by Kym Grosso
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.”
“I’ll try. But I don’t know if I can do it. I mean, it seems to just kind of fire off when I get upset. I don’t have much control, yet,” she explained.
“You must try. Now,” Léopold ordered.
The tension in the room became palpable. Xavier and Étienne entered and remained behind Luca and Samantha, who stood in front of Léopold’s desk. Léopold watched with great intensity as Samantha placed the amulet on the marble platter. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate but felt no magic hum. Thoughts of the amulet before her formulated in her mind’s eye, yet nothing stirred.
Sensing no magic, Léopold silently warned Luca with his eyes. He intended to agitate the witch into destruction. Luca had known this might have to happen, but still hated seeing Samantha brought to her knees.
“Samantha, we must try a different approach. Close your eyes, and hear only my voice,” Léopold ordered. His accented voice was smooth as silk yet iron willed. “Picture the amulet. And Rowan. She took Luca. She took your vampire. She silvered him. Stripped him. She ran her fingers up his legs, felt his chest, felt his body in her own hands.”
Her eyes snapped to attention, glaring at Léopold. Why the hell was he saying all these awful things?
“Close your eyes! Concentrate. You must destroy this object,” he demanded. “That’s right Samantha, she touched your mate. How does that make you feel? Are you angry enough yet? Think of what she did to Luca. She burned him. Used him. Think of what she did to you. She wrecked your life, laughing while you searched for the amulet. Think of Sköll. He helped Rowan. He was going to break your neck…he felt your breasts in front of your vampire. I sense your anger, Samantha, now focus it. Focus it into your magic.”
Samantha let Léopold’s words feed the angry beast within. He’d done nothing but repeat the truth. Rowan had silvered Luca, had touched him intimately, something that was hers. Sköll had groped her. She could still smell his foul breath against her neck. And for what? For an amulet that made slaves. A diabolic object that was utilized to propagate evil, wars. No, that damnable amulet must be annihilated so that no one could ever use it again. Fire built within Samantha’s belly. The object began to glow into a red bright ball. She held her hands over the amulet, letting the magic flow as the destructive words spilled from her lips; “Natus ex inferno, cineri moriemini. Frangere ut revertatur in pulverem terrae.” Willing the periapt to dust, it burst into flames and soon all that remained was a pile of ash.
Samantha opened her eyes and smiled. The vampires in the room all stared at her in amazement and fear. “What? Tell me it’s gone. I felt it. It’s gone, isn’t it?” she asked innocently.
They burst into laughter at her words. Luca hugged her; she truly had no idea of the sheer magnitude of her abilities. Nor did she realize how frightening she could be when working her magic.
Léopold brushed the ashes into the bag and handed it to Luca. “Now go. The remains of the stone shall return to the earth as it should be. Xavier, Étienne. I shall see you again someday, perhaps.” He nodded, curtly dismissing the two. “Luca, Samantha, it has been a pleasure meeting you albeit under the most unfortunate circumstances.”
Taking Samantha’s hand in his, Léopold drew her to him. Luca tensed, distrustful of the older vampire. Léopold met Luca’s fiery eyes and proceeded cautiously. With a smile, he turned to Samantha and looked deep into her blue eyes. “My dear witch, while I’m certain you are glad to have Luca home, I admit there was the smallest part of me who wished he would not return. For I would have kept you as my own.”
Gently, he leaned in and kissed her forehead. “I am sure your blood is as sweet as you are beautiful, but alas, it is Luca to whom you belong. Again, I do apologize for burning the cabin. Sometimes we all need a small incentive to do our best work.”
His sexy voice warmed her although she stiffened at his confession. This man, smoothly and coolly, had just admitted
he wanted her in front of Luca. Samantha wasn’t sure what to think of Léopold. He was sensual and alluring, but powerful. Intimidating. Protective. And oddly caring. Giving into her desire to say goodbye to him, she briefly hugged Léopold and then quickly returned to Luca’s embrace.
“Léopold, thank you for helping me save Luca. I do forgive you for the cabin. But next time you need my help, please just ask,” she joked.
Luca and Samantha exchanged looks as they walked out of the office. As she went to steal a last look at Léopold, Samantha glanced over her shoulder to see only an empty office. Once again, he’d vanished.
Chapter Seventeen
The waves splashed against the side of the boat as the sun crested the horizon. Turquoise waters sparkled in the morning sun, while dolphins danced in a celebration of life. Samantha sighed in relief, knowing she was finally safe. She was looking forward to a new, hopefully calm, life. She silently reminisced about how much her life had changed. Once she’d spent hours in a cubicle, her only excitement driven by catching errors and breaking codes with co-workers.
It wasn’t just that she felt different; she was different. She could no longer deny the magic within her. No longer a desk jockey, she needed to find a new calling. Or perhaps the calling had found her. A newfound witch, she resolved to do something positive with her powers. While she longed to have better control, she knew that would come with practice. She wanted to train with Ilsbeth but knew for certain that she wouldn’t live in the coven.
She could not deny what she was any more than she could deny Luca was vampire. It was time to face the music. Either she’d have to accept Tristan’s offer or move to New Orleans. Given that she didn’t know the witches in Philadelphia, and she had a perfectly good mentor ready and willing here in New Orleans, in that moment, she decided to stay and learn her craft. She hoped that Luca would ask her to stay with him at his home, but wasn’t going to pressure him.
No matter what he’d said about bonding and love, she knew men didn’t always mean what they said in the heat of the moment. Since they’d left Léopold’s, Luca had seemed distant, quiet. Samantha was utterly exhausted and didn’t press him to talk. Now wasn’t the time.
She glanced over at the deck clock, and realized they’d been on the boat for at least seven hours. Léopold’s captain sailed the vessel down the Mississippi to the open Gulf of Mexico. Within minutes of boarding, she’d passed out in bed as soon as her head hit the pillow. After taking a hot shower, she made her way up to the back deck. The boat slowly bobbed and swayed to the rhythm of the ocean; she surmised they’d anchored. Peering out to sea, she wondered where Luca had gone.
When she’d woken to a cold bed, she’d missed the warmth of him. She hoped he wasn’t having second thoughts about their relationship. She wasn’t the clingy type, but was somewhat insecure about where they stood.
Love. Samantha had thought she’d known love before Luca. But she realized now that it had only been a shadow of love. Maybe infatuation? Maybe just her need to be close to a man? Regardless, Luca had shown her time and time again, through his actions, what real love was. He’d shown her what a real man was.
He’d cared enough to fly across the country and find her, to save her from her own foolishness. He’d let go of his inhibitions to earn her trust, swimming with her in the lake and sharing his past. He’d showed her the bliss of tender lovemaking and then pushed her limits to explore her sexuality. He’d fearlessly opened up to her emotionally and declared his love. He’d helped her discover what the amulet was and had fought with his life to protect her. And even though she’d seen him ferociously attack the wolf and kill, she didn’t fear him. Respect for his courageous act swelled in her heart. Captured and tortured twice over the past weeks, the man seemed indestructible and had an unbreakable spirit.
Reaching in the pocket of her robe, she fingered the small sack Léopold had given her. The older vampire was somewhat of an enigma. Dominant and sexual, she felt drawn to him. Deadly as he was, she trusted him like an older brother. She knew he wanted her, but he didn’t take what wasn’t his. Nor was he the type to take women against their will. Given his dark and mysterious good looks, she knew someone like Léopold could have any woman, and had probably already had hundreds of lovers over the years. Even though he’d made attempts to put her at ease, she also knew he could be cold and calculating, remembering how he’d burned the cabin to get her to do his bidding. Encouragement, he’d called it. She smiled. Only in the paranormal world would someone call torching a cabin an ‘incentive’. After watching Rowan bring Luca to his knees, she was certain Léopold had done what was necessary to protect his kind.
She looked down at the satchel with anticipation. Samantha couldn’t wait to dump the dreaded contents, so she could finally be free. Looking around the spacious wooden deck, she hoped Luca would return soon. She wanted to tell him about her decision to stay. Butterflies danced in her stomach. She prayed he felt the same way about her as she felt about him. In the heat of passion, he’d said he loved her, but she longed to hear him say it again. She wanted a life with Luca and could not imagine loving anyone else. She was his.
Luca briefly spoke to the captain, explaining how they’d make a brief stop and then return to New Orleans. As much as he’d like to take a Caribbean cruise with Samantha, trouble was brewing with the wolves. Earlier, he’d slipped out of Samantha’s arms to go call Kade. Both Kade and Sydney were at the pack house strategizing with Marcel. Apparently, Jax Chandler, the New York Alpha, had not taken kindly to Marcel’s message refusing him access to Kat. Although it may have been typical in some packs for an Alpha to pick a mate of his choice, Tristan and Marcel, both unmated, refused to take a mate who wasn’t in agreement. Once mated, wolves could seldom separate without physical repercussions. The brothers fiercely protected their sister. Although she had a wild side, she was deeply loyal to their packs.
Ever since Luca had rescued Kat, he’d kept tabs on her over the years; ‘friends with benefits,’ but friends nonetheless. He was concerned for her safety, knowing how independent she could be. She often went missing for periods of time only for them to find out later she’d been on holiday with friends somewhere on the other side of the world. She lived life to the fullest, but now someone wanted her to be his. Someone, an Alpha, like Jax, who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
He regretted that the wolves at Rowan’s mansion had escaped them. Interrogation would have yielded critical information about their true purpose in causing a war. Sköll had insinuated that he was there because of Kat, but it could have been a ruse. He wasn’t even certain Sköll knew Jax or was in his pack. He could have been lying to protect another wolf.
His thoughts turned to Samantha as he dug into the ice box and located a bottle of champagne. She was a feisty little witch, and actually a little scary now that he’d seen her powers. Petite and fair, she’d stolen his heart. He rolled his eyes in disbelief and laughed to himself. All these years he’d been so insistent that he’d never fall in love again, let alone with a human. When he reflected on his young love for Eliza, he realized that he’d never been in love with someone as deeply as he loved Samantha.
Fearless when faced with the unknown, she stood her ground. And she was smart as a whip, amazing him with her knowledge of cryptic code breaking and how she reveled in the challenge. Samantha had never backed down to Léopold either. When he was captured, she’d risked her life with the ancient vampire just so she could find Luca. Strong-willed. Beautiful. Intelligent. His.
Luca’s thoughts drifted to their lovemaking and how passionately she had embraced the experience. He loved watching her climax, letting go of her inhibitions. He grew long and firm thinking of how she’d taken him into her mouth, teasing him endlessly. She trusted him, a vampire, to take her to places she’d never gone before. Remembering the sight of her tied to his bed sweetly moaning and writhing in pleasure, he smiled. Lascivious and loving, she brought him to a new level of felicity that he’d never kn
own in his long life. He couldn’t imagine what life would be like without her. It wasn’t just the bonding. It was everything about her. He loved her more than life itself. He wanted her here, building a life together. Forever.
A broad smile broke across Samantha’s face as she felt Luca’s strong arms encircle her waist and a kiss to her ear. She turned in his arms to face him and smiled. God, she loved this man. The sight of the gorgeous male took her breath away. Shirtless, he wore white cotton drawstring pajama pants and padded around barefoot. He was confident and comfortable no matter his surroundings. Over her shoulder, she noticed the champagne and glasses he’d set on the glass end table.
“Hmmm…champagne? So early in the morning?”
“Yes, darlin’. This is New Orleans,” he drawled. “Think of it like mimosas without the orange juice.”
“Well, when you put it that way, how can a girl refuse?” She gave him a flirty smile.
“That’s what I’m counting on. But before we toast, let’s get rid of the remains, shall we?” he suggested. “Would you care to do the honors?”
“Nothing would make me happier.” She carefully opened the packet, and turned it upside down. Red, gray and black ashes floated downward, falling gently into the sea.
When the pouch was fully emptied, Luca raised a knowing eyebrow at her and held up a lighter. “Just to be on the safe side.”
“Just to be on the safe side,” she agreed as she watched him light the bag on fire.
Tossing the lighter aside, he pinched the end of the sack and held it up to the air to burn. Devoured by flames, he cast it into the waves.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to see that thing gone,” she sighed.
“You and me both,” he concurred. “Now for something really important, a toast and a proposition.”