by Karen Lynch
“Yes. The rest of Erik’s guys just got here, and they’re collecting the bodies for disposal. The human guards are still out. We’ll call in the authorities to handle them after we’re done here.” Sounds on the other end told me he had walked outside. “By the way, you’ll never believe what we found in the cellar.”
“A pair of hellhounds?”
“How did you…?” He sighed. “Sara?”
I smiled. “Where are they?”
“Still in the cellar. We had to close them in there because they tried to follow you. I take it then we’re not putting them down.”
It was our policy to destroy any creature that posed a direct threat to humans, and hellhounds definitely fit into that category. They were savage beasts, bred and trained for one thing. But the two I’d encountered in that cellar were as tame as pets.
I just tamed two hellhounds, remember?”
Werewolves, trolls, hellhounds. It seemed no creature was immune to her charm. What would it be next? Dragons?
I looked at Sara, who slept with a tiny smile on her lips. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to keep it there.
“Arrange a pickup for them. We’ll figure out the rest later.” I lowered my voice. “Before you dispose of the vampires, take a photo of each one. I’m the only one who’s seen Eli, and I want to know if that bastard is one of them.”
“You think he’s involved in this?”
“I don’t know, but this seems like too much of a coincidence to me.” I clenched my free hand. “Sara has vampires hunting her, and now we have humans and vampires working together to steal trolls that just happen to be friends of hers.”
His breath came out as a hiss. “I’ll take the pictures myself and text them to you.”
We talked for a few minutes more about the cleanup operation, and then we hung up. I was confident Chris would handle everything in Portland, and that left me free to be with Sara. I entered the room again and quietly shut the door before I pulled a chair over beside the bed.
Her hand lay on top of the quilt, and I covered it with mine, taking advantage of the opportunity to touch her. In my youth, I’d laughed at the way my sire held my mother whenever he returned from a trip. He would raise his eyebrows and tell me that one day, if I was as blessed as he was, I would understand. I finally grasped the meaning of his words.
In sleep, Sara looked young and vulnerable, making my protective instincts flare. But I also knew that behind her innocence lay a strength she’d chosen to keep hidden from the world.
“What are you, Sara Grey?” I asked her softly. “Is that another of your secrets, or do you even know?”
The bond between us left no doubt that she was Mohiri, but her healing ability had to come from somewhere. The only race I could think of with that kind of power was the Fae, but the demon inside us made it physically impossible for a faerie to couple with one of my people. And Sara’s uncle was human, which meant her father had been human as well. Maybe I should have Dax look into her father’s background some more and see what he could dig up.
I started to pull my hand away, but her smaller one suddenly gripped mine. Her brow furrowed, and she murmured words I couldn’t make out.
I leaned in to kiss her forehead. “Sleep easy, Sara. I’m not going anywhere.”
* * *
Late the next morning, I sat in the room studying one of the pictures Chris had sent me while I waited for Sara to wake up. The dead vampire could be Eli, but I couldn’t say for sure until I saw the body in person. Chris had it on ice until I could get to Portland. Vampire bodies decomposed quickly once the demon was dead, and the older the vampire the faster the decay. But I was not leaving here until Sara awoke and I knew she had recovered from last night.
The bedclothes rustled, and I looked up to find Sara staring at me in confusion.
“How are you feeling?” I asked her.
She groaned and rubbed her eyes. “I’ve been better. Where am I?”
“At the farm. You weren’t in any shape to go anywhere last night.”
She appeared disoriented for a moment, and then her eyes filled with anguish. “Roland!”
“He’s fine. He’s down the hall.”
I moved my chair back to the side of the bed, where it had sat most of the night, and studied her face. Despite the many hours she’d slept, she still looked tired, and that worried me.
“Is this normal after you do that? Passing out?” I asked.
“After a healing? It doesn’t usually knock me out like that, but I’ve never healed a werewolf before. Usually I’m okay if I rest for an hour or so.”
She made it sound like saving a life was a normal occurrence for her, and I had a feeling that wasn’t far from the truth. “You do this a lot?”
She smiled. “More times than I can remember. I’ve been doing it since I was six.”
So young. I was about to ask her where the power came from when I remembered something she’d asked me when I told her what she was. “That day on the wharf, you asked me if Mohiri had other powers. You wanted to know if we could heal others.”
“Yes.”
I wished I could give her answers, but I only had more questions after last night. One thing was clear; her ability wasn’t limited to healing.
“I don’t know of any Mohiri who can do what you did last night. Is that what you did with those two monsters in that cellar?”
She nodded. “I’ve used it before to calm animals, but I had no idea it would actually work on hellhounds. What happened to them? You didn’t –?”
“They tried to follow you, so Chris and Erik had them restrained. They’ll be transported to one of our facilities until we figure out what to do with them.” At her look of relief, I knew I’d made the right decision last night. “We couldn’t have a pair of hellhounds running amok around Portland.”
She frowned. “What kind of facility? I don’t want them hurt.”
“No one will harm them.” I chuckled. After everything that had happened yesterday, she was worried about the welfare of two hellhounds. Wanting to reassure her, I said, “They are yours now. Once a fell beast imprints on a new master, they are incredibly loyal. They will only answer to you.”
Her eyes brightened. “That’s what the witch said.”
Witch? I gave her a questioning look.
“The Hale witch. He was there last night in the cellar.”
My body tensed. “Did he hurt you?”
“No,” she blurted. “He didn’t even try to stop me. He was curious about Remy and the hellhounds, and he said a bunch of stuff that didn’t make sense. Then he left.”
I rubbed my jaw. Why would the Hale witch attack her earlier in the day, only to let her go a few hours later? Maybe she’d frightened him when she was able to fight him off. Hale witches were defenseless without their magic.
Talking about the witch didn’t appear to bother her. In fact, aside from looking tired, she seemed well recovered, considering all that had gone down yesterday.
“A lot happened in that cellar last night.” I watched her closely. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” She looked away, swallowing hard. I didn’t need to see her face to know some of what she was feeling. I could sense her pain through the bond.
“Every Mohiri struggles with their Mori at some point in their lives,” I said, remembering my own battles. “For most, it happens when they are younger and lack the training to manage the demon impulses. You have such control over your Mori that it must have been very frightening to let your guard down the way you did. But don’t let your fear make you forget why you did it. You saved those trolls.”
Her breath hitched, and I saw she was trying not to cry. My first impulse was to reach out to her, but I sensed she needed reassurance more than comfort.
“You are stronger than the demon. I knew that when I met you. But hearing how you fought off the Hale witch, and then last night, watching you with the werewolf, I realized you have power I can’t co
mprehend. You saved more than one life last night. People here are calling you a hero.”
She stared at the ceiling. “Some hero. Roland wouldn’t have needed healing if I hadn’t almost gotten him killed in the first place.”
She’d made some bad decisions, but I wouldn’t let her blame herself for this. “What happened last night wasn’t your fault, Sara. We found out who was behind all this. His name is Yusri al-Hawwash, and he is a billionaire oil sheik who found out two years ago he has Alzheimer’s. He’s been searching everywhere for a cure, and he was looking for trolls long before you sold that bile. He’s a desperate man with unlimited resources.”
“But he would have looked somewhere else if I had been more careful,” she said miserably.
“That still does not make you responsible for his actions.” I leaned closer to the bed. “Look at me.”
She obeyed, and the torment in her eyes made my chest ache. “Yes, you have made mistakes, but you are not to blame for the greed and actions of another. Your fault lies in taking too much on yourself. You have to learn to trust people and stop trying to take on the world alone.”
I couldn’t tell if my words had gotten through to her or not. She let out a deep breath. “My life was a lot less complicated a month ago. Maybe now things will start to settle down again.”
I’d known this moment would come, but that didn’t make it any easier. “I wish that were true, but after what I saw last night, I think you might be in more danger than we first thought.”
She moved up until she was sitting with her back supported by pillows. “What do you mean? We haven’t seen any sign of vampires except those working for the sheik – which I totally don’t get by the way. And the sheik’s witch only tried to grab me to get to the trolls.”
“Think about it, Sara. The young trolls were taken around the same time you were attacked at the rest stop, which means the sheik didn’t need you to find the trolls. So why did they come after you when they had what they wanted?”
I watched her closely, waiting for my words to sink in and knowing what they would do to her. I’d had all night to think about this, to fit the pieces together.
“You want to know why vampires would risk helping humans kidnap trolls? What if the vampires wanted something and they made an agreement with the sheik – a trade of some kind? You for the trolls.”
She shook her head in denial. “No, the two vamps I ran into tried to kill me, not capture me.” I sucked in a sharp breath, and she rushed to add, “Remy and I took care of them.”
Had I heard her correctly? “You killed a vampire?”
“With Remy’s help. He’s scary good.”
I started to say that Remy could have killed the vampires without involving her, but I wouldn’t take that away from her. What was more important was making her understand the danger she was in. I didn’t want to think about the number of unscrupulous people who would do anything to get their hands on someone like her.
“Even if you are right about the vampires, there is one thing you’re overlooking. You have an incredible ability. If word of it gets out, the sheik will be coming after you, and he won’t be the only one.”
“It won’t do him any good. I can’t heal humans.”
I raised my eyebrows, and she scowled. “My uncle is in a wheelchair. If I could heal humans, don’t you think he’d be the first one I’d heal?”
I believed her, but that would not keep her safe. The fact was she was no longer safe in New Hastings, or in Maine for that matter.
“But no one else would know that. Last night was just a taste of what could happen. They will keep coming and people will get hurt. And don’t forget, we still have a Master to worry about. He could come after you just to use you against Madeline.”
A shiver went through her. “Don’t hold back. I’m not quite paralyzed with fear yet.”
“You need to hear these things, Sara,” I said firmly.
She glared at me. “You’re trying to scare me, to get me to go with you.”
“Yes, I am. But that doesn’t make them any less true.”
I watched the emotions play across her face as she processed what I’d told her, and I saw the resignation when she finally came to a decision.
“I-I need to tell Nate, to explain it to him,” she said hoarsely, looking away from me. “It’s going to be hard for him to understand all this.”
Relief flooded me. “We have some things to wrap up in Portland that will take a few days, and it should give you the time you need with your uncle. I know this is hard for you, but you’re doing the right thing.”
I carried the chair back to the corner and opened the door. “I swear to you that I will keep you safe,” I vowed before I left the room and closed the door behind me.
Chapter 12
“Is it him?”
I studied the features of the dead vampire that bore a striking resemblance to Eli. It had been a month since that night in the alley, but I’d never forget that vampire’s face or the hungry way he’d looked at Sara. The picture Chris had sent had given me hope the bastard was dead, even though I wanted the pleasure of ending him myself. But seeing the body up close, I knew I might still get that chance.
“No.” I turned away from the body to look at Chris. “It’s close, but not him.”
“Too bad.” He motioned for two warriors to take the body away. “So what time do we depart this fair city?”
We walked outside to where our bikes sat in the driveway. “Tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday at the latest. Sara needed a few days with her uncle. This isn’t easy for her.”
Chris pursed his lips. “It was never going to be easy, but your girl’s tougher than she looks.”
“That she is.” Knowing that hadn’t made it any easier to leave her today, even for a few hours. I hadn’t seen her since I dropped her off yesterday, but when I’d called her earlier today to let her know I’d be back this evening, she’d sounded so lost. I knew her talk with her uncle yesterday hadn’t gone well. Standing outside her apartment last night, I could feel her pain, and it had been hard not to go to her.
“You heading back already? I thought Maxwell said the pack would watch Sara.”
“He did, but I don’t want to spend too much time away from her now.” I was actually planning to introduce myself to her uncle and to extend an invitation for him to come to Westhorne with Sara. I hoped it would help him and Sara adjust to the changes in their lives. And I wanted to assure him that we would never try to keep her from her family.
My phone rang, and I pulled it out, expecting to see Tristan’s name again. He’d already called me three times since I let him know Sara had agreed to go to Westhorne. The last time I’d seen him this happy was when Madeline was born.
Sara’s name flashed on the screen, and my stomach instantly knotted. She wouldn’t call me unless something was wrong.
“Sara, what is it?”
“Something outside.” She gasped for breath, her terror almost palpable. “They’re trying to get in. The ward is holding, but Nate’s not here. If he comes home and…”
I swore and jumped on my bike. Chris grabbed my arm, and I almost roared at him. “Call Maxwell. Sara’s in trouble.”
I forced my voice to sound calm despite my heart trying to punch its way through my ribs. “We’re coming. Stay right where you are, and do not hang up. I’m going to stay on the phone until we get there. Do you hear me?”
“Maybe I should call Maxwell.”
“No, stay on the phone with me. Chris is calling them now.”
Hearing her voice and knowing she was safe were the only things keeping me from losing it. I yanked on my helmet, activated the Bluetooth headset, and started my bike.
“I’m on my way,” I said as I shot out of the driveway.
“Okay,” she rasped, sounding a little calmer.
God, I never should have left her. If anything happened to her…
“What was that?” I asked when I heard a sound on
her end.
“The house phone. Maybe it’s Nate.” I heard her run through the house and pick up the other phone. “Hello?” Then, “Yes.”
There was a loud noise as she dropped the cell phone. “Sara?” When she didn’t answer, I yelled, “Sara, pick up the phone.”
“I’ll do it!” she cried. Her words made no sense until she said, “How do I know I can trust you to let him go?”
“Sara, it’s a trap. Don’t leave that apartment!” I shouted. They couldn’t get to her, so they were using the one thing they knew would lure her outside.
“No! I’ll come,” she said to the person on the other phone. Then there was silence.
“Don’t listen to him. Whatever he’s telling you, it’s a lie.”
Nothing.
“Goddamnit, Sara, answer me!” I bellowed.
There was a muffled sound as she picked up the phone. Her next words were like a knife twisting in my gut. “I’m sorry, Nikolas. I have to go.”
“Do not leave that apartment. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Whatever it is, we can take care of it.”
“It’ll be too late. They have Nate, and they’re going to kill him if I’m not there in ten minutes. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I will not let Nate die because of them.”
“Sara, think about this,” I implored. “They are not going to just let your uncle go once they have you. If you do this, you could die.”
“He’ll die for sure if I don’t go. I’m not going to hide here and do nothing while he’s killed. I couldn’t live with that.” The resignation in her voice scared the hell out of me. “You were right. All I do is put the people I love in danger. It has to stop now.”
“Sara, no, listen to –”
The line went dead.
I called her cell phone, and it went to voice mail. I hit the gas and my bike shot forward. I tried her phone again even though I knew she wasn’t going to answer. Sara would do anything for the people she loved, even if it put her own life in danger.