Elena stared at the embracing couple in utter disbelief. Dressed in skimpy leather and wicked boots like something out of an S&M strip club, Aleksandra wrapped her arms around Nikolai’s waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. His hand splayed across her bare upper back above her leather bra.
“I love you,” he said to the Amazon in his arms. Slayers don’t believe in love, is what he’d told her. The liar. “Call me a fool,” he said against Aleksandra’s perfect, silky, black hair.
Elena would call him a whole lot worse than that. Here, she’d been thinking maybe the Time Folder had been right and being apart from Nik—her destined mate, partner, whatever-the-hell-he-was-supposed-to-be—was wrong. What a crock. If he felt the same way, he wouldn’t be playing grab-ass with She-Ra. She dropped Stefan’s hand and growled.
“Uh-oh,” Stefan said with a smile.
Uh-oh was right. And why was he smiling? Rage rolled through her, and she lifted her hands, focusing her energy on Nikolai. She had no idea what she was doing, but it felt right—as though all her anger had traveled to her palms. “Now,” she whispered, imagining all that rage slamming into his big, strong, hot, worthless, womanizing chest.
Nikolai noticed her and made eye contact right before the bolt of energy knocked him on his ass.
Yeah! Better than teleporting. Elena refrained from pumping her fist in the air.
Aleksandra drew her sword and with a burst from Elena, found herself planted on the carpet right next to Nikolai.
She’d expected him to be outraged and furious, but instead, the look Nik gave her was one of awe. Then he grinned. “My God, you’re magnificent.”
Oh no. None of his flattering bullshit. “And you’re an ass.”
“I like her much better as an immortal,” Aleksandra said, sliding her sword back in its sheath.
Stefan sat on the sofa, arms spread over the back as if he were watching a movie.
“Well, I don’t like you,” Elena said to the woman, before turning her gaze to Nikolai. “And I really don’t like you.”
When he crouched to stand, she raised her hands. “Don’t.”
His eyebrows cocked up, and he rolled back to a seated position. “She can channel,” he marveled.
“She?” Elena took a step closer. “I’m right here. I’m sick of you talking as if I’m not in the room.” Tears stung the back of her eyelids. No way was she going to let him see her cry. “Oh, wait, I can help with that. I’ll just leave the room, and then you can talk about me all you want, because you won’t ever be talking to me again. Have a nice life, Itzov.” She met Stefan’s amused gaze. “Call me when he and his…girlfriend are gone.”
Before she could make it to the bedroom door, Aleksandra burst out in laughter. “Girlfriend? She thinks I’m your girlfriend? Is that what you told her?”
Elena wanted to send her crashing through the window, but balled her fists at her side instead. “I’m sorry. Did I use the wrong term? What do you want to be called? His lover? His fuck buddy?”
Nikolai remained seated with a look of genuine horror on his face as Aleksandra jumped to her feet.
“No blood on my carpet,” Stefan warned.
Elena sent a massive charge to her palms as the woman approached in a walk that looked like a cross between stripper saunter and runway model strut. “Girlfriend? Lover?” Aleksandra snickered. “Fuck buddy?” She shot a look back at Nikolai, who dropped his face to his hands.
Elena’s palms itched with the stored charge. Come on, get closer and I’ll knock you clear to the other side of the planet, bitch.
Aleksandra grinned. “How about sister?”
The charge dissipated completely. Elena looked from Nikolai’s covered face to Stefan’s amused smirk to Aleksandra’s shit-eating grin.
“Is this true?” Her voice was barely audible. Searching through all her memories of their interactions, she couldn’t find evidence it wasn’t.
“I’m afraid so,” Stefan replied. “Allow me to formally introduce you to Aleksandra Itzov, Nikolai’s sister.”
“Then you’re not… You haven’t…”
“God, no,” Nikolai said, lowering his hands. “I can’t believe you even—”
“Oh, yeah, go ahead and blame me. You blame me for everything else.” She was mortified and embarrassed and honestly, so mad at Nik she couldn’t see straight. She thought about taking off to the island again but knew that Stefan needed a teleport back. She was stuck here, well, at least until their business was finished. She closed her eyes and imagined herself in the bathroom.
Nikolai let out the breath he was holding when he heard the bathroom door lock click. She was a channeler. Vampires couldn’t channel. Only sorcerers could. Sorcerers didn’t convert from humans by ingesting blood, though. And her eyes still had a red tinge, which mixed with the natural blue, made her irises almost look purple. “What is she?”
“I have no idea,” Darvaak answered, “But she needs to be trained before she hurts or kills someone—perhaps even herself.”