Free Bite the Bullet (Bitten Book 5) by C.C. Wood

Frederick that I’ve broken you, there will be certain expectations. Vampires often dress their pets in a way that makes them, uh, accessible.”
    I had a bad feeling I knew what that meant. “You mean you’re going to dress me up like Slutty Barbie, right?”
    He nodded. “I’m not sure what Slutty Barbie is, but you will be dressed in revealing clothing.”
    “Not the first time,” I sighed. “I’ll survive.”
    He frowned at my words. “What do you mean?”
    “Well, as you can clearly see, I’m female and I have big boobs. If I did go into the field, there were many times I was used as a distraction. Of those many times, I usually wore miniskirts, low cut tops, and fuck-me heels.”
    His scowl deepened.
    “What?” I asked.
    “I think I’m glad you’re no longer working there.”
    I laughed. “It wasn’t my favorite part of the job either. Though it was fun to see the look on their faces when I took their ass down, stilettos and all.” I tossed back the blankets and climbed out of bed. “I’m going to take a shower.”
    Asher’s eyes skimmed over my scantily clad body, lingering on my breasts, and I held my breath. “I’ll go make some coffee.”
    I watched as he left the room, then I headed into the bathroom to get ready.
    As I showered, I decided to call Lex or Conner before we left. Asher had coached me, but it wouldn’t hurt to solicit some alternative suggestions. If I was going to convince Cornelius that I was under Asher’s spell, I couldn’t afford to make any mistakes.
    A mistake, no matter how small, could get us both killed.

Chapter Ten

    A s I packed a minimal amount of clothing into the bag Asher had given me, I lifted the burner phone to my ear. I listened as it rang. Neither Conner or Asher had sworn me to secrecy about this, so I assumed that Lex would know what was going on.
    “Hello?”
    “Ivie, it’s Shannon.”
    “Are you okay? You never call unless it’s our scheduled night to talk.”
    “Yeah, I’m okay. Look, I don’t know if Lex told you what’s going on, but I’m helping Conner and Asher with something.”
    There was a long pause. “Um, no, Lex didn’t say a damn word about it to me.”
    I could feel her irritation coming through the phone line and assumed Lex was sitting next to her, likely receiving a nasty glare.
    Sure enough, she hissed, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    She must have had the phone covered, because his reply was muffled too much for me to understand.
    “Ivie?” I asked. When she didn’t answer, I called, “Ivie!”
    “Sorry, Shannon. I was listening to some lame excuse about safety and not wanting me to worry.”
    “Okay, so I’ll give you the Cliffs Notes version. Asher is working as a double agent and he’s pretending he kidnapped me, bit me, and has me under his control. We’re doing this to draw Cornelius out and hopefully end this war before it spreads and innocent people die.”
    “What? You can’t do this. It’s dangerous—”
    “I’m sorry you’re upset, but it’s done. Now, I have to act like Asher’s pet and I want to make sure I understand what I need to do.”
    “But, Shannon—”
    “Ivie! I have limited time and I need to know what to do. Can you put Lex on the phone?”
    “I’ll put you on speaker,” she stated. “Because I want to know what in the hell is going on starting now .”
    I wanted to tell her not to be too hard on him, but I didn’t have time.
    “Lex?”
    “I’m here.”
    “I need your advice.”
    “Of course.”
    The man could say a lot with few words. “Asher and I are going to meet Cornelius in New Orleans tonight. I’m pretending to be under his control and because Cornelius wants proof that he actually has one of the Five. I want to make sure I know how to behave. I can’t risk doing something that will give us away.”
    “You can’t fake being a vampire’s pet, Shannon,” he replied. “It would be obvious immediately.” His deep, lightly accented voice was mild, as if