by Amy Richie
“Nickolas!”
“What?” He seemed surprised that I had spoken.
“The wolves haven’t come here.”
His eyes narrowed in confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I was just thinking,” his expression grew dark so I quit talking.
“Yes?”
I fidgeted and twisted my fingers. “I just can’t see why I am needed at the colony with you.”
“You’re not needed at the colony with me.” He still looked confused.
“Then,” I avoided contact, “wouldn’t it make more sense for me to stay here and wait for you to return?” His response was immediate.
“No.”
I bit the inside of my lip and chanced a look at him. As expected, he looked angry at my proposal. “Nickolas, you aren’t even listening to me,” I flared.
“Haven’t we already had this discussion?”
“No. we didn’t. You just said no.” I kept eye contact with him so he couldn’t ignore me and start his mad pacing again.
“Eva, you can’t stay here.”
Was it because it would look bad for him? Was he expecting other company? “Why?”
His expression softened and he came quickly to my side. “Eva, don’t entertain such silly notions.” He playfully touched my nose with his thumb.
I brushed his hand away like it was an annoying bug. “Nickolas,” I accused.
“The wolves are out there. They don’t come here because I am here.”
“You’ve left me here before.”
“I wasn’t going far.”
“But…”
He put two fingers to my lips to stop me from protesting further. “If they were set on you for a mate, they would know you are here. They could just be out there waiting for me to go to the colony. Then you would be here alone, ripe for the taking.”
“That is highly unlikely,” I mumbled.
“That is, in fact, very likely. You are a young, beautiful girl who is strong both in body and in spirit.”
I snorted and rolled my eyes. “I think you might be a little biased.’
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. “The only mirror I have here is small and dingy. You’ll just have to take my word for it.” He winked and smiled at me. It was one of those smiles that made my heart stutter, stop, and speed up at random.
“Sooo, what are we going to do?” I asked after I could breathe again.
“We’re going to the colony.” He rose up and started his maddening pacing again. “I just don’t know for certain how we’ll manage. If only I had a carriage.” He shook his head, once again excluding me from the conversation. “But how would I drive a carriage over this rough terrain?”
“Might I suggest something?”
“Nothing ridiculous I hope.”
I laughed, a little. “Nothing ridiculous,” I confirmed.
“Ok. Are you going to tell me or make me guess?”
My mouth dropped open, but I was amused. “I suggest,” I wriggled my eyebrows at him until he at least smiled, “that I ride on your horse with you.”
He didn’t say no right away, which I took as a good sign. “Do you know how to ride pinion?”
“I am assuming that means riding in the saddle behind you?”
He made a grunting sound. “Well, that answers that.”
“Oh, come on.” I got up and walked over to him. “You could show me. I’m not stupid. Are you calling me stupid?”
He laughed and held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “No.” Without warning he reached out and pulled me into his arms. I wasn’t complaining. “I don’t think it’s safe,” he said without letting me go.
It was good that he was holding me. It made it harder for me to stomp my feet and act childish. “Of course it’s not,” I mumbled.
I felt his shoulders slump but he didn’t make a sound. This was getting ridiculous. Why wouldn’t he just let me try again? He would be right there beside me. He pulled himself away from me.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“No. I am ready to go. I will just try to ride the horse again.”
“Not an option.”
“Nickolas.”
“Eva.”
We stood glaring at each other, our faces inches apart. Neither of us willing to say we were wrong. My breathing was ragged; he seemed to be just fine.
“I have an idea,” he said suddenly; bringing me up short.
“You do?”
“I do.” He winked.
“Not a ridiculous one I hope.”
He flashed his perfect teeth. “Indeed not. We can attempt for you to ride in the saddle in front of me.”
“In front of you? Is that normal?”
He scoffed. “You, my dear, are not normal.”
“Hey!” I started to protest but thought better of it. At least he was smiling again, and he definitely seemed excited about his new plan. This could work.
“And at least this way if you try to fall off again, I’ll have a hold of you.” I rolled my eyes and followed him outside.
“Maybe I’ll jump off next time,” I called, “just for grins.”
His hearty laugh echoed back to me. “Either way, I’ll be able to catch you.” He turned around suddenly and grabbed my waist. I screamed with both surprise and delight. He picked me up easily and swung me around. He was laughing as much as I was. After he set me back down, I swatted his arm playfully.
He turned away from me, still chuckling, and let out a low whistle. My heart thudded in anticipation at the sound of the horse’s hooves. I wasn’t surprised when the magnificent white beast tore free of the forest. I had to convince my heart to calm down before Nickolas heard it. If he wouldn’t let me ride in front, he might make me ride on his back. No matter how we went, I knew one thing for sure — I would be safe.
I watched Nickolas as he expertly stroked the horse’s neck. How gentle and kind this man was. It was sad for me to have to leave the comfort of the cabin. What would happen when we reached the colony? I would have to face Neleh and be forced to remember the things I wasn’t able to — the things I didn’t want to remember. After the dust settled, would he even want to be near me? Where would our relationship be? Or would we even have one?
“Eva, what thoughts plague you, to make you look so pained?” I hadn’t even realized that he had been watching me.
“Nothing.” I smiled bravely for his benefit.
“You must not worry about Neleh. She will not harm you.’
“I know.” It was hard to keep a straight face under his intense stare. I swallowed nervously and looked away. He took a step closer to me and I had no choice but to tell him the truth. “I was just thinking about us.”
“What about us?”
“Will I ever see you again after you take me to the colony?”
He exhaled loudly and shifted his gaze away. “And here I thought you were thinking about something important.”
“I think our relationship is important.” I felt the heat rise up my neck and into my cheeks.
“Our relationship?” He raised one eyebrow.
I felt the sting of my tears so I hurried to push past him. “I was just talking about friendship,” I muttered on my way past.
“Eva,” he groaned my name.
“No, it’s fine Nickolas.” I turned to face him and was surprised to find he had moved so close to me. I tried to compose myself, but I didn’t know how well I did. “You don’t owe me anything.”
“Eva, you just don’t understand. I can’t…”
His head snapped up half a second before I heard the screams. “What’s that?” I whispered. The sounds were coming from the forest. It sounded like someone was being tortured. “Nickolas.” I grabbed his arm in terror.
“Eva, I have to…” He looked back down at me, obviously torn yet again.
For the space of a heartbeat we looked at each other, then another bloodcurdling scream echoed th
rough the trees. “Come on,” I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the horse. He didn’t resist.
With movements like a blur he had me in the saddle and himself situated behind me. “Just do as you’re told,” he said close to my ear. I nodded mutely.
The horse danced for a few seconds before Nickolas made a noise with his tongue. And then we shot off through the trees, leaving my oasis behind. I was too terrified for the woman screaming to even let that register in my mind. I may never see the small wooden house in the middle of the forest again.
Chapter Nineteen
It didn’t take us long to find the girl. She actually ran to us. She didn’t stop though, she might not have even seen us. She was more focused on what was behind her, chasing her. Her long hair hung loosely around her face, broken free of the clip. Her dress was torn off her shoulder and blood gushed from a gash there. Blood also ran freely from wounds on her neck, staining her dress a dark red.
She lost her balance directly in front of us and fell to her hands and knees. She looked back to see if her pursuer was close, her eyes held such terror. My own blood ran cold at the sight. It was so much like my vision, only I was the girl.
“Nickolas, help her.” Please help her. I was too terrified to do much else but whimper.
The woman got back to her feet and continued on her frantic flight. I was watching her so I missed when the man came into view, but I felt Nickolas stiffen and his grip around me tighten. “What are you doing here?” A chill ran up my spine by the tone in Nickolas’s voice.
As if in slow motion, I turned my head to see a giant of a man. His hair was almost as black as his eyes and his skin was a pale, milky white. Blood had run down his chin and onto the front of his shirt. I could only assume that it was that girl’s blood. “Mind your business,” he snarled at Nickolas.
“This is my business.”
“These aren’t your lands.” His rage was clear. I cowered back against Nickolas’s chest.
“Nor are they yours,” Nickolas snarled back. Maybe he felt braver because he was sitting on top of this beast.
“Mind your business,” the giant said again. His eyes were narrowed into thin slits.
“Did Neleh send you to kill that girl?” Nickolas asked in a low voice.
The dark haired man growled loud in response. I jumped and squirmed in my seat but Nickolas moved his hand up my back to secure me.
It was like my dreams coming to life. The dark man in the forest, attacking Neleh, the growling. The growls that vibrated the very trees, me running. Being chased, but not by a wolf. No, I was being chased by a vampire — I was sure of it.
But why was he attacking on werewolf land? Why had Nickolas asked him if Neleh sent him? Who was this man? Who was he? Maybe my answers lay with him.
My breathing became gasps with each breath I took. “Who are you?” I choked out. “Who are you?”
The man seemed surprised that I had spoken at all. He turned to regard me with keener interest. “I am Henri, Neleh’s chief warrior.” He gave a slight bow with the proclamation.
“You’re with Neleh?” My voice sound so breathy.
“And who are you?”
“Never mind who she is,” Nickolas snapped.
“Did you try to kill me?”
His eyes narrowed and he half smiled. “Not yet my l`ady.”
“He lies,” I accused through clenched. Henri’s eyes turned blacker in their deep sockets and he crouched low to the ground, but I refused to back down. “I know it was you.”
“Perhaps you’d like to give me that pleasure now? I do hope you can run fast, it’s no fun without the chase.”
Nickolas growled fiercely behind me. “She’s mine.”
“You stake your claim to her then?” Henri asked with a small, satisfied smile.
“I do.”
His smile disappeared. “I thought you and your brothers refused to lay claim on any human. Called it…barbaric. Did you not?”
“I claim her.”
“Come down and fight for her.” The words were spoken very low.
“No.” Panic gripped my heart. “Come on Nickolas, let’s just go. We need to find Neleh.”
“Oh yes, Nickolas…do go,” Henri mocked, “and take your pretty little prize with you. You wouldn’t want anyone to take it from you.” He glared at me under his thick dark lashes.
Nickolas made a throaty sound and lunged forward in his seat. If I hadn’t been in his way he might have gotten down and fought Henri. The big man laughed and disappeared in the trees, resuming his chase for the girl.
“What were you thinking? Talking to him?” Nickolas demanded.
“He is the one who chased me to your house.”
“You are mistaken.”
“No, I’m not. It wasn’t a wolf. I know it wasn’t a wolf Nickolas.” He sat very still behind me. “I think he must be the one Neleh wants me to kill.” The pieces had already started coming together for me, but it sounded so much worse when I said it out loud.
“No, she does not expect you to kill a warrior such as Henri.” His voice was still low, the way it got when he was upset. “Besides, you said his name was Dominick.
“I must have heard her wrong.” I wasn’t budging.
“Eva, those are just dreams. They may have seemed real but…”
“No Nickolas. I realize they are not entirely true events, but there is truth to them. I have heard these things somewhere.’
“She doesn’t want you to kill Henri,” was his only response.
“You don’t know that. She must have found out about him killing.” My eyes narrowed in thought. “Can’t you see? He must have killed before. You know, Nickolas,” I half turned in the saddle but Nickolas stopped me, “he could be responsible for all the trouble with the wolves.” My eyes widened with the realization. Neleh must have found out, and I was her way of stopping him. But what could I do?
“I think you are flawed in your theory, Eva.”
“Hmm?”
“There are pieces you are missing.”
“Yeah, but I think I must be close.”
“I think you give Neleh too much credit.” He clicked his tongue to get the horse moving again.
“I know you don’t like her Nickolas, but maybe she’s a victim to. She is trying to help — to make things right.” His disagreement sounded in a low grunt. “What is your theory then?”
He didn’t answer right away, but then he started talking in quick low sentences. “Do you remember the night the Waltzes were killed?”
“The Waltzes?” I shook my head.
“The older couple?”
“With no kids.”
“That were killed by wolves?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“They had a nephew who was sleeping in the stable that night.”
“They made him sleep in the barn?”
“He saw everything that night.”
“What did he see?”
“There was a man with dark hair that came before the wolves. He bit them and then left. When the wolves came, a few minutes later, they killed them both.”
“They smelled the blood? Instincts?”
“Maybe, but…”
“But what?”
“They may have thought that the two would turn to vampires.”
“Would they have?’
“No. But the wolves may not have known that.”
“That just offers proof to my theory.”
“Maybe, or maybe not.”
Nickolas kept me pressed tight to his chest the entire day. We were walking along the river and the path was rough, littered with deep ruts and rocks. Every time the horse stumbled, he would hold me tighter. At first I was comforted by his concern but as the day wore on I feared that he would crush me to death. His hand was a constant pressure against the small of my back.
By the time the sun was high in the sky, I was jumpy. “Nickolas, let me walk,” I pleaded for the second time. I knew that I would feel be
tter walking to the colony rather than be crushed on the way there.
“The water is too high.” He wasn’t budging.
“I think I can handle it,” I told him, trying to turn my face so he would see how serious I was.
He frowned deeply and turned me back around. “No, Eva,” he said roughly and then he added more gently, “I don’t want to have to jump into the freezing water to save you.”
“No one asked you to be my hero.” I folded my arms across my chest but the movement unbalanced me and I swayed dangerously. He let go of the saddle and wrapped both arms around me. I looked up sheepishly into his face, which was now less than an inch from mine. He pulled the horse to a stop so he could steady me. Nickolas was agitated, but then our eyes met.
The atmosphere around us changed drastically. My breathing came out in uneven gasps and I was sure that he could hear my heart hammering in my chest. I reached my hand up slowly to touch his face. This time he let me. My fingers traced his jaw line and his cheek and finally his hard lips, which were parted just slightly from his own haggard breathing.
Ever so painfully slow he brought his face closer to me. I closed my eyes and tilted my chin in anticipation of his lips against mine. Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. I opened my eyes in disappointment and he was staring at me. He had moved further back in the saddle to allow some distance between us.
“What’s wrong?” I breathed.
“I want to kiss you,” he growled.
“So?” I leaned forward eagerly, but his strong hands stopped me.
“I can’t kiss you, Eva.”
“Why not?” My face felt hot.
“It’s against my rules.”
“What rules?” I was confused.
“I can’t let myself fall for someone,” he paused — trying to find the right words — but finally he just finished, “like you.”
“What am I?” I felt my eyes sting with tears.
He groaned loudly and buried his face against my hair. He inhaled deeply and then abruptly pulled my face up to meet his again.
His kiss was sudden and unexpected but not unpleasant. As I responded to him, he deepened the kiss and I soon found myself melted into his chest. I entwined my arms around his neck to hold him to me. He made small noises with his mouth that sent a thrill of pleasure down my spine.
