by Ashley Nemer
CHAPTER TWO
Slapping at her phone, thinking it was her alarm, she groaned as it kept ringing.
“Damn, who the hell is calling me so bloody early?!” Picking it up, she saw it was Adara and wondered why she wasn't asleep.
“Hey, why are you not asleep?”
“I need to come over, Nikole, right now. I was given a note and instructed to hand deliver it to you right after sunrise.”
Hearing how shaky Adara’s voice was, Nikole’s skin turned to ice. “Someone gave you a note? What the hell...what kind of note?” Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her free hand against her forehead, feeling the morning hangover start to set in.
“That guy you were with last night, he found Dominic and me and told me I had to do this no matter what. Now, can I come over?”
Nikole let out a sigh. “Yeah, come on over.” Hanging up the phone, she got out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom to wash away the lingering effects of the night before.
The smell of eggs frying and bread toasting floated through the kitchen as Nikole prepared breakfast. Her mind was racing over the man she’d met last night. Could she have been wrong by thinking him safe? A soft tap at the side door followed by the click of it opening had Nikole looking over her shoulder as Adara popped in, wearing the same outfit from last night.
“Look at you; did you have fun with Dominic?” she asked, laughing as she applied butter to her toast.
The red flush that crept over Adara’s cheeks showed her embarrassment. “Oh, hush. I know you went out with this guy.” She waved the note around in her hand. “Why did he have me give you this?”
Taking the letter from her hand, Nikole set it down. “I don’t know. We went hunting; I flirted and teased. Nothing to require love notes the next morning.”
Staring down at the paper Adara said, “Open it up. Let’s see what he has to say.” Taking it out of the tan envelope, Nikole spied the formal lettering of a noble family.
She picked up a hand-sketched map that fell out as she unfolded the letter. Her breath caught as she looked at the language of the old country written in formal penmanship.
Adara looked over her shoulder in shock as Nikole read. “Can you read that? I have not taken lessons in the old language.”
Nodding, Nikole read it twice and set it down. “Here, I will read it to you.”
Nikole,
I know you are the Princess of our race. I thought it was a rumour that you were here. No one thinks you and your akh would actually settle in America, let alone Colorado. I am sure you will check up on me, so I wanted to tell you, I am a mercenary for one of the noble families. I travel carrying out his orders. I hope that you will see me again. I know this lake; it’s not too far from here. Please meet me there, tomorrow night at sunset.
Till then, Princess
Derrik
Adara and Nikole sat at the table in silence for a bit until her friend piped up. “What are you going to do? He knows your identity and he is a mercenary. You have to tell Zayn. He needs to know your safety is compromised.”
Nikole shook her head. He would be furious if he knew she was recognized. “Adara, you cannot tell anyone, you hear me! No one but us can know this. Zayn already doesn't trust me to take care of myself; this will just prove him right if he realizes I was careless enough to get spotted. He will lock me up and make it so I have no freedom.” She placed the folded up letter in her pocket. “This is our secret. Promise me.”
Adara looked away as the stressful tension grew. “Fine, I promise.”
She stood and turned to leave. “But if something happens to you, I'm telling him. End of story.” Without another word, she left, the screen door shutting behind her.
Alone again, Nikole headed back to her room, studying the note once more. Tomorrow night. Sunset. He wanted to see her again. Omm was right; hard to get really does work. Lying on the bed, she put the letter to her nose. His scent reminded her of the forest after a downpour, light and crisp, her favorite smell. She pulled out the sketch of the map and noticed that the lake was next to Garden of the Gods; it must be Valley Reservoir. Closing her eyes, she brought his image to her mind. He was tall, over 6' foot. Hard muscles thickened his large frame, easily weighing in at 220, and he moved as swift as the wind. Shining brown hair set of a magnificent pair of deep, hazel eyes. Opening her eyes, she placed the letter back in her drawer and curled up in bed, hoping to sleep some more.
Looking through his desk, Zayn attempted to find the papers to allow Nikole into the military. He wanted to surprise her and make it official. He realized the best way to keep her safe was to have someone with her at all times. “Where did I put those fucking papers?” He tossed a stack on the floor, getting angry at his lack of organization. Feeling pressured by the stress, he got up and poured himself a drink. Hearing a knock on the door he sighed, knowing it was going to be Nasir. All that man did was worry. “Come in.” He turned around from the bar table and to his shock he saw Kevin, Nikole’s friend. “Well this can't be good. Come, have a seat.” Kevin bowed his head. Zayn could feel the man’s nervousness. “Just spit it out Kevin. What’s wrong?”
Kevin looked up at his King, “Nikole met this guy last night. I tried to warn her away from him but…”
Pure anger laced Zayn’s tone. “Who did she meet?”
Kevin backed the chair up a few inches. “Derrik.”
Zayn didn’t even feel the glass in his hand break in his grip. “YOU let her around him! I agreed to let you be in business if you protected her from the people who might try and kill us! KEVIN, this is unacceptable! FUCK! NASIR, GET IN HERE!” Pacing back and forth, Zayn reached for his knife in his desk and slipped it into his side holster. The door opened, admitting Nasir. “Take Kevin away, and then get the riding team ready; we have a mercenary to hunt.”
Sitting in the kitchen, hearing the commotion outside in the hallway, Nikole got up and walked into the hallway. She saw Zayn load his gun, knives in his holsters. “Zayn, where are you going? What’s going on?”
He turned to her, frowning. “Nikole, go back in there. This does not concern you.” He turned around and headed out of the house. She saw Kevin and Nasir walking out the back door and realized Kevin must have told him. “Zayn, no, you can't go after him!”
Zayn stopped and spun around to stare at her, his eyes bleeding to his golden yellow shade. “Do you know what kind of male that man is, Nikole? DO YOU? He is a mercenary.”
“I know that, Zayn, he told me, he said he works for a noble family. I didn't tell him who I was; he figured it out! I promise.”
Zayn let out a sharp laugh. “I suppose he does think he works for a noble family. His employer is Haydar....” Spinning back around, he left without another word.
Hearing the front door slam shut and the cars starting, Nikole got her cell phone out and called Adara. Maybe she had Dominic's phone number and he could get a hold of Derrik. Pacing back and forth, she couldn’t take it. Hanging up, she sent a text message instead, explaining what happened. Hightailing it back to her room, she dressed to hunt on her own. Zayn wasn’t the only one who knew how. Grabbing her knife and slipping it into its sheath, she slid on her leather fighting pants and shirt before she slipped out of the window and headed down the side of the house.
“I can't believe she led him right to us. I thought you had people watching her,” Zayn said, moving through the forest. They had found their hunting grounds earlier in the night.
“Nikole made it easy for him to find the house; she marked every tree along the fucking path. What was she thinking??”
“She was fooled, Sire. We both know she would never knowingly put us in danger,” Nasir said as they pushed through the trees, stopping at the outskirts of the town and stumbling onto the dumping site of Nikole's kill.
“She is showing off her Magik too. I can't take this; she is out of control! She is putting us into unnecessary danger, and she needs to realize this is unacceptable.” Zayn's ange
r boiled as he punched the brick wall next to him. Seeing a crack form along the structure, he cocked a smile and walked back towards the fences. “Clearly they are meeting up again, which will be a trap. Nasir, have your men tail her, and when you see him, bring him back alive.”
Flashing off to the lake a day early, Nikole scoped out a site to hide and wait. I'm going to catch this mercenary and find out why he was following me and why he picked me up in the bar. Seeing a hiding spot off to the south, she moved there and set up the overnight essentials. Feeling the breeze on her skin, she settled in for the next twenty four hours. Finding a nice piece of wood, she pulled out her knife and began whittling a figure, concentrating on the details, making the image of a beautiful wolf while passing the time.