Deliverance Read online

  “Hmm?”

  “Back in the woods, when Leisha and the others found us.”

  His back stiffened but he waited for her to continue.

  “Leisha said that when you were in that state, you acted like I was your mate.” Biting her lip, Samantha suddenly couldn’t think of anything else to say. She wanted to ask him about it, but couldn’t form the words that had been going through her mind for days.

  “You want to know why.” Nik said it quietly.

  Nodding, Samantha waited for his answer with bated breath.

  The vampire sighed and pulled back until he was looking into her eyes. “Samantha, I . . . I don’t know what it is about you, but I feel . . .” He threw his hands up. “I just feel when I’m around you.”

  Her eyebrows drew together. “You’re saying that I’m the switch to your emotions?”

  “No, that didn’t come out right.” He sighed, then started again. “I’ve always been able to compartmentalize, even when I was human.” He shrugged. “It’s what made me so good at being an assassin. And it helped me to grow within the ranks of the other vampires. The society there is different.”

  “You mean different because they enjoy killing and drinking blood?” Samantha asked with some sarcasm.

  “More than that. It’s that most vampires, while unfeeling about others’ plights, are very emotional. Even Ptah had buttons to push, though Leisha was usually the only one that could push them. But me, I was able to conceal my emotions. No one could push me around or affect me like they wanted. It’s what made me excel.”

  She pursed her lips to the side. “But Leisha told me that you two got along pretty well before I ever came along.”

  “She probably said that we have always respected each other, which is true. But we did not actually become friends until you entered my life.” He stroked her cheek. “Do you remember that first time we met?”

  Samantha laughed. “How could I forget? You used your luring powers on me so you could drink my blood.”

  He nodded solemnly. “I wanted to kill you then.”

  “Right,” she said slowly, feeling that she didn’t understand. “Because my blood called to you or something?”

  This time Nik laughed. “Have you been reading romance novels, Samantha? No, your blood didn’t ‘call out’ to me.” His hazel eyes bored into her. “I wanted to kill you because I was scared. As soon as I saw you, I couldn’t just compartmentalize. I felt. And I couldn’t do anything about it.”

  “Oh.” It came out breathless. Samantha couldn’t think of how to respond to that.

  “And then the more I learned about you—your innocence and your quiet strength—the more I liked you. And when we spent all that time together, when Leisha was pregnant and we were running from the vampires, I fell in love with you.”

  Samantha was embarrassed to feel tears prickling behind her eyes. “I fell in love with you, too,” she whispered. She leaned forward, her gaze on his lips. She knew their taste and couldn’t wait to sample them again.

  But Nik put his hands on her shoulders, keeping eye contact. “But don’t you see? That incident in South America was the slap in the face I needed. We shouldn’t be together, Samantha.”

  Huffing, Samantha narrowed her eyes. “We’re not going to have that conversation again, Nik. I don’t care if you’re a vampire! I don’t care that you kill. It doesn’t bother me.”

  “I know.” His expression was more sober than she’d ever seen. “And that’s what’s wrong about this whole situation.”

  Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. She closed it, swallowed, and then tried again. “Nik, I think we already talked about this a little. I’m going to be surrounded by all this . . . death, danger, and monsters whether you’re in my life or not.” She took his hands off her shoulders and gripped them tightly. “The only thing stopping us from being together is you. You said you were scared when you met me and wanted to kill me because of it. Now you’re scared that you’re a . . . a bad influence on me and want to kill our relationship because of it.” Emboldened by her own speech, Samantha pushed him back on the bed and leaned over him, her face directly above his. “Well, it’s time you faced your fears. You know what I have to say about any argument you may have about our being together? Get over it!”

  With that, she brought her mouth down to his, kissing him hard. Nik’s arms came up and pressed her to him as he kissed her back with equal fervor. It lasted several minutes before Samantha pulled back to catch her breath.

  But Nik wasn’t done. He trailed kisses over her jaw line and exposed neck, making Samantha shiver. Samantha swung a leg over his torso so that she straddled him and ran her fingers through his hair as he continued to linger over her neckline.

  Suddenly, he moaned and before Samantha knew what happened, she was on her back, under Nik’s tall frame.

  His hands were under the hem of her shirt, tugging it upward.

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  Nik gazed into her eyes and Samantha could see the mixture of love and lust. It was enough to scorch her completely. But then a tremor of uncertainty flickered across his face. His hands paused. “Samantha, have you ever . . .?”

  Biting her lip, she met his gaze and shook her head. “No.”

  The vampire groaned and rested his forehead against hers. “I can’t be your first. It’s not right on so many levels.”

  “Excuse me?” She scooted back until she was sitting up and resting against the headboard. “Don’t you think that’s my call to make?”

  “Samantha, I’m just trying to—”

  “No,” she interrupted firmly. “You don’t get it, do you? Don’t you think I’ve tried to have sex with other men?” Unable to sit and look at him, she got up and paced the small confines as she explained. “Do you know how hard it is to find a guy that I can connect with? None of them know anything about my life! Everything I tell them is one big lie, including my name. And you think that I can’t have sex with you because you’re a vampire? I love you and you know all of my secrets, and now here you are, saying it isn’t right? If it’s not right with you, I may as well just die a freaking virgin!”

  She pivoted to continue her pacing, but Nik was before her, blocking her way. His hands wrapped around her and he kissed her before she could say anything. Samantha immediately gave in. Her hands sought out the bare skin under his shirt. His torso was lean and hard. His body heat consumed her. Before he could change his mind, Samantha grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head.

  Nik stroked his hands over her ribs, his expression telling her that he wouldn’t stop this time.

  Samantha smiled and gave herself over to the pleasure that she knew only Nik could bring her.

  Chapter 27

  Leisha breathed in the briny air as she and Tafari walked the deck, hand in hand. They’d all eaten dinner together, except for Nikita because the sun was still up. Afterwards, Samantha had wandered off to find the vampire while Rinwa and Liam had stuck around for games provided by the crew.

  As they’d played cards at a table and Leisha had explained the rules to Liam, she couldn’t help thinking that this is what a real family was like. Spending quality time with each other and simply having fun. Not always on the run, fighting off the enemy, and drinking blood to survive.

  Tafari pulled her out of her thoughts. “Why is it that everyone goes out of their way to tell you how young you look for having a nine-year-old boy, but when I tell them I am the father, they just smile pleasantly?”

  “Well, you do look older than me,” she pointed out.

  Tafari pulled her closer into his side. “Not that much older.”

  Shrugging, Leisha attempted a teasing tone. “Maybe it’s because you’re black.”

  “And exactly what does that have to do with anything?” His light tone matched hers.

  Leisha
searched for something to say, but laughed instead. “I’m too happy to think of something witty and sarcastic.”

  Her husband stopped and leaned against the rail, pulling her against him. “And I had this great argument about how black people age better, so that would be why no one questions that I am Liam’s father.” He sighed dramatically. “I suppose I will have to store that away for another debate.” Leaning down, he kissed her gently.

  After he pulled back, Leisha sighed and laid her head against his chest. “It feels so nice out here.”

  “It is a pleasant night.”

  She stood up and leaned against the rail, their shoulders touching. “That’s not what I meant. I’m talking about feeling carefree. Having fun with each other. When does that ever happen?”

  Tafari looked down at her, his eyes thoughtful. “True. Though if we look back five years, I had planned to kill you, eventually. Now, we are on the same side, even if we rarely get to be carefree, as you put it.”

  Strands of blonde hair blew across her face and Leisha pulled them out of the way. “I guess that’s a good way to look at it. Seeing the progress we’ve made in such a short time.”

  Tafari smiled and slid an arm across her waist. “Imagine where we might be in a few years from now.”

  The vampire frowned. “Where can we go from here?”

  “What do you mean?” He studied her face.

  “I mean, this is never going to stop. Us running from the immortals, the vampires, and the U.S. government. It seems to me the only thing we have to look forward to is having other countries tracking us down to experiment on us. Or finally getting captured by one of our many enemies and ending up dead.”

  Her husband’s brows drew together. “You sound like such a fatalist. Where is the fight that I am so accustomed to seeing in you?”

  Shaking her head, Leisha leaned into him. “It’s not that I’ve lost my steam. I’ll fight to the death, Tafari, especially to protect my family. But I just feel like we can’t keep running. Something is going to come to a head and explode under the pressure. I just wish we knew what.”

  He stroked her hair down her back. “I wish I had the answers, my love. But all we can do is prepare as best we can, and hope that it is good enough.”

  The ten-day cruise went by too fast in Leisha’s opinion. But it was her hope that the family bonding she’d seen between Liam and Rinwa would continue as they traveled together to the next hiding place.

  “I still think it would be better if we split into three different groups and traveled separately to our destination,” Rinwa muttered just before the boat docked.

  “I agree,” Leisha said. She glanced over at her daughter, standing next to her on the deck. “But I can’t allow us to get separated again. I would worry too much.”

  Rinwa rolled her eyes before slipping on red sunglasses with little white lips scattered over the frames. “I thought you were supposed to be an oh-so amazing tactician, never allowing your emotions to get in the way.”

  “I don’t expect you to understand, but I expect you to do as I say.” Leisha could practically hear Rinwa rolling her eyes behind her sunglasses again, but the immortal didn’t make any snarky comments. Something Leisha considered to be a great improvement.

  Nikita appeared on the other side of her. He was covered in a light rain jacket with the hood pulled low over his face to keep him out of the sun. Leisha knew it was only temporary protection and they’d already made arrangements for a hotel nearby until the sun set.

  While they waited for dusk, Tafari would go out and rent a minivan. Once darkness settled, the plan was to drive through Oregon and California. She hoped it wouldn’t take more than two or three nights to get to Mexico.

  The ship reached port around five in the morning. The crew announced that the first wave of guests could leave at eight. Leisha made arrangements with the captain for their little group to leave at seven instead, just before sunrise. They hurried to get Nikita out of the sun as soon as possible.

  Leisha noted Samantha clinging to his arm while sending concerned glances his way. She’d observed the two of them touching each other in very comfortable, intimate ways lately. Leisha had wanted to say something, but didn’t want to bring it up in front of Rinwa or Tafari. She knew all too well what their reaction would be if they knew Nikita and Samantha had taken things up a notch in their relationship.

  Once in the hotel suite, Samantha followed Nikita into the room with no windows and they closed the door.

  Rinwa pulled her laptop out and slid her sunglasses off as she booted up the computer. “Those two are certainly more than just chummy.”

  Tafari nodded grimly, but didn’t say anything as he walked into the kitchen.

  Liam sat next to his sister. “They’re in love with each other.” He met Rinwa’s gaze. “His feelings are genuine. Don’t try to interfere. You’ll only make things worse.”

  Rinwa’s eyes widened in innocence. “What makes you think I was going to interfere?”

  This time, both Liam and Leisha shot her pointed looks.

  “First off, you always say what you’re thinking, dear daughter. And secondly, Liam does read minds.”

  Sighing, Rinwa turned to her computer. “I was being sarcastic. But fine. I’ll leave them alone.” She glanced up. “But if I actually see them kissing, I can’t be held accountable for what I say or do.”

  The wait for sunset went by quickly. Leisha and Tafari had packed everything into the minivan before it was even close to twilight.

  “Rinwa already made reservations for a hotel,” Tafari said as he pulled the vehicle into traffic. “We should reach it a few hours before daybreak.”

  “I don’t want to be too much of a bother,” Nikita stated. “You can place a blanket over me if you would like to keep driving.”

  “There’s a lot of us squeezed together in this car,” Liam said. “We all will appreciate a little break from driving for a while.”

  The drive was fairly quiet for the first few hours, with Rinwa and Samantha occasionally arguing over what music to listen to.

  They were an hour outside of Medford, Oregon. Since it was early morning and well before dawn, there was little traffic to contend with. A helicopter sounded overhead in the distance. Leisha tilted her head as she focused on the aircraft. It was coming toward them. She strained her ears to listen to the heartbeats of the passengers. It was difficult with the loud roaring blades of the helicopter, but she was able to determine that the heartbeats were too fast for humans, even if their adrenaline was pumping.

  “They’re vampires,” Nikita stated just as the helicopter came into view for the others.

  Leisha and Rinwa cursed at the same time. Everyone pulled out a gun with the exception of Liam. His claws steadily grew to their full length.

  “They tracked us through the cruise line somehow,” Liam informed them. “These vampires are part of some elite team. Their orders are to leave no one alive.”

  Nikita’s jaw clenched. “They must be the assassins I trained.”

  “Come again,” Leisha said at the same time Samantha cried, “What?”

  “They’re a team I trained just before I defected,” Nikita explained grimly. “I taught them the most cutthroat ways possible.” He looked at Samantha with worry in his eyes. “They get the job done, every time. No matter what.”

  Leisha scanned their surroundings as she tried to think. “And their job is to kill us.”

  “Yes,” Liam confirmed. “Though I’m their main target.”

  With her stomach feeling like it was lined with lead, Leisha put an arm around her son. “Not if I—”

  “I know, mom.” He gave a reassuring smile. It struck Leisha how calm he was, given the situation. “You’ll get us out of this. You always protect me.”

  She blinked back tears and focused on surveying the empty l
and around them. There wasn’t much. They were on the highway inland from the ocean, with only two lanes. Some trees were scattered around the cement dividers, but there wasn’t much else. A large abandoned building came into view. It was fifty yards from them and looked like it was crumbling, but at least it would give them some cover.

  Leisha started to point to the building and opened her mouth to ask Nikita’s opinion when she heard a particular whistling sound. It was unique, and she knew with sudden alarm what it meant. A bomb.

  “Tafari!” she screamed as she grabbed the steering wheel from her husband and veered the vehicle sharply to the right. The van teetered on its left side just as a huge explosion came from directly behind them. It was deafeningly loud, making Leisha’s eardrums burst. She clamped hands over her bleeding ears as the heat wave crashed through the windows of the van, shattering all of them. The force of it made the van fly into the air, spinning at an angle.

  From her peripheral vision, Leisha saw Samantha screaming as they continued to careen through the air, broken glass circling around them all like a whirlpool. Nikita held his arm over her torso and Rinwa closed her eyes in what looked like an effort to stay focused as the immortal gripped her weapon tightly. Glancing down through her tumbling hair, she saw that Liam was pushing himself back into his seat, his claws already extended. He met her gaze and nodded solemnly.

  The flipping car slowed, then finally creaked to a halt. Leisha’s ears were pulsing with pain, but she could feel herself already healing. She unbuckled and pushed open her door, then turned around to get her son and make sure Tafari and the others were moving. She didn’t need hearing to know that the vampires weren’t far behind.

  With blood leaking out of his ears, Nikita was out and pulling Samantha along behind him. He pointed to the building Leisha had spotted before the explosion. She had to read his lips, but it was easy enough to determine that he was telling everyone to run in that direction.

  The vampires and Liam slowed their pace so that Samantha and the immortals wouldn’t get left behind. The ground was uneven, and Samantha tripped several times, only to have Nikita hold her up. Leisha wondered why he wasn’t just carrying her when she spotted blood spurting out of his left shoulder. His arm was useless on that side. Let’s just hope it heals enough before those assassins catch up to us.