“Khristu!” What in God’s name was she doing? I stared at her face, which was devoid of fear even though she stood inches from one of the deadliest creatures on the planet. A new chilling thought hit me. What if she hadn’t come away from the Hale witch attack unscathed after all? Why else would she do something so suicidal?
Worry about that later. My only concern now was getting her out of here alive. If we survived this, I’d find her the best healers in the world.
Roland ran from the kitchen. “Sara, are you insane? Do you know what that is?”
She took a defensive stance in front of the troll, raising her hands to ward us off. “He’s my friend! His name is Remy.”
I jerked to a stop mid-stride, and my jaw fell.
“That is Remy?” Roland’s shock echoed mine.
“Yes. Now back off, both of you,” she yelled as fiercely as a mother bear protecting its cub.
If the archangel Michael himself had appeared in front of me, I could not have been more dumbfounded. My hands fell limply to my sides as I watched Sara turn to the troll and take its hand.
“Are you okay?” she asked tenderly as if she expected it to answer her.
The troll immediately stopped snarling, and it wrapped its long fingers around hers.
Roland recovered first. “Is he okay?” He looked at me. “I nearly had a heart attack and she’s worried about a troll. A goddamn troll!”
“Roland, shut up,” Sara snapped, still facing the creature. “Remy, what’s wrong? Please tell me.”
The troll looked at her, and I could have sworn I saw fear in its eyes. “Minka gone. Creah and Sinah, too,” it replied, sending me reeling again. A troll speaking English?
“Gone? What do you mean gone?” she asked fearfully.
“Humans take them.”
She gasped. “We’ll find them. We’ll get them back.”
A dull throbbing started in my head, and I rubbed my temples wearily. I wondered vaguely when I’d last had a headache, and decided it had to be that time Chris and I battled a thirty-foot rageon demon in Nebraska in nineteen seventy-three. The serpentine demon had slammed me into the ground so hard my ears had buzzed for an hour after we’d finally killed the beast. After taking on a rageon demon, I knew there was nothing I couldn’t handle.
Of course, a monstrous demon with diamond-hard scales, ten-inch claws and paralyzing venom had nothing on Sara Grey.
I almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. “Does your uncle have any alcohol here?”
Sara turned her head to stare at me. “How will that help us?”
“It won’t. I need a drink.” Or twenty.
Roland looked as wrung out as I felt. “I’ll help you look.”
She glared at us, still holding the troll’s hand. “You guys are not helping the situation. Remy’s little cousins are in a lot of danger, and we have to find them.”
I leaned against the wall as the pounding in my head grew worse. “We have enough problems to deal with without going out looking for missing trolls. Have you forgotten your own considerable troubles?”
Her eyes took on a haunted look. “But this is my fault. I have to help them.”
The troll spoke up. “Is our fault. Sara warn me it dangerous but I not believe it. I need medicine for boggie.”
“What on Earth is he talking about?” Roland asked. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Sara chewed her lower lip. Any other time, I’d find that endearing. In our current situation, it filled me with misgiving.
“Remy has this boggie friend who was sick, and they needed a special medicine that you can’t get here,” she said. “It only comes from Africa, and it’s very hard to find – and really expensive. I found someone to get it for us, but we needed it as soon as possible so Remy gave me something to trade for it…something very hard to find.”
Oh, hell no. “Please tell me you’re joking.”
She shook her head.
“Sukin syn!” I bit out, followed by some choice words I rarely used. If we survived the night, it would be a bloody miracle.
Roland frowned. “What? What am I missing?”
I paced the short hallway. “Iisus Khristos! You used troll bile to buy the medicine? What the hell were you thinking?”
“Oh, Sara, you didn’t,” Roland croaked.
“I was careful,” she said. “I went through a guy I used a few times before for other things, and he’s always careful. He said he went through a middle man with an overseas buyer and there was no way to trace it back to me. But a few weeks later I found out that someone was posting on some of the message boards, asking about troll bile, and I got worried. I never believed they would find us, let alone be brave enough to do something like this.”
“Not brave, incredibly stupid.” Whoever had taken those young trolls had just signed their own death warrant, and possibly ours as well.
Her shoulders slumped miserably, but there was no time to comfort her. I had no idea how long the trolls had been missing or when the clan would retaliate. It might already be too late to get Sara out of here.
I turned to the troll. “How long do we have?”
“Elders meet now. I come find Sara to see if we find little ones before.”
Roland looked at us in confusion. “Before what?”
Sara’s voice was barely a whisper. “A rampage. The elders are going to rampage.”
Roland turned to me. “That does not sound good.”
I laughed harshly. “There is a reason why no one – not even a vampire – tangles with trolls. If you mess with one troll, you get the whole clan, and if you harm one of their young, you die. And if a young troll goes missing, the clan rises up to find them – or who took them. Trolls are even better trackers than crocotta, and once they are worked up into a rage, they will kill anyone who has come into contact with their missing children. And during a rampage, trolls do not distinguish between the innocent and the guilty.”
Sara and Roland paled. Even the troll looked scared, which didn’t bode well for us.
When the doorbell rang, I answered it, knowing it had to be Chris. “Just in time for the real fun,” I quipped as he stepped inside.
“Fun?” He grinned and walked past me.
And then he saw the troll.
“What…what…?” he uttered, his face draining of color.
“Here, you need this more than I do.” Roland handed Chris a glass of whiskey, which Chris downed in one gulp.
“Nikolas, why is there a troll here?” Chris asked without taking his eyes off Sara’s friend.
“Chris, meet Remy, Sara’s partner in crime,” I said wryly.
“Huh?”
I filled him in on Sara’s troll friend and what the two of them had been up to. Before he could recover from his shock, I brought him up to speed on everything else that had happened in the last hour.
“This is some kind of joke, right?”
“God, I wish it was.” We followed the others into the living room, and I went to stand by the window. I would not have been surprised to see a horde of trolls descending upon us.
Chris sat on the couch and smirked at me. “Your little orphan is just full of surprises. Never a dull moment.”
“I’m nobody’s little orphan,” retorted Sara, who sat near the fireplace with the troll beside her. No matter how many times I saw them together, I still couldn’t believe my eyes.
Chris chuckled. “So, what’s the plan?”
“We’ve got to find them,” Sara answered.
No one spoke, and her eyes misted. I could handle anything but her tears.
“They’re only babies,” she said. “God knows what those people will do to them.”
“Can’t he track them?” Roland asked, pointing at the troll, who shook his head sadly.
“Only elders know tracking. If I close, I find them.”
That was all well and good, but we had to get close to them first. I didn’t want to bring up the fact that those trolls could be in the next state by now. Anyone who would risk their lives to steal young trolls was not going to stay around their territory. If it were me, I’d be on a plane to some place on the far side of the planet.
“I’m calling Malloy.” Sara pulled out her phone. “If anyone has heard about this, it’s him.”
“Who is Malloy?” How many damn people were messed up in this?
Sara ignored me, so Roland answered. “Buyer.”
Buyer? I frowned at him, and he made a face. “Don’t ask.”
Oh, I’d ask all right. When this was over – if we made it out alive – Sara and I were going to have a long and very overdue talk.
I took out my own phone and called Erik. I gave him a brief overview and told him to recall his guys from Boston. Chris gave me a questioning look when I hung up.
“I called in Erik’s team. It has to be a big player to risk the trolls’ wrath. I guess we know who sent the witch, too. It had to be someone with a lot of power and influence to get one of them.”
A soft gasp drew my attention to Sara, who had suddenly gone pale. “This is all my fault. I’m so sorry, Remy.”
“It my fault, too,” he told her quietly.
“I promise we’ll get them back.” She hugged him – and he hugged her back, making me question everything I’d ever heard about the notoriously hostile race. Before today, I’d never even seen a troll in person. Tristan had some dealings with them, but that was before my time. How the hell had Sara not only met one but befriended him as well? Watching them together, it was obvious they had been close friends a long time. Chris was right. My little orphan was full of surprises. Thank God, there was no way she could top this one.
Movement in the hallway drew my attention. Peter entered the living room and came up short. “Am I delirious, or do I really see a troll over there?”
“Pete, meet Remy,” Roland said. “He and Sara have been trading his bile for stuff on the black market. Someone tracked them down and kidnapped three of his little cousins, and unless we find them ASAP, we’re all going to be killed in a really horrible way by a mob of angry trolls.” He looked at me. “That sound right?”
“Pretty much.”
“Oh.” Peter lost some of the color he’d regained and sank down to sit on the floor.
Chris came over to stand by me. “What’s the plan?” he asked in a low voice.
“There’s nothing we can do to stop the trolls if they rampage,” I said. “If we don’t hear from Sara’s friend soon, we need to get her out of here. The trolls will only go after people who’ve been in direct contact with their young. It sounds like they know Sara, but I won’t risk it.”
“She won’t go quietly.”
I watched her talking to the troll. “I know, but it’s too dangerous for her here. Someone sent a damn Hale witch after her, Chris. I have no idea how she got away from him.”
He followed my gaze to her. “You think she’s holding out on us?”
“I hope not, but then I never expected to meet a troll today either.”
Sara’s phone rang. She spoke to the caller for several minutes, and when she hung up, her eyes shone with excitement.
“I got the address of a place in Portland where they might be keeping Minka, Creah, and Sinah. They’re planning to fly them out tomorrow on a private jet.”
She jumped to her feet. “Come on, we have to go before it’s too late.”
I stepped away from the window. “Chris and I will go. I think we can handle whatever kind of security they have in place.”
“I’m coming, too,” she said. “I got them into this nightmare, and I’ll get them out.”
“Forget it. It’s not going to happen.”
There was no way I was taking Sara anywhere near that place after today. The thought of her facing another Hale witch, or something even worse, made my gut clench.
She crossed her arms defiantly. “Stop telling me what to do. I’m going whether you like it or not.”
“Like hell,” I shot back, letting my fear for her get the best of me. “I’ll tie your little ass to that chair over there if I have to.”
Her face flushed angrily. “You can kiss my –”
Chris grinned and put himself between us. “I don’t think this little debate is getting us anywhere. As entertaining as it promises to be.”
My eyes stayed on Sara. “There is no debate. She stays here.”
I expected her to yell at me. She tried a new argument instead.
“All right Mr. I-Know-Better-Than-Everyone-Else, what will you do when you find them? I bet they didn’t teach you in warrior school how to handle a bunch of frightened troll kids.”
Nice try. “Your troll friend will come with us.”
“And who will stay here with me while you guys are on your rescue mission?”
“The werewolves should be able to keep you safe here for a few hours.” Once I called Maxwell, this place would be crawling with pack.
“Really? And what happens if that witch finds us again?” she replied. “Wouldn’t I be safer with a bunch of warriors, two werewolves, and a troll?”
The troll came up behind her and gave me a solemn look. “Sara come. I keep her safe.”
My resolve wavered. The troll was better protection for her than all of Maxwell’s wolves together. He was clearly loyal to her, and the fierce promise in his eyes told me he would guard her with his life. I didn’t want to take her to Portland, but I didn’t want to leave her behind either. This way, I would keep her close by without driving myself insane worrying about her safety.
“You do not leave his side.”
“I won’t,” she promised happily.
I exhaled sharply. “Let’s go.”
Outside, Sara followed Roland and Peter to their car. She motioned for her troll friend to come with them, but he shook his head.
“Oh, I forgot.” She glanced at Roland. “Trolls don’t like cars.”
“How fast can he run?” Peter asked, eyeing the troll dubiously.
Sara and the troll smiled as if sharing a private joke. “Don’t worry. He can keep up.” She hugged the troll and got into the back of the car.
Chris walked to his bike. I moved toward mine, but changed my mind and tossed Chris my keys to grab my stuff. I wasn’t ready to let Sara out of my sight after what had happened earlier.
The three of them looked surprised when I opened the door and got in, but no one said anything. Sara looked around expectantly, and I said, “Chris will follow us.”
She nodded stiffly and turned away to look out the window, still upset with me for trying to make her stay.
A smile played around my mouth as I studied her profile. She drove me crazy, challenging me at every turn. She was also one of the few people who refused to back down from me. God must have had a good laugh when he decided to bond the two of us. One thing I could be sure of: life with Sara would never be boring.
We drove for a few minutes before Peter turned in his seat and gave Sara an expectant look.
She answered with a frown. “What?”
“Really? That’s all you have to say about the troll who was just sitting in your living room?”
She smiled and her expression softened. “I met Remy not long after I moved here to live with Nate, before I met you guys. I used to go exploring down by the old lumber mill, and one day he saw me and just decided to show himself to me. He was only a year older than me and pretty adventurous for a troll.”
Adventurous was a gross understatement. Trolls did not associate with many species, let alone befriend them. According to her story, her friend Remy had to have been no more than nine years old when they met. Knowing how protective trolls were over their young, I found it hard to believe the elders had let him out alone and then had permitted him and Sara to continue their friendship.
“Weren’t you scared?” Roland asked. “I would have wet my pants if a troll walked up to me in the woods when I was that age.”
“You still would,” Peter said, and the three of them laughed.
I didn’t add that I probably would have wet mine too in her place.
“I was scared at first,” she admitted. “Even back then Remy looked pretty fierce. But he knew some broken English, so we were able to talk and I found out he was as nervous as me. It was a…pretty hard time for me. I’d just lost my dad and moved to a strange place, and I was lonely. Remy was my first friend here.”
Her voice quivered on the last sentence. I imagined how difficult it must have been for her back then, a little girl, grieving her father and starting over in a new place where she knew no one but her uncle. She’d been so lonely she had reached out to the first creature that had shown her kindness.
Peter’s eyes widened. “But trolls don’t like anyone, especially humans. They kill anyone who gets near their young. Weren’t you afraid of the adult trolls?”
She laughed. “I didn’t know any better at first and Remy didn’t tell me. He was a lot of fun to be with. I taught him English, and he taught me all about the real world. He was the one who told me that vampires really did exist and most likely killed my dad. By the time he took me to meet his family, I didn’t know I was supposed to be afraid of them. They weren’t happy, but they didn’t threaten me either. Maybe it’s because I was a little kid or maybe they knew all along I wasn’t human – I don’t know. Anyway, I don’t see them very often. Usually, it’s just me and Remy.”
Peter looked at her with something akin to awe. “Okay, you are officially the most badass girl I’ve ever met. To think we were worried you’d be afraid of us when you found out what we are.”
“So, what does troll bile look like?” Roland asked. “Is it true it can cure everything?”
Sara chuckled. “It’s kind of yellowish brown, and if it could cure everything, Nate wouldn’t need his wheelchair. It could probably cure cancer if you had enough of it.”
“How exactly do you get bile out of a troll?” Peter wanted to know.
“That I can’t tell you. I promised Remy I’d never share that secret with anyone.”
Peter’s face fell. “Weren’t you afraid of carrying around troll bile?”
Roland snorted. “Why would she be afraid with Remy around?”
She rolled her eyes at them. “Are you nuts? I didn’t carry it around. Remy and I have a cave we hang out in down on the cliffs. It’s where we go so no one can see us together. I keep the bile there.”
“I heard trolls have really strong magic,” Peter said. “Have you seen it?”
“Lots of times. Remy actually showed me how to make the ward for our building. Not much can get past a troll ward.”
Listening to them, I began to have a much deeper understanding of Sara and why she fought so hard to stay in New Hastings, despite the vampire threat. After seeing her father brutally murdered, this place and the people in it had become her safe haven. Not only was she sheltered by the pack, she had a troll friend that could rip a vampire apart in seconds and help her ward her home with some of the strongest magic in the world. Something told me it was her friend Remy she’d been with that day I found her riding her bike outside town. No wonder she’d refused to tell me where she’d been.
We made good time on the highway, and soon we were circling a neighborhood of large houses tucked behind tall iron gates. I directed Roland to an empty lot we’d passed on the next street. It would be a good place for the three of them to stay while Chris and I checked out the house.
The troll was waiting for us. “Little ones close.”
Good. The sooner we got those trolls out of there, the sooner there’d be one less threat to worry about. Then I was going to have a long talk with Sara and make her understand why she couldn’t stay here anymore. Her uncle would be home tomorrow. I’d give her two days, and then we were leaving whether she wanted to or not. She’d most likely hate me at first, but I hoped she’d forgive me when she realized it was for the best.
Chris pulled into the lot and shut off his bike. “The place is heavily guarded, but nothing we haven’t dealt with before. I’d say a dozen or so armed men on the perimeter with more inside the house.”
“Chris and I will go in and neutralize their defenses,” I said to Sara, praying she would listen to me and stay here. I saw how worried she was about the young trolls, but I couldn’t focus on my job if she went in there. “Once it’s safe and we have located the young trolls, we’ll come back for you.”
To my relief, she nodded.
Roland wasn’t as happy with the plan. “You expect us to stay here?”
I understood his eagerness to see some action, but Sara’s safety was my only concern.
“You can shift and be okay, unless those men are packing silver ammo, but what about Sara? Are you willing to put her in that kind of danger?”
“I…no.”
I waved them closer. “There will be several layers of security. Whoever orchestrated this will not take chances with so valuable an asset and will expect trouble.” I doubted they were expecting Mohiri warriors though, and we had that going in our favor. “If you hear gunshots or other commotion, stay here out of sight with your heads down. We can handle this. Is everyone clear on that?”
Sara spoke first. “Yes.”
I followed Chris to his bike and donned my weapons harness. Picking up a sword, I turned to the others. “Stay here until you hear from us.”
Sara clasped her hands together, and my heart squeezed at the emotions playing across her face. Her concern for us touched me, but it was the trust in her eyes when they met mine that made me want to pull her into my arms.
“Be careful,” she said softly.
Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.
“Careful, Sara, or people might think you care,” Chris teased her before he tossed me a knowing look.
I followed him out of the lot. When we got to the road I glanced back, but I couldn’t see Sara and the others through the trees.
“She’ll be okay.”
“I know.” I made myself believe that because, otherwise, I’d never leave her. I was loath to let her out of my sight after all that had happened today, and I had to remind myself that the troll could protect her as well, if not better, than I could.
I called Erik as we headed for the estate, and he told me he, Raj, and Glenn were on their way. The others were held up in Boston. The five of us could handle a dozen armed humans, as long as there were no surprises waiting for us. Like a Hale witch.
We reached the property and moved silently along the fence until we came to a small gate. I snapped the flimsy lock and eased the gate open. Whoever was in charge was either careless or they believed their armed guards could handle any intruders.
Chris slipped inside first, and he held up a hand when I followed him. Walking toward us along the fence were two large guards, each armed with a silenced SIG MPX.
I motioned to Chris, and he nodded. A second later, we were behind the two males and had them in choke holds before they could raise their weapons or shout a warning. We lowered the unconscious guards to the ground, not bothering to remove their weapons. They’d be down for hours.
Wordlessly, Chris and I set off in opposite directions. We’d worked together enough that we didn’t need spoken communication at times like this. If things went according to plan, we’d neutralize the threat here and secure the young trolls before Sara and the others had time to wonder what was going on.
I took down four more guards before I came upon one that was definitely not human. I stared in disbelief at the vampire patrolling the grounds with his fangs and claws extended. A vampire working with humans?
The vampire spun as I moved toward him. “Mohiri!” he snarled and came at me with a speed that matched mine.
My sword cut deep into his side, and he hissed in pain as he lunged away from me. He hit the ground and rolled back to his feet in one fluid motion. I started toward him again, but his sudden cocky grin alerted me to the fact that we were not alone.
I leapt to the right and spun, my blade slicing through the shoulder of the vampire behind me. He opened his mouth to cry out, and I brought my sword around to remove his head before he could alert any others nearby.
The head was still rolling across the ground when I went after the first vampire, who had turned to run. I pulled a knife from my harness and threw it at the fleeing vampire. The silver blade sank into his back, and his choked gasp told me it had struck home.
As he crumpled to the ground, I strode to him and yanked my knife free. Wiping the blade on his shirt, I sheathed it and turned toward the back of the house.
A large pool came into view, along with three human guards. The first two went down quietly, but the third managed to cry out before I knocked him unconscious. I entered the house through the open French doors, only to encounter two vampires who must have heard the guard’s shout.
The vampires came up short when they saw me, and their hesitation was all the opening I needed. I got one in the chest with a knife. Before he hit the marble floor, I swung my sword and gutted the second one. He clasped his stomach, trying to keep his intestines from spilling out, and his mouth opened in a silent scream as I brought my sword up to end his life.
I started to move past the bodies, but a shout had me running outside and speeding around to the front of the house to find Chris battling three vampires. Two were missing an arm and one clutched at a gash in his chest.
“Sloppy,” I bantered as I jumped into the fight to take on a one-armed vampire, who barely had time to snarl at me before I beheaded him.
Chris snorted as he swung his sword at the vampire holding his chest. His blade easily parted the vampire’s ribs and sliced through his heart.
“I was doing fine until you came to ruin my fun.” He spun and ran his sword through the chest of the last vampire who had stupidly stood there as his brethren were killed.
Wiping his blade on one of the fallen vampires, Chris swore and looked at me. “Vampires? What the hell is going on here, Nikolas?”
Before I could answer, shouts came from the direction of the main gate. “Sounds like Erik is here. He’ll handle it –”
Chris grunted and fell to the ground beside me as bullets tore up the grass around us.
I threw my body over his, not sure how badly he was hit. Bullets were not usually deadly to us, but enough shots to the head or heart could kill anyone. I scanned the grounds, and my demon sight quickly located the shooter hiding in a tree.
“Stay down,” I ordered Chris. Moving fast, I was at the tree and scaling it before the male could get off another shot. I was not gentle when I knocked him out and let him fall fifteen feet to the ground. As a rule, I didn’t kill humans, but I had no mercy for someone who worked with vampires.
Chris was sitting up, inspecting a wound in his thigh when I got back to him. “It’s nothing,” he said when I knelt beside him.
Something glinted on the ground, and I picked up a twisted piece of metal. “Silver bullets.”
“I guess the humans were willing to work with the vampires but not willing to trust them.” He grimaced as he used a knife to dig out the slug before he let his demon healing take over. “Fuck!” he muttered when he pried the piece of bloody silver from his leg.
“You two okay?” Erik called, running toward us.
Chris stood, waving off the hand I extended to him. “We’re good. You take out the gate?”
Erik reached us. “Yeah.”
I looked at the house. If the people inside hadn’t realized they had company, they did now.
“We need to find those trolls before something happens to them,” I said.
“How do you want to do this?” Erik asked.
“You guys take the front. Chris and I will go around the back. If you find the trolls, don’t touch them. The last thing you want is their parents coming after you.”
“Understood.”
Chris and I set off around the house. Just as we reached the back corner, loud growls split the air, followed by snapping and barking.
“What the hell are they doing here?” I raced around the corner to find the werewolves locked in a battle with two vampires. The black wolf dodged the clawed hand that came at his face, and then he lunged to wrap his powerful jaws around the vampire’s throat. There was a loud snap as he shook the limp body like a rag doll and tossed it aside. He turned to help his friend, but the rusty-haired wolf had already finished off his vampire.
I scanned the grounds, but there was no sign of Sara, and I couldn’t sense her nearby. She and the troll must still be with the car. I stalked toward the two werewolves, intending to send them back to Sara before they got themselves hurt. I did not want to deal with an angry Alpha on top of everything else today.
A shot rang out. The black wolf staggered, and an agonized whine escaped his lips as he collapsed to the ground.
“Chris,” I shouted, running for the wolves as more bullets hit the ground.
“On it,” he yelled back.
I hit Peter and knocked him to the ground. It was impossible to cover both wolves, so I tried to protect their heads and upper bodies from the bullets. Silver was harmless to Mohiri, but it could be fatal to werewolves.
“Got him,” Chris called a few seconds later.
I rolled off the wolves and knelt on the ground. Peter leapt to his feet, but Roland lay on the ground panting heavily. He whined when I turned him onto his side to look at his wound.
My gut clenched when I saw his bloody chest, and all I could think of was how devastated Sara would be if anything happened to him.
I pulled out my phone and tossed it at Peter’s feet. “Call your father and tell him Roland needs medical help immediately.”
Peter shifted and grabbed the phone. “He’ll be okay though, right?”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “He’s been hit in the chest with a silver bullet.”
Peter blanched, “S-silver?”
“Yes. I told you two to stay put. Where is Sara?” I barked at him.
“She’s with Remy,” he answered shakily. “In-in there.”
He pointed at the house, and my stomach dropped like a rock.
