Warrior (Relentless #4)(120)

“Mikhail, I think we should –” My mother entered the room behind my sire and came up short, a smile lighting up her face. “Nikolas!”

“Hello, Mama.”

She pulled up a chair and sat beside my sire, who laid an arm across her shoulders. Her eyes studied my face with a mother’s scrutiny.

“You look tired…and troubled. What’s wrong?”

I let out a slow breath. “I need to tell you both something and to ask for your advice.”

Her brow furrowed. “It must be serious for you to call so early.”

“It is.” I searched for the right words, but there was no way to tell them my news that wouldn’t shock them.

“I’ve bonded with someone.”

My sire stared at me.

My mother’s hand went to her mouth, and her eyes welled with tears. “Bonded?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

I’d expected her to be emotional at the news, but I wasn’t prepared when she dissolved into tears. I watched helplessly as my sire pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back.

“Our son has a mate,” she sobbed against his chest.

“Yes, my love,” he said tenderly.

A few minutes passed before she pulled away from him and patted her eyes dry. Her smile was radiant when she faced me again.

“I’m so happy for you. Who is she? Do we know her?”

“Her name is Sara, and she is –”

“Sara?” My mother straightened up in her chair. “Tristan’s granddaughter?”

“Yes.” I wasn’t surprised she made the connection so fast. Tristan must talk about Sara all the time.

“She’s the orphan you found in Maine,” my sire said slowly. “But that was several months ago.”

“She is not yet eighteen. She must have been too young to bond then,” my mother told him. “To think, the orphan Nikolas saved would turn out to be his mate.”

“That’s not how it happened,” I said, earning confused looks from both of them. “We bonded the night I met her.”

“You’ve been bonded for months…and you are just telling us now? Why, Nikolas?” my mother asked in quiet disappointment.

“It’s a long story.”

She reached for my sire’s hand. “Tell us.”

I started at the night Chris and I went to the Attic, describing how I met Sara and recognized her as a potential mate. I told them about the weeks in Maine, and my frustration over her refusal to leave despite the danger to her. How the bond had grown between us even though Sara hadn’t known about it. How it felt like my heart had been torn from my chest when she disappeared and everyone but me had believed she was dead.

“Oh, Nikolas.” My mother’s eyes misted again. “Why did you not say anything?”

“I don’t know. At first, I thought about walking away from the bond.”

My mother gasped softly, and I smiled. “You know I never wanted a serious relationship. But it wasn’t long before I couldn’t leave.”

My sire nodded. “When you find the one, your heart knows before your head does.”

“So Sara is half Fae, and that is why she can’t feel the bond?” my mother asked.

“She uses her Fae magic to suppress her Mori. We’ve been working on it, and she’s made some progress in the last few weeks.”

“Incredible.”

“It was hard for her to leave her home to come to Westhorne, so Tristan and I decided to let her settle in here before I told her the truth about us.”

My mother held up a hand. “She still doesn’t know about the bond? But it’s been months. You should be showing all the signs of a bonded male. How have you hidden that from her?”

“It hasn’t been easy.” I dragged a hand through my hair. “She found out last night…and it didn’t go as I’d hoped.”

My sire leaned forward. “What happened?”

“We had a misunderstanding a few days ago. It was my fault. I left on a job, and I came back last night, planning to tell her everything. And I…” Shame filled me, and I couldn’t meet their eyes. “Something happened, and I thought she was hurt.”

“You went into a rage.” My sire’s voice was full of understanding.

“She was at a party in town with the other trainees, and they were attacked by young vampires. Sara and another girl killed the vampires before anyone could reach them. I got there after Tristan, and all I could see was Sara covered in blood. I lost it.”

“Did you hurt anyone?” my mother asked gently.

I met her eyes again. “No. Sara brought me out of it. But she was upset, and she wanted to know why I’d been like that. Tristan took her home and explained the bond to her. Now she doesn’t want to see me. I’ve made such a mess of things.”

She shook her head. “I’m sure there are things you could have handled better, but I haven’t met a bonded male who hasn’t behaved irrationally at least one time. It’s the nature of the bond.”

My sire chuckled. “I wasn’t exactly a model of good behavior when I met your mother. I’m still amazed she didn’t put me on my ass and run like hell.”

“I was tempted a time or two.” She arched an eyebrow at him. “But you had some redeeming qualities.”