Warrior

by Karen Lynch

  “They are good at their job, and they know that I’m good at mine. We differ in opinion sometimes, but we all work to the same end.”

  Her hands toyed with the pillow on her lap. “What do they think about you hanging around some town no one’s ever heard of, wasting time with an orphan instead of out doing your warrior business?”

  Did she really believe her life meant so little to us? To me? “You think you’re a waste of our time?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t say I’m a waste of time, but there must be other orphans who need rescuing more than I do. And since I won’t change my mind about leaving, it doesn’t make sense to stick around.”

  Being near her and keeping her safe were the only things that made sense in my life anymore, but I couldn’t tell her that. “There is an immediate threat here. We were tracking vampire activity in the area before we found you; it was what brought us to Portland that night.”

  My answer seemed to satisfy her because she let it go. Then her brow furrowed slightly and she asked, “Where are you from? You have this faint accent I can’t place and sometimes I think you’re speaking another language.”

  “I was born in Saint Petersburg, and I lived there for the first sixteen years of my life until my family moved to England and then America. My accent is usually noticeable now only when I’m aggravated.” Which was most of the time lately.

  “And what’s Chris’s story? Is he your partner?”

  “I normally work alone, but we sometimes work as a team. Christian and I have known each other for many years.” As soon as I said that, I realized it might have been true at one time, but no more. In fact, I couldn’t remember the last job I’d worked without Chris.

  “Christian. It suits him better than Chris.”

  My lip twitched. In truth, few people called Chris by his full name, and he preferred the shorter version. “I’m sure he’ll be pleased to hear that.”

  Her eyes gleamed impishly. “Well, I aim to please.”

  I made a noise between a laugh and a snort, liking this playful side of her.

  Her teeth worried her lower lip. “Listen, I know you’d rather be off hunting monsters even if you guys feel like you need to be here. And I know you think I’m a pain sometimes, but –”

  “Sometimes?” I gave her a pointed look.

  She rolled her eyes. “What I’m trying to say is that even though you are way too bossy and you can be an arrogant ass sometimes, I guess you’re not all bad.”

  Surprise and pleasure rolled through me. Her statement was hardly a declaration of affection, but it was a long way from the animosity she’d shown me a few weeks ago. She didn’t see me as a mate, but maybe she would accept me as a friend. I’d be whatever she needed until she was ready for more.

  “I think that’s the most backhanded compliment I’ve ever gotten,” I quipped. “And I will say that you are without a doubt the biggest pain in the butt I’ve ever met.”

  “The biggest pain, really?”

  She grinned at me, and I couldn’t resist saying, “Yes, but I do like a challenge.”

  For a long moment, she stared into the flames, and when her eyes returned to mine, I saw uncertainty in them.

  “I don’t want to fight with you anymore,” she said.

  Apparently, tonight was full of surprises. “I’m glad to hear that.”

  Her eyes widened a little as if she’d realized what she’d said. “I haven’t changed my mind or anything. I just don’t want us to be at each other’s throats all the time.”

  “You want to be friends?” I asked, enjoying the adorable look on her face as she tried to explain herself.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Let’s not get carried away. How about we agree to disagree and take it from there?”

  “A truce then?”

  “Yes – or a cease-fire,” she suggested.

  She could call it whatever she wanted, because I knew we had taken a step forward tonight. I didn’t expect it to be all smooth sailing from here, but it was progress.

  I extended my hand to her. “Okay. A cease-fire it is.”

  She hesitated for a second before she put her hand in mine. The familiar bolt of recognition shot through me, and I wondered if she felt it too.

  Her hand pulled away from mine, and I reluctantly let her go. Take it slow, I reminded myself when I saw her tuck her hand beneath her leg. The last thing I wanted was to make her nervous and undo what we had started to build.

  She hid a yawn behind her other hand, and I noticed for the first time how tired she looked. I didn’t want to leave her, but staying would be selfish, especially when she needed sleep.

  Standing, I smiled at her. “You look tired. Go to bed. I’ll let myself out.”

  A gust of wind shook the building, and her eyes went to the window. “You can stay in here tonight – if you want to.”

  I couldn’t hide my surprise. I knew her offer was completely innocent, but it warmed me anyway.

  She blushed and averted her gaze as if she was afraid I’d see more into her invitation.

  “You’re already here, and it makes no sense for you to be out in that weather when you could have the couch,” she blurted. “I’ll get you some blankets.”

  I stayed where I was as she jumped up and ran from the room. A minute later, she came back carrying a quilt and a pillow, and she quietly handed them to me.

  “Thank you,” I told her.

  She nodded jerkily. “Um, okay, good night.”

  She was out of the room before I could say anything else, her nervousness thick in the air. I was happy she had asked me to stay, but I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable about it.

  “Sara,” I called after her.

  She stopped and looked back at me over her shoulder. “Yes?” she asked breathlessly.

  “You’re still the biggest pain in the ass I’ve ever met.”

  Her smile made my heart squeeze. God, she had no idea how captivating she was, or what she did to my insides when she looked at me like that. I heard a soft chuckle as she turned away and climbed the stairs to her room.

  I stretched out on the couch and fell into the best sleep I’d had in weeks.

  Chapter 9

  “You’ve been talking to Tristan again.” Erik gave me what could pass for a smirk when I walked into the command center he’d set up in the basement of the safe house.

  I sat on a chair and rubbed the back of my neck. “How can you tell?” I replied dryly.

  He barked a laugh then turned back to his computer and began studying a map of downtown Portland. “You always look like you could use a stiff drink after his calls. Is he still talking about coming here?”

  “Every day.”

  I understood why Tristan wanted to be here. With each day that passed, he grew more worried about Sara’s safety and more impatient to meet his granddaughter. It was becoming increasingly difficult to convince him to stay away.

  Sara was slowly coming to accept who and what she was, as well as our presence in her life. Though I hadn’t spoken to her since Wednesday night, she didn’t look upset anymore when she spotted Chris or me watching over her. Bringing someone new into the picture now, especially an overly emotional grandsire, might undo the progress we’d made with her.

  “Better you than me.” Erik clicked a grid on the map, and it zoomed into a section of the waterfront. His brows drew together as his eyes moved over the area magnified on the screen.

  I rolled my chair closer to his. “What are you looking for?”

  He leaned back and tapped his chin pensively. “Trying to figure out where all the hostiles disappeared to.”

  “Still no sign?”

  A week ago, the city had been crawling with demons and vampires. The last four days, we’d been seeing fewer and fewer of them. I suspected the increased Mohiri and werewolf presence had driven many of them to safer territory. I didn’t delude myself that all the vampires had left. They were laying low, most likely hoping we’d move on
when there was no longer a threat to the city.

  “Nothing.” Erik scowled at the screen. “In fact, we’ve had a sudden increase in demon activity in Boston. Raoul asked for some backup, and I sent Andrew, Reese, and Carl to help since it’s so quiet here. They should be back on Monday.”

  I nodded quietly. I didn’t like to reduce our numbers here, but the warriors had to go where the need was greater.

  “We still have a few areas to search. You want to come with us?”

  “Yes.” Chris was in New Hastings, and there wasn’t a lot for a warrior to do in Portland when we weren’t hunting.

  My phone buzzed, and I looked at the name on the screen. “What’s up, Dax?”

  “Hey, Nikolas. I’ve been working on that job you gave me, and I might have something for you.” Dax chuckled. “Your girl is pretty good at covering her tracks, but she’s no match for me.”

  I pushed my chair back and stood as an unpleasant feeling settled in my gut. I’d done what I said I wouldn’t do, invaded Sara’s privacy. After her disappearing act on Wednesday, and her and Roland’s refusal to discuss where they’d been, I decided her safety was more important than whatever she was up to. So I’d asked Dax to dig around and see what he could come up with.

  “What did you find?”

  “I got what I could from her browsing history. Your orphan is a busy little bee.” He typed something on his keyboard. “You know, this would be a lot easier if we had physical access to –”

  “No.” I drew the line at going into her home and searching her things.

  “It’s your call. Lucky for you I am really good at my job.” He typed again. “She likes to visit certain message boards, the ones where people talk about paranormal sightings, stuff like that. Did you know Bigfoot was spotted wrestling an alligator in the Everglades last week? He must be on vacation.”

  I laughed. “Is that all you have?”

  “Patience, friend. I didn’t break into her accounts because you asked me not to, but based on her history, I can tell you she mainly follows threads about vampire activity. There is one in particular by a guy named Wulfman that she visits the most, and he seems to focus on Maine.”

  “I’m not surprised she’s reading up on vampires after being attacked by one.” Sara had proven more than once she didn’t let fear rule her life. Instead of cowering, she was seeking answers.

  “I agree, but her interest isn’t only in what’s been going on there for the last month. She’s spent considerable time searching for vampire activity in Portland ten years ago. Right around the time when –”

  “– her father was killed,” I finished for him, a cold knot of suspicion forming in my stomach. “What did you find?”

  He snorted. “I knew you’d ask that, so I dug around a bit more. She’s looked up all the news reports on the killing, and she’s done Google searches on Madeline and Daniel Grey. She’s also googled some random things in the last month like Ptellon blood, baktu, and red diamonds. Like I said, random stuff. But most of her searches have been about her father. Does that help?”

  “Yes,” I said, though I prayed I was wrong and that Sara’s little escapades had nothing to do with her father.

  “You want me to keep looking?”

  “Hold off for now.” I’d already broken Sara’s trust by going behind her back this way. I needed to talk to her before I decided on my next course of action. And I’d have to be careful in broaching the subject with her. If she knew I was digging around like this, she’d pull away again.

  “Will do. Let me know if you need anything else.”

  As soon as I ended the call with Dax, I dialed Chris’s number. “How are things there?” I asked when he answered.

  “Good. Sara and her friends are at a party at the lake. And before you start worrying, I’m looking at her right now.”

  “What kind of party?” My first thought was of what had happened the last time Sara went to a party with her friends.

  He chuckled. “Not what you think. It’s just a bunch of kids playing music and hanging out at a house on the lake. They’re not even drinking. I don’t see anything out of place.”

  “You forget who we’re talking about,” I replied dryly.

  It hadn’t escaped my notice that Sara only chose to sneak off when Chris was watching her. He was still kicking himself for the last one, so I knew he’d keep a closer eye on her this time. But if I’d learned anything about Sara, it was to never underestimate her ability to find trouble – or for trouble to find her.

  Chris scoffed. “Trust me. I won’t forget.”

  “Well, you’ll have backup today. I’ll be there in an hour or so.”

  He grew serious. “Why? Is everything okay?”

  “That I know of.” I told him what Dax had found and about my suspicions. “I need to talk to Sara.”

  “I’ll text you the address, and we can switch out when you get here,” he said. “I hope you’re wrong about this.”

  “So do I.”

  Erik turned away from his monitor to peer at me when I hung up.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Just trying to figure you out.”

  A laugh escaped me. “We’ve known each other for years, Erik. What is there to figure out?”

  He shrugged. “Sixty years, give or take a few. And in all that time, I’ve never seen you get involved in orphan business. Normally, you can’t wait to call in a team and get back to business.”

  “This isn’t any orphan,” I said, keeping my tone casual. “She’s Tristan’s granddaughter.”

  Erik snorted and folded his arms across his chest. “I’ve seen pictures of the girl. She doesn’t look like our typical orphans, and you’re in a mood every time you come back from seeing her. If I didn’t know better…” He let out a loud breath. “I’m guessing Tristan has no idea; otherwise, he’d be here already.”

  I should have known I couldn’t hide everything from Erik. He was one of the shrewdest and most observant people I knew, which was why I was glad he was heading up the search in Portland.

  He held up a hand when I didn’t respond immediately. “I understand why you’re keeping it under wraps, and your secret’s safe with me.” An amused gleam entered his dark eyes. “But I don’t envy you having to tell Tristan you’re involved with his only granddaughter.”

  I almost laughed at that because “involved” didn’t come close to describing my relationship with Sara. I expected Tristan to be shocked about the bond and protective over his granddaughter, but he would not come between us. The only person who could break this bond was Sara.

  “Neither do I.” I headed to the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He turned back to his computer. “Later.”

  * * *

  I pulled into the driveway at the address Chris had sent me and shut off the engine. Music drifted to me from behind the large house, and I smiled as I pulled off my helmet. Sara and I hadn’t spoken since she had declared a truce between us, and I was looking forward to seeing her again. That was, if she didn’t try to shove me in the lake when she found out why I was here.

  Chris met me before I’d gotten halfway around the house, and the self-recrimination in his eyes made my stomach twist with dread.

  “I’m sorry, Nikolas. She did it again,” he said before I could speak.

  “How?” I demanded. “You weren’t supposed to let her out of your sight.”

  He shook his head as he plunged into the woods beyond the driveway. “I didn’t take my eyes off her. She and Peter were riding jet skis, and they suddenly took off across the lake. There was no way to stop her.”

  “Goddamn her!” I ran after him. “Which way did they go?”

  “Straight across, less than fifteen miles if we follow the shore.”

  I swore again as I sped past him. Using our Mori speed, we could cover that distance in about five minutes, but Sara could also have a vehicle waiting for her on the other side.

  What was she thinking, t
aking off like this again? For once, I hoped it was normal teenage rebellion and not something to do with her father. I understood her need for closure. I’d hunted and killed every vampire in Virginia after Elena was killed. But I was a trained warrior and I hadn’t gone out alone. Sara probably thought the werewolf could protect her, but neither of them had any idea what they were up against if Eli or one of his hired demons found them.

  My jaw clenched tightly because I was as angry at myself as I was at Sara. If she had been anyone else, I would have gotten to the bottom of this by now. But it was getting harder to think objectively when it came to her. For the first time in my life, my judgment as a warrior had been impaired, and it was not a good feeling.

  “There,” Chris called when we finally made it to the opposite side of the lake. “I think that’s where they went.”

  I slowed to normal speed and looked at the two jet skis secured to the small wharf. Chris moved past me, leaping onto the wharf and reaching down to touch one of them.

  “Still warm.” He straightened and scoured the area. “They can’t have gone far.”

  “Unless they had a ride.” I joined him on the wharf. “Let’s split up.”

  It took less than ten minutes to figure out that Sara and Peter were gone. I wanted to roar my frustration. They could be headed anywhere.

  I called Chris to tell him to head back to the house across the lake where our bikes were. I was going to scour every inch of this town until I found her. I just prayed I got to her before someone else did. And then she was going to tell me the truth about what she was hiding. If she was going to insist on staying here, she had to be honest with me so I could keep her safe. She might fight me on it, but I’d rather risk her animosity than lose her.

  Chris caught up to me as I reached the lake house, and he stopped when I moved toward my bike. “Her friend Roland is still here. I bet my wheels he knows where they went.”

  I headed for the back of the house and searched the partiers for the werewolf. He was standing on the wharf with a cell phone in his hand, and he looked up as I stormed across the lawn toward him. His expression told me he had been expecting me.