“Anytime.” Liv smiled at her and then turned her attention to Roark as the door shut behind Meg. “Well, it seems we’ve all had an eventful morning.”
“Eventful?” Roark barked an unhappy laugh. “If you consider finding out I am the father to twins after believing myself to be infertile and also after I accused the woman I love of cheating on me and driving her away ‘eventful’ then yes, I would say so.”
“Look, the road to love isn’t always a straight path,” Liv said quietly. “When my husband, Baird, first Claimed me, I did everything in my power to get away from him.”
Roark frowned.
“You didn’t wish to be Claimed?”
“I didn’t want to leave my life on Earth,” Liv told him. “I hurt Baird—hurt him badly. And then, after I had rejected him in every way possible, he sacrificed himself to the AllFather to pay for my mistakes and set me free. Do you think I felt like I deserved that?”
“I suppose not.” Roark shook his head. Though it was years in the past now, the war with the old enemy of the Kindred, the Scourge, was still a time no one could forget.
“I didn’t,” Liv said quietly. “But when, by the Grace of the Goddess, Baird came back to me, he forgave me and loved me like nothing ever happened.” She smiled. “And now we’ve been together for years and we have a son.”
“That’s wonderful.” Roark’s throat was dry. “I just wonder if Samantha and I could have that same outcome. I was…” He shook his head. “I was horrible to her.”
“Ask forgiveness,” Liv suggested. “It’s all you can do. And pray to the Goddess to heal your relationship.”
Roark didn’t like to tell her that he wasn’t much of a believer. He knew that most Kindred were devout in their worship of the Mother of all Life, but as a scientist, he had no time for religious nonsense. But it was clear Liv believed and he didn’t want to denigrate her religion. So he only nodded and said,
“Thank you. I’ll keep your advice in mind.”
“Good.” Liv squeezed his arm reassuringly and stood, indicating their time together was over. “Now, I have a lot of patients to get to so I’m going to have to let you go. But I’ll be saying a prayer for you and Samantha. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.”
“I will. Thank you again.” Roark shook her hand, as was the human custom, and left the Med Center.
As he walked down the long, winding metal corridors to his lab, he wished he could speak to Samantha at once and beg her forgiveness. But he had promised he would leave her alone—at least for now—and a Kindred warrior didn’t break his word. He would just have to wait until Meg was willing to give him the address of Samantha’s female relative so he could go and apologize to her in person.
Oh Samantha, he thought longingly. What a fool I’ve been! I only hope you’ll forgive me and come back to me…
Forty-Two
What a fool I’ve been, Sammi was thinking as she looked frantically around the small basement apartment. I should never have just gotten in a car with a guy just because I knew him a little bit. How in the Hell am I ever going to get out of here?
It looked like a basement apartment, anyway—though she had never heard of anyone being able to have a basement in Florida. But the place she found herself in now was built like a basement with walls of thick cinderblock and no windows or doors in sight. Well, except for the door at the top of the stairs which she had already tried and it was locked.
That wasn’t the only thing that was locked—Sammi’s hands were also cuffed. They were in front of her, at least, but still, it was damn scary to wake up and find yourself handcuffed in a strange apartment with no idea how you had gotten there.
The last memory she had was of Meg’s think-me call waking her from a sound sleep. She’d been disoriented at first and then reassured her friend that she was fine and on her way to her Aunt Vicky’s house.
If only she had kept Meg on the think-me a little longer! It was only after they “hung up” that Sammi had woken up properly and realized the car she was in was nowhere near North Tampa. In fact, they didn’t appear to be anywhere in Tampa at all.
Looking out the window, all she saw were trees and a dense green growth of ivy-covered underbrush. The car was out in the wild country somewhere, far from any city.
“What the hell?” she had muttered, blinking and looking around. “Hey, where are we?” she asked, raising her voice as she looked to the front seat where Bernard was still driving.
“Awake so soon?” He had met her gaze in the rearview mirror and Sammi saw that his formerly warm brown eyes were now cold and calculating. “Can’t have that, can we? The boss-man won’t like it”
“Wha—?” she started to ask but then he had turned and sprayed something in her face. Something with a choking, sickly-sweet smell that made her head swim.
“Who…who are you?” Sammi had choked out, as the world started graying out around her. “And where…where are you taking me?”
“I’m nobody. And I’m taking you to meet someone who’s been waiting for you a long time,” Bernard said.
And then everything had gone black.
When she had woken up, she was here—lying on the floor in the basement apartment with no doors or windows—with her hands cuffed in front of her.
Sami struggled up off the floor and paced around the small apartment, which was divided up into several rooms. One was a bathroom, which she gratefully used, though with some difficulty because of her cuffed hands.
After washing her hands with a lot of clinking from the handcuffs, she found a sort of living room area with a battered couch and a TV in front of it. There was also a room set up like a breakfast nook with a small table already set for two with nice china and crystal champagne flutes. Each place setting had a fork and a spoon but no knives.
The last room she found was the worst. It was a bedroom with a queen-sized bed made up with a white lace coverlet. The room itself seemed normal enough. What freaked Sammi out was the fact that someone had sprinkled red rose petals all over the white lace.
Like they’re getting ready for a romantic night, she thought, feeling sick to her stomach. Oh my God, what’s going on here?
Just then she heard a creaking sound—a door opening, she realized. And then more creaking as someone descended the steps.
Sammi wanted to hide—maybe under the bed—but she was frozen in place, unable to move as the heavy steps got closer and closer.
“Well, hello, Beautiful,” a voice said behind her. “I see you’re finally ready for our date.”
Forty-Three
Roark couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
He went back to his lab and tried to work, but he missed Samantha’s presence. Her soft voice, her sweet scent…he missed everything about her.
And then he began to worry.
What if she wasn’t safe, down there on Earth? Meg had said she had a stalker who had been in her house, taking pictures of her in the shower. The thought of such a personal invasion of her space made Rage rise inside him. But it also sent a cold shiver of fear down his spine—fear for Samantha.
What if he had somehow gotten to her? Roark knew that Meg said she was safely on her way to her female relative’s house, but what if something had happened along the way? What if something was happening right now and he didn’t know because Meg had made him promise not to contact Samantha until that night?
The feeling of wrongness and the worry about Samantha grew and grew until he was unable to think of anything else. He paced around his lab, running his fingers though his hair, thinking of all the awful things that might have happened—or might be happening at that very moment.
He began to be certain that she was in danger somewhere. The certainty grew until he could no longer contain it. At last he left the lab and found the door to the suite where Meg lived. He knew it because he had picked Samantha up from her friend’s domicile once.
Roark knocked on the door and it was opened by M
eg’s Beast Kindred mate. From the grim look on his face when he saw Roark, it was obvious that Meg had already told her mate all about him.
“What do you want?” he asked stiffly, giving Roark a glare.
Normally Roark would have answered such aggression with aggression of his own. But in this case, he was well aware that any enmity directed at him was well deserved. So he only said,
“I would like to speak to your mate, please. It will only take a moment.”
At first he didn’t think the Beast Kindred would allow it. But finally he said,
“Wait here,” and left Roark standing out in the corridor.
It was the height of rudeness not to invite someone into your suite when they knocked, but Roark didn’t complain. He only waited quietly until Meg came to the door, with her mate right behind her.
“Why are you here?” she demanded when she saw Roark. “I told you to wait until tonight and it’s only been a few hours!”
“I know that I promised to wait until tonight to contact Samantha and I am trying to keep my word, which is why I have not called her by think-me,” Roark said, striving to keep his voice level. “But I can’t help myself—I have a feeling she’s in terrible danger. Please—give me the address now so I can go down to Earth and verify that she’s all right.”
It was difficult to beg anyone for anything but he was willing to wound his pride for Samantha’s sake. So he stood like a beggar in the doorway, hoping that Samantha’s best friend would have some kindness and help him out.
Meg didn’t seem inclined to kindness, however.
“Right,” she sneered. “You’re just trying to go see her early. Well, I’m not telling you anything until tonight!”
She started to close the door in his face but to Roark’s surprise, her Beast Kindred mate stopped her.
“Wait, Meg,” he rumbled. “If the male says he has an overwhelming feeling about his female, you should listen to him.”
“Sammi is not his female!” Meg snapped. “He threw her away like a piece of trash!”
“His actions may have been fucking awful, but you did say he fathered a child on her, right?” The Beast Kindred raised an eyebrow at his mate.
“Two children—twins,” Meg snapped. “But what does that have to do with anything?”
“Well, if he was able to get her pregnant, he must have some kind of bond with her—even just a partial bond,” the Beast Kindred pointed out. “Which means the Goddess intends for them to be together. And if that is what she wishes, you shouldn’t be keeping them apart.”
“Well…” Meg looked undecided but apparently her mate’s words held weight with her. “All right,” she said at last. “Hang on, I’ll go write down the address.”
Roark still didn’t believe in the Goddess, but he felt a rush of gratitude towards the other warrior.
“Thank you, Brother,” he said, nodding at the Beast Kindred.
The Beast Kindred scowled back at him.
“Don’t make me regret this kindness. Samantha is like a sister to me. I will protect her if I find out you’ve hurt her in any way—physically or emotionally.”
“I only want to make up for the wrong I’ve done,” Roark said honestly. “I see now that we belong together and that I was a fool to send her away.” He ran a hand through his hair. “And I really do have a feeling she is in danger. I must go check on her.”
“I understand.” The Beast Kindred gave a nod of grudging respect. “I hope your feeling is wrong and that your female is well and safe.”
“I hope so too,” Roark said.
Just then, Meg returned with a slip of paper that had an Earth address printed on it.
“Here. This is her Aunt Vicky’s house,” she said, handing it reluctantly to Roark. “But you’d better treat her right this time!”
“I swear I will.” Roark took the slip of paper from her. “Thank you so much.”
He wanted to say something about how he hoped they would be on better footing in the future. Since Meg was Samantha’s best friend, it was reasonable to assume that they might socialize with the other couple if she came back to him.
But at the moment, both of them thought he was scum—which Roark couldn’t really debate until he was able to bring Samantha back and show that he could treat her well. And besides, the feeling that she was in danger was growing by the minute—he literally couldn’t stay here on the Mother Ship one moment longer. He had to go down to Earth and make sure she was all right.
“Thank you,” he said to Meg and her mate, and hurried away.
Forty-Four
The man standing behind her, when Sammi turned around, was tall and imposing. He wasn’t as big as a Kindred, but he wasn’t far off, either, standing at least 6’6 by Sammi’s panicked estimation. Small black eyes, a hooked beak of a nose, and thin, red, cruel lips defined his broad face. He had long, shaggy black hair and meaty hands as big as catchers’ mitts.
She saw the hands up close when he reached out to brush a strand of hair away from her face.
Sammi ducked instinctively away, not wanting him to touch her. The man’s cruel red lips twisted into a frown.
“Now, Beautiful, is that any way to treat your lover?” he demanded in a deep, harsh voice.
“You are not my lover! I don’t even know you!” Sammi lifted her chin and tried to sound strong, but her voice came out shaky and weak. She had to fight with herself not to burst into tears and beg him to let her go home.
“Oh, but I know you, Beautiful. I’ve been watching you such a long time now.” He smiled, revealing crooked yellow teeth that crossed over each other in the front. “I’ve seen you at school…at your house…in the shower…”
His words confirmed her worst fears. This was the man who had followed her across the country. This was the man who had invaded her home.
“You’re him,” she whispered, backing away. “The stalker.”
“Stalker? Well, that’s kind of a nasty word, isn’t it?” He frowned and made a tsking sound with his tongue. “I prefer to think of myself as a ‘watcher.’ And of course soon, I’ll be your lover, Beautiful.”
“No.” Sammi shook her head vigorously and took another step back. “No, we’re never going to be lovers. I don’t know you and I don’t want to know you!”
“You might feel that way now, but I bet I can change your mind, Beautiful.” He stepped closer to her and Sammi edged backwards. She felt something against the backs of her legs and realized with a sick feeling in her stomach that she had backed right into the bed.
Her stalker realized it too. Reaching forward, he grabbed Sammi’s shoulders and pushed her, hard.
With a frightened scream, she fell backwards onto the white lace coverlet, sprinkled with rose petals. The cloying scent of roses filled her nose and she nearly choked.
Then the stalker was on top of her. He raised his hand and Sammi saw something sharp and silver glitter between his massive fingers.
He was holding a pair of scissors and they were pointed right at her throat.
Forty-Five
“No, I’m sorry but Sammi isn’t here. And who did you say you were again?” The woman with short hair, the same strawberry blonde shade as Samantha’s, stood in her doorway frowning in confusion.
“I’m her employer, Commander Roark of the Kindred Mother Ship,” Roark said. “Or, er, I was until this morning.” He cleared his throat. “We’ve had a…misunderstanding. A very serious one. I just want to clear it up. So if you’re keeping Samantha from me because she’s upset—”
“No, I told you, she’s not here.” The woman who must be Samantha’s Aunt Vicky frowned. “In fact, last I heard, she was on the Mother Ship. Why would she come back down here?”
“Because, as I told you, we had a misunderstanding.” Roark resisted the urge to ask again if Samantha was there. He sensed that Aunt Vicky was telling the truth which would only make further inquiry awkward. But if Samantha wasn’t here, where was she?”
“M
ommy? Mommy!” two young voices called out.
Looking down, Roark saw twin girls about the age of seven or eight crowding around the woman’s legs. They had identical long blonde hair and large blue eyes.
“Oh—you have twins,” he said in surprise.
“Do I ever—two sets of them! Twins run in our family.” She sighed in exasperation and ruffled both girls hair, using a hand for each. “You two run along now. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“But—” they began in unison.
“I said run along,” their mother directed firmly. “I’m talking to this nice man right now. I’ll be there in a minute.”
The little girls gave Roark one more big-eyed stare and then grabbed hands and raced off together back into the confines of their home.
“Sorry about that.” Aunt Vicky sighed and shook her head. “They’re a mess, those two. My other two, too,” she added and laughed. “Now what were you saying about Sammi again?”
“Only that I need to find her,” Roark said earnestly. “If she didn’t come to your house, where else would she have gone? Do you have any idea?”
“Sorry, no.” A look of concern spread over Aunt Vicky’s face. “Do you think she’s okay? I don’t know if you know this, but she had some man stalking her for a while there. The police didn’t seem able to do anything about it…”
“That’s what I’m worried about,” Roark said grimly. “Especially since she’s not here and I don’t know where she could have gone.”
“Oh dear…” Aunt Vicky put a hand to her throat and a worried look came into her eyes. “Have you tried calling her?”
“No, I haven’t. I wanted to speak to her in person,” Roark answered. “I don’t even have a communications device on me.”
“Well, I do. Hang on.” She left for a minute and then came back with one of the small devices humans called ‘cell phones.’ She pressed the screen a couple of times and then put the phone to her ear. After a moment, she said, “Hello? Sammi?” She listened for a moment, her frown growing and then said, “Well what are you doing answering Sammi’s phone, Meg? She left it up there? Okay. No, he’s here right now.” She looked up at Roark. “Okay.” She held out the phone to him. “Meg wants to talk to you.”
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