Warrior

Chapter 10-2

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.