Luca's Magic Embrace

CHAPTER FIVE

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.

Naked. Pounding music. Slapped across the face. Blinding pain. A pool of blood on a cold stone floor. Samantha gasped for air, jolting herself upright in bed. Another nightmare. She threw herself backward, focusing on the cedar ceiling beams. She was safe. Away from New Orleans and away from vampires. She closed her eyes, practicing the deep breathing she’d learned from Ilsbeth. Tense shoulders, breathe deeply, release breath, shoulders relax. By the time she got to her toes, her heartbeat had slowed, and she considered going back to sleep. Her thoughts began to race once again as she remembered the nightmare. She’d been naked in a nightclub and later had been imprisoned in a cell. What did I do in New Orleans? I want my life back.

Thinking she’d go for a run and take a nap later, she decided to get up. Then she remembered that Tristan would be sitting in her living room. Why couldn’t they all just leave her alone? Why did they think someone was after her? The attack could have been meant for Ilsbeth, not her. She decided that no matter what Tristan had to say, she wasn’t going to agree to return to New Orleans with him. She’d taken a leave of absence from her job so she could get herself together and return to work and her life. And that was what she was going to do.

As she sat up, her heart caught in her chest. A large male sat in the darkened corner of her bedroom. For a minute she relaxed, believing Tristan had come into her room, but then she noticed his hair wasn’t blonde. No, not Tristan. Someone was here for her already. Her heart beat wildly as the adrenaline pumped. She would not go without a fight.

Silently, she reached under her pillow and curled her hands around the hilt of the knife she’d taken to bed with her for protection. The man wasn’t moving, his feet propped up on the ottoman. In the darkness of dawn, she couldn’t see his face. Samantha didn’t want to be a victim. No, this time she’d be the aggressor. She couldn’t survive being taken hostage again. She’d kill before being taken again. She dragged her legs across the bed in one smooth motion and leapt at the stranger with the knife.

Luca had heard Samantha gasp, watching her sit straight up out of a dead sleep. He’d wanted to go to her, to calm her. But as she lay back again, he heard her heart slow. So he decided to watch and protect. He could not risk touching her while she was barely dressed and in bed. After his arousal earlier in the night, he didn’t trust himself to merely comfort her. Her sweet scent called to him like no other human’s blood ever had before, yet he swore to not get involved with the witch.

As soon as he lay his head back on the chair, confident she was going back to sleep, he sensed movement. Samantha had spied him and was coming at him with a sharp knife. He grabbed both her wrists and pulled her towards him, so she straddled him. Gently, he applied pressure to her thumb and was relieved that she dropped the knife without incident. Smelling her fear, he sought to assure her of her safety. “Samantha, it’s me, Luca.”

“Luca…you’re alive!” she exclaimed. Samantha was overcome with relief. That day at the coven, she was convinced she’d never see him again. Seeing him brought forth a rush of emotions. He’d been so caring and gentle with her at Kade’s house and then had fought valiantly to save her and Ilsbeth when they were attacked.

Wide eyed and shaking, Samantha extended her fingertips and placed them on Luca’s cheeks. She couldn’t believe he was with her in the cabin and alive. As Samantha adjusted to the dim light, she was captivated by Luca’s piercing dark green eyes. His jet-black, shoulder-length hair hung loosely around his handsome, chiseled face. Feeling his strong jawline tense in her small hands, the stubble prickled her fingers.

Luca froze as Samantha reached to touch him. Her hands burned his skin, and he felt as if he was on fire as desire built deep within him. As soon as her skin touched his, he instantly released her wrists, freeing her. Why was he having this visceral reaction to her? He’d hoped she’d jump away from him, and was regretting his action of pulling her onto him. His hands nearly crushed the arms of the chair as he held on for dear life. Blood rushed towards his groin. He breathed deeply, trying to control the rise of his erection. Christ, I have got to get back to New Orleans.

“What are you doing here, Luca?” Samantha asked. Instead of releasing him, she moved closer and pressed her forehead to his.

With her lips inches from his, he sucked in a breath and struggled to answer. “Samantha, I’ve come for you. You aren’t safe. I’ve come to take you home.”

Samantha searched his eyes for truth in his statement. Sensing he was entirely serious, she leaned closer still, feathered his lips with a small kiss, then stood up and walked away. She turned to look at him as she entered the bathroom. “Luca, as much as I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, there is no way in hell I’m goin’ back to New Orleans.” With that, she shut the bathroom door.

Stunned from her kiss, Luca threw his head back in frustration. He placed two fingers on his lips; how was he going to get her back to New Orleans without fucking her senseless? He cursed his erection and adjusted himself yet again as he pushed out of the chair and walked out of the room. He didn’t want to be there when Samantha was finished in the bathroom. His so-called ‘protecting’ her from her bedroom had officially ended. He could not trust himself. He’d wait for her in the safety of the living room and talk to her there.

Samantha laid the back of her head against the bathroom door and sighed. After being beaten and imprisoned, she thought she’d never think about sex again. Yet seeing Luca right now, she’d kissed him and was most definitely thinking of sex. Maybe she was attracted to him because he’d rescued her from the mage and then again from the attack. Maybe she had some kind of hero complex? No, it was something else. He’d been kind to her on the night at the mansion and later at the coven, had valiantly fought their attackers. It was as if there was some small part of Luca that understood what she’d been through. She could tell he cared by his words and his touch. And even now, instead of waking her and dragging her out of the cabin, which she knew he was capable of doing, he silently waited, protecting her. It was obvious to her that he’d been watching her sleep, waiting for her to agree to go willingly.

Looking deep into his eyes, she’d sensed sadness, hesitation, but also lust. From the second she’d touched his face, she’d felt the chemistry and soon after, she’d felt him grow physically hard beneath her. But then he said he really just wanted her to return to New Orleans, and she just could not do that. She understood from Tristan that she was in danger, but she wanted time to figure out another way to escape it. Any way to do that would satisfy her, as long as she didn’t have to return to New Orleans.

Samantha huffed and stared at herself in the mirror as she brushed her teeth. She wondered if her nightmare would ever end. For a split second, she contemplated sneaking out of the cabin but knew her effort would be a futile attempt at freedom. She’d learned that vampires could sense the tiniest sound or scent. Even if she somehow managed to get out of the house without Luca hearing her, he’d soon realize her scent was gone and would just follow her.

Samantha pulled on a pair of black spandex yoga pants, and topped it off with a royal-blue tank top. As she looked at herself in the mirror once again, she decided to stay and deal with Luca. She refused to run. Contrary to whatever he thought, he wasn’t the boss of her. She’d calmly explain that she was staying in Pennsylvania and convince him to leave her alone.

Luca was staring at the lake when Samantha walked into the living room. He sensed her enter but chose not to look at her; what he needed to say would be better said if he wasn’t distracted.

“Samantha, we need to have a serious talk. Perhaps when I told you we needed to return to New Orleans, you thought it was a request. However, I assure you it’s not. Quite the opposite, in fact.” Luca turned to face her; his face hardened. “It’s simply a matter of fact. We’ll leave tomorrow morning to return to New Orleans. You can come willingly or not, but you’ll be returning with me.”

Samantha’s eyes flashed angrily at him as she grabbed an apple out of a bag on the counter. “What the hell is that supposed to mean, Luca? How exactly do you intend to get me on a plane if I don’t go willingly? Are you going to kidnap me just like Asgear did? Bespell me?” As she continued to rant, she paced back and forth in the kitchen.

“Oh, I know what you vampires do. What do they call it? Enthrall me? No way, Luca, no one is going to mess with my mind. I thought you were different from the others.” She stood and hung her head in despair. She was barely getting her thoughts back in order and now he was threatening her too. He was just like the rest of them.

Samantha’s words cut to his core. Maybe he didn’t care for humans, but he was not as cold-hearted as she’d just described. Why couldn’t she be reasonable and see the danger? Regardless, he felt he owed her the truth.

“I am vampire, Samantha. Nothing more, nothing less. I won’t lie to you. If given the choice between leaving you here unprotected or bringing you back to safety, I will enthrall you to get you back on that plane. I’m sorry if you’re angry with me, but this is how it must be. When the danger has passed, you can return to this area and Tristan will help you get settled, living as a supernatural.” Luca felt bad about having to be so strict with her, but he needed to keep her from danger.

He approached her slowly and placed a finger under her chin, tilting her face upward. His eyes met hers. “Trust me, Samantha. It will work out for the best. Please, just come back to New Orleans, willingly, until we figure out who attacked you. I promise to make this as pleasant as possible. I don’t want to enthrall you. I just need you to be safe.”

A tear fell from Samantha’s eye as she looked up at Luca. “Okay, Luca. I’ll go. But I don’t want to go back to the coven. Maybe no one told you, but I can’t do anything remotely witchy. The witches don’t even like me there, and frankly, I don’t want to be there. Ilsbeth is fine but I’m just not comfortable staying with the coven. Can I return to Kade and Sydney’s? Maybe I could stay with them until we get this figured out?”

Luca did not think it was a good idea for her to return to Kade’s house with Dominique milling about the place. When Samantha had been bespelled, she’d silvered Dominique to a table in Sangre Dulce. Dominique could have cared less that Samantha had no control, and she wanted very much to tear into her throat and drain her dry for what she’d done to her. She was incredulous that Kade had saved her and taken her to the coven. If Dominique saw Samantha, it was likely blood would be shed.

“No, there’s no way you can safely stay at the mansion with Kade and Sydney. As much as Sydney would love to have another human visit, Dominique is at their place way too often, and she’s looking for payback. She probably won’t kill you, since Kade has made it clear you’re off limits, but I’m afraid I couldn’t trust her not to at least attack you,” Luca continued, knowing he was going to regret his next words. “You’re welcome at my home, however. I live next door to Kade within his compound. There’s plenty of room, and I have a spare bedroom.”

Samantha nodded in relief. “Thank you, Luca.” She toyed with the apple in her hands and broke eye contact. “You have to realize that things are so out of control for me. I just need to have a few things I can control, like where I live.” She rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening to me. You know, I haven’t even told my family. My mom and dad live outside of Baltimore, and I haven’t even gone to see them since I got back. I just called my sister, Jess, to tell her I was the unfortunate victim of a ‘mugging’ per the story Sydney set up with the police and my employer. I told her to tell mom and dad I was staying in New Orleans on a consulting job and would call them when I got a chance. I’m lying to her…I’m lying to everyone. What am I supposed to tell them?”

She walked away from Luca, looking around the floor for her shoes. “Luca, you don’t need to say anything. I know you didn’t cause this to happen. I’m just frustrated. I need to think.”

Luca couldn’t resist her any longer. She reminded him of a wounded puppy, albeit a very sexy one. He confidently strode over towards Samantha and put his arms around her, raking his hands through her hair as he brought her face against his chest. Settling his lips into her mane of hair, he kissed the top of her head. He wrapped his other hand around the small of her waist as he spoke gently to her. “Samantha darlin’, it’s goin’ to be all right. We’ll find who’s responsible for this attack and you’ll get your life back. I promise you.”

Surprised by Luca’s tender embrace, Samantha hugged him back, enjoying the feel of the sinewy muscles of his back. Somehow within his arms, she knew she could trust him. He made her want to feel again: desire, lust, love. But he was vampire. Strong and lethal. At six foot five, he could easily overpower her and drag her to New Orleans, bend her to his will. But instead, he was comforting her in the best way he knew how…with words, with an embrace.

The growing desire within her chest frightened her. How could she be so attracted to Luca? She inwardly laughed, knowing that it was not so hard to be physically attracted to him. He was ruggedly gorgeous but not a pretty boy. No, nothing boy-like about him; he was pure virile male. Samantha could feel his tight abdomen against her own and longed to see the hard planes of his chest without clothing hindering her view. Whilst he was muscular, he was also lean, with a spectacularly athletic build.

Reluctantly, she stepped out of his arms, and sat on the ottoman, struggling to understand what was happening to her when she was around him. She blushed as she scrambled to put on her running shoes.

“Thank you, Luca. Um…for comforting me,” she stammered, trying to tie her shoes as quickly as possible.

“And where do you think you’re going? It seemed just a minute ago that we’d come to an understanding,” he said, raising a questioning eyebrow at her.

“Going for a walk around the lake,” she replied as she walked back to the sliding glass door leading to the back deck. “Our deal is that we leave tomorrow. So for today, I’m going to do my best to relax. You’re welcome to come with me. If not, you could stay here or meet me down at the pier when I’m done. I promise to yell should I see any bears,” she teased.

“I’ll watch you from the deck. I don’t sense any supernaturals in the area right now, so you’ll be okay. But stick close to the lake and I’ll meet you down at the pier in ten minutes. I just have to make a few calls. I want to let Kade and Sydney know when we’ll be arriving. I have to call Tristan too.”

“Okay, meet you down there.” Samantha bit into her apple, walked outside, closed the door and headed down the path towards the lake.

Watching Samantha like a hawk, Luca took a deep breath, grabbed his cell and called Kade. He explained to him that he’d be back down tomorrow and purposefully left out the part about Samantha staying with him. He couldn’t believe that he’d offered to let her stay with him, but at the same time, he secretly wanted to spend more time with his little witch.

After calling Tristan to let him know they’d be stopping by his place early in the morning, he opened the door and headed towards the water. He didn’t relish having to stop at Eden, Tristan’s club, but he needed to feed and Tristan had promised to keep a blood donor waiting for him. He wasn’t about to feed on Samantha; she’d been through far too much trauma over the past weeks. His fangs elongated at the thought of tasting her sweet, magical blood. Goddammit. I have to keep it together. He retracted his razor sharp teeth, not wanting to risk Samantha seeing them.

As he got halfway down the path, he watched her stretch on the dock. He halted, admiring her firm ass as she bent forward to grab her right calf. His cock jerked to attention as he fantasized about ripping off her clothes and taking her from behind on her hands and knees right out in the open on the wooden pier. No one would see, he surmised, looking around at the isolated woods. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he sighed. He could not get involved with this human. He knew how fragile they were, how easily they could die. Luca refused to let that happen again.

Just as he thought he’d regained control of himself, his mouth dropped wide open. With her back facing Luca, Samantha crossed her arms in front of her and removed her flimsy, stretchy tank top. Jesus, what was she doing? He continued to watch in awe as she kicked off her sneakers, hooked her thumbs on the waist of her pants and stripped them off until she was standing on the end of the dock stark naked. She reached a hand up into her ponytail and freed her fiery mane; the soft tendrils scattered over her creamy pale shoulders, teasing the small of her back. The perfectly-formed globes of her buttocks called to him; his erection pressed tightly against his zipper.

Luca could not believe she’d stripped nude in front of him and every small creature in the woods. He couldn’t help but smile as she launched herself off the dock in a perfect dive. Did she know he was watching her? How could she not have known? He’d told her he’d keep an eye on her at the lake. Little temptress, what was she doing?

With preternatural speed, he arrived at the dock just as her hands breached the shimmering dark-blue water. Samantha bobbed up to the surface and spun to face him. He could hardly believe the reckless abandon she demonstrated, given that she’d been held up in a strange coven less than a week ago. She was resilient, young and full of energy, representing a zest for life that he’d long forgotten.

Samantha smiled as she waved to him to join her in the deep abyss. She called out to him, “Come in, Luca! The water’s great!” She laughed and dove again; her white bottom peeked out for a second before submerging yet again.

“Darlin’, I’ve got no suit. Besides, vampires don’t swim.” He wanted desperately to go in after her, but knew it would lead to so much more than a morning swim.

“You’ve got your birthday suit. Please, you’re not gonna make a girl swim alone, are ya?” she purred.

“Is it cold?” He was starting to waver in his firm decision to stay on shore.

“Naw, it’s plenty warm. It’s late August, had plenty of time to heat up. Come on!” she begged.

“You a good swimmer?” Luca asked.

“Yes. Why’re you asking?” she replied.

“Because I’m coming in to get you!” Losing all control, Luca quickly pulled off his white t-shirt and began to undress.

As he unzipped his pants, Samantha screamed playfully and started to swim away. Stripped naked, Samantha admired his rippling abs out the side of her eyes. She knew he’d be coming for her.

Breaching the water, Luca cursed. “Damn, it’s cold. You lied to me, woman. You’d better swim fast because I’m goin’ to catch you!”

Luca dove under the water once again, determined to catch up with the very slippery, naked woman who’d enticed him to jump into a cold mountain lake in the middle of the day. It had been at least a hundred years since he’d indulged in such a childish activity, but he simply could not resist her. While vampires could be exposed to sunlight, he was weakened to the state of a human during the day. Breaking the surface, he searched for her and spied feet splashing several yards from him. He dove once again, knowing he’d soon catch his prey.

Samantha gasped for air after racing away from Luca. She spun in a circle, treading water as she looked for a trace of him. The smooth lake gave no clues as to where he was. She knew he was somewhere. Somewhere close. Looking towards the cabin, she screamed loudly as hands came around her waist.

Luca pulled her close to him and began to tickle her mercilessly. “Ah, little witch, you lied to me. The water is nearly freezing. And since I can’t spank you in the water, this is your punishment.” He continued to tickle her as she laughed hysterically, thrashing in the water.

“I’m sorry,” she pleaded. “Uncle! Uncle!”

Luca stopped tickling her but didn’t let her go. Instead he let his hands move from her waist to just under her breasts, encircling her ribcage. Samantha relaxed back onto him, letting her head fall back onto his shoulder as they both floated on their backs in the peaceful reserve.

“I’m happy you joined me. I love it up here in the woods. It’s so peaceful.” Samantha wrapped her arms around his, fully aware of where his arms supported her. As they moved as one in the water, she could feel the hardness of him brushing her bottom. Yet she wasn’t afraid. She was aroused and excited that he’d joined her in such a very human activity.

“I’m happy you convinced me to swim with you,” Luca responded. “I haven’t done this in such a long time. I’d forgotten how wonderful it is to skinny dip.”

“How old are you, Luca?”

“Very old, indeed, my dear Samantha. I was turned in the eighteen hundreds. So I’m well over two hundred years old….give or take a few years.”

“Do you miss being human?” Samantha asked.

“No, darlin’. Being human is so ordinary. And now that you’re a witch, you’ve joined our little club of supernaturals. I sense your fear. But I promise you that you’ll be all right. In fact, you’ll probably love it once you find your magic.” Luca squeezed her tightly and kissed her shoulder.

“Ah, and there’s the rub my friend. I have no magic. Nothing. Ilsbeth seems to think there’s something about me, but I can’t do a thing. Believe me, I’ve tried. Nothing happens,” Samantha huffed.

“It will come, Samantha. I can smell the magic on you, and it’s as sweet as honey. It’s there. Maybe it hasn’t shown itself yet, but it will.”

“You sound so confident, Luca. I wish I could be like you. But I feel so defeated. Seriously, Luca. I’ve been kidnapped, forced into working at a sex club, beaten and then told I was a witch. I’ve had to take a leave of absence from my real life. I can’t tell anyone human what’s really happened to me. And now, on top of everything, you think I’m in danger, and I have to return to that God forsaken city where it all started. I just want to lie back in this lake and forget everything,” she confided.

“Do you remember what you told me that night we were at Kade’s?” Luca asked.

“Yes. No. I don’t know. I said a lot of things. I was crying. I was upset. What do you mean? What did I say?” Samantha laughed a little, knowing how confused she sounded.

“You said you were a strong person. And while I don’t know you very well, I believe that’s true,” he continued. “Since you’ve been here at the cabin, you’ve stared down a wolf, talked with an Alpha and held a knife to a vampire. You’re either crazy or strong, and I can tell you that I know it’s the latter. You’ll survive what’s to come. You can do this, Samantha.”

“Luca, where have you been my whole life?” she joked. She smiled, realizing there was something about him that made her feel better. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I can do this, but I can’t do it alone. You make me feel like I’ll get through this as long as I’m with you.” She’d never known such encouragement in her entire existence, and here was a man who had faith in her even when she didn’t have it in herself.

Luca’s heart beat against his chest at her words. He knew he shouldn’t fall for a human, but she was chipping away at whatever resolve he had left to stay away. Unable to resist her any longer, he kissed the side of her neck and slowly trailed his lips behind her ear. She moaned in arousal as he slid his hands up to caress her breasts. He wanted to take her there in the lake.

“Luca,” she whispered as he kissed and touched her. “Yes.”

With her words, he turned her around to face him, pressing his lips to hers. Their tongues swept together as they passionately kissed. Samantha wrapped her legs around Luca’s waist, aroused by the feel of his rock-hard cock bobbing up against the crease of her ass. She fingered his long hair and kissed up his cheeks as he licked her neck.

“Luca, please,” she panted. God, she wanted him. She wanted to forget everything in that moment but him.

“Samantha.” Luca wanted to stop, to tell her that they shouldn’t continue. She was so vulnerable after what had happened. As much as he wanted her, he didn’t want to take advantage either. And then there was his vow not to get involved with humans. But she tasted sweet as peaches on a warm summer day. So soft and slippery in his hands. “Mmmm…you’re so beautiful,” he murmured, unable to stop kissing her. He needed to have all of her.

As he was about to suggest they go inside the cabin, Luca tensed. He immediately released Samantha to stop and sniff the air. Smoke. He growled, baring his fangs.

“Luca, what’s wrong?” Samantha asked, frightened.

“Swim Samantha,” he ordered. “The cabin. It’s on fire.”

Luca and Samantha immediately swam toward the dock. Luca reached it first and effortlessly leapt up onto the wooden surface. Extending a hand, he pulled Samantha out and they both dressed within minutes. Luca held Samantha’s hand as they ran towards the black smoke billowing from the cabin. Orange streaks of fire danced towards the trees as they stood helplessly by and watched the inferno.

“Luca, who would do this?” Samantha gasped.

“I told you that you were in danger. Looks like whoever attacked us in New Orleans has just found you in Pennsylvania.” He released Samantha’s hand and began to search around the edge of the house for evidence. “Stay back from the flames. I just need to check. I might be able to scent whoever did this.”

Samantha stood silently for a moment, looking at the blackened embers; the flames licked toward the sky. Part of the exterior walls remained even though the front of the building was completely gone. Luca walked over to the entrance while Samantha relegated herself to the perimeter of the woods.

Looking down toward the walkway, Luca’s anger rose as he read words scrawled on the slate. “Where is the Hematilly Periapt?” Luca frowned. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He knelt down with his cell phone and snapped a picture. Then he ran his fingers over the clotted, blood-red substance; he held it to his nose and sniffed. Bat’s blood. What the fuck was someone doing with bat’s blood out here in the middle of the mountains? It was a common ingredient used in witchcraft, usually made with indigo dye, cinnamon, myrrh, and a few other benign ingredients. But the sanguine ink was genuine blood from the veins of a freshly slit bat’s throat; it was used for revenge. Someone had intended to burn them to a crisp in that cabin; fitting retribution for a witch.

What is the Hematilly Periapt? An amulet, he pondered. Ilsbeth had said nothing to him about her owning it. Could Samantha have such an object? Did she know what it was? And if existed, what did it do? Who would want something so badly they’d be willing to kill for it in broad daylight? Deciding not to tell Samantha about the writing, he smeared the fluid across the sole of his shoe, blurring the words. He wiped his finger on his jeans, looked up into the flames and sighed. They needed to get out of there.

Samantha’s eyes pricked with tears as she watched her rental cabin burn. She looked up to the surrounding trees, which had begun to catch fire. Anger burned deep within her soul. She’d had enough of the evil and destruction. Luca was right about one thing; she was strong, and she would find a way through this. Not only that; in that moment, she resolved to be part of the solution and not idly stand by while life happened to her. She remembered what Ilsbeth had told her about how she had magic within her but she was the only one who could call it to be. It was her decision, her power.

Closing her eyes, Samantha reached out her hands, palms up toward the heavens and focused on her need to put the fire out. She called to the elements as if they were servants; instinctually, she knew that they were within her control. She felt the tingle in her fingertips as her eyes flew open. The clouds had already drawn close, and lightning flashed in the distance. “Rain, come,” she commanded.

Nothing happened, and she looked up again as if readying to scold an insolent child. Anger surging, she encouraged the tendrils of magic to dance over her skin until she was within a mystic trance. Unconsciously, she chanted over and over as the words came to her from within, “Aqua Dei tui eu nunc. Aqua Dei tui eu nunc. Aqua Dei tui eu nunc!” She shook with power as the water began to fall from the sky.

Luca stood back as a bright aura surrounded Samantha. Although he’d known her magic existed, she had doubted its existence. As streams of light pushed from her palms, he knew she’d found it. He blessed the rain as it poured down in droves, putting the fire out within minutes. When it was clear all the embers were drowned, he called out to Samantha, “It’s done Samantha. You can let go, darlin’. You did it.”

Samantha barely registered Luca’s words as the power within her died. She slumped over, holding herself up by propping her hands on her knees. It felt as if she’d run a marathon. Colors danced in the whites of her eyes as she fell into blackness.

“You did it!” Luca exclaimed. “You put out the fire.” As he turned to smile at her, he panicked; she’d collapsed into the muddy mixture of dirt and ash. He rushed over, fell to his knees and gently cradled her in his arms. “It’s okay, you did it. Come on now, wake up, Samantha.” He kissed her head and pulled away, realizing they needed to get out of there. He traced his fingers from her temple down around her chin.

Her eyes fluttered, “What?”

“You scared me. You’re okay now, let’s get going.” He stood up with her cradled in his arms. She pressed her face into his chest, afraid to look at the cabin.

He walked with her over to his SUV, opened the door and carefully sat her in the front seat.

“Stay here, Samantha,” he told her. “I need to get my keys. Is there anything you need out of this rubble?” Luca knew full well there wasn’t much left worth salvaging. But after all she’d been through, he would’ve tried to save anything important to her.

She silently shook her head no and stared out the car’s front windshield, not wanting to face what had happened. Denial could be quite a peaceful state if she only embraced it; alas, she could not tear her eyes from the debris. A dazed veil fell over her face as she silently contemplated the fire, her magic. It was as if her inner light dimmed as the cold splash of reality dowsed her. She was still in danger, and if she’d had a doubt before, her magic, while unpredictable, was intact. It was a wicked blow to the fragile sense of balance she’d worked hard to build over the past week.

Samantha, still in shock from creating the rain, shook her head silently. She hadn’t brought anything of importance with her to the cabin. She hadn’t had a chance to replace all her credit cards since New Orleans. The only thing she’d replaced was her smartphone, which had all her financial information on it via the apps. And luckily, she'd worn it on her walk so she could listen to music.

Luca trod into what was left of the home, watching carefully where he stepped. The crunch of the charred wood beneath his feet resounded in Samantha’s ears as she watched the smoke-filled sky dissipate from gray to blue. The smell of burnt wood engrained itself in the surrounding woods and grass; there was no direction either of them could turn where they could not detect the evidence of what had happened.

Luca came out of the house with nothing more than a single set of keys. “Got the keys!” he grumbled. He quickly strode over to her, got in the car and started it. “Let’s go. You’re in shock and we’ve got to get out of here before whoever did this comes back. It’s odd. I can’t smell a vampire or a wolf, no magic either.” Smells undeniably human. He didn’t want to tell Samantha that wolves, shifters, vampires and those of the magic persuasion could all use human minions to do their dirty work. “Samantha, this may not be the best time to discuss this, but your magic back there…the rain. Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No. Yes. I mean, not right now. I don’t even know what I did, those words I spoke. I just was so upset about the cabin. Something just happened in me. Let’s just drop it, Luca. I’ll call Ilsbeth when we get to New Orleans. I’m just so upset right now that someone would burn down the cabin.” Samantha just wanted to crawl into a hole. Some good her so-called magic was. She didn’t really even know what she’d done to bring the rain. She needed to talk to Ilsbeth about what had happened, but right now she wanted to hide, sleep and forget. She hadn’t asked for this life, and felt a great sense of loss; she’d never be normal again.

Looking over at Samantha, Luca realized how small and fragile she appeared curled into the seat, leaning her forehead against the passenger side window. He wondered what thoughts swirled behind her pale blue eyes; she looked a million miles away, silently considering what had happened perhaps. Luca swore silently for indulging himself with her in the lake. He’d been foolish to allow himself the pleasure of holding her soft pliant body: kissing her swollen pink lips: tasting her sweet honey-like essence. What was I thinking? I’ve been thinking with my dick. God, he needed to get it together. She was defenseless, innocent to his ways. No matter how much he wanted to make love to her, he couldn’t allow himself to do it. He could not allow himself to kiss her again. Even though she was technically a witch, he wasn’t sure if she’d ever accept her circumstances. And what of her life expectancy? Would she do what she needed to do to become immortal?

He knew that Kade had resolved that issue with Sydney, giving her his blood to keep her youthful and healthy. But Sydney was a toughened cop who’d fought side by side with him and Kade. She’d faced death time and time again. And while he’d initially hated that Kade had let a human go after Asgear, Sydney had proved her worth. Kade was determined to marry Sydney, and Luca respected their special connection, knowing Sydney could hold her own in the supernatural world.

But Samantha? No, she was like most humans. She was delectably, wonderfully normal: a computer analyst, for Christ’s sake. Her only experience with supernaturals was being bespelled, possibly raped, beaten and now being turned into a witch. And now she could add ‘passionately kissed by a vampire’ to her done list. He reckoned that she could find a much better mate than him. He rolled his eyes even thinking of the word: mate. In over two hundred years, he had never even considered marrying, mating, bonding or any other supernatural or human word that meant commitment. Never again.

Raised in Australia, Luca had known that loving someone brought nothing but heartache. In the late seventeen hundreds, his father, Jonathon Macquarie, a marine, had taken his family to the colony of New South Wales so that he could work on the development of the penal colonies being set up by the British. It was a rough life for the soldiers and their families as well as the prisoners; life in a strange new world was not kind, and often inhumane. During the summer of his twenty-fifth birthday, he’d found comfort in the arms of a lovely woman, Eliza Hutchinson. She was the abandoned daughter of a prisoner who’d been brought to the island ten years earlier, caught pickpocketing on the streets of London.

When he’d turned eighteen, Luca’s father had secured a guard position for him. A few years into the position, he was stationed to guard the factory where Eliza’s mother had worked. One day, he’d caught Eliza sneaking in food for her mother, but hadn’t had the heart to turn her into the authorities. Instead, he’d courted her every chance he got at her farm stand in the market, where she sold fresh honey and wool.

Using his influence within the marines, he’d worked hard to secure a ‘ticket of leave’ for her mother, ensuring her freedom as long as she stayed out of trouble. Within months, Luca and Eliza fell very much in love, and she agreed to marry him. Then one night on their way home from dinner, a drunken group of soldiers had cornered them in an alley. They’d taunted Luca and Eliza, as they expressed interest in sexually assaulting her. While Luca was a trained guard, he was outnumbered five to one. In a brutal fight, he’d lost consciousness as a bottle smashed upon the back of his head.

Luca had woken in his parents’ home to find that Eliza had been raped and killed. His legs had been broken and his skull fractured, but somehow he’d survived the attack. During the months he’d spent under his mother’s care, convalescing, Luca was despondent, determined to leave Australia. He’d grown up in the brutal colony watching soldiers punish convicts. Sometimes they were beaten, humiliated or hanged for the smallest infraction. He’d planned to leave someday with Eliza and take them back to London where they’d escape the constant stress associated with forging the path to civilization in the settlement. After her murder, he’d had nothing: no love, no desire to live, and no faith in humanity.

As soon as he could walk again, he’d spent his savings on a passage back to Mother England. Upon arrival Luca immediately ‘took the King’s shilling’, and enlisted as a soldier for the War of 1812. Because of his experience as a guard and his father’s service in the marines, he entered as an officer.

Hopeless and wrathful, Luca had wanted to kill and looked forward to each battle, seeing the face of Eliza’s murderers in every opponent. There would never be enough blood shed to satisfy his need for vengeance against a faceless nameless enemy who’d never seen the shore of Australia. But it hadn’t mattered to Luca. He’d heard that Eliza’s true murderers had been hanged. However it would never be enough to quench his rage and the burning loss he’d experienced. Battle after battle, he’d fought with the utmost intensity, earning the respect of his fellow officers. One fateful night, however, it was his blood that had been shed.

On January 8, 1815, Luca had pushed out with his unit into the darkness of night as the fog clouded his vision. As chaos erupted in the field along the Mississippi, Luca had fallen to the ground in a barrage of musket fire, as had many other officers of the British army.

The next day, as he was saying his last prayers, a stranger had happened upon him. Sensing his impending death, Kade had offered him immortality in exchange for his loyalty. Luca, no stranger to adventure, had accepted his proposal and thus began his life as vampire.

Luca shook his thoughts free of his troubled past. Eliza was merely a distant memory, albeit an everlasting reminder of how fragile mortality was. Since turning vampire, he’d pledged his loyalty and friendship to Kade. Over the years, they’d done almost everything together including fighting, feeding and fucking. Yes, they’d shared quite a few women over the years, but those days were over now that Kade was getting married. And while Luca was glad of Kade’s new-found happiness, he had no plans to follow in his friend’s footsteps.

No, he’d been perfectly content over the past two hundred years with his non-committed sexual escapades. The closest he’d ever come to commitment was with women he’d considered to be ‘friends with benefits’, long before the saying was popular. He was devastatingly handsome, so finding women who’d throw a night of passion his way was never an issue. If they acted as though they were in love, he could just enthrall them to think otherwise.

As vampire, he was as physically strong as anyone could be, yet emotionally he’d never be strong. The death of Eliza had brought him to his knees, and he’d never forgive or forget what humans could do. Nor would he forget how it felt to have his heart ripped from his chest, to lose someone he loved with all his heart. He’d rather stake himself than go through the pain of loving and losing a mate again.

Whatever he was feeling for Samantha needed to be squelched. The seed that had been planted inside his heart had to be crushed and the best way he knew to do that was to find another woman who could sate his needs for blood and sex. Perhaps then, he’d lose interest in the red-headed witch seated next to him.