Broken Hearts (Excerpt)

One

The closer the train got to the French border, the more agitated Nicholas became. He paced the floor inside the compartment of his car despite repeatedly telling himself he had no reason to worry. As part of their deal, Big Dino had arranged it with the authorities so he could set foot on French soil again without being picked up by the draft committee or, worse, as a runaway. Being a telecharger these days was too much of a hassle, but it wasn't a skill he could unlearn.

A slight lurch of the car brought Nicholas to a stop. The tracks slowly deteriorated across the continent because the European United Nation Council was too busy with the war to worry about anything else. In a few years, they'd have to skip the tracks and roll on airbags. Not everyone prided themselves on coming as prepared as The Nightingale Circus.

But Nicholas didn't want to think about the war or the bleak future ahead. The present concerned him more. Sighing, he ran a hand through his dark hair. Was there more gray in it? While vanity was not one of his many flaws, he couldn't help but wonder. How much had he changed in the decade he had spent on the road, touring with the circus? Would his family recognize him? The memory of the night he had left Toulouse, just before the draft committee had formed, remained painfully carved in his memory.

He took a look around his car, assessing how far he had come. The massive worn out, comfortable armchair; the table with his last, unfinished project; his trunk of tricks; his coat hanging on a peg on the wall; and the bed in the back... Not many items, but all of great importance in his life. Well, less so the bed until recently, but after having spent most of the afternoon in it with Anya, he'd become rather fond of the old thing. The wrinkled sheets still smelled of her, the entire room still impregnated with her perfume.

Nicholas found himself smiling as he thought about his beloved Russian ballerina. How things had changed overnight! He'd become the circus manager and gotten the girl. Not that she hadn't been chasing him for a while, but he hadn't allowed anything to happen until he had something to offer. It turned out he was old school after all. Who would have thought? His mother would be proud, and his father wouldn't believe his ears. Maybe after they delivered the power source and the circus performed a couple of shows in Paris, they could take a vacation and run south to introduce Anya to his parents.

"What are you smiling about?"

Nicholas turned to find Anya standing in the doorway, a mug in hand. The white silk robe invitingly hugged her perfect figure as she waited for his answer.

"I was thinking about you," Nicholas said, only to be rewarded by a delighted smile that formed on Anya's heart-shaped face, framed by chin-length brown hair.

He sat in the armchair and gestured for her to come closer.

"I'm afraid it's a little cold, but I had to cross the entire train to get it." She offered him the mug and climbed on the armrest of the chair. "Not my fault your car is so far down the line."

Nicholas wrapped an arm around her slim waist. "It's fine." Without thinking, he stirred the molecules with the power of his mind until steam rose from the mug. "What's the news?" He tasted the coffee. Bitter, but good. "How's Serioja?"

Anya's face took on a somber look. "He hasn't regained consciousness. They say there's no way of knowing if or how the fall affected his brain until he wakes up. It can take up to thirty-six hours, and then we can start to worry." She sighed and bit on her lower lip, a sign she wasn't happy with waiting and was worried already. "Riella is with him," she muttered, frowning.

What annoyed her so much? The rivalry between two of the three main attractions of the show would never end, but she couldn't be jealous. Anya had ended the relationship with the Russian aerialist when it became clear Serioja had fallen for Riella's charms. While they remained friends, she kept acting like an overprotective sister, the way she always had. Whether it had been guilt or something else that had prompted Serioja to jump off the high bar and provide the distraction they needed the other night at the Hrad, in Bratislava, Nicholas didn't know. Keeping the crushed man's organs together with the power of his mind while Rake and Spinner rebuilt his rib cage had to be one of the goriest scenes he had ever witnessed.

Refusing to think about it more than he had to, Nicholas asked, "Any other news?"

"Yes." Anya leaned against his shoulder with a familiarity she shared only with him, her body pressing warm and soft against his. "Rake and Spinner managed to detach Cole from the transporter without causing him further damage. They're fitting his legs with braces to reinstate some of his mobility. The fall didn't affect his arms." She raised her long legs and placed her feet in his lap. "They expect a full recovery in four to six weeks. They estimate he'll leave in three, sooner if he finds a job he can do."

"Good." Nicholas nodded. One less thing to worry about, even though Cole wasn't technically part of the crew. "And Cielo?" He placed the mug on the table and rested his hand on Anya's knee, stroking it through the thin fabric of the robe.

"She hobbles around on her bad leg and doesn't let anyone approach Cole. She should be resting, too, but you know how she gets. There's no way to reason with her when she's in this mood." She laughed quietly and tilted her head. "Her crush on him is kind of cute."

Yes, but what was going to happen after Cole left? He couldn't stay with the circus forever. It wasn't his world. And a heartbroken Cielo was not something with which Nicholas wanted to have to deal.

"Stop frowning." Anya rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. "It's going to be fine. She needed this. She needed something in her life besides her singing." She paused and ran her fingers through Nicholas's hair. Her voice softened. "Just like I needed something, someone, besides dancing."

Her voice mesmerized him. It might have worked if he hadn't experienced the Nightingale's enthralling voice before and hadn't known Anya so well. His eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

"I was thinking..." She pursed her lips as she played with the collar of his shirt. "Now that we're back in France, you're going to visit your family, right?"

"We're not in France yet..." They still had a few kilometers to go. "But yes, I will eventually. Why?"

"I'd like to go with you, if you don't mind."

Was there a slight hesitation in her voice?

Nicholas pulled his head back to look into her dark eyes. "You want to meet my family?"

"Yes." This time, the answer was full of confidence. "I'd love that. We can take a few days off, can't we? After all, you are the manager."

The word "manager" rolled awkwardly on Nicholas's tongue. He still had to get used to it, but it was true. He was the manager, and while Big Dino—the owner of the circus—hibernated, Nicholas could do whatever the hell he wanted ... as long as the money kept pouring in.

"Of course you can go with me." His arm tightened around her, and he grinned. "Do you plan on asking my hand in marriage, too?"

"Oh, Nick, what about my reputation?" Anya playfully slapped his shoulder. "Give a girl at least a couple of days..." She fiddled with the lapels of her robe, making more creamy skin available to his hungry eyes. "Besides, we haven't even slept together yet."

"Haven't we?" Nicholas arched an eyebrow and tugged on the sash holding her robe closed. "I seem to remember differently."

"I meant really slept." She rolled her eyes, gracefully waving a long arm. "What if you snore? I couldn't spend the rest of my life with someone who snores."

"I don't snore." He pulled her head down to give her a kiss, to which she answered willingly.

Time stretched while he was distracted by Anya's sweet lips. His concerns remained somewhere in the back of his mind as Nicholas allowed himself to enjoy things for a while.