She stumbled forward when in the corner of her eye she saw Eddie. He was fighting with Zane. And Zane had the upper hand. Looking to Amaury then back to Eddie, she made a split-second decision and ran toward her brother.
“Stop! He’s on our side.”
But Zane ignored her. He continued pounding into her brother.
“Zane, stop! Don’t hurt him,” she screamed again and lunged forward, throwing herself between the two. Zane grabbed her and tossed her aside, then reached for Eddie. “He’s with Luther.”
Her response was drowned out by Samson’s booming voice behind her. “Zane, he’s with us. Release him.”
A disbelieving look came over Zane’s face, but he obeyed and dropped Eddie from his grip.
Nina ran toward Eddie and hugged him. Her brother’s strong arms went around her and squeezed tightly.
“You’re alive,” he said.
Because of Amaury she was alive, but now he was in danger. Nina peeled herself out of Eddie’s embrace and let her eyes search for her mate.
Thirty-nine
Amaury dodged another of Luther’s blows and swung his fist against his arm, momentarily blocking his opponent, allowed him to pull out his silver dagger with the other hand.
He used his leg to kick Luther’s legs from underneath him and felt him stumble. Without hesitation, Amaury pinned him against the wall behind him and lifted the dagger to strike.
For having nearly killed his mate, Luther would have to die. Only then the beast inside Amaury would be appeased.
No! Stop, Amaury!
Nina’s voice invaded his mind, and he hesitated for a second.
Please, if you love me, don’t kill him.
From the corner of his eye he saw a movement and turned. Nina came running toward him.
“Don’t move, or you’re dead,” he warned Luther and kept the dagger pressed to his throat. The silver bit into his opponent’s skin.
“Amaury! Don’t kill him, please, don’t,” he heard Nina call out.
His gut twisted. Why would she want to save Luther when he’d been planning to kill her? He couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Amaury gave her a long look, trying to search her eyes for an answer. Who was she with?
Behind her, Samson and Delilah came into sight, and a second later some of the others. The fight seemed to be over, but the fire continued to rage.
Amaury felt Luther slacken under his grip, clearly realizing he’d lost. Amaury’s hand twitched, eager to finish what he’d started.
“Don’t,” Nina warned him, “or you’re not any better than he is.”
“Why should I spare him?” he asked, avoiding her gaze and instead training his eye on Luther’s throat, where the silver dagger burned his flesh. He would only have to press a little deeper to end his life, to make him pay for the pain he’d caused.
Recalling the sight of Nina on the podium and the panic that had gripped him when he’d realized her handcuffs were made of silver, made his heart beat in a violent rage. He could have lost her forever.
“You’re not his judge.” Nina’s calm voice drifted into his ears.
“No, but I am his executioner.”
“Then I will be his defense counsel.”
Amaury stared at her, his jaw dropping. “What do you mean? He’s guilty. We all know that.”
“Let’s get it over with,” Luther suddenly interjected.
“No,” Nina said, taking a step forward. “There are mitigating circumstances.”
Even Luther’s face twisted into a confused frown.
“Mitigating circumstances?” Amaury repeated. He noticed Delilah reaching for Nina’s arm. The two women exchanged a look.
“He needs to know,” Nina said quietly.
A sense of dread came over Amaury when Nina locked eyes with him. “If you and Samson had told him back then, this would have never happened.”
“Stay out of it,” Amaury warned. This was between the men. He and his colleagues would deal with Luther the only way possible. Kidnapping and attempting to murder a vampire’s mate called for the only possible punishment: death.
“Quinn, get the women out of here,” he ordered. When Quinn looked at Samson for confirmation, his boss nodded.
“No, I’m not leaving!” Nina underscored her protest by bracing her hands on her hips and widening her stance. His little fighter was ready to do battle with him. But Amaury wouldn’t allow it, not this time.
“I said—”
Nina interrupted him, her voice furious now. “I heard what you said. And as Rhett so enlightened Scarlet: frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn. I’ll say what I’ve got to say, and nobody will stop me.” Nina leveled a defiant glare at him.