by Karen Lynch
“No more.” She laughed and waved a fork at all the food before her. “I’m going to explode if I eat all this.”
Peter grinned. “But what a way to go.”
Roland cut into his prime rib and sighed. “I’m going to miss Heb’s cooking when we go home. He’s spoiled me for normal food. Do you think he’d consider coming with us?”
“Do you really have to go?” Sara asked, toying with her food.
Peter grimaced. “Dad’s orders. Trust me, if we could stay, we would.”
“Yeah, I don’t even want to think about what he’s going to do to us when we get home,” Roland said.
“Will he beat you?” Jordan asked. “I read that some Alphas do that when a pack member disobeys them.”
“Maxwell would never do that,” Sara declared. “He’s tough and he can be scary when he’s angry, but he wouldn’t beat someone.”
“Uncle Max prefers the ‘work you until you drop’ form of punishment,” Roland said. “I don’t know what will be worse, him or going back to school and trying to catch up.”
“Ugh. I forgot about school.” Peter groaned. “Thanks for ruining my appetite, man.”
Everyone laughed and the mood at the table lightened, even with Nate’s occasional scowls in my direction. Fortunately, by the time dessert came out, he seemed to have forgiven me. That made Sara happy, and anything that made her smile made me happy too.
That night, I walked Sara to her room, and she looked around as if expecting Nate to pop out and start scowling again. I pulled her into my arms and kissed her tenderly before I said good night. I was disappointed, but not surprised when she didn’t ask me in. She’d been pretty embarrassed that morning, and she clearly didn’t want a repeat.
Two days after Christmas, Tristan and Nate went back to Westhorne. Sara was down for a few hours, but Roland and Peter cheered her up. She told me she hated to think of the boys leaving too, and she got a sad look in her eyes whenever someone brought it up. I was glad Jordan was staying on with us so Sara didn’t have to lose all of them at once.
The next week went by quickly. Jordan, Chris, and I had moved back to Eldeorin’s on Christmas Day, but Chris and I spent the days next door, getting the place ready for the warriors arriving after New Year’s. I saved my evenings for Sara. We were rarely alone, but I enjoyed being with her no matter what we were doing.
I’d planned to spend time with her and get to know her better at Westhorne before everything happened with Nate and then the attack. Here, Sara was safe inside the faerie protections, and I didn’t need to worry about her. I could do my job while she trained and got stronger. And I’d finally be able to court her as she deserved.
Every night, I walked her to her room and kissed her good night as if I was dropping her off after a date. She didn’t ask me to stay, and I didn’t ask to come in. My Mori was impatient to claim its mate, and so was I, but I was determined to let Sara set the pace.
One person I was happy not to see that week was Eldeorin. Aine came by once a day to visit with Sara, but Eldeorin stayed away. He was supposed to come back in the next few weeks to begin training with Sara. I wasn’t sure what that entailed, but if it helped her master her power, I’d put up with him.
Roland and Peter left us the day after New Year’s to drive back to Maine. The same day, a truckload of equipment arrived along with the first warrior unit. Chris and I spent all day next door, helping to get the command center in order. By that evening, we had all the systems up and running.
It felt good to be doing familiar work again, and I didn’t realize how much I’d missed it until I was back in the middle of it. I wouldn’t be going out on jobs as much as the other warriors, but I’d still see some action. At one time, that would not have been enough for me. Being with Sara changed things.
The next afternoon. I came back from the command center to start Sara’s combat training, and I found her and Jordan standing near the pool, which was almost frozen solid. The look on Sara’s face told me her first day of training with Aine hadn’t gone as she’d hoped.
“What happened?”
“Sara froze the whole thing in like two seconds,” Jordan said.
“Incredible.” I knew Sara could use her power to warm the water around her enough to keep her warm, but to freeze a twenty-thousand-gallon pool?
“No, it’s not,” Sara said glumly. “I wasn’t trying to freeze it, just lower the temperature a little.”
“Ah, come on, you have to admit it was funny.” Jordan grinned at me. “Chris had his legs in the water. Luckily, he has demon speed or he’d be a popsicle right now.”
“Lucky him,” Sara muttered.
Jordan let out a small laugh. “Sara was in the middle of the pool, and it took her a while to get free. She’s still a bit peeved.”
Sara scowled at her. “You would be too. I think my butt is still numb.”
A chuckle escaped me, and I couldn’t stop my eyes from dropping to her jean-clad backside. I was tempted to ask if she needed me to warm her up, but her glare stopped me.
“I suck. I can’t even control my own power anymore,” she grumbled, disheartened.
“It’s only your first day of training, and Aine said it wouldn’t happen overnight. Give yourself some time to get used to it.” I laid a hand on her arm. “You can do this.”
She gave me a grateful smile. “Thanks.”
Chapter 34
“Everything we’ve seen points to a small nest, but watch your backs. I don’t want any surprises.”
Brock nodded and hefted his weapons bag onto his shoulder. “We’ll be in and out before those suckers know we’re there. You sure you don’t want to come with us? I know how much you love to clean out nests.”
“Not this time. I have plans tonight.” Something a lot more pleasant than killing vampires.
He gave me a knowing smile. “Have fun.”
Brock left as Chris walked into the living room we’d turned into the main control room of the command center. Chris spotted me and headed over to where I stood.
“Hamid called. He and Ammon will be here tonight, and they want to talk about the situation in Seattle.”
A teenage girl had gone missing two days ago, and the body of another girl had been found in a restaurant dumpster yesterday, drained of blood. Seattle news stations were already talking about a serial killer, but we knew different. So far our guys in Seattle hadn’t been able to find a trace of the vampire responsible.
“What time will they get here?”
“Late, I think. You have somewhere to be?”
“I’m taking Sara out.”
He smiled broadly. “Well, it’s about damn time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. Just that most males date the girl before they start going into rages and chasing her across the country.”
I scowled. “In case you haven’t noticed, the last few months haven’t left a whole lot of opportunities for dating.”
“True.” He sat on the edge of a table. “Where are you taking her?”
“I don’t know. Wherever she wants to go. I thought it would be good for her to get out of the house for a few hours.”
Chris nodded in understanding. “She still having a rough time with her Fae training?”
“Yes.”
Rough didn’t exactly describe Sara’s Fae training. In addition to freezing the pool, she’d managed to blow up the gazebo near the lake, create a thunderstorm on the back lawn, and awaken a water dragon sleeping at the bottom of Eldeorin’s small lake.
Her training with me was going well, and she continued to surprise me with how fast she picked up the new strikes and kicks I’d taught her. She still didn’t like the strength and cardio workouts, but I made her do them every day. I was pushing her hard, but she had a lot of missed years of training to catch up on. I’d rather I be the one to get past her defenses instead of someone out to kill her.
This afternoon, she’d been unusua
lly withdrawn in training. Normally, I could coax a few smiles from her, but she’d been too distracted today to even notice my attempts.
Tonight I planned to take her somewhere nice, just the two of us, and enjoy some good food and conversation. And hopefully get her to tell me what had upset her earlier.
“Have fun.” Chris smiled slyly. “I’ll let Hamid know you might be a little late.”
“Thanks.” I headed to the door. “Later.”
When I got to Eldeorin’s, Jordan informed me that Sara was in her room. I went to my room to change and grab my leather jacket, and then I knocked on Sara’s door.
It took a minute for her to answer, and her tangled hair and wrinkled shirt told me she’d been in bed. Her lips parted in surprise, and then her eyes slid down my body to somewhere in the vicinity of my abs. Heat filled me at the realization she was checking me out.
I cleared my throat softly to bring her attention back to my face. I held back a smile at the pink in her cheeks.
“Grab a warm coat. We’re going out,” I told her.
Her eyes widened hopefully. “We are?”
“If you’d rather stay –”
“No!”
I chuckled as she sped to the closet to grab fresh clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. Her eagerness told me I was right, and this was just what she needed. I needed it too. Our first date was long overdue.
In no time, she stood in front of me again, her face flushed in anticipation. She pulled on her coat as we walked to the stairs.
“Where are we going?”
“I thought you might like to go out to dinner for a change.”
We reached the foyer, and I opened the door for her. Her eyes lit up when she saw my Ducati.
“That sounds nice,” she breathed.
I helped her don a helmet, explaining how to use the built-in mic so she could talk to me on the ride. Then I straddled the seat and patted the spot behind me.
When she climbed up behind me and her arms slipped around my waist, I forgot all about dinner. I just wanted to ride for hours with her holding on to me like that.
I drove us through the gates and turned toward Santa Cruz. I wished we were going farther than that. Riding my bike had always been one of my greatest pleasures, but nothing came close to having Sara hugging my back, her thighs pressed against mine.
“You okay?” I asked when she began to fidget a few minutes into our ride.
“Yes, but I should have brought gloves with me.”
I reached down and laid a hand over one of hers. Damn, she was like ice. I didn’t need gloves because my Mori kept me warm. I should have reminded her to bring some for herself.
I needed my hands to drive, but I couldn’t stand the thought of her being cold all the way to town. An idea came to me, and I slipped her hand into my jacket pocket. The heat from my body would keep it warm there.
Following my example, she did the same with her other hand. I smiled when I heard her sigh happily.
“Better?”
“Much better.”
Her hands rubbed against my stomach as she warmed herself, and I found it hard to concentrate on the road. I inhaled slowly, glad she had no idea about the effect she had on me. As our bond grew stronger, so did my need for her. Every touch from her was pleasure and torture, and it killed me not to be able to be with her as I longed to.
My Mori grumbled unhappily as I denied us yet again. It didn’t understand or care about our human emotions; all it wanted was to be with its mate.
Soon, I said to myself as much as to the disgruntled demon.
“Where are we going anyway?” Sara asked.
“Santa Cruz,” I replied, glad to think about something else. “What kind of food are you in the mood for?”
“I love Italian, but I’m not picky if you want something else.”
“Italian it is.”
I knew the perfect place. Chris and I had found an authentic little Italian restaurant last week, and my first thought had been to bring Sara there. I’d seen her and Nate go to dinner a few times at an Italian restaurant in New Hastings so I knew she liked the food.
The place was already busy when we got there, but I managed to get us a table for two by the window. A waiter hurried over to bring rolls and fill our water glasses while we looked at the menu.
“I’ll have the linguine,” Sara told him quietly.
I handed him our menus. “Lasagna for me.”
The waiter left, and Sara chewed her lip, something she did when she was nervous. She looked at the tablecloth, out the window, at the dining room – anywhere but at me. Her shyness was endearing, but I wanted her to be comfortable with me.
“This seems like a nice place,” she said.
I picked up a roll. “It is. I’ve been here before.”
“Oh.”
“I came here with Chris last week,” I said casually as if I hadn’t noticed the flash of jealousy in her eyes. Tearing apart my roll, I smirked at her. “You should grab one of these before I eat them all.”
She laughed, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight. I smiled and ate half my roll while she buttered one for herself.
“Mmm, this is amazing.”
My mouth went dry at the look of rapture on her face, which made me think of things that definitely had nothing to do with food.
Jesus, get a grip. I reached for my water as I searched for something to say.
“I talked to Tristan today. He said Sahir is hoping to use Hugo and Woolf to patrol the grounds.”
Her face lit up. “I heard that too. They’ve been great with him ever since the night of the attack. I’m glad they don’t have to be caged all the time now.”
“You miss them, don’t you?” I said, hearing a little sadness in her voice.
“Yes,” she replied wistfully. “But I know Sahir is taking good care of them. He doesn’t have a lot to do without Minuet and Alex there.”
“The wyvern didn’t go as far as you think.”
Her eyes rounded, and I nodded. “They’ve spotted him twice in the mountains near Westhorne. Sahir thinks he’s found a cave to live in, and there is plenty of game for him to hunt. They’ve been too busy with everything else that’s been going on to try to catch him. So far he’s kept out of sight of the humans, and Tristan said he’s going to leave him alone for now, unless he poses a threat to people.”
She smiled fondly. “The night of the attack he could have hurt a lot of people, but he only went after the crocotta and vampires. I hope that means he’s no longer a danger to humans.”
“We’ll see.” Only Sara would have a soft spot for a creature that had tried to burn her.
The waiter brought our food, and I started on my lasagna. I soon noticed Sara wasn’t eating much. Instead, she was looking around the dining room with an almost sad expression.
“Heavy thoughts?” I asked, wondering what had changed her mood.
She gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I was just thinking about New Hastings. It seems like forever since I was there.”
“Do you still miss it?” I asked. Her whole life had been in that little town with Nate and her friends. She had only left to keep them safe.
She toyed with her pasta. “Yes, but not as much as I used to. I miss Remy more than anything, but even if I was there, I couldn’t see him.”
Her voice grew sad as she spoke about her troll friend. There was nothing I could do to fix the rift between her and the trolls, but I could be there for her.
“We can go back again when it’s safe. And trolls live a very long time. I’m sure you’ll see him again.”
Her eyes grew misty, but she looked happier as she resumed eating.
“Other than Maine, where would you like to go?”
She’d been furious when I said I was taking her away. I suspected she’d only said she didn’t want to travel out of anger. Sara was too curious about the world to spend her life on one continent. And there were so many places I wanted to show her.
“Everywhere.”
I gave her a questioning look, and she laughed.
“Okay not everywhere, but there are so many places I’d like to see. Europe, South America, Africa. Sahir told me so much about Africa that I won’t be happy until I see one of those sunsets he described.”
“I think you’ll like Africa. It has more wild animals than even you can tame. And I think we can find you plenty of pretty sunsets.”
I pictured her face when she saw Kenya. The Masai Mara National Reserve had some of the best sunsets in the world, not to mention an abundance of wildlife. It was one of a hundred places I couldn’t wait to show to her.
She sipped her water thoughtfully. “You’ve been all over the world. Do you have a favorite place?”
“I was usually too focused on my missions to enjoy a lot of the places I visited.” Until I met her, I never realized how much my life revolved around my work. I still loved being a warrior, but she was my life now.
“Maybe we can go back and visit some of them. You can show me Russia.”
The thought of showing her my homeland and introducing her to my parents filled me with pleasure. “I’d like that.”
She smiled happily. “Tell me about a few of the places you do remember.”
I wiped my mouth with my napkin and sat back in my chair. “Let me see. I remember hunting down three sati in the Hunan province in China. They went into the Tianzi Mountain, and we had a devil of a time finding them in there.”
“Sati?”
“Think of a gray, hairless chimpanzee with six-inch claws and fangs, and a taste for anything warm-blooded.”
“Ugh. I hope you got them.”
“We did, but it wasn’t easy. It rained, and there was a dense fog over the place the whole time we were there. The sati were able to blend in perfectly. There were four of us, and it took us three days to locate and kill them.”
“Sounds like fun,” she said dryly.
I shook my head. “That actually wasn’t the worst part. We took the dead sati back to the village that had asked for our help. They threw a huge feast to celebrate, and guess what was on the menu.”
“No!” She made a face. “You ate it?”