Highlander Reborn (3 page)

Ignoring her, he nodded his head in her direction, and two of Amalia’s personal guards were at her side instantly. Each man wrapped beefy fingers around her upper arms and nearly dragged her from Nevin, who stood watching, his eyes lowered, but deceptively silent.

“What the hell, Sebastian? My own guards?” She haughtily lifted her chin and ordered her men to release her, “You will both let go of me immediately.” When nothing happened, she tried again. “Let me go. Now. That’s a direct order.” Her guards weren’t listening to her. Oh the fuck no. Amalia closed her eyes in frustration, and as she opened them, she released the hold she had on her powers. Each male in the room shuddered as the cold prick of her power tingled over his skin, but still her guards held fast. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Nevin move, but her focus was on getting loose. Both guards immediately went slack, their mouths gaping like a fish. Amalia stepped from in between them and glared at Sebastian who wore his usual mask of boredom.

“How dare you. Using my own guards?” Her anger simmered while her voice froze. “You forget yourself, Sebastian.”

He flicked a glance behind her, but quickly his gaze was back on hers. “Pity. The witch who made that potion swore it would sever the ties between sire and sired.”

Amalia was seething, but she’d learned long ago to never let emotions rule. Raising her chin haughtily, she said one word. “Why?”

“Because you, my dear queen, have a soft spot for
that,
“ he indicated Nevin. “Our line is pure, nobility only, and you brought that abomination into our seethe. At this of all times, when we should be gathering our people close, preparing for the next threat. Your people are starting to question your rule. And instead of leading your people, you are here, fucking a commoner.”

Amalia could feel Nevin’s heat as he stepped up behind her.

“You should watch what you say,” he bit out, his deep gravelly voice making the threat all the more menacing.

“Or what?” Sebastian sneered. “You’ll watch it for me? Youngling, I have heard it all before.”

Faster than Amalia could track, Nevin had Sebastian by the throat, and a silver knife pressed against his heart. “But you haven’t heard it from me.” Nevin drove the blade home.

Amalia choked back the gasp that wanted to escape. As Nevin turned and strode away, Sebastian pulled the knife from his heart and threw it at Nevin’s back. “You missed.”

Without glancing back, Nevin caught the knife over his shoulder before Sebastian had finished speaking. “No, I didn’t. Consider me letting you live a gift. You owe me now.”

Sebastian spluttered, “The hell I do.”

Amalia nearly laughed at the sight of Sebastian at such a loss.

Once more Nevin was at Sebastian’s throat. Once more, he held the knife over his heart, but this time he placed it about a half an inch to the right. “I won’t miss,” he growled. Sebastian glared at Nevin but didn’t move. “Yield.”

Sebastian nodded his head.

“Say it,” gritted Nevin.

“I yield.”

Again, Nevin turned his back and strode away.

“Highlander.”

Nevin stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“I’m a very dangerous enemy to have. Be careful how you call in that debt.”

Nevin ceded the point with a nod of his own, and kept walking.

Amalia looked back at Sebastian. “I think you should leave, Sebastian. I’ll deal with you when I return.”

Sebastian stared at her for a moment longer. “I truly had only the best intentions towards you, Amalia.”

“I’m sure, Sebastian. Maybe you’ll remember that I’m a big girl, and can make my own decisions.  I have several centuries on you, and lest you forget, I made you. It is merely out of respect for our friendship that I didn’t hold you as I do my guards.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but Amalia had had enough. “If I were you, I’d keep my mouth shut.” After a long pause, Sebastian bowed to Amalia and turned to leave. Amalia warned him, “Oh, and Sebastian?” He turned back. “If you ever pull a stunt like this again, I’ll rip out your fangs and stake you to the ground at dawn.” The steel in her voice left no doubt that she was serious.

Sebastian nodded. Amalia released her guards and they left. She rolled her neck trying to ease the tension. Turning, she looked in the direction Nevin had gone and debated following him. What if he’d gone into his bedroom? Or bathroom? The decision was taken out of her hands, though, when Nevin stalked out wearing a fresh change of clothes and looking like he’d showered.

Oh, and he was loaded down with weapons.

“What’s with all the firepower?”

“Someone blew up my apartment and I’m bloody pissed.”

“So, what now?” she said warily eyeing the sword strapped to his back.

“Now, we talk.”

“You want to talk?” She asked, incredulous. “A few minutes ago you couldn’t wait to get rid of me, and now you want to chitchat?”

“He was scared.”

“Who?” Amalia couldn’t follow his rapid shifts in topic.

He gave her a cursory glance, while he began loading bullets into the magazine he’d had in his hand. “If you’re his beloved queen, and he went to such extreme lengths to get you back to your compound, he’s afraid of something. I want to know what. So now, you tell me everything.”

“I told you I needed your help.”

He eyed her.

She sighed, “I actually do need you to help me. My people,
our
people, have been going missing.  When we eventually find them, all that’s left is ashes. ”

“So what, exactly, do you want me to do?”

“You were able to track me, all those years ago.”

“Yeah. And?”

“And no one has ever been able to follow me. I want you to find the son of a bitch who’s killing off the Nightkind.” Her eyes narrowed, “I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Tell me about your powers. You held those men immobile.”

“Yes.”

“What else can you do?”

             
Amalia paused, wondering how much to divulge. “I can manipulate the air surrounding me. I can make it feel like hundreds of swords are piercing your skin. I can hold you suspended in the air. I can disappear. I have very few limitations.”

             
He had finished loading the magazine and was working on a second one.

             
“What are you using for ammo? Those bullets are like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

“Aye, I make them myself. I was a blacksmith in a former life.” His tone implied one word
duh
.  “They’re silver and on the inside is holy water.”

“Holy water?” Amalia blinked. “You know that doesn’t really work on us, right?”

“Seems to have worked just fine for me.”

“It might be the silver bullets that are working. The holy water is useless. Where did you come up with that?” When he didn’t answer, she teased him, “Did you read every vampire novel out there?”

Damn her, he felt his face get hot. “Alright, here.” He thrust the bottle towards her. “Drink.”

Amalia stared at him, then looked at the bottle, and rolled her eyes. “Really?” she sighed. “Fine.”Nevin watched her take a swig of the holy water. She choked and began to shudder.

“Stupid female.” He was instantly in front of her, trying to get a good look at her face, and what he saw shocked him.

She was laughing.

“Oh, you are too easy,” she said, a smile still hovering about her lips. Shoving his holy water back at him, she asked, “Did I pass your test?”

             
Grinding his teeth, he ignored her taunt. “I want to see where you found the last body.”

             
“As you know, there are no bodies.”

             
“The ashes then, if you will.”

             
Dipping her head, Amalia turned away and Nevin found he didn’t like that. Strangely, he wanted her with him. But he had her taste now, he could find her anywhere.

Chapter 5

             
They materialized in Amalia’s living room.

             
“This is where you live?”

             
“Yes, why?” She glared at him, “I like my house.” Amalia knew she sounded defensive, but she couldn’t help it. She had worked hard to make this space her own. Although house might have been a bit of a misnomer.

He turned around to take in the full view. “I guess I expected something more . . . gothic.”

“This isn’t the Middle Ages anymore, Nevin.”

His murmured “I know” was nearly too quiet for her to hear. A stab of sympathy pierced her heart. What was it about this Highland blacksmith that had arrowed through her defenses from the first moment? She’d been asking herself that question for centuries, yet she wasn’t any closer to an answer now than she had been then.

Shaking off the maudlin feelings, Amalia glanced around her condo trying to see it through his eyes. Colors, lots of colors. There wasn’t a single white wall. Too many throw pillows, a comfy and slightly worn sofa, and art. She had artwork on every wall. So maybe it was a little cluttered, but it was home, which was more than she could say about the Castle of the Nightkind in Germany. She’d never felt at ease living in the castle. She had rooms there, to be sure, but she tried not to stay for too long. It reminded her of her years at Court, and those weren’t years she enjoyed remembering.

“It suits you,” he said after a moment. “But why are we here? I wanted to see where you found the ashes.”

Amalia blinked. “Yes.”

“Here?”

“Here.”

Her lips were pressed tightly together. She didn’t like knowing someone had been in her personal space, especially since very few of her kind knew about her haven. The implications were astounding.

“Has Sebastian been here?” The question sounded as if it had been dragged from Nevin’s throat. His normally gravelly tone was deeper and harsher. Might he be jealous?

“Yes.”

Nevin growled, but said nothing else. Amalia could feel her lips curving upwards, but bit her lips from the inside, so he wouldn’t see her smile.

Watching him work was intriguing for Amalia. She had asked him to help as an excuse to talk to him. Seven centuries was a long time to pine over a man. While she had known he could track better than most, she realized just how true that was as she watched him. He did nothing more than look around her home, nostrils flaring, eyes searching. Yet she knew he missed nothing.

His lids slid shut briefly as he inhaled. When he opened them, the feral intensity frightened her.

“You have his scent.”

“I do.”

“How?” No one she knew could get it that quickly.

He ignored her question. “Who knows about this place?”

“Only a few trusted friends.”

“I want to meet them.”

“Do you really think it was one of them?”

“Aye.”

“We’ll have to go to the castle, then. Can you dematerialize and travel that far?” He looked pale.

“I can keep up with you.” Was everything a challenge to him?

***

Nevin was getting annoyed quickly. If she didn’t lay off and let him do his job, they’d never catch the bastard who was in her home. And Nevin wanted to catch him, very badly.

“When was the last time you fed?” Her question stunned him slightly. Was she worried about him?

Her brows were drawn, creased slightly above her nose, and he refused to see it as cute. Men like him didn’t use the word cute.

“I’m fine,” he gritted.

“I didn’t ask if you were fine. I asked when the last time you’d fed was,” she harrumphed. “Insufferable man.”

“Ahh, but I’m not a man, not anymore. You made sure of that.”

“Not this again. And don’t change the subject. You aren’t fine, you need to feed.”

“I’ll eat once we’re done here. I can wait.”

“You will eat now.” And just like that, Amalia bared her neck to him. All that creamy pale skin laid out like a feast for him. He jerked his head back, repulsed by his own weakness. He wouldn’t drink from her again.

“I only drink animal blood. It’s easier.”

“What?” she nearly shrieked at him. “No wonder you look so pale.”

“I doona look pale, woman.” Christ, was she going to fetch the smelling salts next? What a blow to a man’s pride.

But she continued on as if he hadn’t spoken, “Animal blood can’t sustain us for long. You’d have to feed several times a day to keep your strength up.”