Read Nikolas for Free Online Page A

scenery had been less than spectacular, so Sophia used the time to devise a plan when she met her aunt. As she made her way to the platform, she shrugged her bag higher on her shoulder. She had brought a different disguise as well as a change of clothing, just in case. Being prepared for anything couldn’t hurt.
    It was early afternoon, and she was hungry again, so she decided to find something light to eat. Spotting a small restaurant, she ordered Samak Mashwi with a side of Kushari. It’s a good thing I don’t have a weak stomach. The fish had a wonderful, spicy flavor she enjoyed, even if it was served whole. Ignoring the eyeball staring back at her, Sophia dug the flesh out of the center and ate it with the rice and lentil side dish.
    Xenia’s home was located in a neighborhood containing the railway station. Even though the house was close, Sophia had no desire to walk the few blocks by herself. She hailed a taxi, and a few minutes later, sat in front of her aunt’s small home. Sophia paid the cab driver and got out onto the sidewalk. As she was walking toward the house, she heard a crash coming from inside. “Get out! You can’t see me like this!” a woman shouted.
    Something else shattered, and a man yelled, “Fuck, Xenia. Stop this. What is wrong with you?”
    Sophia hurried into the house and found a good-looking man dodging flying objects. Whoever was flinging those objects was nowhere to be seen. When a crystal vase was thrown around the corner, the man yelled, “Xenia, seriously, cut the shit!”
    Sophia took a big chance and walked into the kitchen where her aunt was hiding. Even if the man hadn’t spoken her aunt’s name, she’d have known it was her. Xenia was the spitting image of Caroline, or would be if her grandmother hadn’t stopped aging and if her grandmother had fangs.
    “Oh, shit!” Sophia ducked as another glass item flew through the air, this one headed her way. “Xenia, calm down,” she scolded her aunt.
    “Calm down? Calm down she says. She, who I don’t even know who the fuck she is, is telling me to calm down! Do you fucking see this shit?” she asked, holding her clawed hands out to her sides.
    Before she could say any more, Sophia returned to the man and blocked his view. “I think it would be best if you go. I’ve got this.” Using her shifter strength, she ushered him toward the door.
    “But she said she doesn’t know you. I’m not letting some stranger in here without…” He was cut off as another object grazed the side of his head.
    “Out, now!” she said as she shoved him out the door. Sophia flipped the locks and turned to face her aunt. This was what she had been training for. The man banged on the door, yelling to be let back in, but she ignored him.
    “I have fangs. And I have claws. Fucking claws!” Xenia looked around, probably for something else to throw. Blood was running down her chin.
    “Xenia, I can explain,” she replied with her hands up in the defensive.
    The woman whirled around and shrieked, “Really? You can explain to me why after almost fifty years I all of a sudden sprout fucking fangs?”
    Instead of answering, Sophia allowed her own fangs and claws to come forth. “I know what you’re going through, so like I said, calm down.”
    Xenia calmed down. “What the fuck are you? What am I?” she whispered.
    Sophia took a chance and slowly closed the distance between them. Holding her hands in front of her, she retracted her claws and allowed her fangs to retreat into her gums. “I will tell you everything, but first, I want you to close your eyes and imagine your fangs receding into your gums.” Xenia did as she said, and after a few seconds, her mouth was back to normal. “Now, do the same thing with your hands.” Sophia waited until her aunt’s hands were clawless. “Good. Very good.”
    Sophia moved toward the sofa and asked, “Would you like to sit down? This is a long story.”
    “Yeah, but first I need a drink. Would you