Worth Dying For (20 page)

When her orgasm subsided and Bane stilled above her, she opened her eyes to find he’d bitten into his own biceps rather than her.

He buried his head into her shoulder, panting against her skin. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t risk it until I was sure you meant it.”

She smiled and kissed him, mindless of the teeth he still displayed. “I wanted you to let go and be yourself with me just once, but I guess you were right not to. The idea turned me on, that’s all.”

 
“So you haven’t changed your mind?”

Amber realised what he had thought she was asking for. Her stomach knotted when she saw the hope in his eyes. “No, that hasn’t changed.”

Bane lifted himself off her body with a sudden jerk. “Then you shouldn’t have said it. This isn’t a game Amber. What if I had bitten you? What if right now you were writhing in agony as my venom coursed through your veins?”

She cringed against the pillows, truly scared of him for the first time in days. His face hovered inches above hers and his angry breath gusted over her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice stolen by the threat of tears.

Bane closed his eyes and groaned, falling away to lie at her side. “No, it’s me that should be sorry. Don’t be scared.” His hand caressed her cheek and she turned into his touch, desperate to reconnect with the kind, gentle man he had always been with her.

“I’m so sorry, Bane.”

He stared up at the roof of the cave, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her into his chest. “For a moment there, before I realised you probably didn’t mean it, I allowed myself to imagine having you with me forever.”

Amber pressed her face into his skin, unable to stop the sob that forced its way out of her throat or the tears that fell. She wanted to give him everything he longed for but she couldn’t. If there was any other way to stay with him, be with him, she would do it. Bane tightened his grip on her, leaning in so he could stroke her hair with his free hand.

“Hush now, Amber. Don’t cry.” He rocked her, his voice soothing her. “Let’s not waste time talking about what can never be.”

She nodded as best she could when crushed against him and wiped the last of her tears away. Despite the heaviness seeping into her bones as the desire to sleep threatened to drag her under, Amber resolved to hold on tight and not let him go until the choice was no longer hers.

But when she awoke, she found Bane across the room watching her. Her clothes were in one hand, the bag of supplies in the other. “It’s time to go,” he said, his gaze not meeting hers.

He waited until she dressed then picked her up without speaking. Bane ran through the labyrinth of caves with her and leapt into the stream, taking much less time to reach the tunnel than she remembered from before.

She turned as he put her down, her fingers digging into the fabric of his T-shirt. “What does this mean? Have they come for me?”

“I don’t know but someone is coming and it’s best to be safe.”

The fading daylight coming through the gap in the rock made it hard to see his eyes, so Amber couldn’t judge the truth of his words. He extended a finger, rubbing at the frown she could feel creasing her brow. She grabbed his hand, turning her face into it to place a kiss on his palm. Bane sucked in a ragged breath and pulled her to his chest.

“Don’t look so worried, I’m sure it’s just more pesky tourists.”

The gentle teasing in his voice didn’t make her feel any better but she leant back to smile up at him anyway, trying to show him she could cope with whatever would come. “More? You haven’t got rid of the last lot yet.”

She could see the irony of her words was not lost on him when he closed his eyes for a moment but he let it drop. “I have to go, Amber. Remember what I told you. You don’t leave this tunnel until I come back for you or you see sunlight, okay?”

She nodded, unable to trust her voice. Amber knew this could be the last time she saw him, despite Bane’s attempts at playing it down. She threw her arms around his torso, clinging to him until he forced her away.

“Is this goodbye?” she whispered.

Bane winced and placed his palm against her cheek, his voice soft and low. “If this was goodbye, I would tell you I am sorry I ruined your life and that I will do anything it takes to make things right. I would say that I never believed I could feel this way again and that I thank you for helping me to learn at least a part of me is still alive.” He stepped closer, placing his other hand on her face and kissing her. Bane lifted his head and rubbed his thumb along her jaw. “If this was goodbye, I would be telling you I love you, more than anyone I have ever known.”

Before Amber could respond, he turned and ran.

Chapter Eleven

The moon had risen above the horizon when Bane met Solomon at the water’s edge. Bane had watched him approach from miles away, warned of Solomon’s impending arrival by the mode of transport he had chosen. The noise of the speedboat had woken Bane from his slumber beside Amber and why Solomon had chosen to use one, Bane didn’t know.

“Hello, Solomon.” Bane greeted him with caution, unable to tell much from his comrade’s demeanour. “Too lazy to swim these days?”

 
“This suit cost three thousand dollars. Besides, we need to talk.” He shook the creases from his pants and turned to brush the loose sand from a boulder before resting against it.

Bane sat beside him. “Then talk.”

With his dark hair slicked down and his broad frame draped in expensive cashmere, Solomon looked more like a Mafioso than the fierce warrior Bane knew him to be. He had forgotten the younger vampire’s passion for fine things and expensive clothes. But Bane knew, when the time for the hunt arrived, it made no difference what Solomon wore. He lived for the kill.

“Katerina has Alexandra held prisoner. Either I bring back Amber’s head, or she will destroy my wife.”

“Ulrich would never allow that.”

Solomon shrugged, feigning an indifference Bane knew he did not feel. “What could he do once it was too late? You and I both know he would never punish his precious daughter.”

Bane groaned as his hopes of keeping Amber alive faded a little more. “Then I’d say we’ve got a problem.”

Solomon grinned but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ve got a problem. I know what I have to do.”

“As do I.”

Bane held Solomon’s angry gaze, his muscles tingling as he prepared to react the second the other man moved. The thought that he may be losing his only chance of saving Amber from a horrific death at Solomon’s hands crossed his mind. But he had to be sure killing her was the only option left to him before he acted.

Their standoff was broken by a sudden, shrill ringing and the surprise of it sent both men leaping to their feet, their bodies crouched low, ready to fight—until Solomon grimaced and reached into his pocket.

“Phone,” he explained, straightening up as he checked the display. “It’s Katerina.” He flipped it open, spoke briefly then offered the phone to Bane.

The dark cloud of impending defeat weighed down on Bane as he took the cell from Solomon. The fact Katerina herself wanted to speak to him didn’t bode well. He knew what she would say and how much she would enjoy it.

“Bane,” she purred when he muttered a greeting. “You’ve caused us considerable trouble.”

 
“That was not my intent.” The fire in his gut increased. He hated having to bow and scrape but Amber’s life depended on it.

 
“This situation needs to be sorted out quickly. Father has put me in charge and for this reason I am assigning the task to you, our finest warrior.”

Katerina wanted him to kill Amber. He should have known just how far she would go. He would do it to save the woman he loved from a grisly death, but he’d be damned before he would murder Amber at Katerina’s bidding. His jaw clenched as he bit back the curse on the tip of his tongue and forced his voice to remain neutral.

“Is it necessary for her to die? What if I can guarantee her silence?”

Her brittle laugh grated along his nerves. “This woman must be worth dying for if she would make you question Ulrich’s authority. You know what happens to those who disobey.”

The moment had come. His next words would seal their fate. “I can’t do it. I
won’t
do it.”

Her silence surprised him. Bane had expected one of Katerina’s legendary bouts of anger but when she spoke again, she still sounded calm.

“That’s…disappointing.”

The genuine regret in her voice gave him pause. Katerina wanted him alive. Bane suspected she would never willingly give the order for him to be killed, which meant he had something he could bargain with—his life.

“Kat,” he said, using a pet name for her that he remembered she loved. Back in the days when he was her plaything, before the change, he’d said it once as he begged her to stop toying with him. Her reaction had been instant and intense. Her orgasm had near killed his frail human form as she’d thrashed above him. “Is there nothing I can do?”

Her answering laugh gave him hope. “You really must care for this woman if you would offer yourself to me to save her.”

“Would you lift the order if I came back to you?”

“I would consider it.” Katerina struggled to sound imperious but Bane could hear the need in her voice. “I could not guarantee anything.”

“Then we have nothing further to discuss.” He snapped the phone shut, ending the call and turning to find Solomon staring at him in awe.

“Shit, Bane. That’s a dangerous game you are playing.”

Grinning in spite of the dire circumstances, Bane slapped his friend on the shoulder. “At this point, what have I got to lose? Besides, I know Katerina.”

As if by some prearranged signal, another call came in. Bane let it ring a couple more times, winking at Solomon when he laughed at Bane’s audacity. “Hello?”

This time, Katerina did shout. Much of what she said was lost as Bane held the phone at arm’s length. Finally, words he understood filtered through and he put the cell phone back to his ear.

“So, do we have a deal?”

“I suppose we do.” Katerina’s composure had returned. “But her survival—and yours for that matter—depends on her never uttering a word of any of this. I will tell my father that the problem has been eliminated.”

“Fair enough, but I have conditions of my own. If I ever hear that a hair on her head has been touched, I will leave you, Katerina, and nothing will ever bring me back—nothing.”

“Fine. You have two days to get here. Don’t test my patience, Bane. Now put Solomon on the phone.”

He watched Solomon for some sign of what Katerina was saying, afraid to hope that they could all get out of this alive. Relief dawned on his friend’s face and Bane breathed again, certain that Alexandra would be released.

The call ended and Solomon turned towards him with an unreadable expression. The next thing Bane knew, he’d been thrown across the beach, slamming into the side of a large tree before falling to the sand. Solomon stood over him in a heartbeat and Bane prepared to fight him off, but instead Solomon offered him a hand and pulled him to his feet.

“You risked my eternal happiness to keep some insignificant little mortal alive? What is it with this woman, Bane?”

Long seconds passed before he spoke. “Katerina took everything I ever cared about—my wife, my child—and damned me for all eternity into the bargain. I am not going to let her take Amber too.”

“But you put us all at risk. How many of our kind would you have killed to save her?”

“Every last one or I’d have died trying.”

Arrogance blazed in Solomon’s eyes but dimmed as he weighed Bane’s words. “Well, I can’t judge you for that. I came here today to do the same.”

Bane threw an arm around his comrade’s shoulder. “I don’t blame you. The system that allows a self-indulgent old fool and his spoilt offspring to make decisions which affect us all is to blame.”

 
“So, where is she?”

 
“Somewhere safe.” Bane ignored Solomon’s mocking look. He could think what he wanted. Amber would be scared of him and Bane needed time to talk to her…to explain.

“Speaking of Amber, I need you to do something for me.”

His friend and comrade didn’t much like the idea of having to babysit the human and ensure she got home safely but Bane couldn’t yet be sure that Katerina had called everyone off. Solomon agreed at first, until he heard he was expected to confess to a murder and spend a couple of days in a prison cell. He laughed in Bane’s face.

“Why should I? She is nothing to me.”

“You’re doing it for me, not her. You owe me this one thing. I’ve saved your hide plenty of times.” Solomon bowed his head, acknowledging the truth of Bane’s statement. “Besides, if you won’t do it, then I have to and that means I can’t make it back to Katerina in time. The sooner I get there, the sooner she lets Alexandra go.”

Solomon turned, sprinting towards the centre of the island. “Then what are we waiting for?”

“Stop, Solomon. I need to talk to her first—and I need you to swear you will not lay a hand on her for any other reason but to protect her.” As much as Solomon loved his woman, Bane knew he had an insatiable appetite for the hunt and for sex, and would take either whenever the opportunity presented itself.