Luca's Magic Embrace

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?”

“Samantha, maybe I am not making myself clear. There are certain things that are not up for discussion. You are welcome to train with us, to be accepted within the sisterhood. By doing so, there are many secrets that will become known to you. Until that time, I am sorry, there is nothing I can do to help you,” Ilsbeth replied coldly. She stood as if expecting them to leave. “Is there anything else I can help you with? I’m very busy.”

“Would it be all right if I went up to my old room? I think I may have left some notes there, and I really would like to collect them. I wanted to keep a journal of my transformation,” Samantha asked. It couldn’t hurt to look around to see if perhaps she’d left any clues during her time at the coven. Samantha barely remembered the first few days she’d spent there, but there was a small chance she’d left a note about the amulet. It was a long shot, but grasping at straws was about the only thing she could do, now that Ilsbeth had clammed up about the Hematilly Periapt.

“Please, feel free to search your room. However, I believe the sisters have cleaned the area of any belongings you may have left behind. I’m serious, Samantha. No more talk of the periapt. Sometimes just talking about something can affect our universe,” she warned.

Samantha nodded and hurried up the stairs.

Luca stood to walk Ilsbeth to the foyer. “Ilsbeth, I do have one more question, which may seem quite odd. Definitely off topic.”

“Yes, what is it, Luca?

“It’s rumored that it’s possible for witches to bear the child of a vampire. Is this true?” He knew Ilsbeth would put the puzzle pieces together and surmise what he was thinking. At the same time, he needed to know if it was possible for him to father a child.

Ilsbeth’s face softened, and she smiled slightly. She put her hand on Luca’s forearm. “Yes, it’s true, Luca. It is uncommon but has occurred a number of times over the centuries…very rare, though. I certainly would not plan a future based upon it. Witches bear children to humans and witches…sometimes shifters. It is the natural course of our kind. Luca, I’m not sure what you’re thinking, but please be cautious in how you proceed in your relationship with Samantha. I can see how she trusts you. I must counsel you to be honest with her before you decide to claim her. She’s getting stronger, but she’s still fragile,” she advised.

“She may have once been fragile, but she is not as delicate as you would think. In fact, she’s quite a bright and capable woman,” Luca acknowledged.

“Luca, today you are full of surprises. I never thought I’d see the day when you would come to care for a human woman, albeit a witch. Very interesting indeed,” Ilsbeth smiled slyly. “Take care, Luca. Please keep her safe.” Shaking her head in disbelief, she turned and walked behind the shimmering curtain that blocked the view of visitors from seeing further into the coven’s home.

Luca considered Ilsbeth’s insights. Yes, Samantha was emotionally delicate. But that was only because of the unwanted circumstances that had been thrust upon her; she’d suffered a loss of control. Luca reasoned that any human would have crumbled, given the same situation. Samantha could have chosen to give up, but instead, she’d fought with him to get her life back, to find out who was after her. Luca knew that Samantha was substantially stronger than he’d initially judged. She’d proven herself resilient and resourceful at each step of the journey; she was more determined than ever to find the Hematilly Periapt and get her life in order.

Upstairs, Samantha feverishly searched her guest room for evidence of an amulet or some kind of clue. When she’d spent time at the coven, she’d written herself little notes every day, hoping that one would spark her lost memory. She was certain that she had left a few in the room when she left for Pennsylvania. Yet, scouring the room, she could barely find a speck of dust in the cleaned out desk, let alone any of her memos. No wonder Ilsbeth had allowed her to search her room; everything she’d written had been thrown in the trash.

Samantha walked down the circular, cedar-lined hallway. As she approached the library, Rowan, the librarian, sat working at her desk, guarding the entrance. She sat in front of the ornately-carved wooden doors, working on her laptop, appearing not to notice Samantha. Rowan’s long, frizzy black hair cascaded over her petite figure. She was oddly attractive, dressing as if she was a college student, in a mini-skirt with a sharply pressed white oxford shirt. While she looked as if she was only in her twenties, Samantha knew that she was nearly fifty years old.

Casually approaching the witch, Samantha cleared her throat. “Hi Rowan, long time no see.”

“Ah you’re back, Sam. Are you moving back into your old room?” she inquired.

“Uh…no, well not yet. Right now, I’m staying with a friend,” Samantha responded. “I was just looking for my notes in my old room, but I guess they were thrown out. I really need to get going but I thought I’d stop by and say hi on the way out. I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Do you have my cell number? Maybe we could go out for coffee sometime,” she suggested.

“Yeah, sure.” Rowan cautiously eyed Samantha, wondering why she was roaming around the coven hallways unescorted. She made a mental note to discuss this incident with Ilsbeth. Samantha was nice, but she wasn’t a sister. They couldn’t afford that kind of security lapse. Rowan got up from her desk and stood protectively in front of the library doors, guarding its entrance.

Typing numbers into their cell phones, Rowan and Samantha politely exchanged numbers. Samantha wanted to ask Rowan to let her into the library, but knew it would never happen. She might be friendly, but she was nothing short of ruthless when it came to protecting coven secrets. Explaining that she had a friend waiting, Samantha quickly ran down the coven steps and into Luca’s waiting arms. On an intellectual level, Samantha knew the coven was supposed to feel like home, but on an emotional level, it felt like a prison and she couldn’t wait to leave.

Luca turned the ignition and tried to figure out how he’d pitch his next idea to Samantha. They had come up with practically nothing at the coven. It was clear that Ilsbeth didn’t want them to have the amulet or speak of it, but besides that, they didn’t have much more information than before they came. If the object scared Ilsbeth, that was not a good sign.

Luca wondered what the amulet did that caused Ilsbeth to insist they stop looking for it. He knew one fact for certain; it was important enough that someone would murder in order to get it. It was possible that Asgear had had the amulet and then that Samantha had stolen it at some point. Perhaps she’d hidden it? Samantha’s memory had failed her so far, and Luca wasn’t sure he wanted her to remember the rest of the gory details of her abduction. Overnight, Samantha had appeared to grow stronger, and he didn’t want to risk a relapse.

The problem, Luca surmised, was that there weren’t many places he was aware of that they could even search. The only two locations she’d been at for certain were the mausoleum in St. Louis cemetery and Sangre Dulce, where Samantha had been bespelled into posing as a waitress and submissive. The mausoleum was out of the question, because it had been destroyed. Dominique and Ilsbeth had taken care of that.

As for Sangre Dulce, Luca was concerned about taking her back to the club. If they went back, there was a risk she could be traumatized all over again. When she’d been in Kade’s basement during her initial interrogation, she’d nearly fainted after being shown pictures of herself nude, serving drinks. She only had a vague memory of having a drink with a man, James, who was really Asgear. No other memories existed for her.

Shifting in his seat, he drove towards home and sighed. “So listen, Samantha,” he began. “Since Ilsbeth was a bust, we don’t have many options. I have a plan, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.” He didn’t bother looking over at Samantha to gauge her reaction, and kept his eyes fixed on the road.

“Well, let’s just say, I’m open to suggestions. There was nothing in my old room. In fact, they’d cleaned the place out. And until Ilsbeth or Rowan try to log into the coven site, we can’t hack into their server. So, whatever’s on your mind has got to be better than the whole lot of nothin’ we’ve got now.” She shrugged and glanced over at him.

“Okay, if you’re open to it, here goes. I’m thinking it’s a real possibility that Asgear stole or found this amulet. Maybe he knew what it did, maybe he didn’t. I’m also thinking that maybe you took it and hid it before or during being bespelled. Just because he bespelled you, it doesn’t mean you liked him. He could have told you what it did, and you inherently knew he wouldn’t put it to good use. Now, how someone else knows you were with him or that you might have had it, is a true mystery.” Luca steeled himself before telling Samantha that they were returning to her living hell. “I think that we need to go back to Sangre Dulce to take a look around, maybe talk to the other waitresses, look for clues. We know you were there.”

Samantha silently contemplated his proposal. She loathed the idea of returning to that club. It had forever fucked up her life: one decision to go out with friends, one decision to have a drink with a stranger. Going back could bring back her memory or not. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to remember. She could literally pick up with her life and move on, not having to worry about the frightening lost memories. Yet if she went back to the club, she might possibly find evidence to lead them to the amulet. Whoever was looking for that damn thing would not leave her in peace until they got it. There was a real possibility that she had done exactly what Luca had postulated. She would never know until she tried.

“Yes. Let’s do it,” she agreed.

“You sure?” he asked.

“Yes. Until we find this amulet, I’ll never get my life back. I need this, Luca. I need normalcy. Maybe supernaturals are used to living in a state of constant stress and chaos, but I’m not. I want my boring, Starbucks drinking, nine to five working life back. It wasn’t much but there’s one thing I’ve realized; when you lose everything…your job, your home, your identity, the only person who can put the pieces back together again is you. I’ve got to do this.” She caught Luca’s eyes and put her hand on his thigh.

He reached down and covered her small hand with his. Slowly rubbing the inside of her palm with his calloused thumb, he realized how protective he’d become of her. She was so beautiful and brave, willing to return to Sangre Dulce. She wasn’t a weak human lying down in defeat. No, she was a fighter. A quick glance at her smiling up at him melted his heart. What was she doing to him?

He hadn’t even known her very long but felt a deep connection to Samantha that he didn’t think he’d ever be able to break. His thoughts drifted to Ilsbeth’s words; it was rare, but they could conceive. A baby. Silently admonishing himself for even thinking about it, he blew out a breath. What the hell was happening to him? Luca didn’t do humans or love and here he was thinking about babies? While growing aroused at her touch, he was more concerned about the tightness he felt in his chest. I’m falling for this little witch.

“What are you thinking about? You okay?” Samantha broke his train of thought.

“Just planning our next move,” he lied. “When we go to Sangre Dulce, I’ll be by your side the entire time. You’re not the person you were when you were Rhea. Rhea was mere illusion, someone you were forced to be. We’ll go in, do our business and get out,” he promised.

“You know, when I saw those pictures, at Kade’s, I was just shocked that I could have been made to parade around naked like that in some kind of a magic stupor. I felt like a fool. And then there’s that whole submissive thing. I mean, it’s not like I’m not open to fantasizing in the bedroom, but what I did wasn’t exactly private.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head in embarrassment.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of, Samantha. Seriously. Number one, you were not in control of yourself. Asgear forced you against your will. And number two; even if you were a submissive, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. A lot of people experiment with fantasies. It can be fun.” He winked at her, trying to lighten the mood.

“I, uh, I don’t know, Luca,” she hesitated for a moment before continuing. “It’s just that I really haven’t ever been so intimate with anyone…until you. What we did last night, it was amazing. It’s not that I haven’t, you know, had sex. God, this is embarrassing. Okay, I’m just going to say it. There’s been no other man who made me, you know, come like that.” She giggled a little. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.” She raked her fingers through her hair, twisting the ends nervously.

“Well darlin’, I’m glad to hear it. And if I have my way, I’ll be the last man who makes you come ‘like that’ as you put it,” he smiled at her, turning into his driveway.

“Look at what you do to me, woman.” He moved her hand from his thigh onto the hard evidence of his arousal. “We’re never going to get anything done,” he sighed. “Seriously, as much as I’d like to take you inside and make love again, we need to get over to Sangre Dulce,” He groaned due to his uncomfortable state of arousal. “When we get home, I’ll call Sydney and see if she can bring over something suitable for you to wear to the club. I also think we should bring Étienne and Xavier for backup. I’m not expecting trouble, but after what happened the last time we were there…Let’s just say that I’m not risking anything happening to you.”

As Luca pulled his car up to his home and turned off the engine, Samantha jumped out. As he approached her, Samantha wrapped her hands around Luca’s waist, pressing her face into his chest and hugging him tightly.

“Thank you, Luca. Thank you for talking me into coming back here to get my life together. Thank you for helping me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

“Well, I did threaten to enthrall you to get you home, so I guess that counts as talking you into it,” he joked, and kissed her head.

She playfully pushed his chest with the palm of her hand. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Yes. Yes, you are. And I couldn’t be happier that you’re with me.” He gathered her into his arms for a brief embrace and then released her. If he started kissing her, they’d never get to the club. He was two seconds from tearing off her clothes as it was.

“Come on now. Let’s get dressed.” He lightly smacked her bottom as she quickly walked up to the porch. Adjusting himself, he fantasized about how delicious it would be to spank her pink while taking her from behind. He couldn’t seem to stop thinking of Samantha and all the delightfully naughty things he wanted to do to her.

Knowing they had work to do, Luca decided it was safer to stay upstairs rather than follow Samantha down to his bedroom. He could barely keep his hands off of her for two seconds. She was driving him mad. It wasn’t as if he could stay in a cold shower forever. He needed to get himself together, which was not going to be easy, considering they were about to go to a sex club. He sighed, resigning himself to the fact that he was going to remain uncomfortably hard for the next several hours. It was going to be a long night.

Samantha tugged at her short dress as they walked toward Sangre Dulce. Sydney had come over to Luca’s to help her get dressed. After vehemently refusing to wear a little, very little, see-through number, she’d settled on a royal blue spandex mini-dress with a draped skirt that was gathered at her waist by rhinestones. One-shouldered, it exposed her creamy, pale skin; her golden red hair was straightened and tied back in a ponytail. Samantha enjoyed the black patent leather platform heels she’d borrowed. They made her feel more confident and tall, despite only adding a few inches to her five foot three stature.

She knew that the club catered to both humans and supernaturals; that was partly what had enticed her to go there in the first place. They’d all thought it would be fun to maybe see someone being bitten or spanked. Samantha didn’t recall either. Still, with the knowledge that there could be vampires there, she nervously stroked her neck as if to protect it. Sydney had given her a silver chain in case of an emergency, which she kept stowed in her small clutch bag. She’d tried to get her to take a stake, but Samantha trusted Luca to keep her safe. She reasoned that not knowing exactly how to stake a vampire could be more dangerous for her, if she tried using the weapon without practice.

Luca put his arm around Samantha’s waist and possessively pulled her against him. He planned to make it clear from the minute he stepped out of the car that she was his. He could practically feel her smooth skin through the barely-there, stretchy material that was her dress. He’d nearly had a heart attack when she came out of the bedroom tonight. With her hair swept up, he admired the fine lines of her neck; how he’d love to pierce her and taste her honeyed blood again. The spandex dress showed off every last curve of her luscious body without revealing a hint of cleavage. Samantha was simply stunning.

As they walked through the door, the pounding techno beat blared. Samantha slowly practiced her deep breathing, trying not to let Luca notice. She had said she wanted to do this, and she was determined to see it through. Samantha put on a mask of coolness as she observed naked girls serving drinks to customers. Straining to observe over a sea of bodies, it appeared a Domme and her sub were gearing up to engage in a public scene. A tall, lithe woman, dressed head to toe in spandex, led a good looking, muscular man around the room on a leash and proceeded to cuff his wrists to a Saint Andrew’s cross.

Watching the preparation, Samantha lost her concentration on her deep breathing. Inexplicably drawn to what was happening to the sub, her heart began to race. Was this what she’d done? She couldn’t help but notice that the man didn’t struggle. He willingly followed his mistress and held his arms out to her, his jutting excitement conspicuously revealed to the audience. Samantha wasn’t quite sure whether she was aroused by the sight of the virile stranger or disgusted, knowing it could have been her, a memory better forgotten. Conflicted, she could not tear her eyes from the unfolding exhibition. A cry of delight roared through the room as the Domme alternated between stroking him mercilessly and cracking the flat end of a riding crop against his reddening bottom.

Luca put his hand on Samantha’s elbow, jarring her from anxiety. He could tell from the fascinated look on her face that she’d never seen anything like she’d just witnessed. On the one hand, he cursed Asgear for fucking with her memory. Yet it was probably best she didn’t remember whatever had happened in the club.

Studying her face, he could see she was mesmerized by the intense sexual display. He observed her warring emotions. Was she excited by it? Perhaps. But her eyes told him she was also uneasy, anxious. She was worrying about things she couldn’t remember nor control. He needed to get her refocused on their purpose, so they could get out of there.

Luca guided her around a semi-circular bar and signaled the bartender. They were addressed promptly; two bottles of water were placed on the bar. Samantha had made it clear that she wasn’t drinking anything that didn’t come in a sealed container. After what had happened last time, she wasn’t taking any chances. Luca nodded at her and pointed to a small area that had been cordoned off by ultra-modern chrome leaf screens. It was partially open to allow the wait staff to enter and leave, but had no door.

“Over there. I’ll stand right outside the entrance while you search the area. Are you ready to do this?” he asked.

“Born ready,” she feigned confidence.

“Okay, let’s do it quickly.”

Several nude waitresses were leaving the break area as they approached the opening. Samantha winked at Luca and entered. The room was the size of a small walk-in closet, and she guessed that no more than four people could fit in there at a time. One way to keep the waitresses working. Plastic orange chairs lined one wall with a mini-fridge and plastic cups on the other side. Folded purple towels and blankets were piled high in a corner. Quickly she rummaged through the linens and refrigerator, but couldn’t find anything.

Disappointed, she exited the room, and Luca caught the crook of her arm.

“Nothing, I found nothing,” she commented tersely.

“Come dance with me,” he whispered into her ear.

Nina Simone’s I Put a Spell on You began to play as Luca pulled her out onto the dance floor. She felt herself melt into his body as he put a hand to the small of her back and held his other hand to her throat, slowly brushing his fingers down the hollow of her neck. Without words, he pressed his lips to hers, tasting her, deepening the kiss as she reached her hands around his neck.

Within seconds, she’d lost control, digging her hands into his hair. Desire pooled below, as she began grinding against his hardness. She wanted to make love to him there, not caring who was watching.

Grudgingly, Luca began to withdraw. Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead down to hers. “Ah Samantha, I want you so much. But we can’t do this here. We’ve gotta go back to the room where Dominique was silvered. Check it out.” He was breathing hard, struggling to compose himself. A year ago, he’d have had no problem having sex in a club like Sangre Dulce. He wasn’t in the lifestyle but liked to play lightly every now and then. When a vampire had lived as long as he had, he or she was always looking for something on the edge to spice up life. But now was not the time to get carried away; he’d only brought her out to the floor to talk with her briefly before they went to the private rooms.

“Back there.” He nodded towards an entrance covered in red-beaded fringe. “We’ll walk back together. Hold my hand and stay close. Sometimes people gather at the rooms to watch; we’ll just walk around them.”

“Any chance I can use the ladies’ room before we go? Somebody has me all hot and bothered,” she teased.

“Yes, come on, let’s go. I want to get home as soon as possible so I can finish what we’ve started on the dance floor.” It was more of a promise than a joke.

Léopold watched the mortal girl dance with Luca, cursing their pleasure. They were supposed to be finding him the Hematilly Periapt; instead, they were mauling each other like oversexed teenagers. He was sure Asgear had given it her, and she would lead him to it, even if he had to grab her by her long red hair and drag her through the streets of New Orleans himself.

Anger raced through his veins; he was incensed with their cavalier attitude. Obviously, she needed a reminder of her task. He’d thought the fire would have been enough to frighten her into this much-needed search. He required the amulet…now.

Luca spied Étienne and Xavier sitting at the bar, and casually nodded. He planned on introducing Samantha to them another time, letting them remain in the background. He watched as she took off down a long open hallway to the rest room. It was dimly lit with black lights and tea-light candles that sat in ceramic luminaires. As he turned back, Étienne and Xavier had crossed the room to meet him. He wanted to quickly brief them on the plan. They’d stay twenty feet behind them and watch for an ambush.

Samantha patted her face down with a paper towel and prided herself for holding it together. Not remembering a damn thing helped, she mused. But she didn’t regret spending time with Luca. She found herself wanting to stay in New Orleans with him. She wasn’t sure if he really meant it when he said that he didn’t want to let her go. The more time she spent with him, the more she said goodbye to her old life.

Exiting the ladies room, dark smoke filled the hallway. Before she had the opportunity to register the cause, she found herself shoved against the wall. A large hand covered her mouth, while the attacker’s body flattened against hers, effectively caging and immobilizing her. Unable to speak or move, her eyes widened at the stranger.

“Do not make a sound. I am going to release your mouth. If you scream, I will take you out of here. If you’re quiet, I’ll let you go. If you understand, nod your head,” Léopold instructed.

Samantha did what he said, quietly pursing her lips together. She wanted to scream, but wasn’t convinced he would not hurt her. There was something otherworldly about him. His hardened raven eyes seemed to pierce right through her, pinning her in place, like a dried butterfly stuck to a display board. She could see the slightest hint of candlelight glinting off the sharp edges of his fangs. Vampire.

“Maybe I haven’t been clear, Samantha,” he began.

“How do you know my name?” she interrupted.

“Do you know the meaning of quiet, witch? Do you? All you need to know is that I need the Hematilly Periapt, and you are going to find it for me. Now no more fooling around with the vampire. Find. It. Now!”

“But…but I don’t know where it is. I don’t even know what it is. Please just leave me alone,” she pleaded.

“Listen to me, little girl. Asgear gave it to you. I don’t give a shit what you have to do, but you will find it.” He released her and shook his head. She was the only one who could find it. “Now go to your vampire,” he ordered.

“But how will I find you if I get it?” she asked. She felt braver. He hadn’t hurt her. There was something about him; she couldn’t put her finger on it. He was powerful. Lethal. Yet he hadn’t attempted to kill her or even bite her.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head, Samantha. I will find you, so you’d better keep looking,” he threatened.

Samantha looked up the hallway, and could see Luca’s back to her. Readying herself to scream, she glanced back at the stranger, and he was gone. Vanished. She ran up the hallway, and embraced Luca tightly. “Luca, Luca. He was here. “

Luca growled. “Who was here? Who touched you?” An uncontrollable rage filled him at the thought of another man’s hands on Samantha. Luca signaled over to Étienne and Xavier, who sensed something was wrong. They immediately came over to find out what had just happened.

“Are you hurt? Look at me. Tell me everything.” Luca wanted to know every detail. This bastard had almost burned them to death, and now he was here in the club. How the hell did he get past him?

Without giving Samantha a chance to answer, he barked out orders to Étienne and Xavier. “Go down the hallway, and search for the man. Scent her first.”

“Where did he touch you Samantha?” Luca asked through gritted teeth.

“He put his hand over my mouth, and pinned me to the wall, but he didn’t hurt me. He wants the periapt. I told him I didn’t have it, but he thinks Asgear gave it to me. He’s a large vampire; I could see his teeth. At least as tall as you, Luca, so maybe six-five. Black eyes. I don’t remember much else; it was dark,” she quietly finished.

Xavier and Étienne leaned in, sniffing her dress. Samantha rolled her eyes upward, trying not to notice two strange vampires that she hadn’t even been formally introduced to, within inches of her breasts. She huffed as they backed off and went down the hallway.

“We should go home,” Luca suggested. “This is too dangerous.”

“Excuse my French, Luca, but no fucking way.” She had come this far and was not leaving without at least checking that room. “I’m telling you, he is not going to leave me alone until he gets that damn periapt. I’ve had enough of this shit tonight. Vampires looking for amulets I don’t have and then disappearing into thin air. Seriously? Enough.” She shook her head in disbelief. “Let’s go to the room and then we’ll leave. Please Luca,” she begged.

Xavier and Étienne were back within minutes. “There are no vampires down there that match his scent. He’s gone,” Étienne said.

“Listen up. We’re going down to the last room on the right, the one that Dominique was silvered in. Étienne, you go ahead of us. X, you bring up the rear. No stopping for shows or looking around. We’re going to move fast and then get outta here. Understood?” he asked.

They all nodded and one by one passed through the red-beaded curtain, making their way to the room. Samantha held onto Luca for dear life, hearing screams of pleasure and pain as they crept down the darkened hallways. Finally, when they reached the room, they found it occupied by two very naked humans. The man had the woman bent over a spanking bench and was entering her from behind.

Samantha’s mouth gaped open at the sight, while Luca strode in and interrupted them. He bared his fangs and roared. “Out!”

The people froze mid-coitus, the blond woman’s mascara-streaked face staring at them defiantly. Luca knelt down to the man, who appeared not to have heard his order, and glowered. “I said get out. Now move! Move! Move! Move!” he yelled.

The couple scrambled around for their clothes. Upon seeing Étienne and Xavier’s exposed fangs, they stopped looking for clothes and ran out the door. Samantha grinned. Vampires are scary when they’re angry.

Luca slammed the door behind him, scanning the room. “This room’s all we’ve got, so let’s tear it up. There’s got to be something here. Xavier, check all the floor panels. Étienne, you check the walls and light fixtures. Samantha, you’ve got the sofa. I’ll take the equipment,” he instructed.

They spread out and started searching. Samantha was more than grossed out by the plastic-covered sofa. She shuddered to think who and what people had done on it. “Gloves,” she called out, finding a box of surgical gloves on a small table in the corner that also housed towels, sanitizing wipes and a bowl of flavored condoms. Snapping on the latex life-savers, she began to rip the cushions off and delved into the cracks, looking for a clue.

Xavier inspected the heavily worn, oak floor planks. While the floor appeared well used, it presented as if it was in good condition. Aside from a few squeaks, he couldn’t find any loose boards.

Étienne scrutinized each brick in the wall, running his fingers along the grout. Not one stone was wavered. Save a few high hat lights, there was no other illumination in the room. Each one was tightly mounted and left no room for an opening.

Having already examined the Saint Andrew’s cross and spanking bench, Luca moved on to the massage table. On first glance, the padding looked clean and uncracked. Running his fingers underneath, he felt only smooth particle board until he came upon a section that was worn. Losing patience, Luca flipped the table upside down, exposing its warped underside. He noticed that one of the corners did not seem to evenly match the rest of the seams; it was slightly raised. Digging his fingers into the juncture where the particle board met the padding, he tugged until it popped. What the hell? Someone had put chewing gum inside the backing as makeshift glue. It had hardened into nothing more than a small tacky spud, yet it had held tight.

Luca peeled back the panel until he spied a flattened cocktail napkin. He carefully removed it and called the others over. “Got something. A napkin. Looks like there’s writing on it, but it doesn’t make sense. Samantha, take a look.” Luca surmised it was not a foreign language, and sincerely hoped it wasn’t nonsense. It simply read, “NIJE QN QSMGIOT.”

Samantha gently took the tissue paper into her hands and unfolded it. Her eyes widened in surprise, unexpectedly realizing she’d written it. “Oh my God, Luca. I wrote this; it’s my handwriting. I know what this is; it’s a code. A code to conceal a message. Knowing me, I probably created a cipher. My co-workers and I sometimes play encryption games with them. You know, create codes and see who can break it. I wouldn’t have used something easy, though.”

“Can you break it?” he asked.

“Probably, but I need to think about how I created it, and I can’t think in here.” She fingered the napkin and held it to her chest as if it was made of gold. This clue could give her back her life. Excitement coursed through her body; she could feel the tendrils of magic stirring under her skin.

“Let’s go everyone, we’ve gotta get out of here,” Luca ordered. “The back door. It leads to an outside alley. Although it looks like someone decided to lock it up good, since the last time we were here. Stand back while I break it.” Luca went over to the door, the same one Samantha had used to leave after she’d silvered Dominique. Obviously management wasn’t crazy about people using it as an exit, so they’d put a chain and lock on it. Whoever thought a chain would stop a supernatural was a dumbass, Luca thought. He knew a simple steel chain wouldn’t keep vampires from breaking it, so why bother? Luca wrapped the steel chain around his fists, grunting as he broke it apart. He kicked the door open, and they all took off down the alleyway.

Samantha started to analyze the code as soon as they got into the car. She couldn’t wait to get home to crack it. On the precipice of solving the mystery, she smiled to herself. Inwardly, she celebrated the fact that despite all Asgear’s efforts to control her mind, some small part of her couldn’t be controlled. The code was evidence that she probably had stolen the periapt, and had taken great care to hide it from him. Yet despite her small victory, its clandestine location had drawn a very powerful and dangerous vampire into her circle. She prayed she’d find it before he found her again.