Refuge(41)

I set off for the main building, hoping that the people in the arena held Nikolas up long enough for me to make my escape. I felt like a sulking child, running away from him, but between last night and the shock of seeing him again, my emotions were all over the map, and I just couldn’t deal with him right now.

I took ten steps before I realized the only place I could hide in the main building was my room, and I had no desire to spend the afternoon cooped up inside. Changing direction, I headed to the menagerie instead, and I let out a long breath when the heavy door closed behind me. Hugo and Woolf ran to the front of their cage and began to whine. “Hey, you two,” I greeted them as I unlocked the door to their cage with the key Sahir had given me. “Looks like you get me for the whole afternoon.”





Chapter 7





HUNGER FINALLY FORCED me to come out of hiding. After I cleaned up, I headed for the dining hall, hoping I wouldn’t run into Nikolas there. It was his first day back after a mission, so he and Tristan were probably locked away in Tristan’s office.

My anxiety lessened when I entered the dining hall and saw that Tristan was not at his usual table. I let out the breath I hadn’t known I was holding and went to get a tray.

I’d always had a healthy appetite – to the envy of the other girls at my high school – and now I knew I could thank my Mohiri genes for my high metabolism. Those girls would positively hate me now if they could see the stack of pizza on my plate.

I was on my second slice of pizza when Jordan pulled out a chair across from me and laid down her tray of burgers and fries.

“What do you want?”

She tucked loose strands of blond hair behind her ears and fixed me with an appraising stare. “I think I may have misjudged you, kitten. You could have left the theater last night, but you stayed even though you had no weapons and a good chance of becoming demon chow. That took guts.”

“I don’t run away.” Liar. You’ve been running from Nikolas all day. “And my name is Sara, not kitten.”

“Noted.” She picked up one of her burgers and took a huge bite that would have scandalized every teenage girl I knew back home. She took a few minutes to polish off the burger before she spoke again. “You don’t scare easily, do you? Too bad you can’t fight, because you’ve definitely got a pair.”

“Gee thanks, I guess.”

“No, seriously. Olivia’s a decent fighter but she still jumps at her own shadow, and the guys wouldn’t know what to do if they saw a real monster. But I saw you last night. You jumped right in even after you were hurt, and you taunted those lampreys to draw them off us. That was kinda badass.”

“Or stupid.” I picked up my third slice of pizza. “Anyway you were pretty cool yourself. That was some impressive sword work. I probably would have chopped off my own head.”

Jordan grinned widely, and her whole face lit up. I’d been right in my assessment of her a few days ago. She was beautiful when she wasn’t glaring at everyone. “That was the most fun I’ve had . . . like ever!”

“Too bad you weren’t in Maine with me two months ago. You would have had the time of your life.”

Her hand paused in lifting a fry to her mouth. “You really did all those things you told the others about, didn’t you?” I nodded. “Damn. You really got to see Nikolas in action?”

I waved my slice of pizza. “What is the fascination everyone has with him anyway? So he’s good with a sword. Big deal.”

Jordan looked at me like I was slow-witted. “Nikolas is better than good, Sara. He’s the best. He does whatever he wants, and they let him because he so damn good. Plus, no one could stop him anyway. No one says no to Nikolas.”

“So everyone keeps telling me. I hate to burst your bubble, but he’s just a man who walks on the ground like everyone else.” I dropped my uneaten pizza back on my plate and pushed it away. “It’s no wonder he’s so arrogant with the way everyone here worships him.”

“Ha! I dare you to say that to him.”

I gave her a small smile. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

She plucked a slice of pepperoni from my pizza and ate it. “Yeah, well I’ll believe that when I see it. I think – ”

I sensed him a second before I saw Jordan blush and look down at her plate in a rare show of timidity. There was barely time to notice that the dining hall had grown oddly quiet before the chair next to me moved and Nikolas laid his tray on the table. “You don’t mind if I join you, do you?” he asked then sat before either of us replied.