Kiss The Night Goodbye (Nikki & Michael 4)

"Yet you can sense her fear?"

"Yes."

Camille raised a silver eyebrow. “Another thing that should not be possible. Interesting." It certainly was. If he could feel Nikki's emotions through all the barriers in that room, then their connection went far deeper than anyone had realized. Maybe Seline was right. She'd suggested that when he'd shared his life force with Nikki, more than a binding of minds had happened. Maybe it was a merging, one of hearts and souls. It would certainly explain why they were beginning to share some of their gifts—why his kinetic powers had gone off the scale, and why she now had night vision similar to his infrared vampire vision. And why she could now sense the nonhuman as well as he could. But it didn't explain why both of them were developing new psi gifts, such as clairvoyance and precognition.

"Temperature is still going up,” Jake noted into the silence. Camille glanced at Michael. “You want me to stop it?"

"Not yet.” Not when there wasn't any real reason to.

Besides, he very much wanted to see her in her wedding dress. Very much wanted to watch her expressive amber eyes as he said I do .

If he stopped this test, their wedding would be put off. Seline had insisted on that, stating it was a waste of time and effort if they stopped Nikki's training halfway through just so the two of them could get hitched.

It was an insistence that worried him. He'd known Seline a very long time. There was something else behind her push to train Nikki, something the old witch wasn't telling him. Actually, she wasn't telling him much at all at the moment, not even where she was currently hiding. That in itself suggested that whatever she saw happening involved him in some way—and that he could very well be a threat to her safety.

He'd asked her about it, of course, but the old witch could be stubbornly mute when she wanted to be. The old witch also has very good hearing, so watch your thoughts. Seline's sharp voice arrowed into his mind and he smiled. If the old witch wasn't so nosy, she wouldn't hear so many disparaging thoughts.

What's the point of getting old if you can't be nosy? Amusement spun down the mental lines. How's Nikki doing?

He glanced at the monitor again. She hadn't yet moved, and the temperature had gone up another notch. She has Lenny to get past, then she's home.

If she got past Jon, Lenny shouldn't prove to be a problem.

Shouldn't, but he is.

Why? She's coped with vampires a hell of a lot meaner than Lenny. I know that, and she knows that. He stopped pacing as Nikki looked up at the camera closest to her. Sweat beaded her forehead, and fear sparkled in her warm eyes. But her expression was determined, and after a moment, she took a deep breath and took a step forward. Then another.

Lenny didn't attack, and the temperature rose yet another notch.

"Another three degrees and I'm stopping it,” Camille commented. “We'll be risking everyone's safety otherwise."

Maybe it's not so much Lenny as the wedding, Seline commented. Maybe she's decided she doesn't want to marry such an old man after all.

This old man will track you down and box your ears, if you're not very careful Seline's sigh was a cool breeze through his mind. You're annoyed because I won't tell you where I am. No. I'm annoyed because you won't tell me why you won't tell me where you are. He crossed his arms, watching Nikki duck around a box. Though Lenny had circled around behind her earlier, he now stood near the window, so she still had some breathing space before he attacked. Remember that vision I had when you and Nikki were in San Francisco?

The one about someone coming after me in revenge for what I did to his brother?

Nikki took another step. Two boxes and shadows were all that stood between her and Lenny now. Yes. It appears the vision was slightly off. He had a go at me first. What?

He almost shouted the word out loud, and Seline's wince slithered down the lines between them. I'm fine, as evidenced by the fact I'm still here talking to you. Why didn't you tell anyone?

Because I fear the Circle has been infiltrated by our foe.

Nikki had passed the first box. One box, lengthening shadows, and Lenny were all that stood between her, the window, and the end of the test. But she'd stopped again. Her fear swamped him, so strong it left a bitter taste at the back of his mouth. It was definitely Lenny she feared, though why was still unclear. It wouldn't be the first time the Circle has been infiltrated. No. But this time it was cleverly done, and it almost caught me. Remember Nadia?

He frowned. She is a young vamp we recruited about five years ago, isn't she?

Yes. I promoted her to my personal staff last year. Last week she tried to kill me in my sleep. Then she didn't know you as well as she thought. Or she'd have known Seline never slept without at least two protection spells being active.

Few people know that. Most think I set only one spell, and I prefer to keep it that way. It was the second spell that caught her. She'd gotten past the first.

How? Nadine wasn't a witch, and few on your staff know much about magic. Only Camille, and as acidic and annoying as the colorful crone could sometimes be, Michael trusted her—not only with Seline's safety, but Nikki's. Which is why Camille was here supervising Nikki's training rather than the usual trainers.

Someone obviously taught her enough to pass common protection spells. So did she say why she wanted to kill you?

No. And interrogation proved useless. Whoever sent her made sure they'd erased that section of her memories.