I changed my mind when I spotted the tall figure leaning casually against the side of the coffee shop. Wearing jeans and a black leather jacket over a grey t-shirt, Nikolas appeared to be waiting for someone – and I didn’t need three guesses to figure out whom.

As I drew near to him, I felt the stirring in the back of my mind, the same faint tickle of recognition I’d experienced the moment we met. My stomach fluttered as I remembered our first encounter in the club and then how he had faced down two vampires to save me. But then I remembered his strange behavior. One minute he’d looked at me with something akin to hostility and the next he was swooping in to save my life. Then he was back to being cold and distant again. Which Nikolas was waiting for me now? More importantly, what did he want?

I was tempted to ride past him but curiosity got the better of me. “How did you find me?” I asked brusquely. After the way we’d parted the other night, I didn’t see any need for niceties.

The corners of his mouth turned upward and amusement flashed in his grey eyes. “What, no hello after everything we’ve been through together?”

He could turn that charm on someone else because it was wasted on me. “Hello. How did you find me?”

If he was bothered by my less than friendly greeting, he didn’t show it. “I tracked your friend’s license plate.”

I wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or disturbed; maybe a bit of both. “Why?” He hadn’t exactly left on a friendly note the other night and I could not think of any reason for him to come looking for me. He didn’t strike me as a guy who made house calls.

My question seemed to make him pause for a moment before he pushed away from the building. “We need to talk.”

His tone had lost some of its teasing and I instantly felt uneasy. I tightened my grip on the handlebars. “Talk about what?”

Nikolas raised an eyebrow. “You look ready to flee. I don’t bite, you know.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought about the other fellow,” I replied dryly and he surprised me by chuckling. His face lost its hardness and his sensual smile made my stomach flutter before I gave myself a mental shake.

“You sound like you are well recovered at least.” His eyes met mine unwaveringly. “I’m not here to harm you and we really do need to talk.”

“What could we have to talk about? I don’t even know your last name.”

“It’s Danshov and your last name is Grey. Now that we are acquainted, can we talk?”

He sounded sincere and we were out in the open so I didn’t think I was in any real danger. Plus he had saved my life. I should hear what he had to say; I owed him that much at least. “Okay.”

“Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”

I thought for a moment. “We can go down to the wharves. They’re usually pretty empty this time of day.”

“That will work.”

I told him I’d be back in a minute then I wheeled my bike around the corner of our building and hid it behind Nate’s car. When I came back he was standing in front of his motorcycle waiting for me. Neither of us spoke as we started walking toward the wharves. I wondered if he felt as awkward as I did. No, guys like him probably never feel uncomfortable. His every movement emanated confidence and he had the added advantage of size. I’m five-five and I felt dwarfed by him as we walked side-by-side.

He was silent until we passed a stack of lobster traps and began strolling along one of the deserted wharves. “How long have you been friends with the werewolves?” he asked.

The question confused me until I remembered what Maxwell had said about the werewolves and the Mohiri disliking each other. If Nikolas had a problem with my friendship with Roland and Peter he would just have to get over it. “A long time.”

“And your parents don’t mind?”

“It’s just me and my uncle and he likes my friends but he doesn’t know what they are. He doesn’t know about any of this,” I said pointedly.

He nodded. “Do you mind if I ask about your parents? How did you come to live with your uncle?”

“My parents are gone. My mother left when I was two so I don’t remember her. My dad died when I was eight.” I swallowed the familiar lump and stared straight ahead. “Uncle Nate is his brother.”

“Do you know your mother’s maiden name?”

I stopped walking and looked at him. “Why do you want to know about my parents? What do they have to do with anything?”

His face gave nothing away. “Answer my question and I will answer yours.”

I turned away in a huff and resumed walking. “Her name was Madeline. I think her maiden name was Cross or something like that. She abandoned us. I don’t really care who she was.”

It took me a few seconds to realize Nikolas was not beside me. I turned to look back at him and saw an odd expression on his face. “What’s wrong?”

“Madeline Croix? That was her name?”

“It could be. I’m not sure. Why are you looking at me like that?”

He stared out at the water. “I just haven’t heard that name in a while. If she is the Madeline I knew, it explains a lot to me.”

“Well it doesn’t tell me anything so why don’t you fill me in? You said you would answer my question if I answered yours.”

He gave me a small smile as he walked toward me. “I will.” We were almost at the end of the wharf where two large lobster boats were moored. Nikolas pointed at some overturned crates. “Let’s sit. This is a good place to talk.”