Warrior

Chapter 7-2

I saw her shoulders tense when we reached the waterfront, and I knew she was going to try to slip inside before I could confront her. Keeping her in sight, I rode ahead and parked my bike in front of her building. I was standing by the corner, trying to rein in my anger when she rode up. Seeing her soothed my Mori and me, but that didn’t diminish my fear at her disregard for her own safety.

I didn’t give her a chance to speak as I moved toward her. “Did you not learn anything the other night? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Of course not,” she retorted, though fear flashed in her eyes as she dismounted and walked her bike toward the building.

“No?” I hated my hard tone, but I was too wound up after the last few days to soften it. “Do you want to tell me where you had to sneak off to that was so important?”

“No.” She shifted from one foot to the other. She was hiding something.

“There is nothing but woods for miles south of town. What were you doing out there?” And where the hell was Chris? How could he let her go off on her own like that?

Her brows drew together. “How did you find me anyway? Did you put one of those trackers on my bike, too?”

“No, but maybe I should.”

Her eyes darkened with indignation. “No, you should not! I’m not helpless, you know, and I don’t need you guys following me around twenty-four seven. I took care of myself pretty well before you came along.”

A part of me understood her anger and frustration. I wouldn’t be happy if someone entered my life and tried to restrict my freedom in any way. A larger part of me was infuriated that she refused to see reason, and my words came out mocking. “Yes, I can see how well you do on your own. I’m amazed you lived this long.”

She drew back. “I’m sorry I’m such a trial to you, but no one is asking you to stick around here. You can go back to doing your warrior thing – hunting vampires or whatever you do – and forget all about me.”

I could sense she was hurt by my words, but all I could think of was keeping her safe. When she tried to march past me, I blocked her, grabbing her bike so she couldn’t move. I leaned down, and her scent surrounded me. “If I was a vampire, you’d be dead – or worse.”

Her body stiffened, and I heard her sharp intake of breath. As she lifted her eyes to mine, her warm breath caressed my throat. For several seconds, I forgot everything but those soft lips inches from mine.

She averted her gaze. “Does it even matter?”

I blinked as her words pierced the spell she’d cast over me. “What?”

“You said that day on the wharf that you can’t save every orphan. What difference does one more make?”

The suggestion that her life meant so little, that she was nothing more than a job to me, made my chest tighten. If she only knew how precious her life was to me. How did I make her understand that I only cared about her welfare and happiness?

She pulled away from me. “Do you mind letting go of my bike? Nate will be home soon, and it’s my turn to make dinner.”

“Khristu!” My grip tightened on the handlebars until I thought the metal would bend. How could someone make me want to shake them and kiss them at the same time? “Do you not understand the danger you’re in? I know you want to believe you’re safe here surrounded by your werewolf friends, but someone went to great lengths sending that pack of crocotta to find you. If it is that vampire, he won’t give up.”

This time she couldn’t hide the fear that crossed her face, and guilt stabbed me for making her afraid again.

I laid my hand over her smaller one. “If you are honest with yourself, you’ll admit I’m right. I can protect you if you’ll let me.”

I felt her tremble, saw the uncertainty in her eyes, along with some other emotion I couldn’t read. Just when I thought she was going to admit I was right, she pulled away.

“I really need to go inside now,” she said quietly.

I stepped back to let her pass and followed her as she wheeled the bike around the building to the back door. I watched her fumble for her key. “You can run away from me, but you can’t run from the truth. The werewolves can’t protect you forever, and eventually, you’ll have to leave New Hastings. What will you do then?”

She froze for several seconds, and I knew my words had hit home. There was a slight tremor in her voice when she spoke again.

“When that happens it’ll be my problem, not yours.” Opening the door, she shoved the bike inside. “I don’t want you following me around anymore.”

My hands clenched at my sides. “And I don’t want you to keep putting yourself in danger. Seems like neither of us will get what we want.”

The door closed between us. I went back to my bike, pulling out my phone as I walked. I dialed Chris’s number, and he answered on the third ring. From the rumbling in the background he was on his bike.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“What’s up is that I just found Sara riding her bicycle a few miles outside of town. Why weren’t you watching her?”

Chris sighed loudly. “I’ve been driving around for the last hour looking for her. Is she okay?”

“Yes, but anything could have happened to her out there.” I paced in front of my bike. “How could you lose her?”

“She gave me the slip,” he replied sheepishly. “I followed her home from school, and I thought she was still inside. A couple of girls from her school showed up, and they kept coming over to talk to me. I couldn’t get them to leave. Then one of them mentioned seeing Sara riding away on her bike. She was gone by the time I went to look for her. She’s been so predictable this whole time, and I never thought she’d take off like that. I’m sorry, Nikolas.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll just have to keep a closer eye on her.”

“What was she doing outside town on her bike anyway?”

“She wouldn’t say.” I looked up at her window. “I think she’s hiding something.”

“Like what?”

I straddled my bike. “I have no idea, but I’m going to find out. You want to come back here and watch her place while I go check it out?”

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

As soon as I saw Chris riding down the waterfront, I set off for the area south of town where I’d found Sara. I drove up and down the empty stretch of road, but there was nothing but trees and rocks in sight. No houses, businesses, or buildings of any kind. I did find an old gravel road that was so overgrown it was little more than a track. I followed it for a mile where it ended at an abandoned mine that didn’t look like it had been disturbed in years.

After an hour of searching, I had to admit there was nothing suspicious in the area. Was it possible that Sara had just been out riding her bike? I quickly banished that thought, remembering her nervous reaction when I’d asked what she was doing out here.

There was another possible answer, one I hadn’t wanted to entertain. It could be that she had met up with someone, a male she didn’t want anyone to know about. The thought of her with another man made my stomach burn like it was filled with acid. I had to remind myself that she was oblivious to my feelings and to the bond, and it was only natural that she might be seeing someone.

I shook off the jealousy as I rode back to town. To Sara, I was the warrior here to protect her, nothing more. Despite her knowledge of the world, she wasn’t ready to cope with the intense emotions of a bond mate. Hell, most Mohiri females who grew up knowing about bonding were unprepared to deal with it at first. I’d do my damnedest to shield her from that until she was ready to know the truth.

* * *The sound of a phone ringing woke me early the next morning, and I rolled over in my hotel bed to grab my cell phone off the nightstand. I scowled when I glanced at the alarm clock and saw it was only six fifteen. I hadn’t gone to bed until four because I’d been keeping an eye on Sara’s building, and I could have used a few more hours of shut-eye.

A groan slipped out when I saw my parents’ faces on my phone screen. Why on Earth were they calling at this hour? Hoping it wasn’t bad news, I got up and pulled on a T-shirt and jeans before I answered the video call.

My mother’s smiling face greeted me. “Good morning, my son.”

“Good morning, Mama,” I replied, slipping into my native tongue. “Is everything well there?”

She nodded and brushed aside a lock of dark hair that fell loose from the knot she liked to wear it in. “I should be asking if everything is well with you. We haven’t heard from you in a while.”

I ran a hand through my messy hair. “I’m only a few days late.”

I talked to my parents once a month, but with everything I’d had going on lately, I’d forgotten to call them. Of course, there was no way I was telling my mother I’d been distracted by my mate. I hadn’t gotten nearly enough sleep for that conversation.

“I’m on a job in Maine, and it’s keeping me busy.”

“I know. I talked to Tristan last night, and he told me you found his granddaughter.” Her face lit up. “Such incredible news! To think Madeline had a daughter and told no one. Tristan might never have known of the girl’s existence if you had not stumbled across her. It almost seems like providence, doesn’t it?”

I swallowed a laugh. “You could say that.”

She grew more serious. “You look tired. Are you sleeping well?”

“I sleep very well when my mother doesn’t wake me at the crack of dawn,” I teased.

I was rewarded with a deep chuckle as my sire sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. She leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, but he turned his head so their lips met instead.

My parents were bonded years before I was born, and I had grown up surrounded by their displays of affection. Both of them were great warriors and loving parents, always ensuring that one of them stayed with me when the other had to travel. They had pushed me hard in my studies and training to prepare me well for the dangers I’d face as a warrior.

“Good morning, Nikolas.” My sire smiled into the camera, and it was almost like looking into a mirror. We were so alike in appearance that strangers often mistook us for brothers.

“I told her it was too early, but you know how she gets when she wants to talk to her son.”

“Mikhail, shush!” She shouldered him then gave me a stern look. “Perhaps if my son came to visit more than once a year, I would not miss him as much. Or maybe if I knew he was finally ready to settle down and give me my own grandchild…”

My sire laughed, and I knew what my expression must be. I rubbed my jaw, which was in need of a shave, trying not to think about what my mother was going to be like when she found out about Sara.