Outside, the air was crisp and it looked like another inch or two of snow had fallen overnight. I stomped snow off my boots at the menagerie door and went inside to find Sahir using a long pole to shove a tray of raw meat into Alex’s cage.
“Sara, I didn’t expect to see you here today,” he said, walking toward me. “I’m sorry about your uncle.”
My throat threatened to close off again. “Thank you.”
He motioned for me to follow him to his office. Inside, he closed the door and turned to me. “I know there is nothing that will ease your pain right now, but I have news you will be glad to hear. One of our teams may have located Minuet’s flock.”
“Already? Where?”
“Uganda. They are still trying to verify they have the right flock since it’s very difficult to communicate with griffins. Don’t say anything to Minuet. I’m not sure how much she understands, and I don’t want her to get excited until we know for sure.”
I felt myself smile for the first time today. “Thank you for telling me, Sahir.”
We left his office, and I stopped by to say hello to Minuet and Alex before I took Hugo and Woolf for a walk. The hounds chased each other around and rolled in the white powder like puppies, blissfully unaware of the grief pressing down on me. I usually loved walking in the snow, but there was no joy in it for me this time. How could I be happy and enjoy this day when Nate had only days left?
We didn’t go far from the stronghold. Tristen had extra warriors patrolling the woods, a stark reminder that the Master knew I was alive and living at this stronghold. I wanted to stay close for Nate anyway. I couldn’t make myself stop caring, even if he was a demon now. That would be a betrayal of the memory of the wonderful man who had raised and loved me. The vampires had taken him from me, but they would never take that away.
When I came back from my walk, I discovered that as much as I wanted to be close to Nate, I could not bring myself to go back into the building. I spent a few hours at the menagerie and then wandered around the grounds. Maybe if I kept moving, it would keep the terrible pain in my chest from suffocating me.
Nikolas found me walking by the river, and as soon as I saw him, I realized I’d been waiting for him to come for me. Watching him approach, I felt a moment of brilliant clarity and the world fell away until there was only him. Last night when my world fell apart, it was Nikolas I clung to, him I needed. I didn’t know if my feelings for him had grown deeper because of the night in his apartment or if I was finally seeing what had been there all along.
I love him.
Any other time that revelation might have terrified me, but losing Nate made me see that I could no longer take the people around me for granted. I didn’t know if Nikolas loved me or if I was ready to declare my love for him, but whatever this thing was between us, it felt right.
Wordlessly, he wrapped me in his arms, and we stood like that by the rushing water for several minutes before he pulled away and gazed down at me. “How are you holding up?” he asked, brushing my hair back from my face.
“I’m okay.”
He smiled sadly at the lie and took my hand. “Come, I have something for you.”
“What is it?”
He squeezed my hand as we neared the main building. “I know nothing can take away your pain or undo what’s happened. But if you could have anything else right now, what would it be?”
I didn’t need to think about it. “I’d want – ”
“Sara!”
“Roland!” I let go of Nikolas’s hand and threw myself at the dark-haired boy running around the corner of the building. Roland caught me up in his arms and squeezed me until I couldn’t breathe. I laughed and cried at the same time.
“Hey, I’m here too.”
Roland set me down and Peter swept me up in a hug. I was a blubbering mess by the time he let me go.
I wiped my face on my sleeve. “How did you guys get here?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“Nikolas called me last night and told me you needed us. He had a private jet pick us up in Portland this morning.” Roland’s blue eyes reflected my pain. “He told us about Nate. I’m so sorry, Sara.”
I nodded, too choked to speak.
“I’ll let you three catch up,” Nikolas said, and I grabbed his hand before he could leave.
“Thank you,” I whispered, unable to say how deeply moved I was. He knew exactly what I needed, and he’d flown my friends halfway across the country for me.
I lost the battle with the tears again and one scorched a trail down my cold cheek. He reached up and wiped it away with his thumb. “I’ll be close if you need me.” I nodded, and he left us alone.