All Just Glass - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes [62]
But someone needed to try to be.
CHAPTER 20
SATURDAY, 5:05 P.M.
SARAH FROZE. NIKOLAS had to recognize the witch in front of him. He would not have forgotten the face of the hunter who had nearly killed his brother. But Nikolas glanced at her, as if waiting for her response before he decided how to proceed.
Suddenly, the lights and music around them were surreal. Michael wouldn’t attack somewhere so public, so what was he doing? He didn’t even look nervous—and the Arun didn’t normally bother to conceal his emotions. He looked like he should be calmly taking a stroll through the park.
“Hello, Michael,” she said, trying to keep her voice even.
“Hi, Sarah,” he answered. “Is this the new boyfriend?” Sarah shook her head. Michael looked at Nikolas. “I would offer to shake hands, but I don’t think you would trust me that far.”
“And you would trust me, would you?” Nikolas asked in the cool, controlled tone Sarah remembered well from the first time they had fought.
“I don’t need to trust you,” Michael answered. “I know Kendra’s rules. As long as I don’t attack you, if you kill me here, she’ll take your head off. Do you think I would have walked up and outed myself to one of the most infamous vampires in recent history if I didn’t know I had some kind of protection?”
“Nikolas?” Sarah asked.
He nodded absently and gave Michael a critical look. “You’re a witch. Since when do you have any faith in our rules?”
“I’m an Arun,” Michael answered. “Ask any Vida. We’re not to be trusted, right, Sarah?”
“I always trusted you.”
“Then trust me now,” he said, earnest sincerity in his lightning-kissed eyes. “You know I think most Vida law is bull. I’ve got Jay Marinitch on my side, but his family is saying we have to stick to the Rights, and the Smoke witches believe refusing Vida law now will end up endangering SingleEarth. So I’m risking my ass to tell you that I’m trying to find a way out of this mess, and to ask you to help me out. You know those laws back and front. What should I do about the Rights?”
If anyone was brazen enough to flaunt their laws this way, it was Michael. He was just wild enough to gamble everything—and with a little vampiric blood in his own veins from his family, maybe he really could believe that blood alone could not turn someone into a monster.
Nikolas seemed to take his cue from Sarah’s thoughts. “We are going to the theater tonight,” he said to the hunter.
“Nikolas,” she whispered in warning, wondering both why Nikolas was apparently inviting himself along and why he was sharing with Michael. I would like to believe he is on our side, but he is still a witch.
He ignored her, continuing to speak to Michael. “Perhaps we could all meet afterward, to discuss a way out of this tangle?”
If we do not give him an opportunity to double-cross us, we will never know if we can trust him, will we? he replied silently. I think the potential of an ally among the witches is worth a bit of risk.
“Sounds good,” Michael said. “Sarah, I didn’t know you liked theater. What are you seeing?”
She shrugged, not about to give him any more information than Nikolas already had.
“We haven’t yet picked a show,” Nikolas answered for her.
“Well, give me a call when you get out. I’ll be around. Sarah …” Michael hesitated, his gaze lingering on her. “Well, I’ll see you.”
He walked out, turning his back to them as if perfectly certain they would respect the rules of this place and not hurt him. Or maybe he just trusted Sarah. She couldn’t forget the expression on his face at the house. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her.
Of course, that had been before the fight.
“You handled that very calmly,” Sarah commented to Nikolas after Michael was out of earshot.
“He defended himself,” Nikolas answered. “If Kristopher had not recovered, I would have hunted him down, but as it is, we need allies. I will not hold against him the fact that he fought back when attacked.” He paused, then added, “At least, I will not hold it against him much. Besides, if he knows Kendra’s rules, then he knows what her wrath is like