Warrior (Relentless #4)(118)

“I don’t know, Chris. She’s never looked at me that way.”

He shook his head. “She’s confused and overwhelmed, that’s all. Did you know she killed a vampire right before we all got there?”

“Tristan told me.” Pride surged in me in spite of the part of me that struggled with the knowledge that she’d fought a vampire.

“She’s tougher than she looks, Nikolas. And she cares about you. Anyone with eyes can see that. Give her some time.”

I looked up at the light shining from the second story windows belonging to Tristan’s apartment. I should be the one with her, telling her about us.

“God, I really messed up.”

“You aren’t the first bonded male to lose it, and you certainly won’t be the last. Standing here torturing yourself is helping no one.”

“You’re right.” I made myself turn away from the building. “Let’s ride.”





Chapter 22





I waited until noon the next day before I knocked on Tristan’s door. I could feel Sara inside the apartment and knew she’d stayed there all night. I hadn’t seen Tristan yet today, so I had no idea how their talk had gone or how she’d reacted to the news about the bond. I couldn’t forget how lost she’d looked when she arrived here last night. I needed to make sure she was okay.

Tristan didn’t look surprised to see me when he opened the door. “She’s still asleep,” he said quietly as he motioned for me to come in.

“Still?”

His brow creased in concern. “I don’t think she slept well. I heard her moving around for a long time after she went to bed.”

I hadn’t slept well either. My apartment was two doors down from Tristan’s, close enough for me to feel Sara nearby. Not being able to go to her had me prowling around the apartment like a caged tiger all night.

“I’ll come back in an hour.”

He shook his head and gave me a regretful look. “She is not ready to see you. Last night was a shock to her, and she needs some time to process it.”

His words didn’t come as a surprise, but they hurt.

“I frightened her. I need to talk to her, to explain.”

“Sara knows you would never harm her, and she’s the only one who wasn’t afraid of you last night. You and I both knew she would be upset when she learned about the bond, which is why we agreed to wait to tell her.”

I threw up a hand. “I did wait. I left for almost three weeks.”

He raised an eyebrow. “When you returned and asked to train her, you said you could keep your distance. Kissing her is not what I’d call keeping your distance.”

“I didn’t mean for that to happen…not yet.” I raked my fingers through my hair. “We argued, and we got caught up in the moment. I’m sorry for the way I handled it, but I’m not sorry for kissing her. I came home last night, intending to tell her everything.”

His sympathetic look was worse than his anger. I wanted to ask him about their conversation, but all I said was, “How is she?”

“Like I said, it was a lot for her to take in, and she’s hurt that we kept it from her. Give her a few days.”

“I’ll give her whatever she needs. You know that.”

“I do.” Tristan glanced over at the guest room door. “I think she knows it too.”

I turned to the door. “I’d better leave before she wakes. I’ll be working with Dax today if you need me.”

I didn’t know if anything could take my mind off Sara, but I had to try. I had a feeling I was going to be a very busy man until she was ready to talk to me again.

Dax and I spent the afternoon going through the constant stream of reports from our people all over the country. I was grateful for the distraction, but the higher than usual number of vampire attacks was troubling. I scoured the feeds for missing teenage girls, or anything that might indicate the Master was still searching for Sara. I found nothing that pointed to her, but I wouldn’t be happy until that vampire was dead.

If Dax wondered about my extended presence in the security center, he didn’t say anything. Neither did he mention what had happened last night, though I was sure everyone at Westhorne had heard the story by now. Gossip didn’t bother me. Neither did stares. My only concern was Sara, and how she was handling everything. Since I couldn’t go to her, I buried myself in work.

Tristan came looking for me late in the afternoon, and we walked outside to talk.

“How is she?” I asked.

“Good. Better than last night, but still a bit shaken up. She said some things that you need to know.”

My gut hardened at his serious expression, but his next words were the last ones I expected.

“Sara told me she can sense when vampires are near. It’s how she knew there were vampires at the party last night.”

I was sure I had heard him wrong. “Sense them?”

“She gets a cold feeling in her chest. Apparently, her sylph friend came to visit her a few days ago, and the sylph thinks it’s because of the vampire blood on the knife Sara was stabbed with. It does make sense that Sara’s Fae side would react differently to demon blood.”

I didn’t hide my shock. “You’re serious.”