by Grosso, Kym
As she lifted her head, she gazed into the piercing black eyes of the vampire she’d met at Sangre Dulce. He’d rescued her from Luca’s grip. For a split second, he caught her gaze, fangs bared. He had Luca in a headlock, threatening to break his neck. Luca struggled against him, unwilling to give into defeat.
Samantha screamed at the vampire to release Luca. “Don’t hurt him! Please! I’ll give you whatever you want. I promise,” she begged. Samantha stumbled as she tried to stand. Pointing at Rowan, she tried to get the attention of the stranger. “Over there! Rowan, that witch right there. She has the periapt. He’s under her control.”
Luca growled at the other vampire. The clamp on his trachea loosened for a split second, allowing him to maneuver out of the stranglehold. The two magnificent vampires began to roll on the ground, wrestling for control over one another.
Rowan laughed maniacally, “Oh how I love to see the gladiators fight. It’s a fine match. But alas, we must be going. Luca, are you ready to come with your new mistress? You really do need better training. I asked you to kill this insignificant excuse for a witch, and here you are playing games with a vampire. Ah, I must admit I am looking forward to making you my slave in every way possible. Oh yes, I plan to discipline you long and hard, night after night,” she mused, staring down at Samantha.
“No!” Samantha screamed and lunged for her. Samantha shoved Rowan to the ground, but the witch was strong. She grabbed Samantha by the hair, pulling her downward, refusing to relinquish the amulet.
“You should have worked on your powers, little girl. Maybe if you had, you’d be like me. But, no, you wasted Ilsbeth’s lessons. So tell you what, since I’m feeling generous, I’m about to teach you a little trick in transporting.” Rowan held her by the hair and slapped Samantha across the face. “Pay attention!”
“Fuck you!” Samantha yelled and hit her back. “Give me the amulet!” She kicked at Rowan as they fought, but she couldn’t pin her to the ground.
“Enough!” Rowan waved her hand, sending out a wave of magic; Samantha’s body flew across the courtyard and slammed against a brick wall. Rendered unconscious, Samantha drifted into blackness.
Rowan waited for her vampire. After all the work she’d done, she had no intention of leaving without him. Chanting a spell, she opened a swirling gray portal. She turned to the vampires, who’d stopped fighting momentarily to observe the vortex.
“Come Luca, you’re mine. You will come with me now,” she ordered.
In confusion, Luca started to go for Samantha. He wanted to stay with Samantha and protect her. But as he did, searing pain ripped through his body; he knew he was being forced to go with Rowan. Thrown into an agonizing paroxysm, he doubled over, unable to stand. The periapt was the only key to his survival. If he could get the periapt and destroy it, then his binding to Rowan would be broken.
He looked over to the large vampire with whom he’d been fighting. Luca could tell the vampire was many years older than him, a great warrior. Luca was one of the strongest vampires in the world, yet this vampire was not overcome. More importantly, the vampire had saved Samantha from certain death that would have come at his own hands. He sensed this vampire didn’t want him or her dead, but knew he also desired the periapt. Could he be trying to destroy it too? He had to make a decision, go with Rowan willingly and destroy the amulet or stay and try to fight against the compulsion.
He tried once again to go to Samantha, and he was blinded afresh as the fiery torture rippled throughout his bones. Falling on his hands and knees, he backed away, and the pain subsided. Through blurry vision, he glared at the devil who’d done this to him.
Rowan crooked a finger at him, giving him no choice. Stumbling toward her, he attempted an attack. With but a flick of her wrist, she threw him into the churning aperture. A rush of energy flooded his senses. Swept inward, he landed with a thud onto a rock-hard concrete floor. Luca hissed as a silver net blanketed his body. The smell of his own burnt flesh drifted into his nose as he prayed for mercy.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Samantha dreamt she was floating on a cloud, smiling at a rainbow. As she weaved her fingers into its beams, her eyes fluttered open, and she realized she’d been asleep. Where am I? Where’s Luca? In a surge of panic, she shot upright. Scanning the room, she didn’t recognize her surroundings; an achromatic theme teased her eyes. The room was bright white, with cream crown moldings. The white four-poster bed was covered in a white eyelet duvet with matching bed pillows. A large white dresser and mirror and overstuffed chair were offset by the dark cherry hardwood floor. Despite being devoid of color, the room was tastefully decorated.
Draped in silence, she sat up with her legs crossed. She sighed, relieved that she was still dressed. Her shoes, however, were on the floor next to the bed. Considering she wasn’t naked or locked up, she surmised that whoever had taken her wasn’t considering hurting her…yet.
Remembering Luca’s attack, she carefully touched her neck, grateful she hadn’t died. It was slightly bruised but didn’t hurt too much. She started to panic again, wondering what had happened to Luca, when she looked up to see the intimidating vampire who’d been stalking her leaning against the door jamb. Coolly, he approached her. Her eyes widened as she systematically ran through feasible escape scenarios.
“Hello, Samantha. I am Léopold Devereoux,” he said, with a French accent.
“You!” Samantha backed up against the bed, bending her knees to her chest, wrapping her hands around them. Her heart beat frantically. She looked for a getaway but saw none.
Léopold gracefully glided toward her and sat on the large lounge chair. “Do not be afraid, mon agneau. I will not hurt you,” he assured her.
She studied the larger than life vampire who’d threatened her at the club. Remembering the feel of his body against hers, she knew that he had to be at least as tall as Luca. In the darkness of Sangre Dulce, she had barely been able to make out his features, but she’d never forget his midnight-black eyes. Now in the light, she noticed how striking he was. The hard contours of his masculine face accentuated his square jawline. Dark brown, wavy hair was styled into a modern shark fin. Even though his presence exuded power, he looked young, mid-thirties. Sexy. Deadly. Samantha wondered if every vampire had an underpinning of sensuality that kept every woman wondering if he’d bite her. While he was undeniably attractive, she felt nothing but fear toward the vampire standing before her. She realized she was staring, and averting her gaze, she looked away toward the wall.
Sensing her fear, Léopold attempted to soothe the pretty little witch. He didn’t mean to scare her, but he needed the amulet. She was nothing more than a means to an end. Looking at her pale skin and full lips, he understood Luca’s attraction to the mortal.
“Now, I know you don’t trust me. Given my severe actions, I suppose you have reason. But mademoiselle, my intentions this evening are honorable.”
“Honorable? You burned down my cabin!” she spat at him. “You could have killed us!”
“Oh yes, well, that was merely a diversion to get you to focus on the task at hand. You see, it was rumored that Asgear had the periapt. After his indiscretion with Kade Issacson’s human woman, I searched his properties, or should I say what was left of his properties, but never found it. But I did, however, find you.” He smiled wryly. “Convinced of its existence, I simply gave you the encouragement you needed to find it for me. Which you did, quite resourcefully, by the way.”
Samantha glared at him in contempt and disbelief. “You risked my life and Luca’s for that godforsaken amulet, and now what? Rowan has it. And Luca? Where is he?” she cried. Tears welled in her eyes.
“I’m afraid that is a bit of a problem. Rowan is a devious witch, and she knows exactly why I was so persistent in my search for the Hematilly Periapt. She is fully aware that she can control vampires. And now, to my dismay, she has Luca. She’ll also have any other vampire whose blood she steals as well. The amulet is very dangerous to our kin
d. She must be found.” He took a deep breath and blew it out. “I called Kade this evening, and he has been detained for several hours, something or other to do with the wolves. We agreed it would be best for me to take Étienne, Xavier and you to extricate Luca from Rowan.”
“Me? What could I possibly do? You saw what she did to me.” Samantha was embarrassed by what had happened. Rowan had called her and she had come like a dog. She hadn’t called on her powers; instead she’d frozen.
Léopold stood, approached the bed and sat next to Samantha. “You are a mere babe in the woods, dear Samantha. But you do have your power. I saw you in the mountains the day you extinguished the fire. You need to concentrate this time. I will need your help to save Luca and acquire the amulet. Of course, Rowan will be expecting us. She very much wants to keep it, so that she can keep Luca. Do you want her to keep Luca?” he taunted.
“No,” she whispered, putting her head in her hands. She rubbed her face and met his gaze with pleading eyes. “I can’t lose him. We are bonded. What I mean to say is that we started it. He is mine. I am his.” The reality of the situation was sinking in, and Samantha hated that Rowan had taken him.
“I would call that a no. And so what you must understand is that he is no longer yours. He doesn’t even belong to himself. She is making him a slave as we speak, in every sense of the word. He will not be able to fight her. What she tells him to do, he will do. As long as the amulet exists, she is his.”
“No, that can’t be. He would never be with someone else. When she told him to attack me, he was fighting it,” she protested.
“But it will kill him to continue to fight it…eventually he will give in. In another few days, he will be nothing more than a shell of a man,” he calmly explained.
“What are we supposed to do? We don’t even know where she is. Ilsbeth...we should call her to help us,” she suggested.
“No. That’s not going to happen. Any other witch may also be tempted to take it. The periapt is something the witches want in their possession. It must be destroyed.”
“So why bring me?” she challenged.
“Because you love him. And only a witch can destroy the Hematilly Periapt. He needs you. Hell, I need you,” he admitted.
For just a second, Samantha thought she saw a flicker of emotion in his eyes and then just as quickly it was gone.
Léopold continued speaking. “So here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to get yourself together and meet us downstairs. Étienne and Xavier are coming over to my flat and then we shall go to Rowan’s. She bought a home, which she cleverly deeded in a different name, but I am certain she’s there nonetheless. She’d never risk taking him to the coven, because if she did, she knows that Ilsbeth would immediately call Kade. To the best of our knowledge, Ilsbeth is not aware of what Rowan’s done, but we are not involving her, either. No, this will be done with the four of us. Kade should be here in the morning, should we need to dispose of the witch.”
“Dispose? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means that she will die, Samantha. Kade’s the leader in this region and it’s fitting that he metes out justice should she survive the night.” Léopold walked across the room and opened the door to leave. “And Samantha, you should be aware that Rowan may have created others.”
“Others?” she asked wearily.
“Yes, others. Other slaves, vampires. Possibly shifters. We cannot be sure what she has done.”
“Who are you anyway? Why would Kade let you rescue Luca?” She couldn’t fathom why this stranger cared what happened to Luca.
“I am Kade’s maker,” he stated with resounding authority. “Now let’s not waste time. We have a vampire to save and an amulet to destroy. I need you ready, mentally prepared for what we are about to face. You must be focused. Draw on your power. Remember how it felt at the cabin. Bring whatever elements you need, but help us get Luca.” Léopold shut the door behind him, praying that Luca’s woman understood what they faced.
Samantha wasn’t happy to be in Léopold’s home. How could Kade leave her with him? She barely trusted Kade and now she was supposed to trust his maker? She put her face into her hands in grief. Luca was gone, and it was all her fault. If she could have resisted Rowan, she’d never have lost the amulet. If she’d listened to Ilsbeth and tried harder to learn her craft, she would’ve been able to fight back. Instead, she’d been nothing more than a marionette being played by a master puppeteer.
Wiping the tears away, she attempted to collect her emotions. She may’ve been useless to Luca in the courtyard, but she’d be damned if she’d give up on him. She couldn’t let Rowan wear him down to nothing. Resolving to fight until her last breath, she pushed off the bed. She wasn’t a quitter; she was a survivor.
Samantha knew in her heart that she loved Luca with every cell of her being. She wasn’t sure that she could trust Léopold, but he’d told her Xavier and Étienne were coming with them. Luca trusted those vampires who’d been at the club. If he could trust them, she would try as well. It was all she had to go on.
Pushing open the bathroom door, Samantha went about her business and then caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her long red mane frizzed out of the rubber band; her face was marred by dirt and a large thin scratch over her right eyebrow remained as evidence of her brawl with Rowan. “Shit,” she said to herself, deciding she looked like a hot mess.
She ran the water hot and wet a washcloth. After gently cleaning the wound, she rubbed the cloth up and down her arms, in an attempt to freshen herself up. Wetting her fingers with water, she finger combed her hair, braided a single braid down her back and secured it with the band. Satisfied that she was ready to face Léopold, she walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. Her delicate fingers closed around the brass doorknob. She took a deep cleansing breath; it was time to get Luca back.
Barely conscious, Luca writhed against the burning silver cuffs. Through blurry eyes, he took stock of the sparsely decorated environment. The spacious area held only a single tattered sofa and a dusty area rug, which partially covered the oak planked floor. Intricate antiqued crown moldings around the upper perimeter clued him that it might once have been used as a ballroom. However, not a window revealed his location, as they’d been boarded over.
Footsteps alerted him to the svelte figure watching him from the doorway. Her inky curly tresses spilled over nearly white skin. As his eyes came into focus, he could see she was wearing a scarlet satin corset and matching lace panties; a translucent full-length robe trimmed with feathers, deliberately showed off her assets. Her cherry-red lips began to move as she slithered toward him. A flash of metal in her hands caught his eyes; scissors.
“Luca, darling. So nice that you are finally awake.” She knelt beside him, running her long fingers up his chest. Pulling tightly on his shirt with one hand, she began to cut the material until his chest lay naked to her. She ripped the fabric aside until Luca felt the cool hardwood floor against his skin.
“Rowan,” Luca hissed. “You’ve gone mad. You can’t keep me here.”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong, my vampire.” She raked her fingernails down his chest until she felt the button on the top of his jeans. She unbuttoned his pants and unzipped him. “I can and will keep you here. You’re my shiny new toy. I do love unwrapping presents.”
She smiled wickedly and held the edge of the cold blades flat against his lips. “Keep quiet now, my pet. I’m going to enjoy every minute of this.”
Luca jerked his head away in disgust. Rowan laughed as she trailed the scissors down his chest and slid the blade under his jeans, letting it rest against his groin.
“Don’t worry, darling. I have no intention of damaging the goods. I have plans for you.” She cupped his balls roughly then began to cut his jeans away. Within minutes, she had removed all the denim. Luca lay splayed on the hardwood floor naked save only for his boxers.
“Rowan, don’t do this. Ilsbeth will find you.
She’s the most powerful witch in New Orleans. You’re part of her sisterhood.”
“Ha! Ilsbeth,” she mocked. “All these years, you and Kade have been coming to the coven for her advice, her help. Using her like a whore. She makes me sick the way she panders to all you vampires. She’ll never find me anyway. Of course you don’t know since you’ve been out of it, but I’ll let you in on a little secret.” She straddled him, caging him with her arms placed to either side of his head. Seductively, she leaned over, rubbing her breasts against his chest. Lapping her tongue along the line of his neck, she whispered in his ear, “We’re not in New Orleans.”
“Are you mad? You know damn well that Ilsbeth can still find you.”
“So you think. But you need to accept that I have grown quite powerful too. Even if she managed to locate me by scrying, I’ve set up wards especially for Ilsbeth.”
“I am going to rip your fucking throat out and drain you dry, witch. Release me now and I’d consider showing you mercy,” Luca growled, baring his fangs.
“Now, now, Luca dear. You’ve got to come to terms with what’s happened to you. It will be much easier for us all if you simply submit to me. I am your mistress now. And I can do whatever I want with your mind and this fine body of yours.” Rowan dug her fingernails into his shoulders and began to grind her pelvis against Luca’s.
Luca thrashed against his bindings and tried to buck her off of him. “Bitch, it will be a cold day in hell before you’ll ever be with me. You disgust me, you bloody cow. Get off me!”
“Come now, do be a good boy. You are forgetting that I have the periapt. I can make you do anything now, whether you want it or not.” She fingered a silver necklace and held up the amulet; a key dangled next to it. Moving her body upward, she pressed the apex of her legs against the cheek of his face as she unlocked the handcuffs above his head.
