Bound by Night (The Moonbound Clan Vampires) by Larissa Ione Read Free Book Online

fresh scream that had built in her lungs.
    “Katina.” A familiar male voice froze Nicole to the cold ground. “I’ll take it from here.”
    The female vampire inclined her head sharply and stood with effortless, sinewy grace. “She’s all yours, Rike.” Katina pegged Nicole with a look so full of hunger that she should be drooling. “But when it’s time to eat her, share the wealth. The skank looks like she has rich blood.”
    Skank? Nicole planted her palms on the hard-packed dirt floor and sat up. “You have no idea, you bitch.” Probably not the brightest thing to say in this situation, but then, Chuck often teased that the default mode for Nicole’s tact switch was set to off.
    Riker went down on his haunches in front of her, and her heart skipped a beat. Maybe two. He was as imposing as he’d been at the mansion and as huge as she’d remembered as a child. Always before, when she’d thought about him, she’d wondered if her memory had exaggerated, if maybe her small size had made him seem bigger.
    But no, if anything, he was larger than she’d remembered, an intimidating figure clad in jeans, a black T-shirt, and a black leather jacket that didn’t do enough to conceal the weapons stashed on his body. Worse, he was even more handsome, and how twisted and sick was it that she thought anything about this bastard was attractive? He was a vampire. One who had killed his own mate .
    Yet she couldn’t deny his savage beauty, his chiseled cheekbones and full, crimson lips. Sterling eyes framed by thick lashes a few shades darker than his messy blond hair. A jaw as strong and sharp as a knife blade . . . or a vampire’s fang.
    “I’d be careful about slinging around insults if I were you,” he said. “Can’t think of many that can’t be thrown right back in your face.”
    Nicole could think of several. Bloodsucking fiend. Fanged monster. Every dentist’s nightmare . It was probably best to engage her tact switch, though. Chuck would be proud.
    “Where are we?” She peeled her gaze away from him long enough to scan the surroundings. “What is this place?”
    Now that she was sitting up and the blur in her vision had cleared, she could see that her initial impression was correct. She was in some sort of underground chamber. Faint light streamed through the tiny barred window in the door, allowing her a chilling view of chains and shackles secured to slabs of stone in the wall. But what truly freaked her out were the rows of skulls, some human, some vampire, high up on one wall.
    “You’re at my clan’s headquarters.” Riker flicked his tongue over a fang and grinned at her involuntary flinch. “In what we affectionately call the prey room.”
    Terror tightened around Nicole’s chest like a steel band. Breathing became a luxury as fear put a stranglehold on both her lungs and her memories. This was like something straight out of a horror movie, and while she’d expected nothing less from vampires, seeing it firsthand chilled her to her bones.
    Calm down. Remember that vampires are as afraid of you as you are of them. The words of her therapist came back to her in a rush, easing her anxiety but only a little. Riker didn’t strike her as being afraid in the least. But then, she’d dedicated her life to learning about vampire physiology, not psychology, so maybe she should trust what her therapist had said. Plant some doubt into him. Some fear. Maybe at that point, she could regain a measure of control.
    And if worse came to worst, she had a weapon.
    Clearing her throat, she shoved herself to her feet. Riker rose with her, much more gracefully.
    “I don’t think you know who I am.”
    “Really.” He folded his thick arms across his chest. “Enlighten me.”
    She lifted her chin to look him directly in the eye. “Since you broke into my house, you must know I’m a member of one of the most powerful families in the world.” His expression remained impassive, but she didn’t falter. Even