Page 61 of Fangs and Family
I returned home to the sound of Nina screaming curses at my computer as she mashed the keys on the expensive keyboard. The image on the screen was one of bloody carnage as an animated and surprisingly busty version of my lover ripped apart a werewolf with a whip and a sickle. With a whoop, she punched the air, turning around at my polite cough, her grin wide as she pointed toward the screen.
‘Now that’s what I’m talking about. You don’t mess with Nina, the Destroyer, and not pay the price.’ With a casual click of the mouse, Nina closed the game down and stood to give me a slow, lingering kiss. ‘So how did it go? Are we still a go for tomorrow?’ she asked.
‘Tomasz located your brother, and we are ready to retrieve him. It’s in an almost inaccessible part of the forest, so we’re heading in early to take advantage of the daylight,’ I said, sliding my hands up Nina’s spine and enjoying her shiver as we kissed again. ‘Care to help me in the kitchen? I bought something nice for dinner.’
It wasn’t my best idea to change the subject, but it was all I could come up with. Part of me hoped that if I satiated Nina’s hunger, this conversation would be easier.
‘Sure. Do you have any combat gear that would fit me, or should I use my bike gear? Oh, and I’d better take the dagger you gave me. Just in case Sapieha shows up,’ she said, smiling while I braced myself to break the news.
Nina kept talking whilst taking out the fresh produce I’d brought home. She must have sensed there was a problem from my silence because she grabbed my hand and looked at me with a question in her piercing eyes.
‘You can’t go with me. I’m sorry, but you would be a liability,’ I said, watching Nina’s eyes widen. I promptly raised my hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘I know Pawel’s your brother, but we are going deep into the forest. If Sapieha attacks us there, I have to be able to focus on fighting him, not defending you.’
Nina carefully put a box of eggs on the counter, but judging by her tense shoulders, she wasn’t happy with my explanation.
‘What about Tomasz’s pack, the members of your Seethe? What about my brother? How are they, not liabilities? It’s not like any of them can resist if that arsehole decides to mind-fuck them. What is it, Adam? Are you sidelining me because I’m human, because I’m your girlfriend, or maybe because he fucked me up once already, and you’re afraid I liked it?’
I felt like an arsehole when her voice trembled at the end, but I couldn’t give in. Nina was human, brave, resourceful, and loyal to her very last bone, but still a human with no magic and no combat skills. She was a liability, but I had to soften the blow. I came closer and put a finger under her chin, tilting her head up to look at me.
Nina initially struggled but finally surrendered, and I saw she was trying to blink away tears.
‘None of those. I am at fault. The wolves and vampires can fight for themselves, your brother…. I don’t really care what happens to him, but if I see you in danger, I will let every single one of them die before I allow you to be harmed. You are strong and capable. You stay calm and level-headed in difficult situations. You even saved my arse when I was forced into submission by Sapieha’s psychic abilities, but you are my weakness. Don’t belittle yourself because I am a weak man,’ I said, stroking her beautiful face.
‘What? I don’t understand….’
‘I can’t think clearly when you’re around. Everything I’ve built, everything I own, and the people who depend on me are important, but on the scales of my life, none of that matters because you are everything to me. The mere thought of you being hurt brings out the worst of me. I will kill for you, I will die for you, but I cannot lose you. Please, for your brother’s sake and mine, stay in the apartment.’ I kissed her, hoping that telling her the truth would change her mind, but Nina stiffened in my embrace.
‘I wish I had a hint of magic in my veins. I could help you instead of being a burden,’ Nina said before straightening her back. ‘I’m sorry for my outburst. Please understand. It’s my messed up family that caused all this, and I don’t like that instead of doing something about it, I’m being forced to stay behind like some pathetic damsel in distress. I’ve fought for my place all my life. Now I feel like everybody else is moving on, and I’m stuck looking on from the sidelines,’ she said, and I saw tears glistening in her eyes.
‘You are not pathetic, far from it. Nina, please… don’t cry, my love.’
I was at a loss. Why couldn’t I keep Nina safe and happy at the same time? Why did it have to be a choice? My thoughts were racing, trying to find the best way to console her. I hadn’t realised she felt that way and how much this temporary isolation in my penthouse affected her. I stilled when she pushed at my arms to free herself from my embrace, then reluctantly let her go. I hadn’t seen her so tense since I’d invited her to the restaurant to discuss our contract.
‘I will stay here because it’s the reasonable thing to do, but as soon as we find Pawel and get Sapieha off of his back, we need to talk. I want to be with you, but not like this. I don’t want to be your porcelain doll, observing the world as it passes me by. If you can’t deal with that, then we can’t….’ Nina faltered at the last, and I instantly pulled her back, silencing the rest of her words with a kiss.
Nina was right, and I intended to give her as much freedom as I could, but as long as she remained human, there would be a part of my life she couldn’t share. Sapieha’s obsession opened my eyes to what Nina had always said was the biggest hindrance to our relationship.
Nina was human, and I was a vampire. She would wither and die while I remained ever youthful… unless she allowed me to turn her. I wouldn’t force this change on her, but there was one secret I would never reveal. If my love died, her soul travelling beyond the Veil, she would not journey alone. I would not suffer the loneliness and madness of Sapieha’s existence.
‘We will talk, I promise. We will make it work, and I may even allow you to scratch me a few times if you promise to kiss them better afterwards,’ I said, trying to ease the tense atmosphere, but when Nina looked up, daggers in her eyes, I backed up.
‘Good, and stop calling me Princess,’ she said with the cutest pout.
‘Of course, my Queen, whatever the lady commands.’ I said, ducking when Nina lunged forward to stake me with a crooked carrot.
The next day came much too soon for my liking. I could feel the unmistakable warmth of the rising sun even through the tightly drawn curtains. Nina was still asleep, and I turned my head, looking at the woman cuddling to my chest. She was perfect. She was my life, and leaning over, I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before sliding off the bed.
‘Come back to me in one piece, bloodsucker,’ she murmured, reaching for my hand, and I couldn’t help smiling.
‘Always, my love,’ I replied, lingering a little longer, unwilling to leave her.
Once I’d dragged myself away, I dressed quickly in combat gear and went to the kitchen, noticing the house spirit had already started the coffeemaker.
‘Lorelai, ensure the house is secure after I leave. Monitor all movement in the basement. No one except the Forest Lord can enter this house until I come back,’ I commanded, and sudden tension in the air told me the kikimora understood the gravity of the situation.
I went to the Syndicate office to meet Tomasz, who turned up with a Zmija, an old army reconnaissance vehicle that his mate called his big-boy toy, driving us to the Kashubian Forest with the proudest smile on his face. It wasn’t the best day to stroll in the swamp. The sun barely showed itself from behind the clouds crowding in from the sea, making the air feel heavy with moisture, but the Zmija got us a fair distance before we needed to rely on stealth.
We met the rest of the Alpha’s team and a few fighters from my Seethe in a small clearing deep in the forest, the mud making everyone annoyed and surly.
