by Unknown
Viktor didn’t have much time to plan or to find a way to communicate with Kai. The man approached him once more and unsheathed a blade. Viktor made a mental calculation of where he needed to strike. As Kai’s father lifted the sharp, heavy sword, Viktor attacked. The man’s eyes went wide in astonishment, but he managed to jump back and dodge Viktor’s fangs. Viktor would have cursed if he had the vocal cords to do it. He’d missed.
Even so, his attack caused the man to let his guard down and turn his back on Kai. Kai didn’t even hesitate, and before his father could try to escape, retrieved his small knife, and embedded it in the man’s neck, impaling the top of his spine and his throat with the blade.
The assassin let out a surprised sound and reached back, unsteadily trying to remove the weapon from his body. Viktor’s heart fell. As deadly as the wound would have been for a human, the snake assassin would live through it. They had sealed their own fates.
Much to Viktor’s surprise, the shots he expected never came. Viktor dared a glance towards the man’s guards. They just stood there, dispassionately watching their leader thrash around and apparently having no intention whatsoever of helping him.
Even so, the wolf couldn’t bring himself to trust their harmless stance. Kai seemed to share his opinion as he moved next to Viktor, facing both his father and the other two assassins. One of the men grimaced ever so slightly as Kai leaned down to pet Viktor’s fur. Viktor licked Kai’s hand and snarled at the two assassins. His wolf told him to attack and eliminate the threat to his mate. Still, Viktor felt reluctant to leave Kai’s side, as he wouldn’t be able to truly protect his mate if he engaged in a fight with the two assassins.
The decision was taken out of his hand, when with a choked sound, Kai’s father finally managed to get rid of the knife embedded in his throat. Shaking his head, he threw a deadly glare in Kai’s direction and picked up his sword from where it had fallen. Viktor felt slightly amazed that the man could still move, but then again, shifter anatomy wasn’t like the human one. An assassin as powerful and experienced as Kai’s father wouldn’t die just because of a neck injury from a kitchen knife.
Viktor nudged Kai’s leg with his snout. They needed to get out of there. Viktor didn’t want to think about what would happen once the man recovered completely.
Kai took a few steps back, slowly nodding towards Viktor. They both froze, however, when one of the assassin guards retrieved a gun from his jacket. Time seemed to slow as the armed assassin aimed to shoot. Viktor leapt on his mate to shield Kai yet again, but he needn’t have bothered. The bullets weren’t meant for them.
Viktor lifted his eyes to see Kai’s father fall back on the ground, a shot straight in the middle of his forehead. Not even shifters could dodge death if bullets tore through their brains. Apparently feeling the need to make sure, the armed assassin stepped forward and emptied the cartridge in his former leader’s body.
Finally, he turned towards Kai and Viktor. “I have no issue with you, Kaiden. However, you will never lead the Guild. It’s time for a change in the assassins’ world.”
The second assassin stepped forward as well. “We can’t afford to take any chances. You killing Jamari affected long-term plans, things we fought to figure out for years.”
Kai lifted his hands in a gesture that attempted to convey harmlessness. “I couldn’t care less about what happens in the Guild. Like I said to Tynan, I want out.”
The armed killer took another step towards Kai, and Viktor bared his fangs at him. “Keep your pet at bay, Kaiden, or else you may find yourself mateless.” He chuckled as Kai’s fist clenched into Viktor’s fur.
“You know as well as I do that the only way to get out of the Guild is in a body bag. I should kill you right now, but I would gain absolutely nothing from it.”
Kai let out a sound of frustration. “So what now? If you don’t plan on killing us, what do you want to do?”
“We will allow you to live,” the second assassin said, “but make no mistake, this isn’t forever. We will refrain from sending you jobs, but we might ask you for favors from time to time.”
“You will never be free of your past, Kaiden.” The first man threw a meaningful glance towards Viktor. “Will your mate accept that?”
“Viktor loves me, Ian,” Kai replied softly. “That will never change.”
Ian snorted, but didn’t comment. “Come on, Quil. We have some scorpions to talk to.”
Kai’s eyes widened at the comment, and the two assassins grinned. “A new era in the assassins’ world,” Quil murmured, grabbing the body of their dead leader from the pavement. “Remember that, Kaiden.”
“Oh, and don’t worry.” Ian directed an almost warm smile at Kai. “The humans around here didn’t hear or feel a thing.”
With those final words, the two assassins turned their backs on Viktor and Kai.
“I can’t believe it,” Kai whispered in disbelief. “I simply can’t believe it.”
Viktor immediately shifted, suppressing a wince when the change strained his still-raw wounds. “You’re free, baby. You don’t have to leave me. Not ever.”
Kai turned towards Viktor and wrapped his arms around him. “No, I don’t have to. I won’t. I love you, Viktor.”
“I love you too, baby. I love you, too.”
Epilogue
One year later
The cordless phone hit the wall with a crack, making Viktor wince. “Damn, fuck, shit!” Kai cursed under his breath. “Ssstupid, ssson of a bitch bastard!”
Viktor didn’t bother to ask who Kai had been talking to. He knew, even if he hadn’t managed to hear the actual conversation. Ian Montgomery.
From what Kai had told him, after the sudden demise of Kai’s father, Ian took over the leadership of the Assassins’ Guild and initiated diplomatic talks with the most dangerous races of shifters. Creatures ranging from Australian spiders to crocodiles, sharks, and scorpions, united in the shadows of the Assassins’ Guild. According to Kai, though, so far, Ian hadn’t had any luck in convincing the various races to form a coherent deadly union under his leadership. Viktor couldn’t say he felt surprised. Many shifters held onto their arrogance with their teeth. Traditionally, they were group mercenaries or simply isolated individuals, and they wouldn’t take kindly to anyone attempting to suddenly take over.
Alas, the whole thing caused Ian Montgomery to several times cash in on the favor Kai owed him. More often than not, he asked Kai to acquire certain items to convince people to join their cause. Viktor hated to admit it, but Kai couldn’t really refuse. The combined strength of the Guild could wipe them off the face of the Earth, and now, more than ever, they couldn’t risk it.
Kai rubbed his forehead, and Viktor’s heart immediately clenched in concern. Kai had begun having nightmares about his dead family from the day of his father’s death. Viktor helped his mate in his own way, offering comfort and love when he could. Getting over this trauma would take time. After all, Kai had watched his mother be assassinated in a brutal manner, then had killed his own brother, and had seen his father die. Viktor would have given anything to erase those memories, but things like that couldn’t just disappear. They stayed in a person’s mind forever. Ian’s interventions in their life only made things worse.
However, Viktor knew he could find a way to slowly heal his mate’s heart. In spite of everything, Kai was slowly getting better, more used to his new environment and less jumpy. The frequency of the bad dreams started to decrease. Viktor felt convinced that, in time, he would manage to drive them away. They would slowly fade, bad memories being pushed away by a happy life. Even with the shadow of Ian Montgomery over their lives, they could make it work.
Either way, Viktor knew Kai needed his support now. He stepped into the room and slowly made his way to his mate. “Are you all right, beautiful?”
Kai jumped, turning around suddenly and punching Viktor in the face. Viktor managed to avoid the sudden hit and dodged having his nose broken, but his wrist ached
like a son of a bitch from blocking the punch. Kai’s eyes widened as realization struck. “Oh my God, Viktor. I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”
“It’s okay, baby,” Viktor said with a smile, clutching his wrist and mentally checking if the punch had done any significant damage. “My fault entirely. I shouldn’t have snuck in behind you like that.”
Kai looked towards Viktor’s wrist and then turned his back on Viktor. “It’s not okay,” he murmured softly. “Not okay at all.”
Viktor didn’t utter a word. He placed a tender kiss on Kai’s lips and held his mate tightly, petting his hair. They remained like that for the longest time, until the tension in Kai’s body slowly started to fade.
“I don’t know what to do, Viktor,” Kai whispered almost brokenly. “It’s just gets too much.”
“Don’t worry, pretty,” Viktor offered Kai a small smile. “You’re here with me, safe. It will be fine. We’ll find a way.”
Kai’s eyes shone with unshed tears of love, gratitude, and relief. “Thank you, Viktor. I just don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“You don’t have to know, baby. I’ll always be with you.”
Viktor leaned to lick the traces of tears on Kai’s cheeks and then took his mate’s mouth into a kiss. His dick filled with blood at the first touch of Kai’s lips against his own. Kai moaned and wrapped his arms around Viktor, opening his mouth and surrendering to the passion.
“God, Viktor, fuck me!” Kai gasped as they broke the kiss, his eyes no longer haunted, but burning with desire.
Viktor didn’t have to be asked twice, but at the same time, he knew what Kai needed, and it wasn’t fucking. Kai needed to be made love to, to be surrounded by affection, and to realize he was special.
He lifted Kai up in his arms, carrying him in bridal pose to their bedroom. Gently placing Kai on the bed, he took a second to admire his mate’s beautiful form. He didn’t know what he’d done to deserve Kai. He truly felt like the luckiest werewolf on the face of the planet.
Joining his mate on the bed, Viktor took off his shirt and went on to remove Kai’s sweater. Kai eagerly helped him get rid of the garment. It seemed quite funny, given how fond Kai was of heavy materials that kept him warm. Then again, Viktor did a much better job keeping his mate warm than any sweater or jacket.
Smiling to himself, Viktor started placing feather-light kisses on his mate’s body. He licked across his Adam’s apple and down his collar bone, ever so slowly worshipping each inch of creamy skin within his reach. He allowed himself to be particularly thorough whenever he ran into a patch of golden scales.
Then down and down his mouth went, until it reached Kai’s right nipple. Kai let out a gasp as Viktor’s lips closed over the small nub, sucking gently. His hand tweaked its left counterpart, massaging it to increase the stimulation.
“Viktor, please!” Kai moaned.
Anyone would have thought that Kai wanted more pleasure, that he craved the raw intensity of their more usual couplings. Viktor knew better. It was these moments that truly cemented their bond, the soft, gentle touches, the stolen kisses that spoke of a bond deeper than their fated one. Viktor thought he probably loved Kai the moment they first set eyes on each other, that something more than his animal instincts called to him that day. The golden thread that united their destinies strengthened with each passing day, with each caress or shared joke, with every domestic moment they spent together. Love and passion couldn’t be separated, but for Viktor, love took over. His wolf needed his mate with the same animalistic power, but it surrendered to the very human feeling between them.
Kai needed the love between them more than ever. Gently licking down Kai’s belly, Viktor followed the trail of scales to the line of Kai’s jeans. He could see the outline of Kai’s hard cock through the material. Since Kai rarely wore underwear, a wet spot had already started to form.
Taking in the mouth-watering sight, Viktor worked the buttons of Kai’s jeans, keeping his movements deliberately slow. As Viktor released his cock from its confines, Kai let out a sound that seemed a mix between a sigh and moan. Viktor couldn’t help but be drawn to his mate’s beautiful lips yet again. He pressed their mouths together, letting out a moan of his own when a half-shy, half-daring forked tongue met his exploration. Kai often seemed sensitive about the snake aspects of his physiognomy, and Viktor reveled in the fact that his mate could let go and just be himself when they made love.
They kissed languorously, their hands roaming along naked torsos in tender and light caresses. Viktor consciously kept their little make-out session almost innocent, lightly teasing Kai’s tongue with his own, but never pushing, never taking possession like he usually did. He didn’t even take off his own jeans, knowing that doing so would just speed the whole thing up. In spite of the urgency he felt every time with Kai, this time he wanted to take it slow.
They took their time kissing, enjoying the unhurried, sizzling passion. When Kai’s hands finally reached for the buttons of his jeans, Viktor allowed his mate to work the Levis open, not wanting to rush Kai in any way. Even so, he couldn’t suppress a sound of pleasure as his mate’s hot hand closed in on his erection. “Oh, fuck, Kai…”
Kai smiled against Viktor’s lips and held his gaze as he helped Viktor finish taking off the jeans. Viktor reached for the bottle of lube they kept in the nightstand and groaned softly as Kai spread himself, eagerly exposing his hole.
Viktor swallowed, aching for a taste of his mate’s opening. Dropping the tube of lubricant, he helped Kai hold his body up and buried his face between his mate’s buttocks. This would probably be easier with Kai on all fours, especially since Viktor’s wrist still felt a bit achy, but Kai didn’t like not seeing Viktor when they made love.
Viktor leisurely licked over Kai’s crease, taking his time to enjoy the decadent flavor of his mate’s body. He thrust his tongue into Kai’s anus, growling in pleasure at the sinful sensation of eating his mate’s ass. He truly loved rimming Kai. Often times, he would take Kai with just the preparation of his tongue, but this wouldn’t be one of those times.
He reluctantly got up to retrieve the lube bottle again and squirted some liquid on his fingers. Kai arched his back and gasped as Viktor pressed two fingers inside of his already-prepared passage and thrust them in and out, searching for Kai’s special spot. Kai let out a sound of surprised pleasure, and Viktor couldn’t help but grin. He inserted another digit and rubbed at the little gland, prolonging the moment, loving the sounds of pleasure his mate made.
Finally, Viktor deemed his mate ready. He removed his fingers and positioned himself at Kai’s hole, slowly pushing into his mate’s tight channel. He clenched his teeth as the animal inside clawed out, demanding to claim its mate. But this wasn’t about claiming. They already belonged to each other. This was about their love mending things that the past had broken.
Viktor scanned Kai’s face for any sign of pain at his intrusion. “Okay?”
Kai nodded and beamed up at Viktor. So much happiness and ecstasy shone in those bright golden eyes that Viktor’s heart swelled with love. Entwining their hands, Viktor started a steady rhythm in and out of his mate’s passage. They rocked against each other slowly, drawing out the pleasure, reveling in the intimate connection rather than on the physical pleasure.
Viktor didn’t know how long he lost himself in his connection with Kai. His orgasm came unexpectedly, like a build-up, sweeping him up in a wave of deep pleasure and love for his mate. He thought he must have howled as he filled Kai’s ass with his seed. Kai came almost immediately after him, and Viktor’s wolf settled down in contentment at the knowledge of his mate’s pleasure. Exhausted and almost overwhelmed by the emotion, Viktor allowed himself to collapse at Kai’s side. Kai would tell him about what bothered him in his own time. Viktor just needed to be a little patient.
* * * *
As he came down from the rush of his orgasm, Kai stole a glance at his gorgeous werewolf. He couldn’t help but wonder how Viktor kn
ew him so well. How could Viktor always realize what he needed when sometimes Kai himself didn’t know?
“Oh, Viktor… love you so much.”
Viktor squeezed Kai tightly and pressed their lips together once more. “Love you too, baby.”
With one year since their meeting, Kai could now easily admit that this was forever. He trusted Viktor with his life, even if he did have moments of doubt, specifically when Ian called with one of his little requests. Then, Viktor came and did something like this, almost worshipping him, showering Kai in love and all those negative emotions vanished. He still felt frustrated over Ian’s interference in their life, but under Viktor’s tender care, the nightmares slowly began to fade. He truly thought that he could leave behind the horror of his days as an assassin.
Thinking of this, Ian’s request came back to mind. Strangely enough, now that he lay cuddled at Viktor’s side, the thought of having to aid Ian didn’t bother him so much. It would just be something he needed to get over with. After that, he could get back to his life at Viktor’s side. He truly should consider himself lucky. Ian’s demands were a small price to pay for happiness with his handsome and loving mate.
Kai turned towards Viktor, knowing that his werewolf would worry if Kai didn’t share Ian’s new plan. He didn’t really want to ruin the afterglow, but he didn’t think he should wait either. “So Ian called.”
Viktor offered him a gentle smile. “I assumed that much by the phone destruction thing.”
Kai winced at the realization that they would have to again purchase another cordless. A flash of his mate’s hand then passed through his mind’s eye. “How’s your wrist?”
Viktor just chuckled. “It’s just fine, baby. Hurts a bit, but werewolves heal fast.”
Kai sighed, still feeling guilty at the knowledge that he caused his mate pain. Viktor didn’t allow him to dwell in his morose thoughts though. “You were telling me about the phone call?” He arched an inquisitive brow, and Kai couldn’t help but think that Viktor looked just plain edible.