Samantha fought her own muscles as she felt her hand opening against her will. “No!” Samantha cried as the amulet flew across the courtyard, landing at Rowan’s feet.
Rowan scooped it up in her hand, and pulled a small vial out of her pocket. “Now, the real fun begins. You know what’s in here, don’t you?” she asked, wickedly smiling.
Samantha shook her head. “No, please don’t do this.”
Luca continued his futile attempt at breaking Rowan’s spell; he still couldn’t move further than an inch. He needed to talk reason into the witch. “Rowan, Ilsbeth will ban you forever for your actions. You will lose all you have. Your coven. Your life. Now, give us the amulet. You can have it once we are done,” Luca promised.
“Ha!” Rowan cackled. “Right, like you would simply give it back to me. Since you don’t want to guess what’s in the vial, should I tell you or keep it a surprise?” She laughed and waved her hand. “Okay, okay, I’ll give you a hint. Remember lying in a church chained up? It was such a shame for them to mar your beautiful God-like body with silver, but it simply had to be done.”
“My blood,” Luca said with a growl.
“Handsome and smart. You vampires are so quick and strong. Very hard to capture, you know. Unless you happen to know when one is coming to your house, it is very difficult, indeed. But when you know one is visiting, well, it turns out it’s not very hard at all…just need a little silver.” Unscrewing the top of the vial, Rowan poured a drop of the blood onto the already sanguine stone. “So simple, really. It’s done. Do you feel it? Come on now, Luca, do you know what this means? You are now my slave, vampire. As long as you are in my presence and I have the periapt, you are mine.”
“I’ll never be yours, witch. I feel nothing,” he insisted.
“Really?” she grinned evilly, itching to play with her new toy. “Let’s try it out, shall we? Luca, slave of Rowan, vampire born of Kade, kill Samantha!”
Luca reeled as the command drilled through his brain. The stake fell from his hands as he gripped the sides of his head. Never in his life had he been compelled to do what another told him, yet the desire to wrap his hands around Samantha’s neck grew deep within his belly. He roared and shoved her to the ground. Samantha struggled against him, kicking wildly, trying to escape.
“Luca, no,” she pleaded. “Don’t listen to her!”
Luca fought his own hands as his fingers crept around Samantha’s neck. He tried to fight, reeling his hands back. An excruciating convulsion racked through his body in response to his disobedience. He heard Rowan’s laughter in the distance.
“Ah, what’s that you feel, Luca? That’s right; it’s slicing agony, isn’t it? Get used to it my dear bloodsucker. You no longer have free will. Surely you will fight me, but I will break you over time. Keep ignoring my command, vampire, and you will suffer endlessly. You might even die. What a pity that would be, after all my hard work. Just do it. Kill her.”
At Rowan’s directions, his fingers wandered up to her neck and squeezed. Samantha pounded Luca’s chest with her hands, trying to dislodge him as his hands crept around her throat once more. She could tell from his eyes that he was trying to fight the order, greatly suffering for his refusal to hurt her. But still, his fingers gripped tighter and tighter.
“Grab the stake. It’s right there, on the ground. Kill me, Samantha. Don’t let her do this,” Luca grunted.
Samantha shook her head; the stake was within inches of her reach. “No! I won’t. I can’t,” she protested as she heard a loud whoosh from behind. She lost sight of Luca, as the vise around her throat unlocked. Samantha heaved and sucked in air over and over in an attempt to catch her breath. Pushing up onto the palms of her hands, she sat up and ran her hands through her hair, dizzy from the loss of oxygen.
As she lifted her head, she gazed into the piercing black eyes of the vampire she’d met at Sangre Dulce. He’d rescued her from Luca’s grip. For a split second, he caught her gaze, fangs bared. He had Luca in a headlock, threatening to break his neck. Luca struggled against him, unwilling to give into defeat.
Samantha screamed at the vampire to release Luca. “Don’t hurt him! Please! I’ll give you whatever you want. I promise,” she begged. Samantha stumbled as she tried to stand. Pointing at Rowan, she tried to get the attention of the stranger. “Over there! Rowan, that witch right there. She has the periapt. He’s under her control.”
Luca growled at the other vampire. The clamp on his trachea loosened for a split second, allowing him to maneuver out of the stranglehold. The two magnificent vampires began to roll on the ground, wrestling for control over one another.
Rowan laughed maniacally, “Oh how I love to see the gladiators fight. It’s a fine match. But alas, we must be going. Luca, are you ready to come with your new mistress? You really do need better training. I asked you to kill this insignificant excuse for a witch, and here you are playing games with a vampire. Ah, I must admit I am looking forward to making you my slave in every way possible. Oh yes, I plan to discipline you long and hard, night after night,” she mused, staring down at Samantha.
“No!” Samantha screamed and lunged for her. Samantha shoved Rowan to the ground, but the witch was strong. She grabbed Samantha by the hair, pulling her downward, refusing to relinquish the amulet.
“You should have worked on your powers, little girl. Maybe if you had, you’d be like me. But, no, you wasted Ilsbeth’s lessons. So tell you what, since I’m feeling generous, I’m about to teach you a little trick in transporting.” Rowan held her by the hair and slapped Samantha across the face. “Pay attention!”
“Fuck you!” Samantha yelled and hit her back. “Give me the amulet!” She kicked at Rowan as they fought, but she couldn’t pin her to the ground.
“Enough!” Rowan waved her hand, sending out a wave of magic; Samantha’s body flew across the courtyard and slammed against a brick wall. Rendered unconscious, Samantha drifted into blackness.
Rowan waited for her vampire. After all the work she’d done, she had no intention of leaving without him. Chanting a spell, she opened a swirling gray portal. She turned to the vampires, who’d stopped fighting momentarily to observe the vortex.
“Come Luca, you’re mine. You will come with me now,” she ordered.
In confusion, Luca started to go for Samantha. He wanted to stay with Samantha and protect her. But as he did, searing pain ripped through his body; he knew he was being forced to go with Rowan. Thrown into an agonizing paroxysm, he doubled over, unable to stand. The periapt was the only key to his survival. If he could get the periapt and destroy it, then his binding to Rowan would be broken.
He looked over to the large vampire with whom he’d been fighting. Luca could tell the vampire was many years older than him, a great warrior. Luca was one of the strongest vampires in the world, yet this vampire was not overcome. More importantly, the vampire had saved Samantha from certain death that would have come at his own hands. He sensed this vampire didn’t want him or her dead, but knew he also desired the periapt. Could he be trying to destroy it too? He had to make a decision, go with Rowan willingly and destroy the amulet or stay and try to fight against the compulsion.
He tried once again to go to Samantha, and he was blinded afresh as the fiery torture rippled throughout his bones. Falling on his hands and knees, he backed away, and the pain subsided. Through blurry vision, he glared at the devil who’d done this to him.
Rowan crooked a finger at him, giving him no choice. Stumbling toward her, he attempted an attack. With but a flick of her wrist, she threw him into the churning aperture. A rush of energy flooded his senses. Swept inward, he landed with a thud onto a rock-hard concrete floor. Luca hissed as a silver net blanketed his body. The smell of his own burnt flesh drifted into his nose as he prayed for mercy.