by Karen Lynch
We landed at the San Jose airport where Tristan had several Expeditions waiting for us in a private hangar to take us to Santa Cruz. When we exited the plane, I’m not sure who was more surprised to see a dwarf emerge from behind the parked SUVs.
He bowed when we approached him. “I am Heb. Master Eldeorin bade me give you directions to his home.”
I walked over and took the slip of paper he held out to me. The address on it was for place a few miles outside of Santa Cruz.
“Master Eldeorin is awaiting your arrival,” the dwarf said. Then he vanished before I could ask him about Sara.
“Let’s go,” I said to the others.
Seamus, Niall, and the two healers decided to return to Westhorne on the jet, since Sara had little need for them with the faerie to take care of her. The rest of us piled in one of the SUVs, and Chris drove us to the address Heb had given me.
It took forty-five minutes to reach the gates of Eldeorin’s estate. We followed a winding driveway to a white mansion with a marble fountain out front.
I was half out of the vehicle when it stopped in front of the main entrance. Heb greeted me at the door and showed me into a large hall where Eldeorin waited for me.
“Where is she?” I demanded, unable to sense Sara in the house.
“She is upstairs, asleep,” he said. “She was distraught and unable to control her power so I put her in a healing sleep. She is resting comfortably now.”
“A healing sleep?” Was that why I couldn’t feel her?
“It’s a deep restorative state that will allow her body to adjust to the changes she’s going through.”
“How long will she be asleep?”
“That will depend on her,” he replied in his infuriating calm manner. “She will wake when her body is ready to handle the effects of her liannan.”
I looked toward the stairs. “I want to see her.”
“Of course. She is on the second floor, last room on the right.”
I ran up the stairs. The door to Sara’s room was closed, and I opened it slowly. When I saw her lying in the bed, I released a deep breath and started toward her.
A blast of energy slammed into me, stinging my skin and sending me flying into the wall on the other side of the hallway.
A petite red-haired girl appeared in the doorway and shut the door quietly. She kept her distance from me, which told me she was Fae.
“Oh my,” she exclaimed. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine. What was that?”
She clasped her hands in front of her long blue skirt. “That was Sara’s magic. I was afraid this might happen.”
“What?” I asked with a growing sense of dread.
“Sara’s magic is growing so fast her body cannot contain it. The healing sleep will help her adapt, but for now she will strike at anything demonic that enters her room.” She smiled regretfully. “That includes the Mohiri.”
My chest tightened at the knowledge I couldn’t be with Sara when she needed me. “How long?”
“I do not know. Sara is the first of her kind, so we have no idea how she will progress through liannan. But she is strong, and she was advancing well with her magic before liannan started. We will have to wait until she wakes to see what happens.”
I suddenly realized who the girl was. “You’re Aine?”
She smiled sweetly. “Yes. You must be Nikolas. Eldeorin said you would be arriving.”
I looked at the closed door. “Tell me the truth. Is she going to come through this?”
“Yes. Eldeorin is our most gifted healer, and he is confident she will survive.”
Eldeorin appeared beside Aine wearing an arrogant smile. “I have never lost a patient, and I do not intend to start with my sweet little cousin. Besides, I look forward to having her as a guest in my home and getting to know her better.”
I knew he was baiting me because faeries love causing mischief, but that didn’t stop my jaw from clenching. I also knew male faeries were indiscriminate, immoral beings with unquenchable sexual appetites.
“I hope you don’t mind having at least one other guest,” I told him curtly. “I go where Sara goes.”
He gave a small bow. “My home is your home for as long as you need to be here.”
“Thank you. What happens now?”
Eldeorin smiled. “Now we wait.”
* * *
Tristan and Nate arrived that evening, and they were upset to learn neither of them could see Sara. Aine had put protections on Sara’s room to keep her power from escaping and to keep anyone from entering. She said she would let us know when it was safe for non-demons to enter the room.
The next day, Nate, Roland, and Peter were able to visit Sara, and I watched enviously as they entered the room and closed the door behind them. Roland and Peter came out after an hour, but Nate stayed with her most of the day.
Dinner that night was a lavish affair, except we were served human food instead of faerie food. Nate stared at the dwarf as he brought out the food and filled our glasses. He shook his head after Heb left the dining room.
“Faeries and dwarves. I feel like Sara isn’t the only one asleep.”
“How is she?” Tristan and I asked together.
“She looks like she’s sleeping,” Nate said. “Every time I look at her I expect her to open her eyes.”
Sara didn’t open her eyes that day, or the next, or the one after that.
Aine and Eldeorin spent a lot of time in her room, and all they could say when I asked about Sara was that she was doing well.
“How will this affect her Mori?” I asked Eldeorin on the fourth day. “Will all this power harm it?”
“From what I can see, she has a wall around her demon, keeping it away from her magic. Even in sleep she protects it.” He shook his head slowly. “I’ve never seen anyone like her. I cannot fathom how one can live with Fae magic and a demon inside them.”
“Neither can I.” I’d tried many times to understand how a Mori could survive being constantly surrounded by Fae power.
Unable to be with Sara, I prowled around the estate, growing more ill-tempered by the hour. As the days stretched into a week, with no change in her condition, my fear for her escalated. Even the faeries seemed unsure of what was going on inside her body or when she’d wake up.
Eight days after Sara had entered Eldeorin’s healing sleep, Roland burst into the den where I was trying to concentrate on reports Tristan had sent me. We were planning to set up a command center nearby so I could be near Sara and oversee the extra teams the Council was sending to California. Tristan had found two properties for lease within a mile of here, and he was working on procuring the one next door.
“She’s awake,” Roland shouted.
I stood so fast the desk chair fell over. “You’ve seen her?”
“No, Heb told me. He said Aine felt Sara waking up.”
I was up the stairs and standing outside Sara’s door within seconds. Aine appeared at the top of the stairs, carrying a tray of faerie food.
My heart began to pound. “Sara’s awake?”
Aine smiled happily. “She is just coming out of the sleep. I’ll tend to her and come back when I can.”
My body felt weak, and I needed to lean against the opposite wall. I stared at the closed door, wondering what was going on in the room. Was Sara awake now? Was she still in pain? I knew Nate was in there because he spent his days with Sara, but I couldn’t hear anything past Aine’s faerie wards, even with my Mori hearing.
Roland and Peter showed up, and the three of us paced the hallway, waiting for Aine to reappear with word of Sara. The waiting drove me insane, although it didn’t come close to what I’d been through the last week.
“What the hell is taking so long?” Roland griped, making me worry that something was wrong.
At last, the door opened. Aine smiled and beckoned me forward then put up a hand when I reached the doorway. She waved her hand, and suddenly I could feel Sara. My pulse quickened and I
stepped into the room.
“No!” Sara cried a second before I felt the sting of Fae power against my face.
Aine ushered me outside and closed the door. “I’m sorry. Sara is awake, and I needed to test her control before I allowed you to see her. She is past the worst of it, but she will need more time to learn to control her magic.”
I swallowed my disappointment. She was awake; that was all that mattered. “Is she all right otherwise?”
“Yes. She is a little distraught, but physically she is well.”
“I want to talk to her. Is there a phone in her room?”
Aine nodded. “I believe so. I will check.”
She disappeared and reappeared a minute later with a phone number.
“Thank you.” I pulled out my phone and gave Roland and Peter a look that said I wanted some privacy. They frowned and headed downstairs, followed by the sylph.
I could hear the phone in the room ringing. On the third ring, Nate answered.
“Hello?”
“It’s Nikolas. Can I speak to her?”
It felt like an eternity before I heard her tearful voice on the other end. “Nikolas?”
“I’m here,” I answered softly, wishing I could hold her and wipe away her tears. “Don’t cry.”
A small sob escaped her. “I’m sorry.”
Nate left the room, closing the door quietly. He gave me a wide smile and went downstairs.
I laid a hand on the door. “You have nothing to apologize for. The faeries explained what is happening with your power.”
Her voice rose. “I could have killed you.”
“But you didn’t,” I calmly reassured her.
She was quiet for a moment. “I don’t know how long it’ll be before I can see you again.”
“I know.”
I heard the uncertainty, the unspoken question in her voice. Did she really think I would leave her after everything I’d gone through to find her?
“I’m not going anywhere, and we can talk like this whenever you want to. You just focus on getting better.”
“I will,” she replied, sounding a little more like herself.
“Good. Now tell me, how do you feel?” Fatigue was creeping into her voice, and I didn’t want her to overdo it.
“A bit weak,” she admitted.
“But you aren’t in any pain?”
“No pain. Aine said I’m over the worst of it.”
I smiled. “She told me that too.”
I heard her muffle a yawn, and I knew it was time to go. For now. “You need to rest.”
“I’m fine,” she protested weakly.
I laughed. “Liar. Get some sleep. We can talk again when you wake up.”
She sighed. “Okay.”
I hung up as Roland and Peter appeared at the top of the stairs again.
“Can we go see her now?” Roland asked impatiently.
“Yes, but don’t let her overdo it. She needs to rest.”
I went back to the den to call Tristan and give him the good news. He’d had to return to Westhorne earlier in the week, but he said he’d come back to California when Sara woke up.
Aine met me in the main hall. “May I have a word with you?” she asked.
“Of course.” The sylph had stayed by Sara’s side, tirelessly taking care of her for the last week, and she had my deepest gratitude for that.
“Sara will require time and training before she can control her power like she used to. Eldeorin and I will work with her to speed along her recovery.”
“She’s fortunate to have you two to help her.”
Aine smiled and tucked a curl behind her ear. “I wanted to talk to you about the living arrangements here now that Sara is awake. In her current condition, she will have to stay in her room as long as you and your people are in the house. I believe it would help her progress if she could move freely around the house and grounds.”
“I didn’t think of that.” The last thing I wanted was for Sara to be confined to a single room just so I could be near her. I could talk to her on the phone from anywhere.
“We’re working on taking a house nearby. Until then, we’ll stay at a hotel in town.”
“Thank you. Her human uncle and the werewolves may stay. Her power will not harm them.”
“Good.” Sara would be glad for their company, and I was relieved to know she wouldn’t have to be alone with the faeries. They’d cared for her in her time of need, but I didn’t think I’d ever be able to trust them completely. Aine maybe, but not Eldeorin.
We ended up moving to the house next door that afternoon, thanks to Tristan pulling some strings and getting us the place with a six-month lease. I hoped it would only be a week or so before we could move back here, but we still needed the other house for our temporary command center.
I talked to Sara twice a day by phone. She was working long hours with Aine and Eldeorin, and each time I spoke to her she sounded tired and frustrated. I kept telling her she was doing great and reminded her that she’d learned to control her power on her own when she was just a little girl. She could do it now with the faeries’ help.
Roland and Peter came to visit us and to let me know how Sara was really doing.
“She’s getting better every day, but she’s working herself way too hard,” Roland told me. “And she’s not sleeping well.”
I understood her inability to sleep. It was an affliction I suffered from as well.
Christmas drew near, and I hated the thought of not being able to spend it with Sara. At our rented house, no one was in the holiday spirit.
Chris spent a few days in Los Angeles with the new teams working there. The vampire presence in California seemed to have doubled in the last two weeks, and we could all guess why. Word had gotten out there were two young Mohiri females in Los Angeles. Between the Master, Stefan Price’s followers, and every vampire hoping for a taste of young Mohiri blood, the city was swarming with them.
Two of the teams were coming here after New Year’s to set up our new command center. There wasn’t much to do around here until then. I itched to go out and hunt down a few vampires to work out some aggression, but I was reluctant to leave Sara so soon after her waking up.
Jordan moped around unhappily, and I tried to get her to tell me how she and Sara had managed to sneak away from Westhorne.
She shook her head. “I’m going to let Sara tell you that one.”
“Then tell me what you’ve been doing since you left home. Why were you in Salt Lake City?”
She pressed her lips together. “Sorry, can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I’d tried to get the story out of Roland and Peter, too, with no luck. “Is there something you don’t want me to know?”
“No. Just feels like betraying her trust, and I don’t do that.”
Tristan returned from Westhorne on Christmas Eve morning, saying he couldn’t bear the thought of spending the holiday without his granddaughter. I told him it was unlikely he’d get to see her even if he was here, but he said we had to have hope.
Late that afternoon, Aine came by unexpectedly to give us the news I’d been waiting for.
“Sara still struggles with using her magic, but she has regained control of it,” the sylph explained. “It’s safe for you to go to her now. I know she will be happy to see you.”
It was a short walk to Eldeorin’s house next door, and I felt Sara as I neared the house. I skirted the house and stopped at the edge of the back lawn.
Sara lay on a chaise lounge, her eyes closed and her face turned toward the sun. She wore a small smile and looked so peaceful I almost didn’t want to disturb her.
I stood there for a long moment, savoring the sight of her, before I walked across the grass. She didn’t stir as I approached or when I sat on my haunches beside the chair.
“Sara,” I said in a low voice.
“Hmm?” Her brows drew together, and she turned her face toward me. “Nikolas?” she murmured.
Her eyes opened and stared at me in sleepy confusion. I smiled at her, and the next thing I knew, I was lying on my back in the grass with her on top of me, her arms clinging to my neck.
She rose up on her elbows, her hair forming a curtain around us. Her green eyes moved over my face with a hunger that made pleasure curl in my stomach.
“Miss me?” I asked huskily.
Chapter 32
She made a small choked sound and lowered her head. I realized she was going to kiss me a second before her mouth descended. Her lips moved over mine, soft yet insistent as she boldly traced my mouth with her tongue, sending a jolt of desire through every part of me. My lips parted to let her in, and she answered the invitation with a slow exploring kiss that robbed me of all thoughts except one.
My hands captured her face, and I held her to me, kissing her with a hunger I’d never felt before. Being away from her had been hell. Not knowing if I’d ever be able to touch her again, torture. I wanted nothing more than to carry her upstairs and spend the night making slow exquisite love to her.
“Sara,” I whispered reverently against her mouth.
She trembled as my lips moved up her face to her forehead and back again. Breathing hard, I pulled her head down to my chest and held her close. We lay quietly for a moment as I willed my heart to slow down and basked in the pleasure of holding her in my arms.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” I teased gruffly, still trying to calm my overheated body. “I should go away for another week.”
She huffed and pulled out of my arms to rise over me, wearing an adorable scowl that made me want to kiss her again, despite the approaching footsteps. I’d know Chris’s walk anywhere, and I silently cursed him for his timing.
“Maybe I should come back later,” he said, with barely-suppressed laughter.
“Good idea.” My eyes never left Sara’s. I was already thinking about tasting her lips again.
“Where is she?” Jordan called, and I almost groaned at the new interruption.