still burning through him, adding a rush of adrenaline to the already dangerous hormones pumping through his system—pushing him to do something, anything. But his options were limited. His survival instinct demanded he neutralize the threat, which was unacceptable. And every other instinct he possessed demanded he wake her up and fuck her until he’d worked her blood out of his system, which was also not going to happen.

Damn it!

He stepped away from the bed, giving himself space from the temptation it held. It wasn’t enough, though. Taking a deep breath, he ran his fingers through his hair and tried to regain some sense of control. Yeah, good luck with that.

Fuck. What’d gone wrong?

The trap had been perfect. He’d gotten it right down to the second, due in large part to the great pains he’d taken in studying seductresses—learning how much interest to express to engage and, more importantly, how much indifference to use in order to ensnare. But there was nothing that’d even hinted at the strength of her blood, or how heady it was. Nor had his research told him how powerful she’d be.

He reached down and picked up the knife from where it’d fallen next to her. The cold steel of the blade reminded him of how it’d felt on his skin. It was only in that moment that he allowed himself to acknowledge the full weight of his fear. For one moment, he’d honestly thought he was going to die. He would’ve deserved it, too.

But he hadn’t, he reminded himself. The bond had held. And, with any luck, it would continue to hold until this was done. He had to stay in control, though. That was the key to holding a seductress. And if he had any hope of staying in control, he needed to get her covered.

After taking a steadying breath, he grabbed his shirt off the floor. It took some maneuvering to get her arms into the sleeves, but it was a lot easier than trying to wrestle her back into her own tight clothing. And, after buttoning it, she was at least somewhat covered, which made it worth the effort.

The racing tempo of his heart had slowed to almost normal when her milky-white skin disappeared beneath the thick linen, but any sense of calm was lost as he picked her up and carried her to the room that was going to be hers. Having her snuggled in his arms, her face awash in the innocence of sleep and her disheveled black curls tickling his bare chest, triggered his protective streak.

Perfect, like she hadn’t fucked with his head enough when she was conscious. Now she was screwing with him even while she slept?

It wasn’t really her fault, though. Even as messed up as he was right now, he knew that. And blaming her only made him feel worse about the whole situation. Forcing the bond on her had been a shitty thing to do. There was no way to get around it. It was something he’d never imagined himself capable of doing. Then again, he’d never thought he’d see the day Rathe would have his sister Molly captive either.

Yeah, life’s a bitch. Now, man the fuck up and get this done.

Tucking Nikki under the thick blankets, he allowed himself a minute to admire the graceful curve of her neck before forcing himself to walk away. She was going to hate him. She already did. He had no right to admire anything about her. But he did, and not just that luscious body of hers. The woman was fearless, not to mention tenacious.

Yeah, he’d noticed her pause when she’d found his enforcer’s ink. There was no way she’d forgotten the enforcers’ role in her family’s demise. Still, she’d determined what she wanted and she’d gone after it. She had guts. And skin smoother than that strappy silk top she’d thrown on his floor.

He forced himself out of the memory as he firmly closed the door to the room behind him. He needed space. And a drink couldn’t hurt. Didn’t matter what, anything to make him forget the taste of her blood.

Rounding the hallway, he took the stairs two at a time but was stopped by the ringing of his cell phone. He grabbed it out of his pants pocket and, though he cursed when he saw the name on the view screen, answered it. “Hello, Mother.” He was happy his voice didn’t betray any of his nervous energy.

“Isaac.” Her tone was cool and professional.

“Now’s not the best time.”

“Doesn’t matter. We just got the demands from Rathe.”

A heavy ball of dread began to form in the pit of his stomach. “So why are you calling me?”

“Isaac, don’t play dumb. It’s unbecoming. There’d only be one reason I’d call you with Rathe’s demands, now, isn’t there?”

“And you thought I’d go along with it?” Anger filled him and was echoed in his harsh laughter as he walked down the hall. “Now who’s playing dumb?”

“Isaac…”

No, she wasn’t
Isaacing
him out of this one.
“We’ve already had this discussion.”

“It’s the only way to get Molly back.”

His anger only grew as he thought about his sister. She wouldn’t want him to do this. She wanted Rathe brought down at any cost. “She’d never agree to it and you know it.” No, he wouldn’t have Rathe’s ink in his blood. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to use his magic against the man. And Isaac’s magic was the only thing that could stop Rathe. “But, fortunately for all of us, I’ve come up with another way.”

“Really?” She paused for a second. “I’m listening.”

“What if we were to get Nikki to help us?” His heart beat faster as he said Nikki’s name. Everything depended on her. The woman who wanted to tear his heart out and, most likely, feed it to him.

“We’ve tried that before. She won’t.”

His mother’s blanket dismissal bothered him. She wouldn’t even consider it as a possibility. “How long has it been since you asked? Maybe she’s changed her mind.”

“Why are you bringing this up now? Have you approached her?” Her voice was sharp as she asked the question.

“Yes.” There was no point in lying. The woman had ways of finding out information that were downright scary.

She sighed into the phone. “Even if she has changed her mind, we can’t trust her. She is, after all, her father’s daughter. I think it’s best if we just meet the demands and then find another way to deal with Rathe.”

That was unacceptable. “We’ve been looking for another way to
deal
with him for the last fifteen years. If there was one, don’t you think we would’ve found it by now?” He paused for a minute to give her the opportunity to state her argument, knowing full well she didn’t have one. “Nikki is the way. The only way.”

“And what does she say about this?”

He shifted from one foot to the other. “I haven’t had the chance to discuss it with her yet.”

“Is she there now?”

“She’s asleep in a guest room.”

“Are you insane? Do you have any idea what she could do to you?”

Oh yeah, he knew what the seductress could do to him. He mentally kicked himself as the unbidden images filled his head. He had to get a grip on himself.

“She can’t do anything if she’s blood bound to me,” he said with more confidence than he felt.

The silence was palpable. He could hear her swallow on the other end of the call. “Please, tell me that’s not true.”

“Sorry, but it is.”

“What were you thinking? Placing an involuntary bond is a serious offense. The Council will strip you of your enforcer status. And that’s the best-case scenario.” Her voice was a soft whisper of disbelief.

“What makes you think it was involuntary? She had to offer me her blood freely for the bond to be placed,” he argued.

“She’s a Rathe. Being held captive in any form will be unbearable for her. The Council isn’t comprised of idiots.” She paused to take a deep breath but then continued, “This will cost you everything you’ve worked for.”

“The only thing I’ve ever worked for is to see that bastard rotting behind bars. If I can get Molly back at the same time, that’d be everything I want. The Council could do whatever they want to me after.”

“But what if it doesn’t work?” She’d just touched on his worst fear. He really was willing to lose everything if it meant bringing Rathe down and getting Molly back, but what if he was wrong? What if he’d done all this and the man slipped through his fingers—again?

He took a deep breath and pushed the doubt from his mind. It had to work. He had to make it work. “It will. Rathe’s time is done.” He hit the end button on the cell phone.

There. The truth was out. Now she’d have to decide whether to tell the Council or let this play out. Not that he thought the Council could do much about it. Sure, they could strip him of his title, but he’d still have Nikki. They’d have to kill him to break the bond. And they wouldn’t do that. He may not be important to the Council, but his magic was.

Walking into the kitchen, he turned on the oven before going to the freezer. His housekeeper, Lesli, always left several nights worth of dinners and casseroles ready to heat. Somewhere along the line she’d decided it was her job to make sure he didn’t starve to death. He’d insisted he could take care of himself, but she’d argued that she’d be making meals for her kids anyway and that a couple more weren’t any bother. Who could argue with that? Especially given how great her food was.

He spotted the lasagna and smiled. Maybe tonight wasn’t going to be all bad after all. The house was quiet. Nikki was resting. And he had food. Good food at that.

But, even as the thought flickered through his head, he realized he didn’t actually trust the peace. It was too much to hope he’d seen the worst that the night was going to deal him. And the waiting made him edgy. Not even acknowledging the calm was temporary helped him embrace it. The other shoe was going to drop. And it was going to land hard when it did. Every creak of the house made him twitch. And every noise from outside was amplified, demanding his complete attention. Even the clock conspired against him, marking each minute as it passed, reminding him that even sleeping beauty hadn’t slept forever.

Finally, when the scent of the cooking cheese and tomato sauce filled the house, the doorbell chime broke the insidious silence. Looking at the clock, he smiled to himself. It was too late for visitors. At least, visitors unrelated to his current houseguest. Good. Maybe he’d be able to work off a little of his tension before he had to face Nikki again. The doorbell chimed a second time and he rushed to the door before it could wake up his guest. Nothing could be worse than dealing with her right now.

Then again, he could be wrong. He swore softly when he opened the door and saw Nikki’s Uncle Gus standing next to a man he didn’t recognize. A man who was wearing a business suit. Who wore a business suit this time of night?

He didn’t even bother with pleasantries as he kept the door open just wide enough for him to see them. “What?”

“Isaac Marrow, I’m Agent Jacob Phinney.” The man in the business suit offered him his hand as Gus decided to study an invisible speck on his shoe.

“And?” Isaac ignored the hand, choosing to keep his grip firmly on the door instead. The agent didn’t look like the rushing type, but he wasn’t going to take the chance.

“And your momma called and asked us to come fetch Nikki.” Gus’ voice drew his attention away from the agent.

“I’m not going to just hand her over.”

“Then you’ll be charged with kidnapping,” Jacob said sternly.

“Which agency is it that you work for, Agent Phinney?”

The man pulled a badge from his pocket and flashed it at him.

“I didn’t think kidnapping fell under the DEA’s jurisdiction,” Isaac challenged.

“I didn’t say I would be the one pressing the charges. I have friends I could call at the FBI, but I was hoping to resolve this quietly. Out of respect for the family.”

“And which family is it you’re respecting?” Isaac wasn’t handing Nikki over to anyone connected to her father.

“Nikki’s.”

Well now, that didn’t exactly clarify anything. “And how are you connected to Nikki’s family?” Isaac asked. He didn’t know who this Phinney was, but he wouldn’t put it past Rathe to have connections in the DEA. That would explain why, even though Rathe didn’t bother hide how deep in the drug trade he was, the agency was always coming up empty.

“I’m her brother-in-law. And right now, my darling wife is demanding your blood. It’d go a lot better for you if you’d just give Nikki up.”

Izzy was married to a human? And a DEA agent as well? With her past, it appeared opposites really did attract.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

He turned at the soft voice behind him. He’d almost forgotten about his intense attraction to her when she’d been asleep and out of sight, but now that Nikki was standing in front of him, the hunger returned. His blood warmed at just the sight of her. Her hair was rumpled with sleep and her soft curves were an alluring contradiction to the masculine shirt that hid them. It was a fashion statement that would have brought him to his knees under any other circumstances. But he only had time to skim her attire before focusing on the heated anger that still shimmered in her eyes.

“Why can’t you let me go?”

At her voice the two men pushed past him and he could do nothing but watch as the agent brother-in-law pulled her close to him in a relieved hug. “Izzy is worried sick.”