“Nina, you can’t leave.”

There was a firm determination in Delilah’s voice that made Nina level a gaze of refusal at her.

“I can and I will. This is over! If he thinks he can treat me like some piece of property, he can go right back into the Dark Ages where he’s from.”

“Seventeenth century, actually,” Delilah interjected.

“Whatever. Me and Amaury—that’s history!”

“Nina. Maybe I should explain something about the blood-bond to you, since obviously nobody else has.”

“I know more than I ever wanted to know about it. I don’t need to know anything else. It’s over!”

Delilah cleared her throat. “Maybe I should pour you a brandy. I think you’ll need it.”

Suspicion crept up Nina’s spine and settled uncomfortably at her nape. “I don’t need a brandy. Say what you’ve got to say.”

“A blood-bond is forever. Only death can sever it.”

“Ah, fuck! Please tell me you’re kidding.”

Slowly Delilah shook her head. That’s when the realization broadsided her. She was bonded to Amaury for eternity. And she hadn’t been given a choice about it. He, caveman that he was, had decided for her. This changed everything.

“Oh, wait until I get my hands on him!” And that was a promise he could take to the bank.

Thirty-one

The minivan came to a stop half a block from the warehouse. Oliver killed the engine. He would be the lookout while the vampires went in.

“This is the place,” Samson said.

“Are we sure?” Amaury asked, glancing out the window.

Gabriel nodded. “It looks exactly like in Paul Holland’s memories. This is Luther’s base. Paul couldn’t lie about it even if he wanted to. Luther should have been more careful about what he allowed him to see. Now we’ll get him.” The scar on his face throbbed.

“You all know what to do. Let’s get into positions. Gabriel calls the shots,” Samson ordered.

“Communication equipment on.” Gabriel touched the little device sticking out from his ear. The others did the same. “Checking.”

Amaury heard the sound of Gabriel’s voice in his earpiece. Everything worked fine.

They scrambled out of the van. Amaury stretched his legs and looked around. The neighborhood was industrial and on the other side of the train tracks, if not to say the wrong side of the tracks. A few blocks down was San Francisco Bay, a couple of blocks up the Potrero Hill neighborhood. The streets were deserted. It was better that way. Nobody would call the cops once the fight started.

Amaury tensed. It would be over soon, but so much for him depended on the outcome. Was Nina truly on the other side, or was she just as much a pawn as Paul Holland had been? Maybe drawn in by some promises Luther had made and would never keep? In a short time, he’d know the truth, and it scared him.

His entire future depended on the truth. He would never leave her. She was his mate and he was responsible for her life now as she for his.

“Ready?” Ricky’s voice came from behind.

Absentmindedly he nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

The group split up, every pair making their way to their prearranged place, covering the various entry points to the building. Ricky and Amaury walked side by side, gliding silently toward the side entrance.

The closer they came to the entry door, the more worried Amaury was. He was supposed to help the group by sensing anybody’s emotions from the inside, yet right now he couldn’t even sense what Ricky was feeling. And the guy walked right next to him.

It had been over two hours since he’d had sex with Nina, and his gift—or whatever one wanted to call it—still hadn’t returned. Sex had never blocked out his ability for this long before. At most he would be free of emotions for half an hour, but never this long. If it didn’t come back in the next couple of minutes, he and his friends would be at a severe disadvantage.

“Everybody in place?” Gabriel’s voice resonated loud and clear in Amaury’s ear.

“Zane and I are at the back,” was Yvette’s reply.

“Thomas and I, ready,” Samson said.

“Amaury and I are at the side. Ready whenever you are.” Ricky looked at him.

“Any activity from the inside, Amaury?” Gabriel asked over the earpiece.

Should he lie or tell him the truth? “Nothing from the inside.”

“What do you mean? Specifics please.”

“I mean I can’t sense anything.” Amaury recognized that he was getting irritable.