Amaury's Hellion
Page 64
Amaury nodded. “Yes. I think that one of the human employees of Scanguards knows more than he’s telling. Zane tailed him to the club. We were trying to figure out if he was meeting somebody here.”
“It could be the same guy. If he’s an employee of yours it makes sense.”
“Why?”
“Because I was also told he was at the staff meeting that night your friend Zane caught me.”
Amaury lifted himself to a semi-sitting position without letting her escape his embrace and nudged a pillow behind his back. His hands remained around her back, pressing her to his naked body.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. The information came from the same informant. Not that Benny bothered staying. He hightailed it out of there before he could get caught. Snake. Especially since he’d already sold my hide to those two vampires you and I were fighting the other—”
“Hold it!” Amaury interrupted. “After he sold you out last time, you took his tip at face value and came to the club tonight? Are you crazy?”
Nina made a dismissive gesture. “This time I was prepared.”
Amaury huffed and shook his head in disapproval. “Prepared? Damn it, Nina, you have to stop going around putting yourself in danger.”
She completely ignored his reprimand. “Anyway, Benny was the only one who could identify him. His description could have fit any number of guys.”
“Where’s Benny now?”
“If he values his life, he’s left the city.”
“What if that guy was here to meet Luther? It would be too much of a coincidence of him showing up here, you being given the info to come to the club, and Zane and Quinn tailing our employee here. I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Nina felt his hand stroke tenderly over her ass, a gesture which appeared entirely subconscious considering Amaury seemed preoccupied with Luther.
“Who’s this Luther anyway? He seemed to realize that I knew about vampires.”
“That’s probably because he could smell me on you.”
“What?” She didn’t like the sound of that.
“Luther and I go way back. He would have been able to detect my scent on you. Most likely that’s why he was toying with you.”
Nina frowned. “Old friends, then?”
There was a moment she thought she’d detected a grain of pain in his eyes. But it instantly disappeared.
“Not quite. We used to be. Unfortunately he blames me and Samson for his mate’s death.”
“Mate?”
“Luther was blood-bonded to a wonderful woman and was probably the happiest vampire I knew then.”
“Hold on. Don’t throw words around I don’t understand. What’s ‘blood-bonded’?” She tried to pull away a fraction, but Amaury didn’t release her from his embrace. Instead, he made her snuggle even closer to him. She hadn’t pegged him for the cuddly type.
“It’s like a marriage, only it’s for eternity. A vampire blood-bonds with his life mate, and they’re connected forever. They can sense each other. It’s an incredibly close connection between two people.”
“I see.” Nina felt awkward hearing him talk about marriage and love while he still held her against his warm body. A body that only minutes ago had joined with hers in a union so perfect she’d not known it was possible.
“He and Vivian were expecting their first child, when—”
“Child? I thought the undead couldn’t have children.” Amaury threw more incredible things at her than she thought she’d be able to handle. Vampire children? No—way too weird.
“Undead? Where do you get those expressions from? And Luther’s mate was human. As a vampire blood-bonded to a human he was able to impregnate her. It’s the only time a vampire can father children, if his mate is human.”
His hand stroked absentmindedly over her back, up and down, sending delicious shivers along the way.
“And their children, what are they?”
“Hybrids. Half vampires, half humans. They have traits of both species. They can be out in the sun without burning, but they drink blood and have the strength and speed of a vampire. And they are immortal.”
“That’s just so bizarre.”
He smiled. “It’s rare. But it happens. Luther was working with us, with Samson and me. He was working for Scanguards. He was a great guy back then. Loyal, dedicated. And he loved Vivian. And she loved him. But there were complications with her pregnancy. One night she started bleeding. Luther was away on an assignment. We called him, but he didn’t make it in time. She was losing the baby, and we were losing her. There was nothing we could do. By the time Luther came back, she’d died. He blamed us.”
“It could be the same guy. If he’s an employee of yours it makes sense.”
“Why?”
“Because I was also told he was at the staff meeting that night your friend Zane caught me.”
Amaury lifted himself to a semi-sitting position without letting her escape his embrace and nudged a pillow behind his back. His hands remained around her back, pressing her to his naked body.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. The information came from the same informant. Not that Benny bothered staying. He hightailed it out of there before he could get caught. Snake. Especially since he’d already sold my hide to those two vampires you and I were fighting the other—”
“Hold it!” Amaury interrupted. “After he sold you out last time, you took his tip at face value and came to the club tonight? Are you crazy?”
Nina made a dismissive gesture. “This time I was prepared.”
Amaury huffed and shook his head in disapproval. “Prepared? Damn it, Nina, you have to stop going around putting yourself in danger.”
She completely ignored his reprimand. “Anyway, Benny was the only one who could identify him. His description could have fit any number of guys.”
“Where’s Benny now?”
“If he values his life, he’s left the city.”
“What if that guy was here to meet Luther? It would be too much of a coincidence of him showing up here, you being given the info to come to the club, and Zane and Quinn tailing our employee here. I don’t believe in coincidences.”
Nina felt his hand stroke tenderly over her ass, a gesture which appeared entirely subconscious considering Amaury seemed preoccupied with Luther.
“Who’s this Luther anyway? He seemed to realize that I knew about vampires.”
“That’s probably because he could smell me on you.”
“What?” She didn’t like the sound of that.
“Luther and I go way back. He would have been able to detect my scent on you. Most likely that’s why he was toying with you.”
Nina frowned. “Old friends, then?”
There was a moment she thought she’d detected a grain of pain in his eyes. But it instantly disappeared.
“Not quite. We used to be. Unfortunately he blames me and Samson for his mate’s death.”
“Mate?”
“Luther was blood-bonded to a wonderful woman and was probably the happiest vampire I knew then.”
“Hold on. Don’t throw words around I don’t understand. What’s ‘blood-bonded’?” She tried to pull away a fraction, but Amaury didn’t release her from his embrace. Instead, he made her snuggle even closer to him. She hadn’t pegged him for the cuddly type.
“It’s like a marriage, only it’s for eternity. A vampire blood-bonds with his life mate, and they’re connected forever. They can sense each other. It’s an incredibly close connection between two people.”
“I see.” Nina felt awkward hearing him talk about marriage and love while he still held her against his warm body. A body that only minutes ago had joined with hers in a union so perfect she’d not known it was possible.
“He and Vivian were expecting their first child, when—”
“Child? I thought the undead couldn’t have children.” Amaury threw more incredible things at her than she thought she’d be able to handle. Vampire children? No—way too weird.
“Undead? Where do you get those expressions from? And Luther’s mate was human. As a vampire blood-bonded to a human he was able to impregnate her. It’s the only time a vampire can father children, if his mate is human.”
His hand stroked absentmindedly over her back, up and down, sending delicious shivers along the way.
“And their children, what are they?”
“Hybrids. Half vampires, half humans. They have traits of both species. They can be out in the sun without burning, but they drink blood and have the strength and speed of a vampire. And they are immortal.”
“That’s just so bizarre.”
He smiled. “It’s rare. But it happens. Luther was working with us, with Samson and me. He was working for Scanguards. He was a great guy back then. Loyal, dedicated. And he loved Vivian. And she loved him. But there were complications with her pregnancy. One night she started bleeding. Luther was away on an assignment. We called him, but he didn’t make it in time. She was losing the baby, and we were losing her. There was nothing we could do. By the time Luther came back, she’d died. He blamed us.”
