He cocked an eyebrow. “Ever watch Jaws?”
“I see your point.”
The conversation shifted to persons of interest in the Chicago area they wanted to interview. Orias mentioned a local witch named Seraphine who had deep ties to the Chicago underworld. They’d been trying to set up a meeting with her, but she was distrustful of other magic users and hated warlocks.
It was decided that Hamid would talk to her if they could get her to agree to a meeting. He wouldn’t be my first choice to send to talk to someone who was skittish around most people, but what did I know? He was lead investigator for a reason.
I stayed in the room until the conversation returned to their favorite topic – the spell. There was nothing I could contribute to the discussion, so I excused myself from the meeting before they decided they wanted to do more tests.
I could feel Hamid’s eyes on me as I left the room, but I didn’t look at him. Other than asking me how I was feeling, he hadn’t spoken to me in the meeting. His absences and lack of interaction made it obvious he was pulling back and distancing himself from me. It was probably for the best, but I couldn’t help feeling a little melancholy. I was going to miss our sparring sessions.
Beth came out of the control room as I approached it. “What’s with the long face?”
“Meeting with the Council team,” I said, hoping she’d leave it at that. “Where are you off to?”
She hesitated before she said, “Chris and I are going to the wrakk to do the self-defense class.”
“He’s going with you?”
She grimaced. “He doesn’t want me going there alone after what happened.”
“I don’t think any of those Gulaks are coming back,” I joked.
“Yeah, but your attack freaked him out more than he wants to admit. He keeps saying it could have been me. I don’t want to stop doing the class, but I hate having him worry over me. So, he’s been coming with me.” She bit her bottom lip. “The boys asked when you’ll be back. I can tell them you –”
“Tell them I’ll see them soon and I hope they’ve been practicing with the staffs I gave them.”
Her smile returned. “I’ll let them know. I’d better go. Chris is waiting for me.”
“Have fun.”
I watched her walk away, envy gnawing at me. I wanted to be the one going to the wrakk today, not just to do the class but to stand on the spot where I was attacked and show the world that I was back and I wasn’t going out that easily.
* * *
“But it’s been three days since I left the medical ward, and I feel fine.” I stood in the doorway of Nikolas’s office and gave him a pleading look. “Come on, Nikolas. I’m going crazy, and I need to be on patrol.”
He sat on the corner of the desk with his arms crossed and an unyielding expression. “I’m sorry, but Xavier said you need at least five days before you can go back to work. I won’t risk your safety by letting you return too soon.”
“What about my mental health? Because I’m going to lose my mind if I have to be cooped up here much longer.”
I wasn’t exaggerating. Not only did I hate being idle, this forced “rest” was wreaking havoc on my sleep schedule. I couldn’t work out or do anything strenuous enough to burn off all the restless energy building up inside me, so it was taking me hours to fall asleep. Every morning, I crawled out of bed feeling unrested and in a worse mood than the day before.
He smiled sympathetically. “I know this has been hard for you, but it’s just two more days.”
I groaned and slumped against the doorframe. “You’re killing me. I thought you liked me.”
“I’ll tell you what. I could use a break from these reports. Why don’t we take the bikes out for a run?”
My head shot up. “Don’t toy with me, Nikolas. I’m a woman on the edge.”
He chuckled and reached into his jeans pocket to pull out the key to his Ducati. “I’ll meet you at the bikes in five minutes.”
I nearly ran down two warriors in my haste to get to my room and change. Nikolas was waiting for me when I entered the loading bay a few minutes later, nearly jumping up and down in my excitement. It was crazy how I’d taken things as simple as riding my bike for granted. I’d never realized how much I enjoyed the freedom it gave me until it was taken from me.
Nikolas and I rode for a little over an hour. I would have stayed out all afternoon if he had let me, but I didn’t argue when he said it was time to go back. I planned to ask him to let me ride again tomorrow. Being difficult now wouldn’t win me any favors.
“Thanks for that,” I told him after we parked our bikes. “I really needed it.”
“Hang in there. You’ll be back wreaking havoc in no time.”
I laughed. “You know it.”
We parted ways at the door to the control room. Nikolas went inside, and I continued on to the living area. The room was empty except for a warrior named Rory who was reading on a tablet. I’d never been a big reader, and I wished now that I was. Anything to pass the time and break up the boredom of my current existence.
I wandered over to the tall bookcase in the living room to see if anything looked good. Sara had added it, saying it made the place feel homier and that everyone should have books in their lives. I shook my head in amusement when I saw the selection. Leave it to Sara to fill the thing up with mostly classics.
“Now this is more my style,” I murmured when I found a series of manga comics on the bottom shelf.
My hand paused reaching for the comics when my Mori did that annoying flutter to alert me that Hamid was nearby. I hadn’t laid eyes on him since the meeting two days ago, and I was surprised he was here in the middle of the day when he seemed to be going out of his way to avoid me.
“Where have you been?” he demanded from behind me.
I looked over my shoulder to see him standing in the doorway. His hard stare and drawn brows said he was angry, but I was at a loss as to why.
I stood unhurriedly. “I’ve been here. Where else would I be?”
“You weren’t here for the last hour,” he said.
“How do you know that?”
He strode toward me. “I received a notification from the tracker on your motorcycle that it was moving. Why were you out riding around the city when you should be resting?”
I planted my hands on my hips. “Why are you getting alerts from my tracker?”
The tracker was one of the conditions I’d agreed to in order to keep some semblance of normalcy in my life. I had one on my bike and one I carried with me. But he had said nothing about me being under constant surveillance, and definitely nothing about him getting alerts.
He stopped a few feet from me. “I am responsible for your safety. Since I cannot be with you throughout the day, I configured your trackers to let me know where you are.”
“I’m not an invalid who will fall and break a bone if I’m left alone,” I argued. I wasn’t sure if I was more annoyed that he was treating me like I was helpless or that he’d disappeared for days, only to show up now all concerned about me. “And you don’t get to tell me when I can come and go from here. That was not part of our arrangement.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “You are recovering from a near fatal attack and under the healer’s orders to not overexert yourself. What if you’d had a relapse out there with no one to help you?”
I breathed through my nose, trying to keep my temper in check. It was on a short fuse these days, and he was dangerously close to igniting it.
“I was not alone. Nikolas was with me, and he is more than capable of protecting me if I need it.”
“Nikolas rode with you?” he asked. “He knows you are –”
“He knows I am going out of my mind here,” I almost yelled at him. “He knows there is more to a person’s health than their physical well-being, something you obviously have no clue about. Maybe you would have seen that if you’d been around instead of monitoring your goddamn trackers.”
Hamid looked taken aback by my outburst. “What do you need? Tell me, and I will give it to you.”
I crossed my arms, hating the way my heart squeezed a little when his expression softened. I was starting to feel things for him beyond the physical attraction, and it scared me. I needed him to go back to being the arrogant warrior who stirred nothing but my anger. It was the only way I was going to come out of this intact.
“I don’t need anything from you,” I said coldly. “Go back to your investigation.”
I met his gaze, refusing to back down or look away. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but then he turned on his heel and left. I glanced over at Rory, but he was no longer there. He must have slipped out while I was arguing with Hamid.
Sinking down on the couch, I rubbed at the ache in my chest, which had only worsened. I didn’t understand. I’d gotten what I wanted, so why did it hurt so much?
Solmi, my Mori whispered sadly.
For the first time, I didn’t have it in me to argue with it.
* * *
I shifted in my bed for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. Groaning, I threw off the covers and sat up. I didn’t need to look at the clock to see that it was after 3:00 a.m. because I’d been checking the time every half hour since I’d come to bed.
It was no use trying to sleep. This was my reality until I was allowed to do the things that helped me burn off my endless store of energy. Resigned to my fate, I quietly dressed and left my room, not wanting to disturb anyone else’s sleep.
I slowed at Hamid’s room, although I already knew he wasn’t inside. I hadn’t seen him or felt his presence since our argument that afternoon, and I didn’t expect to after the way I’d told him to leave me alone.
Shame pricked me when I thought about the harsh words I’d said to him. He had been expressing his concern in his own way, and I’d taken my frustrations out on him. I had lashed out because if I couldn’t stop my feelings for him, I’d drive him away. It was immature and not one of my finer moments, and it had plagued me ever since.
I passed through the quiet living area and headed to the gym. Closing the door behind me, I went to the wall where the throwing knives were hung and selected a set. I positioned myself in front of the target and began unleashing all my aggression. It wasn’t as satisfying as sparring, but it would have to do.
I was on my fifth round when my Mori alerted me that Hamid was nearby and coming closer. Hoping he’d see the closed door and keep on walking, I went back to my throwing. I knew I had to apologize to him, but I wasn’t sure how to explain why I’d been such a bitch after all he’d done for me. Obviously, the truth was out of the question.
The door opened. I didn’t look because I knew it was him. For a minute, he stood there watching me throw knives at the target.