“Yes, I’m yours. It’s okay now,” she said softly, reassuring him.
“It’s over.” Luca wasn’t quite sure if he was trying to convince Samantha or himself. He only cared that she was safe.
“Luca, oh my God. Are you okay?” she reluctantly pulled away, inspecting his face and body, noting the bruises and cuts that were already beginning to heal.
He laughed, wincing slightly as she touched a gash on his face. “Am I okay? I’m better than okay now that I’ve got you in my arms.”
“But he bit you,” she protested, continuing to inspect his body.
“Don’t worry darlin’. I’ve had my rabies shots. Now come on, let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Not so fast, Luca. We must discuss the periapt.” Léopold stepped up to introduce himself. “Mon ami, I’m Léopold. Léopold Devereoux. I am Kade’s maker and you are descended from my blood.”
Luca was shocked. Kade had never spoken of his maker, and Luca had never asked. He was loyal to Kade only. Despite Léopold’s claims, he did not fully trust the vampire.
“You kept Samantha safe?”
“Oui.”
“Pardon me if I sound ungrateful, but why the hell would you bring her here? And where the hell is Kade?” Luca asked.
“Ah, there is trouble with the wolves. Kade entrusted me with your safety while he provided them with assistance. I don’t know the details, but I suspect these dead wolves here have something to do with the problem.” He perused the room, counting six dead men. “There were others who escaped. They planned to use you?” He raised a questioning eyebrow at Luca.
“Yes, they’re going after Marcel’s pack. But why would you bring Samantha? She located the amulet. Wasn’t that enough for you?” he demanded.
“We need her. The Hematilly Periapt must be destroyed and only a witch can do it. In addition, we needed her help in subduing Rowan. As you can see, she was more than capable.”
Luca recalled Samantha’s display. Her command of the elements was extraordinary. “You were amazing, my little witch.” He kissed her again, hugging her against his bare chest.
“Hmmm….” was all Samantha could manage. She was exhausted from the ordeal; her legs felt weak.
“We must destroy the periapt now,” Léopold informed him. “We can’t risk it getting into the wrong hands. The wolf was correct about one thing. Others may know of its existence. The temptation will be too great for any witch who toys with black magic. To have a vampire as a slave is quite the coup. He could be used in war, to harm others, for all sorts of purposes. Do you have the amulet, Samantha?”
Samantha twisted around in Luca’s arms enough so that she faced Léopold. Luca’s strong arms remained secure around her belly. She leaned into him. “Yes, I’ve got it here.” She dug into her pocket and held up the teardrop-shaped rock. Eyeing the amulet, she affirmed her commitment to its destruction. “So, how do we destroy this thing?”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Back at Léopold’s townhome, Samantha waited in his study for the vampires to join her. She ran her fingers over the volumes of antiqued books on the bookshelves that ran top to bottom on the wall around the entire perimeter of the room. He had quite the library, all alphabetically categorized. She wondered what it would be like to live so long. Would you miss those humans who died when your own youth stood still? Would you try a thousand different hobbies to keep boredom at bay? Her thoughts drifted to Luca and how he’d lived for centuries. Centuries. What must that be like?
Watching Luca kill Sköll had reminded her that Luca was more than a man. Vampire. He was immortal. In contrast, she was very much mortal. If she honed her witchcraft, she could extend her life considerably. But she considered what Luca had told her about Sydney. If she fully bonded with Luca, then she’d live as long as he did.
She knew deep in her heart that she loved him, but the human part of her still wanted normal everyday things: a home, a family, children. She and Luca hadn’t discussed the future. Would Luca want children? Could she even have children with a vampire? After what had happened today, she reasoned that perhaps she had no right to bring children into the paranormal world where evil lurked and waited for weakness. All she’d known of the supernatural world was chaos and violence.
She herself had killed tonight. Rowan was dead by her hand. Samantha had never gone hunting before, let alone killed a person. She wasn’t sure what she felt yet. Realistically, she’d been given no choice. Rowan would have killed her in a minute, given the chance. But still, she felt pangs of guilt knowing she’d taken a life. Conflicted, she threw herself into an overstuffed, brown leather couch; well worn, the soft grain caressed her skin. She closed her eyes, praying for forgiveness and also thanked her lucky stars that her magic had saved her and Luca from certain death.
Sighing aloud, she grew irritated and impatient. The only thing she wanted was to go home, take a shower and sleep. Home? She laughed. Samantha truly had begun to think of Luca’s home as her own. She wondered if she should start making plans to return to Philadelphia. Tristan had promised he’d help her get a new job within the paranormal community. Should she try to start a fresh life so far from Luca?
Maybe Luca would ask her to stay. She certainly wasn’t crazy about managing a long distance relationship. He’d told her he loved her. But declaring love wasn’t the same as a commitment. It wasn’t asking someone to move to where they lived, nor was it asking them to move in with you. It was a feeling. People threw around the word ‘love’ all the time, only to choke when it came to marriage. She knew plenty of friends who thought they were in love only to end up being dumped a week later. Then she knew some of her guy friends who, despicably so, used the ‘love’ word to get a woman in bed. People weren’t always the way they seemed.
But deep in her heart, she knew Luca was honorable. He wasn’t a user or the type of man who needed to trick women into bed. No, a man like that could have his choice of women at the snap of his fingers. She resolved to discuss her future plans with Luca at another time, considering they still had work to do.
Samantha pulled the amulet out of her pocket and rolled it between her fingers. Impatiently humming to herself, relief hit her as Luca opened the door. Showered, he was wearing sweatpants and a snug t-shirt that Léopold had lent him. She smiled up at him, admiring his fine physique. Almost all of his wounds were healed.
“Samantha,” he said as he reached for her hands. He pulled her into his arms, waiting on Léopold to begin.
“Will this take long? I really want to go home,” she said wearily.
“It should be quick, but we’ll need to take a quick trip to dispose of it. Léopold will explain.”
Léopold entered the room, commanding their attention. He walked around to his desk, opened a drawer and retrieved a black velvet pouch. He’d brought a marble cutting board from the kitchen and laid it on his desk pad. Looking up at Samantha, he explained what needed to be done.
“Samantha, as I’ve told you, only a witch can crush this particular amulet to mere particles. While it is essentially a mineral at its core, it’s enchanted. You must be the one to destroy it, to dispel its magic. Once it is done, you and Luca will scatter the dust so that it can never be reconstituted, understood?”
“Yes, but how are we going to break it up? A hammer?” she quipped.
Léopold smiled, “You, my dear, are much stronger than any man made tool. This amulet is of the earth. And to the earth it shall return. You must manipulate it, break it down with your mind. After your demonstration earlier, this should be child’s play.”