Refuge(64)

When the dishes were done, Tristan poured drinks for him and Chris and we went into the living room where they told me more of my family history. They mentioned a lot of people, some living and some dead, and it was hard to keep up with the conversation at times. Inevitably, Madeline’s name came up, and I tensed when Tristan asked me about her.

“You’ve not asked me anything about your mother or what her childhood was like. Do you ever wonder about her?”

“No,” I said more abruptly than I’d meant to. “I know Madeline is your daughter and you’ll love her no matter what, but she means nothing to me. I’m sorry if that sounds cold.”

Tristan nodded sadly and I regretted hurting him, but I would not lie to him or let him harbor any false hopes of reconciliation between Madeline and me. All she was to me now was a means of finding the Master, and once we had him, she could disappear again for all I cared.

Chris swirled the amber liquid in his glass. “So, Sara, I hear you’ve actually named those two monsters of yours. And you have them eating out of your hands, just like Nikolas said you would.”

“Nikolas?”

“He tracked them down at one of our holding facilities in Minneapolis and had them sent here.” Chris smiled wryly at my look of surprise. “He said you would be upset if they were locked away. I told him they were going to eat someone, and he bet me you’d have them eating out of your hands in no time. You, little cousin, cost me my favorite set of throwing knives.”

“Sorry,” I replied absently, shocked by the news that Nikolas had found Hugo and Woolf and sent them here for me. First, he takes off without a word and I don’t hear from him for weeks. And now I learn that he went out of his way to do something he knew would make me happy. I would never figure him out.

“About the hellhounds.” Tristan leaned forward, smiling again. “Sahir thinks it’ll be safe to let them out for short walks with you as long as we keep everyone else away at first.”

“Really? When can we start?”

“Tomorrow.”

I let out an excited squeal that would have made Olivia envious.

Chris and Tristan were still laughing when someone knocked on the door. I felt the telltale flutter before Tristan opened the door to invite Nikolas in. I was still embarrassed about that morning, and as much as I had argued with Jordan about him, all her words came rushing back to me now.

Nikolas entered the apartment and stopped as if he was surprised to see me there. His gaze lingered on me for several seconds before it shifted to Chris and then Tristan. I could see no sign that he was happy to see me. So much for Jordan’s theories.

“I’ll leave so you guys can take care of business,” I said to Tristan.

He shook his head. “No, this concerns you. Nikolas has been investigating the kark attack.” He looked at Nikolas. “I assume you have something for us.”

Nikolas sat on the other end of the couch, and I immediately sensed the stiffness in his bearing even though I was trying to look anywhere but at him. His dark mood confused me, and I tried not to fidget when I felt his eyes on me.

“We examined Sara’s shirt. The karks destroyed one side of it, so we focused on the scraps of fabric left there and found traces of what looks like scarab pheromone.” Nikolas glanced at me. “The only way Sara could have gotten it on her clothes is if someone put it there.”

Tristan’s smile faded. “I cannot believe anyone inside these walls would try to hurt one of our own.”

“I find it hard to believe as well, but the evidence speaks for itself. Sahir said he found it odd there was no pheromone spray in the crates with the shipment of eggs. It’s likely someone took it out before he searched them.”

“Why would anyone here target Sara?” Chris mused. He gave me a sidelong look. “Your beasties didn’t snack on someone, did they?”

“Ha, ha,” I retorted. “It’s not like I don’t have enemies out there.”

Tristan shook his head. “Out there, yes, but not in here, and we’ve found nothing to indicate the vampires believe you are still alive. Even if they did, there is no way a Mohiri would betray one of their own people for a vampire.”

“I agree.” Nikolas’s tone was clipped but full of conviction. “There must be another motive.” He looked at me like he thought I was keeping something back, but I had no reason to hide anything.

“Trainees have been known to prank each other. They were brutal back in my day. Perhaps one of them did this as a practical joke and it got out of hand,” Chris suggested.

“I don’t know any of them that well, but they’ve all been nice to me. I really can’t see one of them doing something that could hurt me.”