Refuge (38 page)

“What?”

“Strike me.”

I frowned. “I’m not going to hit you.”

One corner of his mouth lifted. “Trust me,
you won’t hurt me.”

“But – ”

“If you want to learn to fight, you’ll have
to get used to hitting people.” He raised his hands in front of his
chest, palms toward me. “Now hit me.”

“Don’t temp me,” I muttered. I got into
position and struck out with my right hand. It hit his open hands
with a small smacking sound.

“Shoulders forward. Now hit me again.”

My fist tapped his palm a second time.

“Relax those arms. Again.”

Over and over, he had me strike at him as he
barked instructions like a drill sergeant. First we practiced my
right arm, and when he was finally satisfied, he made me start the
same drills with my left one. I lost count of the number of punches
I threw, but I was sweating and my arms ached by the time he put
his hands down and told me to take a short breather.

Barely five minutes passed before he handed
me a set of dumbbells. “Now we work on strength training and
conditioning. We’ll stop when you can’t go anymore.” I narrowed my
eyes at his barely concealed smirk. He was enjoying this.

Two hours later, I dropped the skipping rope
in my hand and leaned, panting, against the wall. It was all I
could do not to face-plant on one of the exercise mats, and the
only thing that kept me upright was my determination not to
collapse and concede defeat to Nikolas.

He picked up the rope and hung it on a hook.
“Ready to call it quits for today?”

“No, just catching my breath.” I stepped away
from the wall and my exhausted legs quivered, but I stayed on my
feet. “What’s next?”

Admiration flashed in his eyes, and I felt a
ridiculous burst of pleasure. He had pushed me hard for hours, and
I think we were both surprised I was still on my feet.

He turned away and began stacking weights on
the rack in the corner. “I think that’s enough for now. You don’t
want to overdo it in your first session.”

“Okay.” I was not going to argue with him.
I’d proven myself, and now the healing baths called to me like a
siren’s song. I couldn’t believe I’d thought Callum’s lessons were
tough. I would be lucky to walk tomorrow . . . if I didn’t fall
asleep in the bath and drown myself.

“Tomorrow we’ll start working with the bag,”
he said as if it was some kind of reward.

Holding back a groan, I opened the door.
“Yay.”

I could have sworn I heard a soft laugh as
the door shut behind me.

“Hey, Sara, mind if I sit with you?”

“Huh?” My head jerked up from where it had
been resting on my hand, and I squinted at the blond boy standing
in front of me holding a lunch tray. “Oh, hi, Michael. Sure, have a
seat.”

I sat up straighter and surreptitiously wiped
my chin in case I’d drooled when I dozed off. A quick glance around
the room assured me that Nikolas was not there to see me falling
asleep over my lunch. Not even a long soak in the baths had helped
me after training with him all morning.

“Thanks.” Michael sat across from me and
started eating his sandwich. After a few bites, he laid it down and
pressed his lips together like he wanted to say something. I didn’t
press him because I figured he would spit it out if he wanted
to.

“I heard what happened in town,” he said at
last. “Everyone’s been talking about it. Did you and Jordan really
kill three vamps all by yourselves?”

“Yes, but they were baby vamps and Jordan
took out two of them.” I told him the story although I knew he’d
heard Jordan’s version already.

His blue eyes shone with excitement. “Wow!
That’s totally awesome.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Yep, I guess it
was.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.” He picked at his
food. “You didn’t come down at all yesterday, and I wondered how
you were doing.”

“I was just chilling.” Michael was way too
sweet to be a warrior. He should be a healer or something like that
because I could not picture him killing anything, not even a
vampire.

He nodded and took another bite of sandwich,
chewing slowly before he spoke again. “Can I ask you, is it true
about you and Nikolas?” As soon the question was out, his face
reddened. “Sorry. I know it’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s not like it’s a big
secret.” I refrained from sighing because I knew I was going to
have to face the questions and comments sometime.

“You don’t look happy about it.”

I took a sip from my room temperature water
and wrinkled my nose. “I’m just getting used to it all, I guess. It
was a bit of a shock, and I’m not sure what’s going to happen
now.”

“You guys argue a lot,” he stated artlessly,
and I heard the question behind his words.

I lifted a shoulder. “Well, I guess it
wouldn’t be boring.”

“It’s crazy that the first Mohiri you met was
your mate, and it’s Nikolas Danshov of all people. People go ages
without finding one and you’re not even eighteen.”

“We’re not mates yet,” I said absently, my
mind still trying to process the thought of a life with Nikolas. It
was hard to focus when my stomach got all fluttery every time I
thought about him.

“They say it hurts at first if you reject a
mating bond, but it gets better.”

“What?” My mind came out of its fog. “What do
you mean?”

Michael looked unfazed by my abruptness. “You
said it wasn’t final, so I figured you were thinking about breaking
the bond. I just meant that Nikolas would be okay if you did.”

“That’s good to know.” Michael idolized
Nikolas so it made sense he was concerned about Nikolas’s welfare.
Still, I was uncomfortable having a conversation about something so
deeply personal. I cast about for something else to talk about.
“So, do they make a big deal about Thanksgiving here? I’m looking
forward to turkey and stuffing next week. And my uncle, Nate, is
coming to spend the holiday.”

I wanted to kick myself when I saw the
fleeting sadness in his eyes. How could I be so insensitive,
knowing that he spent half his time searching for a brother who had
to be dead? Thanksgiving must be very difficult for someone who
missed his family so much that he could not accept they were gone.
If anyone should understand the need to hold onto the past, it was
me. I also knew when it was time to let go.

“Michael, I know you’re still looking for
your brother,” I started, and he seemed to recoil from me. “No,
wait,” I said when he pushed his chair back. “I just wanted to
offer my help.” That stopped him, and he stared at me like he
didn’t know if I was being sincere or not. I took his hesitation as
a good sign and plunged forward. “I never told you about my dad,
did I?”

“Your father?” He shook his head and
continued to stare at me like he was trying to figure out my
angle.

I lowered my voice so no one else in the
dining room could overhear me. It also forced him to move closer.
“When I was eight, my dad was murdered by vampires.” I swallowed
the small lump that always formed when I spoke about my past. “I
didn’t find out until a year later that it was vampires who killed
him.”

“What does that have to do with my brother?
Your father is dead, and Matthew is still alive.”

“Let me finish. I knew my dad was dead, but I
couldn’t understand why vampires would go after him. I spent years
trying to find answers, and I got a bit obsessed about it. It
almost got me killed. But during the years I was looking, I made a
lot of contacts online, people who know things. What I’m trying to
say is that I know people out there who might be able to help you.
I even know a hacker and a few guys who deal in the underworld
black market. If anyone can help us find Mathew, it’s them. If they
can’t find any sign of him, then he is nowhere to be found.” I had
no hope of finding his brother, but maybe what Michael needed was
for someone else to tell him Matthew was dead before he would
finally accept it.

The wariness left his face, and in its place
I saw a vulnerable little boy who just wanted someone to tell him
things would be okay. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course, what are friends for?”

He fiddled with his napkin, but his eyes
shone with conviction. “Everyone thinks I’m crazy, but I know
Matthew is alive. I’d feel it if he was dead.”

My chest squeezed when I thought about the
pain Michael was going to suffer when he finally had to accept that
his brother was gone. “There’s something else you need to think
about. Even if we do find Matthew, he might not be the same. It’s
very likely he ended up like the other orphans that weren’t found
in time.”

“You didn’t,” he said brightly as if he’d
already thought about that possibility.

I didn’t respond because I could not tell him
the truth about me, and why I was different from other orphans. If
by some miracle Matthew was still alive, his demon had driven him
mad by now. I didn’t know what would be worse: finding out your
brother is dead or finding out that he is insane and beyond help.
It was obvious that Michael was not ready to deal with either of
those outcomes, so I decided to keep those thoughts to myself.

The conversation turned to training after
that, and Michael wanted to know all about training with Nikolas.
It occurred to me that what he and the other trainees needed to
cure them of their hero worship of Nikolas was a couple of days
training under him. I’d love to see how they handled his boot-camp
style workout. If I wasn’t so tired, I would have laughed at the
idea.

“I can’t believe you knew about it, too, and
you didn’t tell me. Was I the last person to find out?”

“It was not my place to tell you, little one.
The mating bond is a very intimate experience between two people,
and one does not interfere in such matters.”

I scowled at Desmund over our game of
checkers. “How did you know anyway? Did Tristan tell you?”

“Of course not. Tristan would not share
something so private.” He gave me a look of mild reproof. “I knew
when you told me Nikolas went into a rage once when you were hurt.
I must say it took me by surprise at first.”

“You’re not the only one.” I captured one of
his pieces, and he swiftly retaliated by taking two of mine. “We
have to be the worst match in Mohiri history. Half the time we
don’t even get along.”

“You both have strong personalities. You will
be a worthy mate for him because you will challenge him.” His eyes
sparkled mischievously. “At the very least, it will be entertaining
for the rest of us.”

I scowled at the board. “I hate to kill your
fun, but I don’t even know if that’s what I want.”

He leaned forward. “Really? What does Nikolas
think of that?”

“We haven’t talked about it. I told him I’ll
train with him, but I am not ready to talk about any of this. I’m
still upset with him and Tristan for letting me find out the way I
did.”

“Yes, I can imagine that was something of a
shock. But don’t be too hard on him. I dare say this has not been
easy for him either.”

“I thought you didn’t like him. Now you are
defending him?”

Desmund winked. “How can I not defend a man
who has the good sense to care about you?”

“You are such a sweet talker,” I scolded, and
he gave me a look of mock innocence. “I certainly know how to pick
my friends.”

His hand stopped in mid-air over the board,
and his expression was indecipherable. “Friends?”

“Of course. We are, aren’t we?” I asked
before I stopped to think. Desmund was eccentric and suffering from
a long mental illness. He had come a long way in the time I’d known
him, but it was still hard to know how he would react to a
situation. It was possible he did not want a friend, as strange as
that sounded.

A smile lit up his face. “Most
definitely.”

“Good.” I looked down at my decimated
checkers. “I’d hate to see how hard you would play someone who
wasn’t your friend.” At his innocent look I laughed. “Don’t think I
don’t know you go easy on me.”

He shrugged, and I knew he would never admit
to it. “Did I tell you my uncle, Nate, is coming next week to spend
Thanksgiving?”

“You must be excited to see him.”

“I can’t wait. He’s staying for a whole
week.” The thought of seeing Nate every day for a week made me
almost giddy. I couldn’t wait to show him around and introduce him
to everyone. Just picturing his expression when he saw Alex and
Minuet made me grin.

“I have never seen you look this happy,”
Desmund said. “Your uncle must be a good man.”

“He is. I hope . . . ” I hesitated, not sure
how to say what I wanted to say to him. “I’d like for you to meet
him . . . if you want to, that is.”

“I’d be honored.” His smile changed to a
playful smirk. “How often do you introduce young men to your
uncle?”

I let out a snort. “Young? Didn’t you tell me
that you and Tchaikovsky were friends?”

He touched his chin. “Hmmm, so you think your
uncle will have a problem with the age difference?”

“Age difference?” My mouth fell open, and I
stared at him. Did he mean . . . ? I thought about his reaction a
few minutes ago when I said he was a friend. Did Desmund feel
something more than friendship for me? But he’d just told me I’d
make a good mate for Nikolas. Was he saying that just to be
nice?

“Is something wrong?”

I rubbed my suddenly sweaty palms against my
thighs. “Desmund, you know that we are only friends, right? I mean,
I like you, but I can’t – ”

His burst of laughter cut me off and made me
forget whatever it was I had been about to say. It was the first
time I’d ever heard him laugh this hard, and I had no idea what had
set him off. I didn’t know whether to be worried or relieved.