Love Me to Death (Underveil) (20 page)

She shrugged. “I was out of line, too.”

He set his drink down, stood, and opened his arms. She rose and stepped into his embrace. “I love you, Aleksi. I don’t know how I’d live if something happened to you.”

“Love is for humans and fools,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“Call me a fool, then.”

Chapter Eighteen

E
lena stared at the embracing couple in utter disbelief. Dressed in skimpy leather and wicked boots like something out of an S&M strip club, Aleksandra wrapped her arms around Nikolai’s waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. His hand splayed across her bare upper back above her leather bra.

“I love you,” he said to the Amazon in his arms.
Slayers don’t believe in love
, is what he’d told her.
The liar.
“Call me a fool,” he said against Aleksandra’s perfect, silky, black hair.

Elena would call him a whole lot worse than that. Here, she’d been thinking maybe the Time Folder had been right and being apart from Nik—her destined mate, partner, whatever-the-hell-he-was-supposed-to-be—was wrong. What a crock. If he felt the same way, he wouldn’t be playing grab-ass with She-Ra. She dropped Stefan’s hand and growled.

“Uh-oh,” Stefan said with a smile.

Uh-oh
was right. And why was he smiling? Rage rolled through her, and she lifted her hands, focusing her energy on Nikolai. She had no idea what she was doing, but it felt right—as though all her anger had traveled to her palms. “Now,” she whispered, imagining all that rage slamming into his big, strong, hot, worthless, womanizing chest.

Nikolai noticed her and made eye contact right before the bolt of energy knocked him on his ass.

Yeah! Better than teleporting.
Elena refrained from pumping her fist in the air.

Aleksandra drew her sword and with a burst from Elena, found herself planted on the carpet right next to Nikolai.

She’d expected him to be outraged and furious, but instead, the look Nik gave her was one of awe. Then he grinned. “My God, you’re magnificent.”

Oh no. None of his flattering bullshit
. “And you’re an ass.”

“I like her much better as an immortal,” Aleksandra said, sliding her sword back in its sheath.

Stefan sat on the sofa, arms spread over the back as if he were watching a movie.

“Well, I don’t like
you
,” Elena said to the woman, before turning her gaze to Nikolai. “And I
really
don’t like you.”

When he crouched to stand, she raised her hands. “Don’t.”

His eyebrows cocked up, and he rolled back to a seated position. “She can channel,” he marveled.

“She?” Elena took a step closer. “I’m right here. I’m sick of you talking as if I’m not in the room.” Tears stung the back of her eyelids. No way was she going to let him see her cry. “Oh, wait, I can help with that. I’ll just leave the room, and then you can talk about me all you want, because you won’t ever be talking
to
me again. Have a nice life, Itzov.” She met Stefan’s amused gaze. “Call me when he and his…girlfriend are gone.”

Before she could make it to the bedroom door, Aleksandra burst out in laughter. “Girlfriend? She thinks I’m your girlfriend? Is that what you told her?”

Elena wanted to send her crashing through the window, but balled her fists at her side instead. “I’m sorry. Did I use the wrong term? What do you want to be called? His lover? His fuck buddy?”

Nikolai remained seated with a look of genuine horror on his face as Aleksandra jumped to her feet.

“No blood on my carpet,” Stefan warned.

Elena sent a massive charge to her palms as the woman approached in a walk that looked like a cross between stripper saunter and runway model strut. “Girlfriend? Lover?” Aleksandra snickered. “Fuck buddy?” She shot a look back at Nikolai, who dropped his face to his hands.

Elena’s palms itched with the stored charge
. Come on, get closer and I’ll knock you clear to the other side of the planet, bitch.

Aleksandra grinned. “How about
sister?”

The charge dissipated completely. Elena looked from Nikolai’s covered face to Stefan’s amused smirk to Aleksandra’s shit-eating grin.

“Is this true?” Her voice was barely audible. Searching through all her memories of their interactions, she couldn’t find evidence it wasn’t.

“I’m afraid so,” Stefan replied. “Allow me to formally introduce you to Aleksandra Itzov, Nikolai’s sister.”

“Then you’re not… You haven’t…”

“God, no,” Nikolai said, lowering his hands. “I can’t believe you even—”

“Oh, yeah, go ahead and blame me. You blame me for everything else.” She was mortified and embarrassed and honestly, so mad at Nik she couldn’t see straight. She thought about taking off to the island again but knew that Stefan needed a teleport back. She was stuck here, well, at least until their business was finished. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in the bathroom.

N
ikolai let out the breath he was holding when he heard the bathroom door lock click. She was a channeler. Vampires couldn’t channel. Only sorcerers could. Sorcerers didn’t convert from humans by ingesting blood, though. And her eyes still had a red tinge, which mixed with the natural blue, made her irises almost look purple. “What is she?”

“I have no idea,” Darvaak answered, “But she needs to be trained before she hurts or kills someone—perhaps even herself.”

“What else can she do?” Nikolai asked, getting up from the floor.

“I’m not sure. The channeling is a new skill she’s never exhibited before.” Darvaak smoothed the tops of his linen pants. “And she seems to be gaining power as she becomes aware, sort of like a child acquiring speech. You should be careful, Slayer, she very well might be able to kick your ass.” He turned his attention to Aleksi. “What did you need of me?”

She sat on the sofa next to him. “I need you to fold to the kings’ battle again.”

“I’ve told you there is a blank space where they would have been fighting. It has been, for all practical purposes, erased.”

“Someone was there. The light elves strongly believe that the sorcerer who erased it had to have been there. Please go look for anyone who might have been close by. Go well before the battle and see if there is a person hiding in the forest.”

“You know my price for this, yes?”

Aleksandra stared at her hands in her lap. “I don’t have that much money.”

He stood. “Then I’m afraid I have to decline your request.” His phone rang, and he glanced at the screen. “Excuse me for a moment, please.”

Aleksandra moved to her brother by the bar and brushed the hair from his face. “You need to smooth this out with her. The Time Folder is right. She can’t be just set loose to zap people at will. She should be trained. And if she’s the Uniter, we need her.”

Even if she wasn’t the Uniter, Nikolai needed her. Seeing her had crystallized it. He had to get her back. He would earn her. Somehow, he would show her he was trustworthy and deserving of her. First, he had to get her to talk to him.

Darvaak’s voice was just a low murmur from where he stood in the back corner of the room. His eyes were closed as the carried on the conversation.

“Fydor is planning something big,” Aleksi said. “I don’t know what it is, but the leaders of almost every faction have met with him at least once. Even the light elves.”

“And Mother?” He leaned on the bar, trying to look more relaxed than he felt, knowing he’d misjudged his mother all these years.

“She hasn’t left her rooms in over two weeks.”

Nikolai closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was his fault. His father had only been ashes for a month when she wed his uncle. And now Fydor had Aleksandra, too. It was as if there were a vise around his heart. He had to find a way to stop Fydor—to end this war, and Nikolai was certain the key to his uncle’s defeat had just locked herself in the Time Folder’s bathroom.

“He allows you to roam freely? Surely he doesn’t know you’re here.”

She lifted her chin. “I’m a skilled actress. He believes I enjoy his…attention. And the guard he assigned to me is easily bribed to remain in my chambers when I teleport. I’m nothing but a vain, materialistic woman out shopping right now, you see. I will return with dozens of packages, many of which will be for the guard’s mistress.”

That explained where her money had gone. His stomach churned with worry. Fydor was not one to tamper with. If he found out, he’d… Nikolai didn’t even want to think about what Fydor would do. He should never have turned the throne over to him. He should never have trusted him. His grief over his father’s death had clouded his reason. “Please be careful.”

Darvaak shoved his phone in his back pocket. “Three squads, one of tree elves, one of vampires, and one of shifters have attacked three of my properties. It appears your uncle has deduced my involvement with you.” He walked to the center of the room. “Which of you will teleport me to the scene of the king’s battle? It appears I need to evaluate it for my own interests. Four of my human employees were killed. One was a child. I will waive the fee. Take me there.”

Aleksandra strode to him. “There is a kill order on Niki. I’ll take you. Besides, he needs to smooth the feathers of his angry little ex-human.”

“I wish you luck,” he said to Nik. “You might be safer taking me, kill order or no. Elena’s very hurt. Be gentle. Think, Slayer. This may be your last chance with her. Cord or no cord, neither of you will fare well if it ends badly.”

Aleksi winked and put her hands on the Time Folder’s neck. “In other words, little brother, don’t fuck it up.”

E
lena splashed cold water on her face. The tear-induced splotchiness was even more dramatic than when she’d been human. “Oh, how lovely. Your hideous pink blotches bring out the creepy red hue of your eyes,” she said to her reflection.

Aleksandra was Nik’s sister. How had she missed that?

She hadn’t. There was no indication they were siblings. This wasn’t her fault. None of this was her fault. But in all fairness, it wasn’t his fault either. He had never said he and Aleksandra were lovers. She had jumped to that conclusion.

The knock on the door made her jump. She didn’t answer.

“Elena, please,” Nik said from the other side of the door.

No freaking way. She was not going to make this easy. She had missed him terribly and she wanted nothing more than to rip open that door, but he wasn’t going to get to rip open her heart again.

She teleported to the living room and leaned against the arm of the sofa to watch him through the open bedroom door.

He ran his hands through his hair. What would she not give to be able to do the same? “We need to talk. Things got all twisted around.”

Yeah, no kidding. Like the truth, maybe?

He placed his hands against the bathroom door. “Just give me five minutes.”

It probably wasn’t a good idea to watch him like this. Obviously, from the heat rushing through her, her body forgave much more easily than her mind…or her heart. Her heart might never recover.

He bumped his forehead against the door and sighed. “I screwed up. I treated you terribly.” He thumped his forehead against the door again “I need you, Elena. I’m sorry.” He had said it too low to be heard through the door, but she heard it from where she sat. Even though the words weren’t intended for her ears, he meant them. The fissure in her heart closed just a bit.

I’m sorry, too.
She cleared her throat, and he turned and then smiled.

His eyes met hers, and the relief on his face sent a thrill up her spine. Then, a look far more predatory that made her toes curl crossed his features. “Clever girl.”

“You’ve no idea.”

He leaned against the door and crossed his arms over his chest. Big, sexy man. “Indeed, I do. You underestimate my estimation of you.”

She fought back a grin. “How Dr. Seuss.”

“I have no idea who that is, but playing doctor works for me.”

Her heart slammed into hyperdrive. Sexuality at warp speed.
Whoa. Put the brakes on
, her mind said.
Captain, you’ve got the con
, her body shouted, dumping adrenaline and sending pulses to all the right places. All those places he’d touched and filled so completely that now felt empty and screamed for attention.

He simply stood there and grinned, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking and feeling. And his grin was beautiful
. Mmm. That mouth.

No!
She shook her head to clear it. It had to be the blood mojo that was making her horny enough to rip her clothes off there and then.

“Stop it,” she said in an embarrassingly husky voice.

“Stop what?”

She gestured to him with one hand. “It.”

“I’m not doing anything. I’m just standing here. Do you
want
me to do something?”

Yes.
“No.”
Yes.

He walked toward her, and she held her breath. So hot. He was just so painfully hot and everything in her felt alive when he was near.

Stefan’s words ran through her head.
You are separated from something you can’t live without.
Maybe he’d been right. And perhaps he was right about setting the rules too.

“I’m not a possession,” she said as he stopped only inches away. “Or a subordinate you can order around.”

Saying nothing, he stared at her with those gold eyes as if he were seeing into her very soul.

She squirmed under his scrutiny.

Light as a feather’s touch, he ran his knuckles down her cheek. “You are so beautiful. Your skin, your new musculature, and especially your eyes.” He placed his hand on her neck. “I didn’t think it was possible you could be more appealing than you were when I met you, but you are.”