SARA, YOU LOOK very nice tonight.”
I tugged at the hem of my borrowed top as I stepped into Tristan’s suite. “Jordan tried to go all Professor Higgins on me.” My new friend was a lot bossier than my friends back home, and it was hard to say no to her when she got an idea into her head. Tonight, she had somehow convinced me to wear one of her tops – a pale pink one with a pretty floral lace overlay that was the least revealing of the ones she’d forced me to try on – and leave my hair down for once. At least the top wasn’t as form fitting on me as it was on her. I’d drawn the line at the heels she wanted me to wear and opted for comfortable flats instead.
Tristan laughed and shut the door behind me. “Well, you look lovely and none the worse for wear from your little ordeal this morning.”
“That was nothing compared to some of the other scrapes I’ve been in.” I sat on the couch, and he sat across from me, sporting a furrowed brow. “Seriously, I’m fine,” I assured him.
His face relaxed into a smile. When I’d first met him, I wasn’t sure how I felt about him, especially with him being Madeline’s father. Tristan was an easy person to like, and it wasn’t hard to see that he cared about me.
“I have a surprise for you.”
I made a face. “I don’t really like surprises. They tend to try to eat me or do some other awful thing to me.”
His blue eyes sparkled with humor. “I promise you’ll like this one. How would you like to meet your cousin?”
“He’s back?” I tried to remember if I’d seen any new faces today, but I couldn’t think of one.
“He got back a few days ago. We talked today and decided it was time you knew who he was. I thought it would be nice if the three of us had dinner together – if you are ready for that.”
“O-okay.” It took me less than ten seconds to figure out who had returned to Westhorne a few days ago. My mouth suddenly felt very dry and a pit opened in my stomach. Cousins?
Someone rapped firmly on the door, and my stomach dipped.
“Ah, perfect timing.” Tristan went to the door. I stood, my hand nervously touching my hair.
“Hope I’m not late. I wouldn’t have missed this little family get together for the world.”
My mouth fell open as Chris sauntered into the room, his grin aimed at me. He strode over and pulled me into a hug. “My little cousin.”
Recovering from my shock, I pushed him away, which only made him snicker.
“You’re my cousin?”
“Yep.”
I burst into laughter.
After a minute, I was in tears and holding my sides, and Chris was starting to look affronted. I honestly didn’t know if I was laughing so hard because out of all the Mohiri in the world Chris was my cousin, or because I was relieved it had been him and not someone else on the other side of the door. If I hadn’t been so anxious, I would have realized that I hadn’t sensed Nikolas nearby.
“Sorry,” I said, composing myself. Looking from Chris to Tristan I saw a resemblance I couldn’t believe I had not noticed before. Chris’s eyes were green whereas Tristan’s were blue, but their hair color was almost identical and they had similar facial features, especially around the nose and mouth. “So, you are Tristan’s nephew?”
“We call each other kinsmen. He and my mother are brother and sister.”
“Did you know we were related when you were in New Hastings?”
Chris made a face. “Not at first. And once I did, you have no idea how many times I wanted to take you over my knee for your little antics.”
“Ha! You could have tried. If I recall correctly, you were too busy fending off girls to do much else.”
“Human girls are a lot more aggressive than Mohiri women, and you were no help at all. In fact, I think you encouraged some of them.”
I couldn’t hold back a smirk. “I use any weapon on hand to get the job done.”
Tristan smiled at both of us. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about breaking the ice between you two.”
I helped him carry roast chicken and salad to the table and filled the water glasses. Tristan’s suite had its own kitchen, and he had confided to me on my last visit that he liked to cook but rarely had anyone to do it for. Now that I was here, he was enjoying using his stove again.
It was the first time Chris and I had ever eaten together – or spent any amount of time together when I was not in danger – and I found myself enjoying his company immensely. I already knew he was charming and had a great sense of humor, and over dinner I learned a lot more about him. He was born in eighteen seventy-six, and he told me all about growing up at a compound in Oregon. He was an only child, and he didn’t see his parents much because they lived in Germany now. Not long after he became a warrior, he came to Westhorne to serve under Tristan and had been there ever since. It was clear that Chris was very loyal to Tristan and not just because he was family. Tristan had a way of commanding the respect of the people under him. Watching my cousin and my grandfather together, I saw the closeness that Nikolas had told me existed in Mohiri families. If only Nate was here, my family would be complete.
After dinner, Chris and I cleared the table and tidied the kitchen together, and I couldn’t help but think that a few weeks ago, the last thing I’d expected to be doing was having dinner with family or washing dishes with my cousin. They were such normal family activities, and they made me smile to myself as I put the dishes away.
When the dishes were done, Tristan poured drinks for him and Chris and we went into the living room where they told me more of my family history. They mentioned a lot of people, some living and some dead, and it was hard to keep up with the conversation at times. Inevitably, Madeline’s name came up, and I tensed when Tristan asked me about her.
“You’ve not asked me anything about your mother or what her childhood was like. Do you ever wonder about her?”
“No,” I said more abruptly than I’d meant to. “I know Madeline is your daughter and you’ll love her no matter what, but she means nothing to me. I’m sorry if that sounds cold.”
Tristan nodded sadly and I regretted hurting him, but I would not lie to him or let him harbor any false hopes of reconciliation between Madeline and me. All she was to me now was a means of finding the Master, and once we had him, she could disappear again for all I cared.
Chris swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “So, Sara, I hear you’ve actually named those two monsters of yours. And you have them eating out of your hands, just like Nikolas said you would.”
“Nikolas?”
“He tracked them down at one of our holding facilities in Minneapolis and had them sent here.” Chris smiled wryly at my look of surprise. “He said you would be upset if they were locked away. I told him they were going to eat someone, and he bet me you’d have them eating out of your hands in no time. You, little cousin, cost me my favorite set of throwing knives.”
“Sorry,” I replied absently, shocked by the news that Nikolas had found Hugo and Woolf and sent them here for me. First, he takes off without a word and I don’t hear from him for weeks. And now I learn that he went out of his way to do something he knew would make me happy. I would never figure him out.
“About the hellhounds.” Tristan leaned forward, smiling again. “Sahir thinks it’ll be safe to let them out for short walks with you as long as we keep everyone else away at first.”
“Really? When can we start?”
“Tomorrow.”
I let out an excited squeal that would have made Olivia envious.
Chris and Tristan were still laughing when someone knocked on the door. I felt the telltale flutter before Tristan opened the door to invite Nikolas in. I was still embarrassed about that morning, and as much as I had argued with Jordan about him, all her words came rushing back to me now.
Nikolas entered the apartment and stopped as if he was surprised to see me there. His gaze lingered on me for several seconds before it shifted to Chris and then Tristan. I could see no sign that he was happy to see me. So much for Jordan’s theories.
“I’ll leave so you guys can take care of business,” I said to Tristan.
He shook his head. “No, this concerns you. Nikolas has been investigating the kark attack.” He looked at Nikolas. “I assume you have something for us.”
Nikolas sat on the other end of the couch, and I immediately sensed the stiffness in his bearing even though I was trying to look anywhere but at him. His dark mood confused me, and I tried not to fidget when I felt his eyes on me.
“We examined Sara’s shirt. The karks destroyed one side of it, so we focused on the scraps of fabric left there and found traces of what looks like scarab pheromone.” Nikolas glanced at me. “The only way Sara could have gotten it on her clothes is if someone put it there.”
Tristan’s smile faded. “I cannot believe anyone inside these walls would try to hurt one of our own.”
“I find it hard to believe as well, but the evidence speaks for itself. Sahir said he found it odd there was no pheromone spray in the crates with the shipment of eggs. It’s likely someone took it out before he searched them.”
“Why would anyone here target Sara?” Chris mused. He gave me a sidelong look. “Your beasties didn’t snack on someone, did they?”
“Ha, ha,” I retorted. “It’s not like I don’t have enemies out there.”
Tristan shook his head. “Out there, yes, but not in here, and we’ve found nothing to indicate the vampires believe you are still alive. Even if they did, there is no way a Mohiri would betray one of their own people for a vampire.”
“I agree.” Nikolas’s tone was clipped but full of conviction. “There must be another motive.” He looked at me like he thought I was keeping something back, but I had no reason to hide anything.
“Trainees have been known to prank each other. They were brutal back in my day. Perhaps one of them did this as a practical joke and it got out of hand,” Chris suggested.
“I don’t know any of them that well, but they’ve all been nice to me. I really can’t see one of them doing something that could hurt me.”
Chris’s eyebrows went up. “Jordan? Nice?”
“She has her moments.” Even if she did make me wear this stupid top. “I like her actually. I took her to meet Hugo and Woolf today, and they didn’t go all growly on her so she must be okay.”
“Jordan will make a great warrior one day,” Nikolas commented, and I knew she would be ecstatic to hear such praise from him. “You could learn a lot from her.”
“She is already teaching me a lot.” I wondered what he would say if I told him that Jordan’s education centered on what to wear to attract guys instead of how to use a sword.
I stood and turned to Tristan. “I should get going. I need to call Nate because I forgot to ask him yesterday if he’s still coming for Thanksgiving.”
Tristan chuckled. “I doubt you could keep him away. I’ve already arranged for the plane to pick him up in Portland in two weeks.”
I thought about the small private jet that had flown me to Boise, and I wished I could see Nate’s face when he saw it. I never asked about finances, but the jet was evidence that the Mohiri must have a sizeable fortune at their disposal.
“I can’t wait for you guys to meet each other.”
He walked me to the door. “I’m looking forward to it, too. He sounds like a nice person on the phone.”
I stopped short to stare at him. “You talked to Nate?”
Tristan looked surprised by my reaction. “We speak at least once a week. You didn’t know?”
“No.” Why hadn’t Nate mentioned it to me? “What do you talk about? You don’t even know each other.”
“We are getting to know each other. He wants to make sure you are happy here; he knows how much you miss your friends back home. The last time we spoke he wanted to know if you’d started dating anyone yet. Apparently, the boys back home were not to your liking.”
I cringed inwardly. The absolute last thing I wanted anyone – especially my uncle and my grandfather – discussing was my nonexistent love life. “Excuse me while I go kill my uncle.”
“I will see you tomorrow.” Tristan opened the door, not hiding his amusement. I turned to say good-bye to the others, only to find Nikolas standing a few feet away from us wearing a scowl. What did he have to be annoyed about? I was the one who was embarrassed.
“I’ll walk with you so we can talk about tomorrow’s training,” Nikolas said. He had been cool toward me since he arrived, and I hoped he would get over it by tomorrow. I did not want to train with him like this.
Tristan put up a hand when Nikolas moved toward the door. “Actually, I need to speak with you, Nikolas, if you don’t mind.”
Nikolas looked as if he was going to refuse, but he merely nodded instead. I was pretty sure they were going to continue their discussion about the karks, and I was done with that conversation. Chris was probably right about it being a prank gone astray, and even if it turned out that Celine was behind it, I found it hard to believe she would want to cause me serious harm.
“I will walk my sweet little cousin out,” Chris announced. He came up behind me to tug on my hair and laughed when I smacked his hand away. “Just trying to make up for all the years I missed out on.”
“Before you get any ideas, Dimples, I should remind you my best friends are boys and I know many forms of retaliation. I even picked up a few tricks from Remy.”
He winked as he slipped past me. “I’ve learned to never underestimate a girl with troll friends.”
“I’ll see you later,” I said to Tristan and Nikolas. Then I followed Chris. His apartment was two doors down, and I said good-bye at his door to head back to my own room. Away from Nikolas’s brooding stare, I breathed a little easier. I had expected him to be less intense now that I was finally safe inside a Mohiri stronghold, but if anything, his moods were more mercurial than ever. Didn’t the guy ever loosen up and let go of the whole warrior thing? I thought back to the night we had sat by the fire and talked during the storm. That was probably the most relaxed I had ever seen Nikolas. Why couldn’t he be that way again?
Gah! Two months ago I was running from vampires and rescuing trolls, and now I was reduced to obsessing about some guy’s moods. It figured that I had to find out I was immortal only to start behaving like a normal teenage girl. I was sure there was some great irony in this and someday I’d laugh at it, but I was too annoyed with myself to look for it now. God, do not let me turn into one of those girls.
I was still frowning when I picked up the phone and called Nate, who answered on the second ring.
“Is everything okay?” he asked with a note of concern in his voice.
“Everything is great. Why?”
“Because you usually call every few days and we talked last night. You’re sure you are okay?”
I stretched out on the bed. “I’m sure Tristan would have told you if anything was wrong.”
There was a short pause before he cleared his throat. “So he told you. I thought I should know what kind of people are taking care of you out there. Your . . . grandfather sounds like a nice, responsible person, and he cares about you very much.”
“I’m not mad at you, Nate. I think it’s kind of sweet actually. I just don’t know why you didn’t tell me you two were becoming long-distance pals.”
“I didn’t want you to think I don’t trust you or that I’m checking up on you. If you don’t want me talking to him, I won’t.”
“No, I think it’s great that you two are getting to know each other. Just do me one favor and please, please don’t talk about my love life with him ever again. Do you know how awkward it is to find out that your uncle and your grandfather have been discussing your boyfriend situation?”
Nate laughed. “Okay, I promise no more of that. Is there a boyfriend situation?”
“Nate!”
“You can’t blame me for trying.”
I let out a loud, exaggerated sigh. “No, there is no boyfriend. I think I made a friend, though.”
“You think you made a friend?”
“Well, with Jordan it’s hard to tell. She can be a bit prickly, and she’s not really a people person.”
“Hmmm. Sounds a bit like a girl who used to live here for a while.”
“My uncle, the comedian,” I quipped, earning another laugh from him. “Anyway, you’ll meet her when you get here. You are still coming for Thanksgiving, right?”
“Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Tristan told me he’s sending the jet. Wait’ll you see this thing; it’s like the whole rock star treatment.”
“I can’t wait.”
“And don’t forget Oscar.” I couldn’t wait to see him again, although the imps probably wouldn’t be as happy about his arrival. I still needed to pick up a litter box and food for him, and I made a note to ask Tristan if I could go shopping in town. Terrence and Josh went into Butler Falls all the time and no one seemed to have a problem with it.
“Don’t worry; he is at the top of my list.”
“List? What else are you bringing?”
There was a noticeable pause before he answered. “A box of things from your old house.”
I felt my brow crease. “What things? I have all my dad’s stuff.”
Another pause. “These are some things your father kept of your mother’s. I held onto them because I thought you might want them someday.”
“I don’t,” I replied stiffly, too shocked by his revelation to say more. I’d always assumed Madeline had taken everything of hers when she left us. Now to find out that Nate had kept some of her belongings all this time . . .
“I know but I thought Tristan might like to have them. It’s just some old books and photo albums and a few letters, but they may be of sentimental value to him.”
I started to say something not so nice and stopped myself. I felt nothing but animosity for Madeline, but she was still Tristan’s daughter and it was clear he cared about her. I saw the pain he tried to hide whenever I refused to talk about her. Madeline’s belongings meant nothing to me, but they might mean a great deal to him.
“I’m sure he will appreciate that, Nate.”
We talked for another ten minutes, mostly about his book. He told me that a reporter from a New York literary magazine had contacted him yesterday about doing an interview. The woman was coming up from New York next week to meet with him, and I could tell Nate was pretty excited about it. He promised to tell me all about it when he came to visit.
I hung up and started to log into my computer when I heard a soft knock on the door. Glancing at my clock, I saw it was after nine thirty, and I wondered who was visiting me this late. I was surprised to find the hallway empty, except for a small flat box on the floor in front of my door. Who would leave me a package? I picked it up and shook it, but it didn’t make any noise.
Closing the door, I carried the box to my desk and lifted the top to reveal a folded sheet of heavy linen stationary lying on top of the tissue paper that concealed the contents of the box. I opened the note and felt a second jolt of surprise when I saw who had penned it.
I hope you will come to love these as I do. Desmund.
The handwriting was elegant and precise with a slight flourish in the D at the beginning of his name, just how I would expect an English lord to write. I sat there for a full minute, staring at the note and marveling that Desmund had actually sent me a gift, before I pushed aside the tissue paper to see two CDs of Beethoven’s and Shubert’s greatest hits.
Touched by his gift, I popped in the Shubert CD before I sat down at my computer again. My good mood lasted as long as it took me to log into my favorite message board and see the flurry of activity there. The vampire watchers were out in full force tonight, exchanging stories of suspected vampire-related disappearances all over the country. Something was up and everyone was on edge. People went missing all the time, but vampires were usually discreet about their involvement, taking care not to hunt openly and attract too much attention. But according to the stories I was reading, missing persons cases had almost doubled in Los Angeles, Vegas, Houston, and a number of other large cities. I chewed my lower lip as I read each disturbing post. Could vampires really be responsible for all those disappearances? If so, why weren’t they being more careful to hide their tracks? Weren’t they worried at all about bringing the Mohiri down on their heads?
An email from David arrived as I was about to log off for the night. It was brief like most of his correspondence, just a note to tell me he thought one of his new leads might pan out and he’d let me know if anything turned up. He also mentioned the increase in vampire activity and told me to make sure I kept my head down. I rolled my eyes as I signed off. As if I need to be reminded of that.
Later, as I lay in bed trying to still my racing thoughts, I felt the softest brush against my mind. It made me think of Nikolas, and a feeling of security settled over me. It was strange how he was still the only Mohiri I could sense that way.
Maybe if I learned to connect with my Mori I would be more attuned to others. What do you think, demon? I asked it as I drifted deeper into sleep. You ready to make some other friends?
It could have been my imagination, but I swear it said, No.
