by Dena Christy
“Will you be okay?” Nick asked, reaching out to touch her arm. Samara jerked away from his touch.
“I’ll be fine. Just leave me alone,” she said as she got out of the car and slammed the door behind her. She walked to her building without looking back.
Once she got inside her apartment, she looked around at her familiar surroundings as if seeing them for the first time. Her breath sounded harsh to her ears, and she told herself she needed to shut down, to turn off her emotions. They were too strong, and it hurt so much she didn’t think she would be able to stand it. She flipped on the TV and paced around her apartment, trying to find the calm within herself.
She could feel her lower lip trembling, and her body shook with the force of the pain churning inside her. Her back was against the wall of her living room and her knees slowly gave way beneath her. The space inside her where she kept her emotions caged burst open as she rested her head against her raised knees. The volume on the TV grew and drowned out the first keening sob escaping from her, and then the television exploded in a shower of glass as the last of her emotional resistance came apart. She wept against the wall for something she knew she would never have again.
HADRIA STOOD outside Samara’s door, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Nick had called her out of concern, telling her what had happened with Eric.
She inserted her key into the lock and opened the door to Samara’s apartment. She stopped in shock at the scene in front of her. Samara’s living room looked like it had been ransacked. Glass from the TV had sprayed all over the room, and junk food containers littered the place. Her heart pounding, she walked into the apartment, her eyes searching for Samara. She found her, sitting against the wall with her face buried in her knees.
“Samara? Are you okay?” Hadria asked with a tentative step forward. She watched Samara raise her head, her face dull and emotionless. Her adopted daughter stared blankly at her and Hadria was disturbed by what she saw. Samara’s eyes, swollen from crying, were no longer green but a bloody red.
“Get out,” Samara hissed, revealing razor-sharp teeth. Hadria edged forward, aware of the dangerous state her friend was in.
“Honey, you need to get control of yourself,” Hadria said as she reached out to touch her friend. Samara’s hand, complete with razor sharp claws, swiped out to knock Hadria’s away. The claws left bloody furrows across Hadria’s skin.
“I am in control,” Samara growled as she continued to stare at Hadria. “I’m finally what I’m meant to be. I feel nothing now.”
Hadria knew she had to do something to get her friend to come back to her. If Cadric found out that Samara had gone over the edge, he would have no choice but to have her eliminated. She was too dangerous in this state.
Hadria continued to back away, never letting her eyes stray from Samara for a second. As she reached for the phone Samara put her head back on her knees. She dialed Nick’s cell phone number, hoping he could come and help her with Samara. Relief coursed through her when Nick answered the phone.
“I’m in trouble, Nick. I’m at Samara’s apartment and you need to come here.”
“What is it? Are you hurt?”
Hadria closed her eyes at the concern in Nick’s voice. She didn’t want to alarm him, but she needed to impress upon him the urgency of this situation.
“Samara’s changed. Something about Eric’s leaving has triggered her demon side. I can’t get close enough to get her to listen to me. If I can’t get her to get control of herself, I’m afraid of what is going to happen to her.”
“Okay sweetheart, calm down. Don’t go near her, just watch her and whatever you do, don’t let her leave the apartment. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Hadria hung up the phone as she continued to watch Samara. She hoped that between her and Nick they could get Samara back.
ERIC SAT in the bus terminal, waiting for the bus that would take him out of town and out of Samara’s life. He looked down at his hand, at the gold chain resting in his palm. He’d thought it would be easy to leave her, to forget he’d ever met her. But, like the chain in his hand, the bond forged between them was surprisingly strong for its apparent thinness and fragility. His soul cried out for her, and as much as he tried to ignore it, he knew he could not. Sometime during the past few days, he had fallen in love with her.
An announcement over the loudspeaker signaled the arrival of his bus, and Eric stood and gathered his bag. He made his way to the door, and stood in line with the other passengers waiting to board. When the driver reached for his pack to put it with the others in the luggage compartment, Eric found he could not hand it over.
“Can I take your bag, sir?” the driver asked, his hand out and a puzzled look on his face. Eric jolted as if wakening from a dream and asked himself what the hell he was doing.
“I’m sorry, I’ve changed my mind,” he said as he turned on his heel and made his way back inside the terminal and out the front door. He got into one of the cabs waiting at the taxi stand and gave the driver Samara’s address. On the ride over there he thought about what he would say to her. What happened between Rowan and Samara happened before Eric knew her. In the end she’d shown his brother mercy when she didn’t need to. It had been Rowan’s choice to participate in Horn’s experiments, and he alone was responsible for what had happened to him. Facing the possibility of infection himself, Eric knew why the Order had wanted him put down.
His anger over Nick and Samara’s deception served no useful purpose, and it would not change anything. It only separated him from the woman he had grown to love, and from his family. He hoped she could forgive him for how he had treated her when they left the compound.
The taxi dropped him off in front of Samara’s building and he strode toward the door. He jerked around at the sound of tires squealing behind him. Shock coursed through him when he saw it was Nick’s car flying into the parking lot. His heart pounding in his throat, he sprinted toward the car as Nick pulled into a parking space.
He reached the car by the time Nick got out. His brother took one look at him, a snarl etched on his face, then pulled his fist back and landed a solid punch on Eric’s jaw. Pain blossomed in Eric’s face.
“What is your problem?” Eric said as he jerked himself back from his brother and straightened the front of his coat.
“You deserve to have your ass kicked, and if anything happens to Samara, I swear to God I’m going to be the one to do it.”
“What are you talking about? What’s wrong with Samara?” Eric asked, his heart racing at the thought that something had happened to her.
“She knows you left, and I just got a frantic call from Hadria asking me to come here to help her. Samara is out of control, the demon inside her is rising, and if we can’t get her back, the Order will kill her.” Nick turned away and hurried toward the door of Samara’s building.
“What can I do to help?” Eric asked as he came to stand beside his brother.
“So now you want to be with her? This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t left in the first place.”
Eric closed his eyes at Nick’s angry words, and he had no retort.
“I came back and I’m here now. I’ll do whatever it takes to help her through this.”
“I hope you mean that, Eric, I truly do.” Nick pressed the intercom button beside the security door. The door buzzed and Nick yanked it open. Both men rushed into the lobby, startling several people. They made their way to the elevator and reached the penthouse floor in a matter of moments.
The door to Samara’s apartment was unlocked. They walked in and Eric saw a pale-looking Hadria, cradling her arm, which was covered in bloody scratches.
What held Eric arrested for a moment in time was the sight of his beautiful Samara sitting with her back against the wall. He could not see her face, but he could tell she was hurting, and guilt stabbed at him. His stupidity had caused this to happen to such a warm, giving woman and only he could set it right.
“Can you give us some time alone?” Eric asked as he turned to look at Nick and Hadria.
“Sure, Hadria and I will go and get her arm taken care of. Call me on your cell phone if you need us. Good luck,” his brother said as he took Hadria by the arm and led her from the apartment. Hadria stopped and glared at Eric.
“If you hurt her again, I’ll kill you,” she hissed in a low tone.
“I’m not here to hurt her, I’m here to help her. And if I do end up hurting her again you have my permission to do you worst. I’ll deserve it,” Eric assured her.
Hadria nodded before following Nick out the door, closing it behind her.
Eric turned back to Samara and approached her slowly. He could see the mottled silver creeping up the skin of her arms. He hoped he wasn’t too late to save her. If anything happened to her, his heart would die with her.
“Samara,” he said, sinking down in front of her. Her head jerked up and her eyes widened when she saw him. They glowed red as they fixed him.
“Why am I seeing you? You’re gone.” Her voice had a husky tone to it, and Eric could see her teeth had changed, lengthened and appeared to be razor sharp.
“I came back. I couldn’t leave knowing how I feel about you.” He reached out to touch her, but she drew back with a hiss. She stood up and moved away from him, then started pacing the living room in agitation.
“Why have you come back, Eric? You’ve already hurt me enough. Wasn’t abandoning me once enough for you? Do you have to rub salt in the wound before you leave me again?”
Eric walked over to her and grasped her by the shoulders. “I’m not here to hurt you. I left, yes, but I came back. I couldn’t stay away. I don’t care anymore about what happened with Rowan. I hate what my brother did to himself, but I don’t blame you for anything that happened as a result. I can’t hate you for anything. I love you.”
Samara’s eyes were on him for a long time, and Eric despaired that his love was not enough to bring her back. But as he looked at her, the red in her eyes faded to green, her teeth returned to normal and the mottling on her skin disappeared.
“You came back because you love me?” she asked, her voice quiet as if she didn’t quite dare to believe him.
“You are my moon mate and I love you,” he said, drawing her into his arms. Her arms went around him as he cradled her close.
“Oh Eric, I didn’t want to believe that you could leave me when I loved you so much,” she whispered against his shirt.
“I’ll never put you through anything like that again, and I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“We have so much to talk about, I have so much to say to you,” she said as she drew back to look at him.
“We’ll have plenty of time to talk later.” He lifted her up into his arms.
“What are you suggesting we do then?”
“Something I wanted to do the first time I set foot in here,” Eric said, and he carried her down the hall to her bedroom.
CHAPTER 22
Samara lay in Eric’s arms and stroked her hand down his bicep. She felt mellow after their passionate lovemaking, and she looked at him, knowing her love for him shone in her eyes. Before her happiness could be complete she had to talk to him about the baby.
“What has you looking so serious? Obviously I didn’t love you thoroughly enough if you can look like that,” Eric said as he pulled her close to him and fused his lips with hers. Samara enjoyed his kiss for several moments before she drew back.
“We need to talk Eric.” She reached up to caress his face.
“We love each other, what else is there to talk about?” he asked, his brows drawing together into a frown. She used her thumb to smooth the line between his brows.
“I have something to tell you,” she said, trying to ignore how his body tensed. “I had some blood work done when we came back from the compound.”
“You’re okay, aren’t you?” he asked, concern lacing his tone as he pulled her against him.
“I’m fine. I’m also pregnant.” She watched his face, trying to gauge his reaction.
“But I thought I couldn’t make you pregnant?”
“My being bitten by the wolf changed everything. I’m going to have a child Eric. Our child. Please be happy about this.”
His hand smoothed down her belly, where it rested as he looked at her. “You’ve given me so much, I can’t believe you are giving me a child too.”
“Then this pleases you?” she asked, and when he smiled at her, joy bloomed inside her to know that he wanted this child as much as she did.
“I could howl my joy to the moon, sweetheart.” He put his arms around her and cradled her close. They lay like that for several minutes before she spoke again.
“I have to tell you something else. It’s about Rowan.”
“Samara, I meant it when I told you that what happened with Rowan doesn’t matter to me anymore. I know you were only doing your job.”
Samara came up on her elbow to look down at him. There was sadness in his eyes, which she knew she could take away with her next words.
“I know, but don’t want there to be any more doubt or secrets between us. I was set to kill him, I even had my talons buried in his neck and started sucking out his soul. He wanted me to kill him. But I found that I couldn’t bring myself to end his life. I know evil, and I’ve had to kill truly evil creatures, and that’s not your brother. Even through all the madness I could detect the shame and guilt, and I wanted to give him a chance.
“I rendered him unconscious that night, and took him to Nick to see if we could save him. He’s been in a drug-induced coma, and we hoped once we found out what was wrong with the formula we would find a way to cure him.”
“You humble me,” Eric said, grasping her hands and placing a kiss on her knuckles. “I misjudged you. First I assumed you killed Rowan, and even when you said you hadn’t, I still judged you harshly. Can you forgive me?”
“Eric, I forgave you when you came back. There is nothing to forgive now. Just don’t leave me again,” she said with a mock fierceness.
Eric came up beside her, a serious look on his face. “You’re never going to be rid of me,” he said before his lips covered hers. She reached up and tunneled her fingers through his hair as his body pressed against her. She didn’t think she would ever get tired of the feeling of his skin against hers. Eric had just drawn her body beneath his when the phone at Samara’s bedside rang, startling her.
“Don’t answer it,” Eric growled as he kissed the skin on her neck.
“It could be important,” Samara said with a shiver of pleasure, reaching for the phone.
“What could be more important than this?” Eric asked as he raised a single eyebrow at her. Samara laughed and picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
“I’m assuming since you are laughing that everything is fine over there?” Nick asked, sounding relieved.
“Everything is fine. Eric knows everything now.”
“Good. I have some news that should make both of you happy. We’ve done testing on Rowan and it appears that the virus has completely run its course. By putting him in the coma, his body was able to fight off the virus itself. And our tests have concluded that he hasn’t suffered any brain damage.”
“Oh Nick, that’s wonderful.” Samara looked over at Eric and smiled. “When will he come out of the coma?”
“He’s out now. He’s still weak, and it will take some time for him to build his strength back, but he’s awake and talking.”
“Can we come and see him?”
“Funny you should ask. He’s been asking to see you.”
Samara ended the call so she could tell Eric the news. He was looking at her expectantly when she hung up the phone.
“Rowan’s out of the coma, and Nick says we can come and see him,” Samara said as she squeezed Eric’s hand. She saw Eric hesitate for a moment. “What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t seen Rowan for over six years. We didn’t ex
actly part on the best of terms. I don’t know if he would even want to see me after all he’s been through.”
“Eric, he’s your brother, of course he would want to see you. Besides, your six-year estrangement has been long enough, don’t you think?”
“I suppose you’re right,” he said, his voice quiet.
“Come on, let’s get dressed and go. I think it’s time you and Rowan made peace with each other.” Samara got out of bed and started to dress. Eric needed to talk to his brother. She knew Eric would never be fully happy until he settled things with his twin.
IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG for them to arrive at Headquarters. They went up to the infirmary and found themselves outside Rowan’s room. Samara looked over at Eric, who stood staring at the door to his brother’s room.
“Do you want me to go in there first and talk to him?” she asked as she reached out to take his hand.
“I think that might be best. I need a few minutes alone, and someone should prepare him for my presence here.”
“Okay, I’ll come get you when he’s ready to see you.” She gave his hand a squeeze before letting it go to open the door.
Samara opened the door to Rowan’s room and walked in. He was standing at the window, looking much thinner than when she had seen him the last time. He looked so much like Eric, yet there was a marked difference between them. There was an air of sadness and remorse about Rowan, and he looked like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Rowan,” she said, closing the door. He turned around, his eyes widening when he saw her. “How are you feeling?”
“Weak and more than a little confused. I can’t remember much of what happened,” he said as he walked toward her.
“That’s understandable, since you’ve been in a coma.”