Worth Dying For (25 page)

“Not yet.” She laughed despite her nerves. “I haven’t been to Confession in years. In fact, I haven’t been to church in years.”

“But something brought you here at this moment in your life. Part of you knew where to come when you were looking for answers.”

“I’m visiting my mom. She’s a devout Catholic and…” Amber shook her head, irritated with her loss of focus. “That’s not what I wanted to talk about. Let me get this clear. Are you saying that the only reason suicide is a mortal sin is because a person can’t seek absolution afterwards?”

 
“That’s the traditional thinking but as I explained, God can allow the opportunity for repentance.”

“What of those who are undead, are they dead in the spiritual sense too?” The young priest fell silent for so long, Amber began to fidget.

“I am not sure what you mean. Who could be undead?”

Amber couldn’t look at him. “Oh, you know. Like the zombies in the Voodoo tradition or vampires or those who have been reincarnated.”

The young priest laughed. “Do you know any zombies or vampires?”

“I meant hypothetically.”

His expression sobered when he could see she really wanted an answer. “Well, hypothetically then, if a person still had the free will to confess and ask for absolution from his sins, he could be saved. Nothing can keep us from God’s grace. But you know such beings don’t exist. Why do you concern yourself with these things?”

“I just wondered about it, that’s all.”

Her mother sounded the horn on her car, reminding Amber that she had been waiting. The priest smiled when she thanked him, seeming happy that he had helped but confused as to how exactly. He tried to get her to promise to come back if she needed to talk further, and although she’d said she would try, she knew she wouldn’t.

Amber climbed into the waiting car, feeling at peace for the first time in a year. Neither Tom, nor Bane for that matter, had forfeited their souls. Bane could still be saved if only he knew—and she could have been the one to show him the way.

Chapter Fourteen

Bane nudged Katerina away. She kept wrapping herself around him as she slept and it irritated him, but it wasn’t the only reason he had been unable to rest. He’d been awake for hours but had no idea why.

Paolo had left the city on business so Bane hadn’t needed to worry about Katerina doing anything to infuriate her husband, for a change. All seemed calm right at that moment, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling something was coming.

Had Amber been hurt?
The thought hit him out of the blue and, try as he might to dismiss it, once the question occurred to him he had to have an answer. Bane cast a look at Katerina’s unconscious form and snuck from the room, pants in hand. He found a quiet corner of the house, out of earshot of any of the other occupants, and dialled the number his friend had given him.

 
Solomon had insisted Amber give it to him in case they’d been separated on their journey to her home. Bane had taken it from him without really knowing why he wanted it at the time. Any idea he might have had of staying in contact lasted only as long as it took him to remember how much danger that would put her in.

“Hello?”

Bane swallowed a groan at the sound of her voice. She came alive in his mind, so much so that he could almost see her standing in front of him. Her pretty hair would be a messy, auburn halo—stray strands shooting out in all directions, catching the light and making her look like some angelic Medusa. Her eyes would be alert as she frowned in concentration while her lips parted, becoming soft as she sucked in the shaky breath he could hear her taking.

“Hello. Who is this?”

He heard the panic in her voice and shut the phone, ending the call, before the temptation to speak overwhelmed him. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her. Bane simply needed to know she still lived.

When he returned to his room, Katerina had gone. Bane fell onto his bed without removing his clothes, sighing in relief at the prospect of peaceful slumber and unconcerned about her sudden disappearance.

Amber’s voice played over and over in his head as he drifted off to sleep and Bane was glad he didn’t have to divide his attention between thinking of Amber and ignoring Katerina’s presence.

As if he’d summoned her with his thoughts, Bane heard the footsteps approaching his room. The damned woman would be the death of him. Was he entitled to no privacy?

The door creaked open and Bane knew instantly that Katerina wasn’t alone. In a flash, he rolled from the bed to his feet, crouching low as he turned to face the room.

Paolo stood with three others. Two men Bane did not know held Katerina between them, a hand over her mouth to smother her cries. Her nakedness made it clear she had been dragged from the bed when Bane left the room. Her gaze darted between Paolo and Bane, eyes wide with fear. Bane had the alien sensation of feeling sorry for her. Katerina hadn’t suffered a moment of terror in her entire existence.

Bane growled a warning at Paolo when he took a step closer. “What are you doing here?”

Paolo laughed and stooped to pick up Katerina’s robe from the floor. He threw it in her face, smirking as it fell at her feet. “Cover yourself.”

“Let her go. Katerina doesn’t need to be here. It’s me you want.”

“On the contrary, Bane. She needs to see this.” Katerina began to struggle, as if she knew what Paolo intended to do. “She embarrassed and humiliated me by making herself a whore for you. She does not even care that you despise her openly. She would rather be with you than me.” Paolo’s voice softened to a whisper and he cast his gaze down to the floor, betraying the emotion behind his words. When he raised his eyes to look at Bane again, the moment of weakness had passed. “Her punishment for that is to watch you die first.”

Katerina thrashed, trying to free herself, fighting the men restraining her. Her muffled screams escaped in loud bursts of noise when they failed in their struggle to keep her silent. Paolo rushed to her, grabbing her hair in a vicious grip and tilting her head back. “If you do not keep quiet, I will end you now. Your father will still discover the two of you dead and believe my story that Bane killed you and I destroyed him for it.”

Paolo let his hands roam over her breasts, causing her to wince in pain as he squeezed them, his voice nothing more than a deadly whisper. “Don’t be afraid. Do you know how many times I watched you as you slept, tempted to put my hands around your treacherous neck and separate your head from your body? You’ve faced death many times, Katerina, but did not know it. Each time I fought those urges, knowing I had to find a way to end your life without putting my own at risk.” He laughed as if reminiscing. “I considered tricking someone into doing it for me, I even considered striking a deal with Bane in exchange for his freedom, but I knew Ulrich would suspect I’d been involved. I made the mistake of feigning jealousy in an attempt to convince your father to force you to give up the man you schemed to replace me with. Oh yes, I know that if Ulrich had agreed, Bane would be his rightful heir by now.

“But you see, I have no desire to give up the life being your husband has given me, and that stilled my hand, even when I wanted to kill you for your betrayal. The power I enjoy is the only thing that made my having to tolerate you worthwhile and I will not give it up because my wife is a worthless whore with an indulgent old fool for a father.”

Paolo moved away from Katerina, his gaze shifting from her to Bane as a satisfied smile settled on his face. “This way, I rid myself of you, dear wife, and your comely stud and keep the power that is rightfully mine. Who knows? With you gone, your father might decide it is time to step down—or maybe he can be forced to. My own father Silas knew that one day I could be the sole leader of the Fratia de Sange. Why do you think he agreed to our union?”

Bane took a step closer to the others as Paolo revelled in his own glory. His mind raced through the possibilities. If he could kill Paolo, his accomplices may hesitate in confusion long enough for Katerina to escape and raise the alarm. There were many things Bane would die for but he would be damned before he would die for Katerina. Amber’s face flashed into his mind and the thought he might not ever see her again made him determined to survive. He hadn’t even known he held the wish buried deep within him until that very moment.

Bane eyed the two men holding Katerina captive. They matched him in size—maybe even in strength—but not in skill. The way they kept their gazes fixed on Paolo gave away their inexperience. Trained men would have known to watch Bane. Their leader was of no danger to them, nor was the woman they held. Killing them would be easy. Paolo was the unknown quantity. Bane had never seen him fight. But Paolo wore an arrogant look on his face that said he believed he could handle whatever Bane threw at him.

Paolo moved across the room, pausing at the foot of the four poster bed to wrap a hand around one of the uprights and snap it off. He scrutinised the jagged shard of wood, smiling at the sharp end he’d created.

Bane cast a casual glance over his shoulder, checking on the weather through the gaps in the shutters covering the window. Although the sun had barely risen and had not yet penetrated the thin layer of grey cloud, he couldn’t be sure how long he could afford to be exposed without his shroud. Still, jumping to the ground and then in through the first available window or door had to be his best chance of escape. At worst, he could stay below the water in the river circling the town until he found a way into the shade of the city.

He inched backwards, feigning fear at Paolo’s approach to cover his intentions. Bane tensed, ready to turn and leap, just as the shutters exploded behind him and a thick chain tightened around his neck. He hadn’t heard anyone scaling the wall and he cursed his stupidity. He’d allowed Paolo to distract him.

Paolo laughed and stayed out of reach until more hands had pinned Bane’s arms to the walls on either side of the window.

“Hold him still,” Paolo ordered and the chain around Bane’s neck received a violent jerk in response to the command.

Paolo stepped forwards, coming to a stop inches from Bane. The look of triumph on his face wavered as he met Bane’s unflinching gaze. “Why are you not afraid? I am about to take your life, Peasant.”

Bane heard Katerina fight again, her muffled protests filling the otherwise silent room. He did not look at her. Bane did not want her to be the memory he took with him to his grave. With one last smile of contempt in Paolo’s direction, he closed his eyes and imagined Amber’s face. For the first time since he’d lost his faith, he wanted to believe there was a heaven. The thought that he might be with Amber again in some small way gave him the strength to face his second death without the fear Paolo had hoped to see.

He heard Paolo take a breath and the rustle of his clothing as he moved. Bane imagined the other man’s arms jerking upwards and he steeled himself for the thrust of the stake.

“No!”

A scream of rage and horror erupted from the other side of the room, and Bane opened his eyes to see Katerina break free and leap at Paolo. His arms froze in place, still holding the piece of wood above his head ready to strike. He looked over his shoulder for the source of the outburst and turned as she charged at him. Paolo paused for a split second and then threw his weight into a lunge and drove the stake into her chest.

Katerina’s body seemed to shape itself around the weapon. She looked down as if confused to find herself suspended in mid air, hovering a few feet above the face of her husband. Shock gave way to pain and she began to thrash and scream, her survival instinct kicking in and refusing to accept that she would soon die. The motion only caused the blood to gush faster from the wound in her chest—as well as her eyes, nose and mouth. Her howl of agonised rage was silenced by the red flood pouring from her lips.

Bane took no satisfaction in seeing the life fade in her eyes seconds before they closed forever. She had sacrificed herself to save him. The knowledge sickened him but he would not let her efforts be in vain. Everyone but Paolo, who did not put Katerina down until the blood had been drained from her, watched her die in stunned silence. Maybe Paolo had not told his men the truth about what he had intended to do. Regardless of the reason, Bane knew his chance had come.

The men holding him were no less shocked by the events unfolding before them and their attention had been diverted enough that they had loosened their grip on Bane. He ripped his arms free, reaching over his head and grasping for the length of chain behind him. Pausing only to check his grip was firm, he lunged forwards, pulling with all his strength. He heard the man on the other end slam into the outside wall of the house, and then the chain came free. Bane used the momentum to roll forwards, scramble to his feet and vault the bed. He landed inches from the guards who had been securing Katerina, and decapitated one of them with his bare hands before the other even managed to stagger a few steps away.

Paolo dropped Katerina’s body. “Stop him!” he shouted.

Bane turned to the other guard, preparing to temporarily disable him too. He couldn’t kill them without a weapon but he could render them harmless for a few minutes. They could not fight without their heads. Just as Bane had secured his arms around the guard’s neck, a flurry of activity in the doorway made him pause.