I raced back to the hall in time to see a mass of white bodies swarming around someone who was trying to run away from them. She cried out, and my stomach lurched when I realized the creatures were attacking her.
I dove through the karks and wrapped my body around Sara to protect her from the impact as we hit the marble floor. We landed with her on top of me, and I swiftly rolled us over so she was on the bottom. A second later, we were covered in crazed karks, and I expected to feel their sharp little teeth in my back. But they completely ignored me and seemed obsessed with getting to Sara.
Sahir ran toward us. “If I spray them, I might get you too.”
“I don’t give a damn. Just do it,” I ordered.
He lifted the nozzle, and I lowered my head to Sara’s. “Cover your mouth and nose. Sahir is going to spray around us.”
She buried her face in my sweater, and I pulled her to me as tightly as I could.
“There are too many of them,” Sahir called.
“Keep spraying us.”
I’d pick Sara up and make a run for it, but there were too many of the creatures, and they were in a frenzy to get to Sara.
“I can’t. It’ll poison you two if I spray more around you,” he argued. “I’ll do what I can to reduce their numbers. What the hell is wrong with them? Why are they only going after her?”
“I don’t know.”
Karks didn’t attack people without provocation. There was only one thing that made them behave this way. I lowered my head and enhanced my demon senses to smell Sara’s hair. It stunk of kark but nothing suspicious. Next I sniffed at her hoodie and picked up a faint, foreign odor mingled with the kark feces. “Something smells off here.”
Sara made a noise. “You think?”
I had to get the hoodie off her. If it had even a drop of scarab pheromone on it, the flock wouldn’t stop until they devoured it and anything touching it. I grabbed the bottom and began pulling it up.
“What are you doing?” she squeaked.
I continued pulling the hoodie up her torso. “I think something on your clothes is making the karks behave like this. I can detect something that doesn’t smell like you or their droppings.”
If she’d had scarab pheromone on her when we entered the hall, the karks would have attacked her then. That meant she would have had to come into contact with it since we got here, and the only way for that to happen would be for someone to spray her with it. The idea that anyone at Westhorne would want to harm her seemed preposterous, but I was taking no chances.
She stopped struggling, and I yanked the piece of clothing off her and threw it across the room. Dozens of karks attacked the hoodie.
“Jesus, look at that,” Sahir shouted.
Chills ran through me as I watched the tiny karks tearing into the fabric. That could have been Sara if I hadn’t reached her in time.
Sahir pointed at us. “They’re still trying to get to her. Whatever it is, it has to be on her T-shirt, too.”
“I know.” I took a breath and lifted my head to look down at Sara, who was shivering beneath me. I hated to do this, knowing how modest she was, but there was no other way.
“Sara –”
Panic flared in her eyes. “No way! Forget it! We can make a run for it.”
“There are too many of them. As soon as I get off you, they’ll attack you.”
Her head moved from side to side. “I don’t care. I am not taking off my clothes.”
I sighed heavily. So much for her warming up to me; I’d be lucky if she looked at me for a week after this.
“I’m sorry but this is no time for modesty. It’s just your shirt, and I’ll cover you.”
She bit her lip and looked away from me, reaching for her shirt. I wanted to say something to ease her discomfort, but I knew she wouldn’t want to hear it.
“Stand back, boys. Time for the girls to show you how it’s done,” a girl yelled. “Let her rip, Liv.”
A hard spray of icy water hit my back and moved over us, making Sara sputter and press her face into my chest. It took me a second to realize someone had turned the fire hose on us.
There was no holding back the laughter this time. Christ, life with Sara would never be dull.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself,” Sara muttered, pushing at me.
I grinned at her. “Immensely.”
Reluctantly, I moved off her and stood. I reached down and lifted her to her feet.
The hall was a disaster. Every surface was covered in karks or kark dung, and there was half an inch of water on the floor.
I looked at the blonde girl holding the fire hose. Jordan smirked and turned the powerful spray on us again before attacking the few karks left in the air.
“Hey!” Sara yelled.
Jordan’s grin was anything but apologetic. “Sorry, had to make sure I didn’t miss any of it. Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”
“I think that’s enough, Jordan,” Tristan said as he and the other warriors returned to the hall and looked around at the mess.
He looked at Sara and me. “Are you two okay?”
We nodded, and he turned to Sahir. “Sahir, what could have caused this?”
I went to the hoodie and yanked it out from under a pile of unconscious karks. “Something on her clothes attracted them. Look at this.”
“Have that garment examined. I want to know exactly what happened here,” Tristan ordered angrily.
I had a pretty damn good idea what had happened, but I didn’t want to voice my suspicions until I knew for sure.
Tristan called for someone to gather up the karks and start cleaning up. He came over to us, his eyes full of concern for Sara.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked her.
She rubbed her arms. “I’m fine.”
Jordan walked up to us, grinning mischievously. “Sara, you look like you just won a wet T-shirt contest.”
“What?” Sara said in a choked voice.
I looked sideways at her to see her tugging on the wet fabric of her yellow T-shirt that was molded to her breasts and tight stomach like a second skin. My breath caught and heat flared in my belly. I had never wanted to touch a woman as much as I did in that moment.
I caught movement out of the corner of my eye, and I looked up to see half the males in the room staring at Sara.
A fierce surge of possessiveness filled me. My Mori growled, and I almost echoed it, as I stepped in front of Sara to shield her from the others’ eyes.
The other warriors wisely averted their gaze when I glared at them. The only one who didn’t turn away was Jordan, who appeared to be having the time of her life.
Sara moved to stand beside me again. Her T-shirt no longer clung to her, and she had her arms folded across her chest.
I started to ask her if she was okay, but Tristan spoke first.
“Nikolas, we need to talk when you have a minute.”
I didn’t need to ask what he wanted to discuss. I hadn’t exactly been subtle when I’d stared everyone down. But I wasn’t going to apologize for protecting Sara’s modesty.
“If you don’t need me, I’d like to get cleaned up,” Sara said wearily.
“Take the rest of the day off,” Tristan told her. “Do you need to see a healer?”
“No, I just need a long shower.”
He smiled warmly at her. “Go on then. You too, Jordan and Olivia. I think you’ve earned an afternoon off.”
Sara mumbled a “thank you” to me then practically ran up the stairs to the north wing. I waited until she was out of sight before I faced Tristan.
“You wanted to talk?”
He nodded then grimaced. “Why don’t we both get cleaned up and meet at my place in thirty minutes?”
“Make that an hour.” I held up Sara’s destroyed hoodie. “I want to get this to the lab so they can start running tests.”
“Good idea. I’ll walk with you.”
He cut to the chase as soon as we were out of earshot of the hall. “You need to rein in your emotions.”
“I’m in control.”
“You were territorial back there, and everyone saw it. If they don’t know about the bond after that, they will soon if you keep it up. Do you want her to hear about it from someone else?”
God, no. That was the last thing I wanted.
“Did I upset her?”
“I think she was embarrassed, but not by you. I’m more concerned about what others might say to her.”
I exhaled slowly. “You’re right. I’ll keep it under control from now on. Are you coming to the lab with me?”
“No. I just wanted a few minutes to talk. Let me know what they find.”
I gripped the hoodie tightly. “I’m pretty sure I know what they’ll find. Karks only behave like that for one reason.”
His eyes flicked to the hoodie. “Scarab pheromone?”
“I smelled something, but it was impossible to identify with the kark stench. I’m handling the investigation myself, and I’ll know something by tonight.”
He nodded approvingly. “Good. I’ll talk to you later then. I’m having a family dinner with Sara and Chris this evening. We think she’s ready to know he’s her cousin. You’re welcome to join us.”
As much as I loved spending time with Sara, I wanted her to form strong bonds with her Mohiri family. And I knew how much it meant to Tristan as well. It was best to give her this time alone with them.
“Thanks. You three do the family thing, and I’ll come by around eight.”
He smiled. “I’ll see you then.”
Tristan left, and I entered the medical ward. Our lab wasn’t state of the art like those at some other strongholds, but they would be able to tell if there was scarab pheromone or some other chemical on the hoodie. If the karks hadn’t devoured it all.
Margot was on duty again, and she started running tests immediately on the tattered hoodie. I told her to test for the pheromone first, and she said it would take at least two hours. She promised she would call me as soon as the results were in.
I hurried to my apartment to shower and change, and then I went in search of Dax. I found the security guy at his favorite spot, in front of a bank of computer monitors in the security center.
“Two visits in as many days. People are gonna start talking soon,” he quipped when I grabbed a chair and rolled it over to sit by him. He grinned. “You know, I don’t think we ever worked together as much as we have in the last few months.”
I chuckled. “That’s because a certain orphan has a special talent for finding trouble.”
“True that.” He tapped a few keys on his keyboard. “Let me guess, you want to see security footage from the kark thing.”
“Yes.”
Most of our security cameras were outside, but we had two in the main hall. Dax brought up the feeds and went back to the moment Sara and I entered the hall. I watched me hand her the knife and smile when she turned away.
Seconds later, the boy ran into the hall, followed by the flock of karks and everyone else. Soon it was difficult to hear people above the flapping and squeaking, and the scene below was partially obscured by the tiny winged creatures.
I kept my eyes on Sara and anyone she came close to before the karks attacked her. Aside from Tristan, Chris, and me, she came into contact with Celine and one of the boys when the three of them had fallen to the floor. I had Dax replay that piece several times, but I could see nothing suspicious, not that I expected to. Celine might have a reputation for disliking other women, but she would never harm another Mohiri. The boy was clumsy and awkward, and seemed eager to help.
Dax snickered as we watched for the fifth time as Sara backed into Celine and they tumbled to the floor. “That girl is after my own heart.”
I laughed. “She’s something else, all right.”
My smile vanished when we reached the part where the karks began attacking Sara, a few at first and then dozens of them. She cried out and stumbled, trying to escape them. And then I ran into the hall and covered her with my body. Watching the karks try to burrow under me to get to Sara made my blood run cold. If I hadn’t gotten to her in time –
“You want to keep going?”
“I’ve seen enough.”
Dax stopped the playback. “Did you find what you were looking for?”
“No. I thought I’d figure out why the karks attacked Sara and no one else, but I can’t see anything here that explains it.”
I rubbed my jaw and thought about where Sara could have picked up the pheromone, if indeed that was what I’d smelled on her hoodie. Could it have been on her clothes before we entered the building?
Once again, I dismissed that idea. If Sara had walked into the hall with scarab pheromone on her clothes, the flock would have attacked her as soon as they caught the scent. So how the hell had she come into contact with it?
Leaning back in my chair, I stared at the monitor that now showed the ongoing cleanup in the main hall. Was it possible that I was making something out of nothing? Where was the motive? Why would another Mohiri want to hurt Sara? I was so used to protecting her. Maybe I was seeing a threat where none existed.
I pushed my chair back and stood. A glance at the time on the monitor told me I had at least an hour before the lab’s pheromone test would be done. The results would tell me if I was overreacting or not. I hoped I was.
* * *
It was just after eight that night when I arrived at Tristan’s door to talk to him about the kark incident and the results of the lab tests. I felt Sara’s presence inside, and I was a little worried about seeing her after my behavior in the hall. I was trying to take my time with her, and I didn’t want her upset by this.
I rapped on the door. A moment later, it was opened by Tristan.
“Nikolas, come in. We just finished dinner.”
My eyes went to Sara as soon as I entered the apartment, and my stomach did a strange flip when I saw her. Instead of her usual attire, she wore a lacy pink top that complimented her sun-kissed skin. Her hair flowed in soft waves around her shoulders, and her face was flushed from laughter. Her green eyes met mine demurely before she glanced away.
Remembering my talk with Tristan, I schooled my expression before she could see the effect she had on me. I turned my gaze to Chris, who gave me a knowing smile.
“I’ll leave so you guys can take care of business,” Sara said quietly, a note of discomfort in her voice that could only have been caused by my arrival.
Damn it, I had upset her this morning. Or someone had mentioned it to her. Only yesterday, I’d told Tristan I could train her and be around her without revealing my true feelings, and I’d already caused her distress.
Tristan shook his head when she moved to stand. “No, this concerns you. Nikolas has been investigating the kark attack.”
He looked at me expectantly. “I assume you have something for us.”
I sat on the couch, very aware of the girl sitting three feet away, and the fact that she averted her eyes when I looked at her.
“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. The only way Sara could have gotten it on her clothes is if someone put it there.”
“I cannot believe anyone inside these walls would try to hurt one of our own,” Tristan said, no longer smiling.
I met his skeptical stare. “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.”
Chris leaned forward. “Why would anyone here target Sara?” He looked at her. “Your beasties didn’t snack on someone, did they?”
“Ha, ha.” She grew serious. “It’s not like I don’t have enemies out there.”
“Out there, yes, but not in here,” Tristan replied confidently. “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.”
The idea of someone here betraying Sara to our enemies seemed unthinkable. But God help anyone who caused her harm, Mohiri or otherwise.
“I agree,” I said, looking at Sara. “There must be another motive.”
Chris pursed his lips. “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.”
“I don’t know any of them that well, but they’ve all been nice to me,” Sara said, looking genuinely confused. “I really can’t see one of them doing something that would hurt me.”
“Jordan? Nice?” Chris gave her a disbelieving smile.
She shrugged. “She has her moments. 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.”
I nodded in approval. “Jordan will make a great warrior one day. You could learn a lot from her.”
If I could have picked a friend for Sara, it would have been the blonde trainee, but not just because she was a skilled fighter. Sara didn’t open up to people easily, but she’d looked happy the few times I’d seen her with the other girl.
“She is already teaching me a lot,” Sara said. She stood and looked at 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.”
Her eyes sparkled. “I can’t wait for you guys to meet each other.”
They walked to the door. Chris and I followed.
“I’m looking forward to it, too,” Tristan told her. “He sounds like a nice person on the phone.”
Sara stopped walking. “You talked to Nate?”
“We speak at least once a week. You didn’t know?”
She wore a small frown. “No. What do you talk about? You don’t even know each other.”
Tristan darted a look at me before he answered her.
“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 almost growled at Tristan. Why was he talking to her about dating other males when he knew she was bonded to me?
A flush crept into Sara’s cheeks. “Excuse me while I go kill my uncle.”
Grinning, Tristan opened the door for her. “I will see you tomorrow.”
Sara turned to Chris and me. “Good night.”
“I’ll walk with you so we can talk about tomorrow’s training,” I said, although training was the last thing on my mind. I wanted some time alone with her to get back to where we were this morning before the kark incident.
Tristan raised a hand to stop me from following her. “Actually, I need to speak with you, Nikolas, if you don’t mind.”
I would have glared at him if Sara hadn’t been looking at me. Instead, I just nodded.
“I will walk my sweet little cousin out.” Chris pulled on her hair playfully, and she smacked his hand. He chuckled. “Just trying to make up for all the years I missed out on.”
She gave him a warning smile. “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. “I’ve learned to never underestimate a girl with troll friends.”
Sara rolled her eyes and looked at Tristan and me. “I’ll see you later.”
“Tomorrow,” I replied.
Tristan shut the door, and I rounded on him right away. “What was that about?”
He walked back to the living room, unfazed by my outburst. “I needed to talk to you.”
“Why are you and Nate discussing Sara’s relationships?” I followed him and sat across from him. “You said you wouldn’t interfere.”
Tristan sighed. “I was only relating to her what we talked about. And Nate actually mentioned you specifically when he asked if she was spending time with anyone. He suspects there is something between you.”
I relaxed. “I spent time with Nate when Sara was missing. He’s a smart man, and I’m not surprised he picked up on my feelings for her.”
“He speaks fondly of you. I think he is just concerned about Sara getting involved in a serious relationship. To you, she is a young woman, but to Nate, she is still his little girl.”
“And she is your granddaughter. I understand you are both protective of her, but she is my mate. Nate doesn’t know what that means, but you do.”
“I do,” he replied wistfully. “But Sara is still so young.”
“She is almost eighteen, two years younger than Josephine was when you bonded with her.”
“Yes, but Josephine was raised a Mohiri, and she knew about bonding and mating before she met me.”
I kept my anger in check. “What are you saying? We’ve already agreed that I would hold off on telling her about us. Are you asking me to stay away from her?”
“No. You need her, and she needs you even if she doesn’t understand why.”
“But.”
“No buts. I promised I wouldn’t come between you, and I won’t. I know how much you care for Sara, and I trust you to do what’s best for her.”
“Is this why you asked to talk to me?”
“I actually wanted to ask how Sara’s first training session went this morning.”
I smiled. “Very good. We talked for a while, and then she spent some time getting to know her Mori.”
His brow arched. “Getting to know it?”
“I know how it sounds, but Sara thinks of her Mori as a separate part of her. She’s only connected with it once before, and the experience terrified her because the demon tried to dominate her. That’s why she can’t tap into her Mori’s power. We are starting slow, getting her past her fear before we move on to traditional training.”
I didn’t go into the details of our session. Sara had shared personal things with me today. I’d asked her to trust me, and I would not betray that trust.
Tristan nodded, pleased. “It sounds like you’ve made a lot of progress already.”
“I think so.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Crazy day. Remember when it used to be so quiet here?”
A laugh burst from me. “I hear it’s a lot quieter in Maine these days.”
“You weren’t kidding when you said trouble knows how to find Sara.”
“I’m pretty sure I said she knows how to find trouble. I just didn’t expect it to happen here.”
Tristan sobered. “Do you honestly believe one of our own would try to harm her?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Has anyone here shown animosity toward her?”
“Not that I’ve seen.”
I’d spent the afternoon scrutinizing the possible motives of anyone who’d been close enough to put the scarab pheromone on Sara’s clothes. Celine desired me, and it was possible she was jealous of the time I spent with Sara, but physically attacking someone wasn’t Celine’s way. She’d consider it beneath her.
“From what I’ve seen, Sara interacts mainly with the other trainees, and they all seem to like her.” For a moment Tristan stared out the window thoughtfully, and I wondered what he was thinking. “I just can’t see anyone here wanting to hurt her. Maybe Chris is right, and it was a prank.”
“Maybe.”
If he was right, I hoped the prankster had learned a lesson about pulling such a dangerous stunt. If they hadn’t, they’d have to deal with me.
And I wasn’t laughing.
