Warrior (Relentless #4)(26)
The line went silent, and I thought she’d hung up on me. “Sara?”
When she spoke again, her voice sounded strained instead of angry. “What do you want from me, Nikolas? I told you I just want to be left alone.”
I sighed and raked a hand through my hair. The last thing I wanted was to frighten her after all she’d been through, but she needed to know she could be in danger. “We got word of increased activity in Portland, and we have reason to believe the vampire might be searching for you.”
“I don’t know anyone in Portland, so there’s no way he can trace me here, right?” she asked, a hint of a tremor in her voice.
“There’s more than one way to track someone.” But they’ll have to go through me. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep you safe. Chris will stay close by until we handle this situation.”
“I don’t need a babysitter. I’m not a child.”
I pictured her fiery eyes and flushed cheeks. “No, you’re not.” Pushing away from the wall, I walked the length of the building. “But you are not a warrior either. It is our duty to protect you even if you don’t want our protection.”
I expected her to argue again. Instead she said, “How close is he planning to stay? He’s kind of conspicuous, and I can’t have my uncle or anyone else asking questions.”
I frowned. “Conspicuous?”
She sighed loudly. “If you guys wanted to blend in, you shouldn’t have sent Dimples here. The way some of the women are staring at him, I might end up having to protect him instead.”
The idea of her protecting my warrior friend from the ladies made me almost laugh out loud, but I didn’t think she would appreciate that in her current mood. “Ah, I’m sure Chris can take care of himself. He’ll be in town in case we suspect any trouble is coming that way.”
“Fine. But as soon as this is cleared up you guys have to go so I can try to have a somewhat normal life again.”
“Sara, I –”
There was a muffled sound, and then Chris chuckled. “I never thought I’d say this, but I think you’ve finally met your match, Nikolas.”
I was still smiling about her “Dimples” comment. “I think you may be right.”
“I can see why you asked Tristan to stay away. She really doesn’t want us around.”
“I wish I could give her more time to get used to us, but we’ve had a new development.” I filled him in on what we had learned from the ranc demons.
“Are you sure Eli’s looking for Sara? All the other girls were blond, even the three he didn’t take. Maybe it’s one of them he’s after.”
“I pray to God you’re right, but you didn’t see his face, Chris. He almost died trying to take her with him when he could have just run.” My hand tightened on the phone as I remembered Eli’s raw lust and hunger when he’d held Sara. “I can’t let him get near her again.”
“We’ll keep her safe,” he vowed. “She’s with one of her werewolf friends now, and I put a tracker on his truck so I can find him again.” There was a clicking sound and a short beep. “Looks like he’s driving her home.”
“We can’t let her out of our sight until we get this vampire,” I said.
“Other than school, she doesn’t go that far. I don’t think we’ll have any trouble keeping an eye on her.” I heard him shift position. “I’m on my way to her place now.”
“Okay.”
He laughed. “Don’t worry, Nikolas. I’ve waited a long time to see a female lead you on a merry chase, and no one is going to spoil my fun.”
Chapter 6
I pulled my bike in next to Chris’s and shut it off. Music and laughter filled the air, along with the crash of waves below the lighthouse. The party was in full swing, and a couple of boys stumbled as they approached the parking lot. One had car keys in his hand, and neither he nor his friend looked fit to drive. Why humans thought they could drink themselves into this state and still function correctly was beyond me.
I veered to intercept them. “Hold up, guys. You’re not planning to drive, are you?”
“Nah, just getting some beer from my buddy’s trunk,” said one of them. Judging by his slur, the last thing he needed was more alcohol.
I watched them grab a case of beer from a car and head back to the party. I followed them at a slower pace. When I’d talked to Chris earlier, I’d been surprised to learn he was at a party. Since the night at the club two weeks ago, Sara hadn’t left the house much, except for school. I was glad she’d recovered enough from the vampire attack to go out with her friends again.
There was no sign of Chris or Sara when I reached the party, but I knew they were there because I could sense her nearby. I saw her two werewolf friends standing with a group of teenagers, and I scanned the crowd for her face. A white van blocked my view, so I walked around it to stand near the lighthouse.
My chest rumbled in displeasure at the sight of Sara in another man’s arms. They were dancing and laughing together, and she smiled at the blond man in a way she had never smiled at me. I was still getting used to the intense protective urges she awoke in me. This surge of possessiveness was something new. I’d known the bond would grow the more I saw her, but I hadn’t expected this, at least not so soon.