Warrior (Relentless #4)(240)
“Just checking in on my little cousin. I’m happy to see she looks much improved.” He smirked. “I never would have pegged her as a stomach sleeper.”
“Stay the hell out of our bedroom,” I growled at him.
He chuckled. “Chill out, warrior. I have better things to do than watch you two make little demons. There’s this pair of French twins who can –”
“Faerie,” I ground out.
He rolled his eyes. “Bonded males. No fun at all.”
I laid my tray on the nearest table. “Is there a reason for this conversation other than to annoy me?”
His expression grew serious. “There is, actually. I think we’ve only scratched the surface of what Sara can do. I plan to resume training with her when she’s recovered from her ordeal. Physically she is ready, but emotionally she has some healing to do first.”
I nodded gravely, thinking about all the nights she’d woken up screaming my name in the last two weeks. I’d hold her and talk to her until she calmed, and then we’d make love. Afterward, she’d fall asleep again in my arms.
It had taken her almost a week to talk about what had happened that night with Elena, and her nightmares seemed less intense since she’d opened up. Last night she hadn’t woken at all, and I hoped the worst was over.
“I know the Master is dead, but there are others out there who will fear Sara if they learn what she can do. By Fae standards, she’s still a child, and we protect our children.”
My stomach tightened. “She won’t go to Faerie.”
“I know. That’s why I’m here to offer my protection.”
“What kind of protection?”
He smiled. “Relax. I have no plans to hang around here. I’m going to ward this valley against vampires. Someday, when she’s strong enough, I’ll teach Sara to do it. Until then, I’ll take care of it. It won’t harm your demons or affect your people in any way.”
“That’s very generous of you.” Even with all the additional security measures at Westhorne, I worried this place wasn’t safe enough for Sara. There were a lot of vampires gunning for her, especially after she’d killed their Master. It was one of the reasons she’d agreed to take an extended trip to Russia with me this summer. The other reason was that my parents were dying to meet Sara. If we didn’t go to them, they’d come here.
Eldeorin shrugged. “As I said, we protect our children. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take care of the wards. And then I might visit those charming French twins…”
He disappeared mid-sentence. Hugo let out a snort and sniffed the air with a low growl.
“Yeah, I don’t like him either.” I picked up my tray. “Let’s go feed our girl.”
The apartment was quiet when I let myself in. I left Hugo and Woolf guarding the door. They were a wonderful deterrent to a well-meaning uncle and grandfather who loved to visit unannounced.
In the bedroom, I set the tray down on the nightstand. I sat on the bed and leaned down to the shape buried beneath the covers.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“Too early,” she groaned from under the blanket. “Go away. I don’t want to get up.”
I laughed and pulled the covers down, revealing sleepy green eyes and tousled hair. Unable to resist, I leaned in for a quick kiss.
“Who said anything about getting up? I thought we’d have breakfast in bed this morning.”
Her eyes widened, and she smiled. “You made breakfast?”
“No. All we have in the fridge is apples and an open can of tuna. Although, you do like tuna, if I remember. Maybe I should see if we have saltines.”
She laughed and sat up, propping herself against the pillows. She was wearing my blue T-shirt again, and my body warmed at the sight of her in it.
“I don’t think Oscar will be happy if we eat his tuna.” Her stomach growled noisily. “But something smells amazing.”
I set the tray down on her lap. “Your breakfast.”
She stared at the food and burst out laughing. “Are we expecting company, or are you trying to fatten me up?”
“No and no.”
I broke off a piece of bacon and put it to her lips. She ate it obediently, and I picked up a wedge of French toast dipped in syrup.
She smiled. “Mmmm, I could get use to this.”
“Good, because I like doing it.”
“But you have to eat, too.” She lifted a forkful of eggs to my mouth and grinned when half the egg landed in my lap. “Oops. Maybe we should feed ourselves.”
Chuckling, I ate the food left on the fork, and we started on our large breakfast. When she was done, she leaned back into the pillows with a contented sigh, leaving me to finish the meal. I loved moments like this when she looked happy and unburdened by bad memories.
“You remembered!”
She reached for the wrapped blueberry muffin, her smile doing funny things to my stomach. She leaned across the tray and pressed a quick kiss to my lips.
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
I smiled. “I think you might have said it a few times last night.”
Her cheeks went an enticing shade of pink that told me exactly what she was thinking about. God, what had I ever done to deserve her?