“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded in a low voice.

I took a deep breath, which was hard to do with my body pressed against his. “I came to help Chris and Jordan.”

“Help them?”

“I didn’t think you’d get here in time. I had to come.”

Easing his hold, he looked at me. “How did you get here?” He looked around, and I knew he was searching for Eldeorin, who was probably hidden behind a glamour. “I’ll kill him.”

“No, you won’t.”

“The hell I won’t.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “He’s supposed to be teaching you, not putting you in danger.”

I pushed against him and he let me go, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t allow me to go far. “I asked him to bring me.”

“And he should have said no. You could have been killed.”

“Look around, Nikolas. Most of the demons on the floor were put there by me. The team was in more danger of being killed than I was.”

I saw the disbelief in his eyes as they flicked to the dead demons, and it hurt. “You did this?”

“Yes.” My own anger rose. “And it’s not the first time.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’ve killed a lot of demons and vampires.” A storm brewed in his eyes, but I refused to look away. “All over the country.”

It took several seconds for my words to sink in. Nikolas’s face grew stony as he stared at the dead demons again then looked at Chris and finally me. “Iisus Khristos! Please, tell me you’re joking.”

“I wouldn’t joke about that.”

A string of Russian curses exploded from him, and the air around us seemed to thicken with his anger. I felt Chris move closer to my back as demons scattered, some hiding in stalls and most running flat out for the exits.

Nikolas closed the distance between us and grabbed my arms in a strong but painless grip. “What in God’s name were you thinking? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you out there?”

“I wasn’t alone. Eldeorin was with me every time,” I tried to explain.

“And that makes it okay?” Fury blazed in his eyes. “You’ve barely begun your training. You have no business being in any of those places.”

“You had no problem with Jordan coming here.”

“Jordan’s been training since she could hold a sword, and she can –”

“Can what? Defend herself?” I shouted as heat suffused my body. I’d expected him to be angry, but his lack of faith in me cut deeply. “I’m never going to be like Jordan or any other warrior no matter how much I train, Nikolas. But I’m strong, a lot stronger than you give me credit for. You saw what I did in Vancouver. Eldeorin was with me, but over half of those kills were mine.”

He let out another expletive. “That was you in the backyard?”

“Yes.”

“All this time.” His jaw clenched. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I knew you’d react this way. Eldeorin told me I had to learn to use my power as a weapon, and he was right. I needed this. I’ve been trying for weeks to tell you the truth, but I didn’t know how. I almost told you today, but you got the call to come here.”

When he didn’t respond, I continued. “It started out as training, but then I realized I could make a real difference.”

He let go of my arms. I’d expected him to be furious, but the look of betrayal on his face sent a sharp pain through my chest. “I can’t believe this. How could you keep this from me?”

“I didn’t want to. I hated not telling you.”

He made an angry sound and turned away from me.

“Nikolas?”

“I need a minute, Sara,” he said in a hard voice.

I felt a rift forming between us as if it had been carved with a blade, the same one that was piercing my heart. I swallowed painfully and watched him walk away from me. I’d done this. It didn’t matter that I’d hated keeping a secret from him, or that I’d had no choice in whether or not to participate in Eldeorin’s training. I should have had the guts to tell Nikolas when this all started. He would have been angry, but at least I would have been honest with him.

I flinched when the door slammed behind him.

No one spoke.

After a few minutes, Jordan came to stand beside me. “He’ll be back. He just needs to blow off some steam.”

I let out a shaky breath. “I should go and give him some time to cool down.” I looked up at Eldeorin who, for once, wasn’t wearing his cocky smile. “Will you take me home?”

He nodded, and I turned to the stairs.

Chris put up a hand to stop me. “You should stay. He’ll be back, and he’ll expect you to be here.”

“I’m the last person he wants to see right now.”

Chris shook his head. “Trust me, Sara. You are the only person Nikolas will want to see when he calms down.”

I felt Nikolas return before the door opened. Chris quietly stepped aside as Nikolas drew near. His face was still hard and his eyes were impossible to read.

“Just tell me you’re done with this.”

“Done?”

“No more rogue... vigilante ... or whatever.”

I hadn’t thought about what would happen once my secret was out. Eldeorin and I hadn’t talked about how long he would train me or what would happen when he was done. At the same time, I thought of all the people out there who needed my help. “What if this is what I’m supposed to do, just like you’re supposed to be a warrior?”