Deliverance (20 page)

Chapter 25

F
or what was probably the second time in her life, Leisha was glad that she’d made Samantha her human servant. It wasn’t a moment she was proud of, but as she entered the motel room and glanced over at the young woman, she could actually look back on that memory with gratitude instead of shame.

If Samantha had been a normal human, nothing would have been able to save her limbs. They would have had to take her to a hospital where the doctors would have surely amputated. But instead, they brought her to a motel to rest, with Nikita by her side.

Samantha drank a lot of hot chocolate and ate more soup than Leisha would have thought she could, but the human servant was finally getting back the use of her hands and feet.

Leisha walked over to the kitchenette and plopped the grocery bags on the small counter.

Nikita was resting on the bed with Samantha’s head nestled against his chest. Both appeared to be sleeping, but Leisha could tell from their breathing and heartbeats that they just had their eyes closed.
At least their hearts aren’t pumping too much.
Tafari had been worrying about those two spending too much time together on a bed, and Leisha had assured him that Nikita would be a perfect gentleman, but she couldn’t help feeling like they’d jumped back in time to when Nikita and Samantha had been a couple.

“Did you get more hot chocolate?” Samantha asked with her eyes still closed.

Leisha rolled her eyes. “You really think I’d deprive you like that?”

Chuckling, Samantha opened her eyes, sat up, and stretched her arms above her head. Leisha was struck at how young she looked, the gesture seeming so childlike.

Turning to the bags on the counter, Leisha pulled out the can of hot chocolate mix, a half-gallon of cream and placed them on the counter where Samantha now stood. “Since you’re feeling better, I’ll let you make your own this time.”

Ignoring the snide tone, Samantha smiled pleasantly. “Sounds great to me. Thanks for getting more.”

Leisha grabbed mixed nuts from the other sack and moved out of the kitchen area so Samantha could have room to move around. Opening the jar, Leisha snacked on the salty morsels as she sat on a chair next to the television.

Nikita was sitting up on the bed and flipping through a Wildlife magazine. He paused at a picture of a white wolf leaping through the air. He looked up and met Leisha’s gaze, his own somewhat uncertain. “I believe I owe you and the others an apology.”

Waving a hand, Leisha continued to munch on the nuts. “I’m over it. I understand. You did what you had to do to survive.” Feeling a flush spread along her cheeks, Leisha averted her eyes. “Besides, I know you heard stories about what I did when I drank from animals.”

“What
did
you do?” Samantha asked as she stirred her hot chocolate.

Nikita huffed and covered his mouth.

Leisha shrugged. “Oh you know. Just weird animal behavior.”

“There was one story about Leisha smelling people where they held their natural scent most when she met them,” Nikita offered.

Heat washed through her cheeks in embarrassment as Samantha chuckled.

“You mean the unflappable, tough Leisha was bending over and sniffing people’s butts?” The young woman put down her mug so she wouldn’t spill it while she chortled. “I would have loved to see that.”

“Laugh all you want,” Leisha said with a straight face. “I also killed humans in the most grotesque ways when I was like that. Those murders were what brought me back to myself, but then I had to deal with the fact that I’d seriously hurt them.”

That sobered Samantha, and she picked up her beverage and sipped it.

Nikita sent Leisha a reproving glance that she chose to ignore.

Rinwa entered at that moment and studied everyone’s faces before shrugging. “Well, we should get ready to go. Our boat leaves at sunrise.”

Leisha raised her eyebrows. “Boat?”

Her daughter narrowed her eyes as if Leisha were dense. “Yes,” she said with exaggerated slowness. “It’s something that floats in the water and generally transports people from one piece of land to another.”

“Why are we leaving on a boat?” Leisha asked. “That will take too long.”

“Too long for what?” Rinwa countered. “Running? Or perhaps hiding? It’s not like we need to get anywhere soon now that we’re all together.”

“But what if someone finds out where we are? We’ll be vulnerable sitting on a boat in the ocean—especially this far north: we’d freeze in a matter of minutes if anyone of us went overboard.”

“I think you and I are picturing different sized boats here,” Rinwa said. “When I said boat, I was referring to the cruise I booked for all of us.”

Samantha perked up at that. “We’re going on a cruise?” She turned to Leisha. “We’ve never been on a cruise before!”

Leisha sat back and turned to her snack. “Unless you count traveling on Tafari’s yacht when I nearly drank your blood.”

“Which won’t happen this time.” Samantha put her hands on her hips. “You’re really in a piss poor mood tonight. What’s going on?”

“She hasn’t gotten laid for a week. She must be dying.” Rinwa leaned her shoulder against the wall and folded her arms. “What?” she asked innocently when Leisha glared. “It’s true isn’t it?”

Leisha made a conscious effort to let that comment go.

“I guess I’m just getting restless,” she said, answering Samantha’s earlier question. “It will be good to be on the move again.”

“At least everyone has their own rooms on the cruise,” Rinwa stated. “And the boat, I mean ship, is pretty big. Plus, since it’s the first cruise of the season here, there will be plenty of people to blend in with. This is the best means of travel while staying low and off the grid.”

Considering the points Rinwa made, Leisha couldn’t think of any better option. “I guess it’s better than flying out of Anchorage. And we should be pretty well secluded.” She sighed. “It’s probably as good a place to hide as any.”

“So glad it meets with your approval,
mother
.” Rinwa left and Leisha heard her walk into the room next door, where Tafari and Liam were.

Is it just me, or does it seem like the only time she calls me mother is when she’s being nasty?

Chapter 26

T
he days spent on the cruise rejuvenated Samantha. Leisha had bought lots of warm clothes for her before they’d left and Samantha always bundled up before going onto the deck, but the cold didn’t scare her anymore, not even when she slipped on the icy deck in the early mornings. She was fully recovered and was determined to enjoy every moment.

The sunsets were her favorite. They painted the sky and the sea in a vision of gold and red. And the fact that Nik would come up and join her just as the last rays disappeared were a moment for her to look forward to. On the third night, however, Nik didn’t come up. Samantha waited until the sun was completely down. Liam approached and joined her at the balcony.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” he said. “We were all worried about you.”

She looked down at him. The boy’s cheeks were red from the cold and his eyes were glassy. “I’m sorry everything has been so tense lately. It feels like we’ve been running from one trouble to another since December.”

He shrugged. “There will be more, and soon.”

Samantha swallowed. “Are you talking about what you’re trying to do to restore balance? You said that I would need to—” She cleared her throat. It difficult to say the word. “To k-kill someone for you.”

“Yes. The time is fast approaching.”

“How do you know?” Samantha thought,
If we can discuss this with Leisha and Tafari, maybe they’ll be able to come up with a different plan.

“Instinct.” Liam reached for her arm and squeezed. His eyes bored into her with an intensity she’d never seen from him. “You can’t tell the others. It’s very important that we keep this between us.”

Samantha shook her head. “Why? They’d want to help. And Leisha deserves to know all this.”

“Because they’d stop us. With all their good intentions, they’d damn this world and mine.”

Chills broke out along her spine. She opened her mouth to say more, but Liam held up a hand. “I know you’re wondering where Nik is. Go find him. Enjoy his company. Life is very short in your world.” He walked back inside where the others were enjoying live singing.

Biting her lip, Samantha decided she should respect Liam’s wishes. She hated keeping secrets, but he made it sound like there was too much riding on his shoulders for her to betray him.

Turning back to the sky, she drew in a deep cleansing breath, and then decided to go below deck to Nik’s room. He opened the door before she was able to knock.

“You and your vampire hearing,” she said lightly. “It can be a bit unnerving sometimes.”

Nik’s lips quirked. “I wonder if I’d have a sixth sense about you even if I wasn’t a vampire.”

Heart fluttering at the comment, Samantha took a deep breath. “You mind if I join you?”

The vampire hesitated before opening his door wider in invitation.

Samantha walked past and sat on his bed. Their rooms were pretty small. Each had a queen sized bed with a standard bathroom attached. Samantha’s room and the one Leisha and Tafari shared each had a balcony. The rest didn’t. She thought that Nik’s room felt smaller with no windows.

“So,” Samantha asked. “How come you’re hanging out in here tonight? Don’t you feel like stuffing your face on all that food?”

“You mean like we did last night, and the night before?” Nik sat next to her, making the bed dip. “I think I’m done with that buffet for a little while.” He glanced at her. “But if you’re hungry and want me to accompany you, I’d be happy to.”

A grimace came to her lips. “Actually, I ate about an hour ago. There was a big dinner and a show.” She placed her hand over his. “Sorry you have to hide out here while we do that stuff.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He looked completely at ease. “I’ve had a lot of rest I caught up on. And plenty of time to think.” His eyes grew distant with the last sentence.

Studying his profile, her fingers tightened over his. “Think about what?”

Coming out of his reverie, his gaze swept over her, filled with intense emotion that Samantha couldn’t identify. “Mostly about us,” he stated softly.

Samantha couldn’t hide the smile from spreading over her lips. “You were thinking about us? About me?”

Nik chuckled, his intensity evaporating. “I’m afraid I think about you a lot more than I should.” He pulled her into his body and wrapped his arms around her.

They sat like that for several minutes, Samantha cocooned by his warmth and natural scent. “Nik?” she murmured into his shoulder.

“Hmm?”

“Back in the woods, when Leisha and the others found us.”

His back stiffened but he waited for her to continue.

“Leisha said that when you were in that state, you acted like I was your mate.” Biting her lip, Samantha suddenly couldn’t think of anything else to say. She wanted to ask him about it, but couldn’t form the words that had been going through her mind for days.

“You want to know why.” Nik said it quietly.

Nodding, Samantha waited for his answer with bated breath.

The vampire sighed and pulled back until he was looking into her eyes. “Samantha, I . . . I don’t know what it is about you, but I feel . . .” He threw his hands up. “I just feel when I’m around you.”

Her eyebrows drew together. “You’re saying that I’m the switch to your emotions?”

“No, that didn’t come out right.” He sighed, then started again. “I’ve always been able to compartmentalize, even when I was human.” He shrugged. “It’s what made me so good at being an assassin. And it helped me to grow within the ranks of the other vampires. The society there is different.”

“You mean different because they enjoy killing and drinking blood?” Samantha asked with some sarcasm.

“More than that. It’s that most vampires, while unfeeling about others’ plights, are very emotional. Even Ptah had buttons to push, though Leisha was usually the only one that could push them. But me, I was able to conceal my emotions. No one could push me around or affect me like they wanted. It’s what made me excel.”

She pursed her lips to the side. “But Leisha told me that you two got along pretty well before I ever came along.”

“She probably said that we have always respected each other, which is true. But we did not actually become friends until you entered my life.” He stroked her cheek. “Do you remember that first time we met?”

Samantha laughed. “How could I forget? You used your luring powers on me so you could drink my blood.”

He nodded solemnly. “I wanted to kill you then.”

“Right,” she said slowly, feeling that she didn’t understand. “Because my blood called to you or something?”

This time Nik laughed. “Have you been reading romance novels, Samantha? No, your blood didn’t ‘call out’ to me.” His hazel eyes bored into her. “I wanted to kill you because I was scared. As soon as I saw you, I couldn’t just compartmentalize. I
felt
. And I couldn’t do anything about it.”

“Oh.” It came out breathless. Samantha couldn’t think of how to respond to that.

“And then the more I learned about you—your innocence and your quiet strength—the more I liked you. And when we spent all that time together, when Leisha was pregnant and we were running from the vampires, I fell in love with you.”

Samantha was embarrassed to feel tears prickling behind her eyes. “I fell in love with you, too,” she whispered. She leaned forward, her gaze on his lips. She knew their taste and couldn’t wait to sample them again.

But Nik put his hands on her shoulders, keeping eye contact. “But don’t you see? That incident in South America was the slap in the face I needed. We shouldn’t be together, Samantha.”

Huffing, Samantha narrowed her eyes. “We’re not going to have that conversation again, Nik. I don’t care if you’re a vampire! I don’t care that you kill. It doesn’t bother me.”

“I know.” His expression was more sober than she’d ever seen. “And that’s what’s wrong about this whole situation.”

Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. She closed it, swallowed, and then tried again. “Nik, I think we already talked about this a little. I’m going to be surrounded by all this . . . death, danger, and monsters whether you’re in my life or not.” She took his hands off her shoulders and gripped them tightly. “The only thing stopping us from being together is you. You said you were scared when you met me and wanted to kill me because of it. Now you’re scared that you’re a . . . a bad influence on me and want to kill our relationship because of it.” Emboldened by her own speech, Samantha pushed him back on the bed and leaned over him, her face directly above his. “Well, it’s time you faced your fears. You know what I have to say about any argument you may have about our being together? Get over it!”

With that, she brought her mouth down to his, kissing him hard. Nik’s arms came up and pressed her to him as he kissed her back with equal fervor. It lasted several minutes before Samantha pulled back to catch her breath.

But Nik wasn’t done. He trailed kisses over her jaw line and exposed neck, making Samantha shiver. Samantha swung a leg over his torso so that she straddled him and ran her fingers through his hair as he continued to linger over her neckline.

Suddenly, he moaned and before Samantha knew what happened, she was on her back, under Nik’s tall frame.

His hands were under the hem of her shirt, tugging it upward.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Nik gazed into her eyes and Samantha could see the mixture of love and lust. It was enough to scorch her completely. But then a tremor of uncertainty flickered across his face. His hands paused. “Samantha, have you ever . . .?”

Biting her lip, she met his gaze and shook her head. “No.”

The vampire groaned and rested his forehead against hers. “I can’t be your first. It’s not right on so many levels.”

“Excuse me?” She scooted back until she was sitting up and resting against the headboard. “Don’t you think that’s
my
call to make?”

“Samantha, I’m just trying to—”

“No,” she interrupted firmly. “You don’t get it, do you? Don’t you think I’ve tried to have sex with other men?” Unable to sit and look at him, she got up and paced the small confines as she explained. “Do you know how hard it is to find a guy that I can connect with? None of them know anything about my life! Everything I tell them is one big lie, including my name. And you think that I can’t have sex with you because you’re a vampire? I love you and you know all of my secrets, and now here you are, saying it isn’t right? If it’s not right with you, I may as well just die a freaking virgin!”

She pivoted to continue her pacing, but Nik was before her, blocking her way. His hands wrapped around her and he kissed her before she could say anything. Samantha immediately gave in. Her hands sought out the bare skin under his shirt. His torso was lean and hard. His body heat consumed her. Before he could change his mind, Samantha grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head.

Nik stroked his hands over her ribs, his expression telling her that he wouldn’t stop this time.

Samantha smiled and gave herself over to the pleasure that she knew only Nik could bring her.