I left the medical ward at seven o’clock and searched out Tristan, who was already at work in his office.
“How’s she doing?” he asked when I sat in one of the visitor chairs.
“Still sleeping. Margot said she’ll have a headache when she wakes up. But other than that, she’ll be okay.”
He laid aside the papers he’d been studying and clasped his hands on the desk. “I assume the reason for this early visit is to tell me you’re back for good.”
“Yes.”
He nodded, clearly unsurprised by my statement.
“And I’m taking over her training.”
I expected an argument, but he smiled instead.
“Sara hasn’t responded to Callum’s training like I’d hoped. I think it’s because she fears her Mori. She knows you and she trusts you. Maybe working with you will help her get past whatever is holding her back.”
I thought back to the time Sara had given herself over to her demon to save the young trolls. That experience had terrified her, and she probably remembered it every time she tried to open herself up to her Mori. Someone with her level of control wasn’t going to let her guard down easily after that.
“I agree. I have some ideas for things we can try to help her.”
“Good.” Tristan leaned back in his chair. “Though I don’t think she will be too happy with her new trainer at first.”
I smiled, anticipating her reaction when she found out I was staying on and replacing Callum as her trainer. “I want to be the one to tell her.”
Tristan laughed. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. She’s still angry with you.”
“She’ll forgive me,” I said confidently, remembering the way she’d reached for me in her sleep.
“She will,” he agreed, “but she’ll make you earn it.”
“I have no doubt.”
He grew serious. “I still believe you leaving was the right thing to do, but I’m glad you’re back. Sara’s made some friends and she’s tried to find her place here, but she’s not happy. She misses her uncle and friends back home, and it’s clear she misses you, though she’ll never admit it. I think you’re exactly what she needs now.”
“Good, because I have no intention of leaving again.”
“I don’t think…” He paused, contemplating his next words.
“I’m going to speak frankly. I think it’s too soon to tell Sara about the bond. Can I ask that you give her a little more time? Train her and get to know each other better, but hold off on anything more serious. Just for a little while longer.”
I didn’t like anyone telling me how to handle my personal affairs, especially when it came to Sara. I wanted to tell her about us, to court her, but I’d never push her into something she wasn’t ready for.
If it had been anyone but Tristan, I would have told them to stay out of my business. But Tristan was a close and trusted friend, and Sara’s grandfather. I knew he spoke with her best interests in mind, just as he had when he asked me to leave here for a month.
“I’ll hold off on telling her as long as you don’t try to keep us apart again,” I said.
“I can’t promise I won’t be an overprotective grandfather at times, but I won’t try to come between you.” He smiled wryly. “Unless you need a referee.”
The two of us laughed because that was a possibility.
“You haven’t even been to your apartment yet, have you?”
I looked down at the clothes I’d been wearing for a day. “I had more important things to do.”
“What are your plans for this morning?”
“I’m going to get cleaned up, and then I’m planning to talk to Callum about Sara’s training.”
Tristan raised an eyebrow, and I laughed.
“I only want to ask him what they’ve worked on so far. I promise to behave.”
“When are you going to let Sara know you’re back?”
“This afternoon. Margot said she’ll sleep for a few more hours, and I don’t want to do this in the medical ward.”
“I’m sure Sara wouldn’t want that either.” He shuffled a stack of papers on his desk. “I have some business to take care of, but Chris and I are sparring at noon. Why don’t you join us? I promise to go easy on you.”
Chuckling, I stood. “You’re on, old man.”
I stopped by the medical ward to check on Sara before I went to my apartment to shower and change. I spent an hour tending to my weapons, and as I polished my swords, my eyes wandered around my living room.
I’d always enjoyed my Spartan yet comfortable home, but for the first time I wondered how it would look to a woman, to Sara. Would she find it too austere and lacking a feminine touch? Would she feel at home here with my things, and with me?
I imagined her curled up on my couch with her sketchbook on her lap, her books and drawings filling every available surface. I’d never been one to indulge in reverie, but the idea of her belongings here among mine brought a smile to my face.
* * *
When I entered the arena at noon, I was surprised to see that Tristan and Chris weren’t alone. Seamus and Niall were there along with at least a dozen other warriors, including Erik.
I walked over to Erik. “How long are you here for?”
“A week or so. I thought you were in Vegas.”
“I was. Just got in last night.”
He gave me one of his signature half smiles. “I guess even Vegas was dull after Maine, huh?”
“Like a resort vacation,” Chris quipped, joining us.
I looked toward the door as three more warriors entered. “So I take it this is not a normal sparring session.”
“Tristan thought it would be more fun to have a little competition,” Chris said. “And once word got out you were back, everyone wanted to participate.”
The arena wasn’t a large building, although the domed roof gave it the appearance of being bigger than it was. Within thirty minutes, the bleacher-style seats were half full of warriors waiting for their turn to show off their swordsmanship.
Excited whispers reached me, and I glanced at the small group of trainees crowded together near the main door. I knew Sara wasn’t among them before I looked, and I wondered if she was coming. I’d called the medical ward on the way here and found out she’d been released. After Maine, it felt strange to be in the same place as her and not know where she was.
Tristan called for everyone to clear the floor and asked who wanted to go first. When Seamus and Niall stepped forward, people laughed. The brothers often bantered about who was the better fighter, but they were identical in more than looks. A more evenly matched pair I’d never met, and neither of them would want to concede defeat.
We took a few minutes to organize the matches. As expected, more than one warrior asked to duel with Tristan and me, so we agreed to three matches apiece. An air of anticipation filled the room when Tristan called out the order of the dueling pairs, and he and I were fourth in line to duel each other.
My phone rang just as Seamus and Niall squared off. I smiled when I saw it was my parents, and I left the noisy building by the back door to walk toward the river. My mother spent the next twenty minutes talking about her best friend’s new grandson and asking if I’d met any nice girls. I didn’t tell her about Sara because I was half afraid she’d be on the next plane to the states. The last thing Sara needed was my well-meaning and determined mother swooping down on her before she even knew about us.
I walked back to the arena after we ended the call. As I neared the building I felt Sara’s presence, and I knew she was inside. My pulse quickened in anticipation of seeing her again.
I knew exactly where Sara was when I entered the building, but I resisted the urge to look at her. If Tristan was right and she was still upset with me for leaving, she wouldn’t have a warm welcome for me. I smiled, looking forward to changing her mind about that.
“You ready to lose?” I asked Tristan.
He saluted me with his sword. “Something tells me you’re going to show off for a certain young lady.”
I grinned as we faced each other. Without warning, his sword came up, and I moved to block his attack. His eyes sparkled with laughter, and my smirk told him it was the last jump he’d get on me.
I struck next. Tristan parried and deftly launched a counter attack. The clang of steel filled the air as we danced around each other.
The best swordsman I’d ever fought was Desmund, a brilliant fighter before the Hale witch had crippled his mind. Tristan was the second best. He might spend his days running a stronghold and handling Council business, but he obviously hadn’t let his fighting skills get rusty.
The only way to defeat an opponent as good as Tristan was to keep him constantly on the defensive. I thrust, he parried, and I struck again before he could recover. I knew if I let up for one second, he would take the advantage, and I had no intention of losing. The determination on his face said he was going to make me work for my win.
I feinted to my left, and he moved swiftly to block me. Our eyes met and realization dawned in his a split second before I brought my sword around and touched the tip to his chest.
Applause rose up around us as he bowed and conceded defeat.
“Lucky shot,” he joked when he slapped my back.
“You wish,” I retorted.
We moved aside to allow the next pair to take over. I glanced at Sara and saw her talking to the blond trainee named Jordan. I couldn’t see her face, so it was hard to know what she was feeling.
“You think it’s safe to go over there?”
Tristan laughed quietly. “Are you feeling brave, my friend?”
“Very.”
I knew Sara. She hated to draw attention to herself, so she’d refrain from yelling at me – for the moment. Actually, now that I thought about it, this was the perfect time and place for our reunion.
“Come on then. I’m looking forward to this.”
I shouldered him as we started toward her. “You know, you’re taking an awful lot of pleasure in this, considering it was your idea for me to go away in the first place.”
“You’re right,” he replied with a barely concealed grin. “But how often does one see Nikolas Danshov get the cold shoulder from a woman?”
I was about to retort when I looked up and my gaze met Sara’s. She appeared to be fully recovered from her illness, and not nearly as impressed by my fighting prowess as her friends. A familiar fire blazed in her green eyes, igniting a matching heat in my gut. Even angry, she managed to steal my breath and make me forget everyone else in the room.
“Showing off as usual I see,” said a laughing male voice.
I stopped walking to turn to a black warrior with short dreadlocks. “I’m surprised you left your computers long enough to watch.”
Dax chuckled and held up a tablet. “I’m never offline.”
It took me several seconds to realize Sara’s presence was moving away from me. I turned to the group of trainees to find she was no longer with them.
Chagrin filled me, but it was replaced by wry humor when I saw the door close behind a girl with long dark hair. I’d counted on her not wanting to cause a scene, but I’d forgotten how good she was at slipping away under our noses. Next time, I’d have to outmaneuver her.
I smiled and saluted the closed door with my sword. Touché.
* * *
“Good choice,” Chris commented when I reached for a double burger from the buffet. “Avoid the spaghetti. It’ll be less messy when she dumps your dinner on your head.”
I laughed and looked behind me at the girl sitting on the far side of the room. Sara had her back to me, and she was saying something to her friend Jordan, waving her slice of pizza in the air for emphasis. I glanced down at my gray sweater and wondered if pizza sauce came out of wool.
I grabbed a soda and picked up my tray. “You coming?”
“No thanks. I prefer to watch the show from a safe distance. Scared?”
I scoffed and turned toward the two girls who seemed too caught up in their conversation to notice my approach.
I was a dozen feet from the table when Jordan saw me and broke off mid-sentence. She looked down at her plate as I pulled out the chair beside Sara.
“You don’t mind if I join you, do you?” I asked then sat before Sara could say no. I deliberately moved my chair close to hers, and I was rewarded for my efforts when she turned her head to scowl at me. Her face was so close I felt her warm breath on my cheek.
“You…” She pulled back. “Let me guess, no one else will eat with you.”
I smiled in satisfaction. She might be angry with me, but she felt something else too. I remembered Vivian’s words about sweeping my girl off her feet. I might have to move slowly with Sara, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy myself.
“I seem to remember you being a lot nicer the last time we had dinner together.”
She huffed. “Like I had a choice. You guys wouldn’t let me out of your sight that night.”
I realized she was thinking about our last night in Maine. But I had another night in mind. It was the first time she’d let her guard down and seemed at ease with me.
“Actually, I was thinking about the night of the storm when the power went out.”
She looked away, but not before I saw color creep into her cheeks. So I wasn’t imagining it; there had been something between us that night.
“People change,” she said as she reached for her tray.
“I hear you’re having some difficulty in training,” I said before she could run away again. “I thought perhaps you might want to talk about it.”
“No thank you,” she replied shortly, but she made no move to leave.
Sensing I shouldn’t push her too hard, I turned my attention to her dinner companion instead. “Jordan, right? I hear you’re pretty lethal with a blade.”
She blushed and nodded mutely.
“She is,” Sara said. “You should have seen her last night, taking on those lamprey demons. If it wasn’t for her, we probably would have been demon chow.”
My Mori growled at the mention of the danger she’d been in less than a day ago, and my body tensed in response. Watching her toss and cry out as fever raged through her body was not an experience I ever wanted to repeat.
An elbow jabbed me sharply in the ribs. “Quit scowling before you scare off my new friend.”
It was impossible to stay upset with her looking so adorably stern. “I certainly wouldn’t want to do that. At least this one doesn’t shed,” I teased.
I hid my smile as I picked up my burger and took a huge bite. I couldn’t remember when food had tasted so good.
Sara turned to Jordan, who looked like she wasn’t sure what to make of the two of us.
“Just ignore him. He has to ruin at least one meal for me before he disappears on another one of his missions.”
“You didn’t hear?” I asked, enjoying myself immensely. “Maybe you would have if you hadn’t disappeared this afternoon.”
“Hear what?” Sara asked warily.
“I’m not going anywhere for the next month at least.”
Her brows drew together. “What? Sick of hunting already?”
“No, I just have another job at the moment.” I watched her face closely as I shared my news. “I’m your new trainer.”
Surprise crossed her face, followed by dismay. Her reaction didn’t bother me because I understood where it came from. She thought I’d abandoned her, and she was trying to push me away so she didn’t get hurt. But I’d worked too hard to break down her walls to let her retreat behind them again.
“I am not training with you,” she blurted, turning to search the room for Tristan, no doubt.
“It was Tristan’s idea,” I lied, guessing she’d accept it easier if it came from him. “He thinks it might help you to work with someone you know.”
She glowered at me. “Since when do you work with trainees, or follow orders for that matter? Don’t you have more orphans to rescue?”
“After you, I have a much greater respect for the people who usually handle those jobs. I agree with Tristan on this. We need to try a different approach with your training.”
“A few days ago, Tristan mentioned a guy in India who he thought might be able to help me,” she said hopefully.
“Janak?” I laughed, imagining Sara working with the quiet Indian man who relied heavily on Buddhist meditation and prayer in his teachings. “Janak’s a nice guy, but way too soft for this. One session with you and he’d be on the first plane back to India.”
She crossed her arms. “So, what is your brilliant plan, to harass me until I get so pissed off that I sic my demon on you?”
I polished off my burger before I responded. After my discussion with Callum earlier, I had a better idea of what would and wouldn’t work with Sara. She probably expected more of the same training, but I had something else in mind.
She shifted impatiently beside me, and I smiled behind my napkin. Laying it on my tray, I said, “If that’s what it takes, but I think something else will work better for you.”
Her eyes widened with barely concealed interest. “What?”
I stood and reached for my tray. “Get some sleep tonight because training starts tomorrow.”
A smile curved my lips as I walked away. I could have answered her, but it was much more entertaining to see her flustered expression.
Chris joined me outside the dining hall. “You’re looking pleased with yourself. And you don’t need a change of clothes, so I assume it went well. Did you tell her you were taking over her training?”
“Yes, and she wasn’t happy about it.”
“She’ll try to get out of it,” he said. “And you know Tristan is too soft-hearted when it comes to her. He’ll give in if she begs him.”
I chuckled. “That’s why I asked him to be unavailable tonight.”
He shook his head. “If she finds out you did that, she’ll set those beasts after you.”
“Let’s hope she doesn’t find out then.”
I started toward the south wing, and he fell into step beside me.
“You working tonight?” he asked.
“I’m meeting with Dax to talk about upgrading security.”
Westhorne had never been breached, but I wasn’t taking chances with Sara’s safety. Tristan hadn’t objected when I told him my plans, so I knew he had concerns too.
“You know what they say about all work and no play,” said a sultry voice from behind us.
Chris and I turned to face Celine, who looked as beautiful as always in a long, green dress that hugged her body. She tossed her black hair over her shoulder and gave me a warm smile.
“Nikolas, Chris, it’s so wonderful to see you again.”
“Hello, Celine.” I returned her smile. “Tristan said you were back for a few months.”
She laughed softly. “And what perfect timing. You’re always away when I come to visit. Maybe we can catch up while you’re here.”
I ignored Chris’s quiet snort. “I’m afraid I won’t have much free time. I’m going to be working with Tristan and Dax a lot.”
“But surely you can spare some time for an old friend,” she said suggestively.
It was the same game she and I played every time we saw each other. She tried to remind me that at one time we were more than friends, and I gently deflected her advances.
“I’m sure he’ll make time for you,” Chris told her with a note of amusement in his voice.
I had a strong urge to cuff my best friend in the head. If anyone knew how long I’d evaded Celine’s attempts to rekindle our brief affair, it was Chris. The look I gave him promised retribution.
“We’re on our way to the security center if you’d like to join us,” I said. I had no intention of getting involved with her, but we were longtime acquaintances. “What have you been up to since we last saw you?”
If I knew only one thing about Celine, it was how much she loved being the center of attention. She regaled us with stories about her travels in Europe for the last year and her short-lived liaison with a member of the Belgian royal family.
“I’m surprised you gave all that up to come here,” Chris said.
“America has its appeal,” she answered with a meaningful smile.
We’d been standing outside the security center for twenty minutes. The door opened and Dax came out carrying a laptop. He glanced at Celine then looked at me.
“Nikolas, I wondered if you’d forgotten our meeting. We can reschedule if you’re busy.”
I shook my head. “I’d rather get started tonight if you still have time.”
“Okay.” He held up the laptop. “I was going to run this to Claire’s office, but I can do that later.”
I turned to Celine. “I hope you’ll excuse me. Duty calls.”
“Of course.” She laid a hand on my arm. “I look forward to seeing more of you during my visit.”
My Mori shifted uneasily, its feelings clear. It didn’t want any female but our mate touching us. I felt the same way, but courtesy kept me from pulling away. Celine had no idea I had bonded with Sara. If she knew, she wouldn’t be coming on to me.
Celine smiled at Chris and Dax before sauntering down the hallway. When she was out of sight, Dax whistled softly.
“You lucky bastard. You know, this stuff can wait until tomorrow if you’d like.”
“No, this is too important to put off.”
He gave me a look that said he thought I was nuts. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”
I opened the door to the security center. “Let’s get to work.”
