"All right. No werewolf form until she accepts the truth, and is ready to see me like that."
"I know it may be hard for you," Lexi said, "but tell Nika what she means to you.
Don't just demand she accept you as her mate without letting her know you truly want her by your side forever."
"I told her that I would never leave her the day after I met her."
"And did she believe you?"
"Well, not really, I don't think."
"I wouldn't think so. If she has trust issues like you've said, and she really didn't know you at that point, I can see her thinking you're just feeding her a line of bull."
"I tried to convince her that I was telling her the truth."
"How did you do that?" Kamryn asked.
"By telling her that I had proof that she was the one meant for me, but I couldn't show or tell her about it yet."
The women shook their heads and chuckled.
"Oh, Garrick," Lexi said. "No wonder Nika is pushing you to tell her the truth.
Saying something like that would have any girl wondering what she'd gotten herself into."
"Okay, I'll admit I haven't exactly gone about this the right way," he said. "Let's face it, back when I was mortal, I didn't have to worry about dating. And the usual women I tend to associate with are only interested in a good time for a night or two. I've never had to work this hard to win over a woman. Add the pressure of having to tell her what I am, it makes it that much more difficult."
Lexi reached over and patted his hand. "You just have to get it over and done with. Like I told Algar when he was going to tell Kamryn about our world, it's sometimes better to do it quickly—like ripping off a bandage."
Lexi drew in a sharp breath, stiffened, and put her free hand on her distended belly. Garrick looked at it and watched it move while her baby shifted inside her. "Lexi, are you all right?"
She smiled. "I'm fine. Junior here decided to give me a big kick to the ribs. He or she is running out of room. The midwife thinks I may deliver a little bit earlier than my expected due date."
Since Raed was a werewolf and Lexi was now immortal, it was out of the question for her to give birth in a hospital. So they had gone the home birth route. Even then, they had to be watchful of the midwife. They all had no idea whether the baby would take after its father's werewolf side or just be immortal, a trait it would receive from both parents. Raed had told all the warriors they needed to be at home when Lexi went into labor. Tiw may protect the mansion from Fenris' get—they literally couldn't step onto the property without running into an invisible shield—but Raed didn't want to take any chances while his mate and child were so vulnerable.
Lexi sucked in another breath. "Oh, there's another good one."
She put his hand on her hard stomach, and the baby gave a kick against his palm. This wasn't the first time Lexi had let him feel the baby move. She'd let all of them do it. Since this child would be the first one born from one of the mated couples, they all felt as if it was their baby as well. All the warriors would lay their lives on the line to protect Lexi and Raed's precious new life.
"I'm glad it's you and not me," Kamryn said. "I'm not ready for a baby yet."
Algar and she had only been mated for four months. Unlike Lexi, who had gotten pregnant shortly after meeting Raed, Kamryn hadn't. But Garrick figured Kamryn and Algar would be following Lexi and Raed's parenthood footsteps soon enough.
When the baby shifted, visibly moving Lexi's stomach again, Garrick knew he wanted to see Nika in this condition, large with his child.
Gently pulling his hand out from under Lexi's, he stood. "Thanks for the advice, ladies. I think I'm going to do a little sword practice to help me figure out how to go about handling Nika."
He willed his sword into his hand and walked out into the center of the garden.
Swinging his sword, he soon fell into the practiced movements. With the familiar stretch and pull of his muscles, Garrick let his mind wander. He was going to dread tomorrow night.
* * *
Nika served a pint to one of her regular customers and went back behind the bar.
It was Tuesday afternoon, and tonight Garrick would return and tell her what he'd been keeping from her.
After a full twenty-four hours apart, she missed Garrick, a lot. She had thought she wouldn't to quite that extent. The fact she did showed what she felt for him was a lot stronger than how she'd felt for David. She'd thought she'd loved her ex, but looking back at it now, she didn't think it had been love, love. After the short time she'd known Garrick, her feelings ran deeper than they had for David after over a year. Could she love him already? How could that be possible? They hardly knew each other. She didn't even know where he lived. They hadn't shared much of their personal lives, either.
She hoped that would change tonight. Nika really didn't want to dump Garrick, not with how she felt about him. During the long day that had been yesterday, she'd decided she would try to be understanding and not be judgmental about whatever he would tell her. This was just a small speed bump in the road to them having a closer relationship.
Nika broke out of her musings when she noticed one of the few patrons lifting his empty beer glass in her direction to indicate he wanted another. She nodded to let him know she would bring him one. Once she had the same dark ale he'd ordered before poured into a clean glass, she put it on a tray and walked around the bar to bring it to him. Just as she reached the table, the man's friend pushed back his chair and slammed into her. She jerked in surprise, and the beer wobbled on the tray. Nika made a quick grab for it, but that only resulted in her knocking it completely over. The beer spilled down the front of her shirt.
While the man apologized, Nika righted the glass to stop more of the beer from soaking into her T-shirt. "I'm so, so sorry," he said.
"It's all right. Accidents happen. I'll just get your friend another beer."
With the spilled beer soaking right through to her bra, Nika quickly poured another pint. Once she'd safely delivered it to the table, she went to the kitchen. "Lee, can you watch the taproom for a few minutes while I go upstairs to change my shirt?"
He looked at the condition of her T-shirt and chuckled. "Had a little mishap, did you?"
"Yeah, just a little."
"Go ahead. I'll go out there in a few seconds."
Assured Lee would cover for her, Nika went back out to the taproom and up the stairs that led to her flat. She went to her bedroom and hurriedly stripped out of her soaked tee and bra. She grabbed clean ones from her dresser, but she didn't put them on. The odor of beer still wafted around her. She definitely needed to wash off.
Once inside the bathroom, Nika grabbed a clean cloth off the shelf on the wall and stuck it under the running water in the sink. She wrung it out and swiped it across her chest and breasts. Turning to reach for one of the towels, something on the right side of her back, high up near her shoulder, caught her attention.
Nika angled into the mirror and leaned in for a better look. A patch of skin about the size of her hand looked to be bruised. Gently, she touched the blackish mark, but much to her surprise it didn't hurt. She had no idea how she could have gotten a bruise that size and not remember doing something to cause it. Whatever she had done, she must have really hit it hard to have the bruise going that color.
She shrugged. She needed to get moving. She dried her off, and then put on her clean bra and T-shirt. She couldn't waste too much time up here. Not that Lee would be inundated with customers while she was gone.
After Nika returned downstairs, and Lee went back to the kitchen, the rest of the day seemed to pass a little more quickly. A few more customers came and went, with a little increase in business once night set in.
She'd come back to the bar after serving a customer when a man walked into the pub and sat on one of the barstools. As Nika went to see what she could get him, a sense of uneasiness washed over her. There was something about him that she didn't like. Outwar
dly, he seemed like a normal guy. His looks were pleasant enough, but then he smiled, and she noticed it didn't reach his eyes. They were cold and flat.
Pasting a smile on her lips, she asked, "What can I get you?"
"A pint of your best ale." He looked her up and down. "You're an American?"
"Yes, but I call Norwich my home now."
Nika moved down the bar to pour him his drink. When she returned, she put it in front of him and told him how much it cost. Giving her another of his cold smiles, he fished some pound notes out of his pocket and put them on top of the bar.
As she went to pick them up, he stroked his hand down the length of her arm, caught her by the wrist, and said, "Keep the change. From the number of empty tables here, I can see you need it."
She pulled her arm away. "It's a slow night."
"Do you run the pub by yourself?"
"I'm the owner, but I do have an employee who is the cook." Nika felt the need to let him know she didn't work here totally alone.
"I guess I'll have to come back sometime and try the food."
"Lee is a great cook."
Not liking the way he continued to look at her—as if he was the hunter and she the prey—Nika left him to drink his beer. Keeping herself busy by wiping down the bar top, she felt his gaze following her every move. Unlike when Garrick did the same thing, this guy's stare made her edgy. Even though she welcomed the sight of new customers, she wished he'd hurry up and drink his beer so he could leave.
Luckily, he did just that. Once he walked through the pub's front entrance, Nika retrieved his dirty glass and found a large tip sitting next to it. She picked up both and pocketed the money. At least the man had tipped well.
Chapter Ten
Garrick sat in his car in the pub's parking lot as he practiced inside his head what he was going to say to Nika. He'd spent most of the time perfecting his speech while he'd been hunting, except for when he'd taken down a couple of his prey.
As prepared as he ever would be, he got out of his car and crossed the mostly empty lot to the pub's front entrance. There was only one car parked there, other than his. When he reached the door, he drew up short. His nostrils flared. A faint, acidic scent wafted around him. Breathing deeply, Garrick opened the door and walked into The Old Sow. The scent grew much stronger.
A low growl pushed out of his throat. Even though the scent wasn't that of a werewolf, Garrick recognized it. He had to fight to stop himself from going wolf with anger. Somehow, Nathan had found a way to mask his true scent. Whatever he did, it left an acidic smell behind wherever he went.
Needing to see how far into the pub the scent went, he followed the faint trail.
He'd just about reached the bar when Nika came out of the kitchen with Lee on her heels. Garrick barely kept it under control while he watched her walk the other man to the entrance and say goodbye.
Once the door shut behind Lee, Nika walked over to join him. "You came," she said as she drew nearer.
"I told you I would."
She stood in front of him, and the smell of Nathan's acidic scent masker grew even stronger. His eyes went wolf and his claws pushed through the tips of his fingers, despite his best efforts to remain calm. With a low, wolf-sounding growl, he tried to zero in on where, exactly, Nathan had placed the scent, but Nika quickly jumped away.
"Garrick, y-your eyes. They look like an animal's. And are those . . . claws?"
Her face had gone white, and he heard her heart racing, but he ignored the signs of her fear. "He was here. He put his hands on you," he said through a growl.
"He who?" Nika asked. She kept backing toward the pub's entrance. "I don't know who you're talking about. What the hell are you, Garrick?"
The door flew open behind Nika and slammed against the wall. Nathan, along with three other werewolves, walked in.
"Yes, Garrick, why don't you tell your mate what you are? Better yet, why don't you just show her instead," he said.
Nathan nodded to his men, who shifted into their werewolf forms. Nathan grabbed Nika from behind. Garrick had no choice but to shift as well. The three large werewolves attacked him at the same time. He only had enough time to see Nika's look of horror at the sight of him before they were on him. The sound of her screams filled his head as he tried to fight them off.
Garrick used his teeth and claws to defend himself, but he couldn't get in a blow that would buy him enough time to will his sword into his hand to take out the werewolves permanently. The one behind him jumped onto his back, sinking his teeth into his shoulder, while the other two attacked him from his sides. He howled in pain.
He was strong, but the three beasts were the size of Brand when in werewolf form.
Bleeding from numerous bite and claw marks, Garrick soon lost his footing, and the three overpowered him and took him to his knees. He couldn't shift without sustaining even greater injury from his attackers, so he stayed in his werewolf form and glared at Nathan. "Let her go," he said in a voice that was gruffer than his usual one.
"It's me you want. Take me, but leave my mate alone."
"Oh, I intend to take you with me," Nathan said, wrapping his arm around Nika's head and yanking it to the side at an awkward angle. "But I wouldn't dream of separating you from your mate. She comes with us. Let's see how you'll like being mated to one of your prey."
Nathan shifted into his werewolf form and sank his teeth into the left side of Nika's neck where it met her shoulder. Garrick howled. Nika screamed again, then passed out, slumping against Nathan's furred body. Enraged, Garrick fought to free himself, to get Nika away from the pack leader, but the other werewolves were too strong.
Nathan shifted back to his human form and lifted Nika into his arms. "This is when you take a rest, warrior."
The three pounded on Garrick with their large fists until he lay battered and bloody on the floor. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was Nathan carrying Nika out of the pub, then darkness closed over him.
* * *
Unceremoniously dumped into the back of a cargo van, Nika came to. She quickly regained her senses, but before she could even try to make an escape, the man who had been at the pub earlier—now her captor—climbed inside and grabbed her by her wrists. He pulled out a length of rope from his jacket pocket and bound her hands as the three other men—who were no longer furry—shoved what Garrick had become into the van next to her. She flinched when his wolf-like head brushed up against her.
Her captor laughed. "What's the matter? Don't you like your mate now that you know what he truly is?"
"And what would that be?" she asked in a shaky voice.
"A werewolf."
"Like you?"
"He's nothing like me," her captor spat. "I'm what a true werewolf should be. I'm not like your mate over there, who was given immortality and the ability to shift by his Anglo-Saxon god, but denied the bloodlust a true werewolf should have." He pulled out what looked to be a small, black sack. "Enough talking."
Easily controlling her with one hand, her captor yanked the sack over her head.
He then secured her bound wrists to something inside the van. Nika tried not to panic as the van bounced. She heard a bit of scuffling, the doors slammed shut, and then . . .
silence. Sensing her captor had left, she pulled on her wrists. The sound of the van's engine turning over roared through the tiny compartment, and they started to move.
Nika struggled to free herself, but whatever they'd tied her to didn't budge. The van hit a bump, sending a shooting pain to where her captor had bitten her.
Sitting, unable to see anything, Nika forced back the tears that threatened to spill over. Tears weren't going to help her situation one bit. She couldn't fall apart. She had to forget that her world had suddenly become the stuff of horror movies. And that there were people who shifted into creatures that would give her nightmares probably for the rest of her life. She would not let herself freak out. Not even with the realization she'd been sleeping w
ith one of those creatures.
Nika didn't want to believe Garrick was a werewolf, but seeing him turn into something that looked half human and half wolf, how could she not? The sight of him in that form had scared the crap out of her. And hearing her captor and Garrick calling her Garrick's mate had done nothing to keep her fears at bay. She didn't understand how any of what she'd seen could be possible. Werewolves weren't supposed to be real.
Her mind still had a hard time processing what her eyes and ears told her.
The van stopped, and she braced herself for what her captor had in store for her next. The engine cut out. Nika's heart tried to thump out of her chest as minutes passed.
The back doors finally opened, and the sound of chains rattling reached her ears. She heard grunts, and the van bounced as if something heavy had been taken out of it. Nika cowered back away from the sound. They had to have taken Garrick.
Next, someone unhooked her bound wrists and dragged her outside. With her head still covered, Nika had no idea where they were. The strong hand that held her upper arm pulled her into motion. It wasn't her original captor who held her this time, because the body that brushed up against her every time she stumbled was much larger. It had to be one of the larger werewolves who had attacked Garrick.
She was taken inside a building and then forced to sit on a cold cement floor. Her bound hands were once again secured to something in front of her. The sack was yanked from her head, and it took a few seconds for Nika's eyes to adjust to the lights.
Blinking, she glanced around. The building looked like an empty barn, one that would have been used on a dairy farm. There were plenty of farms in the Norwich area, and this could be one of many.
Looking to her right, Nika found Garrick, still in werewolf form, beside her. They were chained to the same raised metal bar that had been cemented into the floor. He was still unconscious. Her captor moved to stand over him, then bent down. She noticed the syringe in his hand just as he pushed the needle into Garrick's furred arm and pushed the plunger down.
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