by Grosso, Kym
Rowan screamed Sköll’s name as the earth began to cleave open at Samantha’s command. Luca bit deeply into Sköll’s shoulder, rendering him immobile. Helplessly he watched as his lover, Rowan, flailed her arms, shrieking as she plunged helplessly into the crevice.
Samantha walked over to the gaping chasm, and knelt down to Rowan.
“Save me, sister,” Rowan pleaded. “I swear to you. I will share it with you. Please, grab my hand.”
Samantha considered her plea but knew in her heart, that evil was speaking. “Dear sister,” she chided. “You are no sister of mine. Back to the earth you go. May the Goddess grant you peace.” Peeling open Rowan’s fingers, Samantha took the periapt and shoved it into her pocket.
Rowan cursed her. “You little bitch. This will never be over. There are others who will want the periapt. They know of its existence. They will find you! This will not end!”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Rowan. This! Ends! Now!” Samantha yelled.
A seism rocked the entire house as the fissure grew wider and deeper. Samantha closed her eyes and called once again on the elements. “Lorem benedictionem, dea. Accipere, Rowan, soror Ilsbeth, in calore et munda eius eius malum.”
Rowan clawed at the crumbling dirt in an effort to save herself as Samantha’s words took effect. A loud shriek emanated from Rowan as she plummeted deep into the fiery core of the earth.
Samantha breathed deeply, willing the brown terra together again. Within seconds, the gaping crevice consolidated, leaving nothing but disturbed dirt in its place. As exhaustion racked Samantha’s mind and body, she crumbled to the floor, and sobbed.
As the shaking subsided, Sköll sliced into Luca’s arm. Not lethally, but it was enough to make Luca release his hold. Sköll transformed into his human form and scurried toward Samantha. “What have you done, witch? I needed Rowan. Now that you have taken her, I will take you.” He wrapped his arm around Samantha’s neck.
Xavier, Étienne and Léopold stood still, acknowledging her capture. They had killed all the wolves except one or two who’d retreated out to the woods. Luca stalked cautiously toward Sköll.
“Don’t hurt her. You need me for your war. Take me,” he ordered.
“Now you want to come willingly? Hmmm….this one smells good,” Sköll growled and licked the back of Samantha’s neck. She hung like a ragdoll helpless in his grip. “Ah, she’ll do nicely. A fertile witch who can serve all my needs. And she’s got the periapt.” He reached around with his free hand to grope her breast and smirked. “Go now, and she’ll live. I’ll find another vampire to do my work.”
“Get off her. She’s mine, wolf,” Luca snarled; his bared fangs dripped with the blood of his enemy. He was going to kill the wolf for touching his woman. But he resisted the urge to attack, knowing that Sköll could easily snap her neck. Cornered, Sköll was running out of options, and that made him particularly deadly and unpredictable. Luca was certain he’d kill Samantha just to make his point.
Samantha felt dazed as the wolf held his arm tightly around her, crushing her trachea. She barely felt his grubby hand touching her. All of the energy she’d exhausted on Rowan had left her weak. She peered up at Luca through teary eyes. Sucking in a quick breath, she tried to speak but couldn’t.
“Wolf, you’re making a mistake. I’m warning you, let her go or you die within minutes. Your choice,” Luca growled at him. There was no way he was taking Samantha alive.
Sköll laughed violently and flashed his canines.
Samantha trembled under his touch and sought a means of escape. Closing her eyes, she intensified her thoughts, praying that she had enough energy to call an element. Unable to speak, she silently chanted to herself, “Adducam ignis ad manus… Adducam ignis ad manus… Adducam ignis ad manus…” Bring fire to my hands.
At first she simply felt a tingling. Soon, the smell of burnt flesh and hair wafted into her nostrils. Sköll hollered as the searing heat scorched his arm. Reacting to the scalding pain, he threw Samantha aside. Red handprints were branded into his bubbling flesh.
“What the fuck did you do?” he screamed at her.
Léopold rushed to gather Samantha from the floor as Luca charged Sköll. Wrapping his hands around the wolf’s throat, Luca tore his fangs into Sköll’s shoulder, tearing and spitting the raw flesh onto the ground. In a struggle for dominance, the two men lurched onto the floor. Sköll pinned Luca down, and landed a punch to his face. From the corner of his eye, Luca saw Xavier and Étienne rushing to help him. He held up his hand to them. “Back off. He’s mine.”
The pain of the strike only served to fuel Luca’s anger. Adrenaline surged. Reaching up with both hands, he wrapped his fingers around Sköll’s neck, digging his thumbs into his windpipe. Sköll coughed and faltered as his oxygen was depleted. Luca wrapped his legs around the man’s waist and flipped him over. He straddled Sköll’s chest. Sköll clasped his hands around Luca’s wrists, but could not shake him off. For a second, he thought Luca was releasing his hold. Luca quickly grabbed the back of Sköll’s head and palmed his chin. In a fluid, accelerated motion, Luca shoved upward and down, twisting Sköll’s neck until he heard a loud pop. Bereft of life, death bled out of Sköll’s eyes. Discarding his prey, Luca roared in domination, wild with fury. Rising, he scanned the room for Samantha.
Like a ferocious animal, Luca searched for his mate; he was dangerous, primal. Léopold carefully watched Luca approach him. Restraining Samantha had been the only way that he could keep her from attempting to enter the fray, in what would have been a treacherous and unnecessary effort to stop Sköll from killing Luca. Luca hadn’t needed help; this kill was his and his alone. Cautiously, Léopold released Samantha’s arms, facing his palms upward toward Luca, gesturing that he had not hurt her. Léopold was unsure if the already enraged Luca understood that he was friend, not foe, and did not want to agitate him further.
As Samantha broke free, she ran into Luca’s arms. “Luca,” she cried.
Possessively taking her into his embrace, he cupped her face, and pressed a punishing kiss to her lips. She was his woman. “Samantha mine,” he said, his lips against hers.
“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.”
“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 th
e 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.