Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Katrina “Trina” Lau parked her car in front of Stonefire’s Protector building and took a few deep breaths.
This day had been coming for a while. She’d known it. And yet, meeting her half-sister face-to-face for the first time still made her heart race.
Stop it. You’ve survived serving in the army and Antony’s training. This will be a walk in the park by comparison.
And yet, she had to take a few more deep breaths to calm down.
Trina had only learned about Nikki’s existence a little over a year ago.
Not from her mum—who was also Nikki’s biological mother—but from her boss, Antony Holbrook.
He’d warned her about Nikki Hartley-Gray the first time Trina had worked with Stonefire.
However, while she’d met her brother-in-law, Rafe Hartley, she’d never met Nikki.
Nor had she told Rafe about who she really was, either.
Today, however, she would stop hiding. The last thing she needed was for someone to find out her connection, tell Nikki, and have her half-sister distrust her forever.
What I wouldn’t give to tackle a dragon hunter to the ground right now to get out this excess energy and calm the hell down.
Her assignment this time, however, was to look after Grace Lewis and her twin boys. There was a dragonman who wanted to sell the boys to the hunters, even though he was their biological father.
The world was fairly fucked up sometimes.
Channeling her disdain and disgust at anyone willing to sell their child, Trina finally tamed her racing heart and put on her usual cheerful mask.
Some of her male co-workers preferred scowls or menacing looks to intimidate.
However, Trina was only human and of average height at best, and relied more on having others underestimate her.
Gathering her mobile phone and bag, she exited the car and headed to the building’s entrance.
Once inside, she gave her name and was shown to an empty conference room.
Too full of energy and anticipation to sit, she stood and studied the room out of habit.
A table, chairs, a two-way mirror, and at least two discreet hidden cameras.
She quickly calculated how long it’d take to use a chair to break the glass versus picking the door lock.
In her line of work—unofficially a secret agent for the British government—a person always looked for an exit.
By the time someone knocked on the door, Trina had formulated three exit strategies. However, as soon as the door opened, she focused on the dragonwoman who entered.
While taller than Trina, Nikki was short for a dragon-shifter. She had light tan skin, black hair, and brown eyes. While Trina’s were a darker brown, the shape was similar, as was her nose.
Her half-sister smiled at her, unaware that her life would change in the next few minutes.
Not that Trina knew how Nikki would take it.
The dragonwoman said, “Sorry to keep you waiting. We’re grateful for your help, and Rafe had only good things to say about you.” She put out her hand to shake. “I’m Nikki Hartley-Gray, second-in-command of Stonefire’s security.”
Trina shook and replied, “I’m Trina Lau. As I’m sure your mate told you, I work for Antony Holbrook.”
“Yes, I’m quite jealous of Rafe, honestly. I had a long recovery after the birth of our second daughter, and he got to work with Holbrook instead of me.”
The grumbly tone nearly made Trina smile.
Although the mention of the nieces she’d never met reminded her of how she needed to be honest with Nikki. And quickly.
“Yes, well, Antony is exacting but fair. And with a dragon Protector as his mate now, he’s more determined than ever to help the dragon-shifters as much as possible.”
“I’m glad he and Iris found each other. By all accounts, they could run the UK if they put their minds to it.”
Trina snorted. “Don’t tell him that, or it’ll go to his head. Antony needs a big ego to do what he does, but that doesn’t mean we should encourage him.”
Nikki gestured for her to sit. Although once Trina sat, she resisted jostling her legs under the table.
The dragonwoman studied her a second, her pupils flashing to slits and back before asking, “Why are you nervous? From what Rafe told me, you have nerves of steel.”
Trina had rehearsed what to say a million times during her drive to Stonefire. And yet, all she blurted was, “My mother was Li-Na Wu.”
Nikki blinked. “Pardon?”
“Your mother is my mother. We’re half-sisters.”
Silence stretched before Nikki replied, “She was never my mother.” She stood. “I think it's better if you work with Rafe or Kai. I’ll fetch one of them.”
Before Trina could say another word, Nikki fled the room, the door clicking quietly behind her.
Only in a handful of her imagined scenarios had she projected Nikki would welcome her with open arms. More of them had been full of rejection or resentment or hatred.
She knew only the bare bones of how their mother had been Stonefire’s first sacrifice, and how Li-Na had fled as soon after the birth as she’d been able to.
And apparently, Nikki was going to hold their mother’s actions against Trina.
Not that she’d let it interfere with her job. Nor would she give up that easily.
Nikki needed time, and Trina was patient.
And so she started to plan a new strategy of how to better know her sister if Nikki eventually wanted anything to do with her.