As well as the healings went, I still could not control my power when I used it for anything else. I could feel it pushing against my walls like flood water against a dam, and the pressure inside me built a little more every time I failed to release it. Aine was a patient teacher, working endlessly with me, but my frustration grew with each day that passed.

I trained with Nikolas in the afternoons, and I was pretty sure he was trying to keep me so exhausted I wouldn’t think about running away again. Each day he taught me a new move and made me work on it until he was satisfied it was perfect. Then we’d spend an hour on weapons training. Jordan suggested I try a sword, but after ten minutes with one, Nikolas declared I was not ready for that weapon. He focused on teaching me how to fight with a dagger instead.

After weapons came the dreaded conditioning. I thought it would get easier as the days passed, but as soon as I got used to something, Nikolas increased the intensity of the exercise or added a new one. In trainer mode, he was absolutely relentless. Every time I lagged, he pushed me to work harder, always reminding me that my enemies would not give me a break. Some days I wasn’t sure if he was trying to make me into a warrior or trying to show me that I wasn’t cut out to be one.

When he wasn’t training me or Jordan, Nikolas spent most of his time at the new command center they’d set up next door, which I hadn’t seen yet. Chris was gone so much he started sleeping over there. Left to our own devices, Jordan and I soon discovered living on an estate wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. There were only so many movies you could watch, and even books lost their appeal after a while. Jordan amused herself with video games and online shopping, but those held no interest for me. I talked to Roland and Greg every other day and caught up with David, who had been worried when I stayed out of touch for so long. Madeline had completely disappeared from sight, but David and Kelvan were still looking for her.

Boredom and weariness drove me to bed early on the nights Nikolas worked. I’d toss and turn for hours before I could finally fall asleep, and then I’d wake up bleary-eyed and tired.

By the end of the second week, I was so irritable and frustrated I did the unthinkable and snapped at Aine in our training. She looked shocked and a little hurt, and I felt like the most horrible person alive for yelling at someone so sweet and patient. Eldeorin chose that moment to show up and ask how things were going. My response was to burst into tears, which mortified me and made the two of them start fussing over me. Their kindness made me feel even worse. I blurted an apology to Aine and ran off.

If Nikolas noticed how quiet I was during our training that afternoon, he didn’t mention it. I put everything into the workout, just wanting to be done so I could hide away in my room and not talk to anyone for the rest of the day.

At six o’clock that evening, a knock at my door pulled me from my cocoon of blankets. Not caring about my bed hair, I answered the door and found Nikolas with his leather jacket in his hand, wearing a fitted V-neck sweater and a pair of low rise jeans that drew my eyes to his hard stomach. I swallowed, forgetting why I was hiding from him and everyone else.

He made a sound and I blushed as I lifted my gaze to meet his amused one. The twitch of his lips told me he knew exactly where my eyes had been.

“Grab a warm coat. We’re going out.”

I didn’t hide my surprise. “We are?”

“If you’d rather stay –”

“No!” A husky chuckle followed me as I grabbed some clothes and closed myself in the bathroom. He could laugh at me all he wanted if it meant I could spend a few hours with him outside of this estate. I ran a brush through my tangled hair and quickly brushed my teeth. In minutes, I was back at the door, tugging on my coat.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we descended the stairs.

“I thought you might like to go out to dinner for a change.” He opened the door, and my eyes lit on the shiny black Ducati sitting in the driveway. I’d expected Jordan to join us, but three of us weren’t going to fit on the motorcycle. It hit me that it was just going to be the two of us. It wasn’t like I’d never been alone with Nikolas, but this would be our first date. I suddenly felt shy, which was ridiculous when you considered that he’d already slept in my bed.

“That sounds nice,” I managed to say.

He lifted a black helmet from the seat and fitted it over my head. My breath caught when his warm fingers brushed against my throat, and I found myself staring at his full lips. It wasn’t until he tapped on the visor and lifted it that I realized he was talking to me. My ears burned when he had to explain again how to use the built-in mic. Gah! Get it together, Sara.

Smiling, he slipped on his own helmet and got on the motorcycle, patting the seat behind him. I climbed on and wrapped my arms around his waist, my pulse leaping as I pressed my body against his and wrapped my arms around his waist.

He started the bike, and before I knew it, we were passing through the gates. I almost let out a whoop as we rode away from the estate.

It didn’t take long to see why Nikolas had told me to wear a warm coat. California might be warmer than Maine or Idaho, but that didn’t matter when you were on a motorcycle. I was grateful that he shielded me from the brunt of the wind, but that didn’t help my hands. I flexed my fingers, trying to warm them.

His voice filled my helmet. “You okay?”

“Yes, but I should have brought gloves with me.”

Nikolas took his left hand from the handlebar and laid it over mine. He wasn’t wearing gloves either and his skin felt scorching hot against my cold hand. How was he not cold?