Chapter 72 – Kidnapped by My Mate Series II: His Lost Queen

Filed To Story: Kidnapped by My Mate Novel (Belle & Grayson) Online Free by Annie Whipple

I would not allow myself or Belle to meet the same fate Elijah and Evangeline had come to. Azazel would not be our Damian.

But I had to find Belle first to prevent that from happening. Fuck,  why couldn’t I find her? Where the hell was she hiding?

If she would just open her mind to me, I could track her down and explain everything. But—as stubborn as ever—she continued to block me off.

As much as it killed me, I stopped trying to break through the surprisingly strong mental barriers she’d put up because I knew it just caused her more pain and reminded her of the horrible things she thought I had done to her.

So I would hold myself back until I had more information.

A fierce form of regret traveled through me as I thought about the wasted opportunity I was presented with during the battle on my pack grounds three months ago.

Azazel’s army of vampires had lost—more than lost, they had been brutally defeated, in their attempt to kill my pack members, while also tearing each other apart in an untrained, savage hunger for blood.

The fact that his army was defeated didn’t satiate my own need for blood, however

—Azazel’s blood.

Nothing and no one was going to stop me from hunting him down and killing him slowly, cruelly.

Breaking each of his bones, ripping flesh, bringing him to the brink of death, and then starting over time and again until I was completely satisfied with the amount of suffering I had put him through—if that were even possible.

My wolf salivated, and the fangs and claws of my vampire were unintentionally released, both of them just as tempted as I was by the thought of torturing Azazel for decades.

But Azazel had escaped before I had gotten to him, proving once again what a coward he was.

I had torn through the surrounding trees where he was hiding in wolf form, using my vampire speed, but found that he was nowhere to be seen, the only remnant of his being the faint scent he’d left behind.

He had quite obviously run when he realized he had lost, leaving his clan of new vampires to fend for themselves against my pack of hungry wolves.

He knew what I would do to him if I found him and was smart to run.

Azazel was after her. I could feel it in the very marrow of my bones. He was looking for her with the same intense determination I was.

He wanted to kill her in the most brutal way possible in a last-ditch effort to take me down. He knew as well as I did that I would be nothing without Belle by my side.

The only thing keeping me going right now was the knowledge that Belle was out there somewhere in an incredible amount of pain and danger. I had to get to her before Azazel did.

And time was running out.

“Alpha, why don’t you go get some sleep?” Kyle asked me in a tentative tone. “You haven’t slept more than an hour a night for the past week.”

He was right. It was nearly impossible to sleep without Belle sharing the bed with me. I could tell Kyle wanted to get back to Elijah and probably get some much-needed sleep himself.

He had put all of his heart and soul into this search and had been by my side every step of the way. Elijah too. They were both just as determined as I was to find her.

“I don’t give a fuck about sleep,” I growled. “I need to find my mate. You can go to bed if you want. I’m staying here.”

“Alpha, I hate to break this to you, but all you’ve been doing for the past several hours is growl and pace back and forth like some sort of possessed zombie dude thing.

“I don’t think you’re going to get much else done tonight. And the luna needs you at your best if you’re going to find her.”

My head snapped up to look at Kyle, my red eyes narrowing. “I’m not—”

I was cut off by the drastic shift of Belle’s emotions through the mate bond. She already hadn’t been having the best day—something that tore me up inside.

Something had happened to upset her this morning, and that poor mood had stayed with her throughout the entire day. But whatever she was feeling now was more than just sadness.

It was full-blown terror.

My entire body froze. Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

“Alpha?” Kyle asked.

I held my hand up, silencing him. “Something is wrong with Belle,” I told him.

Having no other choice, I immediately attempted to push into her consciousness, even though I was aware that it would add pain to her fear.

I just needed her to know that I was here for her. I needed her to let me in, so I knew what was going on, why she was so afraid, and how to protect her.

Anger forced itself through the bond as Belle realized what I was doing. I didn’t give a fuck if she was mad at me. I needed to know what had her so scared.

My hands gripped the back of the chair I was standing in front of so hard that I could hear the ancient wood starting to split beneath my grip.

“Fuck,” I shouted when she still wouldn’t let me in but was clearly still very afraid.

“Fuck!”

“Alpha, what’s wrong? What’s going on?” Kyle demanded, standing from his chair.

Belle was in danger. Belle was in danger. Belle was in danger. It was the only thing repeating over and over again in my head.

Then, all of a sudden, it was like a door opened in my mind. And even as a wave of calm washed over me as the bond surged between me and my mate, Belle’s pain and fear were even more intense.

Belle’s walls were down.

I could just barely hear Kyle calling my name because I was already sprinting out the door.

“Where the hell are you going?” he called after me.

“Maine,” I grunted back.

BELLE

My eyes flew open, blinking under the bright light on the ceiling above me.

Memories of what had happened last night came crashing to the front of my consciousness like a freight train.

I was disoriented and drowsy from passing out and had no idea where I was or how I got there. And, even though exhaustion was pushing me to go back to sleep, panic gripped me like a vice, forcing my eyes open wide.

Adalee had tried to kill me.

Grayson didn’t care if I was dead.

Liam was a vampire.

My hand went to my throat, touching the spot where Adalee’s hand had been wrapped around my neck.

I whimpered when my fingers connected with the tender bruise there, my throat constricting with horrified tears.

I scrambled to sit up, pushing through the pain coursing through my body. My fight or flight instinct was telling me to get the hell out of dodge.

I looked around me, realizing for the first time I was in Liam’s apartment, back in the room he used to let me stay in. I felt the tiniest bit of relief. I knew this place. I could get out of here quickly.

“Fuck,” Liam’s voice said from outside my door. “I think she’s awake.”

I moved faster, practically leaping out of bed—although my body was screaming at me—and looked for anything I could use as a weapon.

I reached for the closest object, a lamp, but was stopped right before I could grab it.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Liam was suddenly next to me, gently pushing me back down by my shoulders onto the bed.

I blinked up at him. How had he gotten here so fast? He moved like a blur. I had just heard him talking in the living room.

“Slow down there,” he continued. “You’re not fully healed yet. You need to take it easy.”

I flinched away from his touch as if he had burned me. Visions of him covered in Adalee’s blood assaulted my consciousness.

Vampire Vampire Vampire Vampire.

Liam was clean now—no more blood on his face—and he was wearing fresh clothes. He looked like his normal self again.

That didn’t make me any less terrified of him.

Liam’s eyes softened when I jerked away from him and retracted his hand from me slowly.

Laila appeared beside me as well, looking down at me with concern. “You’re not supposed to be awake yet. We thought you would be asleep for hours after everything you’ve been through.”

She tried offering me a gentle smile that I’m sure was meant to be comforting. “But you’ve always been one hell of a fighter, haven’t you?”

I barely comprehended what Laila was saying, unable to stop from glancing at Liam, feeling betrayed by the man I had once trusted. He’d lied to me.

What had I expected, though? Everyone I cared about turned their backs on me at some point or another. They all had secrets that they were preparing to use against me.

“Don’t look at me like that, Belle,” Liam begged, his tone pained. “You know I would never hurt you.”

“You hurt Adalee,” I croaked. My voice was hoarse and gravelly, but not as bad as I had been expecting, given all that had happened to me. “You killed her. How do I know you won’t do the same to me?”

“I saved you. That werewolf was trying to kill you, Belle. I wasn’t about to stand back and let you die. I had to do something.”

So he knew Adalee was a werewolf.

And he was a vampire.

What the fuck had my life become?

I recalled hearing Grayson tell me about a war between werewolves and vampires that had been going on for centuries. He said vampires were horrible, backstabbing creatures who only thought of themselves.

That couldn’t be Liam, could it?

My eyes filled with unwanted tears. “Are you a-a—” I asked Liam.

He interrupted me before I could say the word. “I’m a vampire.” He looked to Laila, who was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

She nodded her head once. “We both are. All… All of Evergreen is sort of full of vampires.”

And that was all I needed to hear.

I practically flew out of bed, planning to sprint to the door. I should have known that my efforts would be futile.

Liam grabbed me and forced me back onto the bed yet again. My exhausted, sore limbs protested, making me clench my jaw.

“Stop that,” Liam commanded. “You’re going to hurt yourself. You’re not fully healed.”

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