Warrior

Chapter 15-3

“Celine can be a bit dramatic. Sara told me she threw the knife on the ground. But she did admit to telling the other trainees it was easier to kill something than to catch it.”

I let out a laugh. “That sounds like Sara, all right.”

He laughed with me. “She can hold her own against Celine. I don’t think you need to worry about her.”

“I think that comes with the bond.”

“I know. And I know this isn’t easy for you either. But it won’t be much longer.”

I stared at the lights of the Strip and wished I was looking at the mountains back home instead.

“Less than two weeks, and then I’m coming home.”

* * *Geoffrey walked with me to my bike. “You guys sure you don’t want to stick around for another few weeks? This place is a lot more exciting than Oregon.”

“I think it’s time for a change of scenery.” I stowed away my stuff. “Chris wants to visit Longstone before we head back to Idaho.”

The other warrior held out his hand. “It’s been good working with you again. Come back anytime.”

I shook his hand and mounted my bike. My Mori shifted impatiently as I waited for Chris. It had been three weeks since I’d seen Sara, and I still had a week to go, but my demon was excited we’d be closer to her. I was too. A few days in Longstone might help to ease my restlessness until it was time to go back to Westhorne.

Chris came out of the house and said good-bye to Geoffrey. Then the two of us were on our way. Neither of us talked much during the ride, except when we stopped to eat at noon. Chris was looking forward to going home again, and I was happy to be closing the distance between me and Sara.

We had just crossed into Oregon late that afternoon when my phone rang. Tristan called every second day to let me know how Sara was doing, so I knew it was him before I answered.

“You’re late,” I said lightly.

“Yes, it’s been a bit crazy here today.”

The strain in his voice instantly put me on alert. “What happened? Is it Sara?”

“She’s okay,” he rushed to assure me. “There was an incident in Boise today with her and three of the other trainees.”

“What the hell was she doing in Boise?”

“She needed a day out, so I sent her and some of the other trainees with Seamus and Niall. They went shopping, and they were planning to watch movies then go to dinner.”

My hands gripped the handlebars. “What happened?”

“Lamprey demons attacked the movie theater they were in. Several humans were injured as well. Sara and the others managed to kill all the demons before Seamus and Niall got to them. No one was badly hurt, and they’ve all been treated by the healers.”

I heard what he said, but all I could think was Sara was hurt enough to need a healer.

I started looking for the first exit that would take me east to Idaho. “I’ll be there in a few hours.”

“There’s no need for you to come home,” Tristan said. “Sara’s safe. I knew you’d want to know what happened.”

“I appreciate you letting me know, but I need to see for myself that she’s all right.” It would take a horde of vampires to keep me away from Westhorne tonight.

He sighed quietly. “Just take your time. She’s asleep, and she should be out until morning.”

“Asleep? I thought you said she was okay.”

“She is. The healers wanted her to stay overnight in the medical ward, and they gave her something to help her sleep.”

If the healers wanted Sara to stay for observation, that meant she’d been bitten. Lamprey demons were vicious, and their bites could cause serious infections. The thought of her in pain made my stomach twist.

“I promise you she’s fine,” Tristan said when I didn’t speak. “I just saw her.”

“Okay.” Some of the tension left my body because I knew Tristan would not deceive me. “I’ll see you soon.”

I hung up and called Chris to let him know what had happened. We were only two hours from Longstone so I suggested he continue his trip, but he said it could wait.

It was just after eight when we reached Westhorne. Tristan met us in the main hall, and walked with me to the medical ward.

“She has an infection and a fever, but the drugs are taking care of it,” he said in a low voice as we entered the east wing.

At the door to Sara’s room, I stopped to look at the girl lying on the hospital bed. Her dark hair spread across the pillow, and damp tendrils clung to her pale face that glistened with a fine sheet of sweat. She wore a hospital gown, and her blankets were twisted around her legs. Shivers racked her slender frame, and she curled into a ball.

Solmi, my Mori cried, and I shared its anguish at seeing her in pain.

I went to the bed and disentangled the sheets around her legs. They were damp and cold, which was why she’d pushed them off her.

A healer name Margot appeared beside me with a fresh gown and blankets. Tristan and I turned away while she changed Sara’s gown and tucked the warm blankets around her shivering body. Margot checked Sara’s vitals and wiped her face with a cloth before she turned to me.

“She’s almost through the worst of it,” Margot said in a hushed voice so she didn’t disturb Sara. “I’ve never seen anyone fight off a lamprey infection this quickly.”

“She’s a fighter,” I replied, relieved she was on the mend. I had a suspicion Sara’s Fae power might have something to do with her ability to fight a demon infection.

“I need to check on my other patient. Olivia isn’t healing as quickly as Sara. I’ll be back shortly.”

“I’ll stay with Sara, so you don’t need to rush.”

Margot looked surprised, but she merely nodded and left the room.

Tristan walked up to the bed. The two of us looked at Sara, who had stopped shivering and seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

“She’s tougher than either of us gives her credit for,” he said softly, his admiration evident. “She fought a lamprey demon with her bare hands after she was bitten by one of them.”

My head jerked toward him. “She killed it?”

He nodded and motioned for us to move to the other side of the room so we didn’t disturb her.

“She told me she used her Fae magic to destroy it, but she had no idea she could do that. All the others saw was an exploding demon. They have no idea what she did.” Tristan chuckled. “She’s something else. I thought to comfort her after her ordeal, and she told me Jordan was scarier than a dozen demon worms.”

“Jordan?”

“She’s one of the trainees and quite skilled with a sword. I’m glad she was there.”

I remembered the blonde trainee who made the others look like amateurs, and I was happy to hear Sara had made friends.

“I’ll leave her in your care and check in on her tomorrow. It’s good to have you back, Nikolas.”

“It’s good to be back.”

Tristan left and I settled into a chair beside the bed. Not long after, Sara began to toss and kick her covers off again. Her face grew flushed and hot to the touch, a sign of the fever burning through her.

I ran a cloth under cold water and used it to wipe her face and neck as she mumbled incoherently. I tended to her like that for an hour before she quieted again.

Margot came in to check on her, but I was already doing everything that could be done. I kept up my ministrations, and over the next few hours, I changed the blankets two more times before the fever subsided.

It was long past midnight when I sat near the bed again and laid my hand over Sara’s smaller one. She was no longer tossing, and her color looked better. Her hand clasped mine, and I laced our fingers together, smiling as she sighed and tugged our joined hands to her chest.

She murmured in her sleep, and my heart squeezed when she whispered my name. I adjusted her blankets with my free hand, letting my fingers linger against her cool cheek.

I’m here, Sara, and I promise I won’t leave you again.