Refuge

by Karen Lynch

  We spent the next hour working on my ability to summon my defensive power. It wasn’t easy to stimulate it without a demon nearby, and I flatly refused to let Nikolas use his as bait again. After forty minutes, I started to get a feel for it and managed to send a few sparks flying from my fingertips. Nikolas made me concentrate on that until I started to tire and my stomach began to growl. I didn’t admit it, but I was pleased by my progress by the time we broke for lunch.

  “When do you want to go into town?” Nikolas asked, opening the door for me.

  “Can we go this weekend?” I asked eagerly. I had plans this afternoon.

  “I think we can arrange that.”

  Thinking of my afternoon plans reminded me I hadn’t thanked him for what he had done for the hellhounds. “Chris told me you were the one who had Hugo and Woolf sent here. Thank you for doing that.”

  “You don’t have to thank me. They belong with you.”

  A companionable silence settled over us as we walked across the grounds, but it was broken when Nikolas muttered, “That boy is going to cut his own head off.”

  I followed his gaze to Michael who was swinging a slender sword in an unsteady arc as he practiced some moves near the edge of the trees. As if he sensed our eyes on him, Michael stopped mid-swing and stared at Nikolas in awe before he looked away shyly.

  I watched Michael thoughtfully and let out a quiet sigh. “Can I exchange the trip into town for something else?”

  Nikolas stopped walking and gave me a questioning look. “You don’t want to go into town?”

  “I do, but I want something more now.”

  Interest sparkled in his eyes. “All right, let’s have it.”

  “I want you to teach Michael not to cut off his head.” Nikolas gave me a puzzled look, and I shrugged. “He needs a lesson in sword fighting a lot more than I need a ride to town. Besides, you have no idea how much this will mean to him. He looks up to you a lot.”

  Nikolas looked at Michael, and his gaze was unreadable when it returned to me. For a moment, I thought he was going to say no. “If that’s what you want.”

  “It is,” I replied, and I meant it.

  “Okay, I’ll see what I can do for him, but no promises. And I’ll still take you into town.”

  I imagined Michael’s excitement when Nikolas offered to work with him, and I couldn’t restrain myself. I threw my arms around Nikolas’s waist and gave him a quick hug. “Thanks!” Shocked by my actions, I pulled away from him and hurried toward the main building before he could see the hot blush creeping across my cheeks.

  * * *

  “You’re serious? You are actually going to take those two monsters for a walk?”

  “Don’t call them that, Jordan. You saw how good they are with me. They’re like big puppies.”

  Water sprayed across the table and a few drops landed on my face. I wiped them away as Jordan grabbed a napkin to clean herself up. “You have one twisted imagination if you think those mons – er – brutes are like puppies. I’m starting to think there is something way off about you, Sara”

  “Scared?”

  “Not.” Her lips curved into a pretty smirk. “Despite your weirdness, your cluelessness when it comes to men, and your complete lack of fashion sense, I still believe there is hope for you. Besides, you are the only other female here I can actually be around for more than an hour.”

  I plucked a grape from my fruit bowl and threw it at her. “You keep insulting me and you can find someone else to play dress up with.” Not that I had any intention of allowing her to turn me into her life-sized doll.

  “Speaking of dressing up, did your warrior boy see you all prettied up last night?”

  I rolled my eyes. “He is not my warrior, and you were totally wrong about him. I might as well have been wearing a pillow case.”

  “I am never wrong about these things. He is a temperamental one so he was probably in a bad mood. Hell, I thought he was going to rip someone’s head off this morning. I almost pitied you having to train with him, but it looks like you survived in one piece.”

  “Barely.”

  Chris chose that moment to walk in for lunch, and he smiled and waved at me as he passed us. Jordan’s eyes followed him appreciatively for a moment before she looked back at me with a sly smile. “So, Nikolas has some competition, does he?”

  The girl never quit. “Chris is my cousin, Jordan.”

  Her eyes grew round. “Cousin? Why didn’t you say something before?”

  “I found out last night.”

  It took her a less than thirty seconds to make the connection. “But he is Tristan’s kinsman. Does that mean . . . ?”

  “Tristan is my grandfather. His daughter, Madeline, is my mother.”

  Her eyes grew round. “Holy hell! That is crazy! You found out all of that last night?”

  “Tristan told me who he was almost weeks ago. I didn’t want people to make a big deal of it, so I asked him to keep it between us for now. I guess it won’t be a secret much longer.”

  “No shit. Talking about winning the orphan lottery.”

  “I would have settled for not being abandoned by my mother in the first place.”

  “Mommy issues. Gotcha.” Jordan leaned across the table with a gleam in her eyes. “If you are Lord Tristan’s granddaughter, does that make you a lady or something?”

  “God no, or at least I hope not. I’m having trouble just getting used to the idea of having a grandfather who looks a few years older than me.”

  “Especially one so hot.”

  “Ugh! Do not even go there.”

  She burst out laughing, drawing the attention of some of the people around us. It was obvious by their stares that Jordan’s laughter was not an everyday occurrence, and they were probably wondering if I had spiked her water or something.

  She pursed her lips and studied Chris who was sitting with Seamus and Niall. “Hmm. You know, I’ve always liked blondes.”

  I ducked my head to hide my smile. Poor Chris, he thought human girls were aggressive.

  “Just the two ladies I wanted to talk to.” Terrence stopped at our table carrying his lunch tray. “You girls up for a party Saturday night?”

  “A party?” Jordan’s eyes lit up. “Will it be better than that one you guys threw last month, where you all got drunk and passed out by midnight?”

  “A lot better.” He ignored her barb and laid his tray on the table so he could lean down to say in a low voice, “A townie party.”

  “I’m in,” Jordan declared without asking for details.

  “Wait. Are we even allowed to go?” After our trip to Boise, I wasn’t sure Tristan would let me go anywhere without a bodyguard. A party wouldn’t be much fun with one or both of the twins looming in the background.

  Terrence smiled. “Josh and I go to Butler Falls all the time, so I doubt anyone would have a problem with it.”

  “And they can’t say no if you don’t ask,” Jordan added. “That usually works pretty well for me.”

  “You mean sneak out?” Tristan said they believed the Master thought I was dead so I was safe from that threat, but he was feeling overly protective after the demon attack and I didn’t want to worry him.

  Jordan snorted. “You so don’t strike me as the type to ask permission before you do something.”

  “It’s not that simple. I did some really stupid things before I came here, and I almost got my friends and my uncle killed. I promised Nate I would be more careful.”

  “Well, it’s gonna be a hell of a party,” Terrence said. “Our friend, Derek, has a killer pad and he keeps his bar well stocked.”

  Jordan swung her gaze from me to Terrence. “I’m still in. Anything is better than Saturday night hanging out here.”

  Terrence straightened and picked up his tray. “Cool, and maybe Sara will change her mind by then.”

  I watched him walk over to join Josh before I turned to Jordan. “I thought you two couldn’t stand each other.”

&
nbsp; She shrugged one shoulder. “Na, Terrence just knows how to flip my bitch switch and I know how to get a rise out of him. We hooked up once last year, but we both realized that was a huge mistake.”

  Jordan and Terrance? I speared a piece of pineapple with my fork and chewed it, trying to figure her out. Hanging out with her was like having a friend with multiple personalities; you never knew who was going to show up next.

  “Anyway, whether or not you go to the party is probably moot.”

  “Why?” I asked her.

  She gave me a cheeky grin. “Because those two puppies of yours are most likely going to eat you today.”

  Chapter 12

  “WHO IS READY for a walk?”

  Hugo and Woolf began to whine and run in circles when I unlocked their gate. In their excitement, they looked so much like dogs that I let out a laugh. When the door slid open, they plunked their behinds on the floor as I’d trained them to do whenever I entered their cage. Instead of stepping inside as I always did, I pointed at my feet and said, “Come.” The hounds looked confused, so I issued the command again. This time they stood and sauntered toward me, and when they realized they were leaving their cage, their tails began to wag and their mouths opened wide in doggie grins.

  “They look like they are about to eat someone,” Sahir said over the security intercom from the safety of his office.

  I rolled my eyes at the closest camera. “They can’t help how they look.” With their enormous teeth and red-black eyes, the hellhounds did look anything but harmless, but looks were deceiving. Everyone thought trolls were bloodthirsty creatures, but I’d been friends with Remy for ten years and he was one of the gentlest people I had ever met.

  “Tristan had everyone clear away from this area as a precaution, so you are good to go.”

  “Thanks. Come on, boys.” I walked to the exit, and the hounds followed at my heels until I threw open the door and stepped outside into the sunshine. I looked back to find them watching me uncertainly, and I tapped my thigh. “Let’s go.”

  It was all the urging they needed, and I was almost bowled over when they leapt toward me eagerly. They circled me and pushed against me, unable to believe they were free, and I let them have a few minutes of play before I ordered them to stand on either side of me like we had practiced. When we set off across the lawn toward the woods, I was aware of the people watching us from the windows of the main building and I resisted the urge to look at them. Word of the hellhounds had finally spread. Now everyone was watching to see how this would play out, and I was sure that more than one of them expected a bad outcome. We’d show them.

  Despite my determination to prove everyone wrong, it felt good to walk under the canopy of trees and escape the curious stares. Once we were out of sight of the building, I broke into a jog and whistled for the hounds to follow me. It felt amazing to run free, and I enjoyed it as much as they did. For such large animals, they weaved through trees and leapt over large rocks with incredible ease, running ahead of me and circling back when I lagged behind. Once Hugo caught the scent of a fox and set after it, braying like a bloodhound and scaring every creature within a mile. Luckily, the fox escaped. I did not like to see an animal hurt, but I also didn’t want to deny the hounds the joy of hunting. They were predators after all, and hunting was a part of their nature.

  I had no trouble finding the lake, and I ran down to the rocky shore with the hounds at my heels. They lapped nosily at the cold water, sending ripples across the mirror-like surface. When they were done, they looked at me and began to sniff along the shore. “Don’t go too far,” I told them, pretty sure they wouldn’t let me out of their sights. I let them explore, and I found a dry flat area to lie back on and soak up the sun. The woods were unusually hushed as the birds and small animals hid from the larger threat invading their territory. I missed their calls and scurrying, but it was still very peaceful here.

  I had almost dozed off when it struck me that I could no longer hear the hounds moving about. Sitting up, I scanned the shore until I found them a few hundred yards away, sitting side-by-side and staring out over the lake. I whistled but neither of them moved or even looked in my direction. Strange. They rarely liked to sit still, even when I commanded them to do it, and I couldn’t believe they would do it now with so many things to explore. Unease stole over me, and I got to my feet. Something was not right.

  “They are quite safe and content,” said a musical voice behind me, and I whirled to face a barefoot red-haired girl in a flowing yellow dress. My mouth fell open, and a smile lit up her angelic face. “Hello, little sister.”

  “Aine!” I ran the short distance between us and threw my arms around my sylph friend. She laughed softly and hugged me, enveloping me in the incredibly alluring scent of Faerie she carried with her. If you spend any amount of time in that place, its sweet perfume begins to cling to you, something I discovered after my own stay there. The first thing Roland and Peter had said to me when they saw me again was that I smelled like sunshine and something else that even their sharp werewolf noses couldn’t identify.

  “Sara, it is good to see you, too. You have been making new friends since I last saw you.”

  I pulled away laughing, still unable to believe she was here. I looked behind me at the hellhounds that were as still as statues. “Are they asleep?”

  “They are in a waking dream. In their minds, they are running through the forest, chasing deer. They are quite happy, I assure you.” Her eyes twinkled mischievously. “And as for the two red-haired warriors who followed you, they have momentarily forgotten their mission and are guarding the woods as they always do.”

  “Seamus and Niall followed me?” I should have known Tristan wouldn’t let me come out here alone even with two hellhounds to protect me. “They are okay though, right?”

  “I have not altered them in any way, and they will remember you again once I lift my magic.”

  “Okay.” I faced her again. “I missed you. I wasn’t sure when you would come to see me again.”

  She smiled and took my hand to lead me over to sit on the grassy bank. “I am sorry. Our kind do not interfere much in the human world anymore. But I am here now, and I want to hear all about you. Are you happy here?”

  “It’s a lot to get used to, but I’m trying. The people are nice and I have family here. I miss Nate and my friends, but we talk all the time and it’s getting easier.”

  “I am pleased to hear that. Coming to live with your people was the right decision, but I worried that you would not be happy.”

  I plucked a blade of grass and twisted it around my thumb. “It’s certainly not how I expected my life would be. I always thought I would graduate school with my friends and go to college and all that. It’s hard letting go of that life, but I’m starting to see the good things in this one, too.”

  Aine laid a slender arm around my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. “Sometimes it is difficult to see the goodness in your life when you are in turmoil. Just remember that even during a storm, the sun is shining. You may not see it, but it is always there above the clouds, waiting to warm you again.”

  I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Is that some Faerie proverb?”

  Her laugh made me think of wind chimes. “Just some sisterly wisdom. Now tell me about your magic. I can feel that it has grown since we last parted.”

  I’d been longing to see Aine for weeks to ask her about my new ability. Telling her about it now was like lifting a huge weight from my shoulders. She listened intently as I described the strange power surges and my experiences with the demons. She nodded in approval when I told her about my earlier training with Nikolas.

  A smile broke over her face when I finished. “This is exciting and wonderful news, sister! Your elemental magic is growing, which I suspected it would. Do not fear this. It is a good thing.”

  I almost slumped in relief. “Why is it suddenly acting up now? Did being in Seelie trigger something in me?”

  “That is part
of it, but it has accelerated because of the demons. You are surrounded by them here, and even though they reside inside a host, their nearness is causing your magic to emerge. The more contact you have with demons, the more your power will grow.”

  I stared at her in alarm. “What does that mean? My power already killed one demon, and it would have hurt Nikolas if I hadn’t stopped it. I don’t want to hurt any of the Mohiri. And what about my own demon? Will my power kill it, too?” There had been a time when I would have been happy to be free of the beast in my head, but I didn’t feel that way anymore. I felt a swell of protectiveness for my Mori.

  Aine’s red curls bounced when she gave a delicate shake of her head. “I have not met another like you, so I honestly cannot say what will happen. But I do believe that being half Mohiri, you pose no real danger to your people. As for your own demon, it has lived with your Fae magic its whole life so it may be safe. Only time will tell.”

  Her words did not give me the assurance I was looking for. “Nikolas said those other demons were in their true forms so my power affected them more. But I healed an imp last year when it got caught in a mouse trap, and it didn’t flip out when it got near me.”

  “Your power was very weak then, but it has grown a lot since I last saw you. You would not be able to touch one of them now without killing it, until you learn to control your power.”

  “So I’ll be able to control it and only use it when I want to?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m so glad to hear that.” I would have to be very careful with the imps until it was safe to go near them. Maybe I should find them a new home. They wouldn’t like it, but it wasn’t like they would be happy there once Oscar arrived. My cat’s favorite pastime was trying to catch the little fiends.

  I brushed pieces of grass off my legs. “What about the cold feeling in my chest? Is that caused by my elemental power?”

  “That I do not know.” She pursed her lips in thought for a moment. “We were unsure of how your body would react to the vampire blood it absorbed. This might be a side effect.”