“I’ll kill him, Christine,” he said softly, speaking to the unconscious girl. “I wasn’t strong enough to protect Father, but for this, Kaleo is dead.” Looking up, he spoke to Robert. “I’m taking her with me.”
“You don’t understand, boy. Kaleo has been feeding on her—not just once, but ever since he found her,” Nikolas snapped. “And he has blood bonded her to himself, which means he has complete control over her mind. I’m taking her someplace safe until I can stop him. Then, if she wants to return, I’ll bring her back.”
“Like I would believe you.”
“I never lie,” Nikolas answered, and Robert glared at him. “Normally, the humans invited to our circuit are loners—they don’t have anyone to miss them, or anyone to miss. Christine should never have been invited in the first place. Once I am satisfied she is safe, I will let her come home. I would not take her away from her brother.”
Robert was unconvinced. “Let go of my sister.”
“I was asked to help her—do you really want me to leave her here until Kaleo drives her completely insane?” Robert took a step back, but his glare didn’t soften. Nikolas sighed. “Did she ever once say I hurt her?”
“You knifed her!” Robert shouted.
“I
“What are you trying to prove?” Robert demanded.
“I do not torture my prey the way Kaleo does.” Sarah smirked, and Nikolas commented, “As I recall, Sarah, you were trying to kill me. You’re a Daughter of Vida, and you broke into my home. I would hardly consider you prey.”
“You don’t torture your prey,” Sarah challenged. “You just kill them.”
Nikolas shrugged, acknowledging the truth. “Yes, I kill. I have no reason to deny that fact.” Turning to Robert, he said, “But I will not kill Christine.” He whispered something else, and Sarah thought she might have heard him say
“Just for the record, what happens once you’re satisfied she’s safe?” Sarah asked.
Nikolas looked up and then tossed something in her direction. She caught it instinctively, and Nikolas disappeared, taking Kristin with him.
CHAPTER 25
SARAH CAUGHT NISSA’S ARM before the other girl could disappear, and herded her into another room.
“What is he up to?” she demanded instantly.
Nissa looked startled. “What?”
“Nikolas is a self-admitted killer. Suddenly he’s all heart.”
Nissa shook her head slowly. “Nikolas is . . . Nikolas,” she answered vaguely. “His marks make him more blatant among vampire hunters, but he isn’t even as bad as most of my kind.” She sighed. “You see him only as a killer, the same way he sees you only as a threat to himself and Christopher. Nikolas has rules of his own, and he would never torment an innocent girl like Christine.
“Nikolas sees you as his enemy because you threatened someone he cares about.” Nissa sighed, grasping for the words. “But Christine is someone he has chosen to defend. Nikolas is a harsh enemy, but much of that is because he is a fierce protector.”
Sarah shook her head, not understanding. “So he chooses to protect Christine . . . but at the next bash, or probably even tonight when he hunts, he will kill some other girl who might as well be her.”
Nissa looked heavenward as if for assistance, which was not forthcoming. “You know my brothers used to hunt together. They had—and Nikolas still has—scores of admirers, all of whom were completely safe. They were more than willing to donate blood, and beyond them, people would come to my brothers who wanted to die. I will never understand how my brothers’ minds work, but they aren’t . . . evil. They could never be that.”
Robert entered the room and Sarah jumped at the sudden intrusion.
He turned to Nissa. “Is my sister going to be safe with this guy?” he demanded.
Nissa nodded. “With Nikolas is probably the safest place she could ever be.”
Robert nodded sharply. Then he groaned, and leaned back against the wall. “What the hell am I going to tell my parents?” He turned back to Nissa. “Never mind. I don’t care about my parents. Thank you. Tell Nikolas that too. I just want my sister to get better.”
Nissa smiled faintly. “I’ll tell him, the next time I see him.”
She disappeared, and Sarah finally relaxed. Remembering the note she was still holding, she quickly skimmed over the words.
Cold as winter, strong as stone;
She faced the darkness all alone.
A silver goddess; a reflection.
A mirage; a recollection.
No return; no turning back.
The past is gone, the future, black.
Serpents gather in their nest,
And she stands above the rest.
Shadows hunt; she hunts the shadow.
The moon is risen; she stands below.
She views her world through the eyes of others.
Black and white; there are no colors,
As she looks down upon a shattered youth.
A shattered mirror shows a shattered truth.
The poem reminded her of the notes Christopher sent to her.
On the back of the paper was a drawing of Nikolas, standing back to back with Christopher . . . or a reflection of himself. At the bottom of the paper were three words, written in black ink:
“I don’t think so,” she whispered.
Robert looked over at her shoulder and read the message. “You going?”
“I already gave him a free shot at me. I’m not really suicidal,” she answered absently.
“Huh?”
“He said he would help your sister,” Sarah snapped. “That doesn’t mean he’s suddenly a good guy. He isn’t particularly fond of me, and if I go there, he will try to kill me.”
“He didn’t act like he wanted to kill you,” Robert pointed out. “And what’s this poetry about—”
“Robert, give it up!”
“I think you’re misunderstanding something—”
“Robert, I’m a vampire hunter. Nikolas is a vampire. He has a million and one reasons to kill me and not one to let me live. Don’t let poetry and a moment of kindness on his part fool you. Nikolas has only one way of dealing with things, and that’s by killing. You heard it when he was talking about Kaleo.”
“The guy who did that to my sister deserves to die,” Robert growled. “I’d kill him too.”
“I’ll deal with Kaleo later. The only one on my hit list right now is Nikolas.”
“No,” Robert said.
“No,” he repeated. “If you kill Nikolas, what’s going to happen to Christine?” he demanded. “Kaleo will keep hurting her, and—”
“Doesn’t anyone remember that Nikolas is a killer?” she hissed.
Sarah cut off his answer and left abruptly. Robert didn’t understand, and she didn’t know how to explain to
