by Karen Lynch
“Yes, but I didn’t think you’d take me seriously.” He glanced up at the ceiling as if he suspected I had her locked away upstairs. “What happened?”
I gave him a wry smile. “She wasn’t exactly happy to see me or to discover what she is. And she was more than clear that she is not leaving Maine.”
“What did she –?”
I pointed at the stove. “Your eggs are burning.”
“Shit!” He grabbed his smoking pan of eggs and started scraping them into the garbage disposal. He filled the pan with soapy water and turned back to me. “We’ll have to send Paulette to talk to her. She’s the best with orphans. We can’t leave the girl here unprotected.”
“I have no intention of leaving her.” I carried my plate to the sink and washed it.
Chris’s brows drew together. “What aren’t you telling me?”
I dried the plate and put it away, listening for other people in the house. “Where are the others?”
“They went to Boston early this morning to grab the rest of their stuff. Why?”
I picked up my cell phone and walked into the living room. “Because I’d rather keep this conversation between the three of us.”
“The three of us?”
I sat on the couch, and he sat across from me. “You, me, and Tristan,” I said before I dialed the number.
Tristan picked up on the second ring. “What did you find?” he asked when he realized who was calling.
“More than we expected.” I looked at Chris, who was watching me with open curiosity. “It was vampires who took those girls. There were ten of them holed up in a house, and we took care of five of them. We have two locked up, and we’re looking for the last three.”
“Ten. That’s an unusually large number. Did you find out why they were in Portland?”
“Not yet, but we will,” Chris answered.
There was a short silence on the other end of the line. “Why do I get the feeling there is more to this than you’re telling me?” Tristan said.
“There is.” I took a breath. “We found an orphan. We saved her from the vampire we’re hunting now.”
“Is she okay?” Concern flooded Tristan’s voice. “Have you called Paulette? What about the girl’s mother? Did she survive the attack?”
I waited for the barrage of questions to end. “She is unhurt, and her parent was not involved in the attack. We ran into the girl at a bar on Friday night.”
“A bar?” Tristan echoed incredulously. “What on Earth was a child doing at a bar?”
“That’s the thing.” Chris leaned forward with his arms resting on his knees. “She’s not a child, at least not a young one. She’s seventeen.”
Tristan inhaled sharply. “How is that possible? You’re sure she is Mohiri?”
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” I replied, drawing Chris’s scrutiny again. “I’ve been around her several times, and I was able to sense her Mori each time. I went to visit her yesterday, and I learned some things about her that, frankly, shocked the hell out of me. I had Dax look into her background to confirm what I suspected before I told you.”
I took a deep breath. “Her name is Sara Grey, and her father was human. Her mother is Mohiri.”
Tristan and Chris inhaled sharply at the same time.
I continued before either of them could speak. “Her father was killed by vampires ten years ago. Her mother left them when Sara was very young, and Sara had no idea what she was until I told her.”
Chris frowned. “How do you and Dax know her mother is Mohiri if Sara didn’t even know?”
“I knew when I heard her mother’s name.” I stared at the phone. “Tristan…Sara is Madeline’s daughter.”
“Madeline?” Tristan said in disbelief. “How…how do you know this?”
“Sara told me her mother’s name was Madeline, and Dax found a picture of your Madeline with Daniel Grey.” I looked at Chris, who still stared at me with his mouth hanging open. “And Sara bears a resemblance to Josephine.”
Chris found his voice again. “That’s it! I knew she looked familiar. Madeline’s daughter? Damn.”
“Nikolas, you’re positive about this?” Tristan’s voice shook, and I could only imagine what he was feeling. I was there when he’d found the note Madeline had left him before she took off. I’d helped him search for her for over a year, and I’d seen his fear and worry for his only child. Madeline was a trained warrior when she left, but she’d never been out in the world alone. I’d watched as the years passed and the hope of her coming home slowly faded from his eyes.
After several decades went by without a word from her, he had accepted that she could be dead, and he’d resigned himself to being the last of his line. Now to discover his daughter was still alive – or had been seventeen years ago – and she had married and given birth to a child…
“Without a doubt, she is Madeline’s daughter, your granddaughter,” I said.
“Oh dear God,” Tristan whispered hoarsely. “Madeline.”
Chris and I said nothing for several minutes while Tristan recovered from learning Madeline was alive – or she had been eighteen years ago – and that he had a granddaughter.
Tristan cleared his throat. “Is Sara with you? May I speak to her?”
“She’s not here. She refused to leave her home.”
I could hear Tristan’s footsteps as he paced around his office.
“We can’t leave her unprotected. Did you explain how dangerous it is for her?”
“Yes, but she is determined to stay. She has no warm feelings for her mother, and I think she blames Madeline in part for her father’s death. She wants nothing to do with us.”
Tristan stopped pacing. “I’ll come there and talk to her. Maybe if she knew she had family here, she would be less frightened of us.”
A laugh escaped me. “She’s not afraid of us. Trust me. I’d say it’s closer to contempt.”
There was a brief silence before Tristan spoke again. “You said she’s seventeen and she had no idea she was Mohiri. How has she survived this long without training?”
“I don’t know, but her control over her Mori is unlike anything I’ve seen. If I hadn’t sensed it, I would have thought she was human.”
“If I didn’t know you better, I’d think that was admiration I hear in your voice,” Tristan said.
I didn’t try to deny it. “It’s hard not to admire someone with that kind of strength. She is surprisingly composed, considering all she’s been through. In some ways, she reminds me of you.”
“My granddaughter,” he said in wonder. “I’m going to call for the jet. I’ll be there this afternoon.”
My eyes met Chris’s as I shook my head. “I don’t think that is a wise idea. Sara’s strong, but she was overwhelmed when I talked to her, not that I blame her after the last few days. She holds a lot of resentment for her mother, and I think meeting Madeline’s family would be too much for her right now. It might drive her further away.”
“Are you suggesting we leave her there?” Tristan asked sharply.
“No. We’ll give her some time to process everything before we talk to her again. Chris and I will watch over her, and we’re not her only protectors.”
“What do you mean?” Tristan asked.
“When I met Sara, she was with two members of the Maine pack – the Alpha’s son and nephew. She’s close to the wolves, and the two I met were very protective of her. She lives in a small town called New Hastings, in the heart of pack territory an hour north of Portland.”
“Werewolves?” It took Tristan a minute to recover from his shock. “That’s Maxwell Kelly’s pack.”
Chris spoke up. “You know him?”
“By reputation only,” Tristan said. “He’s a strong Alpha and widely known for his hunting skills. I’ve heard other packs send their wolves to him for training. His pack is one of the first in the country to live among humans instead of segregating themselves. He is also territoria
l. I’m still trying to grasp how those vampires managed to elude his pack for weeks.”
“The vampire who attacked Sara was their leader,” I replied. “He’s proving to be adept at hiding and covering his tracks. But if he’s still here, we’ll find him.”
Tristan expelled a long breath. “I feel better knowing my granddaughter is under Kelly’s protection, but I won’t rest until she is here with us. Please, keep her safe.”
Chris nodded solemnly. “I’ll guard my cousin with my life.”
“As will I,” I vowed.
“Thank you. I don’t think I could entrust her safety to anyone else.” Tristan’s chair squeaked when he sat again. “This is… I can’t tell you what this means to me, knowing I have a granddaughter. I just can’t understand how Madeline could abandon her own child. I knew my daughter could be selfish, but she was never a bad person. If she didn’t want the child, why didn’t she send her to me?”
“I don’t know.” I had wondered the same things. Madeline could have easily picked up a phone and let Tristan know about the girl. Why she hadn’t done that was a question only she could answer.
Tristan’s tone changed, and he was all business. “What is your plan? Will you have Erik’s team hunt the vampires while you two watch over Sara?”
“Chris and I will take turns keeping an eye on her.” I looked at him, and he nodded in agreement. “We’ll have to keep our distance though, because she won’t be happy if she knows we’re hanging around.”
“Perhaps I should ask Paulette to join you,” Tristan suggested. “There’s no one better at handling orphans, and a female might be less threatening to Sara.”
He was right, but I was reluctant to bring anyone else in. A few days ago, I’d planned to turn Sara over to Paulette, but I couldn’t do that now.
“Nikolas?” Tristan said.
“Let’s hold off on Paulette for now. I’ve already explained things to Sara, and I think bringing in someone else might be too much for her. Chris and I can handle things here.”
No one spoke for a long moment. Finally, Tristan said, “Okay, if you think that is best. I trust your judgement.”
“Thank you.” His faith in me made me feel a moment of guilt that I hadn’t told him everything. But a bond was a deeply personal connection between two people, and Tristan would understand my wish to keep it private. I’d have to tell Chris, but the fewer people who knew about it the better.
“We’ll take care of the vampire problem here,” I said. “Between us and the werewolves, Sara will be well protected. Hopefully, she’ll be more open to us in a few weeks after she’s had time to take it all in.”
“And if she isn’t?” Tristan asked, worry in his voice.
“We’ll stay as long as it takes. She won’t be alone, Tristan.” I leaned back against the couch. “Sara is strong-willed, but she’s also intelligent and curious about the world. I believe she’ll want to know more about her people when she’s less wary of us.”
“I hope you are right.”
So do I, I silently agreed with him.
Tristan made an aggravated sound. “I have a Council call in two minutes, but I’m afraid my mind won’t be on business today. I’ll check back with you tomorrow.”
“I’ll talk to you then.”
I hung up and silence hung heavily in the room. Chris stared at me for a long moment before he finally spoke.
“All right, what are you holding back? I know you better than anyone, and I can tell there’s something you’re not saying. It has to be bad if you didn’t want Tristan to know.”
I got up and walked to the window. Peering out at the quiet street, I thought about how to tell him what he wanted to know. It was harder than I’d expected to come up with the right words.
“Why don’t you want anyone else to visit Sara? You’ve never shown interest in orphans before. I would think you’d be happy for someone like Paulette to take over.”
“Sara’s not like other orphans.”
“Because she’s Tristan’s granddaughter?”
Goddamn, this was not easy. But I had to tell him about the bond, unless I planned to walk away from it. Remembering how difficult it had been to ride away from her yesterday, I knew leaving was no longer an option.
I turned from the window to face him. “Because she’s my mate.”
“What?” Chris stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Mate?”
“Yes.”
His mouth opened and closed a few times, and I realized it was the first time I’d ever seen him speechless.
He shook his head. “You were distracted at the club. I suspected you were taken with the girl…but bonded? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I frowned at him. “It’s not an easy topic to bring up, and I wanted to be sure of the bond before I said anything.”
Understanding dawned on his face. “That’s why you went to see her instead of calling Paulette.”
“Yes.”
“Damn.” He released a loud breath. “I don’t even know what to say.”
His face told me what he couldn’t put into words. I had never spent longer than a week in a relationship, although enough women had tried to entice me to stay. The harder they tried, the more determined I was to remain single. Chris thought it was hilarious, and he’d always said someday I would meet the one, and he hoped he had a front row seat for the show. I don’t think either of us expected me to actually find my bond mate. He was almost as stunned as I had been.
“There’s not much to say. Sara is my mate.”
Mine, my Mori insisted.
Yes. The moment I admitted the truth to myself, the knot in my stomach eased, and my chest felt oddly light. She was mine. She might despise me and everything I stood for, but I’d do whatever it took to protect her.
Chris cleared his throat. “Does Sara know about the bond?”
“She feels something, but she doesn’t know what it is.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “She’s been through too much; she’s not ready to hear about this.”
“I agree. She was raised as a human, and she needs time to adjust to our way of life before she learns she is bonded to someone. That is, unless you decide to break it before it grows.”
I looked out the window. I could end this now and Sara would be none the wiser. I’d be free to go back to my life, and she could go on with hers. But when I thought about doing that, my Mori growled and an unpleasant sinking feeling settled in my gut.
“I don’t think I can.”
“Wow.” He let out a puff of air. “Well, I can see why you didn’t want to tell Tristan.”
I shot him a questioning look.
He laughed. “He just found out he has a granddaughter. I’m surprised he didn’t insist on coming here. If he knew you and she were bonded, he’d be on his way to the airport right now.”
I scowled as I went back to sit on the couch. “I’m not sure whether or not to be insulted by that statement.”
Chris grinned. “Well, you haven’t exactly hidden the fact that you don’t want a mate. The only woman I’ve ever seen you show any affection for, besides your mother, is Vivian, and she is as bad as you when it comes to commitment. I think if Vivian had shown any real interest in settling down, you would have run far and fast.”
“This is not the same,” I practically growled at him.
His expression grew thoughtful. “Are you sure you’re ready for this, Nikolas?”
“Is anyone ever ready?”
“You know it’s not going to be easy for you to stay away from her once the bond grows. You’ll need to be near her, and it’ll become increasingly difficult to see her around other males.”
“I know.” I groaned inwardly. Mohiri males always felt the bond more intensely than their mates, and they tended to become possessive of their female until the bond was complete. I’d seen it enough times, but I’d never expected or wanted to experience it myself. I’d only known the girl for four days, and already she occupied my thoughts m
ore than any woman had.
Chris kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “We’ve both seen bonded couples and how stormy their courtships were in the beginning. If my new cousin is half as stubborn as you, I expect fireworks – and not the good kind.”
I glowered at him. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
His eyes flashed with amusement. “More than you could possibly imagine. So when are you going to tell your mother you’ve met your mate? She’ll be overjoyed.”
I rubbed my face. “Khristu, don’t even mention my mother. I have enough to deal with.”
Laughter filled the room. “I’m just going to buy some popcorn and sit back to enjoy the show.”
“Remind me again why we’re friends,” I said, earning another laugh from him.
“Because no one else can put up with you. And because I like to piss off the Council almost as much as you do.”
The front door opened, and Erik’s team filed in carrying duffle bags and weapons cases. Erik dropped his bags in the hallway and joined us in the living room. At five-eleven, he was tall for a Korean, but shorter than most Mohiri males, a fact that left him in a perpetual state of annoyance.
He scowled as he sank into a chair. “We’re cleared out of Boston. I think Raoul’s team is moving in there tomorrow. My guys are going to stow their gear, and then we’re going to start checking out the spots in Portland where those suckers could be holed up.”
“Sounds good.” Erik was meticulous when it came to doing a grid search, which was one of the reasons I was glad to have him here. If Eli was still in Portland, Erik would flush him out. This was one time when I couldn’t afford to leave a single stone unturned. Sara’s life could depend on it.
“Anyone check on our guests this morning?” Chris asked. “They must be getting thirsty by now.”
Erik nodded. “I looked in on them before we left. The female is still holding up, but the male looks ready to crack. In a few days, he’ll tell us whatever he knows.” His gaze flicked between Chris and me. “Are you two going to join us in the search, or do you have something else in the works?”
“Both. Chris and I have another job.” I told Erik about Sara and who she was, omitting the part about the bond.