Heart of a Warrior by Theodora Lane Page B

understand. Sorry that you’re disappointed I won’t fuck you!” she yelled back at him. “I’m sure you always get what you want with all the other women you rescue!” She tossed her head and her hip. “But I’m not like that. I don’t give it away. I’m not a whore!” Hot, salty tears spilled from her eyes and down her cheeks. She dashed them from her face with her fists and stalked from the room.
    From down the hall, her door slammed.
    •
    He threw a roundhouse kick at the nearby hanging punching bag in frustration, sending it swinging.
    “Now you’ve done it.”
    “I didn’t do anything. I didn’t even get a chance.”
    “Go to her.”
    “What?”
    “Apologize, Nic.”
    “Me? She should apologize to me.”
    “Really. Are you crying?”
    Nic let the breath out of his lungs in a slow, calming exhale, and then walked down the hallway and knocked on Fiona’s door.
    “Fiona, please. I’m sorry. I was out of line.” Silence met him. He could hear her ragged breathing on the other side of the door.
    “Please, I’m sorry.”
    “I’m sorry too, Nic.” She didn’t open the door.
    “Sheesh, will you two just kiss and make up?”
    “ Shut up, Cho .” In stereo.
    Fiona opened the door and looked up at him. “All right. What’s next?” Her tears were gone, and her eyes were only a little puffy. He hated he’d made her cry; it was the last thing he wanted to do. He’d wanted to make her sigh in contentment, to satisfy her every need. To hear her laugh.
    “Can we just talk?” she said.
    “Okay. No touching. Just talking.” Nic nodded.
    She stepped into the hall. He gave her space as he turned and headed to the living room. Neutral territory. They took up seats on opposite ends of the couch.
    Fiona curled her legs under her. Nic leaned back into the corner of the sofa. For a moment, they just regarded each other. Then she tilted her head and spoke.
    “How did you get started? Did somebody come up to you and say, ‘Hey, big guy, you’re good with a sword. Want to work for us and kill vampires?’”
    “Not quite.” He grew very quiet as he tried to decide how much to tell her. He wanted her to know more. That’s how it’s supposed to work, he guessed. First, you get to know each other.
    “What happened, Nic?” Her gentle voice encouraged him.
    Nic licked his lips. When he spoke, his voice was soft and low. “My brother and I were sixteen when our folks were killed.”
    “I’m so sorry, Nic. Was it an accident?”
    He shook his head and looked at his sword on the wall.
    “By vampires?”
    “Yeah.”
    “So you started training? Or did this group contact you?”
    “I don’t know how they found us. Probably with an orb.” He shrugged. “They offered us the job. I took them up on it. Zeke turned them down.” Nic’s eyes looked into hers. “So, they trained me.” He held out his arms to present himself. “Here I am, their sworn warrior.”
    “What about your brother, Zeke? Are you older?”
    “Zeke’s two years younger than me.”
    “If he isn’t a warrior, what’s he doing?” She reached across the divide and curled her fingers around his.
    “He’s a cop. Down in Mobile.”
    “Do you see him often? You said he helped you with the house?” They stayed in contact, just fingers touching, but somehow, for Nic, it was all he needed. Just her touch.
    “We visit about once a year. He came a few months back, so I won’t see him for some time, I guess.”
    “Did your parents die or were they, you know, made into vampires?” She’d waded right into it, and he hadn’t seen it coming. His breath froze in his lungs as he stared at her. How did she know?
    “She’s the one, Nic. We both know that.”
    “Maybe.”
    “They were converted. They call it converted, like you decide to change your religion or something.” He looked away. God, this hurt. He’d told her more than he’d ever told anyone. Even he and Zeke didn’t talk about their parents. Not after he’d joined