Refuge(112)

“What about my vampire radar? Can we go somewhere and test it?” I knew he was going to refuse, but it was worth a shot.

“Not until we spend a lot more time on your training. There will be plenty of time to test your other abilities.”

“Okay.” I was willing to wait if he was willing to accept that I would have to fight vampires someday. It was a small step forward for both of us. “When can we work on my power again?”

He picked up a jump rope and held it out to me. “Let’s finish your workout and we’ll meet up after lunch for your other training.”

I groaned as I took the jump rope. I had a feeling my days were about to get a lot more exhausting.

Over the next week, Nikolas and I fell into a pattern. Each morning, he taught me a new strike or kick, and then he put me through another punishing workout. After lunch, we spent two hours working with my power. For this he enlisted Chris’s help since he was the only other person here besides Nikolas and Tristan who knew my secret.

I could feel my power growing stronger the more I used it, but it was impossible to test its full strength without a demon. I refused to give Nikolas or Chris anything more than a mild shock no matter how much they provoked me. I would not take a chance of hurting either of them even if they made it difficult to resist at times.

My control grew as well, and I was soon able to call as much or as little power as I needed. I demonstrated that one day when Chris began amusing himself by zipping by and tugging on my hair. He got too close and I caught hold of his hand. The little jolt I gave him made his blond hair stand on end and his knees buckle. When he was able to speak a few minutes later, he said it was like being paralyzed. He didn’t pull my hair again after that.

Even though we spent hours training together, Nikolas and I barely spoke, and a polite distance grew between us until I began to miss the way things used to be. If the quiet tension between us bothered him, he gave no indication of it, and I wondered if he even cared about it. The more time that passed, the more I was convinced that he didn’t want the bond.

I began to dread the day he would show up and tell me he was breaking the bond and leaving. The thought of never seeing him again hurt more than I wanted to admit, and I threw myself into training to avoid thinking about it. After my training, I would take the hounds and go to the lake, hoping to see Aine again. She didn’t come, but I thought I caught a glimpse of Feeorin in the water twice. I wanted to practice my water magic in the lake, but it was impossible with warriors watching over me the whole time. After I’d told Tristan about sensing a vampire in the woods, and he’d told Nikolas, they made it clear that I was not to go out alone, even with two ferocious hellhounds at my side. I didn’t argue even if it meant I was limited to practicing my magic in my bath tub. It amazed me how quickly I was able to master elemental magic when none of my Mohiri abilities came easily to me. I could make mini waves and water spouts with ease and raise the temperature of the water when it began to cool, but I doubted I would ever feel the same connection to my Mori that other Mohiri shared with theirs.

I ended up asking Chris to take me to town to pick up supplies and food for Oscar. I could hardly ask Nikolas to do it when we were barely talking. As Chris and I loaded my purchases into the SUV I felt a pang when I remembered the light banter between Nikolas and me the day I’d asked him to take me to the pet store. Would it ever be that easy between us again, or was it gone forever?

David emailed me twice that week to say he and his friends were closing in on Madeline. His excitement was infectious. As soon as he found her, I would let Tristan know so he could swoop in and pick her up, if she didn’t slip away again. My mother was proving to be very adept at evading everyone, especially her own people.

After my talk with Michael, I’d also asked David to see what he could dig up about Matthew. I gave him every detail I could find on Michael’s family in Atlanta and the circumstances around his mother’s death and his brother’s disappearance. I wasn’t hopeful but I had to try for Michael’s sake. David confirmed what I already knew – Michael had been to hundreds of sites and message boards, searching for his brother – and he told me he was unable to find a single bit of evidence that Matthew was alive. He would keep searching, but I already knew the truth, even if I didn’t know how to make Michael accept it.

My spirits shot up when I woke up on the Tuesday of Thanksgiving week and my first thought was that Nate would be here tomorrow. I grinned to myself in the shower, and I could barely sit still at breakfast. I even smiled at Nikolas when I walked into the training room. It didn’t make him ease up on my workout, but I was too happy to care. Nothing was going to bring me down this week.