Relentless: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy Romance

THE SMELL OF coffee and bacon woke me the next morning. At first I was disoriented when I saw where I was, but the events of the night before soon came crashing back. I pushed back the quilt and got gingerly to my feet, aching all over but surprisingly well-rested considering the night I’d had.

I looked down at the large leather jacket I wore. It smelled like Nikolas, and warmth suffused me when I remembered him wrapping me in it. The scent also conjured a hazy memory of him here in the room with me last night. Was that real, or had I dreamed it?

“Oh, you’re up.” Judith walked into the living room and gave me an appraising look. “Well, you don’t look too bad, considering. How do you feel?”

I winced. “Like I was attacked by a pack of giant mutant hyenas.”

She laughed softly. “I’m glad you can joke about it. What a goings-on. I’m just relieved you three are okay, though I hear you got the worst of it.”

“Yeah, lucky me.”

“Here, let me have a look.” She came over and reached for Nikolas’s jacket, sliding it off me and laying it across the back of the couch. Then she helped me out of my own ravaged coat and inspected my arm.

“I can hardly believe it. These scratches look at least a few weeks old.” She straightened and smiled at me. “Roland told us about your mother. I guess you inherited the Mohiri ability to heal.”

Her remarks were so casual I had to know. “It doesn’t bother you – what I am?”

“Of course not. Just because we don’t associate with the Mohiri doesn’t mean we think they are bad people. Some of the younger hotheads like to hold on to the old grudges, but they’ll grow out of it. In any case, your parentage doesn’t change who you are, just like finding out what we are didn’t change how you feel about us.”

“Never.” I reached for my coat when an object on the coffee table caught my attention. It was the knife Nikolas had given me – or one just like it. I picked it up and ran my hands over the finely made sheath before I drew the knife and marveled over the small blade that had helped save my life. In the light of day, it was hard to believe all that had happened last night.

Judith stepped back when I flashed the silver blade. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” I rushed to sheathe the knife. “I forgot that you guys can’t touch silver.”

She waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. It burns, but we heal fast.”

I tucked the knife into the pocket of the leather jacket. “I thought silver was deadly to werewolves.”

“Only if the silver gets inside and we can’t get it out, which is where the whole silver bullet legend came from. It poisons us, and we can’t heal as long as it’s there.” She smiled. “Luckily, you don’t see many pure silver bullets.”

“There’s still so much I don’t know.”

“I think you’re doing pretty good.” She waved a hand at my clothes. “Now let’s get you cleaned up. I can’t believe Roland let you sleep on that couch and in your wet clothes.”

I grimaced at my badly wrinkled jeans and shirt. I didn’t want to imagine what my hair must look like. I’d been so worn out last night that I didn’t even realize I was wearing wet clothes when I’d lain down.

“My clothes are a bit big for you, but they’ll do while I wash yours. I left some things on my bed for you. Breakfast will be ready by the time you’re done.”

I was suddenly ravenous, so I showered and changed as fast as I could. When I entered the kitchen, Judith was putting scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast on a plate. I sat at the table, and she laid the plate in front of me with a glass of orange juice. She disappeared for a minute, and I heard the washer start up. Then she came back and sat across from me with a mug of coffee. I dug in and polished off half my breakfast before I realized she was watching me with an amused expression.

“I forgot how good your appetite is. When you kids were younger, I used to make extra whenever you stayed for dinner. You and Roland were quite the pair.”

I smiled at her sheepishly. “Where is he by the way?”

“He and Peter went with Max to show him where you were attacked. We’re all shocked that something like this could happen so close to us.”

“Shocked” was a polite way to say it. Werewolves are very territorial, and other predators rarely cross their boundaries. Even having the Mohiri here last night had raised a few hackles, despite the fact that Nikolas and Chris had helped to fend off our attackers. A pack of crocotta hunting in werewolf territory was probably unheard of.

“Did you guys find anything in Portland?”

Judith’s smiled faded a little, and it looked like she was trying to decide how much to tell me. “We found no vampires, but there were signs that they were there for a week, maybe longer.”

“By signs you mean the missing girls?” I suppressed a shudder. I was the same age as those girls, exactly Eli’s type.

“You know about them?”

I nodded. “It’s not hard to guess what happened to them.”

Judith ran a finger along the rim of her mug. “You’re handling all of this amazingly well.”

“I’m coping.” If you didn’t count the nightmares. Strange that I didn’t remember having one last night. I would have expected to wake up screaming about giant hyenas.

“I’m not sure many girls your age could cope as well.”

“To be fair, it’s not like I didn’t already know this world existed. I just never realized how sheltered I was here.” I made a face. “And most girls don’t have their own bodyguards following them around.”

She watched me pensively over the top of her mug. “And how do you feel about your new relations?”

I had to think about it before I answered. How did I feel? I was still coming to terms with the things I’d learned about myself. All my life I’d known that the dark thing in my head was bad and had to be repressed, but the idea that it was a demon still repulsed me. I had to keep telling myself that it did not change who I was. I didn’t know why that was so hard for me. When I looked at Nikolas and Chris I saw men, not demons. Good men, if I was honest. If I wasn’t so annoyed with them for following me everywhere, and if Nikolas would stop being so damn high-handed, I might actually like them. It didn’t help that Nikolas’s suspicions last night had been right on the mark and I would have been toast if he hadn’t shown up to save my life… again. Was it possible to resent someone and feel grateful to them at the same time?

“Honestly, I have no idea what to think of them. If Nikolas had his way, I’d be having Thanksgiving with them… if they even celebrate Thanksgiving. They just seem so focused on hunting, like that’s all they do. I don’t think I could live like that.”

Judith nodded in understanding. The werewolves were hunters too, but I’d spent enough time with them to know that they lived a normal life otherwise. Their families were close, and they had regular jobs like anyone else – a far cry from the warrior lifestyle of the Mohiri.

“Judith, why do you think the vampires came to Portland in the first place with it being so close to you guys? Why would they risk it?”

“Our best guess is they were searching for someone or something. Not you,” she added quickly. “I think you were just unlucky enough get their attention.”

I pushed my eggs around with my fork. “Do you think… is it possible that my dad’s murder had anything to do with my mother being a Mohiri? I mean, vampires hate the Mohiri, right? Maybe one of them came looking for her and found my dad instead.”

Judith’s hand went to her throat, and her expression told me I’d hit on something. “If you know anything, you have to tell me,” I begged her.

“Sara, you need to leave this to Maxwell. I can see how you would want answers about your father’s death, but he wouldn’t want you getting hurt over this.”

“I just want to know what you found. Please. I have a right to know.”

She got up and poured herself another cup of coffee, then sat across from me again. “We’ve been in touch with some of our contacts around the country since Roland told us about your mother. The Mohiri are too closed off to tell us anything about her, but our network is very large and we did find some details. Not a whole lot but it’s only been a few days.”

“We know that your mother spent a lot of time in California, Texas, and New Mexico after she left you and your father. Then a week before your father was killed, we believe she was in Portland for a very short time. We have no idea why she went back or if she even saw your father while she was there.”

Judith didn’t say what both of us were thinking. It was too much of a coincidence that Madeline went back to Portland the same week that vampires showed up and killed her husband of all people. Madeline had led them to us – maybe not intentionally – but it was her fault they found us. First she abandoned us, and then she led those monsters right to our door.

“Is she still alive?” I asked, almost spitting out the words.

Judith hesitated then said, “Yes. We believe she is somewhere in South America now.”

“My dad was murdered, and I might as well have been killed too for all she cared,” I said with so much bitterness that I didn’t recognize my own voice. “How could he have loved someone like her?”

“I’m sure she must have had some good qualities. And as for your father, people will overlook a lot when they are in love.”

“What kind of person does something like that?” I said almost to myself. “Are all the Mohiri that unfeeling?”

Judith set down her cup. “I don’t know much about the Mohiri so I can’t speak for them, but don’t judge them all by the actions of one. I will tell you that the man who gave you his coat and stood guard over you all night can’t be all that bad. Maybe he’s not as friendly or easygoing as the people you’re used to, but he’s certainly not unfeeling either.”

So I hadn’t dreamed it. Her revelation confused me even more. Nikolas was like two different people in one body: the cold, hard warrior and the kind protector. It was hard to know which one would appear when he showed up.

“He feels responsible for me since he was the one who found me. I don’t think he even likes me because I don’t fall in line like a good little orphan.”

“I see.”

I got up and carried my dishes to the sink. “The Mohiri have this thing about orphans,” I explained as I rinsed my plate. “They find their orphans and raise them and train them to be warriors. Only I’m not like most orphans because I’m older. I can’t be persuaded to join the Mohiri like little kids can, and now Nikolas feels like he has to watch over me until he can get me off his hands. I don’t think he knows what to do with me.”

Judith chuckled softly and came to rinse her cup. “I think you may be right about that.” She nudged me away from the sink. “I’ll clean up here. Go throw your clothes in the dryer.”

I spent the rest of the morning helping Judith with housework, although she wouldn’t let me do anything too heavy because I was still recovering from the attack. There was something comforting about doing mundane chores after such a crazy night. Laundry and vacuuming have a way of grounding you when your life seems like it’s about to spin out of control.

By the time Roland showed up for lunch, the house was spic and span and I was learning how to make chicken rice casserole, which Judith guaranteed Nate would love. It was the kind of thing I should have learned from my own mother, if she’d cared enough to stick around. I hoped Judith saw how much it meant to me, because as usual I couldn’t find the words to say it out loud.

After lunch, Roland borrowed his mother’s car to make good on a promise he’d made to me. We drove down to the small Presbyterian Church in the Knolls, and he spent two hours teaching me to drive. Judith’s car was a stick, and it took me most of the lesson to get the hang of the gear stick and all the pedals. By the end of the lesson, I’d managed to drive once around the parking lot without stalling or popping the clutch.

“Can’t I learn on an automatic?” I whined after the car jerked forward for the hundredth time.

“Not if you want to learn anytime soon. Looks like the truck will be out of commission for a while – a long while.”

I quit complaining after that. He had worked and saved for two years to buy that old thing, and now it was ruined because of me. When I tried to apologize, he dismissed it. Apparently, he and Peter were some kind of local heroes after last night, since few werewolves get the chance to tangle with a crocotta, especially a pack of them. I wasn’t sure if that honor was worth losing his wheels, but Roland seemed to think so.

At three o’clock I decided I’d hidden out at Roland’s long enough. Judith put my casserole in a carrier, and I rolled up Nikolas’s jacket and stuck it in a plastic bag with my ruined coat so Nate would not see them. Roland drove me home in his mother’s car, and I couldn’t help but wonder more than once where Nikolas and Chris were today, if they were following us right now. After last night, I was torn about them hanging around. I definitely felt safer knowing they were nearby, but I couldn’t spend my life being followed and watched all the time. There were things in my life, secrets that I couldn’t share, and they would be hard to conceal if I was forever under surveillance. Hopefully, the vampires would give up soon and the Mohiri could leave and let things go back to normal. Judith told me that Maxwell had beefed up patrols in New Hastings today. The crocotta had struck too close to home, and the werewolves were worried about their own families. With the increased werewolf presence and the Mohiri warriors, New Hastings was probably safer right now than it had ever been.

Nate was at his computer when I got home. I stopped in front of his office door and held up the carrier. “Judith taught me how to make a casserole,” I gushed like a kid who’d just learned to tie her shoelaces. “Chicken and rice.”

“Really?” He eyed the carrier with anticipation. He didn’t say it, but I could tell he was happy – not because of Judith’s cooking, but because I was spending a lot more time with Roland and Peter. For once I agreed with him. Despite all the bad things that had happened in the last few weeks, I was happier than I’d felt in a long time.

Dinner was nice. Nate had two helpings of casserole, and we were both more relaxed than we’d been in a while. That didn’t stop him from noticing that something was off with me. “Are you feeling okay? You look a bit pale.”

“Just tired. We stayed up late last night, and I helped Judith around the house today.”

“Cooking and housework?”

“Hey, I do housework,” I protested, even though we both knew how much I disliked it. I’d rather gut fish down on the wharf than clean the bathroom.

Nate smiled like I’d said something funny, and I scowled at him.

“Why don’t you ask Judith if you can stay with them while I’m at the conference next week?” he said. “That way you won’t have to be here alone? Imagine what you could learn to cook in five days.”

Nate had started going to an annual writer’s conference in Boston two years ago, once he finally realized I was old enough to get along without him for a few days. Five whole days of total freedom. I loved Roland and Judith, but no way was I giving that up.

“Are you kidding? I’m going to order from Gino’s every day and dust off the Buffy DVDs.”

He grimaced. “Pizza and vampire slayers. What more could you want?”

“Hey, you should be glad I’ll just be lounging around in pajamas,” I said with a sly grin. “Although I could call up the cute drummer I met at the party last night and see if he wants to hang out.”

His eyes widened in dismay. “A drummer?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry. He’s also taking college classes in case the band thing doesn’t work out.”

The look on Nate’s face was priceless. “College? How old is this boy?”

“Um, twenty, I think.” I had no idea how old Samson was, but I was having too much fun to stop. “So really he’s more of a man than a boy when you think about it.”

Nate’s expression of horror was so funny I couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer. “Breathe, Nate. I’m just messing with you. I mean, I did meet a very nice guy, but nothing happened. Of course, that might not be the case if I was a normal girl who was going out and dating and all.”

He glowered at me. “How long have you been waiting to use that one?”

“A loooong time.” My heart felt light as I wrapped up the leftover casserole and put it in the fridge. I couldn’t remember the last time Nate and I had bantered this way. “When are you leaving?”

“Not until next Tuesday morning, and I’ll be back on Sunday. You have my cell number, and I’ll leave the hotel information on the fridge before I go.” He sipped the strong black tea he liked to have after dinner. “That way you can get hold of me anytime.”

“I’ll be fine,” I assured him. “Oh by the way, I need to get a new cell phone. I lost mine last night. It’s probably water logged now after all the rain.”

“How did you lose your phone?”

“Dropped it somewhere in the woods out in the Knolls,” I replied vaguely.

He looked at me over his cup. “Do I want to know what you were doing in the woods in the middle of a storm?” He shook his head. “Never mind, forget I asked. I’ll get you one tomorrow. I don’t want you here alone without a cell phone.”

Nate went back to his book, and I cleaned the dishes before I headed to my own computer. Judith had found information about Madeline so easily that I was hopeful I could learn more about her movements on my own. But I soon realized that Judith’s network knew a lot more than anything I could find online.

I was in the second hour of my fruitless search when I got the email from NightWatcher. It showed up in the email box I’d set up for message board correspondence to keep my real identity safe. I stared at the unopened message for a good five minutes before I clicked on it. It was the first time I’d heard from him since we made the arrangement to meet at the Attic, and I wondered what he wanted and why he’d waited this long to finally contact me. For a second, I contemplated deleting it, but my curiosity won out. I wanted to know why he hadn’t shown up that night. More than that, I wanted to know if he really knew anything about my father’s murder.

I’m sorry I didn’t go to meet you at the Attic. I did intend to go in, but when I got there it didn’t feel safe. I heard later that someone was attacked by a vampire that night. Portland is not a safe place these days. I left town that night, and I’ve been keeping a low profile ever since.

If you still want to talk, I want to meet you. Just not in Portland. Let’s pick a place away from there, where the vampires aren’t likely to go. I’d prefer to meet during the day if we can. I think that would be safer for both of us.

I sat back in my chair, staring at the screen. I had expected to never hear from NightWatcher again, and his email stirred the same need that had sent me to the Attic in the first place. No matter what had happened, I still had to find out why my dad was killed. The sane part of me protested that I didn’t know this guy from Adam and for all I knew, he could be luring me into some kind of trap. But a bigger part of me argued that I was never going to find the answers I sought, sitting in my bedroom searching Google.

I sent a quick email back, telling him I might have trouble getting away and asking if he could share what he knew online. His reply was almost immediate.

The things I know could mean my death if the wrong person learned of them. I need to meet you in person to be certain I can trust you. You will understand once we meet.

Hmmm, cryptic. I was more determined than ever to meet him now, but slipping away to meet him was going to be damn near impossible with my self-appointed bodyguards following me around, especially after the crocotta attack. There had to be a way to do this.

I still want to meet you. I just need to figure out some things. I’ll think of a place we can meet that will work for both of us. Let me see what I can work out and I’ll get back to you.

I clicked send and let out a long breath, wondering if I had done the right thing or made a huge mistake. The way things were going for me lately, I never knew what to expect when I set foot outside my door. But I couldn’t let that keep me hiding out at home and afraid to ever take chances again. I loved my freedom. If fear stole that from me, what kind of life would I have?

Bad things could happen whether you left your house or not – a painful truth I’d learned with my father’s death. And it wasn’t just me I had to think of now, but Nate as well. What if the crocotta had followed my trail back here instead of finding me on the road last night? Nate would have been helpless against such creatures.

Remy would know how to keep Nate safe. I needed to go see him as soon as possible, because the least I could do was try to protect Nate.

My injured back and arm ached as I undressed for bed. The scratches were healing at an incredible rate, and Chris said they would be completely gone in a few days. I’d have to make sure I wore long sleeves until they faded, because there was no way I could explain away those scars.

I turned off the light and pulled back my comforter, but instead of getting into bed I was drawn to the window. Parting the curtains, I looked down at the dark waterfront and wondered if Nikolas or Chris was out there right now, standing guard over my place. Roland told me that Nikolas had refused to leave the house even after Maxwell and the others arrived, though some of the younger wolves were very unhappy to have a couple of Mohiri hanging around. I had to say one thing about him; he was pretty serious about this whole protection thing. I just wished I knew how long it was going to last. Didn’t he have warrior business to take care of?

A movement in the shadows caught my eye, and I realized someone actually was out there, standing just outside the glow of the nearest streetlight. As if they heard my thoughts, the shadows moved again and a tall figure stepped into the light. I couldn’t see Nikolas’s face, but I knew it was him. A feeling like contentment settled in my chest, and I stepped back from the window. It’s nothing. I just feel better knowing he’s there… for Nate’s sake.

For the second night in a row, the nightmares stayed away.

* * *

Slipping away to see Remy or anyone else turned out to be a lot harder than I had anticipated with my two Mohiri bodyguards stepping up their watch after the attack. It wasn’t like I could just jump on my bike and ride down to see my troll friend, and if I admitted it to myself, I wasn’t too keen on going out into the woods alone right now. But it was frustrating as hell to have someone watching my comings and goings around the clock.

It wasn’t until Wednesday afternoon that I finally saw an opportunity to steal away. I got home from school to find a note from Nate saying he was at one of his environmental meetings. Peering out the window, I saw that Chris was on duty, sitting casually on a bench as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Didn’t he get bored just sitting there? I thought warrior business was supposed to be a lot more exciting.

As I watched, two girls approached and sat on either side of him, engaging him in conversation. At that moment, I could have kissed Jessie and Marie. I felt no pity for Chris because he seemed more than capable of holding his own against two teenage girls, and this was the perfect diversion to keep him occupied long enough for me to make my escape. In minutes, I was pushing my bike through the back door and between two buildings to Market Street.

Remy was standing just off the road, waiting for me, when I arrived. It was uncanny how he always knew when I was coming to see him. I’d asked him about it more than once, and he’d only smiled and said it was a troll thing.

Today he was not smiling. He spent a full five minutes going off about the crocotta attack and how I’d almost been killed. I should have known he’d know all about it. There was no way something that big had happened close to troll territory without them being aware. “This what happens when you go to city. Bad things come from city,” he ranted as we walked to the cliff.

“I know, I know. But I can’t go back and change that now. I guess you probably know about my new bodyguards too, huh?”

He nodded seriously. “Warriors are strong. They protect you.”

I told him about Nikolas coming to see me last week and his news that I was Mohiri. Remy didn’t blink an eye. “Did you know what I was all this time?” The possibility that he had known sent a pang of hurt through me.

“No,” he answered sincerely. “I knew you not normal human, but even trolls not know everything.”

“You knew I wasn’t normal?”

He smiled wickedly. “Everyone know that.”

“Funny guy!” I retorted, hitting him in the shoulder.

We sat in the cave for an hour while I told him about Nikolas and how he wanted me to go live with the Mohiri. “I don’t want to leave here. And I don’t want to live forever. Everyone I know will get old and die and I’ll still look like this.”

“I live long time.”

My eyes widened. “That’s right!” There was nothing I could do to change my immortality, but for the first time, the long years stretching before me didn’t seem quite as bleak.

“Do you think we will still be friends in a hundred years, Remy?” Just the thought of the two of us still being here after a century and looking like we did today was too much to imagine.

“We always be friends,” he stated with conviction.

My joy dimmed when another thought hit me. “I’ll have to go away for a long while, because if I stay here people will know I’m not aging. I won’t be able to come back until they’re all gone.” I gave him a hopeful smile. “You could come with me if you want. I could find us a place out in the country somewhere, maybe up in the mountains.”

He shook his head sadly. “Have to stay with family.”

“Oh.” I sighed heavily. Remy was adventurous for a troll, but he still had the deep sense of faith and family ingrained in all of his people. He was a steadfast friend, but his first loyalty would always be to his family. I understood it and respected it, even if the thought of leaving him for years saddened me.

I shook off my gloom; I would worry about leaving my friends behind when the time came to do it. Right now, I had more important things to take care of.

“Remy, I need to protect Nate in case a vampire or some other monster finds out where we live, maybe some spells to watch over him. You have warding spells, right?”

“I have strong ward for home, but it not help when uncle not at home. Troll magic not good for humans. But there some good spells you can use.”

“I need something really strong. Nate’s all the family I have.”

He stared at the floor of the cave for a minute before he said, “Ptellon blood. It most powerful protection, but it only last one moon. Then you use again.”

I made a face. “Blood! You want me to give Nate blood?”

His raspy laughter filled the cave. “Not real blood. Ptellon is special flower from mountain in the Asia land. It have red nectar like blood.”

“Oh, okay. I just didn’t want a repeat of the baktu – which was pretty gross by the way.” I rubbed my arms against the chill coming off the ocean. “How do I use it, and what does it do?”

“Put it in drink or food. It make bad smell to demons and Peoples, and they not go near him.”

“Won’t he smell it?”

“No smell for humans and animals.”

I gave him a wide smile. “That’s brilliant! I’ll see if Malloy can get it. How much will it cost?”

“It very strong. Maybe many human dollars.”

Money meant little to Remy, so when he said many dollars I knew he meant way more than I could come up with. I chewed my lip as I tried to figure out how to get the Ptellon blood.

“Bile worth many human dollars,” he offered, and I shook my head vigorously.

“We can’t use your bile again or someone will find us.” It was scary just thinking of the bile we had stashed in this cave; enough for someone to kill for.”

Remy paced the cave a few more times then zipped to the mouth of the cave. “Wait here,” he called before he disappeared up the side of the cliff.

“Where do you think I am going to go?” I shouted after him. There was no answer.

I sat near the opening with my back against the smooth wall. The wind moaned through the cave, reminding me how lonely this place was without Remy. I peered down at the ocean churning around the rocks like a great frothing mouth full of sharp teeth. I loved the sea, the wide openness of it, the smells and sounds. It always seemed to call to me when I was near it. One of the old fishermen told me once that he had saltwater in his veins and he would never be happy anywhere but on the ocean. At times like this, I knew exactly what he meant.

Remy reappeared after a few minutes, bearing a small sack of what looked like sticks. I looked at him in confusion before he laid the sack on the floor of the cave and flashed a wide grin at me as he held out his hand. On his palm lay a dozen or more large sparkling diamonds and one small ruby. He pointed to the ruby. “That buy Ptellon blood.”

I peered at the ruby, which didn’t look like it was more than half a carat. I didn’t know much about gems, but I knew rubies weren’t worth a whole lot.

“A ruby? Is it like magic or something?” I asked him tentatively, trying not to hurt his feelings.

He shook his head like I should know better. “It not ruby. It diamond.”

A red diamond? “Oh. Are they expensive?” It looked like a ruby to me. But then what did I know?

“This enough to buy you plenty Ptellon blood for uncle.”

“That little thing? Seriously?” It didn’t look like much, but if Remy said it was valuable, I believed him. “Listen, if this is worth so much, are you sure you want to give it to me? Won’t you get in trouble?”

He showed his teeth when he grinned. “Clan have many pretty baubles. You take all diamonds. Save others for when you need them.”

I knew the trolls had great wealth, but it occurred to me that their riches were way beyond my comprehension. “It’s like Smaug’s treasure,” I said, tucking the diamonds in the snug front pocket of my jeans. It wasn’t the first time Remy had given me precious stones to use as currency, and I wasn’t as dazzled by them as I used to be.

“Smaug?”

It took me several minutes to explain The Hobbit and the dragon sleeping on a mountain of treasure. Remy shook his head when I finished. “Dragons not care about baubles. They only like to eat.”

“Good to know,” I muttered, hoping I never had the opportunity to witness that for myself. I pointed to the sack on the floor. “So what’s with the sticks?”

“This for warding house.” He explained what all the items in the sack were and how to use them to create a ward. It took me a good thirty minutes to memorize the phrases he gave me to recite during the spell, and I figured I’d better do the ward as soon as I got home before I forgot something.

When it was time to go, Remy insisted on accompanying me back to town. He stuck to the woods as I rode my bike, and every now and then I caught a flash of him in the trees. If he’d wanted to he could have stayed invisible the whole time, but he let me see him so I’d know he was there.

The motorcycle came up behind me as I passed the city limit sign. I didn’t turn around, and the Ducati purred behind me like a big hungry cat all the way downtown. I considered making a run for the door when I got home, but apparently Nikolas had anticipated that. When we hit the waterfront he went on ahead, and by the time I reached home he was standing by the corner of the building with his arms crossed and wearing a scowl that made me want to turn around and ride the other way. His moods changed so fast it was hard to keep up with them. The angry man waiting for me now did not resemble the person who had given me his coat and watched over me while I’d slept two nights ago.

“Did you not learn anything the other night?” he demanded, taking a step toward me. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

Swallowing dryly, I got off my bike and walked it toward him. “Of course not.” There was no way I could tell him that I’d been quite safe with a troll who could handle any threat to me.

“No?” His eyes darkened. “Do you want to tell me where you had to sneak off to that was so important?”

“No,” I replied, ignoring the command in his voice.

His jaw clenched and I knew he was furious, but I wasn’t going to cower to him. I did not have to explain my every move to him.

“There is nothing but woods for miles south of town. What were you doing out there?”

Instead of answering his question, I asked, “How did you find me anyway? Did you put one of those trackers on my bike, too?”

“No, but maybe I should.”

“No, you should not!” I sputtered. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not, but right now I would not put it past him. “I’m not helpless, you know, and I don’t need you guys following me around twenty-four seven. I took care of myself pretty well before you came along.”

Nikolas cocked his head, and one corner of his mouth lifted arrogantly. “Yes, I can see how well you do on your own,” he drawled in an infuriatingly condescending tone. “I’m amazed you lived this long.”

It hurt that he thought so little of me, but I refused to let him know that. More than that, it angered me that I should care about his opinion of me at all. “I’m sorry I’m such a trial to you, but no one is asking you to stick around here. You can go back to doing your warrior thing – hunting vampires or whatever you do – and forget all about me.”

I moved past him, but he did that blurring thing again and I found my way blocked by a wide chest. A hand grabbed my handlebar when I tried to go around him, and it felt like my bike was cemented to the ground. He leaned down and spoke with deadly softness into my ear. “If I was a vampire, you’d be dead – or worse.”

My breath hitched, and for several seconds I was back in the alley, pressed against the brick wall, unable to move. Shaking off the memory, I glared up at him, hating him for reminding me how weak and helpless I’d felt with Eli. Our eyes met inches apart, and the Mori in me shifted restlessly, sending a ripple of some foreign emotion through me. I tore my gaze from his, angry that he had the power to affect even a little part of me.

“Does it even matter?”

“What?”

“You said that day on the wharf that you can’t save every orphan. What difference does one more make?”

Nikolas stiffened, and I realized I’d probably just insulted his warrior ego or something. I was tired of this overbearing, He-Man routine, and it felt good to know that he wasn’t as invincible as he let on.

“Do you mind letting go of my bike?” I asked when he didn’t respond to my question. “Nate will be home soon, and it’s my turn to make dinner.” And I needed to get away from him because he made me feel angry and safe and afraid at the same time and I didn’t know why.

Instead of loosening his grip, he growled. “Khristu! Do you not understand the danger you’re in? I know you want to believe you’re safe here surrounded by your werewolf friends, but someone went to great lengths sending that pack of crocotta to find you. If it is that vampire, he won’t give up.”

His words made the back of my neck prickle, and I remembered the hunger in Eli’s eyes when he had been forced to release me.

Nikolas saw me waver. “If you are honest with yourself, you’ll admit I’m right.” He let go of the handlebar and laid a warm hand over one of mine. “I can protect you if you’ll let me.”

I tried to ignore the small tremble that went through me. How was it possible to dislike someone and feel fluttery inside at the same time? His nearness suddenly made it hard to think straight. Pulling my hand away, I stammered, “I really need to go inside now.”

This time he didn’t try to stop me. He stepped aside, and I pushed my bike past him. I hurried around to the back door and stood the bike against the wall while I searched for my keys. I didn’t realize he had followed me until he spoke.

“You can run away from me, but you can’t run from the truth. The werewolves can’t protect you forever, and eventually, you’ll have to leave New Hastings. What will you do then?”

My hand stilled on the doorknob. “When that happens it’ll be my problem, not yours,” I replied without looking at him. I opened the door and pushed my bike inside. “I don’t want you following me around anymore.”

“And I don’t want you to keep putting yourself in danger. Seems like neither of us will get what we want.”

I didn’t reply. I just let the heavy door close behind me.