Page 25 of Luca’s Magic Embrace

The livid female vampire raced across the room with preternatural speed, knocking the wind out of Samantha as she grabbed her around the throat and held her against the wall. Samantha’s eyes bulged as she watched Luca snatch the other vampire with one hand and throw her across the room. He growled as Samantha held up a hand to him indicating she was okay.

“Dominique!” he yelled. He strode across the room, where the woman shot daggers at him, looking like she was ready for round two. “Enough! It’s over. You will apologize now. And if you ever touch her again, I’ll stake you myself.”

The woman vampire acquiesced and quickly stood up, holding both her hands up in surrender. “Me? Apologize? Luca, how can you take her side? You know what she did! How could you?” she pleaded.

“She is mine,” Luca declared. “And you will not touch her. You will treat her with respect. She doesn’t even remember what happened to her. Samantha,” he glanced over to her and back. “This is Dominique. Unfortunately, when you were bespelled, you silvered her. And while she did suffer that night, she is no worse for wear as you can see. She most definitely does hold grudges but she will be respectful in your presence. Isn’t that correct, Dominique?”

“Goddamn you Luca. I can smell you all over her. Yes, I will try not to kill your plaything,” Dominique spat through her teeth with a sickening sweet smile that promised retribution. She hated having to follow Luca’s order but would do it for him. He was her superior.

“Now that we’re done with introductions, I believe you’d best get back to Kade’s to continue working. Dominique is the Director of Public Relations for Issacson Industries. We have a downtown office, but she spends a lot of time here if Kade is working from home. She also helps me with security when needed.” Luca came to stand next to Samantha and put his arm around her shoulder; he wanted it to be clear to Dominique that Samantha was his. “We’re going over to see Ilsbeth. I’ll contact you later if I need your assistance. Goodbye, Dominique.”

Dominique shot Samantha an icy scowl and nodded at Luca. “Goodbye, Luca. I hope you know what you’re getting into with this one,” she huffed. As Dominique walked out the door, she slammed it in defiance.

“Are you okay?” he asked, checking Samantha’s neck for injuries.

“I’m fine, just a bit shaken up is all.”

“Dominique can be a bit of a handful, but she’s very loyal. I promise that she won’t hurt you now that I’ve talked with her.”

“I sure as hell hope so. That was one pissed off vampire bitch.” Samantha rubbed her neck. “I don’t even remember her, but I certainly will now.”

“I’m really sorry about her. She’ll get over it, though. I meant what I said to her, and she knows it,” he assured Samantha.

“Thanks, Luca. I appreciate you saving me. She’s kinda scary,” she admitted.

Luca couldn’t resist pulling Samantha against his hard chest. He caressed her back and neck. Her shiny red hair now smelled of peaches, and he smiled, remembering how responsive she’d been the night before. She’d nearly killed him when she took him into her mouth. Growing aroused, he knew it wasn’t the time to start something he couldn’t finish. They needed to go soon and get some answers. He reluctantly released Samantha, putting some needed distance between them.

“Darlin’, as much as I’d like to play museum curator and show you all my fun toys, we’d better get going over to the coven. I’m barely holding onto control. If we don’t leave within the next five minutes, I might be tempted to have my way with you yet again,” he teased.

“And I might like that very much,” she countered. She blushed, thinking about how they’d made love the night before. She’d never met a man who could make her climax during intercourse, let alone make her feel as if she’d gone directly to heaven. It was as if he intimately knew every square inch of her body so well that he could send her into a blinding rapture with just his lips.

Luca could tell Samantha was silently reminiscing about how incredible last night had been for them both. The mind blowing sex wasn’t something he’d soon forget. He couldn’t remember ever having been with someone who was so vibrant and loving. Envisioning her beneath him, writhing in pleasure, he groaned, willing his erection to subside. He needed to think about something else besides making love to Samantha.

“So did you have any luck getting into the database?” he asked, grabbing his keys off of a hallway desk.

“Yeah, about that. I tried breaking into the coven database, while you were on the phone. It was pretty tight, so I have to take a more indirect approach. I sent both Rowan and Ilsbeth emails that have a hidden key stroking tracking worm attached. I’ll be alerted once they go online and then we can nab the password. It might take a little while but the method is tried and true.” Samantha was confident they’d have the passwords within the day. Ilsbeth might not go online that often, but she was sure that Rowan would do so, since she actively worked in the library.

“Smart and beautiful.” Luca hugged her and brushed a light kiss on her lips. “We’d better go now, before I decide to take you back downstairs and ravish you senseless.” Luca wished he was joking but knew she was quickly becoming an irresistible vice.

CHAPTER NINE

Samantha and Luca sat in the parlor waiting on Ilsbeth. Feeling her hands tingle, Samantha wondered if maybe she was feeling her magic. The only other time she’d felt a similar feeling was at the cabin. In an effort to dull the sensation, she closed her eyes, breathed in a deep breath, held it for five seconds and then blew it out. She reasoned that she might know shit about magic but she was pretty good at meditation. Relaxation seeped through her veins as she repeated the exercise.

It was not that she hated the idea of the existence of a witch’s coven; she just hated what it personally represented. It was where she’d been sent to be cleansed of the dirt that had tainted her very soul. Whatever Asgear had done to her was beyond human reason, possibly demonic. She shuddered, wondering what could have happened if the evil had been allowed to grow within her. Would she have stolen? Murdered? Learned and utilized black magic for her own gain?

The thought of deliberately hurting someone made her sick; it all seemed unbelievable. Even after she’d left the coven to return to Pennsylvania, she’d felt normal, perfectly human. But she couldn’t deny the surge of electricity and power that she had called when pushed into a fit of rage. Seeing the cabin ablaze had given birth to an uncontrollable reaction.

“Luca. Samantha. So glad to see you safely made it back to New Orleans.” The lilt of Ilsbeth’s voice jilted Samantha back into reality. Ilsbeth sat in a chair across from Luca and Samantha, who sat side by side on the sofa. Noticing their closeness, Ilsbeth quietly smiled. “Samantha, you are welcome to move back into the coven and continue your training,” she offered.

“No thank you,” Samantha refused kindly. “I…I’m staying with Luca.” She looked to him for comfort and then returned her gaze to Ilsbeth. “We came because we need your help with a few things. The first is my magic. I did something in Pennsylvania that I think you should know about. The cabin I was staying at. Well, someone set it on fire. I was so angry and scared, and before I knew what was happening, something called to me within, like my skin was crawling. I felt out of control, like electricity was bolting through my body. I felt this need…to call rain. And it worked. It rained and put out the fire. I guess I just wanted you to know…” Samantha’s voice trailed off as she stared at Ilsbeth. God, I sound crazy. Although I’d take crazy over ‘witch’ right now.

Laughing out loud, Ilsbeth stood and began to pace the length of the room. “This is wonderful, Samantha! Don’t you see? Of course you don’t. How would you know?” She quickly returned to her seat and held Samantha’s hands. “It sounds as if you are an elemental witch, my dear. The elements: fire, water, earth and wind. They will come to you when needed and when called. You may not have good control right now, but with practice, you will be quite powerful someday. Please consider returning to the coven. It will be great fun to teach you.”

“Thank you for the offer, Ilsbeth. But right now, I need to stay with Luca. He’s keeping me safe. Nothing has happened since with my magic. I’ll let you know if something else does. I guess that I’m just…I’m just not ready for this. Maybe someday.” She sounded unsure, but after all, she didn’t seem to get a choice about when or how the magic came. She didn’t want Luca to send her back to Ilsbeth. “I promise to think it over, but right now we’ve got a more pressing problem. Whoever is after me wants something called a Hematilly Periapt. Do you have any idea what it is, or why someone would want it?” she asked.

Ilsbeth’s face hardened; her lips pressed together in a fine line. An icy sheet fell across her face. “Now listen here, I am not sure who told you about that, but the Hematilly Periapt is not to be trifled with. It’s a very powerful amulet, and it belongs in the care of a coven. No one currently knows its location and thankfully, it is probably lost or destroyed. Whoever is asking for it is nothing but trouble. Now, I suggest you forget about it.”

Samantha hesitated then pressed forward. “Ilsbeth, I’m sorry if this line of questioning bothers you. But someone could have killed us and they wanted that amulet. And for some ungodly reason, they think I have it. So please forgive us, but I have to ask about it. Could you tell us, you know, if you had to take a wild guess, who might have it or where you think we should start looking for it?”