Amaury's Hellion

by Tina Folsom

  “Samson, the pole—break it!”

  Save yourself, Amaury, please.

  “I won’t leave you!”

  His anger mixed with determination.

  “Bend forward, away from the pole as much as you can,” he ordered her. Nina did as he asked.

  Amaury kicked against the pole with his leg, then followed it with the blade of his hand. Again the leg, then his hand. In a steady, but rapid rhythm a human’s eye would barely be able to follow, he kicked and hit. Another one. And one more. The pole started to crack on one side.

  One more, just one more.

  He collected all his strength and crushed his foot into the pole. Searing pain shot up his leg, but he ignored it. The metal split. With vampire speed, he reached for her wrists, not even noticing the damage the silver did to his own hands. Wedging the pole up, he twisted it away, letting it fall onto the podium. Tugging up her bound wrists, he wrenched her free.

  Amaury grabbed Nina as he jumped off the podium. The shadow next to him had to be Samson, but he didn’t have time to look. With several more steps, his mate clutched to his chest, he was able to put distance between them and the podium, before he felt the explosion rock him. The shockwave punched him to the ground as heat seared over him.

  With his last ounce of strength he covered Nina beneath him, cradling her in the safety of his broad body, hoping the fall hadn’t hurt her. Her body felt soft underneath his, her breasts crushed against his chest. But she felt cold. How long had she been made to stand up there in the chilly night air? Her breathing was as ragged as his own. Seconds passed before he knew it was safe to lift his head.

  To his left he found Samson lying in a similar position to himself, covering Delilah with his body.

  Looking behind him he saw his colleagues fight the opposition. They outnumbered Luther’s men. It was safe to sit up. Amaury rolled off Nina. Her arms still bound behind her back, she couldn’t move much on her own. He helped her sit up before he tugged at the duct tape.

  “Sorry, chérie: it’ll hurt.”

  Her eyes were wide. She was clearly still in shock. Amaury pulled the tape off in one swift move, then instantly pressed his palm onto her lips trying to soothe the pain.

  Her muffled groan bounced against his hand.

  He couldn’t leave her in pain, and, what the hell, he needed to feel her. “I’ll heal it.”

  His tongue traced over her lips which the tape had left tender, soothing first the lower one, then the upper one. A moment later he found himself kissing her and pressing his body against hers. For a brief moment he enjoyed her closeness. He wanted this to last an eternity, but as quickly as he’d kissed her, he released her.

  Amaury hadn’t forgotten about what he’d done to her. Having saved Nina’s life didn’t change that. She wasn’t his to keep, because he’d never asked her to be his, not in a way she would have understood anyway.

  “I’m sorry.” Amaury averted his eyes and looked back toward the mausoleum. It still stood. Why hadn’t it blown up too?

  “Quinn, the mausoleum didn’t blow.”

  Over his mic he could hear Quinn’s labored voice. “Sorry, buddy; Luther crossed the wires on purpose. I cut the one for the mausoleum, thinking it was for the podium. He thought of everything.”

  “You okay?”

  “Could use some help back here: he’s got another friend.”

  “On my way,” Amaury confirmed. He stood and cast a glance at Nina. “Stay here.”

  ***

  Nina watched as Amaury rushed toward the building. She looked to her side and caught how Samson kissed Delilah softly. His tender voice carried to her.

  “I almost lost you.”

  “Everything’s alright.”

  “And the baby?”

  “She’s fine.”

  “She?” Samson’s voice was filled with surprise.

  “I’ll explain later. Can you get these cuffs off me?”

  Nina felt her own wrists being chaffed by the handcuffs. “Me too. Amaury chose to run off before he untied me.”

  Delilah sent her a pitying look. Yes, it hurt, the fact that while Samson took care of his wife, Amaury had chosen to continue to fight rather than take care of her.

  “Oliver will bring metal cutters from the van,” Samson said.

  Nina turned back to the battlefield. Behind the wrecked podium, a dark figure emerged from the mausoleum. Luther. Nobody had spotted him yet.

  Her eyes searched for Amaury.

  The remnants of the podium were still burning. With difficulty, she was able to make out the different figures fighting in the vicinity. She recognized Johan who fought with Gabriel. Others were obscured by the fire that raged as a result of the explosion.

  Nina saw Amaury head toward the back of the building. Unfortunately Luther spotted him at the same time. She saw how his gaze followed him, and his body started moving into Amaury’s direction. Amaury couldn’t see him since he looked into a different direction.

  If she didn’t warn him, Luther would strike him from behind without warning.

  Nina spun back to Samson. “Samson! Luther—he’s after Amaury.”

  She couldn’t point into the direction she’d seen him, because her hands were still restrained behind her back.

  “Where?” Samson’s eyes travelled swiftly over the scene.

  “To the right, there, next to the building. Please help him.”

  Samson touched his ear then recoiled in shock. “My mic’s gone! Fuck!”

  Nina’s stomach twisted.

  “Amaury!” Samson yelled out, but his friend didn’t turn. There was too much noise on the battlefield. “He can’t hear me.”

  Panic ripped through her. “Oh, God, no.”

  She watched as Luther stalked Amaury.

  “You have to warn him, Nina—do it!”

  Panic made her brain freeze. If he couldn’t hear Samson, whose voice was louder than hers, how would he hear her warning? She felt her heartbeat pound into her throat, the lump in it tightening. Desperation immobilized her.

  “Amaury!” she croaked.

  “The bond,” Samson instructed. “Use the bond.”

  Nina blinked once, then concentrated.

  Amaury, behind you, Luther is behind you.

  A split second later she saw him spin around and face his opponent. Luther dealt the first blow, but Amaury instantly countered. They were evenly matched, dealing each other blow after blow.

  Nina’s stomach twisted painfully as she tried to watch their fight. With every blow Amaury absorbed, she flinched. Who was stronger? Would Amaury win?

  She was startled when she suddenly felt somebody’s hands on hers.

  “I’m Oliver. I’ll cut your cuffs. Keep still.”

  A moment later she felt cold metal against her skin. A snapping sound followed, and the cuffs fell into the grass. Without turning to thank the man, she ran toward the scene in front of her. She had to help Amaury, no matter what.

  She stumbled forward when in the corner of her eye she saw Eddie. He was fighting with Zane. And Zane had the upper hand. Looking to Amaury then back to Eddie, she made a split-second decision and ran toward her brother.

  “Stop! He’s on our side.”

  But Zane ignored her. He continued pounding into her brother.

  “Zane, stop! Don’t hurt him,” she screamed again and lunged forward, throwing herself between the two. Zane grabbed her and tossed her aside, then reached for Eddie. “He’s with Luther.”

  Her response was drowned out by Samson’s booming voice behind her. “Zane, he’s with us. Release him.”

  A disbelieving look came over Zane’s face, but he obeyed and dropped Eddie from his grip.

  Nina ran toward Eddie and hugged him. Her brother’s strong arms went around her and squeezed tightly.

  “You’re alive,” he said.

  Because of Amaury she was alive, but now he was in danger. Nina peeled herself out of Eddie’s embrace and let her eyes search for he
r mate.

  Thirty-nine

  Amaury dodged another of Luther’s blows and swung his fist against his arm, momentarily blocking his opponent, allowed him to pull out his silver dagger with the other hand.

  He used his leg to kick Luther’s legs from underneath him and felt him stumble. Without hesitation, Amaury pinned him against the wall behind him and lifted the dagger to strike.

  For having nearly killed his mate, Luther would have to die. Only then the beast inside Amaury would be appeased.

  No! Stop, Amaury!

  Nina’s voice invaded his mind, and he hesitated for a second.

  Please, if you love me, don’t kill him.

  From the corner of his eye he saw a movement and turned. Nina came running toward him.

  “Don’t move, or you’re dead,” he warned Luther and kept the dagger pressed to his throat. The silver bit into his opponent’s skin.

  “Amaury! Don’t kill him, please, don’t,” he heard Nina call out.

  His gut twisted. Why would she want to save Luther when he’d been planning to kill her? He couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Amaury gave her a long look, trying to search her eyes for an answer. Who was she with?

  Behind her, Samson and Delilah came into sight, and a second later some of the others. The fight seemed to be over, but the fire continued to rage.

  Amaury felt Luther slacken under his grip, clearly realizing he’d lost. Amaury’s hand twitched, eager to finish what he’d started.

  “Don’t,” Nina warned him, “or you’re not any better than he is.”

  “Why should I spare him?” he asked, avoiding her gaze and instead training his eye on Luther’s throat, where the silver dagger burned his flesh. He would only have to press a little deeper to end his life, to make him pay for the pain he’d caused.

  Recalling the sight of Nina on the podium and the panic that had gripped him when he’d realized her handcuffs were made of silver, made his heart beat in a violent rage. He could have lost her forever.

  “You’re not his judge.” Nina’s calm voice drifted into his ears.

  “No, but I am his executioner.”

  “Then I will be his defense counsel.”

  Amaury stared at her, his jaw dropping. “What do you mean? He’s guilty. We all know that.”

  “Let’s get it over with,” Luther suddenly interjected.

  “No,” Nina said, taking a step forward. “There are mitigating circumstances.”

  Even Luther’s face twisted into a confused frown.

  “Mitigating circumstances?” Amaury repeated. He noticed Delilah reaching for Nina’s arm. The two women exchanged a look.

  “He needs to know,” Nina said quietly.

  A sense of dread came over Amaury when Nina locked eyes with him. “If you and Samson had told him back then, this would have never happened.”

  “Stay out of it,” Amaury warned. This was between the men. He and his colleagues would deal with Luther the only way possible. Kidnapping and attempting to murder a vampire’s mate called for the only possible punishment: death.

  “Quinn, get the women out of here,” he ordered. When Quinn looked at Samson for confirmation, his boss nodded.

  “No, I’m not leaving!” Nina underscored her protest by bracing her hands on her hips and widening her stance. His little fighter was ready to do battle with him. But Amaury wouldn’t allow it, not this time.

  “I said—”

  Nina interrupted him, her voice furious now. “I heard what you said. And as Rhett so enlightened Scarlet: frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. I’ll say what I’ve got to say, and nobody will stop me.” Nina leveled a defiant glare at him.

  Damn, his woman had balls. And she used them to defy him. If he weren’t so busy with keeping his knife at Luther’s throat, he’d grab her right now and bend her over his knee for a well-deserved ass-paddling.

  Nobody other than Samson had ever truly stood up to him. And he was a six-foot-something tough vampire, not the delicate human woman whose fists where trembling at her waist. No, he hadn’t missed that. Nina was nervous, but at the same time she was willing to go through with this. He had to admire her, even if he didn’t agree with her this time.

  Amaury caught how Samson opened his mouth to speak, but was held back by Delilah. A soft shake of her head and a touch of her hand on his arm stopped him.

  “Luther,” Nina addressed the vampire at the end of Amaury’s knife, “I despise you for what you tried to do to me and Delilah, but I can understand the pain in you. But you should know neither Amaury nor Samson is the source of that pain. It was Vivian who didn’t want to be turned even though she was given the choice.”

  An instant roar tore from Luther’s chest as he tried to grab for Nina. “You’re lying!” He struggled against Amaury. “You’ll pay for that lie!”

  Luther’s kick landed in Amaury’s groin before he could avert it. The pain shot through Amaury’s entire body and made his hand release the silver dagger, before he doubled over. Luther escaped from his grip and lunged for Nina. A startled scream burst from her lips.

  Despite the pain and nausea his body was fighting, Amaury jumped after Luther. With horror he saw his enemy clutch Nina by the shoulder.

  “No!” A scream ripped through the night, and Amaury realized it was his own. He had to save Nina.

  His friends were faster. Within seconds, Zane and Samson had pried Luther off her and had him restrained.

  Like a wild man Luther stared into the round, looking from one to the other then back at Nina.

  “You’re lying! Admit it—you’re lying!” he demanded.

  Nina shook her honey curls, her face sad. “I wish it was a lie.”

  Amaury noticed a solitary tear dislodge from Nina’s eye and run down her cheek. Luther had seen it too.

  “No!” A violent scream came from Luther’s chest and echoed in the night. “No! No!”

  A moment later, Amaury saw him break. Luther’s entire body collapsed as he sank onto his knees. “Oh God, no.”

  Samson turned to his men. “Quinn, you and Yvette, take Delilah and Nina back home. We have to take care of things here.”

  Quinn nodded.

  Amaury noticed Nina send a questioning look first into Eddie’s, then Luther’s, direction. He took a step toward her. With his voice lowered, he addressed her. “Eddie is safe with us. I promise.”

  “And Luther?” she asked.

  “We won’t kill him. But he will be punished.”

  For a long moment she looked at him then nodded. He motioned to Quinn and Yvette, and the two led the women away. Amaury followed Nina with his eyes. Would he have a future with her?

  When he turned back, he saw Samson crouching next to Luther, a hand on his shoulder.

  “We couldn’t tell you; I’m sorry.” Samson’s words were spoken softly.

  “I loved her.” Luther’s voice was laden with unshed tears.

  Amaury understood his pain only too well. He turned away. Samson would have to deal with Luther. He didn’t have any strength left. It would cost him enough to make it through the next few hours and make things right with Nina.

  “What’ll happen now?” Ricky asked next to him.

  Amaury looked up. “Luther will have to go before the council. He’ll have to stand trial for having created new vampires. And for the murders of those humans the bodyguards killed.”

  “Do you think we can keep Eddie and Kent out of the proceedings?” Ricky asked.

  “They’ll have to testify, but they’ll be held blameless. They were under Luther’s influence when they committed those murders which means the crimes became Luther’s.”

  “What’ll happen to him?”

  “I don’t know, but I know the council is fair. They’ll look at motivation.”

  Amaury looked back at Samson, who’d helped Luther up.

  “Are you ready?” Samson asked.

  Luther looked first at Amaury then back at Samson. There was something Amaur
y couldn’t put his finger on, but he could see Luther’s mind clicking.

  “I want to say goodbye to Vivian.”

  With a nod from Samson, Zane released Luther’s arm and allowed him to turn toward the mausoleum. Amaury caught hate glinting in Luther’s eyes and realized instantly that this would be no loving goodbye to his dead wife.

  Not knowing why, but acting entirely out of instinct, Amaury jumped toward Luther. But he was too late. By the time he reached him and slammed him to the ground, Luther’s hand had already pulled out a small electronic device from his pocket.

  “THE TRIGGER!” Samson screamed from behind him.

  Amaury wrestled with Luther, trying to pry the device out of his opponent’s hand. Luther was quicker. His thumb pressed down on the button.

  A split second later, the mausoleum was shaken by an implosion. The walls caved in and crumbled before they sank into each other. A cloud of dust rose from the rubble.

  Vivian’s resting place was no more.

  Forty

  Amaury's legs felt heavy as he stepped into his private elevator and pressed the button to his apartment. He’d spent the entire night searching for Nina. She hadn’t waited at Samson's house for him. She’d simply left without a word.

  If he was honest with himself, he wasn't even surprised. He'd been an ass, and convincing his mate to forgive him and come back to him wouldn't be easy. But first, he'd have to track her down. After finding her studio in Chinatown empty, he'd scoured every alley and every club for her. Nothing. She'd vanished. The only reason he was returning home now, was the rising sun. Once the sun set again, he’d continue his search for Nina.

  The moment he walked into his place, Amaury realized he wasn’t alone. At the sight of Nina standing in the door to his bedroom, dressed in his white bathrobe, he froze.

  The elevator door clicked shut behind him.

  Hallucinations wouldn’t set in until his body was in starving mode, but it was too early for that. Twenty-four hours without blood wouldn’t do that to him. He’d gone longer without it before.

  “Amaury, you’re home.”