Untamed and Undone (Undone Series) Read online

  Untamed and Undone

  Undone Series, Volume 2

  K.R. Cook

  Published by K.R. Cook, 2021.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2022 by K.R. Cook

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  www.authorkrcook.com

  Also by K.R. Cook

  Disassembled

  Disassembled

  Convergence

  Submerged Series

  Submerged

  Unleashed

  Overcoming

  Undone Series

  Undead and Undone

  Untamed and Undone

  Undertaken and Undone (Coming Soon)

  Watch for more at K.R. Cook’s site.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Also By K.R. Cook

  Dedication

  Chapter 1. How I Ended up on the Run

  Chapter 2. Running

  Chapter 3. Forbidden Desire

  Chapter 4. Returning to Abnormal

  Chapter 5. Debating Being His

  Chapter 6. Secrets

  Chapter 7. Catherine

  Chapter 8. The Morgue

  Chapter 9. Rescue Mission

  Chapter 10. Hiding Out

  Chapter 11. Decidedly Yours

  Chapter 12. A Werewolf Stripper and the Vamp who Catches his Eye

  Chapter 13. Let’s go get the Bitch

  Chapter 14. Finding Claire

  Chapter 15. Just Shoot Me

  Chapter 16. Sweet Punishment

  Chapter 17. Snip Snap

  Chapter 18. Tracked

  Chapter 19. Crash

  Chapter 20. What are Blood Banks For?

  Chapter 21. Welcome Back

  Chapter 22. Ghostly Tunnels

  Chapter 23. But You Were Dead

  Chapter 24. A Ferris Wheel and a Wench

  Chapter 25. Time to Die

  Epilogue

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  Also By K.R. Cook

  About the Author

  To all who have encouraged me to keep writing, who love the stories I have imagined, I thank you for your love and support.

  Chapter 1. How I Ended up on the Run

  Ah, the bad boy. The sexy, tall, muscular bad boy covered in tats and exuding sex appeal... and everything else a girl should avoid.

  Like... fangs.

  I first saw Derick at Club Vudu the night my best friend Madison was murdered and turned into a vampire (more on that later). He worked the entrance with Madison’s wolf-mate Dorian, both of them bouncers. At first glance, I was extremely attracted to him. You see, he’s exactly my type: His hair is dark, the gelled strands occasionally moving out of place and falling over his stellar green eyes, giving him a broody look. He’s pale unlike me, his tone ashen compared to the olive complexion I’ve got. I’m a sucker for boys with dark hair and green eyes. Those biceps certainly don’t hurt, either... I can just imagine him picking up my five-foot-five, one-hundred-and-thirty-pound self with ease and grace... maybe even tossing me over his shoulder and rushing us out of danger...

  Mmmmmm.

  Anyway, I’d struck up the nerve to talk to him that night, commenting on how busy the place was, how I bet he dealt with crazies on a regular given his bouncer position at such a popular club. I kept my flirtation friendly and unobvious, unlike my friend Claire who soon interrupted me to touch his arm and giggle. It’d struck a chord, watching her flirt with someone I wanted, but I was used to that with her. While she stood out demanding attention, I was more... shy, I guess. Reserved, maybe? Definitely not the type to risk being rejected by Hottie McBouncerson. I was sure girls probably hit on him all the time (like Claire was). Why bother embarrassing myself? Not to mention, he was at work, busy monitoring the crowd outside and admitting people.

  I never thought I’d see him again.

  I never would’ve guessed he was a vampire, or that the very club I was about to enter was crowded with them. After yet another bad day at work, we’d all decided to hit up Vudu so we could drink and dance. ...But I had too much to drink. When Madison went into another area of the club with a man, a stranger, I thought it was weird. Even through the haze of alcohol, I’d told Claire she wouldn’t go off with some random dude... but Claire had convinced me she was just having fun. If Madison willingly went to some back room with a guy, and seemed perfectly fine (she wasn’t stumbling or anything), then why should I worry? I’ve recalled bits and pieces since that night, like how I got home. Claire drove us back to the apartment, and I’d been left asleep in the backseat with the window rolled down (at least Claire had been gracious enough to not suffocate me). The next morning, I woke up with a dry mouth and the worst headache, soon realizing something worse than the nasty hangover I was experiencing: Madison was missing. She never came home. Her bed was still made, her red car still parked next to Claire’s and mine, her keys still hanging from the hook near the front door inside the apartment. I called her at least ten times and sent several texts, eventually receiving an unsettling response that left my gut heavy with dread: Met the love of my life and moved to Mexico! TTYN!

  First off, if Madison decided to move on a whim, it’d be to Hawaii, not Mexico. Second, talk to you never? That text was not sent by her, I knew that much. I’d quickly removed my glittery black dress and heels I’d worn to Vudu, threw on a tee with jeans and Converse, and went back to Vudu with smudged mascara and haphazard hair... but the club was closed. No matter how much I’d pounded on the front door, no one answered. I searched surrounding shops asking if they’d seen her, showing her picture via my cell to anyone and everyone. After hours of searching, I went back to the apartment, ready to call the police to report her missing... but she was already there with a sobbing Claire and the other bouncer from Vudu, Dorian.

  Madison had finally stuck it to Claire (which was much deserved), but she wasn’t herself. She’d seemed cold, distant, and much saltier than usual. She wasn’t just confident... she was smug. She’d also apparently slept with Dorian and was moving out of our apartment to go live with him, a guy she’d just met the night before!

  I was so appalled by her uncharacteristic behavior, all I could manage to say was: “Damn, Madison...”

  She was pleased with herself, leaving with a confident sway of her curvaceous hips as she left me to deal with Claire’s tantrum. She’d hardly said goodbye to me, her best friend. It didn’t seem like her... something was wrong.

  “I hate her!” Claire had cried, wiping her leaking nose on the shoulder of my band tee while I stood there staring at the apartment door Madison had left through, my mouth hanging open in absolute confusion.

  I unfortunately couldn’t focus on Madison. In that moment, Claire made sure to make everything about herself.

  Madison had admitted to kissing one of Claire’s possible future boyfriends: David... two weekends ago.

  I remembered that weekend. David had come over to hang out. Claire had flirted heavily, even suggestively rubbing herself on him any chance she got. David had grown bored with her advances. I knew he was really there to see Madison. They always got along so well, shared many of the same interests, and often had deep conversations Claire didn’t get. Like losing a loved one. While Madison told David about her m
om, Claire had interrupted their conversation by putting the stereo on and grabbing David’s hand while he’d sat on the couch with Madison, saying: “This is boring talk! Dance with me!” Whether she could admit it or not, Claire knew David had a thing for Madison, and that was unacceptable in her eyes. So, she made jabs about Madison’s weight in front of David, such as: “Those jeans are looking a little tight. Chicken nuggies are not your friend, M!”

  David had said: “I think she looks great.”

  Claire had become sullen at that point, glaring at Madison the rest of the evening and doing her best to bring her down with continued negative comments about her appearance, anything from her “boring hair color” to her “horrible fashion sense”.

  I’d told Claire to stop and even glared at her myself, but she was on fire with jealousy. There was no stopping her.

  Later that night, after me and Claire had gone to bed, David kissed Madison... and she’d kissed him back.

  I was surprised Madison hadn’t told me about the kiss, but I figured she’d felt guilty about it and didn’t want to risk Claire finding out, not while they lived under the same roof, anyway. After that weekend, David didn’t come around, and he hadn’t been answering any of Claire’s texts or calls. She’d decided with a shrug one day that she “had better options, anyway” and stopped messaging him.

  I wasn’t shocked by Madison kissing David. I was proud! I wanted more details about what happened. And although it wasn’t like her to sleep with a stranger (and most certainly not move in with him the day after), I craved details. As her best friend, I wanted to know more about this new seductive side of her, the one that’d mustered up courage to give Claire a piece of her mind! What was Dorian like inside the bedroom and outside of it? Was she coming back for the rest of her stuff? Could I maybe date the other bouncer? Was Dorian friends with him? Maybe we could double!

  But I didn’t hear from her for weeks after she sashayed out of my life. She didn’t show at work. Her cell was gone, all calls going straight to voicemail and all messages unanswered.

  Finally, I broke down and went back to Vudu, the last place I’d seen her as herself... the version I knew, not the new seductive and impulsive one. I knew something had to have happened at the club that changed her, and I needed to figure out what. Would she be there? Would Dorian?

  Impatient, I’d skipped the line and walked straight up to Derick. “You probably don’t remember me, but—”

  His stare was direct, intense... intimidating. “I remember you.”

  “Oh...” I’d twiddled my fingers in front of me, fixated on his green irises, their color brighter – almost glowing – from the light over the entrance leading inside Vudu. I tore my eyes from his so I could focus. “I was here with a friend like a couple weeks ago... and... I thought maybe she’d be here... maybe her boyfriend Dorian is around?”

  “Did you want to go inside?”

  I’d looked at him again, seeing a grin on his face, then the stamp on the little black folding table he stood behind. “I don’t plan to stay... do I still owe the cover charge? Can I just maybe take a quick peak, see if either of them are around, then be on my way?”

  He’d grinned wider, and my stomach had somersaulted. A chuckle escaped him, his Adam’s apple bobbing from the small laugh, his perfect white teeth glinting under the fluorescent light. He’d nodded toward the entrance. “Yeah, go on in.”

  Turns out, my hunch was right... but Madison wasn’t just at Vudu, she was working there! I had no idea what to expect from her, but cold-hearted and dismissive never would’ve been my guess. She told me to stay away from Vudu. She seemed worried, scared... definitely not herself. I knew Vudu had done something to her, but every scenario I’d conjured up didn’t make sense. Madison wouldn’t get hooked on drugs. She wasn’t there against her will. Dorian wasn’t controlling her – he even seemed nice, walking me back to my car after I tearfully left the club following a breakup (Madison said we weren’t friends anymore).

  I couldn’t sleep after that. I couldn’t even eat. My whole world was just... shattered. Life without Madison? I couldn’t handle it. She was always the sister I never had... and I’d thought she felt that way about me, too.

  Nothing made sense.

  Did an alien take over her body?!

  I finally got answers days later.

  She was murdered that night at Vudu. While I’d been wasted and dancing carelessly to electronic metal with Claire under multi-colored strobe lights, she was screaming and being drained in the alley by a serial killer vampire. She’d bit his hand while he’d held it over her mouth to muffle her screams, ingesting his blood. Dorian found them back there, and in a moment of panic, the vampire snapped her neck and ran off. Because she’d drank his blood, she ended up turning into a vampire. Dorian, being a werewolf, took her in to not only help her survive but to also claim her as his mate. After weeks of adjusting to being undead, she requested the bite from him and ended up turning into a werewolf herself.

  I know... it’s totally possible that I’m strapped down to a bed in a padded room somewhere.

  Anyway... I never thought such supernatural beings existed... or that I’d fall for one. Besides being bloodthirsty, vamps have a bad rep: Killing for fun? Check. Mind controlling victims, thus taking away their free will? Check. Forcefully feeding off people, torturing them and keeping souvenirs? Add another check!

  I’d have to be insane to want Derick... right?

  Humans can do vile things, too. I know that. So... maybe Derick’s different like how Madison was. When she was a vamp for those few short weeks, she never desired hurting anyone innocent.

  So... I’d gotten answers from Madison, sure, but they weren’t ones I expected. Vampires and werewolves?! Of course I was freaked out at first. You try watching your BFF turn into a werewolf in the middle of your living room and not panic! After letting the truth settle, I needed to talk to her. I’d stupidly deleted her new cell number from my phone, and the only place I knew to find her at was Vudu. She’d warned me to stay away, but I needed answers... and to reconcile our friendship. She’d been vulnerable in telling me such shocking and dangerous information. She’d trusted me with her secret. I couldn’t turn my back on her. Not again. Not ever again.

  Despite her warning, I went to Vudu again, finding Derick at the entrance as usual. I’d skipped the line once again, walking straight up to him while he’d been stamping the top of someone’s hand with the trademark logo of Vudu: a voodoo doll with a stake through the heart. He’d nearly dropped the stamp tool when he saw me in my flush and breathless state (I’d parked in the garage across the street and rushed toward the club on a July evening in my work attire – a blouse, jeans and platform wedges).

  “Madison here?” I’d asked.

  He’d looked me over, his lips parting, his green irises doing that glowy thing again. It wasn’t the light near the entrance that made them brighter... it was just his eyes. I knew then that he was definitely supernatural. Question was: werewolf or vamp?

  “Uh... she... uh...” He’d blinked and looked down, focusing on admitting more customers, taking someone’s ID. “She doesn’t work here anymore.”

  I’d sighed in agitation. “Why not?”

  “Didn’t like it here, I guess.”

  I narrowed my gaze on the entrance, furious suddenly for their stupid vampire-ridden club! I blamed them for Madison’s murder in that moment. Heart thudding with an oncoming rage, I glared harder at the open door.

  “Can I go in?” I’d asked him.

  Someone in line, an older man, shouted: “Eh! You think your pretty face is gonna get you ahead of the rest of us? I been waitin’ a whole hour to get in! Wait your turn!”

  I’d glared at him next, biting back a venomous screw you.

  “Go on in,” Derick had said, still not making eye contact with me.

  I did just that. I walked right in and eyed the place – the dance floor and all its customers swaying seductively in tune wit
h the electronic metal blaring through the speakers, the flashing strobe lights coloring them, giving the allure of an acid trip. Leather-clad strippers, men and women, gyrated against poles. A guard wearing all black with sunglasses on stood in front of a black curtain leading to the hall of backrooms... the same hall Madison had once gone through before being led to the alley and drained. I knew I couldn’t get past that guard. A winding black metal staircase led to an upstairs hall of closed doors shrouded in darkness. Those doors were probably locked. I walked to the bar next, needing a reason to stay and blend so I could scope the place out.

  A girl with long, straight dark hair and a warm complexion like mine nodded at me. “What can I get you?”

  “Margarita, dry.”

  She’d winked and quickly made the drink, shaking the mixture in a metal container before pouring the clear liquid into a standard margarita glass. She’d slid it across the bar, her curious caramel gaze narrowing. “You look familiar.”

  I’d grabbed the drink, sipping it, avoiding her gaze. “Do I?”

  “Yeah... you know Madison.”

  I eyed her, then. “Came to see her but heard she doesn’t work here anymore.”

  She seemed taken aback. “She still works here! She’s just on break. You want me to go get her?”

  Why did the bouncer guy lie? Had he just been misinformed? “Uh... sure.” I’d eyed the restrooms to the left. “I’m gonna hit the restroom real quick, but I’ll come back to the bar after.”

  She’d smiled kindly. “All right! I’ll go get her now.”

  I’d smiled back. “Thanks.”

  I’d gone to the restroom and eyed myself in the mirror, preparing myself for a conversation with my best friend where I told her she could trust me, that I’d be there for her no matter what...

  Then I was in Village Square, and the bouncer whose name I still didn’t know was holding my shoulders, his green eyes staring at me with concern. He’d shook me and shouted my name: “Hailey!”