Warrior (Relentless Book 4)
Warrior: Chapter 5

Riding away from Sara, I wasn’t prepared for the mixed feelings that assailed me. I’d expected my Mori to be upset, but it surprised me to realize I didn’t want to leave either. When I’d decided to come here today, I had only wanted to make sense of what I was feeling and to clear my head. If it wasn’t for the bond, she’d be just another orphan.

I laughed at my pathetic attempts at denial. There was nothing average about Sara Grey. I could blame all of this on my demon, but the truth was, I’d noticed the girl before I’d touched her and felt the bond. And the more I got to know her, the more intrigued I was by her. She looked so small and defenseless, yet she possessed inner strength and courage. She’d had no idea what she was, but she had not only survived her demon, she had somehow mastered it. In my whole life, I had never met anyone like her. Her vulnerability and fear made the warrior in me want to protect her, while her soft curves and sweet voice stirred me more than I wanted to admit.

I swore harshly. How the hell had this girl managed to get under my skin so effortlessly? She didn’t want anything to do with me, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I tried to recall some of the beautiful women I’d been with, but all I could see was her face.

I’d convinced myself I had to come here to get answers, and that I should be the one to tell her what she was. After all, it was part of my job to protect our people, and she needed my protection even after I broke the bond.

But seeing her today… The bond was too new for me to be having such a strong reaction to her. And yet, I was a thought away from turning this bike around and going back to her.

Exhaling loudly, I focused on other things, such as the fact that I had to tell Tristan about Sara. He was going to be beside himself when he learned he had a granddaughter. My mind was still trying to grasp that Sara was Madeline’s daughter. Madeline was a lot of things, but I never would have believed her capable of deserting her child and leaving her unprotected in a world so dangerous to our kind.

Before I told Tristan about Sara, I needed proof of her identity. By the time I made it to the town limits, I’d called Dax and put him to work looking into Sara’s background, particularly her parents’ marriage and her father’s death. If there was anything to uncover, Dax would replace it.

That left me with one job to do. If Sara would not leave Maine, I’d make Maine safe for her. I would scour Portland until I was confident there wasn’t a vampire in the city and Eli was no longer a threat to her.

Saturday night, we had cleaned out the house the vampire had sent us to, capturing two vampires and disposing of another three. If our informant had been honest with us, there were at least two more vampires running around Portland along with Eli, unless the three of them had turned tail and run.

But I’d seen Eli’s hunger when he had to let Sara go. His was not the face of someone who was going to give up easily. I’d seen it before, a vampire fixating on a human to the point of obsession. And Eli had to know Sara was Mohiri after being that close to her. Vampires loved the taste of our blood, and the younger the Mohiri, the purer the blood.

* * *

I spent the rest of the evening helping Erik and his team set up the new safe house we had established in Portland. The discovery of so many vampires in the city had necessitated a Mohiri presence for the time being. We still had no clue what had drawn Eli and his brethren here in the first place. We had the two vampires from Saturday night on lockdown, and a few days without feeding would make them talk if they knew anything.

The next morning, there was a voice mail from Dax by the time I got out of the shower. I returned his call, and he confirmed what I’d already known. Daniel Grey had been married to a Madeline Croix until his death ten years ago. There was even a black and white photo of the couple that had accompanied an article in the Portland Press Herald about his grisly murder. Strangely though, Sara was not mentioned in the article.

After I hung up, I sat on the bed, thinking about the conversation I’d be having with Tristan soon. My thoughts inevitably turned to Sara, and I wondered how she was faring after our talk yesterday. Would she be less resistant to the Mohiri if she knew she had family among them? She’d been very defensive when I’d mentioned her leaving and adamant that her family was here. I was afraid any more revelations might be too much for her.

Chris was in the kitchen making breakfast when I went downstairs. We lived mostly off restaurant and bar food on the road, and both of us enjoyed a home-cooked meal when we could get one. Luckily for me, Chris liked to cook and he was good at it.

He shot me a questioning look when I walked into the kitchen, and I knew he was waiting for me to tell him where I’d disappeared to yesterday. We’d been friends a long time, and there wasn’t much we kept from each other. But I found myself reluctant to talk about Sara.

“Did you call Paulette to take care of your orphan?” He slid scrambled eggs and sausage onto a plate and held it out to me.

I took the plate and sat at the counter. “No. I decided to take care of it myself.”

He spun around, sending bits of egg flying off the spatula in his hand. “You did?”

I dug into my eggs, ignoring his stare. “It was your idea.”

“Yes, but I didn’t think you’d take me seriously.” He glanced up at the ceiling as if he suspected I had her locked away upstairs. “What happened?”

I gave him a wry smile. “She wasn’t exactly happy to see me or to discover what she is. And she was more than clear that she is not leaving Maine.”

“What did she –?”

I pointed at the stove. “Your eggs are burning.”

“Shit!” He grabbed his smoking pan of eggs and started scraping them into the garbage disposal. He filled the pan with soapy water and turned back to me. “We’ll have to send Paulette to talk to her. She’s the best with orphans. We can’t leave the girl here unprotected.”

“I have no intention of leaving her.” I carried my plate to the sink and washed it.

Chris’s brows drew together. “What aren’t you telling me?”

I dried the plate and put it away, listening for other people in the house. “Where are the others?”

“They went to Boston early this morning to grab the rest of their stuff. Why?”

I picked up my cell phone and walked into the living room. “Because I’d rather keep this conversation between the three of us.”

“The three of us?”

I sat on the couch, and he sat across from me. “You, me, and Tristan,” I said before I dialed the number.

Tristan picked up on the second ring. “What did you replace?” he asked when he realized who was calling.

“More than we expected.” I looked at Chris, who was watching me with open curiosity. “It was vampires who took those girls. There were ten of them holed up in a house, and we took care of five of them. We have two locked up, and we’re looking for the last three.”

“Ten. That’s an unusually large number. Did you replace out why they were in Portland?”

“Not yet, but we will,” Chris answered.

There was a short silence on the other end of the line. “Why do I get the feeling there is more to this than you’re telling me?” Tristan said.

“There is.” I took a breath. “We found an orphan. We saved her from the vampire we’re hunting now.”

“Is she okay?” Concern flooded Tristan’s voice. “Have you called Paulette? What about the girl’s mother? Did she survive the attack?”

I waited for the barrage of questions to end. “She is unhurt, and her parent was not involved in the attack. We ran into the girl at a bar on Friday night.”

“A bar?” Tristan echoed incredulously. “What on Earth was a child doing at a bar?”

“That’s the thing.” Chris leaned forward with his arms resting on his knees. “She’s not a child, at least not a young one. She’s seventeen.”

Tristan inhaled sharply. “How is that possible? You’re sure she is Mohiri?”

“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life,” I replied, drawing Chris’s scrutiny again. “I’ve been around her several times, and I was able to sense her Mori each time. I went to visit her yesterday, and I learned some things about her that, frankly, shocked the hell out of me. I had Dax look into her background to confirm what I suspected before I told you.”

I took a deep breath. “Her name is Sara Grey, and her father was human. Her mother is Mohiri.”

Tristan and Chris inhaled sharply at the same time.

I continued before either of them could speak. “Her father was killed by vampires ten years ago. Her mother left them when Sara was very young, and Sara had no idea what she was until I told her.”

Chris frowned. “How do you and Dax know her mother is Mohiri if Sara didn’t even know?”

“I knew when I heard her mother’s name.” I stared at the phone. “Tristan…Sara is Madeline’s daughter.”

“Madeline?” Tristan said in disbelief. “How…how do you know this?”

“Sara told me her mother’s name was Madeline, and Dax found a picture of your Madeline with Daniel Grey.” I looked at Chris, who still stared at me with his mouth hanging open. “And Sara bears a resemblance to Josephine.”

Chris found his voice again. “That’s it! I knew she looked familiar. Madeline’s daughter? Damn.”

“Nikolas, you’re positive about this?” Tristan’s voice shook, and I could only imagine what he was feeling. I was there when he’d found the note Madeline had left him before she took off. I’d helped him search for her for over a year, and I’d seen his fear and worry for his only child. Madeline was a trained warrior when she left, but she’d never been out in the world alone. I’d watched as the years passed and the hope of her coming home slowly faded from his eyes.

After several decades went by without a word from her, he had accepted that she could be dead, and he’d resigned himself to being the last of his line. Now to discover his daughter was still alive – or had been seventeen years ago – and she had married and given birth to a child…

“Without a doubt, she is Madeline’s daughter, your granddaughter,” I said.

“Oh dear God,” Tristan whispered hoarsely. “Madeline.”

Chris and I said nothing for several minutes while Tristan recovered from learning Madeline could still be alive, and that he had a granddaughter.

Tristan cleared his throat. “Is Sara with you? May I speak to her?”

“She’s not here. She refused to leave her home.”

I could hear Tristan’s footsteps as he paced around his office.

“We can’t leave her unprotected. Did you explain how dangerous it is for her?”

“Yes, but she is determined to stay. She has no warm feelings for her mother, and I think she blames Madeline in part for her father’s death. She wants nothing to do with us.”

Tristan stopped pacing. “I’ll come there and talk to her. Maybe if she knew she had family here, she would be less frightened of us.”

A laugh escaped me. “She’s not afraid of us. Trust me. I’d say it’s closer to contempt.”

There was a brief silence before Tristan spoke again. “You said she’s seventeen and she had no idea she was Mohiri. How has she survived this long without training?”

“I don’t know, but her control over her Mori is unlike anything I’ve seen. If I hadn’t sensed it, I would have thought she was human.”

“If I didn’t know you better, I’d think that was admiration I hear in your voice,” Tristan said.

I didn’t try to deny it. “It’s hard not to admire someone with that kind of strength. She is surprisingly composed, considering all she’s been through. In some ways, she reminds me of you.”

“My granddaughter,” he said in wonder. “I’m going to call for the jet. I’ll be there this afternoon.”

My eyes met Chris’s as I shook my head. “I don’t think that is a wise idea. Sara’s strong, but she was overwhelmed when I talked to her, not that I blame her after the last few days. She holds a lot of resentment for her mother, and I think meeting Madeline’s family would be too much for her right now. It might drive her further away.”

“Are you suggesting we leave her there?” Tristan asked sharply.

“No. We’ll give her some time to process everything before we talk to her again. Chris and I will watch over her, and we’re not her only protectors.”

“What do you mean?” Tristan asked.

“When I met Sara, she was with two members of the Maine pack – the Alpha’s son and nephew. She’s close to the wolves, and the two I met were very protective of her. She lives in a small town called New Hastings, in the heart of pack territory an hour north of Portland.”

“Werewolves?” It took Tristan a minute to recover from his shock. “That’s Maxwell Kelly’s pack.”

Chris spoke up. “You know him?”

“By reputation only,” Tristan said. “He’s a strong Alpha and widely known for his hunting skills. I’ve heard other packs send their wolves to him for training. His pack is one of the first in the country to live among humans instead of segregating themselves. He is also territorial. I’m still trying to grasp how those vampires managed to elude his pack for weeks.”

“The vampire who attacked Sara was their leader,” I replied. “He’s proving to be adept at hiding and covering his tracks. But if he’s still here, we’ll replace him.”

Tristan expelled a long breath. “I feel better knowing my granddaughter is under Kelly’s protection, but I won’t rest until she is here with us. Please, keep her safe.”

Chris nodded solemnly. “I’ll guard my cousin with my life.”

“As will I,” I vowed.

“Thank you. I don’t think I could entrust her safety to anyone else.” Tristan’s chair squeaked when he sat again. “This is… I can’t tell you what this means to me, knowing I have a granddaughter. I just can’t understand how Madeline could abandon her own child. I knew my daughter could be selfish, but she was never a bad person. If she didn’t want the child, why didn’t she send her to me?”

“I don’t know.” I had wondered the same things. Madeline could have easily picked up a phone and let Tristan know about the girl. Why she hadn’t done that was a question only she could answer.

Tristan’s tone changed, and he was all business. “What is your plan? Will you have Erik’s team hunt the vampires while you two watch over Sara?”

“Chris and I will take turns keeping an eye on her.” I looked at him, and he nodded in agreement. “We’ll have to keep our distance though, because she won’t be happy if she knows we’re hanging around.”

“Perhaps I should ask Paulette to join you,” Tristan suggested. “There’s no one better at handling orphans, and a female might be less threatening to Sara.”

He was right, but I was reluctant to bring anyone else in. A few days ago, I’d planned to turn Sara over to Paulette, but I couldn’t do that now.

“Nikolas?” Tristan said.

“Let’s hold off on Paulette for now. I’ve already explained things to Sara, and I think bringing in someone else might be too much for her. Chris and I can handle things here.”

No one spoke for a long moment. Finally, Tristan said, “Okay, if you think that is best. I trust your judgement.”

“Thank you.” His faith in me made me feel a moment of guilt that I hadn’t told him everything. But a bond was a deeply personal connection between two people, and Tristan would understand my wish to keep it private. I’d have to tell Chris, but the fewer people who knew about it the better.

“We’ll take care of the vampire problem here,” I said. “Between us and the werewolves, Sara will be well protected. Hopefully, she’ll be more open to us in a few weeks after she’s had time to take it all in.”

“And if she isn’t?” Tristan asked, worry in his voice.

“We’ll stay as long as it takes. She won’t be alone, Tristan.” I leaned back against the couch. “Sara is strong-willed, but she’s also intelligent and curious about the world. I believe she’ll want to know more about her people when she’s less wary of us.”

“I hope you are right.”

So do I, I silently agreed with him.

Tristan made an aggravated sound. “I have a Council call in two minutes, but I’m afraid my mind won’t be on business today. I’ll check back with you tomorrow.”

“I’ll talk to you then.”

I hung up and silence hung heavily in the room. Chris stared at me for a long moment before he finally spoke.

“All right, what are you holding back? I know you better than anyone, and I can tell there’s something you’re not saying. It has to be bad if you didn’t want Tristan to know.”

I got up and walked to the window. Peering out at the quiet street, I thought about how to tell him what he wanted to know. It was harder than I’d expected to come up with the right words.

“Why don’t you want anyone else to visit Sara? You’ve never shown interest in orphans before. I would think you’d be happy for someone like Paulette to take over.”

“Sara’s not like other orphans.”

“Because she’s Tristan’s granddaughter?”

Goddamn, this was not easy. But I had to tell him about the bond, unless I planned to walk away from it. Remembering how difficult it had been to ride away from her yesterday, I knew leaving was no longer an option.

I turned from the window to face him. “Because she’s my mate.”

“What?” Chris stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Mate?”

“Yes.”

His mouth opened and closed a few times, and I realized it was the first time I’d ever seen him speechless.

He shook his head. “You were distracted at the club. I suspected you were taken with the girl…but bonded? Why didn’t you tell me?”

I frowned at him. “It’s not an easy topic to bring up, and I wanted to be sure of the bond before I said anything.”

Understanding dawned on his face. “That’s why you went to see her instead of calling Paulette.”

“Yes.”

“Damn.” He released a loud breath. “I don’t even know what to say.”

His face told me what he couldn’t put into words. I had never spent longer than a week in a relationship, although enough women had tried to entice me to stay. The harder they tried, the more determined I was to remain single. Chris thought it was hilarious, and he’d always said someday I would meet the one, and he hoped he had a front row seat for the show. I don’t think either of us expected me to actually replace my bond mate. He was almost as stunned as I had been.

“There’s not much to say. Sara is my mate.”

Mine, my Mori insisted.

Yes. The moment I admitted the truth to myself, the knot in my stomach eased, and my chest felt oddly light. She was mine. She might despise me and everything I stood for, but I’d do whatever it took to protect her.

Chris cleared his throat. “Does Sara know about the bond?”

“She feels something, but she doesn’t know what it is.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “She’s been through too much; she’s not ready to hear about this.”

“I agree. She was raised as a human, and she needs time to adjust to our way of life before she learns she is bonded to someone. That is, unless you decide to break it before it grows.”

I looked out the window. I could end this now and Sara would be none the wiser. I’d be free to go back to my life, and she could go on with hers. But when I thought about doing that, my Mori growled and an unpleasant sinking feeling settled in my gut.

“I don’t think I can.”

“Wow.” He let out a puff of air. “Well, I can see why you didn’t want to tell Tristan.”

I shot him a questioning look.

He laughed. “He just found out he has a granddaughter. I’m surprised he didn’t insist on coming here. If he knew you and she were bonded, he’d be on his way to the airport right now.”

I scowled as I went back to sit on the couch. “I’m not sure whether or not to be insulted by that statement.”

Chris grinned. “Well, you haven’t exactly hidden the fact that you don’t want a mate. The only woman I’ve ever seen you show any affection for, besides your mother, is Vivian, and she is as bad as you when it comes to commitment. I think if Vivian had shown any real interest in settling down, you would have run far and fast.”

“This is not the same,” I practically growled at him.

His expression grew thoughtful. “Are you sure you’re ready for this, Nikolas?”

“Is anyone ever ready?”

“You know it’s not going to be easy for you to stay away from her once the bond grows. You’ll need to be near her, and it’ll become increasingly difficult to see her around other males.”

“I know.” I groaned inwardly. Mohiri males always felt the bond more intensely than their mates, and they tended to become possessive of their female until the bond was complete. I’d seen it enough times, but I’d never expected or wanted to experience it myself. I’d only known the girl for four days, and already she occupied my thoughts more than any woman had.

Chris kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “We’ve both seen bonded couples and how stormy their courtships were in the beginning. If my new cousin is half as stubborn as you, I expect fireworks – and not the good kind.”

I glowered at him. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

His eyes flashed with amusement. “More than you could possibly imagine. So when are you going to tell your mother you’ve met your mate? She’ll be overjoyed.”

I rubbed my face. “Khristu, don’t even mention my mother. I have enough to deal with.”

Laughter filled the room. “I’m just going to buy some popcorn and sit back to enjoy the show.”

“Remind me again why we’re friends,” I said, earning another laugh from him.

“Because no one else can put up with you. And because I like to piss off the Council almost as much as you do.”

The front door opened, and Erik’s team filed in carrying duffle bags and weapons cases. Erik dropped his bags in the hallway and joined us in the living room. At five-eleven, he was tall for a Korean, but shorter than most Mohiri males, a fact that left him in a perpetual state of annoyance.

He scowled as he sank into a chair. “We’re cleared out of Boston. I think Raoul’s team is moving in there tomorrow. My guys are going to stow their gear, and then we’re going to start checking out the spots in Portland where those suckers could be holed up.”

“Sounds good.” Erik was meticulous when it came to doing a grid search, which was one of the reasons I was glad to have him here. If Eli was still in Portland, Erik would flush him out. This was one time when I couldn’t afford to leave a single stone unturned. Sara’s life could depend on it.

“Anyone check on our guests this morning?” Chris asked. “They must be getting thirsty by now.”

Erik nodded. “I looked in on them before we left. The female is still holding up, but the male looks ready to crack. In a few days, he’ll tell us whatever he knows.” His gaze flicked between Chris and me. “Are you two going to join us in the search, or do you have something else in the works?”

“Both. Chris and I have another job.” I told Erik about Sara and who she was, omitting the part about the bond.

Erik let out a low whistle. “Tristan’s granddaughter? I’m surprised he’s not here already.”

“I made him see it would be better if he let us handle this. Chris and I are going to split our time between watching over her and dealing with the vampire problem.”

Erik gave me a look much like the one Chris had given me earlier. “You’re going to work with an orphan?”

I shrugged, ignoring Chris’s knowing smile. “This is a special case.”

A red-haired warrior named Carl entered the room. “We picked up some activity at an abandoned apartment building on Franklin. Could be demons, or it might be vamps.”

Chris, Erik, and I stood at the same time. Erik went to his duffle bags, and I grabbed my jacket and sword that were lying on the dining room table. I checked my inside pockets for knives as I turned to the others.

“Let’s go hunting.”

* * *

I stood in the shadows between the two buildings across the road from St. Patrick High School and watched students spill through the front doors. It wasn’t until the last few trickled out that I saw the face I was looking for.

Sara walked slowly down the front steps of the school with her eyes downcast. She could have been alone for all she seemed to notice the people hurrying around her.

Someone called her name as she walked toward the street, but she didn’t seem to notice. She looked tired. What was wrong with her? Was she ill?

A movement behind her caught my eye, and my body tensed when I saw someone running toward her. I relaxed when I recognized her werewolf friend, Roland.

He caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm. I wasn’t prepared for the jealousy that burned in my stomach, and I took a step toward them before I came to my senses.

I exhaled slowly and wondered for the hundredth time if it was in my best interest for me to be here checking up on her. Chris had offered to come, but I’d wanted to see for myself she was okay. Or maybe I just wanted to see her.

Roland said something to Sara, and she shook her head. He frowned and gestured toward the school. She shrugged and answered him, but whatever she said only made his brows draw together more.

I wanted to know what they were talking about, but I wouldn’t listen in. It was one thing to watch over her, and another to invade her privacy.

Sara resumed walking, and Roland stared after her, worry creasing his brow.

I waited for him to turn toward the parking lot before I followed Sara at a distance. I wasn’t surprised when she went straight home. On Tuesday when I’d been here, she’d done the same.

She disappeared into her building, and I found a spot across the waterfront where I could see her apartment. A few minutes later, curtains on the third floor moved as a window opened. Sara appeared in the window, staring at the bay for a long moment before she turned away.

I stayed for two hours, and then I walked to where I’d left my bike on the next street over. There was no need to stick around here all night. My time was better served in Portland, helping the others in the hunt for Eli.

* * *

When my phone vibrated, I knew who it was before I looked at the screen. “What’s up, Chris?”

“The male vampire finally cracked,” Chris said. “He told us about two places where Eli could be hiding out. I thought you might want to be there when we check them out. How soon can you get here?”

“About an hour.”

“Ah. How’s our girl?”

“The same.” I watched the lone figure walking on the wharf, the wind tossing her dark hair around her face. Even from a distance, my demon-enhanced eyesight could see how pale she was, and the way her shoulders hunched. An aura of loneliness surrounded her, and she looked like someone who had lost her best friend.

This was my third visit to New Hastings since I’d talked to Sara on Monday, and each time she looked no better than the last. Had learning what she was really affected her that deeply, or had something else happened to douse the fire in her eyes? Her pain called to me across the invisible thread that stretched between us, and each time I saw her, it got harder not to go to her. Chris was right. Staying away from her was going to be an impossible task.

My fingers tightened around the phone. “I hate seeing her this way.”

“Nikolas, eventually she was going to realize she was different, and she would have had no idea what was going on. That would have been a lot more frightening than what she is going through now.”

My grip on the phone eased. “You’re right.”

He laughed. “I’m always right. Now are you going to spend all weekend there, or do you want to help us take down that vampire?”

I cast one last look at the girl on the wharf and turned toward my bike that was parked out of sight around the corner. “I’m on my way.”

It took me less than an hour to reach Portland. Chris and Erik were waiting for me, and the first place we hit was an apartment in South Portland. There were signs someone had been there recently, but it looked like it had been empty for several days. We left it undisturbed except for several surveillance cameras we installed behind the ceiling fixtures.

We had better luck at the second location, a house in Westbrook.

“Look at this,” Chris called from the master bedroom.

I entered the room where he’d spread out a bunch of photos on top of the dresser. In every photo was a blonde teenage girl, and there was a name and address on the back. A quick computer search revealed four of the photos were of the missing girls. The other three girls were alive and well.

“Looks like we interrupted Eli before he could get to all the girls on his list,” Chris said.

I studied the photos. “I wish I knew why he singled out these particular girls.”

The other vampire with Eli had said he preferred brunettes like Sara. So why were all the girls in these pictures blonde? Understanding Eli’s motive for being in Portland would make it a lot easier to hunt him. The fact that he’d taken time to make a list of females was troubling. It was premeditated behavior instead of impulsive, and a vampire with that kind of patience was a very dangerous one.

Eli might have come to Portland looking for these girls, but he’d found Sara. And he wanted her. I’d seen it in his eyes. The chances of him replaceing her an hour away among the pack were slim, but not impossible. The vampire had proven to be more resourceful than most.

I shared my fears with Chris. “One of us should stay in New Hastings until this is over. I’d do it, but Sara will notice me if I’m there every day. I don’t think that will go over too well.”

Chris nodded. “We’ll alternate days. Don’t worry. We’ll keep her safe.”

* * *

On Wednesday, I went with Erik, Andrew, and Reese to check out two closed up buildings on the waterfront that were perfect for vampire nests. The first one we searched was clear, but we came across a couple of ranc demons hiding out in the second one.

The short, dark-skinned demons squeaked when four Mohiri warriors interrupted their meal, a small bucket of pig’s blood from one of the local butchers. One of the demons jumped to his feet, kicking the bucket and causing blood to slosh out onto the floor.

“We’ve hurt no one.” His catlike eyes glowed in the darkened room. “We’re just passing through.”

I barked a laugh. Ranc demons were mercenaries for hire, and they never went anywhere without a purpose. The odds of them just “passing through” Portland were slim, especially given the sudden increase in vampire activity. No, they were here for a reason.

“Why don’t I believe you?”

“It’s true,” the second demon said in a calmer voice. He waved his arm at the old office they had holed up in. “It’s just the two of us, and we’ll be off as soon as we finish our meal.”

“I see.” I strolled around the room. “Where are you two coming from?”

“Boston –”

“Canada –”

The two demons glared at each other.

“Let’s try this again.” I crossed the room to tower over the diminutive demons, and they craned their necks to stare up at me. “Why are you in Portland? And if I don’t hear something that sounds like the truth, there will be two fewer demons in the world tonight.”

“We answered a call,” the nervous one blurted, ignoring the scorching look his friend gave him.

“What kind of call?” Erik asked.

“My brother and I are trackers,” the quieter demon replied. “We got word there’s a bounty on someone, but that’s all we know. We were supposed to get more information when we got here, but we haven’t been able to contact the one who sent out the call.”

“Who put out the call?” I demanded.

The demon shrugged. “Some vampire, that’s all we know. But you can bet we weren’t the only ones to get it.”

Coldness settled in my stomach. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was behind this. If Eli had called in trackers, he was serious about replaceing someone. And my gut told me it was Sara. It could be the bond making me overreact, but I wasn’t taking any chances either way.

I needed to call Chris and let him know what we’d learned. Pulling out my phone, I headed for the door, leaving Erik to decide what to do with the two demons. The phone vibrated before I could make the call, and my steps faltered when I saw Chris’s number. My first thought was that Sara was in trouble.

“What’s up, Chris?” I asked more calmly than I felt.

“Good question,” said an angry female voice.

I smiled as I walked outside. “I told Chris you’d recognize him if he got too close.”

“Great. You won the bet. Buy him a beer or whatever.” Her voice rose. “I thought we had an understanding when you left here last week.”

I leaned against the front of the building. “And what understanding would that be?”

She huffed. “The one where you go your way and I go mine, and we all live happily ever after.”

“I don’t recall that particular arrangement. I believe I told you I’d be seeing you again.” I knew my response would anger her. She’d made it clear she wanted nothing to do with us the last time I talked to her, which was why I’d told Chris not to let her see him. But I hadn’t told her I was leaving because that would have been a lie.

The line went silent, and I thought she’d hung up on me. “Sara?”

When she spoke again, her voice sounded strained instead of angry. “What do you want from me, Nikolas? I told you I just want to be left alone.”

I sighed and raked a hand through my hair. The last thing I wanted was to frighten her after all she’d been through, but she needed to know she could be in danger. “We got word of increased activity in Portland, and we have reason to believe the vampire might be searching for you.”

“I don’t know anyone in Portland, so there’s no way he can trace me here, right?” she asked, a hint of a tremor in her voice.

“There’s more than one way to track someone.” But they’ll have to go through me. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep you safe. Chris will stay close by until we handle this situation.”

“I don’t need a babysitter. I’m not a child.”

I pictured her fiery eyes and flushed cheeks. “No, you’re not.” Pushing away from the wall, I walked the length of the building. “But you are not a warrior either. It is our duty to protect you even if you don’t want our protection.”

I expected her to argue again. Instead she said, “How close is he planning to stay? He’s kind of conspicuous, and I can’t have my uncle or anyone else asking questions.”

I frowned. “Conspicuous?”

She sighed loudly. “If you guys wanted to blend in, you shouldn’t have sent Dimples here. The way some of the women are staring at him, I might end up having to protect him instead.”

The idea of her protecting my warrior friend from the ladies made me almost laugh out loud, but I didn’t think she would appreciate that in her current mood. “Ah, I’m sure Chris can take care of himself. He’ll be in town in case we suspect any trouble is coming that way.”

“Fine. But as soon as this is cleared up you guys have to go so I can try to have a somewhat normal life again.”

“Sara, I –”

There was a muffled sound, and then Chris chuckled. “I never thought I’d say this, but I think you’ve finally met your match, Nikolas.”

I was still smiling about her “Dimples” comment. “I think you may be right.”

“I can see why you asked Tristan to stay away. She really doesn’t want us around.”

“I wish I could give her more time to get used to us, but we’ve had a new development.” I filled him in on what we had learned from the ranc demons.

“Are you sure Eli’s looking for Sara? All the other girls were blond, even the three he didn’t take. Maybe it’s one of them he’s after.”

“I pray to God you’re right, but you didn’t see his face, Chris. He almost died trying to take her with him when he could have just run.” My hand tightened on the phone as I remembered Eli’s raw lust and hunger when he’d held Sara. “I can’t let him get near her again.”

“We’ll keep her safe,” he vowed. “She’s with one of her werewolf friends now, and I put a tracker on his truck so I can replace him again.” There was a clicking sound and a short beep. “Looks like he’s driving her home.”

“We can’t let her out of our sight until we get this vampire,” I said.

“Other than school, she doesn’t go that far. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble keeping an eye on her.” I heard him shift position. “I’m on my way to her place now.”

“Okay.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry, Nikolas. I’ve waited a long time to see a female lead you on a merry chase, and no one is going to spoil my fun.”