Read Bound by Sin: The Beginning of a Prophecy (Prophecy #3) Online
Authors: Stevie J. Cole
I lay
in the floor, afraid my legs would fail me if I stood. After I’d caught my breath, I sat up and brushed the hair out of my face. On my way to the couch, I picked up my clothes, pulling them on before I plopped down and flipped the television on. The station had been set to the news and the reports flooding the screen caused my heart to crash into the pit of my stomach.
“Mass riots have erupted throughout the U
.S. Martial Law has been declared in an effort to control the chaos that has plagued the streets for the last twenty-four hours.” I felt sick. Each channel I flipped to showed different reports from the U.S.
“Stop. Leave it here.” Gavin called out from behind me.
A news anchor stared into the camera. A look of shock crossed her face as she read the headlines. “As we all know, the U.S. has been overtaken by riots and mass killings. We’ve just learned that the United States President has declared war with one of its own allies due to the assassination of a U.S. ambassador. The suspect, who is also the German ambassador, was arrested and taken in immediately following the shooting.”
Covering
my mouth with my hand, I continued to stare at the screen. Gavin stood behind the couch watching the news footage of the man who’d been arrested. As the camera zoomed in on the suspect, I noticed a pale butterfly tattooed on his neck.
“Damn it!” Gavin’s fist punched the back of the couch. “He’s
marked – the agreement no longer stands, and they’ll take from whomever they want. The Guardians have no control – this is a war man doesn’t stand a chance at winning.”
Gavin
I lay awake in the darkness, mulling over it all. Watching Brooke, I felt so helpless and so damn stupid. No control. I'd absolutely no control. Never, I'd never had control. Although I obsessed with it, wove it into
every aspect of my existence, it had always belong to her, and I was just now realizing it. Anger swept over me as I came to terms with the fact that I'd never really had free will. I felt like a pawn, an instrument created solely to carry out the most wicked and cruelest of events in the world. I'd been made a master of deception, of seduction, molded to be absolutely irresistible just to bring destruction to all living things. One thing I'd learned was that everything had a reason. There was not one being in existence, not one decision, one laugh, one single word that didn't have a greater reason behind it. Everything was tangled within the same web.
Brooke's eyelashes fluttered and her hand moved up beside her face, he
r fingers curling into her palm. I studied her, in the same way I had studied the first woman I'd ever seen. Her skin was flawless, perfectly pale and supple. Her lips shaped in the most enticing of ways, a dramatic dip in the middle of her full upper lip that invited me to press mine against them. Her waist cinched in and her hips flared out to create a perfect hourglass shape. When she walked, the sway of her body was nothing short of raw, animalistic temptation. Beautiful in the most alluring of ways, at least to me. I'd no idea how this woman appeared to a mere mortal, but to me, she resembled heaven, salvation: pure, warm, unique beauty.
Trying to force sleep was almost impossible because I couldn
't stop my mind from wandering. I crawled out from underneath the thick comforter and made my way into the kitchen to get a glass of water. I'd barely set foot into the kitchen when a coldness crept through me. Immediately turning on my heels, I made my way back to the bedroom.
A large, unmistakable silhouette s
tood at the end of the bed, its slender fingers trailing up the covers toward Brooke's body. His neck twisted methodically in my direction and a sulphurous laugh erupted from his mouth.
I froze, my arms limp beside my body, as I glared through the darkness at him. There was a slight flicker in his eyes
, and the lean muscles in his forearm flinched. Before he was able to move, I'd leapt across the room at him, knocking him down onto the floor at the foot of the bed.
Hissin
g, he tried to throw me from his body, but the only creature whose strength could match mine was another fallen angel. Having been part human, vampires were inferior to us. His sharp nails stuck into the back of my biceps and he growled loudly.
I heard Brooke stir behind me
; the covers that were dangling from the end of the bed shifted as she sat up. A shrill scream pierced through the silence, followed by the sound of her feet slapping across the floor, running toward the bathroom. A loud thud echoed off the walls when she slammed the door shut, the lock clicking behind her, her deep breaths of terror still audible behind the thick wood.
I glanced over my shoulder to make sure she'd actually made it into the bathroom
, and the vampire maneuvered his way out of my hold, flying across the room and slamming his body against the bathroom door. The sound of the wooden frame splitting echoed in my ears, along with the crackling screams of Brooke. I dove at the creature, gripping his throat in my hands. Squeezing as hard as I could, I felt the tendons in his neck pop and his bones crush underneath my hold.
His eyes pulsed open and his lips formed a crooked smile. "You can't keep her safe," he said, laug
hing, "no more than you can kill me."
My h
ands gripped his throat harder, until my fingers met. I could feel the blood rushing through me, rage setting my body on fire. My teeth gritted against each other and each breath I released was glazed with a growl. I shook him, his head banging against the door, and with each knock of his body Brooke screamed. He laughed harder. "Whenever you tire, I'll get her. When you turn your back I'll swoop in and steal her from you, just as you stole woman from man and set this damn curse in motion. She's not yours. She doesn't belong to you. The darkness – she belongs to the darkness; a cold, damp grave – that's where she belongs. She’s marked to be the devil’s bride."
Those words caused me to see nothing but a flash of red. Howling, I tossed him down to the floor. He swung at me, his fists meeting my face with a hard punch. He attempted to roll over and out from underneath me, but I grabbed his shoulders, picking his entire body up from the ground and slamming it back down with such force the floor shook beneath me. "You're wrong! She's mine. Mine. If I h
ave my way, death will never find her, damnation won’t touch her, and the devil knows nothing of the wrath he’ll face if he tries to steal her from me!"
Another burst of pompous laughter bellowed from him. “You’ve not the slightest idea what you’re up against.”
Snapping his head to the side with one hand, I leaned down next to his ear and whispered, "You inferior demon. There's things you don't know. Death can still claim you.”
I watched
as his eyes searched the room, fear setting in, and causing his body to quake underneath mine.
"Only
the Fallen are truly immortal. I'm not only the reaper of mankind." My mouth laid against the skin of his neck, gliding over his slick sweat before my teeth tore into his flesh. Ripping it from his neck, I pulled away, spitting the mangled piece of skin into the floor. "No one takes what is mine!" I quickly placed my mouth over the oozing wound and sucked in his blood. The thick, putrid liquid poured into my mouth, clots running down my throat. Unlike mortal’s blood, the blood from these cursed beings tastes like death, rotten and sour. His hands closed around my throat as he tried to stop me, but I quickly swallowed back his blood, taking from him his strength. Within moments, the venom of death seeped into him. Completely drained of his tainted blood and the curse that pulsed through him, he stilled.
"Mine!" I said in a low voice before rising from the floor and running to the bathroom.
I lay against the cold exterior, flattening my palm against the door. "Brooke, love. You can come out. It's safe."
I heard her
crying.
"Love. Please come out,” I begged, wiping the thick blood from my mouth.
Just as the knob twisted, a sharp pain shot through my chest. My heart palpitated, quivering several times before it beat again. My stomach turned, burning as the blood from the vampire churned through me. Like a domino effect, each nerve ending blew up with excruciating pain. This was a secret the Fallen had kept between just the seven of us. When Amazarek decided to curse our bloodline and give us the ability to turn mortals into vampires, he made sure we had a way we could end the lives of any who may get out of line. We had to ensure that immortality was truly an attribute that only we possessed. Killing the undead did not go without consequences, which is why, to my knowledge, none of us had done it before. The blood now coursing through me was dead and laced with evil. The sadistic urges I fought so badly to control would now become stronger, more innate, and my ability to control them would weaken. The darkness would consume more of me. As I fought to remain standing against this grotesque pain rippling through my body, I feared what danger I'd just put Brooke in. I was stricken with terror at the thought that this action would cause me to hunger for her in ways I'd find near impossible to control.
The door cracked open and Brooke peeped through at me. Her eyes wide, her jaw shaking. When she realized it was only me
, the door flung open and she rushed to me, falling into my chest and breaking down into tears. A cold sweat pushed out of my pores and her scent invaded me. Closing my eyes, I collapsed to the floor with her, silently telling myself there's no way I'd harm her. Ignoring the strong urge I now had to snap her head to the side and tear into her flesh.
Brooke
It had been over an hour since I was almost attac
ked in my sleep by a vampire to be dragged off to God knows where. Gavin had paced back and forth in the room, trying to decide what to do with the body, but we had nothing to do with it. He assured me that trying to hide the body of a dead vampire was the least of our worries.
He
was restless. He kept fidgeting with the collar of his black t-shirt, pulling it out like he was trying to cool himself off, and he was constantly wiping away the sweat glistening across his brow. He’d just been sitting there, staring at the floor without saying a word for what seemed like an hour.
I felt like I should do something. He looked sick.
Reaching over, I lightly touched his forehead to find his skin was incredibly hot. "You okay? Need me to get you something? You don't look good, babe." My eyes traveled up his arms, noting the bulging veins rippling through his forearms and biceps.
He jerked away from me, his eyes flaming at me briefly before he spoke. "Don't touch me." Inhaling a long breath, he rose from the chair and made his way across the living room to the window. His hands g
ripped the curtains and bunched them up in his fists. I was just waiting for him to rip the material from the rod.
Just as I planted my feet
on the floor to rise, he let out a deep growl. "
Don't
come near me. Stay right there." Turning, he pulled in another heavy breath and raked his bottom lip underneath his stark-white teeth. "You stay – right – there. Don't tempt me," he whispered, glaring at me with a sinister look.
I wasn't sure if he was saying it
to
me, or because he needed to hear himself warning me.
That look he’d just given me – that was not Gavin. His eyes had l
ost all their brilliant color, overtaken by darkness. His gaze was cold and callous, hungry in a way that was terrifying. Without a sound, I fell back on to the couch. My pulse racing, my breath becoming faster, the adrenaline surging through my body causing me to feel lightheaded.
At that moment
, the fact that Gavin was not a man became all too real. I'd been playing with a wild and feral beast, fooled that he had been tamed. There was no taming what he was; all that could be done was to suppress the demon inside him. He was like an addict going through withdrawals and I could only pray that he was able to remember what I meant to him – that the desire to kill me wouldn’t overtake him.
Hi
s chest was heaving when he turned around. His fists were clenched at his sides. Sweat was now dripping down the ridge of his nose and running down his defined cheekbones. Slowly, he ran his palm across his mouth as if to wipe the taste of something from it. He refused to make eye contact with me as he walked to the other side of the room.
"I can't leave you here. You'll have to come with me
," he said, slamming a drawer closed.
I sat silently
, trying to decide where I'd be safer. Alone in this room with the possibility of God knows
what
finding me, or alone… with him.
"Come
on," he called from the other room.
I couldn't make myself move.
"Brooke?" His footsteps stomped across the tiled floor.
I could
feel
him standing behind me. Closing my eyes, the hair on my arms stood on end. The sensation that had washed over me was one that makes your blood run cold. The feeling when you're all alone somewhere in the middle of the night and you get a sudden chill. You know there's no one there, but you still feel an eerie presence that makes your feet run furiously away.
That
was the feeling his presence struck within me.
Terrified, I carefully
rose from the couch, afraid to make a sudden movement. I tried to control my breathing, tried to still the tremble in my lips and hands. I didn't want him to know I was afraid of him.
Looking at me
and realizing how terrified I was, he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. "Damn." He whispered the word so low that I was barely able to make it out. "You're afraid?” He stared at me, his eyes narrowed as he studied me. “You see now what I really am, love? You loved me before – do you not love me now?"
Swallowing, my answer came o
ut as a labored breath. "I do."
H
e shook his head fervently and laughed. "I'd never hurt you. I wouldn't allow myself to. I
am
in control of my desires with you." He reached out to me and grabbed my hand. His palm was clammy and his hand was shaking. "But I'll not be a fool and think I can control this damned curse forever. It's called a curse for a reason. An addiction – stronger than any vice man could ever fathom."
He dragg
ed me toward the exit. "I can’t leave you here." Turning, his gaze fixed on me, and for a fleeting moment the green color of his eyes returned. "No matter what monster I may be inside, that doesn't change the fact that I love you. Things I must do – they're not my choice. I'm enslaved to them. Just..." His hand ran over the top of his head, smoothing out the waves of his hair. "Just do as I say, aye?" A look of regret washed over his face.
I nodded and f
ollowed him into the bright hallway of the hotel. As we made our way out of the lobby, panic crept through me. Gavin angrily pushed open the door, the back of it slamming against the building. The night air was chilled and a dense fog clung to the ground. Gavin walked, dragging me behind him. Every so often a low growl came from his throat, sending a wave of fear crashing through me.
I watched as m
y feet splashed through puddles that had collected in the crevices of the cobblestone street, afraid to look up. I was terrified that somehow Gavin would’ve transformed into some beast, some grotesque monster to match the demeanor that had possessed him.
My shoulder brushed against a man we were passing and paranoia choked me. Gavin had been so persistent that we had to be careful about being seen, and now I was being hauled through crowded streets by a man whose presence was anything but discreet.
My hold on Gavin's hand tightened. "What if someone sees us?"
Gavin ignored my question.
“Gavin?”
His grip on my hand grew harder. “Would you please –” he shouted, before pausing to blow a calming breath through his lips.
Regaining the collected demeanor I’d grown to know, he continued, “Please, stop making this so hard. Having you so close to me has never been so trying. The restraint I’m maintaining right now to not suck the marrow of your life from you…
don’t
test that. Now’s not the time, love.”
My breath ca
ught in my chest and my vision blurred behind tears. Fear had never had such a real meaning. Days ago, I would have sworn that the hand now dragging me angrily through these foreign streets was as close to heaven as I’d ever been, but now it seemed I may be clinging to the hand of hell instead.
He
was walking at a furious pace, determined, and pulling me along behind him. We weaved between the individuals crowding the streets. At times people would look up and part to let us through, almost like they could sense that they didn’t need to stand in his way. Every few blocks it seemed like Gavin's pace quickened, like he was desperate. As we walked, the buildings became less impressive. The number of people on the sidewalks thickened and the crowd was a mixture of all different classes. We passed a fountain; the water sparkling in the bright lights danced across the faces of the group gathered around it. They were all poorly dressed and looked homeless. The mangy looking dog sitting next to them raised his head to watch us stomp past, and the animal’s eyes set on Gavin. His fur ruffled along his spine and he cowered underneath the legs of one of the men, whimpering.
Animals can sense death. And he is nothing more than death cloaked behind the disguise of a man.
The further we treaded the gutters became littered with empty liquor bottles and shredded-up newspapers. Passing one alley, the overwhelming smell of human waste trickled into my nose. Gagging, I turned my face toward Gavin's arm, trying to draw in his masculine scent and rid that wretched odor from my senses. No sooner had I rested my face on his sleeve, when he stopped and abruptly pushed me against the side of a building. The rough texture of the bricks scraped against the back of my arms as he pushed my body harder against the wall.
"You
– you just go along with this." He nodded as he spoke. His face was drenched in sweat, his eyes were bloodshot, and his body was shaking uncontrollably. He looked as though he’d gone completely mad. Breathing heavily, his nostrils flared as he inched his face toward mine. "You just... you do whatever I say. Agree with whatever I say." Gavin straightened up and wiped the perspiration from his face with the back of his hand, then rubbed it on his shirt. "I promise I won't hurt you. This is not what it seems, love." He shook his head and in a low mumble said, "It's just the only way I can get what I need – without taking it from you." Chills splintered through my core. His eyes darted away from me and he grabbed my hand, leading me down a dark alleyway.
"I used to live here," he said, sounding
almost drunk. His free hand scratched along the bricked exterior of the building and he slowed his pace, taking in his surroundings. "In fact," a wicked laugh escaped him, "this alleyway, this is where I first turned someone."
Without knowing, I stopped dead in my tracks. Gavin yanked me, causing me to stumble over my own feet.
It took absolutely nothing aside from glancing at his perfectly flawless face to forget what he really was. Each time I was reminded, terror coursed through me. My heart threatened to stop beating and sorrow washed over me.
A gruff chuckle spilled from him.
"So easy to forget that I'm not what I seem, aye?" he said.
I felt helpless. I wanted to run, to escape this nightmare, but I knew what I had been pulled into the middle of, well, there was no running from it. How can you run from something that courses through your veins? My thoughts violently stormed inside my he
ad, still trying to make sense of everything, still trying to make myself believe that I hadn’t lost my mind.
What if I'd never met him, if I'd listened to my
instinct and turned down that damned job? If I'd just controlled myself and not given in to him, to his touch, his wickedly delicious words...
My inner
dialogue silenced when he turned and looked at me to whisper, "No matter what, remember I love you. You
are
the reason that word exists for me."
I knew then that there was no way I'd have been able to resist him. Had I known everything that would happen I don't know that even
that
would've been able to stop this. Fate. Can you really stop fate?
Turning left,
he led me down another narrow alley far away from the main street. The faint hum of Led Zeppelin came from a run-down hotel. A woman stepped out from the doorway, and the music grew louder. She was thin, frail. Her blonde hair had dark roots and she barely had on what could be described as clothes. Fumbling with a lighter, she lit a thin cigarette and pulled in a drag before letting out a large, white puff of smoke. A bulky man came stomping out, smacked her on the ass, and made his way down the alley, disappearing into the poorly lit distance. She looked up, almost like someone had just called out her name. Gavin had a presence that demanded attention. And I was certain she could just
feel
him coming, and that was the reason she’d looked up so suddenly. She stared at us as we approached, sucking in another long drag from her cigarette. She barely moved the cigarette away from her lips before she inhaled again, the end changing from orange to bright red before she flicked it across the alleyway.
The amount of sweat collecting between
mine and Gavin’s hand thickened; the slight tremor in his hand intensified as he let out a sigh of relief.
We stoppe
d in front of the woman. Her eyes darted from me to Gavin. Moving her gaze up his body, a wide grin stretched across her face. She pushed herself away from the building, clearing her throat to speak. “Well. This is a nice surprise, eh?” She had a very sharp Cockney accent. “What a handsome man. God. A man if I ever saw one.” She glanced back at me, staring me down like he was some type of competition. “You lost?” she asked.
“I know exactly where I am,” Gavin replied.
“And her. What’s she here for then?”
A devious smirk fli
cked the corners of his mouth up. “To watch.”
I stood there, not believing that this was happening. I had enough sense to know this woman was a prostitute. “You just go along with this.” Those words kept replaying in my head. My nails dug into Gavin’s palm and he tightened his grip on me, reminding me that I had no choice, that he had all the control.
“Oh. I like that,” she whispered and took several steps toward him. “I like that a lot.” Her face leaned in closer and her lips brushed over his. She cut her eyes over at me. “Not jealous, eh? If this was my man I wouldn’t share him with anyone.” She slowly felt along his chest, rubbing her hand along the crevice between his pecs.