Highlander Reborn (5 page)

“It isn’t that easy, Nevin. He’s a king.”

“He has to sleep sometime.”

“So do we,” Amalia reminded him. She could feel the sun’s pull as it rose.

Nevin was unmoved. “I don’t feel as if I need to sleep. Show me where he lives. We’ll go after him today.”

Amalia felt strong enough to withstand the sun’s call, though. Interesting. “I can do better than that, I can show you where he sleeps.”

“How the fuck do you know where he sleeps?” Nevin’s growl made the hair on her arms stand up.

She ignored his question. “Do you want me to mobilize my men?”

“Why do you know where his bedroom is?” he gritted out between clenched teeth.

“It was a long time ago, Nevin. Leave it.” She turned to walk away. He didn’t like that.

He gripped her upper arms and swung her around to face him. He held her tightly and lifted until they were nose-to-nose. “Did you fuck him?”

“Put me down, Nevin.”

“Did. . . you. . .
fuck
. . .him?” His gravelly voice was deeper and rougher than she’d ever heard it.

“I’m not answering that. Let me down. If you want to go after him, we go now.”

He kissed her hard, possessively. He ground his lips to hers. Her fangs dropped down and she kissed him back just as fiercely. One of her fangs nicked his lip and when she tasted his blood, she gasped. She pressed against him, wrapping her legs around his hips, and she ground against his hard length as she suckled his lower lip. It wasn’t until Sebastian cleared his throat that Nevin broke off the kiss. Even then, Amalia kept rubbing up against his rock-hard cock, trying for his mouth again.

“Is there somewhere I can take her?” Nevin looked at Sebastian over the top of her head.

“There’s a closet right outside this room.” His amused voice broke through the fog in her brain.

Her face flamed, and she climbed down Nevin. “No, it’s all right. I’m back now.” She smoothed her hair back and cleared her throat. “Right, uh, where were we?”

“You were dry-humping him in front of your people, my Lady.” Sebastian was enjoying this immensely.

She shot him a look. “Not helpful, Sebastian.”

“I disagree. I’m extremely helpful.”

Amalia ignored her friend, and instead led Nevin out of the room. Every single pair of eyes followed their progress across the chamber. As she shut the door, a relieved breath whooshed out of her. She placed her hand over her eyes, and could feel herself wilt. Her whole body wanted to become one with the door that was supporting her. Warm arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close.  Nevin just held her while she regained her composure.

“It isn’t all that bad, now is it?” His breath teased the hair tucked behind her ear.

She refused to look at him, so she muttered to his chest, “Nevin, I would’ve impaled myself on your cock if Sebastian hadn’t interrupted us. Yes, it’s
that bad
.”

“Ahh, yes. Sebastian. Remind me to return the favor one day.”

Amalia lifted her head to glare up at him. “You’re getting a kick out of this, aren’t you?”

“Oh aye.” His eyes crinkled, and while his lips didn’t exactly tilt into a smile, it was there, waiting for her. She hadn’t seen him smile, well, ever. Her fingers lifted of their own accord and gently traced his mouth.

“We should go.”

“Right.”

Neither one of them moved. Without realizing she was doing it, Amalia reached up on her tiptoes and replaced her fingers with her lips. It was the gentlest of kisses, barely there, then gone. Yet it meant more to her than any words could. She found the will to step back and dematerialize. She knew he’d follow.

Chapter 7

He would follow her anywhere. Nevin materialized right beside Amalia in a darkened bedroom, instantly on the alert. There was a shape beneath the bedding, but he couldn’t see anything other than dark hair on a pillow. Rage filled his veins, flooding them with the heat of his fury.
This
was the vampire who had tried to kill his woman. Nevin would rip his head off and place it on a pike at the entrance of the castle. Every Nightkind who came near would know that to fuck with Amalia meant death.

“Amalia, darling. To what do I owe this surprise?” A smooth, accented,
familiar
voice cut through Nevin’s thoughts. And it came from behind them. “Have you received my,” he paused, “gifts?”

They swung around to face the man who had been killing her people and leaving them as presents.

“Vlad,” Amalia greeted him. “Taking your Dracula act a bit too far, are we?” She waved her hand in the direction of his clothing. Was the vampire wearing a
cape
? Unbelievable.

“I see you are charming as ever. And we have a guard dog today, how quaint. I don’t think you’ve ever needed—” he trailed off with an audible gasp. “You,” Vladimir accused. “You are dead. I killed you centuries ago. I saw it with my own eyes. You
died!
I will not have anyone stand in my way. I
will
have her!”

All logic left him as Nevin faced the man who had cut his throat, nearly severing his head, several centuries ago. With a roar, he leapt for Vladimir, drew his dagger, and returned the favor. But his prey was fast. A gasping Vladimir materialized on the other side of the bed, his bloody hands wrapped tightly around his throat. The gaping wound would kill him if he bled out, but he staggered to the form on his bed and tore the sheets off. The pale woman had time to do little more than blink before Vladimir savaged her neck.

Amalia and Nevin were quick, but they were not fast enough. Vladimir had gotten enough blood to start healing and was already across the room. Nevin reached over his shoulder to draw his sword, but Vladimir was gone. Amalia had a candelabra in hand and was inspecting the woman. He caught her gaze and she shook her head. The human was dead.

Within seconds, Vladimir was back, sword in hand, fresh blood down his shirt. Nevin raised his sword, and found Amalia at the end of it. It hadn’t gone through, thank the goddess, but Vladimir had fisted her hair and used her as a shield. The coward.

“You bitch! This is my favorite castle,” Vladimir wheezed out.

Pulling his sword back from her chest, Nevin calculated how quickly he could materialize behind the Russian king when the smell of smoke thickened in the room.

All three of the vampires looked at the fully engulfed bed. Amalia must have dropped the candelabra when Vladimir grabbed her.

The momentary distraction was all he needed. Nevin materialized behind Vladimir and, once again, swung his sword. His momentum was so great, that when Vladimir disappeared, Nevin spun a full circle before standing in front of Amalia. He knew Vladimir was gone, but he also knew he’d turn up again. Whether it was another several centuries or only a few hours, Vladimir would not let this go.

Alerted to the sound of Amalia choking on the smoke-filled air, Nevin embraced her and dematerialized. They appeared outside the fortress walls and watched the morning sky fill with smoke.

Sebastian sauntered towards him, the weak daylight apparently didn’t bother him.

“How is it you’re out in the daylight, Sebastian?”

“Oh, don’t let my stunning good looks fool you, Highlander. I’m weak as a kitten.”

“Right,” said Nevin. A kitten with really big teeth.

“My Lady,” Sebastian bowed. “We should return to the stronghold. Your people will want to know of Vlad’s death.”

“He isn’t dead.”

“What? But his bedroom is on fire.”

“I know, but he got away.” She laid her hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry, Sebastian. I know how much his death would mean to you.” Of all people, Sebastian perhaps had the most reason to want Vlad dead.

“All the more reason to get you back home. You need to be protected.”

“I know.” She turned to look up at Nevin, who was watching the dark cloud of smoke.

“You should go back with him.”

“Aren’t you coming?”

“You know I can’t.”

“I know no such thing. I don’t understand. My people will accept you, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Nevin shook his head, “It’s not that.”

“Is it,” her voice cracked, so she cleared her throat and began again. “Is it because you’re still angry that I turned you?”

Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, but he forced himself to say it anyway.

“You know it was just sex.”

Her eyes widened at the insult, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she straightened her shoulders, blinked back the tears that never fell, and she vanished.

Sebastian said, “I don’t normally interfere in things—”

Nevin snorted, interrupting him. “Aye, you do. You make great sport of it.”

Sebastian continued on, ignoring the comment, “She mated you that day.”

“Yesterday? I know.”

“Not yesterday. The day she found you dying in a field.”

“What? No, she turned me into a vampire. She didn’t mate me.”

“True,” he acknowledged with a dip of his head. “But you drank from her again after you became Nightkind. We don’t drink from our own, and very rarely do we mate. Mating is forever, you know, and forever is a long time when you’re immortal. That’s why you’ve been seen as such a threat. Most of us were fine with the mating, as long as she never claimed you.” Sebastian sighed heavily and shook his head. “But after yesterday? Her life will be in danger, and so will yours.”

Nevin growled, “I will hunt down the Russian and put his head on a pike.”

“Well, I think you would be better off by her side, than scouring the world for Vlad.”

He eyed him warily. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Amalia is my friend. She saved me from a bad situation once. She deserves my loyalty. And she deserves to have the man she loves stand by her, even if he is a barbarian from the Highlands who isn’t good enough for her.”

She didn’t love him. Nevin knew she cared, but it wasn’t love. She was stubborn, she wouldn’t have left so easily if she loved him. A small voice whispered that she would never have turned him into what he hated if she truly loved him, but he knew that wasn’t true.

Sebastian left as silently as he’d appeared, allowing Nevin’s mind to wreak havoc on emotions long-since forgotten. If Amalia loved him, Nevin would find a way to make sure she never regretted choosing him. He would spend every second of every day seeing to her happiness. If she loved him, he owed it to them both to find her. She had told him once that he was the best tracker out there. She wasn’t wrong. He’d hunted men he’d never met, vampires whose scents were masked. He could hunt her. And he had her taste now; she could never escape him. It was time for him to hunt. Besides, he knew where she was going.

***

Nevin found Amalia in her condo, packing a suitcase and picking through the rubble.

She stiffened, but otherwise ignored him.

“I’m sorry about your home.”

She still ignored him.

Scrubbing both hands across his face, Nevin tried a different tactic. “In my seven centuries I’ve never needed anyone for anything. I handled becoming Nightkind on my own. I dealt with nearly being beheaded on my own. This is new for me.”

“Are you saying you need me?” Amalia sounded wary, but she still hadn’t turned around.

Nevin strode across the room, giving them both some space. He leaned back against the counter of her breakfast bar and shoved his hands in his pockets.

He was silent for a long time before answering her. “I am.” He laughed, an ugly, harsh sound. “I can’t seem to help myself, can I? I breathe, I smell you. I eat, I taste you. I think, it’s about you. I fuck, and all I want is you.”

She finally faced him, her lips twisted into a sad smile. “You keep going on like this, and I’ll think you like me.”

Nevin didn’t like that look on her face. He had to fix this. “I don’t like you. Not even a wee bit.”

“Wait, what? You don’t?” she gaped at him. “What the hell, Nevin!”

He stalked towards her and interrupted her by placing his palm over her mouth.

“Will you be quiet? I don’t like you. I
love
you.” Nevin felt her lips soften behind his hand. “You’re bossy, opinionated, and you think you know what’s best for everyone.” She tried to pull away, but he pressed his hand against her mouth a bit harder. “You’re also fiercely loyal, determined, and most of the time you
do
know what’s best for your people. So yeah, I love you.”

Finally, he moved his hand away from her mouth, his fingers lingering against her soft skin. Pressing his lips to a stunned Amalia, Nevin was patient enough to wait.

“B-but you said that it was just sex.”

“I didn’t mean it. You’re a queen. You should be with someone who will help you rule your people, not someone like me.”