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PETER CHASED AFTER her, although he didn’t really have a clue what to say. Except maybe what he’d already said. “You can’t do this alone, Samantha.”
She shook her head. “Peter, I’ve been going it alone for almost one hundred and fifty years.”
“That’s what you might want to tell yourself, but you haven’t. You had Ryder—”
Who I sired.”
“And Diego—”
“Who’s now missing.”
“And all those women and children who need you,” he finished, even though there was one more thing niggling in his brain, waiting to be said. Although after what she said to Ryder, Peter doubted that she wanted to hear it. Plus, he doubted his own conviction. Despite his best efforts, he was still stuck on Con number one.
Samantha examined him carefully and as if sensing his indecision, she took advantage of it like the hunter she was. Uncaring of the two people who stood watching, she morphed. Her eyes glowing with that weird light and her fangs protruding far below the line of her upper lip, she stepped toward him and cupped his cheek. Leaning forward, she nuzzled his nose with hers and brushed his lips with hers. Her voice deeper, and with that odd animal tinge, she said, “And what about you? Do I have you now, Peter? The way I am?”
It took all of his strength not to pull away or flinch as she brought her lips to his. He reminded himself that this was Samantha, the woman he’d cared about. A woman he’d kissed with affection. Her skin was warm and smooth. More human. And he wanted to restore that human and drive away the vampire she was using to scare him off.
He moved his thumb along the edge of her mouth as she opened it against his. Her fang nipped his lip, drawing blood. She pulled away and met his gaze.
He didn’t waver in his determination to fight the beast she had set loose. With his thumb, he traced the edges of her lips and then boldly ran his finger down the long, bright white surface of one fang. “Do you think this will scare me away from doing what’s right?”
“What’s right? Tell me what’s right about this undead life, Peter?” He grabbed her arm and pulled. A mistake.
“Don’t touch me,” she roared and with a swipe of her arm, sent him flying across the room.
He crashed into the far wall, his shoulder connecting forcefully as he broke through the Sheetrock. His other arm ached just as much from the shock of her blow.
Simon grew agitated again at Samantha’s display of violence. His pitiful wails filled the room and she quickly became human and rushed to his side, trying to calm the old keeper.
Melissa, Sebastian and Diana hurried to Peter’s aid.
“Are you okay, Peter?” Diana asked and laid a hand on his shoulder. The one that didn’t feel like it was broken, just bruised. He rubbed at the other shoulder and winced at the pain, not to mention the numbness, that ran down his arm.
“Let me look at that,” Melissa probed at his arm.
He grimaced at her touch and cursed beneath his breath.
“It’s dislocated, Peter. We’ll have to pop it back into place,” Melissa said.
Peter glanced across the length of the room to where Samantha sat by Simon. At Melissa’s words, she clapped a hand over her mouth, obviously distressed at what she had done. Funny thing was, he wanted to go and comfort her, tell her he understood why she had reacted as she had, but she didn’t give him the chance.
She raced out of the apartment.
“Great. Another vamp out there ready to be grabbed,” Peter said.
Diana shot a glance at Ryder and he gave her a shocked look. “You want me to go after her?”
“Por favor. Just keep an eye on her. She’s scared and unsure of what to do.” Diana laid a hand over Ryder’s heart as if to remind him he had one.
Ryder gritted his teeth. “Darlin’, you sure know how to make life difficult.”
“Por favor. For me.”
“A low, but effective blow,” he said and with a quick parting kiss, went after Samantha.
Once Ryder left, Diana gave Peter a pained look. “This is going to hurt.”
Peter shrugged, then cursed at the extreme discomfort in his injured shoulder. After a few deep breaths to tamp down the pain, he said, “Do you think it’ll hurt more than finding out she’s a vamp?”
Diana looked from Melissa to Sebastian. “Let’s get his arm fixed. After, I’d like you to take Simon and get him settled at Ryder’s. Lock up and don’t go anywhere.”
“And what do you plan on doing?” Sebastian asked his sister.
“I’ll drive Peter home and then meet you at Ryder’s apartment.”
Melissa probed at Peter’s arm again and told Sebastian, “Hold him steady while I pull his arm back into the socket.”
“Let me,” Diana said and wrapped her arms around Peter. “On three.”
“One,” Melissa said, but Peter chose to think about something other than the pain that would shortly follow.
“You know a year ago—” he began.
“Two.”
“I would have loved to have you hold me,” he said and met Diana’s concerned gaze.
“Three,” Melissa said. Beside him, Diana braced him tightly while Melissa yanked.
Pain reverberated along the length of his arm, weakening his knees until with an odd pop, his shoulder wrenched back into place.
His breath rough, he said, “Thanks.”
Melissa nodded. “Let me get you a sling and something for the tenderness and inflammation.”
“You okay, dude?” Sebastian asked.
Although it seemed like every bone in his body was broken, he nodded and said, “I’ll be fine. Keep a close eye on Melissa.”
Sebastian peered across the room to where his wife rummaged through her medical bag. “I won’t let her out of my sight.”
Melissa helped Peter with the sling and handed Diana some medication. “Ice your shoulder when you get home.”
Peter nodded and with Diana’s assistance, walked to the sofa. He sat down on its arm while Melissa and Sebastian rounded up a few things and left with Simon.
Diana asked, “Are you ready to go?”
His legs were a little stronger and he nodded. “About as ready as I’ll ever be.”
He was only a bit wobbly as he rose, but he waved off Diana’s assistance. Together they went down to Diana’s car and drove to Peter’s apartment.
They were silent for the longest time until Diana finally asked, “Did you mean what you said before? About you know, the whole ‘holding me’ part, because—”
“You’re not interested. I knew that,” he said, trying to clear the air.
“That’s good because Ryder and me are...”
She hesitated and that delay puzzled him. “Ryder and you are what?”
“Lovers. Friends,” she answered quickly, but her hands tightened on the steering wheel.
Behind her words, her tone was uneasy, so he had to ask, “But not living with one another? Unless I heard wrong, you said, ‘Ryder’s apartment.’”
She shrugged as she pulled into a spot in front of his building, but she didn’t face him. “We don’t live together. Not yet anyway. Maybe not ever.”
Her words surprised him. The emotions he’d seen pass between his friend and Ryder were intense. Then Samantha’s words came back to him. “I’m sorry, Diana. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
She gave a harsh laugh. “You tell yourself you can deal with not having a normal life. With always being in the dark, especially when that time in the dark makes you feel more alive than you ever have in your entire life.”
Peter searched her face and noted the glint of tears in her eyes. “But?”
“Something like this happens. Something to remind you that no matter how you might delude yourself into thinking your life isn’t all that far from normal...”
She couldn’t finish. She just dragged in a rough breath. They sat there together in the car until she had recovered.
He examined her face one last time. “Are you okay?”
Diana nodded. “I noticed some surveillance cameras at Diego’s place. I’m going to head back and see if the video will help us. In the morning, I’ll get David and Maggie working on whatever evidence we have.”
She was back to being the Diana he knew, competent and in control. But he’d seen the woman beneath—the insecure one she didn’t let many see. “I appreciate our talk. I’m confused about things and knowing I’m not alone—”
“Helps a lot. I’m glad we talked, too, Peter.” She gave him a forceful hug, although he couldn’t control the flinch from the pain that came to his shoulder.
Diana motioned to his injury. “Take some medicine and ice up that shoulder. It should feel better in a few days.”
He chuckled and said, “A few days, huh? I guess I should look at the upside.”
Diana shot him a quizzical look and he added, “It makes me forget the pain in my neck from Foley nearly strangling me the other night.”
She laughed as he’d intended and he got out of her car.
As he was slipping his key into the lock of his building, the sense that he was not alone made him pause. Looking upward, he searched the rooftops and fire escapes, but saw nothing in the murky light of late dusk.
With a painful shrug, he went inside.
