“Fine.” I shoved my hands into my back pockets in an effort to keep from sending another fireball at her. “Jabari said to reform the triad I needed to find someone of Tabor’s bloodline. I don’t know Tabor’s maker so I guess we need to find one of his children.”
“And there you are in luck, though I wish one of his other children were closer,” Sadira announced, a light frown pulling at her full red lips.
“Why?”
“His name is Thorne. He is a little…different from what we have known. He appears to be a part of a new breed of nightwalker. He’s rather open about his condition,” she said delicately.
“Whatever. I’ll deal with him,” I said with a dismissive wave of my hand.
“He’s not likely to come with you.”
“I’m sure I can handle him.” And I was sure. “Have you met him? If he’s going to be difficult, I would prefer it if he didn’t know I was looking for him.”
Searching the area for a nightwalker I had never met before would take time and be invasive—rather like bending every vampire over and checking the initials in their underwear. If Sadira or I had met Thorne before, I could feel for him more discreetly.
“We have not been formally introduced, but I recently tracked him down to a bar on the outskirts of the city called Six Feet Under.”
“I’ll find him,” I bit out. Turning, I was about to stalk out of the room, happy to finally be leaving Sadira, when Danaus moved toward the door as well. “No, you’re staying,” I told him, placing a restraining hand on his chest, ignoring his dark looks. “Someone needs to stay here and protect her.”
“What about the naturi?” he asked.
Fear lurched in my stomach, wrapping itself around my heart. “Are they close?”
“Not that I can tell, but you wouldn’t know it until they were standing next to you.”
I glanced over at Michael and Gabriel seated on the sofa. If our enemies attacked as they had at Aswan, they wouldn’t have a chance. They were no match for the naturi.
But by that logic, I also couldn’t drag Sadira behind me through the bowels of London. She would be too much of a distraction if I were forced to try to protect both her and Thorne. I was trapped. I couldn’t imagine how Jabari had expected me to manage this. He could have just commanded Thorne to appear using his telepathic abilities, and Thorne would have appeared. Easy as that. Unfortunately, I wasn’t that intimidating yet.
I paced away from the door, desperately trying to find a new solution. I didn’t know any other nightwalkers in London I could call on and trust them to defend Sadira with their lives. And Danaus wasn’t about to stay behind when we both knew I needed him at my back to tell me if the naturi were closing in. I was about to give in and have Sadira accompany me to the pub when I felt someone else.
My hand flew to my mouth, but a chuckle still escaped. It was crazy and desperate, but I was completely out of options. I spun around sharply, facing Danaus. He jerked back a step, surprised by my quick change of direction. “Could Themis protect her?” I asked. His dark brows snapped together and he looked at me as if I had suddenly gone mad. “Do they have the firepower here in London to protect her?” I repeated a little slower.
“Yes, but—”
“We don’t have any other choice. I’m not thrilled about the idea, but I can’t be in two places at once.”
A long, heavy silence stretched through the room as Danaus stared at me. When he finally spoke, it sounded as if he’d ground up the word with his back teeth before releasing it: “Agreed.”
“Great. Now go fetch James. He just came up on the elevator,” I said with a laugh at his surprised look. “He followed us to the hotel and has been searching for us.”
Danaus hurried out of the room, a dark look filling his eyes. I don’t know whether he was upset that James had followed us or because he hadn’t noticed earlier. I had a feeling Danaus was so focused on the nightwalkers that surrounded him and the naturi that he forgot to pay any attention to the humans lurking on the fringe.
He reappeared a minute later, dragging a flustered-looking James in by the arm. He gave the young man a shove into the center of the room as he slammed the door closed again. It was nice to see Danaus angry with someone other than me. James ran his hands over his jacket as he eyes quickly surveyed the room. He stiffened at the sight of Michael and Gabriel, but when his eyes fell on Sadira, he stumbled backward a few steps, running into Danaus. Stepping away, he found himself that much closer to me.
“This was what you wanted, wasn’t it?” I said, taking a step even closer to him, my hands lightly clasped behind my back. “I felt you bumbling through the hotel. You had to know I would be aware of your presence.” I circled behind him as I spoke. I gave him credit for not trying to run as I heard his heart thudding like that of a cornered hare.
“I—I want to help,” James said, struggling to keep his voice from breaking. He wasn’t wearing his glasses now and I noticed his eyes were more copper than an ordinary brown; an odd shade with an almost red highlight in their brown depths. Trapped in that room, surrounded by monsters, he was younger than I initially thought; definitely mid-to late twenties.
“And so you shall,” I whispered in his ear. I quickly moved away, then stepped in front of him again. “James Parker, may I introduce Sadira,” I grandly announced with a flourish of my hands as I bent in a mocking bow.
“A pleasure and an honor,” he said with the kind of grace and aplomb everyone had come to expect of the British. He gave a slight bow of his head out of respect, but nothing more. I was impressed.
Sadira smiled at him, a picture of sweetness and gentility. “It is good to meet you, James Parker.” Her soft accent made it sound like she was almost purring. She then looked at me, and the warmth was replaced by a look of extreme caution. “What games do you play, my daughter?”
“No games. I have a task to be completed and I cannot drag you along, yet I can’t leave you behind either. My new friend James will see to your protection while I am gone.”
“I beg your pardon.” His eyes widened until I feared they would roll from their sockets. “How can I possibly hope to protect her?”
“Take her to the Compound,” Danaus responded, his deep voice sweeping unexpectedly through the room like a bitter winter wind.
James spun around to look at the hunter. “Have you lost your mind? No vampire has ever been permitted inside the Compound.”
Danaus just stared at the young man. He obviously didn’t care about precepts and traditions.
“James, she is one of the three nightwalkers that can stop the naturi,” I said, placing an arm around his bony shoulders. He stiffened at the touch but didn’t try to pull away. “I must go fetch one of the others and cannot protect her at the same time. So it is in everyone’s best interest that she remains alive and well guarded. Your little group can do that.” I leaned close so he could hear me when my voice dropped to a whisper. “Besides, after all the damage your group has brought on my kind, you owe us this one.”
James turned his head to look at me. I smiled, letting him get a good look at my fangs. He jerked violently backward, stumbling into Danaus again. “But what if—I mean, if she—” he started, but halted each time as he struggled to form the sentence without completely insulting Sadira in the process.
I chuckled, shaking my head. I’d put him in an awkward position. Less than two hours ago he had never spoken to a nightwalker before, and now they surrounded him.
“She’ll behave herself.”
“Mira!” Sadira gasped, sounding appropriately scandalized.
My name only earned her a dark chuckle.
“Where are you trying to send me?” Sadira demanded, her hands tightening on the arms of her chair. There was no threat or warning in her voice, but it held none of its usual sweetness either.