Warrior

by Karen Lynch

  Peter whistled. “Damn.”

  “Sara, your hand is like ice!” Jordan cried, pulling my attention back to them.

  “C-can’t get w-warm,” Sara stammered, shivering.

  I reached out to touch Sara’s face as Jordan leapt to her feet. “Nikolas, look at her. I think she’s turning blue from cold.”

  I lifted Sara easily onto my lap and wrapped my arms around her, pushing my body heat into her. Jordan covered us with the blankets as Sara curled into a ball and pressed her shaking body against mine.

  When Sara let out a small moan of pain, I knew my heat wasn’t enough this time.

  “Fill the tub with hot water,” I ordered Jordan who ran to do it. I held Sara and rubbed her back and arms while the tub filled. She clutched my shirt and held on to me like she was afraid to let go.

  “It’s ready,” Jordan called.

  I stood and let the blankets fall away. Sara cried out as I carried her to the bathroom and set her down in the large claw-foot tub full of hot water. As soon as I sat her in the tub, her weakened body slid down. I caught her before her head went below the surface.

  The tub was big enough to fit both of us, so I got in behind her and pulled her back until she rested against my chest, submerged in hot water almost to her neck. I vigorously rubbed her arms, but she continued to shiver uncontrollably. Her head fell forward, and she wept brokenly. I could feel her slipping away from me.

  “Stay with me, Sara,” I pleaded, hugging her tightly.

  “I’m scared,” she whispered.

  Her words terrified me because she sounded like she was giving up.

  “I did not chase you halfway across the country to let you leave me again,” I said. “You are one of the strongest, most stubborn people I’ve ever met, and you are going to beat this. Do you hear me?”

  She didn’t answer, and I raised my voice. “Do you hear me, Sara?”

  “Yes,” she mumbled.

  Seconds later, I sucked in a breath as the water around us began to fill with golden specks that multiplied before my eyes.

  “Look!” Jordan cried.

  “What is that?” Roland asked as he and the others pushed into the bathroom to see what was happening.

  Jordan smiled broadly. “It’s her magic – or the water magic. I’m not sure which.”

  Chris stood behind Jordan. “Whatever it is, it’s helping. Her color is improving.”

  I’d never seen Sara’s water magic, and I stared in awe at the glowing particles that were attaching themselves to her wherever the water touched her. Immediately, her shivering stopped.

  She sighed and sagged against me.

  “That’s it. Hold on, Sara,” I said against her cheek. “The healers will be here soon.”

  Her hand touched mine where it rested on her waist. “Don’t leave me,” she murmured almost incoherently.

  “Never,” I vowed, pressing my lips to her temple.

  The water continued to glow even after she lost consciousness, and her skin stayed warm to the touch. I remained in the tub with her, afraid to take her away from the magic keeping her warm.

  It wasn’t until the healers arrived an hour later that I stood and carried her to one of the bedrooms. As soon as I laid her on the bed, Jordan and the healers shooed me from the room so they could dress her in dry clothes.

  I paced outside the bedroom door until Margot opened it and gave me a kind smile. “You can bring her to the couch. It’s a bit warmer in the living room.”

  I picked Sara up and brought her to the couch where I covered her in blankets again. Then Margot knelt on the floor beside the couch and checked Sara’s vitals.

  “We’ll hook her to an IV to give her some fluids until we can get her home. The medical ward is being prepped for her now.”

  “Prepped how?” I asked.

  “We’re setting up to run blood panels as soon as she gets there so we can test for venoms. The lab has all the known antidotes on hand, so we’re prepared in that area. We also have a mobile healing bath we can use to keep her core temp up.”

  I was reluctant to leave Sara, but I knew I was hovering, and Margot needed space to do her job. I went into the kitchen where Chris and Jordan were talking about the trip home. Seamus and Niall had come with the healers to provide extra security for Sara, and they were outside standing guard now.

  Roland and Peter were accompanying us to Westhorne as well because Sara would be distressed if they didn’t come with us. Tristan would arrange to fly them to Maine once Sara was out of danger.

  “Sara!” Roland shouted.

  I ran into the living room to find Sara curled into a ball on the couch, clutching her head and crying out in pain. Margot lay on the floor six feet away, looking dazed, and the other healer stood across the room.

  I moved past them toward Sara and came up against a wall of energy that sent electric shocks through my body. I recognized the same power Sara had used on me back at Westhorne.

  “Sara,” I yelled, trying to push past the barrier that burned the longer I touched it. I watched helplessly as she stiffened and let out a small scream.

  The air in the room shifted, and out of nowhere, a tall, blond man appeared near the window. Ignoring the rest of us, he started toward Sara.

  I moved to intercept him. “Stay away from her,” I snarled.

  He kept coming and fixed me with a hard stare. “Let me help her, warrior, if you want her to live.”

  Chapter 31

  As soon as he got within two feet of me, I knew what he was. The power he emanated was like Sara’s, only much stronger. Faeries couldn’t be trusted, but they had saved Sara’s life once before.

  I stepped aside, and the faerie walked through the wall of energy as if it didn’t exist. I tensed as he bent over Sara and laid a hand on her forehead. She let out a gasp and stopped crying. Her hands fell away from her head, and she looked up at the faerie as if she knew him.

  “Hello, little cousin. I told you I’d see you again soon.”

  She blinked. “H-how did you find me?”

  He stroked her face as a lover would, and I bit back a growl.

  “Your pain is like a beacon to any Fae within fifty miles of here,” he said. “I was away from the city or I would have come sooner. I’m going to take care of you now.”

  “You healed her?” Roland asked hopefully.

  “No,” the faerie replied without looking away from Sara. “I merely eased her pain. I will take her to Faerie where we will tend to her.”

  I moved to push through the barrier, only to discover it was gone. Standing close to the couch, I glared at the faerie. “She stays with me.”

  “Sara needs to be around my kind,” he said casually, as if she hadn’t just been in agonizing pain a minute ago. “She is going through liannan.”

  “Liannan?” I repeated.

  He smiled. “Think of it as the Fae equivalent of puberty. Her powers are experiencing a growth spurt, and her body cannot handle the sudden changes. If she was full Fae and had grown up among our kind, this would have happened slowly, over months or years, and she would have been better able to deal with it. We were not sure she could even enter liannan since she is half Mohiri and lives outside of Faerie. Only exposure to our kind or a prolonged visit to Faerie should trigger liannan. I did not sense it in her when we met, and our brief encounter was not sufficient to cause it.”

  My stomach twisted. If Sara’s Fae power was growing too fast for her body to handle it, what did that mean for her Mori? If her power killed her demon, could she survive without it?

  Jordan spoke up. “What about Glaen?”

  The faerie raised an eyebrow at her. “What do you know of Glaen?”

  Jordan came into the room but kept distance between her and the faerie. “Sara drank a bunch of it at a demon party a few nights ago. She started getting sick a day later.”

  “Don’t forget the times she glowed when she was asleep before she drank the Glaen,” Roland added. “No way was
that normal.”

  “It sounds like she was already approaching liannan,” the faerie said. “Consuming that much of our drink at one time could be a catalyst to someone like her.”

  “Will she be okay?” Roland asked anxiously.

  The faerie smiled down at Sara. “Yes, but she needs proper care.”

  My eyes met Sara’s, and relief coursed through me to see hers free of pain. I’d do whatever I had to do to keep them that way.

  “What kind of care?” I asked the faerie.

  He looked up at me, and I was surprised to see real concern in his eyes. “She will need to be near our kind, at least until she passes through the most difficult stage. The best place for her is Faerie.”

  I didn’t want to ask, but I had to know. “For how long?”

  “I cannot say. It may take weeks or months.”

  Pain pricked my chest, and my Mori wailed at the thought of being separated from Sara for that long. “Do whatever it takes to help her.”

  Sara shook her head weakly. “No, I don’t want to go to Faerie.”

  I crouched beside her. “You’ll get better faster there.”

  “I can get better here. Eldeorin will stay here with me.” She looked at the faerie. “Won’t you?”

  He smiled at her. “I will stay if that will put you at ease, Cousin.”

  “Thank you,” she breathed, trying to sit up.

  I stood and helped her up. Eldeorin sat close to her and took her hand in his. Instinct drove me hard to tell him to take his hands off her, but I knew his touch was easing her pain.

  Sara gave me a weary smile and reached for me. I took her hand, and she pulled me down to sit on her other side. She laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

  I looked over her head at Eldeorin. “It’s not safe to stay in this apartment. Can you come to our stronghold?”

  He pursed his lips. “That would be unwise. I and others of my kind will have to be near Sara for weeks. I don’t think a prolonged Fae presence at a Mohiri stronghold would be received well. And we don’t know yet how Sara’s liannan might affect your people.”

  He was right. We’d have a lot of very moody warriors if they had to be exposed to a bunch of faeries for any length of time. Even now, the presence of the faerie was causing my Mori aggravation, and not just because of his closeness to Sara. Chris and Jordan were keeping their distance from him, but I wasn’t leaving Sara.

  Chris frowned thoughtfully. “None of our safe houses are big enough to hold all of us. We could take a large house for a few months and bring in some people to help with security.”

  “That is not necessary,” Eldeorin said. “I have a place we can use, and it is big enough to accommodate all of us without Fae and Mohiri affecting each other.”

  It would take more than a big house to stop the Master. “Is it safe?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me as if annoyed I would question his security. “It is glamoured and well-fortified with faerie protections. No vampire would dare attack it.”

  “Where is this place?” I asked him.

  “It is near Santa Cruz.”

  “We can be there in an hour on the jet,” Chris said.

  I stood and started issuing orders. “Chris, call the pilot and tell him to be ready to leave within the hour. Jordan, pack your things and Sara’s.”

  “We’re coming too,” Roland declared.

  “Be ready to leave here in five minutes,” I told him and Peter, knowing Sara would never leave her friends behind.

  I looked around the living room. We had six warriors, Jordan, two werewolves, and Eldeorin. That should be more than enough to protect Sara until we reached the faerie’s house.

  “The pilot said the plane will be ready when we get there,” Chris called.

  Eldeorin stood. “Now, Cousin, let’s get you ready to travel. I could have the two of us there in seconds, but I have a feeling neither you nor your warrior would be happy with that.”

  He was right. I wasn’t letting her out of my sight unless I had no other choice. I watched quietly as he laid his hands on her face, and they glowed like hers did when she healed someone. She let out a small sigh and visibly relaxed against the couch.

  “This will keep you comfortable for the journey,” Eldeorin said. “I won’t need to be in physical contact with you the entire time, but I will stay close.”

  That was all I needed to hear, and I picked her up, cradling her in my arms.

  “I can walk,” she protested weakly.

  Not a chance. I smiled and held her closer.

  Exhaling softly, she rested her head against the crook of my shoulder, her hand touching my chest. Jordan opened the door, and I carried Sara outside where Seamus and Niall waited for us beside two white Escalades. The twins turned to grin at us as we approached.

  Sara looked up at me, and I could see the question in her eyes.

  My lips twitched. “They volunteered to come. I think they found Westhorne too tame after you left.”

  Niall started toward us. “Never a dull moment, lass.”

  “What’s this I hear about you giving a beatdown to some gulak demons?” his brother teased.

  Sara suddenly went rigid in my arms. I opened my mouth to shout for Eldeorin, but she rasped, “Vampires. Eight.”

  No one questioned her. Seamus and Niall drew their swords and spun to face the road. Eldeorin appeared beside me, and I thrust Sara into his arms.

  “Get her out of here,” I commanded, ignoring the protest that burst from her lips.

  A second later, they were gone.

  Jordan handed me a sword because mine was still strapped to my bike. Chris pulled out two knives, and Jordan gave knives to the two healers. They might have devoted their lives to medicine, but they were also trained warriors.

  A mature vampire sped out of the darkness and came up short at the sight of his welcoming party. He obviously hadn’t expected to face eight armed warriors and two werewolves.

  He veered to the right into the path of Roland and Peter just as they exploded from their clothes into wolf form. The two werewolves were on the vampire before he could scream, tearing him apart with a ferociousness that gave me a new appreciation for Sara’s friends.

  The rest of the vampires burst upon us, shock registering on their faces. I went after the closest one, my blade laying open his stomach before he knew what had hit him. Another swing of my sword cut off his screams and his head.

  The fight was short and brutal as we took advantage of their surprise to cut them down. Several minutes later, we stood in the driveway, looking at the bodies littering the ground.

  “Eight,” Chris said, counting the bodies. “How did she know that?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine.” I doubted I’d ever understand how her power worked. “Is everyone okay?”

  We had no serious injuries. A few people had scratches, nothing that wouldn’t heal in an hour. One of the healers had shoved Sara’s human friend into the building to keep him safe.

  Roland and Peter went to change into fresh clothes since they’d shredded what they were wearing. I called Wayne and asked him to send people to clean up the mess. The jet was waiting to take us to Santa Cruz, and I didn’t want to be away from Sara for a minute longer than necessary.

  I walked over to Greg who came outside as we were loading up the SUVs.

  “You should get out of here, too. We have no idea if there’ll be another attack, and we won’t be here to protect you.”

  He drew himself up. “Don’t worry about me. Sara’s the one you should be thinking about.”

  I crossed my arms. “Sara is all I think about.”

  “Then why was she running around LA in the first place?” he demanded. “I know she thinks she can take care of herself, but this…” He waved angrily at the dead vampires. “This is too much. She said she was in danger, but I had no idea how bad it was. How could you let her leave your stronghold with all these vampires after her?”

  I
bristled at the accusation in his tone, mainly because he was right. I’d failed to keep Sara safe, and I never should have allowed her to slip away from Westhorne. I wouldn’t make that mistake again.

  “I don’t know you, but I can see you care about Sara,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean much to me if she gets hurt because you guys can’t keep her safe.”

  “Greg…” Roland said.

  Greg waved him off and scowled at me. “I’ve known Sara a lot longer than you, and I was watching out for her before you even knew she existed. I don’t care who or what you are. You’ll answer to me if anything happens to her.”

  Anger surged in me. There was nothing more important to me than Sara’s safety and happiness. I didn’t need this stranger telling me how to care for my mate, even if he was her friend.

  “You don’t have to worry about her anymore,” I ground out. “Sara is my concern now.”

  He took a step toward me. “Sara will always be my concern, and I watch out for the people I care about.”

  My hands clenched. If he wasn’t a human, I would have punched him for insinuating I cared less for Sara’s welfare than he did.

  Chris stepped between us and gave me a warning look. “The jet is waiting for us. We need to go.”

  “Yeah, and Sara will kick your ass if you two fight,” Roland added with a smile.

  Peter piped up. “And she could probably do it too.”

  I nodded and turned away before I went against everything I believed in and hit an innocent human. I knew he was only overreacting because he was scared for Sara, but that didn’t cool the anger his words stirred.

  “Greg’s just worried about Sara,” Roland said after we climbed into one of the SUVs. “She’s like a little sister to him, and it really tore him up when he thought she was dead.”

  I watched the blond man go back into the apartment. “Is he staying here?”

  “No, he’s grabbing his stuff and going to stay with his aunt in Dallas for a week. Then he’s going to Philly.”

  “Good.”

  The flight was short, but I spent every minute wondering how I was going to find Sara when we landed. Eldeorin had said his place was near Santa Cruz, but he hadn’t given us the address before he’d left. Was he telling the truth about the house? Even now, Sara could be in Faerie where I would never reach her.