“Yes,” Nikolas replied grimly. “We found almost twenty vampires dead in the street and near the house. I don’t know how he knew where we were, but he’s the reason we didn’t lose anyone. The Seattle team wouldn’t have made it in time.”

Desmund’s gaze flicked to me then back to Nikolas. “It sounds like you have a powerful ally out there.”

“We need one. We are already getting reports of more vampire attacks on our people. The team in Houston nearly lost two warriors last night.”

I lost track of what they were saying when I started to feel the strain of being joined with my Mori. Sweat beaded my upper lip and my legs began to tremble. The clock on the wall told me only twenty-five minutes had passed since I’d started, and I knew I wouldn’t make it to thirty. Carefully, I set the heavy weights I was holding on the mat so I didn’t hurt myself when the demon strength left me.

Desmund walked toward me. “You have thirty-five minutes left in this exercise.”

I gaped at him. “I can’t last an hour. I can barely do half an hour.”

“Nonsense. You are stronger than that. Continue.”

My hands curled into fists at my sides as I held the connection with my Mori. The hands on the clock seemed to be glued in place, and I was shaking by the time ten minutes had gone by. My Mori’s presence began to buzz like a hornet’s nest inside my skull, growing louder with each passing minute. “I can’t,” I gasped. I looked at Nikolas, who watched me with eyes full of concern but made no move to intercede.

“Am I late?”

I turned in confusion to the door as Eldeorin walked into the room. He smiled at me then looked at Desmund. “Sorry, I was detained.”

“Your timing is perfect,” Desmund said as the faerie joined him and Nikolas.

I spoke through clenched teeth as my Mori shifted again. “What are you doing here, Eldeorin?”

“Desmund and I talked last night about your training, and he mentioned the difficulties you are having with your demon. We came up with something that will help motivate you.”

Desmund and Eldeorin had discussed me? What would a faerie know about joining with a demon? My eyes moved from Eldeorin to Desmund and then to Nikolas, whose expression gave nothing away. The smile on Eldeorin’s face set off warning bells inside my head, and Desmund looked entirely too pleased with himself. What the hell were they up to?

Desmund approached. “We are going to try something new, and Nikolas has agreed to take part in our little experiment. You must stay joined with your Mori until the hour is up. If you don’t we will start over, but I don’t think that will happen.”

“Why?”

Eldeorin moved before I could blink. He reappeared behind Nikolas with his hands on Nikolas’s shoulders. A second later, Nikolas grunted and his jaw clenched as if he was very uncomfortable, but not in pain.

Solmi! my Mori cried. I forgot about my pain and ran toward Nikolas. “Stop!”

Desmund grabbed me from behind in an iron grip. “Your life could one day depend on you joining with your Mori. What if it was one of your friends’ lives in danger? Or his? Could you do it then?”

I twisted, unable to break his hold. My eyes narrowed on Eldeorin, who met my furious glare without blinking. “Let him go, or so help me…” Eldeorin was very powerful. What if he accidently used too much of his magic? He could kill Nikolas or seriously harm him. I knew better than anyone what Fae magic could do to a demon, and I didn’t want that anywhere near Nikolas.

“Imagine that is a vampire instead of the faerie,” Desmund said mercilessly in my ear. “What will you do?”

He held me immobile and all I could do was watch Nikolas helplessly as minutes ticked by. My whole body trembled as fear and a violent urge to hurt someone boiled inside me. I was a pressure cooker that was about to explode.

Nikolas grimaced, and I saw pain flash briefly in his eyes.

Desmund slammed into the wall behind me. I moved so fast that Eldeorin barely had time to show his surprise before I ripped him away from Nikolas. The faerie righted himself quickly as I went after him, shaking with rage.

A pair of arms wrapped around me from behind. “It’s okay, Sara. Calm down,” Nikolas said, pulling me back against him. My Mori and I immediately quieted at the sound of his voice and the touch of his skin on mine. I kept my eyes narrowed on Eldeorin, who watched us with blatant curiosity. Friend or no, I was going to kick his ass if he took a single step toward us.

“Fascinating.” Eldeorin leaned against a wall nonchalantly, as if I hadn’t just thrown him across a room. “Sara, are you still joined with your demon?”

“Yes,” I bit out.

Desmund straightened his clothes as he walked over to stand a few feet from Eldeorin. “Interesting.”

I scowled at them. “I’m glad I could entertain you guys.”

Eldeorin ignored my angry retort. “You are not strong enough to throw off a warrior or me with your demon strength. You used your Fae magic.”

“So?”

“You used it while joined with your demon.”

“What?” Fear shot through me, and I turned my attention to my Mori. The demon was calm and unharmed, and happy now that Nikolas was holding us. The realization of what I’d done shook me to the center of my being. Somehow I had used my Fae power while connected to my Mori, without erecting a wall to protect the demon. How was that possible?

Nikolas pulled me closer to him. “What does that mean?”