Warrior

Chapter 6-4

“Forgive me if I have my doubts. We will accompany you.”

I was surprised when Sara didn’t protest us going with them. But one look at her face told me she was too tired to fight me on this.

Her brow furrowed, and she looked at Chris. “How did you get here so fast?”

“My bike is half a mile down the road. When I heard the crocotta’s hunting calls I decided to come in on foot to surprise them.” He arched an eyebrow at me. “I had no idea some people would come roaring in, making enough noise to wake the dead.”

She gave him a weary smile. “Thank you.”

Chris grinned. “And I thought small town life was boring.”

Roland’s cleanup crew didn’t take long to get to us, and within minutes, a pickup and a car pulled to a stop in front of us. I recognized the driver of the car as the hotheaded werewolf Chris and I had seen in Portland. He ignored us, drawn instead to the six crocotta corpses on the road. He swore repeatedly as he studied one of the creatures.

Two more men piled out of the truck. One of them let out a whistle and looked at Sara’s friends. “You guys did this?” he asked incredulously.

Peter grinned. “Yes, with help.”

Francis and the others finally noticed us, and their faces twisted into scowls. “What are they doing here?” one of the guys asked. I expected Francis to have something to say after our encounter in the city, but he only glared at us.

“They helped us fight the crocotta,” Peter told them.

Sara looked like she could barely stand, and every second these guys talked was one more she would not be resting. “If you guys don’t mind, Sara is hurt.”

Francis turned to her. “You’re hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No hospital,” she said firmly.

“Maybe you should get checked out,” Roland told her.

Chris stepped forward. “She’ll be okay. I gave her something to help with the pain and to speed up the healing. Trust me. It’s a very powerful medicine. The Mohiri have used it in battle for centuries. With her own accelerated healing, her injuries will go away in a few days.”

Francis stared at Chris. “Her accelerated healing?”

“It’s a long story,” Sara and Roland said at the same time.

Francis gave his keys to Roland. “Take my car. I’ll stay here with the boys to take care of this. We’ll need to call in a few more hands to get rid of all these.”

Roland helped Sara to the car, and they set off for his house. I climbed on my bike to follow them. “I’ll call you and let you know where we are,” I told Chris, who had started down the road toward his own bike.

I parked beside the car at the house and went inside without bothering to knock. It wasn’t as if they weren’t expecting me. Roland and Peter were in the kitchen, and Roland pointed to the living room where Sara was curled up on the couch, still wearing my jacket.

“We should put her in a bed so she’s more comfortable,” I told them in a low voice.

Roland shook his head. “Sara loves our couch. She’ll be okay there.”

“Then get her a warm blanket,” I insisted.

“Sometimes, I forget she isn’t like us and she gets cold easier,” Roland said sheepishly. He disappeared down a hallway and returned carrying a thick quilt, which he laid over her. She mumbled in her sleep, but did not awaken.

“Were the crocotta really sent to find Sara?” Peter whispered as I took out my phone and texted Chris to let him know where I was.

“I believe so. I think the vampire who attacked her is trying to find her.”

Peter’s eyes rounded. “But that was weeks ago. Why would he be looking for her?”

“Because she got away. I have no proof it’s him, but I’ve seen vampires obsess over someone like this before. And you don’t use crocotta unless you’re desperate to find someone.”

Roland swore. “Dude, thanks for showing up when you did. If anything happened to her…”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her safe.” I looked at her sleeping form. “She told you about my visit to her last week?”

“Yeah, she told us what she is,” Roland said. “If you think that matters to us, you’re wrong.”

It was good to know Sara had such loyal friends. I hoped someday she could learn to trust me as much as she trusted them.

“Dad nearly lost it when I told him about the crocotta,” Peter whispered. “He and Uncle Brendan are on their way home.”

“Mom will be here soon, too.” Roland looked at me. “You don’t need to stay. This place is gonna be swarming with pack soon, and nothing will get near Sara.”

“I’ll stay all the same.” I left them and walked into the living room. Sara hadn’t moved, and she looked innocent and vulnerable in sleep. My Mori wanted to stand over her and growl at anyone who came near her. But I knew she was among friends here.

I could have stood guard outside, but I couldn’t make myself leave her. I took a spot by the window where I could see her and keep watch at the same time.

It was just after midnight when Roland’s mother, Judith, came home, followed shortly after by the Alpha, his Beta, and several other pack members. I stepped outside to talk to them briefly, but I refused to leave Sara for long. The wolves gave me questioning looks, but I saw no reason to explain my actions to them.

Maxwell Kelly was a big, brawny man with graying reddish brown hair and beard who exuded authority. It was easy to see why he was the Alpha of the largest pack in the country.

“Thank you for helping my son and nephew, and Sara,” he said in a deep voice. “We are in your debt.”

A few of the other wolves grumbled, but a look from Maxwell silenced them. He turned back to me.

“We are not used to having your kind here. How long do you intend to stay in our territory?”

The underlying message in his question was clear. He would tolerate us because we had helped save the lives of his pups, but he didn’t like outsiders in his territory.

“I’ll stay as long as I need to be here. I respect your territory, but Sara is Mohiri and under my protection.”

Whispers and growls broke out around us. A low growl from Maxwell cut them off.

He gave me a hard stare then nodded. “Your people are in Portland as well?”

“Yes. We brought in a team to deal with the vampire problem there. And to provide backup in protecting Sara.” I shared what we had learned so far about the vampire activity in Portland.

“I’ll increase patrols here and send some of my wolves to Portland,” he said.

“Good. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go back to Sara.”

One of the younger wolves spoke up. “You can stand guard out here. No need of you being in the house.”

Before I could reply, Judith said, “This is my home, and I decide who enters it. The warrior is welcome. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with me.”

No one argued with her, and the pack left. Judith and I talked for a few minutes and exchanged phone numbers in case Maxwell or I needed to contact each other. Soon after, she retired for the night and I went back to my spot near the living room window.

A few times, Sara tossed fitfully and murmured in her sleep, but she settled down when I went to her and gently touched her face. She might not know about the bond, but even in sleep my touch soothed her.

It was in the hours before dawn when she finally stirred. Her sleepy voice broke the silence in the room. “Nikolas?”

“Go back to sleep,” I said softly.

Quiet settled over the room, and I thought she’d fallen asleep again. I turned back to the window.

“Don’t go,” she pleaded in a hoarse whisper.

Those two whispered words affected me as nothing ever had. My chest grew warm, and I swallowed past the strange tightness in my throat.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I promised. Ever.