Page 71 of Sinner's Sacrifice
“It’s a little more permanent than that.”
“Why would he...?”
“Because you’re important to me.” And every other vampire family in the world. Her genetic predisposition to surviving the Sweating Sickness meant that her children might inherit the same genes. Her children could be the future of their kind of human.
But he’d be damned if he allowed anyone to touch her. Not even for his cursed and wretched family would he let her be harmed, traumatized, or used for another’s benefit.
He hit Baz’s number one-handed.
His cousin answered with a terse, “Where are you?”
“On our way to the hotel. Sam was nearly kidnapped.” he stopped to try to figure out how to tell him what he needed to know with far too many people listening in. “I believe capturing her was the goal. Nika could be a target, too.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think my new car blowing up was an accident.” He paused. “I have Magnus and Darlene with me. Meet at the hotel? Nika is sitting in the middle of the precinct. I don’t think anyone is going to get to her there. I’ll go and pick her up as soon as we figure this shit out.”
“Baz, I want to murder them all. How do you...how do you resist it?”
“Look at Sam,” Baz ordered. “What do you think she’d say if you went on a murder spree right now?”
He did look at her, and she looked pissed. “You are not murdering anyone,” she said. Then seemed to think about it. “At least not right now.”
Baz huffed out a laugh. “Remember when you said Nika was perfect for me? Well, I think Sam is perfect for you. Keep it together, Yvgeny,” Baz ordered. “Do it for her.”
The car slowed and pulled into an underground parking garage. “Okay, we’re at the hotel.”
“Good.” Baz hung up.
“I don’t understand any of this,” Sam said.
“I’ll try to explain when we’re inside and safe.”
“Try?” Sam asked. “Do or do not. There is no try.”
“Did you...did you just Star Wars me?” Yvgeny asked, the unexpected humor yanking him out of the toilet bowl he’d been circling.
“I’m making sure you’re paying attention to the important things,” she replied, sounding somewhat smug.
“Sir,” Mason said from up front. “Orders?”
“Find out who tried to grab Sam, who’s in the city that shouldn’t be, and don’t let anyone blow up the car.”
Yvgeny got out of the vehicle first, checked the area, but only his own people were in sight. He leaned down so he could meet Sam’s gaze and held out his hand.
“Is the coast clear?” she asked with a half-smile.
“For the moment,” he replied. “Hurry, before someone else shows up to ruin my day.”
She put her hand in his, a gesture of trust that loosened the tension compressing his lungs. As she stepped out of the car, she sidled closer to him, her free hand holding his suit jacket closed, and didn’t let go of his hand.
He’d picked up and tossed a man ten feet because the bastard was hurting her, and she didn’t seem to have noticed. Made no comment on his demonstration of strength.
Perhaps she’d been too traumatized by the incident to realize what he’d done? If so, it would be the only thing that went right so far today.
He and Sam walked into the employee only area of the hotel.
Two of his security guards were standing inside the automatic doors. They nodded at him as he passed, both of them giving him the all clear hand signal.
He nodded back and continued leading Sam to the elevator that would take them to his suite.