Roark frowned.
“You didn’t wish to be Claimed?”
“I didn’t want to leave my life on Earth,” Liv told him. “I hurt Baird—hurt him badly. And then, after I had rejected him in every way possible, he sacrificed himself to the AllFather to pay for my mistakes and set me free. Do you think I felt like I deserved that?”
“I suppose not.” Roark shook his head. Though it was years in the past now, the war with the old enemy of the Kindred, the Scourge, was still a time no one could forget.
“I didn’t,” Liv said quietly. “But when, by the Grace of the Goddess, Baird came back to me, he forgave me and loved me like nothing ever happened.” She smiled. “And now we’ve been together for years and we have a son.”
“That’s wonderful.” Roark’s throat was dry. “I just wonder if Samantha and I could have that same outcome. I was…” He shook his head. “I was horrible to her.”
“Ask forgiveness,” Liv suggested. “It’s all you can do. And pray to the Goddess to heal your relationship.”
Roark didn’t like to tell her that he wasn’t much of a believer. He knew that most Kindred were devout in their worship of the Mother of all Life, but as a scientist, he had no time for religious nonsense. But it was clear Liv believed and he didn’t want to denigrate her religion. So he only nodded and said,
“Thank you. I’ll keep your advice in mind.”
“Good.” Liv squeezed his arm reassuringly and stood, indicating their time together was over. “Now, I have a lot of patients to get to so I’m going to have to let you go. But I’ll be saying a prayer for you and Samantha. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.”
“I will. Thank you again.” Roark shook her hand, as was the human custom, and left the Med Center.
As he walked down the long, winding metal corridors to his lab, he wished he could speak to Samantha at once and beg her forgiveness. But he had promised he would leave her alone—at least for now—and a Kindred warrior didn’t break his word. He would just have to wait until Meg was willing to give him the address of Samantha’s female relative so he could go and apologize to her in person.
Oh Samantha, he thought longingly. What a fool I’ve been! I only hope you’ll forgive me and come back to me…
Forty-Two
What a fool I’ve been, Sammi was thinking as she looked frantically around the small basement apartment. I should never have just gotten in a car with a guy just because I knew him a little bit. How in the Hell am I ever going to get out of here?
It looked like a basement apartment, anyway—though she had never heard of anyone being able to have a basement in Florida. But the place she found herself in now was built like a basement with walls of thick cinderblock and no windows or doors in sight. Well, except for the door at the top of the stairs which she had already tried and it was locked.
That wasn’t the only thing that was locked—Sammi’s hands were also cuffed. They were in front of her, at least, but still, it was damn scary to wake up and find yourself handcuffed in a strange apartment with no idea how you had gotten there.
The last memory she had was of Meg’s think-me call waking her from a sound sleep. She’d been disoriented at first and then reassured her friend that she was fine and on her way to her Aunt Vicky’s house.
If only she had kept Meg on the think-me a little longer! It was only after they “hung up” that Sammi had woken up properly and realized the car she was in was nowhere near North Tampa. In fact, they didn’t appear to be anywhere in Tampa at all.
Looking out the window, all she saw were trees and a dense green growth of ivy-covered underbrush. The car was out in the wild country somewhere, far from any city.
“What the hell?” she had muttered, blinking and looking around. “Hey, where are we?” she asked, raising her voice as she looked to the front seat where Bernard was still driving.
“Awake so soon?” He had met her gaze in the rearview mirror and Sammi saw that his formerly warm brown eyes were now cold and calculating. “Can’t have that, can we? The boss-man won’t like it”
“Wha—?” she started to ask but then he had turned and sprayed something in her face. Something with a choking, sickly-sweet smell that made her head swim.
“Who…who are you?” Sammi had choked out, as the world started graying out around her. “And where…where are you taking me?”
“I’m nobody. And I’m taking you to meet someone who’s been waiting for you a long time,” Bernard said.