Warrior (Relentless #4)(28)

I sat beside her, and my Mori almost purred with happiness at being so close to its mate. After watching her from a distance for so long, a feeling of contentment settled over me at her nearness.

“I’ve heard that some orphans take the transition to the Mohiri life well and others struggle to adapt. Eventually, they all come to love our way of life.”

She didn’t look at me. “Maybe that’s because their life before wasn’t that great. It’s got to suck being a little kid with a demon wreaking havoc in your head. But I’m not like them.”

“No you’re not.” If she only knew how different she was.

“Why?”

I thought about the best way to answer her. “You are very strong. I don’t mean physically. Like I told you before, you have amazing control over your Mori; it’s almost effortless.”

She shifted restlessly, and I wondered if her Mori was reacting to being so close to mine. If so, was she even aware of it?

“You don’t seem to have any trouble with yours,” she said.

“I’ve had many years to learn this much control, and it’s still not as good as yours.” If she only knew how much I’d struggled with my Mori as a boy, and how hard it was to restrain the demon when she was near. It would never harm her, but it couldn’t understand why we weren’t trying to claim our mate.

“Oh.” She rubbed her knees nervously. “But you do control it, right? You’re not going to go all Linda Blair on me, are you? Because I’ve had all the craziness I can handle for one year.”

I laughed at her ability to find humor in the situation. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

She turned her face toward me, allowing me to see the sadness that still lingered in her eyes. “How long is this going to go on? I just want to go back to some semblance of a normal life.”

“Sara –”

“I know what you’re going to say. How normal can it be when I’m immortal and everyone else is not? Why can’t I have it for now, at least until I have to leave?” she asked desperately.

I sighed softly, hating that I was going to crush her hopes of having a normal life. But if she was ever going to accept that she couldn’t go back to the way things were, I had to be honest with her. About the danger, at least.

“That might have been possible before the vampire found you. You don’t know what they’re like; once they decide they want something, it’s like a predator scenting their prey. And you are the one that got away.”

She trembled, and my arm ached to wrap itself around her shoulders. But I knew my touch would not be welcome.

“The werewolves don’t think the vampires will enter their territory,” she said.

“I hope they’re right, and I wish I could tell you this will all go away, but I won’t lie to you. I believe you are in danger here, and I won’t leave you unprotected as long as that danger exists.”

She stood. “Just do me a favor and don’t act like every person you see is out to get me. It is possible that some boys might actually like me.” She walked around me and headed back to the party.

“Ya znayu,” I said softly. I know.

She looked back at me. “Did you say something?”

“I said I’m sure they do.”

I stayed there for a few minutes after she’d left. Chris would keep an eye on her, and I didn’t want to upset her more. I wished I knew what to do or say to make her world right again, but I was at a loss.

When I returned to the party, I found a spot in the shadow of the lighthouse to stay out of sight. Sara was with her two werewolf friends and she wore a smile again, though it wasn’t as bright as the one she had before I’d made my presence known.

I knew I should probably go. She was safe here with her friends and Chris, and I only managed to distress her. But every time I thought of leaving, I couldn’t make myself walk away.

“She’s really gotten to you.”

I’d been so focused on Sara that I hadn’t even heard Chris approach. He stood beside me and watched her with her friends.

“I’ve never seen you look at a female the way you look at her.”

I glanced over at him. “What way is that?”

He smiled. “Like a blind man seeing for the first time.”

I scoffed, but I had no rebuke because I was afraid he might be right.

“How bad is it?” he asked with more seriousness. “I’m not going to have to restrain you if she goes near another male, am I?”

Sara laughed at something Roland said, and my chest warmed in response. “It’s stronger than I expected it would be this soon,” I admitted. “I don’t think I realized how strong until I saw her with the other guy.”

“I guess it’s true what they say. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” His voice didn’t hold any of his usual humor. He laid a hand on my shoulder. “Maybe you should stay away for a while, until she’s more willing to accept you. The more you see her, the harder it will be to keep your distance from her.”

I nodded stiffly. “I know, but I can’t stay away with Eli stepping up his search for her.”

That was only part of the reason. Being near Sara eased the slowly tightening coil of tension inside me. I’d heard from bonded males that just touching their mates was enough to calm them when they were upset. It wasn’t as if I could walk up and take my mate’s hand. She’d probably break her fist on my nose.