Nicholas let out a low whistle. “Strong woman.”

“Foolish woman. Her blood is too valuable to spill. I need someone who can take care of her.”

“I’ll take her back to Dabyr.”

“She won’t go,” said Logan. “At least not until she finds the answer to her mystery.”

“And what mystery is that?”

“Apparently, people she knows are going missing. She’s certain of foul play.”

“Is she right?” asked Nicholas.

“I’ve seen eight Synestryn in two nights near her home. Inside the city limits.”

Normally, Synestryn stayed out of sight. They avoided public areas, like cities, preferring suburbs and rural locations. The hunting might be sparser, but the risk of being caught was much lower.

Nicholas had to get rid of the infestation. It was too dangerous to allow demons to live among so many people. “Give me the details. I’ll take care of it.”

“And the woman?”

“I can’t take her into combat with me,” said Nicholas. “She needs to go to Dabyr.”

“We’re bound by a promise. I can make her go, but only after the cause of the missing people is determined.”

Nicholas stared at Logan. He didn’t trust the Sanguinar. Logan was way too pretty to be trusted. He was used to getting his way. The fact that this woman had managed to wring a bargain out of him was one more sign that she was one of their own.

Which meant she might be able to save one of his brothers.

“I’ll have Joseph send more men. If she won’t go willingly to Dabyr now, then we’ll keep her safe until she will.”

“And in the meantime, the other unbounded warriors can test her for compatibility.”

“Exactly,” said Nicholas.

Logan nodded. “It will be as you say.”

“Do you want to tell her, or do you want me to?”

“Tell her what?”

“What our plans are.”

Logan frowned in confusion. “Why would we tell her?”

For a smart guy, Logan was a complete idiot. “Because it’s her life. Because she’s a grown-up and gets to make her own decisions. Because you don’t muck around in someone else’s life without at least telling them you’re doing it.”

Logan smiled in amusement. “You truly are naïve if you believe that. The best way to muck around in someone else’s life is by keeping it a secret from them.”

Nicholas stared at Logan for a long time, unsure whether he wanted to punch the man or weep for him. “People are not here for your amusement. We’re responsible for the things we do to them. I truly hope you understand that.”

“You don’t have to lecture me about responsibility. I know that lesson all too well.”

“Then you won’t mind telling Hope what we plan to do so she won’t be frightened.”

Logan’s phone rang. He answered it, listened briefly. “I’ll come immediately. Before dawn.” He hung up and said to Nicholas, “I have to go. Urgent matters. You understand.”

What Nicholas understood was he was being handed responsibility for Hope’s safety and comfort. And while he was equipped to manage both, he couldn’t help but feel like Logan was using him to avoid something. Or someone.

Logan got in his van and drove away.

Nicholas sighed and turned back to the house, trying to figure out how he was going to explain everything to Hope in a way that wouldn’t frighten her or piss her off.

He told himself it was good practice for the day he found his other half. If he was lucky enough to live that long.

Krag’s Dorjan came back empty-handed.

“Where is the woman?” he asked the human he’d sent to find her.

“She wasn’t there. We searched the whole building. There were signs of a fight. Blood. But nothing else.”

If that Sanguinar had bled her dry, Krag was going to stake him out in the sun for the Solarc’s Wardens. “Where did she go?”

“I don’t know.”

The Dorjan’s failure grated against Krag’s patience. He needed that woman. If her blood was as pure as Krag hoped, she could be enough of a prize to appease his father’s anger. Krag could return home and take his rightful place as his father’s heir.

The domain he’d scratched out for himself here was nothing compared to his father’s realm. The sources of food there were rich and plentiful, as if someone had been raising blooded human children as one would cattle. Krag wanted that power. He was the firstborn. He deserved it.

But when his father had beheld his second son—the one who could walk among humans, unnoticed—Krag had been shunned and banished.

He had to prove to his father he was worthy of his inheritance, that he could rule over his domain, destroying any rebellion or attack.

The woman he’d sensed would go a long way toward proving he was worthy. Especially if he could breed her and give his father a grandchild more perfect than Krag’s brother could ever be.

The thought warmed his blood, making him merciful. Rather than torturing the man kneeling before him for his failure, Krag drew his dagger and rammed it into the man’s heart. He fell over, a look of shock frozen on his face.

Demons snarled nearby, but did not dare to come feed without Krag’s approval.

He nodded to them, stepping back as they flooded around his feet to clean up the mess.

Krag turned to his right-hand man, a Dorjan who went by the improbable name Hacksaw. “Can you find her?” he asked his servant.

The Dorjan lifted his dark eyes from the floor. A scar bisected his lip where a piercing had been ripped out. His wide shoulders straightened with purpose and his meaty fists clenched. “I can, Master.”

Krag went to the man and pressed a finger to his forehead. He shoved the knowledge he had of the woman into Hacksaw’s head. The skin under his finger sizzled and blistered as the memories were implanted.

Hacksaw shuddered in pleasure or pain. Krag couldn’t tell which and didn’t care.

Once the information was in place, Krag dismissed him and turned away. “Don’t take long,” he warned the Dorjan. “Don’t make me wait.”

Chapter 14

Hope listened quietly to everything Nicholas had to say.

There were more men like him. She might be able to save one of them, and if she did, she’d have access to magic.

As she listened, she kept waiting for a spark of recognition—something that told her she was on the right path, that she was what he thought she was. Unfortunately, as his story went on, she began to realize that nothing he said resonated with her. It simply didn’t feel right.

With Logan, she felt like the veil between her and her memories became thinner, like she was getting closer to the truth. And while Nicholas was gentle with her feelings and careful not to shock her, she felt . . . nothing.

Finally, she had to stop him before he got his hopes up too high. “I’m sorry, Nicholas, but I’m not a Theronai.”

“You don’t know that. None of the others knew, either.”

“You said I’d have a ring-shaped birthmark. I don’t.”

“It could be in a place you can’t see, under your hair.”

Hope didn’t know how to explain to him that it didn’t feel right. That while she was beginning to believe that she wasn’t human, what he told her left her feeling unconnected.

She offered him a wistful smile. “I can’t be someone just because you want me to.”

“I know that,” he said. “I also know that no matter who or what you are, we’ll protect you.”

“I’d rather you protect the people on the streets—the ones who keep disappearing.”

“We’ll do that, too. Logan told me it was important to you.”

“It is. While I’m not close with everyone who’s gone missing, I still feel a responsibility toward them, as if it’s my job to ensure their safety.”

Nicholas smiled, making his scars pucker. “See? That’s the kind of thing that proves my point. You feel your sense of duty even without your memories. That has to count for something.”

“I know you want it to. Believe me, the idea of being some magical woman who can save people’s lives is compelling, but I have to be honest with myself. And so do you.”

He shook his head, his blue eyes sad. An answering plume of blue swirled in his aura of pain. “No, what I have to do is keep hope alive. For us, it’s more important than food or water. Without hope, we’re already defeated.”

She understood that. She’d lived in hope of learning her past for a long time. “I’m not going to lie to you. I don’t think I am who you want me to be. But I’ll do what you ask. As soon as we find what happened to all these missing people, I’ll meet your friends. Let them touch me. And if I can save one of them, I will.”

Nicholas swallowed hard, then nodded. When he spoke, his voice was tight with emotion. “Thank you. That means more than you can ever know.”

He got up and walked out of the house. Hope got the sense he needed to be alone. So did she. There were so many things to work out in her head, all of them crammed together one on top of another.

She’d just committed to lining up for savior auditions for a group of men she’d never met. On top of that, chances were she was going to let them all down the way she had Nicholas.

She was no savior. She didn’t look forward to the moment that these Theronai came to realize that.

A feeling of inadequacy hung over her, making her feel heavy. She leaned back on the couch and covered her eyes with her arm.

She was tired. Lonely. Logan had left without even saying good-bye, and his brush-off stung.

She’d thought they had a connection. He’d drunk her blood. Twice. She’d saved his life. And yet, apparently, that wasn’t enough to even warrant a quick word of farewell.

He’d abandoned her. And whether he felt connected to her or not, she felt him. Even now, lying here with her eyes closed, she knew which way he’d gone. She could feel him glowing against her left side like the sunshine she craved so much.

She glanced at her watch. It would be dawn in a few hours. She’d have Nicholas take her home, bundle up against the cold, and enjoy the sunrise. It would calm her, center her, give her strength.

She could hardly wait for summer to get here so she could strip down and bask in the sun. Winter had been long and was hanging on for dear life. Maybe once all of this bizarre stuff was behind her, she’d take some time off and drive down to Florida. She could lie on the beach and listen to the ocean. Maybe if she relaxed enough, her memories would loosen up and simply come to her.

That would be nice.

At least she thought so. There was still a part of her that wondered if that mental wall was there for a reason. Maybe what was on the other side was too dark and scary to stand. Maybe her mind had blocked it out as a way of protecting her.

If so, did she really want to see what was on the other side?

The question rolled around in her head, rattling in annoyance. She’d had this debate with herself a hundred times. In the end, there was only one answer. Those memories were hers. Ugly or beautiful, she wanted them back.