Of course she didn’t. She’d been on a spending spree unlike anything he’d ever seen. A time fold cost one million dollars, nonnegotiable. “Then why are you here?”
“I was hoping to appeal to his…” She took a deep breath. “I was hoping he was a typical man and I could barter.”
With her body, no doubt. Nikolai shot to his feet. “No. Absolutely not. Even if he weren’t some kind of biological eunuch, I would forbid it.”
“What on earth do you mean, ‘biological eunuch’?”
“He only desires one person, and you’re not it.”
She turned back to the bank of windows. “I didn’t know that. Pity. He’s pretty.”
He was sure his head would explode. “I suppose anything is preferable to Fydor.”
She spun on him, crossing to come toe-to-toe, fists clenched. “Fuck you, Niki. I’m not discussing that right now. And I’m not a little girl you can intimidate anymore. That’s what your human is for.”
They glared at each other until he conceded defeat and looked away. She was right. That was what he had done to Elena. He had been an overpowering ass, which was why he was alone and miserable right now. He’d realized that over these last days. She wasn’t like the Slayers and needed a different approach. And he needed her. More than anything before or perhaps ever again, he needed Elena Arcos.
Aleksi took a step back. “Do you know how to reach Stefan Darvaak?”
“Yes.”
“Please do.”
“There’s a price.”
“You sound like your uncle.”
“And you act like a whore.”
“How dare you!” Her punch to the jaw sent him reeling. “How dare you judge me for keeping you safe! Safe while you fuck a vampire! Who’s the whore, Nikolai?”
He placed his hand on his aching jaw. “I did what I had to do.”
“So did I,” she shouted. “So did your mother.”
He’d never seen her this worked up. She was usually unnervingly cool. It was as if he were watching a stranger. “What do you mean?”
“Do you really think she wanted to marry him? To…” She shuddered. “She did it to buy you time to get your shit together and find the Uniter.”
It had never crossed his mind that his mother had married his uncle for any other reason than it served her own purposes. For two decades, he’d convinced himself she had betrayed his father and turned her back on him. He’d looked at it through the lens of a selfish, self-righteous grieving son who had loved and lost his father. Not a man trained to lead his people. A sickening dread pooled in his gut. What else had he missed while he was off blindly slaying every rogue vampire he could find in order to alleviate his grief?
“She did what was best for her people. Now it’s your turn. Pull you head out of your ass and help us. Fydor says your human is the Uniter. You said she’s your fated mate. It doesn’t get better than that, does it?” She ran her hands through her hair, moving it out of her face. “For fuck’s sake, Niki. It’s time to end this. We need to stop Fydor, and I need to uncover the truth about the murder.”
Deep down, he knew the truth. Somehow, his uncle was behind the death of both kings. He’d just been too selfish and stupid to acknowledge it. Rather than take his rightful place as king all those years ago, he’d turned the throne over to the very person who least deserved it. He took a deep, painful breath. “What do you need me to do?”
“Other than make it right with your human so you can help her scrawny ass save the world? I need you to contact the Time Folder.”
He collected the phone from the bar and dialed the only number entered. When no one answered, he left a message for Darvaak asking that he return to his penthouse as soon as possible.
Nikolai had no idea where he had taken Elena, but he knew it would take a while for him to return since he couldn’t teleport. Nikolai wondered if he would bring her with him, or if he had her at another safe house where she could remain hidden. He hoped she would come if for no other reason than he could see her. That alone would make him feel better. He had never needed anyone like he needed her—and not just physically, though that certainly kept him up at night.
He poured two glasses of Scotch and took one to Aleksi. She accepted it and sipped, studying him. They sat and for several minutes, remaining silent. He felt like such a prick. “I apologize,” he said. “I had no right to say the things I said.”
She shrugged. “I was out of line, too.”
He set his drink down, stood, and opened his arms. She rose and stepped into his embrace. “I love you, Aleksi. I don’t know how I’d live if something happened to you.”
“Love is for humans and fools,” she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.
“Call me a fool, then.”
Chapter Eighteen