“Maybe you’ll get home faster if you ditch the bike and run.”
Chris’s chuckle came through the speaker of my helmet, and I smiled in return. Maybe I was going a little fast, but I was looking forward to getting some alone time at last with Sara tonight. She’d been with either Nate or Roland and Peter since she woke up yesterday, and I hadn’t wanted to intrude on their reunion.
But now I needed time with her. I’d stopped by her room earlier to tell her I’d see her tonight, and her shy smile had told me she was looking forward to it, too.
I rounded the last curve in the road, and the tall gates of Westhorne came into view. A pit of dread formed in my stomach when I saw the gates hanging open with no security lights on and no one in sight.
“Chris,” I said.
“I see it,” he answered, all traces of humor gone.
Instead of driving through the gates, we stopped on the road and grabbed our swords from their scabbards. With a blade in each hand, I strode through the gates. I didn’t try to be quiet because if there was someone hostile on the inside, they’d heard the bikes and knew we were there.
A vampire flew out of the darkness before I’d taken a dozen steps inside the gates. He was fast, but my heightened hearing warned me of the attack.
I moved to the side, and his claws shredded the sleeve of my leather jacket as he went past me.
I spun to face him and saw Chris engaged in battle with a second vampire as seven more came around the corner of the gatehouse. My gut twisted.
Westhorne was under attack.
Sara. I was too far from the main building to sense her, and not knowing where she was or if she was safe made cold fear flood my chest.
The vampire laughed. “Let’s do this, warrior. I have a stronghold to destroy for my Master. Then I’m going to celebrate with some fine young Mohiri blood.”
My Mori roared, and a familiar rage ignited in me.
The vampire was still laughing when one of my blades cut him in half at the waist. He screamed and tried to hold in his intestines before his two halves collapsed to the snow-covered ground. His feet landed near his head, and he screamed again when he realized he was in two pieces. A downward swing of my blade ended him. I would have left him to suffer, but a vampire can regenerate if they are put back together. This one was never coming back.
Two more vampires rushed me, and their speed told me they were not young. I was faster and stronger, but they made up for that in numbers. One came at me from the front, and I slashed a blade across his chest before I whirled to confront the one attacking from the back. My sword whistled through the air as the vampire lunged for me, and I felt it connect with flesh.
The vampire shrieked and staggered backward, holding up two stumps where his hands had been. “Take him!” he screeched.
The remaining vampires advanced with more caution. Two went after Chris, who had killed his opponent, and the other four came at me. I brandished my swords. It was going to be a fight, but I’d faced tougher odds. And this time they threatened my mate. I could taste the bloodlust in my throat.
Shouts came from the stronghold, followed by the unmistakable sounds of battle. My heart rammed into my ribs at the knowledge Sara was in there somewhere.
“Nikolas,” Chris bellowed.
I spun back to the fight as a vampire dove at me. He hit me full in the chest, and the two of us went down. We hit the paved driveway, and I disentangled myself from him and rolled away, still gripping my swords.
I lay on my back and swung the sword in my right hand as the vampire jumped at me again. The blade cut a deep wound in his midsection, and he soared past me to land on his back several feet away.
“Need some help?”
Desmund appeared out of nowhere to stand over me, wearing his signature arrogant smile and carrying a sword I was sure had not been used in many years.
He didn’t wait for me to answer. He went after the nearest vampire, moving so fast, only my demon sight allowed me to track him. Blood sprayed, and the vampire’s head flew through the air to hit the stone gatehouse wall with a sickening crunch.
“What took you so long?” I gritted, moving to finish off the vampire on the ground.
Desmund smirked and went after another vampire. “I couldn’t find the right sword to go with this outfit.”
Chris grunted in pain, and I looked over to see him go down under three vampires. Desmund ran to him and lifted a vampire off him like it weighed nothing. With incredible strength, he threw the vampire in the air and skewered it through the heart.
Another vampire came at me, and I fought him as Desmund made short work of the two left on top of Chris. I dispatched mine and glanced at Chris, who was getting to his feet and holding his shoulder.
“You okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah. Got me in my sword arm, but I can still fight.”
A girl’s scream pierced the air, and my heart nearly exploded from my chest. Sara. I had to find her, protect her.
Eight more vampires came through the open gates. The three of us turned as one to face them, but Chris had trouble holding his sword. I couldn’t leave him and Desmund here to fight these vampires alone. Battling my most primal instinct to find and protect my mate, I did the only thing I could.
“Chris,” I bit out as more shouts and screams came from the stronghold. “Will you find Sara? Desmund and I can handle this.”
“I’ll find her,” he said fiercely.
The moment he left, the vampires surrounded us. At least half of them were mature, and I had to wonder how so many older vampires were working together like this.
Desmund looked sideways at me. “Try to keep up.”
The two of us fought wordlessly, and the only sounds came from the vampires who shouted at each other and screamed when they fell under one of our swords. The younger ones died first, and the older ones proved why they had survived this long.
I tried not to think of Sara. Worrying about her fate only distracted me, and one second of distraction was all a vampire needed to take me down. Desmund and I could be the only thing between these bastards and her. We couldn’t let one of them get past us.
When loud roars came from somewhere behind the main building, Desmund and I, and the four remaining vampires, all stopped and stared in that direction.
Khristu! What were my people facing now? I prayed Chris had gotten to Sara in time, even as I began to imagine the worst.
My Mori roared and pushed forward, and I let it have what it wanted. Its excitement filled my mind as its strength flooded my body. A red haze fell over my vision, and I struck out at the nearest of the two vampires circling me. He darted to the side and right into the path of my other sword, which found its mark. I pulled my blade free from his chest, and he crumpled to the ground.
“Now it’s you and me,” I taunted my last opponent. I gave him no time to respond before I was on him, my sword slicing cleanly through his neck. His eyes bugged as his head flew from his body to roll across the blood stained snow.
I spun to face the next vampire and found Desmund dispatching the last one. Blood roared in my ears as I looked around at the dozen or more vampire bodies littering the ground.
“Now that was refreshing.” Desmund’s voice broke the sudden silence that had fallen over the grounds.
He looked at me and sighed. “You’d best go find your mate before you lose it altogether.”
I sped toward the main building. I was almost at the front entrance when I felt Sara off to one side. I rounded a corner of the building and sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of her. She stood with Chris, Jordan, and the werewolves in the middle of a bloody battlefield, surrounded by vampire bodies and dead crocotta.
My eyes narrowed as I strode toward her, fighting to stay in control. She was bloody but alive, and that was all that mattered.
I threw down my swords and grabbed her shoulders. “Are you hurt?” I growled, trembling from the effort to keep it together.
“I’m okay, Nikolas; we all are.” She laid her hands against my chest, and her touch immediately began to calm me.
Then she stood on her toes and whispered, “Please, don’t freak out on me, okay? I don’t think I can take it right now.”
The feel of her body pressed against mine and the sound of her husky voice fed my need for her. I crushed her to me, my mouth capturing hers hungrily, demanding. She filled my senses like a drug, and I wanted more.
She made a soft sound, and her arms crept around my neck as her lips parted under mine. My heart raced when our tongues met, and I began to explore her sweet mouth. Her surrender to the kiss made my body burn for her, while my heart rejoiced at her response and the way she clung to me as if she didn’t want to let me go.
Mine, my Mori whispered, and I felt the bond expand. No words could describe the emotions that filled me when our demons connected for the first time. It left me stunned and humbled that this beautiful, passionate woman was mine.
I almost protested when Sara ended the kiss and pulled away from me. But then I saw her blushing cheeks and realized we were not alone.
Jordan whistled. “Wow, I think you guys melted the snow.”
“Shut up,” Sara retorted.
I hid my satisfied smile.
Chris gave me a tired grin. “You missed all the fun.”
He wobbled, and Sara moved to support him. I gently pushed her aside and hooked his arm around my shoulder. I couldn’t see any serious injuries on him, but he looked like he’d been put through the ringer a few times.
Sara went to help a boy up from the ground, and my body stiffened when I saw the white markings on his face. A Hale witch? That explained how the vampires were able to breach our defenses.
“I can guess what happened,” I bit out.
Chris coughed. “No, you can’t, my friend. You really can’t. Now, can you please get me somewhere I can lie down before I pass out?”
I nodded and looked at the others, my eyes falling on Sara’s bloody clothes. “It looks like you all could use a trip to the healers.”
She saw me looking and tried to brush it off. “It’s just a scratch. I can hardly feel it. We have to go find the people who were out on patrol. They ran into this guy, and we need to get to them as soon as possible.”
My eyes narrowed on the Hale witch who couldn’t be older than sixteen. If he’d attacked our sentries, God only knew what shape they were in.
Tristan approached with Desmund and Celine, and I was relieved to see them all looking well except for a few scratches.
“We will find them,” Tristan said with barely suppressed anger. “I am relieved to see you are all safe. Go to the healers and I’ll talk to you when I get back. Maybe we can piece together exactly what happened here tonight.”
“It was Michael,” Sara blurted. “He helped the vampires.”
“Michael?” Tristan repeated, looking as stunned as I felt.
She had to be mistaken. That kid couldn’t even make eye contact with his own people, let alone associate with vampires.
“Little bastard led us right to them,” Jordan spat. “If he’s not dead, I call dibs on finishing the job.”
“Why would Michael do that?” Tristan asked, almost to himself.
Sara wrung her hands. “It’s not his fault. The vampires got to him somehow and convinced him they had his twin brother, Matthew. They promised to let him go if Michael helped them.”
Jordan scoffed. “Still no excuse to betray everyone you know.”
“He’s messed up, Jordan,” Sara replied with a hint of sadness in her voice.
I stared at her. Was she actually defending the person who had betrayed her to her enemy?
Celine stepped forward. “Where is he now?”
“In the woods over by the menagerie, about fifty yards in,” Sara said.
“What were you doing in the woods at night?” I asked, trying not to be angry. After what had happened to Nate, why would she risk herself like that?
“Michael tricked us. He told me Hugo and Woolf got out again and that Sahir had sent him to get me.”
“And you believed him?” Celine asked.
“He’s Michael. Why wouldn’t I believe him?” Sara shot back defensively.
“What happened then?” Tristan asked.
“I was in my room with Roland, Peter, and Jordan when Michael came to me. They went with me to look for Hugo and Woolf. All of a sudden, we were surrounded by vampires.”
She swallowed. “Then Michael told them I was the one they wanted.”
I swore furiously and fought to keep my anger in check.
Sara let out a shuddering breath. “One of the vampires hit him pretty hard, and I’m not sure if he’s alive. We had to leave him.”
“We’ll find him if he’s still out there,” Tristan promised her. “You go to the healers. Nikolas, we could use your help if we have men down out there.”
Nodding, I passed Chris off to Jordan. Sara looked ready to fall down, and I was pretty sure it was sheer stubbornness keeping her on her feet.
My first instinct was to pick her up and carry her to the medical ward. But we never left a warrior down in the field. The need to take care of my mate warred with the sense of duty ingrained in me since birth.
She gave me a reassuring smile. I didn’t want to let her out of my sight, but she would not allow me to stay with her while people were suffering and needed my help.
It was the thought of our warriors lying in the snow, defenseless and in pain, that made me leave Sara. As Chris would say, I needed to think like a warrior now and not like a mate. She was safe and others needed me.
We ran into Erik as we neared the woods. He had a few cuts and bruises, but he looked fine otherwise. Tristan relayed what Sara had told us about Michael’s location, and Erik set off to find the boy.
“Who was out on patrol tonight?” I asked Tristan as we entered the woods.
“Seamus, Niall, Ben, and Kenneth.”
We walked for several minutes before Tristan stopped.
“We’ll cover more ground if we split up. Nikolas and Desmund, you two go toward the lake. Seamus and Niall should be in that area. Celine and I will head toward the road to look for Ben and Kenneth.”
The four of us broke into pairs and headed off in opposite directions. Neither Desmund nor I were inclined to speak, and the woods were quiet except for the crunch of our feet on the snow.
We were almost at the lake when we found one of the twins facedown in the snow. I rolled him over, afraid of what I’d find. It was Niall, and he was alive but catatonic.
Hoisting him on my shoulders in a fireman’s hold, I said, “Seamus has to be close by.”
Desmund didn’t respond, and I turned to find him looking at Niall with an unreadable expression. If anyone understood what Niall was going through, it was him. I only hoped he kept it together until we got our warriors home.
“Desmund?”
He shuddered and turned away to continue the search. Ten minutes later, we found Seamus on the lake shore in the same condition as his brother. Wordlessly, Desmund slung the warrior over his shoulder and we headed home.
Halfway there, we met up with Tristan and Celine, who were both carrying warriors. Ben moaned and thrashed, making it difficult for Tristan to keep a grip on him.
Kenneth was a dead weight on Celine’s shoulders, and she shook her head sadly when I looked at her.
We were a solemn group when we got back to the stronghold. Celine took Kenneth to the morgue, and the rest of us went directly to the medical ward.
The ward was full of injured people, and they cleared a path for us when we entered carrying the fallen warriors. A healer directed us to put them in one of the larger rooms where we laid each of them on an exam table.
The healers set to work on the warriors, although everyone knew there was little they could do for them. My heart was heavy as I looked at Seamus’s and Niall’s still forms. I’d been friends with the brothers for half a century, and it was hard seeing them like this. And Ben was so young, barely five years out of training. To die in battle was one thing, but to be felled in such a cowardly way…
A commotion at the door tore my gaze from the injured warriors, and I looked up as Sara pushed through the crowd, dragging the young Hale witch behind her, her face hard with purpose.
People drew back as they passed, fear and revulsion on their faces at the sight of the witch. Sara shoved her way into the room and pushed the witch toward Ben, whom the healers were trying to restrain before he hurt himself. The healers backed up when Sara and the witch reached the table.
“Fix them,” Sara commanded. Her voice cracked, but anger flashed in her eyes. One of her arms was bandaged, but otherwise she was uninjured.
Obediently, the witch stepped up and laid a hand on Ben’s forehead. Murmurs spread through the crowd as the warrior ceased his struggles and lay quietly on the table.
“He will sleep now, and when he wakes he will be well,” the witch told Sara.
They went to the twins so the witch could heal them as well. A collective sigh went through the room when he was done.
Two warriors came to take the witch, and I was surprised when the boy looked to Sara for reassurance. She smiled and nodded at him, and he meekly let them lead him away. We were fortunate he was so young. An adult Hale witch would not have surrendered as easily, and might not have helped the people he’d hurt.
I started toward Sara when someone called my name. I looked around and saw Chris waving from a bed in one of the rooms.
“You going to stay in bed all day?” I quipped when I entered his room.
He grunted. “You’d be on your back too if a Hale witch tried to scramble your brain.”
My humor fled. “What happened out there?”
“I found Sara and Jordan out back, and I was running to them when the bastard got me.” He grimaced. “It was the worst pain I’ve ever felt, like my head was going to explode. It was only for a few seconds, but I thought I would go insane. Then Sara screamed and jumped on me, and I passed out. I don’t know what she did, but she saved me and crippled the witch at the same time. I would’ve been a goner if not for her.”
“So would a lot of people.”
There was no telling how many of our people the witch would have hurt if she hadn’t stopped him, and it most likely would have changed the outcome of the attack. The vampires had come here for Sara, and she’d taken out their biggest weapon by herself.
Chris let out a breath. “She had a bloody Hale witch cowering on the ground. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“And then?”
I didn’t know if I wanted to hear more. Judging by the number of bodies I’d seen when I found Sara, she’d been right in the thick of the battle.
“We tried to get to the garages, but at least a dozen vampires showed up with three crocotta. I honestly didn’t expect us to make it. I couldn’t fight. Sara, Jordan, and the werewolves held them off until the hellhounds arrived with the wyvern and the griffin.”
He made a face. “I saw that wyvern coming at us, and I was sure we were dead. But he ignored us and went after the crocotta and vampires. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was protecting us. Jesus, what a night.” He sank back against his pillow. “Did you know we lost two trainees?”
I shook my head grimly. “Who told you?”
“Sara and Jordan. They watched the girl die. The boy was already dead when they got there.”
“Vampire?”
“Yes. Sara and Jordan killed him. I’m amazed they’re still standing after all they went through out there.”
“Khristu!” I paced the small room. “I promised her she would be safe here, and she’s been hurt more times since she came here than she was in Maine. She could have died tonight.”
“No one could have predicted something like this would happen. When was the last time vampires, or anything else for that matter, attacked one of our strongholds?”
“I don’t know.”
Someone shouted, and two of the trainees ran in, carrying Sahir between them. Sara ran up and stood outside the exam room with the boys while the healers worked on Sahir. She looked exhausted, but her anxious expression told me she wasn’t leaving until her friend was out of danger.
An hour later, I saw her sagging against the wall, barely able to stand, and I decided I’d held back long enough.
“You should be in bed,” I told her.
She tried to hold back a yawn. “I’m fine.”
“You’re practically asleep on your feet. There is nothing else you can do here tonight. If you don’t rest, you’ll end up in here yourself.”
“Okay.”
I expected her to argue. The fact that she gave in easily told me how tired she was.
She moved away from the wall and wobbled.
I reached for her, and she put up a hand.
“I can walk. I’m tired, Nikolas, not weak.”
Her indignant expression drew a chuckle from me. “Sara, no one who knew you would ever accuse you of being weak. Come on, I’ll walk you to your room.”
She nodded, and we headed for the stairs. Except for the medical ward, the main floor of the building was deserted.
“I’ve never seen it this empty here,” she said as we passed through the main hall.
“They’re outside, cleaning up,” I told her, and she shuddered. She was quiet as we climbed the stairs to her floor.
“You’re sure you would not feel better staying with Nate tonight?” What I really wanted was to take her back to my apartment. But she was covered in dirt and blood, and she’d want her own shower and bed after the ordeal.
“I’m sure.”
She turned to me when we reached her door, and I saw how hard she was trying not to cry in front of me.
“You were amazing tonight,” I said, earning a small smile.
“Really?”
“The whole time I was out there all I could think about was getting to you. And then I find you standing in the middle of it all, surrounded by bodies. I heard what you did. Don’t ever tell me again that you’re not a warrior.”
“I did have a lot of help.” Her eyes grew troubled. “I was worried about you, too.”
I moved toward her, intending to ask if she wanted me to stay. The exhaustion I saw on her face stopped me. I touched her face and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Try to get some sleep.”
“I will,” she whispered as she opened the door.
As soon as the door closed behind her, I went to my place for a quick shower. Then I went looking for Tristan. But he was closeted in his office on an emergency conference call with the Council.
I found out from Claire that in addition to Kenneth and the two trainees – Olivia and Mark – we’d lost Phillip and Jay, who had been on duty at the gate. The three warriors were young, and I didn’t know them or Olivia and Mark, but their deaths came as a blow.
I decided to go out and help with the cleanup, but a faint wave of pain across the bond had me heading for Sara’s room instead. Outside her door, I heard her crying and felt her pain, and I didn’t hesitate.
She was on the couch, her face pressed against her knees and her shoulders shaking. I sat beside her, and she made a small wounded sound and threw herself into my arms.
“I can’t do this anymore,” she sobbed against my chest. “I can’t bear all these people getting hurt because of me.”
I should have known she’d blame herself for the attack. I never should have left her alone.
“None of this was your fault. No one expected the vampires to try something like this. If you have to blame anyone, blame me. I promised you and Nate that you would be safe here.”
“I can’t blame you,” she said between hiccups. “You all could have died tonight. I couldn’t bear it if…”
She started to cry again, and I held her closer.
“Nothing will happen to us. Now that we know the lengths this vampire will go to, we will step up security and put every resource we have into finding him. I will never let them take you. That is one promise I will take to my grave.”
A shudder went through her. “Don’t say that!”
I had no reply, not one she wanted to hear. The simple truth was that she was everything to me, and I’d willingly trade my life for hers.
I held her and rubbed her back as she quieted, and her body slowly relaxed against mine. Her hair was still a little damp from her shower, and her familiar sunshine scent surrounded me.
When she sighed softly, I said, “Feeling better?”
She nodded, and I unwillingly let her go.
“Would you…stay just a little longer?” she asked hoarsely.
My stomach fluttered. “I’ll be here as long as you need me.”
I moved us until I reclined against one end of the couch with her lying against me. Then I adjusted the quilt she’d been wearing until it covered us. Her head rested on my chest, and one of her legs was across mine as she snuggled against me. I closed my eyes as a sense of peace filled me and my Mori.
“Go to sleep, moy malen’kiy voin,” I said softly. “You’ve earned it.”
She huffed softly. “You’re always saying stuff in Russian. What did you just say?”
A small laugh escaped me. “It means ‘my little warrior.’”
“I’m not that little,” she murmured. “You’re my warrior too.”
I wrapped my arms more tightly around her. Yes, I am.
She was asleep within minutes, no surprise considering all she’d been through in the last few hours. I looked down at her delicate features, relaxed in sleep, and pictured her fighting alongside her friends tonight. As much as I wanted to protect her, I could already see her growing into the warrior she’d be someday. It filled me with pride and scared the hell out of me at the same time. I wasn’t prepared to see her in battle. Maybe after a year or two of intense training. Maybe.
Sara shivered and cried out softly. I rubbed her back and pressed my lips to her forehead.
“No more bad dreams,” I whispered. She’d had far too many of those lately.
She relaxed again, and I closed my eyes. I should be outside helping with the cleanup, but I couldn’t make myself leave her. I’d waited days to be alone with her again, and nothing short of another attack would force me out of her arms tonight.
I soon realized her couch was shorter than mine, and not the most comfortable bed for a six foot two warrior. Careful not to jostle Sara, I got up and carried her to the bed. I laid her on top of the covers and went to turn off the TV and grab her quilt. When I lay down beside her, she turned to sprawl across me before I had even covered us with the quilt.
Smiling, I pulled her close and joined her in sleep.
