Stolen Hearts

VIII. Blood Oaths

AHHHH 150 READS?!  THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!  It doesn't seem like a lot, compared to other stories, but it means so much to me!!  

Dedicated to Zainab, who's bluefire333 on Storybird!  Go give her stories a lookie!  She's also writing an AMAZING story on Wattpad called, Flying Without Wings, so go read!! I promise it won't disappoint!  She is amazing and was the reason I published 2 chapters today!!!!  Thanks!!!

Enjoy!!

My eyes flutter open and I see that the bed is empty, just like every morning.  I'm brushing my teeth, when I notice that the bedroom door isn't properly closed. 

Heart racing, I step closer and peer through the minuscule crack.  The hall is empty, and I can hear voices coming from one side of the hallway.  

I quickly step out into the hall and tiptoe down towards the voices.  I can see at the end of the hall, there's a half open door, with light spilling out.  I peek through the door and see Landon, Don, the guy who helped kidnap me, and a few other men I don't know.  

They're standing in a circle, talking and gesturing at something in the middle.  I crane my neck trying to see, and accidentally stomp on my pajama leg.  And suddenly I'm falling, I try to fall as silently as possible, but as per usual my body hits the ground with a thud.  

I see their heads snap towards me, and I wave with an amiable smile, "Howdy y'all?"

With a blank stare, Landon waves his hand at the men and the separate, breaking their circle.  He gives me a look, and I stand up, smiling.  See he isn't that bad, I mean I thought he'd kill me for spying or something.  Then I see what was in the center of their circle, and my smile dies.

I feel last night's dinner swirling in my stomach, in the middle of the circle is a bloodied mess that once was a man.  A blood-streaked eyeball sits in his right hand with the blue iris stares lifelessly at me and his left hand lies next to him, bloody and severed.  His left middle and index fingers are stuffed in his ears and his scalp is bleeding where chunks of hair have been pulled out.  His mouth has been carved into a smile and bullet holes cover his legs.

I lean against the wall for support as my vision blurs.  Sinking to the floor, I finally address Landon, "This...you w-were responsible for this?  Y-you did this?"  I look him in the eye, and two grey eyes scan my face.  

Shrugging, with a cold, calculating look, he replies, "I warned you I'm not some wannabe.  I need information.  He has the information.  He refused my bribes.  I torture it out of him.  Its really not that hard, bella."

"H-how could you do this?" I'm shaking, and even though Landon's body covers the man from my sight,  I can still see his dead eye sitting in his hand, staring me down.

"Like I said, bella, it's my job."  

"Was the information worth it?  Did he reveal what you needed to know?  Or did you torture him for fun?"

"He told us what I needed the second the knife touched his skin." Landon smirks at the men standing in the corner.

"You're sick."  I spit out and turn to stride out of the room.  But Landon is already at the door, casually leaning against it, blocking my escape.

"And where do you think you're going, bella?"  He's smirking, and taunting me, but there's a warning glint in his eye.  I can pratically hear his thoughts.  Embarrass me in front of my men, and you'll end up worse than that man, bella.  But I don't care, all I can see right now is that bloody mess sitting in the middle of the room.

"Anywhere as long as I'm far from you."  I try to yank the door open, but it doesn't budge.  Landon slides over, now completely blocking the door.

"And, why would you want to that?"

"I'd rather not be in the vicinity of a psycho, thanks."  I try to shove him out of the way, and Landon grabs my wrists, holding them together.  I try to squirm out of his grasp, but he's squeezing the life out of my hands.

"Let go of me!  I don't want your bloody hands anywhere near me!  You sicko!"  I try to spit in his face, but my mouth is drier than the Sahara.  Landon's face forms a coldly amused smirk.

"You can't go anywhere without a blood oath, bella.  You've seen too much now. "

Momentarily I forget what this man in front of me is capable of.  I cock my head to the side, and with a wary tone ask, "A what oath?"

Landon waves and Don and the other dude who was ransacking my house, come up and grab an arm each.   "Ax, Don, take her to my office.  Watch her, I'll be there in a few minutes."

He shoots me one last evil look, and then strides out of the room whistling, 'London's Bridge is falling Down' 

***

Finally Landon arrives with some other dude I don't know.  The man places a black bag down and takes a seat across from me.   Ax and Don get up and leave me alone with Landon and the other man.

Landon takes a bowl and grabs a knife.  Then he cuts a slice into his palm.  He gives me a look that screams, Stay quiet or else, and grabs my hand.  

Quickly he takes the knife and slides it across my palm.  He clasps my bleeding hand with his, mixing hr blood dripping into the bowl.

"Do you Alicia London White, swear on your life not to tell anyone what you have seen?"

Confused I reply, "I swear?"

Landon grimly nods, his eye shining with amusement, "Then you are officially part of La Luna.  Welcome."

The man stands up and walks towards me with his bag in hand.

"What the fuck is La Luna?" I whisper.

Landon gives me a look that says, Later, and I let out an impatient sigh.  

The man grabs the bottom of my shirt, and before I can protest slips it over my head and drops it on the ground.   My arms shoot up to cover myself, but Landon pins them down. 

The man pulls out a needle, and my vision goes black.

***

Someone is shaking my shoulder, when I come to. I sit up and blink out the sleep.  The last thing I remember was that man brandishing a needle at me.

Landon sits on the edge of the bed, his hand still on my shoulder.  I lift the rim of my shirt and locate the aching spot.  Instead of the band-aid I expected, I see a tiny silver black outlined moon with a red rose in the center,  with a gun pointing at the rose.  I try to rub it off, panic building in the back of my throat.

Then I look up and see Landon's smug face, and I swallow it back.   "I love it.  I've always wanted a tattoo." Smooth Cia, real smooth.

But Landon buys it, and his grin falls off, replaced by an annoyed pout.  "Whatever.  It's my sign.  Anyone sees it and they'll probably leave you alone.  Emphasis on probably, so you might want to learn some self-defense.  Anyways your bags are in the car, so hurry up and get up, so I can get rid of you."  He stands up and makes his way to the door.

"Eh?  Where are we going?"  Landon turns back, his smirk back.

"Oh, didn't I tell you, bella?  You're going home."

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