32. Nikolai
It didn’t take long for Sina to fall asleep, snuggled up on Harlow’s chest. As soon as I was sure she was out, I slipped quietly from under the covers just as Elias' raven flew away from the window.
“Going to talk with Eli?” Harlow whispered.
I nodded, pulling on a pair of jeans and not bothering to zip them as I ran a hand through my hair.
“I left my phone downstairs. He must’ve tried to call and got worried when I didn’t answer.”
That wasn’t the only reason.
Elias didn’t come to the island. Ever . If he was here in person instead of waiting for me to contact him, that meant he’d found something.
Well, I had something too. Even if I’d had to be an asshole to get it.
But I couldn’t protect her if I didn’t have all the facts.
And she was stubborn as hell. No way she was willingly going to tell me.
Now I had a name, and I knew who put that look of fear in my little mate’s emerald eyes. Keith would regret it if he ever tried to harm her again.
I would make sure of it.
‘Kill him,’ my wolf growled.
Oh, I fucking planned on it.
A slow, cold weight settled in my chest. Every instinct I had demanded retribution, demanded I eliminate any threat toward her. I felt like shit for compelling it from her and putting that haunted look in her eyes when she’d said red.
But her safety was worth her temporary discomfort.
My gaze drifted back to the bed. Sina lay sprawled across Harlow, trusting him completely, her hair a messy halo of auburn. Her breathing was slow and even, the tension she carried everywhere finally easing. Real sleep. Not the restless kind, riddled with nightmares.
She felt that safe with Low, of all people .
My wolf purred in satisfaction. He liked seeing them together.
Seeing her in my bed, in my space. But I couldn’t let myself be as happy as he was.
She could still see us for what we were and run.
She didn’t know the half of it. Nothing about our beasts or the role her blood played in controlling them.
Harlow watched me for a long moment before speaking again. “You need to tell her about him, Nik.”
I paused, meeting his stare. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my brother this relaxed while touching someone else. If ever. Sina had done that. Just by being here. And if I didn’t tell her about Eli and she left us, Harlow would never forgive me.
He was right, I had to tell her.
She might not like the fact that I wouldn’t give him up.
That I couldn’t . Elias wasn’t a fling or a secret I could tuck away.
He was part of my life. Part of my decisions.
Part of me . She would have to accept us together—or not have me at all.
My wolf didn’t like the sound of that. Well, too fucking bad.
It didn’t matter if she wanted me anyway. Only that she accepted the hive.
My jaw tightened. “I’ll tell her about him… soon.”
Harlow nodded once. “Good. Now go see what Eli wants so early in the morning while I cuddle our girl.”
“Hopefully it’s news on Keith’s whereabouts. If not, at least we have a name now.”
Harlow huffed. “Piece of shit,” he spat, shaking his head. “He dies, Nik. Anyone who threatens her dies.”
There was a darkness in Low’s voice I couldn’t ignore. I hummed in agreement and gave Sina one last look before heading for the door.
The house felt wrong as soon as I stepped into the hallway. Too quiet. Rafe and Kiron weren’t home. Unease crawled up my spine .
Kiron hadn’t taken it well when he walked into the kitchen yesterday afternoon and found Sina here.
He’d been out on a run all morning and hadn’t known I’d had Rafe bring her over.
The second he saw her, his dragon surged hard—territorial and furious about how close I was to his mate.
And Sina walked right up to him without even a flicker of fear, like she couldn’t see the six-foot-five predator bristling in front of her. Or she could and simply wasn’t afraid.
I’d almost laughed at the time.
All I’d been doing then was feeding her a roll. If he’d nearly lost control over a piece of bread and a little proximity, what the fuck would he have done if he’d known we had her under us hours later?
Yeah. I was a shitty excuse for an alpha for not thinking that through.
The unease that I’d fucked up didn’t fade as I reached for the front door, but I shoved it aside. Protecting Sina came first.
My hive’s feelings would have to wait.
Elias was already there, barefoot, wearing a pair of drawstring shorts he’d dug out of the storage bench. His hair was still messy from the shift, shoulders tight as he stood at the railing, staring out over the property toward the tree line.
He didn’t look back when the door shut behind me.
“What did you find out?”
“Nothing yet.” His voice was flat, his back still to me, posture rigid as hell.
I crossed the porch and stepped in close behind him, sliding my arms around his waist and pressing a kiss to his bare shoulder.
“So, then why are you here?”
For a second he didn’t answer. He just stood there staring out at the stretch of land beyond the house, jaw tight.
“You smell like her. ”
My mind betrayed me instantly, wandering to a fantasy where Elias and I shared her. I tightened my hold slightly, pulling him back against my chest. His hand came up automatically, resting over my forearm where it crossed his torso.
“I take it you had some fun with her last night, and that’s why you weren’t answering my calls?”
I hummed, pressing another kiss along the side of his neck. “She came into the kitchen like a frightened little bird, and I let her see me drink blood.”
My mouth watered. My fangs slid down before I could stop them.
I hadn’t tasted her blood last night like I’d wanted to.
I couldn’t let myself cross that line. Not until I knew for certain that this wasn’t going to play out like it had with Clarissa.
A stupid, fragile barrier I kept between us, even while she seemed determined to make me lose control.
Elias let out a soft sound that might’ve been a chuckle, but tension threaded through it.
Was he jealous?
He shouldn’t be. I wasn’t one for saying the words, but he had to know I would never replace him. Still, if he needed reassurance, I’d give it. I opened my mouth to do just that and realized I didn’t know what the fuck to say.
Instead, I lifted my gaze past him. The clouds had started to thin, and the sun was bleeding orange and pink along the horizon.
I squinted, wishing I had my glasses. My eyes were more sensitive than the others’, and the special lenses helped filter the worst of the UV.
Out here without them, dawn always felt a little too sharp.
“You didn’t fly out here just to watch the sunrise, Eli.” My lips brushed against his skin. “Why are you here if it’s not with information on Keith?”
“Keith? ”
“ Yeah . I found that little tidbit out a few hours ago. Logan's brother's name was Keith.”
Elias nodded once.
My eyes narrowed as I turned him in my arms, forcing him to face me, boxing him in against the porch railing.
“Alright. Enough stalling. Why are you here?”
His expression was tight. Controlled.
“There was a vampire attack last night.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. Vampire attacks in a city as bustling as Ash Harbor were a normal occurrence.
“Okay, and that warranted a home visit? You know I have Sina here. You were the one who told me to explore whatever this is with her.”
My jaw tightened as I waited for an explanation.
“It happened at Jack’s Bar, Nik.”
My stomach dropped. Oh, fuck. Kiron.
Did he go to Jack’s last night? Was that why he and Rafe weren’t home? Had Kiron lost control and attacked someone?
This was exactly why I’d forbidden him from visiting his human life.
I stepped back from Elias, hands curling into fists at my sides as I started pacing the length of the porch, each step tight and sharp.
I’d seen how close to the edge Kiron was yesterday, felt how thin his control had gotten, and I’d still pushed forward.
Still let myself get distracted by pretty lips and a witty tongue, like I wasn’t responsible for holding this hive together.
“Fuck.” I stopped pacing and turned back to Elias, dread sitting heavy in my chest. “Were there any casualties?”
Elias nodded.
My heart dropped straight into my stomach.
“Was it his brother? ”
“ No . Just a random patron. Wrong place, wrong time... A rogue vampire passing through.”
My shoulders sagged with sudden, dizzying relief that twisted immediately into anger. “ Fucking hell , Elias. Start with that. I thought Kiron killed someone, you ass. ”
Elias’ expression didn’t soften. If anything, his eyes went colder. “How was I supposed to know you didn’t have control over your hive, Niko? They’re your responsibility. Not mine.”
The words landed harder than the news had.
Of course they weren’t his . Elias didn’t do hives anymore.
Didn’t tie himself to anyone he couldn’t walk away from.
Not after Clarissa. Not after watching what happened when you loved someone and they couldn’t accept what you are.
He kept himself separate on purpose. Safer that way—his words, not mine.
And normally, I didn’t blame him. But I didn’t fucking appreciate him throwing it in my face right now.
I dragged a hand down my face, jaw tight.
“Just tell me what happened and why I need to care.”
Elias stared at me like I’d missed something obvious.
“What?” I snapped, scrubbing a hand over my face again. I didn’t have the bandwidth to decode his looks right now. My head was still stuck on everything I’d already fucked up as alpha.
“Fuck, Niko, are you daft ? Your little blood mate works at Jack’s, you dumbass . Her scent is all over that place. And I don’t think the girl the rogue killed was his intended target.”
Finally, my brain caught up with the real problem.
A vampire walked into that bar, caught Sina’s scent, and lost control. His beast slaughtered an innocent, and now he’d be hunting the source he craved.
She had yet another threat stalking her in the dark .
Keith Pierce flashed through my mind. It looked like I was building a kill list for this girl. I scoffed under my breath. She’d probably find a way to argue with me about it just to piss me off.
“FUCK!” I growled, collapsing onto the front steps.
Elias sat beside me in silence, letting me process what the fuck had just happened. My wolf stirred under my skin, wanting to shift, to hunt, to kill. Eliminate the threat to our mate.
I stared out into the treeline, every instinct sharpening with purpose, my teeth grinding together.
Sina was upstairs, asleep in my bed. Safe. For now. That was what mattered. But keeping her safe wasn’t a one-man job. I pushed to my feet.
“Sina needs to be protected at all costs, I’m calling a hive meeting.” My gaze slid to Eli. “I need you there.”
I held his eyes, daring him to push back. If we were going to track this rogue, we all had to work together.
Elias rose with me, that familiar hesitation flickering through his expression before it disappeared. “Whatever you need, Niko.”
Some of the tension eased knowing he had my back. It would take all of us to eliminate this threat.
No one hunted what was mine without facing a hive of monsters.