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“I’m surprised you never tried to... hook up with one of Meridia’s men.”
A ghost of a smile danced on her lips. “Who says I didn’t? And... it wasn’t just men who showed an interest.” Another graceful shrug. “Meridia even showed interest a few times.”
A hot, savage bolt of possessive anger twisted inside once more—whether she took a male or female lover, he would have despised it. And it would have been no less than he deserved.
“But you never indulged.”
“After one of Meridia’s top people got into a fight with one of your higher ranking soldiers—one that had a near-fatal conclusion, I decided I’d be better off going the route of self-satisfaction.” She blushed as she said it, but didn’t look away. “I didn’t want to be the cause of strife between your people and hers.”
“It wouldn’t have been on you,” Niko said, his voice rough. He broke the connection of their gazes, staring outside. In the distance, he could see his people, coming and going as they put down the flameless torches that would light the night, hear the gentle strains of music from carefully placed speakers. “Who were the men who interfered with your... life?”
“I’m not telling you that,” she said quietly, steel underscoring her voice.
“Zee.” His voice was just as hard.
“No.”
When he looked back at her, she lifted her chin and stared him down. “Perhaps it wouldn’t have been on me, but it’s not really on them either, was it? For some strange reason, they still believed you held a claim on me.” Her voice hardened. “And that is on you, Niko. You alone. You can’t punish them for acting on their instincts.”
He wanted to argue with her, but what was he to say?
“Were you ever harmed?”
“Please.” She curled her lip.
The disdainful look made him laugh, despite the rage inside him, despite the envy, despite the frustrated need.
After his strained laughter faded, Zee said, “You never told me what happened.”
“No.” Rising, he paced over to the window and stared out. “I got word that your father saw one of the school buses crash. It exploded into flames not even a minute after impact, possibly related to the damage done to fuel cells, but we don’t know for sure. One of my best teams is still investigating but we’ve had no news on the cause of the crash or the fire yet. The driver is still unconscious, in a healing sleep. Samuel saved her last. He was only a few yards away, out on a walk when the incident happened and he reacted instantly. He got every child out and even though he had to have sensed the danger, he went back in for the driver. As he was trying to get out of the bus with her thrown over his shoulder, the entire vehicle exploded. They were thrown clear, but he had burns over more than ninety-five percent of his body and his spine was severed just below his neck.”
Taut silence stretched out and neither of them spoke for several seconds. Finally, Zee said, “He was strong. He could have healed from that, even with the damage to his spine.”
Niko turned to meet her eyes, seeing the stark pain she didn’t bother to hide. “Brigid, the Fae healer, believes he simply didn’t want to fight.”
Her shoulders jerked, as if she’d taken a blow.
“My father had never been known to quit.”
“Perhaps, but most of his life, he’d committed to several specific battles and none had to do with his own life, did they? Or even those of his children, I suspect.”
Zee gave him an inscrutable look before rising and pacing to the far side of the kitchen. “What of the kids on the bus?”
“All alive. He got most of the human children out first as they were more likely to suffer fatal injuries. The only serious injuries happened from the crash. Two human kids have broken bones. Another has a head injury. A fourth child unfortunately had a penetrating wound to her eye caused by the stylus she was using at the time of impact, but Brigid thinks she might be able to heal her with minimal damage to the girl’s vision. All of Appalachia’s young are already at home convalescing, their injuries minimal. Two of the older boys were actually able to help haul out a couple of injured as they escaped.”
“Your pack raises strong wolves,” she murmured.
“Your father did the same.”
She flinched, but said nothing.
Niko shot a look at the clock, wished he could give her more time. “Shale will be attending to you tonight.”
That had her turning to face him, her brows arching. “I beg your pardon?”
The ice in her voice had him biting back a smile. She’d turned herself into steel over the past decade. Not completely inflexible—she had enough bend in her that she wouldn’t break or shatter under duress, but the strength he’d sensed in her from the beginning was no longer buried under a layer of shyness or youth—or even a thin shell of fragility that had given the impression of a woman too close to breaking.
“You’ve been away for years, and as you’ve made it clear, you no longer consider Appalachia your home. While I’ve made it clear you’re here under my protection—and that you’re more than welcome to call my territory home once more, tempers run high... and I have more than a few assholes among those who live here.” His mouth twisted in bitterness as he thought of the information Boone had unearthed about his father’s death, the likelihood that somebody who claimed to be a friend to his people was, in reality, a traitor. “I’m not leaving you unattended, but since I’m to speak during the wake and have other duties, I’ve assigned Shale to act as your escort.”
