by Karen Lynch
Nikolas walked into the command center with Chris and another warrior named Raoul whom I’d seen here a lot. Nikolas’s eyes scanned the room until they met mine, and we exchanged smiles. I liked being able to spend my evenings here working alongside him, and the looks he gave me told me he felt the same way.
Raoul shook his head. “Whoever they are, they are deadly and fast. I hate to admit it, but their kill rate is better than ours right now with zero human casualties. They move around a lot too, which makes it impossible to get a lead on them. We have reports coming in from all over the country.”
Instead of sitting at one of the tables, the three of them walked toward me. Chris and Raoul each took a chair and Nikolas sat on the couch with me. I pulled my legs up to make room for him, and he rested a warm hand on my foot. He was so caught up in his conversation I didn’t think he was even aware he’d done it. When his thumb began to absently stroke my bare ankle, a tingle spread up my leg and I found it hard to concentrate on my computer or their conversation.
“Are you sure it’s the same people?” Chris asked.
“No, but my gut tells me it is. All the strikes have the same feel to them, and the hostiles were killed by some kind of weapon we haven’t seen before. The warehouse in Minneapolis, the vampire in Seattle, the nest at the old amusement park in New Jersey.”
My head jerked up at the mention of New Jersey. Two days ago, I’d wiped out a nest of seven vampires and rescued a family of four from an abandoned amusement park in that state. It had been my most difficult kill yet, and at one point I’d thought I was done for. I was glad I saved that family, but I’d been in over my head on that one. It was only my vampire radar that had kept me alive, and I’d sworn to Eldeorin that if he ever pulled another stunt like that I was never speaking to him again.
“…and each time the victims recovered had no clear memory of their rescuer or what happened to them. It’s like someone messed with their memories. Twenty-two people were rescued from the gulak in Minneapolis, and every one of them gave a different description of the person who helped them.”
“One person?” Nikolas’s thumb stopped moving. “Didn’t you say we found a dead gulak master in the warehouse? It would take an experienced warrior to kill a demon that powerful.”
Raj, the transmitter guy, chuckled. “Maybe we have a rogue warrior taking it on the road.”
“Or it could be a human hunter with a new kind of weapon,” someone else suggested. “Whoever he is, he has a pair to go into that nest on his own.”
Chris laughed. “Maybe we should try to recruit him.”
Jordan snorted and looked up from the workstation she was monitoring. “You guys automatically assume it’s a male.”
Raoul gave her an indulgent smile. “No offense, Jordan, but the odds are small that this is a female.”
I couldn’t resist speaking up. “Why?”
“Most females don’t have the stomach for that kind of killing,” Raoul said, earning a scowl from Jordan. “Mohiri females do,” he amended, “but I doubt one of them is behind this. I think we are dealing with someone new.”
“Why does it matter who they are as long as they are helping people and killing the bad guys?” I asked.
Nikolas’s hand gently squeezed my foot. “It doesn’t as long as they keep a low profile and don’t endanger humans. We monitor the police bands in most cities, so we heard about the warehouse in Minneapolis and were able to get it contained before the local authorities arrived.”
A warrior named Brock chimed in. “It looks like we aren’t the only ones with a vigilante at work. A month ago, we also picked up a story about a village in Mexico that claims an ‘angel’ appeared out of nowhere to destroy the demons terrorizing their village. One of our teams down there checked it out and found two dead vampires.”
My eyes met Jordan’s across the room, and she didn’t have to speak for me to know what she was thinking. She knew about every one of my adventures, and she would have traded places with me in a heartbeat.
A message flashing on my screen pulled my attention back to my chat. I smiled when a picture of a fluffy white cat appeared with the caption “Lulu says hello.”
Me: Give her a hug for me.
Kelvan: Already did.
Me: Any luck with that lead in Canada?
David: No, but we might be onto something else. K is on it.
Pause.
Me: Guys, don’t keep me in suspense here!
Kelvan: Hold on. Running a new algorithm.
Me: English please.
David: He wrote a new routine with new search parameters.
Me: Oh.
Kelvan: Give me a few minutes.
Long pause.
Kelvan: Think I have something.
A black and white photo appeared in the chat window, and I clicked on it to make it larger. The woman in the picture had a strong resemblance to Madeline, but it was hard to be sure.
“Nikolas.” I turned the laptop to face him, and his eyes narrowed on the screen. He leaned over for a closer look and Chris crowded in behind him.
“It’s Madeline,” Chris breathed. “How the hell did they find her?”
I lifted a shoulder. “I told you they’re the best.”
Nikolas looked at me. “Where was this taken?”
“One second.” I pulled the laptop around and asked David, who replied immediately. “Yesterday in Vancouver,” I told Nikolas. More words appeared on the screen and my pulse sped up. “David sent an address where they think she’s staying.”
Nikolas stood and began issuing orders for a team to be ready to depart within the hour. One of the warriors brought up Vancouver on his monitors, preparing to track the team once they got there.
I set the laptop on the couch and followed Nikolas. He finished talking to one of the warriors then turned to smile at me. “Great work, Sara.”
“Thanks, but David did most of the work.”
He laid a hand on my arm. “Why don’t you grab your stuff, and I’ll walk you and Jordan home before I leave?”
My smile faltered. “What do you mean? I’m coming with you.”
“It’s too dangerous,” he replied firmly.
“I can take care of myself, Nikolas. Besides, it’s only Madeline.”
He shook his head. “You’re not ready. We’ll handle this.”
I refused to back down. “She’s my mother, so if anyone should be there, it’s me. I didn’t work this hard to find her just so you could leave me behind.” My voice had gotten louder and people were staring at us, but I didn’t care. This was too important to me.
His jaw hardened. “You can talk to her when we bring her back here.”
“So that’s it. We’re back to you making all the decisions and me having no say at all?” Angry hurt made my chest ache. “I thought we were in this together.”
“We are.”
I waved an arm at the room. “You mean as long as I’m doing something you don’t think is dangerous. Why have I been working my butt off in training if you’re not going to take me seriously?”
“I do take you seriously.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Listen, this is not the time or place for this discussion. We’ll talk about it when I get back.”
“Fine.” I grabbed my laptop and backpack from the couch and marched to the door. “Chris, will you walk me back?”
Nikolas followed me. “I said I’d take you home.”
I couldn’t look at him and let him see how much his dismissal had hurt. “You have a mission to organize. One of the others can make sure I get home.”
“Chris can get things ready here.” He picked up my coat where it lay over the back of a chair and held it up for me. I had no choice but to let him help me into it.
Silence hung over us during the short walk back to the house. At the door he took my hand and laced his fingers with mine. “I hate to leave you upset, but I have to go. We’ll talk when I get back, okay?”
I nodded, still
not able to look at him.
He let go of my hand and pulled me against him, wrapping his arms around me. “I’ll see you in a day or two,” he said against my hair.
As upset as I was with him, I couldn’t let him leave without saying anything. My arms went around his waist, and I pressed my cheek to his chest. “Be careful.”
“Always.” He pulled away and pressed a tender kiss to my lips before he opened the door and ushered me inside. I waited until I could no longer sense him before I let the tears come.
* * *
“Have you heard anything yet?” Jordan ran up to me as I walked to the house after my training with Aine. It was noon and Nikolas and Chris had been gone about sixteen hours.
“Just that the first place they checked didn’t pan out. David sent me a new address and I passed it on to Raoul to give to the team.”
Jordan studied my face then fell into step beside me. “You’re still mad at Nikolas, aren’t you?”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Probably. But it’s Nikolas.”
I scowled at her. “If you say I should forgive him just because he’s hot, I may have to rethink our friendship.”
“Wow, you really are pissed.” She opened the door and entered the house ahead of me. “I’m just saying that you should be used to him being this way by now. A bonded male is overbearing enough without him being Nikolas Danshov. Add to that the fact that you ran off, almost died, and spent a week in a faerie coma, and you’ve got one very overprotective warrior on your hands.”
“I thought he was starting to see me as an equal. Maybe if he knew about the things I’ve done he’d change his mind.” I’d been trying for weeks to find the nerve to tell Nikolas the truth about my training with Eldeorin, but I’d chickened out every time I came close. He was even more protective now than he’d been before I’d left Westhorne.
Jordan barked a laugh. “He’d lose it, and in a big way.”
I rubbed my temple. “I don’t know what to do, Jordan. I can’t live this way.”
A gleam entered her eyes. “Well, there is one way to get him to ease up.”
“You know I’m not ready for that.” The idea of Nikolas and me being intimate made my stomach do funny things. It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought about it, because I had – more than once. But it was a huge step to take. “Come on. I’m starving. Let’s see what Heb is making for lunch.”
She shook her head as she always did when I brushed off the topic. “Since you don’t have training this afternoon, we’ll call the wolf boys and get them to play World of Warcraft with us. I totally kicked their asses last time.”
I groaned. “Jordan, you know I don’t like computer games.”
“Perhaps you’d prefer a game of draughts instead?”
I whirled around to stare at the tall and impossibly handsome warrior sauntering out of the living room. His dark wavy hair touched his shoulders and his eyes mirrored the smirk on his lips. A choked sound escaped me, and I launched myself at him. He laughed and enfolded me in his strong embrace.
“Hello, little one. It’s good to see you again.”
“Desmund, what are you doing here?” I stepped back and stared at him in wonder. “I mean, I’m so happy you’re here, but I didn’t think you wanted to leave Westhorne.”
He led me into the living room. “Westhorne has become quite dull of late, and I find I don’t enjoy my solitude as much as I used to. I was planning to take a trip to England until Nikolas called last night to ask if I’d like to visit for a few days.”
“Nikolas called you?”
He chuckled as he sat and patted the couch beside him. “I was as surprised as you are. What have you done to that warrior?”
“She’s mad at him, and he’s trying to soften her up.” Jordan took a seat across from us, and I was surprised to see her grin at Desmund. Up until a few months ago, Desmund had been a reclusive and sometimes dangerous warrior all the trainees had avoided. Even Jordan had been more than a little intimidated by his legend.
“Is that so? And what has he done that requires bribery to gain your forgiveness?”
“He thinks I’m useless.”
Desmund arched an eyebrow, and I flushed.
“I mean as a fighter. No matter what I do or how much I train, he refuses to think I might be able to take care of myself.” I told him about all the progress I’d made with my combat and Fae training, omitting my trips with Eldeorin. “If anyone deserves to be there when Madeline is caught, it’s me.”
“You are right about Madeline, but Nikolas was also right not to take you into what could be a very dangerous situation. It sounds like you have come a long way in your training. However, Nikolas is an experienced warrior, and he knows it takes more than a few months of training to prepare you for what is out there.”
“But I have seen what’s out there. If he only knew what I’ve –” My outburst died on my lips when I realized what I’d almost said.
“What does Nikolas not know?” Desmund’s eyes bored into mine. “Sara?”
“I...” I looked to Jordan for help, and she gave me a “you’re on your own for this one” look. I bit my lip and met Desmund’s unyielding gaze. “If I tell you this, will you promise to keep it between us for now?”
“I won’t make any promises until I know what is going on.”
Great. I took a fortifying breath. “There is this faerie named Eldeorin who took care of me when I was sick, and he has been training me for the last month.”
Desmund nodded. “Tristan has mentioned him.”
“After my illness, my Fae power got a lot stronger, and I couldn’t use it without destroying something. Eldeorin’s been training me to use my new power.”
“And what is wrong with that if it is helping you? Moreover, why would it upset Nikolas? Is he jealous of the faerie?”
“He doesn’t like Eldeorin, but he knows he’s just my friend.” I swallowed. “He wouldn’t be happy if he knew what my training with Eldeorin was really like.”
Jordan snorted. “There’s the understatement of the year. Do the words ‘DEFCON 1 mean anything to you?”
Desmund’s brows drew together. “Sara?”
“I’ve been using my power to kill vampires,” I blurted.
Jordan stretched a leg over the arm of her chair. “Among other things.”
“Explain.” Desmund’s tone did not change so it was impossible to know what he was thinking. I started by telling him about my liannan. I explained how out of control my power had been and how terrified I’d been of losing control around Nikolas and the others. And then Eldeorin had shown me how to release all that pent-up energy.
Once I got started, the whole story poured out of me, and I spent the next hour filling him in on all my training sessions with Eldeorin. A mixture of shock, concern, and even pride showed on his face, until I got to the part about the vampire nest in New Jersey. I wasn’t surprised that one angered him. I didn’t want to think about how Nikolas was going to react when I finally told him – if Desmund didn’t tell him first.
“I know how bad it sounds, but Eldeorin is always there with me, and I don’t think he’d let me get seriously hurt. And I’m getting really good at using my power. I still need to work on my fighting, but I’m getting better every day.”
Desmund leaned back and stared at me for a long moment until I couldn’t take the silence anymore.
“Say something.”
He shook his head. “Your friend, Jordan, is right. Nikolas is going to explode when he hears of this.”
I sagged against the couch. “Are you going to tell him?”
He responded by laughing. “I consider myself a brave male, but even I am not brave enough to be the one to tell your mate what you have been up to.”
I hugged him. “Thank you.”
“That does not mean I agree with you keeping this from him. Nikolas and I have had our differences, but he is a good man and he cares for you.”
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br /> I pulled back. “I’m going to tell him; I want to tell him. I just don’t know how. He’ll want me to stop, but I don’t want to. I like helping people, and I’m really good at this.”
I stared at Desmund as my words sank in. I had complained and yelled at Eldeorin every time I finished one of his training sessions. But the truth was, I felt completely alive and free every time I saved a life and rid the world of one more evil. And I wanted to do it again.
He let out a slow breath. “So you are the vigilante everyone has been talking about these last few weeks?”
“Yes.”
He stood and held his hand out to me. I took it automatically, and he pulled me to my feet.
“Where are we going?” I asked when he started for the door, taking me with him.
“If you are intent on saving the world, we need to get you in fighting shape.” A smirk curved his lips. “If nothing else, it will help you restrain your mate when he goes into a rage over this.”
“You’re going to train me?”
He laughed arrogantly. “It’s been a while, but I do remember how to train someone. I’m sure I can show you some tricks that even Nikolas does not know.”
We went to the gym with Jordan trailing behind us, probably hoping to learn some of those tricks Desmund had mentioned. She leaned against the wall as Desmund and I faced each other in the center of the room.
“Before we begin, I need to see what you’ve learned so far. Proceed.”
“You want me to attack you?”
Amusement lit his eyes. “I want you to try.”
I went through every kick and strike Nikolas had taught me, and Desmund deflected each one so fast he barely appeared to move. I knew my form was perfect, but there was no way to get past the defenses of someone as fast as him.
“Your technique is good, but where are your strength and your speed?”
I paused to catch my breath. “I still have trouble with that part.”
His brow furrowed. “Then that is what we need to work on. It is no wonder Nikolas refused to let you accompany him.”