The Virus Within: The Road Ahead (Book 1 - SERIES COMPLETED!)

Chapter 63

"That might not be a wise plan," Nina gently cautioned her. "You might regret it in the morning. Besides, there are plenty of archery targets you can color."

Nicky shrugged. "The last time someone told me I'd regret something in the morning, I just slept until noon. Problem solved." She shoved a forkful of food into her mouth.

I had no idea what to make of Nicky's view of the world some days. Nina hesitated, then apparently decided that not replying was the easiest way out of this conversation. Daniel also continued eating his dinner now that the shoe-obsessed redhead was preoccupied with hers.

With a thoughtful expression, Nina kept looking between Nicky and me as she ate dainty bites of her salad. After several minutes of this, I raised an eyebrow as a silent inquiry.

With a slow blink, Nina said, "I heard Nicky had a knack for helping calm you down. I hadn't seen it until now, but I'm still trying to determine exactly what I saw. You were furious, and in under two minutes, Nicky managed to get you sitting down."

Nicky snorted. "For someone who prides herself on being observant, you really miss a lot, don't you?"

A faint growl came from Daniel, but Nina gently waved him off as she regarded Nicky in curiosity. "What do you mean?"

"You really need to pay more attention. The tactics I use to help Trinity calm down are the same ones she uses to help me recover from an insanity blitz. Distraction. Admittedly, her approach is more tolerance with a good dose of distraction while she fends me off, but that's beside the point."

"That's a rather interesting comparison..." Nina murmured.

Nicky gestured toward Daniel. "The methods you use to defuse Daniel's temper aren't something I can use with Trinity. You helped him with control when he first turned, and somewhere deep down, he probably counts your presence as being supportive. That's also why he's so protective of you and accepts your suggestions so readily."

I blinked in surprise, although her observation actually made a lot of sense and explained Daniel's diligent guard dog act. Some days, Nicky's perceptiveness scared me.

Judging from how Nina and Daniel exchanged a startled look, they had never thought of it in quite that fashion either. Nicky rolled her eyes at their surprise.

"Basic Psychology 101. You may be a scientist, but I know psychology, and I've met hundreds of counselors and psychiatrists over the years. My name has appeared in over fifty research papers." She paused and tilted her head. "Or were they restraining orders? I can never keep those two straight."

I shook my head, almost tempted to snicker despite my lingering irritation with Louise. I bet it was the same counselors and psychiatrists who requested those very restraining orders in an attempt to protect themselves. As if a mere piece of paper was going to stop Nicky...

Nicky held out a couple of apple slices, and even though I wasn't overly hungry, I took them. I slowly nibbled on the crisp fruit as the humans continued eating. Nina ate in a polite and dainty fashion; a stark contrast to Nicky, who more-or-less shoveled the heaping pile of food into her mouth.

Nicky sighed as she chased the last bit of gravy around her plate with a piece of bread. "That tasted great. Good thing archery doesn't require much moving." With a groan, she stood up and stretched, not bothering to let her food settle. "Come on, Trinity. Let's get down there before someone tries to take my favorite bow."

"There are fifteen identical bows in that shed. There's no way to tell them apart," I replied as I remained sitting.

"Excuses, excuses. Stop procrastinating. An hour or two of archery won't kill you unless you get too close to my target."