His next words surprised me even more. “You remind me of someone I knew a long time ago. She was stubborn to a fault too.”

“If you say it was Madeline, I’m going to throw my pickle at you.” There was no way I was anything like the woman who gave birth to me. She was my biological mother but that was where the connection ended.

Nikolas smiled and his eyes had an almost faraway look. “Not Madeline, no. Her name was Elena and she was actually Madeline’s aunt though she died before Madeline was born.”

“Was she your girlfriend or something?” I asked, surprised by the fondness in his voice. Before tonight, I’d thought of Nikolas only as a warrior, all business and no time for a personal life. But I guess he had to have some kind of life outside of hunting vampires. My Mori stirred and an alien feeling twisted my gut. Was that jealousy? I gave a mental shake to let the demon know that we didn’t give a fig about Nikolas’s romantic involvements.

“No, Elena was like a sister to me. She was beautiful, but willful and very spoiled.”

“Are you calling me spoiled?” Typical male. A strong man is just fine but let a woman show some free will and she is spoiled.

He laughed and took a drink from his glass without answering. I glared at him and his grin grew. “Okay, maybe not spoiled but definitely obstinate.”

“Pot, meet kettle.” I picked up my own glass. “What happened to her?”

His expression darkened. “She ignored the rules that were there to protect her and went off by herself alone. She was killed by vampires.”

I sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, I’m sorry.” That might explain his overprotective ways toward me. His friend died at the hands of a vampire and here I was being pursued by one.

“It was a long time ago.”

“So is any of Madeline’s family left?” I asked in an effort to change the topic.

It was the first time I’d expressed any interest in possible Mohiri relations and Nikolas smiled in response. “She still has some living relatives; her sire for one.”

“Sire? That sounds so… impersonal.” I thought of my dad, the way he would catch me up in a big hug and read to me before bed. I could not imagine thinking of him as my sire.

Nikolas laid his napkin across his plate and leaned back in his chair. “It is just a title. Mohiri families are as close as human families, maybe more so since we do not grow old and die naturally.”

“So you and your parents all look the same age? Don’t you find that weird?”

He shook his head. “We don’t think of age the same way mortals do. Humans see it as a way to mark one’s passage through life. Physically, we don’t age once we reach maturity.”

He might find it normal but I found it hard to imagine being the same age as my grandparents. Ugh. “So my grand… Madeline’s father is still alive. Does he know about me?” It was a bit of a shock to learn I had a living grandparent I’d never met. My dad’s mother died when I was ten and I never really knew her that well.

“Yes and he is looking forward to meeting you.” My hesitation must have shown on my face because Nikolas caught my gaze and held it. “He will wait until you are ready to meet him.”

“A patient Mohiri; who would have thought it.” I got up and carried our plates to the sink to hide my suddenly conflicted feelings. I had no intention of going to the Mohiri any time soon, but the knowledge that I had a grandfather – even if he was Madeline’s father – out there who wanted to see me caused emotions I did not want to think about.

“A Mohiri has all the patience in the world when something is worth waiting for,” he replied and I got the feeling we were no longer talking about my grandfather.

I started running hot water over the plates. “I guess it helps that you guys are immortal, huh?”

“So are you,” he said close to my ear and I almost dropped the plate in my hand.

“Don’t do that!” I choked and he laughed softly. He took the plate from me and began to dry it with a dish towel. Does he have to stand so close? I griped as I rinsed the other plate and handed it to him. Something in his manner told me he was doing it just to irk me and he was enjoying himself immensely. I found myself wishing the old Nikolas was here. I knew what to expect from him; this new Nikolas was too confusing by far.

Wind rattled the kitchen window and I rubbed my arms, wishing I’d thought to bring down a sweater or hoodie. Without the power there was no heat and this close to the bay, the air was getting cold fast. I reached for the flashlight to go upstairs and get something heavy to wear.

“The temperature is going to drop a lot tonight. Does that fireplace in the living room work?”

“Yes, it’s gas.”

He walked past me to the dark living room. “Go put on something warm and I’ll start the fire.”

I spoke to his back. “So what, we’re going to sit by the fire and roast marshmallows now?”

“You have anything better to do?” he called back without turning around.

I had no answer for that so I went upstairs and dug out one of my dad’s old sweaters. It was my favorite because I could still remember him in it, though sadly it had lost his scent a long time ago. I pulled on a pair of fuzzy moccasin slippers Judith gave me last Christmas and sat on my bed thinking of the irony of the situation. Nate had left me alone here knowing there was no way I’d have a boy over, and his first night away there was a guy here making dinner for me. My uncle would probably have heart palpitations if he walked in the door right now. Just one look at Nikolas and he’d never believe this whole thing was innocent. I couldn’t help smiling at the hilarity of it all as I made my way downstairs again.