Warrior (Relentless #4)(207)

The kiss only fanned the flames created by the dream, but I’d already decided not to take it beyond this tonight. Today had been an emotional rollercoaster for us, and I wasn’t going to overwhelm her with the heavy emotions of sex.

As much as I wanted her, I also wanted her first time and the last step in our bonding to be perfect. And I really didn’t want it to happen in Eldeorin’s home. I wouldn’t put it past that bastard to pop in and say hi in the middle of our lovemaking.

I’d have to figure something out soon though. Neither I nor my Mori could bear to be apart from our mate for much longer.

I lifted my head and gazed at the desire in her green eyes. God, if she kept looking at me like that, I was going to forget everything else, take her back to her room, and not leave until we were good and truly mated.

My phone rang, startling us both. I wasn’t sure if the groan I let out was one of relief or frustration. Perhaps a bit of both.

“Nikolas here.”

“Hey, sorry to interrupt your evening,” Raoul said. “Brock just called. He said you wanted to talk to him as soon as he found something.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

For the last week, Brock had been watching Adele’s home and club, and he was the one who’d give us the San Francisco lead. If he had any news, I wanted to hear it firsthand.

“Duty calls,” Sara said, not hiding the disappointment in her voice.

“Sorry. One of our teams reported in with some intel and I need to be there. I wasn’t expecting to hear from them today.”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s your job.”

We walked back to the house, and the closer we got to it, the more unwilling I was to leave her.

“Do you want to come to the command center with me?” I asked her.

“Yes,” she blurted.

Everyone gave us knowing smiles when we entered the control room, but Sara seemed too happy to notice. She sat on the couch with Jordan while I made some calls, and I found her asleep there when I finished up an hour later. I wasn’t surprised after the exciting day she’d had.

Raoul came to stand beside me. “Is she really the vigilante?” he asked in a hushed voice.

“Yes.”

His breath came out in a whoosh. “I thought Chris and Jordan were messing with me. I still can’t believe it.”

“You and me both.”

“But she’s so…small. How did she do it?”

I watched her sleeping, curled up on her side with her hands tucked beneath her chin. She was the picture of innocence, and she looked so vulnerable and young. But beneath that soft exterior was a fighter who would do anything to protect the people she loved.

“She’s a warrior.”





Chapter 40





“Nikolas, what a pleasant surprise! How can I be of service to you tonight?”

Adele smiled invitingly up at me from the couch in her office. Wearing a long red dress, she looked more ready to attend a cocktail party than lounge in her club.

Her eyes widened. “And Eldeorin’s little cousin? This is a surprise.”

“Hello, Adele,” Sara said coolly, coming to stand close to my side in a clear display of possessiveness.

Behind me, Jordan snickered and Chris chuckled softly.

“Adele, do you have –?” Adele’s bathroom door opened, and who should emerge but Orias. The warlock did a double take when he saw Sara, and he almost dropped the satchel in his hands.

“You!” he barked at Sara, making me wonder again what had happened when she visited him in New Mexico.

“Nice to see you again, Orias,” she replied in a sweet voice.

He glared at her and held on to the satchel like it held his life savings. “Because of you, I have no home and no business, and every vampire in New Mexico wants me dead. You are a menace!”

She crossed her arms and returned his dark look. “Maybe you should be more careful about the people you do business with.”

“Yeah, and you shouldn’t have tied us up either,” Jordan added irately.

My stare returned to Orias, and he visibly recoiled. He hadn’t mentioned that tidbit when I spoke to him back in December.

Sara touched my arm. “He was going to turn us over to Tristan for the reward money,” she explained.

“And you upset my demon so much that it took me a week to get him to calm down,” Orias whined, stroking the satchel that must hold his demon. “I wish I’d never laid eyes on you.”

“This is the girl who killed Stefan Price?” Adele looked from Sara to Orias, wearing an expression of disbelief. “You didn’t tell me she was Fae.”

The warlock huffed indignantly. “She’s not Fae. She’s Mohiri. And I couldn’t tell you because she put a gag on me.”

A gag? My eyes went to Sara who merely shrugged. What the hell had happened between these two? And how did she stop a warlock like Orias from doing whatever he wanted?

“But that means you are not Fae as you and Eldeorin led me to believe.” Adele narrowed her eyes at Sara. “What game are you playing?”

“This is not a game to me.”

“Why did you lie to me?” the succubus demanded.

My body tensed. Adele usually kept a cool head about her and stayed out of trouble, but Succubi were known for their tempers. And they were incredibly strong.