Luca's Magic Embrace (7 page)

“Look at me, Samantha,” he commanded.

She silently complied.

“Remember what I said first. I will protect you.”

“But…” she interrupted.

“Samantha, I was there that day when we rescued you from Asgear. I know what they did to you. Now, I don’t know you very well but if you are tough enough to survive what was done to you, you can survive this. You’re not alone.”

She wanted to believe him but the images of Asgear beating her bloody flashed through her mind. She could not survive again. She glanced over at the front door and fought the urge to run away. He said he’d protect her. She took a deep breath, willing herself to relax long enough to hear him out. She needed to know why they thought she was still in danger.

“I need to know. Who’s after me? I mean, Asgear is dead. What could anyone possibly want from me? They say I’m a witch but apparently I can’t do that either. If you’ve spoken to Ilsbeth then you know that I’ve felt nothing, done nothing…magically. If I really do have magic in me, I’m a sorry excuse for a witch. Honestly, I just want out of this nightmare. That’s why I came here. I need to get away from all that craziness.” She put her face in her hands, sighed and fought back a sob; she refused to cry one more tear over what Asgear had done to her.

Tristan took her hands in his, sending waves of calming power over her. “I don’t know who took Luca or why they wanted you. But Kade and Sydney are working on it right now. In the meantime, I’ll keep you safe. In the morning….well, we’ll cross that bridge tomorrow. Now, how about I get you something to drink. A brandy?”

Samantha silently regarded Tristan, feeling numbness wash over her body.

“Okay, you don’t need to say anything. Just sit. I’ll be back.” Tristan rose and strode across the room, quickly finding a bottle of whiskey in one of the cabinets.
Close enough.
At least they had something to drink. From across the room, he could hear her heart racing, probably from both fear and anger. Fuck, if he had told her she was going back to New Orleans tomorrow, she’d probably pass out. No, he’d leave that little doozy for Luca.

After Tristan handed Samantha a glass, she took a long, strong pull of the golden liquid. Immediately, she had a coughing fit, raising her hands to signal she was all right. Composing herself, she regarded the Alpha sitting in front of her. “Little rough, huh, Tristan? You know what, wolf? I have no intention of being a victim again. No fucking way. If one of Asgear’s flunkies is coming after me, they aren’t taking me alive again,” she resolved.

“Now that’s the spirit, ma petite sorcière,” Tristan replied.

“Petite sorcière?” Samantha questioned.

“Ah yes. Little witch. That is who you are now. Whether you feel your power or not, it's there. I can literally smell the magic emanating off your skin.”

“Yeah well, maybe all that is true, but I couldn’t create one little spark when I was at the coven. Couldn’t even light a candle. Some witch I am. I’ll tell you this for nothing, I am way better at computers than all this mumbo jumbo that supposedly lurks within me. You know, I was good at something, really good at it. Now, I’m afraid I can’t even go back to that,” she huffed.

“When this is all over, Samantha, you can start anew. There are lots of supernaturals in the area. I can help you find a computer job in the Philadelphia area with folks who understand…who know who you are and what you are.” He smiled, taking another swig of the whiskey.

Samantha’s head was spinning.
He thought she should go work for supernaturals? Get real. So not happening, Alpha wolf.
She rolled her eyes, and threw back her head, resting it on the sofa.

“Thanks for the offer. But that isn’t happening any time soon. I took a leave of absence from my job, so I could get my head together. Heal. And that is exactly what I plan to do. Then I’m going back to my boring, so not magical life. And I can’t wait.” She placed her empty glass on the end table. She continued talking, determined not to let fear overcome her. “Listen, since there’s nothing I can really do at this point if someone breaks in, I’m taking your word that you’ll protect me. So here’s the plan. I’m going to go over to the kitchen, find a big knife and take it to bed with me. I’m overwhelmed, angry and generally unhappy right now.” She gestured to the sofa. “The sofa is all yours, Alpha. Talk to you in the morning.”

With those words, she strode into the kitchen, selected the biggest sharpest chef knife she could find and walked down the hall towards her bedroom. Sure, she was afraid. But she was not about to get kidnapped again without a knockdown, drag-out fight. She undressed, throwing on a comfortable cami, and climbed into the freshly lined bed. Reaching over, she placed the knife carefully under her pillow, in easy reach if she needed it, and closed her eyes, praying the nightmares wouldn’t come.

A loud knock resounded throughout the cabin’s wooden interior. Tristan strode over to the door, throw still around his hips, and opened it. From outside, Luca glared at Tristan, noticing he was wearing next to nothing.

“What?” Tristan asked. He shrugged his shoulders, walked back over to the couch and stretched out, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

Luca followed after him, shutting the door. “What? Really, wolf? I asked you to watch her, not give her a male review.”

Tristan laughed. “Hey man, I can’t help it if the ladies like to see my goods. Besides, I’m a wolf. Can’t exactly carry clothes with me.”

Luca sat down and let out a huge sigh. “Okay, just tell me now. Where is she? And why aren’t you furry?”

“She was asleep outside on the porch. So I watched and waited. When she woke up, she heard something and flipped on the floodlights. Don’t worry, though. She’s handled the wolf fairly well. And I can’t lie, Luca, the woman gives a good rub,” he joked. He jerked his head towards the hallway. “Samantha’s sleeping.”

“Well, I do appreciate you coming up here to guard her. Tomorrow, we’ll return to New Orleans. The jet is ready to go.” Luca would be relieved once they were back home.

Tristan smiled and shook his head. “Yeah, about that. You know, you might want to wait a few days before taking her back. Maybe give her a day or two. Get to know her more, earn her trust.”

“What the hell, Tristan? Are you kidding me?”

“No, mon ami. I’m dead serious. Just listen. The girl’s been through a lot. I talked to her tonight, made her understand how she’s still in danger. But you’ve got to ease her into going back. She doesn’t even know you’re alive.”

“Not happening. We’re going back tomorrow. She’ll have to deal with it. Look, I’m not a therapist or a babysitter. Do I feel a slight sense of responsibility for the witch? Yes, but only because Kade initially put her into my charge.” Luca knew that there might be another reason for why he felt he needed to keep the girl safe, but he wasn’t going to share.

Tristan’s face tightened and his eyes narrowed. His friend did not seem to hear what he was saying. “Luca. Try to remember what happened to her and what that might’ve been like for her. I know it’s been a long time for you, but try to remember what it’s like to be human. The girl was drugged, bespelled, beaten, possibly raped, and to top off her shit sandwich, she can barely remember anything but lying naked in a prison cell. Oh, and let us not forget her being told she’s a witch, one who can’t seem to conjure up a clue, and whose entire life as she knows it is about to come to an end. Can’t you see? It's too damn much,” Tristan pleaded.

Luca rubbed his eyes, thinking through Tristan’s argument. He didn’t want to stay here. This was supposed to be a simple trip. Fly up to Philadelphia, get witch, return to New Orleans. Easy peasy. Not. But Luca could not deny the empathy he felt for the little witch who tugged at his heartstrings. Aside from dragging her kicking and screaming back to the jet, it would be easier if he could get her to agree to go home with him. If that failed, kicking and screaming was always an option.

“Okay. I’ll talk to her and stay here for one day…tops. She’ll be waking soon, and I should have all day to talk reason into the human.” He hated when Tristan was right, but knew he needed to go easy on her. “On our way back, I’ll stop at your club to feed. If I stay around her more than a day, I’m pretty sure I would be tempted to taste her. And that’s the very last thing I need or she needs. I very much doubt she’d willingly donate her blood.” He shook his head as he imagined asking her to let him bite her. She’d probably freak the hell out and try to escape yet again. No, he’d wait to feed at Tristan’s club to keep things nice and smooth. Complications were something he was trying very hard to avoid.

“Yeah, I don’t think it would go over too well if you asked her to be your donor. Awkward.” Tristan laughed. He stood and removed the blanket, unaffected by his nudity, and walked over to the back door.

Luca averted his eyes in an effort not to look at him. It was a good thing the naked wolf was leaving. The thought that Tristan had displayed his generously endowed body to Samantha flew in his head and caused his stomach to clench in anger. Did he just feel jealous? No, that couldn’t be possible. He quickly stifled his emotion, not wanting Tristan to sense his feelings.

“Remember Luca, go easy on the female. She’ll come round. See you in a day or so.” As Tristan shut the sliding glass door, he appeared to seamlessly change into his black wolf, and loped out of sight.

Luca paced the room. How was he going to stay here for even a day with the witch? Would she remember him? Would she fear him? Would she fight him? As self-composed as Luca normally was, being here in the cabin, knowing she was in the other room, spurred his curiosity. What did she wear to sleep? Was she cold? Scared?
I should go check on her.
He could hear her soft breathing from a distance. He knew she was just fine. But he wanted to see her again, not later, but now. What would it hurt to just take a peek at her?

Walking down the hallway, he knew what he was about to do wasn’t right. He felt like some kind of a pervert, looking in on a woman that he barely knew. Yet he felt compelled to keep going. Once at her door, he laid his palm against it and took a deep breath. Looking at his watch, he confirmed that at five am, she’d still be asleep and not likely to wake.
I really am going to do this.
Slowly he turned the handle, and pushed open the door.

Luca struggled to control his instinct to reach over and touch the lovely woman sprawled out on the bed. Immediately he was filled with desire; his breath caught as he stood frozen, watching her sleep. Samantha lay on her back, her skin exposed from pushing the covers off her body. Dressed only in a white cotton camisole and pink boyshorts, her pert breasts peeked out of the flimsy material. Her long, wavy strawberry hair fanned across her pillow; she almost appeared to smile in her sleep. She was even more beautiful than he’d remembered.

Back at Kade’s mansion, after he’d rescued her, she’d appeared quite frail; her thin body marred by bruises and scratches. Her hair was straight and dyed neon red. He’d wondered at the time if that was the real color of her hair. She’d looked like a victim fighting to regain some semblance of normalcy, dignity. No, lying here before him this night was a healthy, resplendent woman who was enticing, alluring and very much human.

His last thought jerked him back to reality.
Human.
No, he would never fall for any woman, let alone a human. Feed from them, try not to screw them and never, ever fall in love with them. It was simply not an option, no matter how much the rise of cock told him that he should do otherwise. He refused to acknowledge that he had any feelings whatsoever for the mortal lying on the bed in front of him. Yet his body reacted as if he should take her right there.
What the hell is wrong with me?

Luca rolled his eyes and softly sighed. What was he going to do? He wasn’t here to fuck her; he was here to bring her back to the coven. Yet he felt the need to be near her, to protect her. He needed to be close to her, tonight.

Spying a brown leather lounge chair in the corner of the room, he walked over, sat down and put his feet up on the ottoman. He decided that he wasn’t going to leave her unattended. He could just as easily guard her from the living room. Staying with her here was merely an excuse for him to fill his senses with her; he drank in the sight of her with his eyes, smelled her perfumed skin. He prayed whatever he was feeling would go away.

He hadn’t had sex in a long time; well, not for a few weeks anyway. What had happened with Kade and Sydney earlier couldn’t exactly be called sex. He’d felt out of control with them. He still couldn’t believe Kade had let him feed from Sydney, let alone kiss her, touch her. She was a beautiful woman and a seriously toughened warrior, one whom he respected immensely, but she was not his. Nor did he want her. Sydney had been a means to health, no more, no less. And he was grateful to both of them for bringing him back from the brink.

Samantha shifted on the bed, turning away from him. He inwardly groaned as he admired her perfectly shaped ass; she was killing him. Adjusting himself, he tried to relieve some of the strain of his erection.
Repeat to self, ‘Samantha is human’.
Luca was happy that he planned on stopping at Tristan’s club on the way back to the airport. He’d pick a donor who’d satisfy his appetite for blood and sex. If he got it out of his system, he’d be able to control himself around Samantha. He relaxed slightly, knowing he’d devised a plan to get the devilish little witch out of his system.