With a small whimper, she squeezed her eyes closed as if she could shut the flashing nightmare out of her mind. Stop!
She stumbled backward, her arm stretched in front of her, palm up. Her heart hammered away and air whistled between her parted lips.
Velvet nudged her hand, rubbing against it.
She pried her eyes open. The hippogryph’s head stroked her palm. When their gazes connected, he moved closer and her hand slid down his neck. Her fingers burrowed in his thick plumage. Unable to resist the offer of comfort, she shifted closer, rubbing her cheek over the soft white on his chest.
“You make me wish I was different,” she whispered, a wistful note in her voice. “Make me wish I was the woman I once was…” She sighed, regret a gaping hole in her soul. “Why couldn’t I have met you when I was whole and not afraid of every damn thing?”
Electricity sizzled and sparked over her and, in the next instant, skin replaced feathers. Arms took the place of wings. A glance down revealed he’d clothed himself in a pair of jeans, but his arms, chest and feet remained bare.
Human or hippogryph, Nicolai was magnificent.
They didn’t speak, didn’t move.
He just held her.
And in the sun-dappled forest with magic surrounding her, the comfort and strength in his embrace was enough.
* * * * *
Where the hell is she?
Rage sizzled over his skin along with the power that changed him from hippogryph to human. He didn’t bother with clothes as he stalked across the shadowed backyard and climbed up the back porch of the home that neighbored Tamar’s.
Three nights. He snarled, jerking open the door and entering the kitchen. He bypassed the bloodied, limp female sprawled on the brown-and-white tile floor and paid little attention to the human male slumped on the living room couch with his throat ripped out.
He mounted the steps, his bare feet slapping the hardwood floor. After commandeering this house, he’d staked out Tamar’s home. And for three nights it sat empty. With a low growl, he shoved into the bedroom that granted an unrestricted view of the dark residence that belonged to his prey. Leaving the light off, he propped a shoulder against the wall next to the window and took up his nightly vigil even as he acknowledged its uselessness.
Somehow Nicolai had gotten to the woman first. And most likely secreted her away to a safe house while he, Lukas, Adon and Dorian continued the hunt.
His lip curled. How fucking predictable.
He should abandon this place since it was highly doubtful Tamar would return. Yet this present location provided better lodging than the dour motel rooms he’d been holed up in. And since the quarters were currently available… A glint of humor lightened his foul mood. The couple had been necessary collateral damage for the battle. He hadn’t even given their deaths his usual detailed attention.
So what was the next step? He tapped a finger against his bottom lip. As if in answer, a shadow passed over the roof of Tamar’s home. The wide dark shade circled, but the figure that cast it never appeared.
It didn’t need to.
Nicolai and the krinos—they searched for him. But Evander had been trained by the best warrior of their people. They wouldn’t find him until he was ready.
Evander smiled. If Nicolai had hidden Tamar in one of the safe houses, this meant he and the human female were confined in close quarters. The prince would grow more enamored of the Pria lookalike, falling for her. And when he lost her, it would be even more devastating. Then it would be Nicolai’s turn for death. Which Evander intended to draw out and enjoy.
But before Nicolai took his last breath, he would know he’d failed his people by harboring a rogue right under his nose for months without realizing it. He’d executed the wrong brother and an innocent.
Gregor, I will have justice for you, he mouthed to the night sky as the shadow disappeared.
An eye for an eye. A life for a life.
Chapter Six
A couple of hours later, Tamar entered the small but well-equipped kitchen. Nicolai and Adon had already left for their evening hunt for Evander which meant the elusive Lukas and Dorian were on babysitting duty. She’d yet to see the men Nicolai had told her belonged to his unit. From his description, she gathered they were the hippogryph counterpart of Special Forces. Well, they were good at remaining out of sight—she was alone and, damn it, lonely.
As dangerous and unwise as the yearning was, she wanted Nicolai.
She prepared a simple dinner of baked chicken and salad. As she’d done every night since arriving in the cabin, she made four more plates—two for the invisible men who guarded her and two for Nicolai and Adon when they returned from their hunt. She placed Lukas and Dorian’s dinners outside on the porch and the remaining meals in the refrigerator.