by Tina Folsom
“Here.” Delilah handed her a glass.
Nina took a sip.
“I’m sure he’ll explain all important things to you soon. When I first blood-bonded with Samson, there was so much I didn’t know—”
“Excuse me, explain what to me?” She couldn’t follow Delilah’s ramblings, as nice as the woman was.
“The blood-bond and everything that goes with it.” Her hostess made it sound like that was the most obvious answer.
“That’s okay. I don’t really need to know anything about that. Once this is all over I’ll just go back to my regular life. The less I know the better.” It wasn’t like she wanted to write a book about the mating habits of vampires.
Delilah’s face looked distraught. “But, you can’t leave him now.”
“Amaury?” No, she didn’t want to leave him, but there was no future in whatever they had. She wasn’t naïve. Amaury had everything. There was no reason for him to saddle himself with somebody like her. Sure, she could try to keep him interested in her for as long as possible, but at some point he would stray and look for something new. “That’s really just a fling.” She had to downplay what they had. The less importance she gave whatever was between them, the better.
“A fling? Nina, you don’t blood-bond with a fling.” Delilah’s tone was scolding.
“Who says anything about blood-bonding?” How old-fashioned was Delilah? Just because she’d slept with Amaury didn’t mean she’d get to marry him. And besides, hadn’t Amaury said he wasn’t the promise kind of guy?
“But you and Amaury are blood-bonded.”
Now the poor woman had obviously gone off the deep end. Was that what pregnancy did to women? “No offense, but what gives you that crazy idea?” Nina reached for her glass and brought it to her lips.
“Amaury told Samson that you blood-bonded.”
The water spewed from Nina’s mouth as she almost choked. “What?” Something was seriously wrong here.
Delilah gave her a startled look. “You mean you don’t know?” Her forehead wrinkled even more.
“I didn’t do anything.”
Frantically, Nina searched her memory for everything Amaury had ever told her about blood-bonding. She remembered Luther’s story clearly, but at no point had Amaury explained how it actually worked. Why would he say such an outrageous thing to Samson?
Delilah came around the counter and sat on the stool next to her. “Tell me what happened earlier tonight when you were with Amaury.”
Nina felt heat rise into her cheeks. She couldn’t possibly discuss her sex life with a woman she’d met only twice. “Sorry, but I can’t.”
She felt Delilah’s warm hand on her arm. “It’s important. Tell me what happened.”
With a reluctant movement, Nina opened her mouth. “We had sex.”
“That goes without saying. What happened during sex?”
Nina cleared her throat. She wanted details? “Can you be a little bit more specific?” She felt her cheeks flush.
“Did Amaury take your blood?”
The rush of blood to her head suddenly made her feel dizzy.
“Yes, but he feeds from others, and that doesn’t mean he blood-bonds with them.” There had to be some kind of misunderstanding. She knew for a fact that vampires fed off humans without any aftereffects. In fact, when she’d first started investigating Eddie’s death and followed some of them, she’d seen them feeding. That had been proof positive that they were vampires.
She felt Delilah’s hands on her shoulders, shaking her out of her thoughts.
“Did you take his blood?”
Nina’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. In the heat of passion she had sucked his blood and, by God, she’d found it erotic. But no way would she admit this to a stranger. It was hard enough to admit it to herself. And besides, he’d promised her it wouldn’t turn her into a vampire. Had he lied to her?
“Did you?”
Nina looked straight at her hostess. “No, that’d be gross!” The lie rolled off her lips like water.
“It’s one of the most erotic things to do with your partner. Whenever I drink from Samson—”
“You drink his blood?”
Delilah nodded. “It’s part of the bond. At first, it establishes the connection. Then later it sustains it. Nina, please tell me the truth. Did you drink from him while you had sex and while he drank from you?”
Nina closed her eyes and nodded.
“You blood-bonded with him. He was telling Samson the truth. You are his mate.”
His mate. She—she was Amaury’s mate. For eternity. Always. This couldn’t be true. “Why would he do that?” Amaury didn’t love her—he’d admitted that he couldn’t love. She knew their relationship was only temporary.
“He didn’t explain that to you? Then I guess, he didn’t ask for your permission either?” Delilah’s voice was deadpan.
Nina remembered the one thing he had asked her. “Unless you consider his question ‘do you want me?’ as asking permission.”
“Hardly,” Delilah said. “Did he just bite you without asking you? You could bring charges against him. Samson can bring it up with the council. How despicable of him!” She seemed truly annoyed with Amaury.
“Not exactly. I did ask him to bite me, but I didn’t know what it meant.” Suddenly she felt true anger well up in her. The arrogant macho had done it again: he’d imposed his will on her. As if his wish was her command! “That son of a bitch! He tricked me! He knew what he was doing, and he did it anyway. He’s gonna pay for that. I’ll feed him his balls for breakfast, and then I’m out of here!”
Fury coursed through her. He had blood-bonded with her without asking her, without explaining anything, like she was some woman who had no rights. What century was he living in? She’d show that bastard what he could do with his blood-bond.
“Nina, you can’t leave.”
There was a firm determination in Delilah’s voice that made Nina level a gaze of refusal at her.
“I can and I will. This is over! If he thinks he can treat me like some piece of property, he can go right back into the Dark Ages where he’s from.”
“Seventeenth century, actually,” Delilah interjected.
“Whatever. Me and Amaury—that’s history!”
“Nina. Maybe I should explain something about the blood-bond to you, since obviously nobody else has.”
“I know more than I ever wanted to know about it. I don’t need to know anything else. It’s over!”
Delilah cleared her throat. “Maybe I should pour you a brandy. I think you’ll need it.”
Suspicion crept up Nina’s spine and settled uncomfortably at her nape. “I don’t need a brandy. Say what you’ve got to say.”
“A blood-bond is forever. Only death can sever it.”
“Ah, fuck! Please tell me you’re kidding.”
Slowly Delilah shook her head. That’s when the realization broadsided her. She was bonded to Amaury for eternity. And she hadn’t been given a choice about it. He, caveman that he was, had decided for her. This changed everything.
“Oh, wait until I get my hands on him!” And that was a promise he could take to the bank.
Thirty-one
The minivan came to a stop half a block from the warehouse. Oliver killed the engine. He would be the lookout while the vampires went in.
“This is the place,” Samson said.
“Are we sure?” Amaury asked, glancing out the window.
Gabriel nodded. “It looks exactly like in Paul Holland’s memories. This is Luther’s base. Paul couldn’t lie about it even if he wanted to. Luther should have been more careful about what he allowed him to see. Now we’ll get him.” The scar on his face throbbed.
“You all know what to do. Let’s get into positions. Gabriel calls the shots,” Samson ordered.
“Communication equipment on.” Gabriel touched the little device sticking out from his ear. The others did the same. “Checking.”
&n
bsp; Amaury heard the sound of Gabriel’s voice in his earpiece. Everything worked fine.
They scrambled out of the van. Amaury stretched his legs and looked around. The neighborhood was industrial and on the other side of the train tracks, if not to say the wrong side of the tracks. A few blocks down was San Francisco Bay, a couple of blocks up the Potrero Hill neighborhood. The streets were deserted. It was better that way. Nobody would call the cops once the fight started.
Amaury tensed. It would be over soon, but so much for him depended on the outcome. Was Nina truly on the other side, or was she just as much a pawn as Paul Holland had been? Maybe drawn in by some promises Luther had made and would never keep? In a short time, he’d know the truth, and it scared him.
His entire future depended on the truth. He would never leave her. She was his mate and he was responsible for her life now as she for his.
“Ready?” Ricky’s voice came from behind.
Absentmindedly he nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The group split up, every pair making their way to their prearranged place, covering the various entry points to the building. Ricky and Amaury walked side by side, gliding silently toward the side entrance.
The closer they came to the entry door, the more worried Amaury was. He was supposed to help the group by sensing anybody’s emotions from the inside, yet right now he couldn’t even sense what Ricky was feeling. And the guy walked right next to him.
It had been over two hours since he’d had sex with Nina, and his gift—or whatever one wanted to call it—still hadn’t returned. Sex had never blocked out his ability for this long before. At most he would be free of emotions for half an hour, but never this long. If it didn’t come back in the next couple of minutes, he and his friends would be at a severe disadvantage.
“Everybody in place?” Gabriel’s voice resonated loud and clear in Amaury’s ear.
“Zane and I are at the back,” was Yvette’s reply.
“Thomas and I, ready,” Samson said.
“Amaury and I are at the side. Ready whenever you are.” Ricky looked at him.
“Any activity from the inside, Amaury?” Gabriel asked over the earpiece.
Should he lie or tell him the truth? “Nothing from the inside.”
“What do you mean? Specifics please.”
“I mean I can’t sense anything.” Amaury recognized that he was getting irritable.
“Nobody inside?” Samson asked for clarification.
Amaury huffed. “I don’t fucking know, okay?”
Ricky cut him a surprised glare. Several voices came through the earpiece at the same time, before Samson’s voice burst through.
“Explain yourself, Amaury.”
The earpiece fell silent. “I haven’t been able to sense anybody’s emotions since I bonded with Nina. Even before that things were getting sketchy—almost like blackouts. I think I’ve lost my gift.” He was certain the moment he spoke. It had started slowly with the first time he’d met Nina. And while at the beginning his inability to sense any emotions had been confined to her alone, it had spread—slowly, but with ever increasing range.
Each additional moment he’d spent with Nina had wiped out more of his so-called gift. The temporary release that he’d only ever felt right after sex, had extended further and further the more contact he’d had with Nina.
He realized now that by bonding with her he’d hammered the last nail into the coffin with which to bury his hated gift.
It was over. His curse wasn’t coming back. His psychic ability was lost.
And all he could think of was how free and happy he suddenly felt.
“Fucking perfect timing,” Ricky hissed.
“Stop it!” Samson ordered. “We’ll have to do without it then. We’ll manage. Gabriel, at your command.”
“Test your access points,” Gabriel instructed.
The side door was locked. Ricky worked on the lock.
“Back?”
“Open,” Zane confirmed.
“Front?”
“Thirty seconds,” Thomas paused. Then, “Okay, front is open.”
“Side?”
“Almost there,” Amaury answered, watching Ricky. A nod from Ricky, and Amaury corrected, “Done.”
“Ready on the roof. Give us fifteen seconds. Fourteen …” Gabriel’s voice trailed off.
Amaury counted silently. Ricky’s lips moved: ten, nine …, as Amaury gripped his semi-automatic with both hands. Tense seconds passed.
Now, his friend mouthed and swung the door open silently. Amaury eased inside and pressed himself against the wall next to the door, his eyes scanning the darkness inside. Ricky slid next to him a second later.
There was a musty smell in the warehouse which was stacked with crates. Amaury couldn’t hear his friends’ footsteps. Good. If he couldn’t hear them, neither could Luther or his men. He motioned Ricky to stay on one side, while he crossed the path between the crates and moved along on the other side.
Despite the darkness, he saw clearly where he was walking. At the end of the aisle of goods he stopped and peered around it. Nothing. He gave Ricky a hand movement, then eased around the corner.
Aisle after aisle he worked his way toward the center of the building, with Ricky doing the same on the other side until the rows of the boxes and crates ended, and he reached an empty space in the middle. A movement to his left made him swivel on his heels, his index finger on the trigger of his semiautomatic.
“They’re gone.” Samson stepped in front of him. “The place is empty.”
His other colleagues came into view, frustration and disappointment edged onto their faces.
“Nothing,” Gabriel confirmed.
“Maybe Paul’s memories weren’t that good,” Zane insinuated.
Gabriel pinned him with a furious glare. “This is the place. They were here.”
“And now they’re gone.” Quinn’s voice was even as he cut in. “They must have known we were coming.”
Suddenly several sets of eyes landed on Amaury. If they were thinking what he suspected, they were in for a fight. Nina didn’t do this. He took a step toward Quinn. “What are you suggesting?”
His colleague held his ground. “You know what I’m suggesting.”
“You leave her out of this,” Amaury hissed and glared into the round. “That goes for all of you. She didn’t do this. She did not betray me.” God help him if she had.
Both Quinn and Zane stepped toward him, meeting his stare. They weren’t backing down. Amaury widened his stance, readying himself for a fight. He would defend Nina even though he didn’t know what she had or hadn’t done.
“There’s always the other reason, you know.” At Yvette’s casual words, everybody turned toward her. She stood there, her leather-clad foot propped on a crate, pretending to check her fingernails for any damage. Several seconds passed.
“And you were going to share this reason with us any time soon?” Amaury finally asked.
She stopped admiring her nails and looked up. “Ah, I see, I have everybody’s attention.”
“Yvette.” Gabriel’s voice sounded like a warning.
“Have you guys ever wondered why it was so easy to capture Paul Holland?”
“Go on,” Samson encouraged, clearly intrigued.
“I believe Luther wanted us to catch him so he could lead us into a trap. He used Paul to feed us information he wanted us to have and made sure Paul only saw what he wanted him to see. I think it was all a setup.”
Gabriel scoffed. “I don’t see anybody who’s trying to kill us here, do you?”
“Maybe we are not the ones he wants. Paul claimed Luther’s plan was to destroy Scanguards, but what if that’s not his real goal? What if it was merely a diversion? Maybe he just wanted us out of the way.”
“To do what?” Samson asked.
“If he hates you two as much as you say, getting revenge by destroying your company frankly doesn’t sound like it’s personal enough
. I could think of something much more personal than the company, something much more valuable, or shall I say … somebody?”
Amaury suddenly felt a stab in his temple, the kind of stab he would feel when emotions invaded him—only now it was different. There was only one thought, coming from only one person. Nina. He could sense her. But before he could put the thought in his head into words, he heard Samson shout.
“No! Delilah!” Samson pressed his hand against his temple. He shot a panicked look at the group. “Luther’s got Delilah.”
Thirty-two
Nina bent over the sink and splashed water on her face.
The first wave of anger over Amaury and his high-handed approach to their relationship had passed. She was much calmer now than during her earlier conversation with Delilah. Maybe she had overreacted a little.
Well, it didn’t happen every day that a girl found out she was blood-bonded to a vampire for eternity.
To a very hot and sexy vampire.
But it didn’t change anything about the fact that Amaury had obviously spent too many years in the dark ages where slinging a woman over his shoulder and dragging her into his cave was a perfectly acceptable form of courtship. Even though what had happened in the cave had pleased her very much.
Still, he’d tricked her. No matter how secretly excited she was that this powerful vampire had bound himself to her, she couldn’t let his action pass without making him aware that he couldn’t treat her like this. If she’d let him get away with it now, then what else would he think he could do? She wanted a partner in her life, not a tyrant.
Hell, they hadn’t been out on a single date. He’d never even bought her dinner. All she’d had were leftovers of food he’d cooked for somebody else.
Surely Samson hadn’t treated Delilah with such disrespect. She seemed to be all gooey-eyed over her man. And what had Amaury done? He’d treated her like property, nothing more. She was no man’s property, no matter how hot he was or how amazing he made her feel every time he touched her. Why couldn’t he have asked her like any normal man? Of course, Amaury was anything but normal. Hell, she didn’t want a normal man! She wanted him, a vampire. But before she would admit that, she’d teach him first that he had to treat her like an independent woman, not some chattel.
