Page 117

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“Why would I?”

Because I love you and I worry about you and I need to know you’re safe.

“What happened?”he said instead.

Nikolett exhaled sharply.“Fleet Admiral, why are you here?”

Eric knelt in front of the couch, one hand raised, hovering over her injured leg.There was a small pillow tucked under her knee, and she wore soft leggings rather than the more tailored pants or skirts she usually had on.

“Don’t touch me,” Nikolett snarled.

Regret and heartbreak battled for the emotional top spot.He couldn’t say any of the million things he wanted to say to her, so he retreated to the original plan.

Fight.

He stood, ignoring the way his knees and back protested the movement.“I got a call from the Grand Master of the Trinity Masters.Why the fuck did I have to find out from her that there have been seven assassination attempts on your life in the past six months?”

Nikolett froze for a moment, clearly surprised he knew about it, and then her eyes narrowed.“It’s an internal territory matter.There was no reason to tell you.”

“Yes, there was, and you know it.”

“Why?Would any other admiral have told you?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“My people oversaw the security upgrades after the assassination attempt a year ago.If those upgrades weren’t sufficient, we needed to know.”

“My people have since made additional upgrades, and the house is secure.”

“How’d your leg get broken, Admiral Varda?”

“It’s being handled, I don’t need or want your help.”

“I didn’t ask if you wanted help.I asked you how it happened.”

Nikolett smiled a fuck-you smile and said nothing.

“However that happened,” he pointed at her leg, “could be part of a larger threat against the society.”

“It’s a territory matter.”

“Really?Because if this is connected to everything that happened in Crimea, then it’s a Masters’ Admiralty issue, since it involves two different territories.Yours and Hande’s.”

“Crimea may technically be in Ottoman, but?—”

“And the Spaniard just attacked Colum in Dublin.”

Nikolett reared back in surprise.

Realizing she was craning her neck to look up at him, Eric yanked an armchair until it was close to and facing the couch, then dropped into it so they were more or less level.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”Nikolett asked.

Eric stared at her.“Really?I should tell you stuff when you don’t tell me anything?”