“A patient Mohiri; who would have thought it.” I got up and carried our plates to the sink to hide my suddenly conflicted feelings. I had no intention of going to the Mohiri any time soon, but the knowledge that I had a grandfather – even if he was Madeline’s father – out there who wanted to see me caused emotions I did not want to think about.
“A Mohiri has all the patience in the world when something is worth waiting for,” he replied and I got the feeling we were no longer talking about my grandfather.
I started running hot water over the plates. “I guess it helps that you guys are immortal, huh?”
“So are you,” he said close to my ear and I almost dropped the plate in my hand.
“Don’t do that!” I choked and he laughed softly. He took the plate from me and began to dry it with a dish towel.
Does he have to stand so close?
I griped as I rinsed the other plate and handed it to him. Something in his manner told me he was doing it just to irk me and he was enjoying himself immensely. I found myself wishing the old Nikolas was here. I knew what to expect from him; this new Nikolas was too confusing by far.
Wind rattled the kitchen window and I rubbed my arms, wishing I’d thought to bring down a sweater or hoodie. Without the power there was no heat and this close to the bay, the air was getting cold fast. I reached for the flashlight to go upstairs and get something heavy to wear.
“The temperature is going to drop a lot tonight. Does that fireplace in the living room work?”
“Yes, it’s gas.”
He walked past me to the dark living room. “Go put on something warm and I’ll start the fire.”
I spoke to his back. “So what, we’re going to sit by the fire and roast marshmallows now?”
“You have anything better to do?” he called back without turning around.
I had no answer for that so I went upstairs and dug out one of my dad’s old sweaters. It was my favorite because I could still remember him in it, though sadly it had lost his scent a long time ago. I pulled on a pair of fuzzy moccasin slippers Judith gave me last Christmas and sat on my bed thinking of the irony of the situation. Nate had left me alone here knowing there was no way I’d have a boy over, and his first night away there was a guy here making dinner for me. My uncle would probably have heart palpitations if he walked in the door right now. Just one look at Nikolas and he’d never believe this whole thing was innocent. I couldn’t help smiling at the hilarity of it all as I made my way downstairs again.
“Where did you find marshmallows?” I asked in surprise when I saw the open bag on the coffee table. I’d been joking about roasting them, but now it looked like the best idea ever.
Nikolas looked up from his seat on the floor as he threaded one on a long metal skewer and held it over the fire. “Top shelf in the pantry. Want one?”
“Yes!” I sat in the chair closest to the fireplace and sighed as the heat surrounded me. Daisy came into the room and stretched out in front of my chair.
“Here.” He handed me the skewer. I blew on the blackened marshmallow as he started another one for himself. For a few minutes there was no sound but the hissing of the fire and the storm battering the building. I found myself strangely at ease. After my close call at the marina, I was surprised I wasn’t jumping at the slightest noise. But this was actually nice.
“Have you always done this – hunting vampires? Do all Mohiri become warriors?”
He sat with his back to the couch and his long legs stretched out across the rug. “Most do though we have some scholars and artisans. Being a warrior is in our blood, what we are born to do. I have never wanted to do anything else.”
I absorbed that for a minute. “What is it like growing up there? Do you live in houses or in some kind of military base? Do you go to school or start training when you’re little?” Since I’d first learned about the Mohiri, I imagined them living like soldiers, sleeping in barracks and training to fight every day. It all seemed so cold and militant and it did not reconcile with the way he spoke about family.
He smiled and skewered another marshmallow. “We live in fortified compounds all over the world. The larger compounds look like private campuses and the smaller ones are basically well fortified estates. It is not safe for a Mohiri family to live outside a compound because they would be vulnerable to vampire attack. Families live together and the living quarters are large and comfortable. Children attend school until they are sixteen and physical training begins when they reach puberty.” He leaned forward and the fire played across his handsome face. “It is a good life. There is a deep sense of belonging among the Mohiri and everyone who comes to live among us is happier than they were living among humans.”
I stared at the flames. His meaning was clear and I did not want to break our moment of peace by replaying the old argument. Maybe the Mohiri were not as cold and impersonal as I’d thought but I could not imagine being any happier there. My dad would still be gone and I wouldn’t even have Nate or Roland and Peter.
The ringing of the kitchen phone cut through the silence and I jumped up to answer it. It was Nate, calling from his hotel in Boston, his voice full of worry.
“Hey, I hear you guys are getting hit by a hard nor’easter. Everything okay there?”
“I’m perfectly fine, Nate. You know how I love a good storm.”
His relief was audible. “Well if the power goes, there are extra flashlights and a battery operated lantern in the hall closet.”
“Don’t worry, I have it all under control. How is the conference?”
He told me about his day and that he’d be at his hotel for the rest of the night if I needed to call him. I laughed and told him he sounded like Judith when she got all over Roland about something. That was enough to get him to say good night with a promise to call and check on me tomorrow.
As soon as I hung up from Nate, the phone rang again. “Geeze, what now?” This time it was Roland.
“Well you answered the phone so I assume you’re not bound and gagged,” he quipped after I answered.
“No thanks to you.”
“Ah, don’t be mad. I was kind of freaked out after what happened and I thought maybe someone else should talk to you.”
“I don’t want to talk about that now.” I was still a little hurt by his defection and I was in no mood to assuage his guilt tonight.
“Mom said the power’s out all over town. Are you alright there? Because I can come and get you if you want.”
I let out a sigh. It was impossible to stay mad at Roland when he was sweet like this. “I’m fine. We have the fireplace going and lots of candles.”
“
We?
Is he there with you? Now?”
“Yes.”
Roland’s voice raised a notch. “I thought he kept guard outside or whatever. I’m not sure he should be in there with you with Nate gone.”
“You should have thought of that before you left.” I couldn’t resist the dig. “Did you think we would talk outside in the middle of a storm?”
“I… um…” he stammered.
“I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I did not want to continue this conversation with Nikolas within earshot.
“Oh, okay,” Roland said reluctantly. “See you tomorrow.”
I hung up and went back to the living room to reclaim my seat by the fire. “Everyone’s checking up on me.”
“The werewolf cares for you.”
I glared at him. “He’s my best friend and he has a name you know.”
His shoulders lifted indifferently. “We don’t make a habit of being on a first name basis with weres and I’m sure you know they feel the same about us. It’s just how it is.”
“Well, I am Mohiri and I have loads of werewolf friends so you’ll just have to get over it.” His mouth curved as if I’d said something funny and I snapped, “What?”
“That’s the first time you’ve admitted what you are.”
My hand smoothed the fabric on the arm of my chair. “It doesn’t change anything.” I had accepted my heritage weeks ago because denying it did not make it go away. That didn’t mean I was happy about it.
“It’s a start.” He put his arms behind his head and gave me a devastating smile that I bet had bewitched more than one female. I felt the urge to throw a cushion at the smug bastard but the challenge I saw creep into his eyes stayed my hand.
“What else would you like to know about the Mohiri?” he asked when I stayed silent. I didn’t want to satisfy him by showing any more interest in his people, but there were more than a few things I was curious about since I could find absolutely nothing about the Mohiri online.
“Who is in charge of everything? Do you have a president or a king or something?”
“Not exactly,” he said with a laugh. “We have the Council of Seven who make up the ruling body and the most important decisions come from them.” He went on to explain that the seven seats represented the seven continents and the members convened once a month, always in a different location. I asked how they were chosen to be on the council and he told me that if someone left the council or died, the remaining members selected someone to fill the empty chair, not something that happened often. The last new member had been appointed to the Seven three hundred years ago.
“Do you want to join the council someday?”
He scowled and shook his head. “Never. I have no time for bureaucracy and not enough patience to endure the long meetings. I am a warrior and that is all I aspire to be.”
I tilted my head sideways. “Didn’t you just say you guys have lots of patience?”
“When something is worth waiting for,” he qualified. “I care very little for political matters.”
His statement did not come as a surprise. I could not picture Nikolas adhering well to rules or attempting diplomacy to please anyone. “Something tells me that sentiment doesn’t make you popular with the folks in charge.”
His eyes gleamed. “They are good at their job and they know that I am good at mine. We differ in opinion sometimes but we all work to the same end.”
“What do they think about you hanging around some town no one’s ever heard of, wasting time with an orphan instead of out doing your warrior business?” I could not see how one orphan’s safety was more important than all the evils out there that needed to be dealt with.
“You think you are a waste of our time?” His voice, though low, had taken on an edge I recognized.
“I didn’t say I am a waste of time. But there must be other orphans who need rescuing more than I do. And since I won’t change my mind about leaving, it doesn’t make sense to stick around.”
“There is an immediate threat here. We were tracking vampire activity in the area before we found you; it was what brought us to Portland that night.” His tone did not soften and I knew my comment had really bugged him. I didn’t bother trying to figure it out because I doubted I would ever understand Nikolas.
That reminded me of something else I had wondered about. “Where are you from? You have this faint accent I can’t place and sometimes I think you are speaking another language.”
“I was born in Saint Petersburg and I lived there for the first sixteen years of my life until my family moved to England and then America.” One corner of his mouth lifted. “My accent is usually noticeable now only when I am aggravated.”
I wanted to say that wasn’t true, that I had picked up on it since the first time he spoke to me but instead I moved to another subject. “And what’s Chris’s story? Is he your partner?”
“I normally work alone but we sometimes work as a team. Christian and I have known each other for many years.”
“Christian.” I repeated the name. “It suits him better than Chris.”
“I’m sure he’ll be pleased to hear that,” Nikolas said dryly.
“Well I aim to please,” I replied just as tartly, relieved we were moving back onto familiar ground. Arrogant, sarcastic Nikolas I could handle.
He actually snorted. I had to suppress a smile because we both knew I’d done everything to thwart his plans since we met. I still had no intention of letting him dictate my life but it seemed like we had reached a truce of sorts tonight.
“Listen, I know you’d rather be off hunting monsters even if you guys feel like you need to be here. And I know you think I’m a pain sometimes but –”
“Sometimes?”
“What I’m
trying
to say,” I continued, ignoring his interruption, “is that even though you are way too bossy and you can be an arrogant ass sometimes, I guess you’re not all bad.”
His eyebrows rose. “I think that’s the most backhanded compliment I’ve ever gotten. And I will say that you are without a doubt the biggest pain in the butt I’ve ever met.”
I couldn’t hold back my smirk. “The biggest pain, really?”
He grinned back. “Yes, but I do like a challenge.” The gleam in his eyes unnerved me and I knew he would not give up easily. I was loath to shatter our fragile truce but backing down from my own position was not an option.
“I don’t want to fight with you anymore.” The words were out before I knew what I was going to say. I don’t know who was more surprised by my statement. At that moment a gale of wind made the walls creak and the fire dance as if the elements themselves were in agreement.
“I’m glad to hear that.”