Tray growled and Mikhail held up his hands, placating. “Fine, fine, you’re a good male, Traian Komar.” His voice went all squeaky and falsetto as he mimicked Bethany’s tone.
“Can’t you wait until he finds a mate?” Bethany laughed, eyes sparking with mirth. “It’ll be spectacular.”
“Oh, hell, yeah,” Gunnar chimed in. “Then, we’ll be inviting him to all the potlucks and domestic shindigs. She’ll dress him in plaid, make him clean dishes.”
“Hey, I rock the plaid. But these hands do not do housework.” He raised his hands and made a show at inspecting them. “However, they do dirty-work pretty fucking great.”
Nadia had no idea about what happened outside of her little world. She’d never been privy to the workings of the kraliyet. In theory, she understood the Council’s role as the overseer of their laws. They dictated civil matters, held the people to the rites and traditions and scheduled meetings to bring forth potential mates. They were led by the Kartal. The Council also helped to keep civilians in check by instating martial law. But Aleksi was the head over it all. She’d never thought about the underbelly of the Council, of the dark dealings that happened, or even considered how things happened for that matter. She’d been born into the Kan Asma as a lower-class female. Things like insurrections, law breakers, disputes between peoples were rarely discussed in her social circle.
Everyone knew about the consequences of breaking a Kan Asma rule, though. She’d treated a few, including Andros. The Council didn’t offer leniency or have any compassion for a person’s circumstances. That was why she and Gunnar needed the Komutani’s help. Otherwise, she’d be facing a severe punishment for her role in this mating.
“I’ll speak with Aleksi. Hopefully, he’s as willing to assist me now as he was a few weeks back.”
Bethany nibbled the corner of her mouth and consternation lined her brow. She set her hand on Tray’s cheek. Her fingers trembled. “Let’s hope it doesn’t get to that level of scary, again.”
Gunnar stiffened against her and leaned forward, a frown tugged his lips down. “Do I even want to know about this?” A slow exhalation followed and Nadia could feel Gunnar’s frustration at not being there when his boss needed him. She brushed her hand down his arm, soothing the clenched muscles there.
“They did a blood oath.” Mikhail sucked his teeth and grimaced. “Dumbass held on too long and gave Alek a blood burn he’ll most likely never forget.”
“Meaning Tray got a fucking acid burn from the strongest bloodline. Were you trying to put me out of job?” He watched his boss closely, regret obvious in his expression.
Nadia had never seen a blood oath happen. She’d learned about the after effects while training under Dominic. The outcome could be deadly. A male’s blood held toxic properties and when mixed, caused a lethal combination. It also showed a devotion; sealing a promise through the painful exchange. Traian had done this with their leader. Just hearing about it honored Nadia. These males she’d grown up revering, fearing, watching from afar had so many more facets to them then she’d ever known. Her parents had tainted their reputations through jealousy and disdain while worshipping their money and influence. These powerful families had honor and respect. And, they held their females above everything else.
“All that mattered was getting my point across. I’d endure the greatest of pain for my mate.” Traian replied as if he’d heard her thoughts. When he turned his head to watch her, he nodded slightly. He had heard what she said. Nadia blushed.
“I will too.” Gunnar stood, pulling her up beside him. He lashed an arm around her shoulders, tugging her against his side. His fingers curled around her hip, held tight, almost bruising, as if he needed to mark her in some way. She melted into him, accepting the sweet agony of that sting. Hopefully, soon he’d mate her completely and she’d be marked as his from the inside out.
“Even if you’re asked to do an oath with the faction trying to destroy the kraliyet?” Mikhail narrowed serious blue eyes on them. Something deadly flashed in his gaze. A shift across his cheekbones warned of the lethal beast under the surface.
Tray moved with purposeful steps and came to stand before them. He placed a thick, muscled arm on Gunnar’s shoulder. Fangs slipped from his gums, stretching his lip. His breathing slowed and an eerie light swirled in his eyes. “There’s no coming back from that. Avoid it all costs. The punishment for joining them, for crossing the line will be grave. Neither of you would survive. I can’t save you from the consequences of treason.” When he turned that stare on her, she saw unguarded emotion. Traian Komar was a dangerous Kan Asma, authoritative and ruthless. Right now, though, he allowed her to see something else entirely. He showed her his vulnerability. His love for Gunnar.
“You’re like a brother to me, Gunnar. Screw the valet shit; maybe keep the bodyguard because that comes in handy, but you’ve had my back for a long time, and I’d mourn you like my own damned kin.”
“Hell, I’d mourn you over Ivan any day.” Mikhail snorted.
Gunnar made a fist, lifted his left hand and crossed it above his heart. He dropped his head in a show of submission. A deep breath followed. Finally, he glanced at his boss and nodded. “If anything happens to me, take care of her. She’s my mate. I don’t need a blood-bond to know we are one. It’s in my heart. It’s in my love for her.”
Nadia staggered against him, her heart pounding against her ribs. She’d never expected any declarations of love from Gunnar. For him to even share something so personal, so exposed, made it hard to breathe. As if he felt her response, his arm firmed holding her impossibly tighter. He pressed a tender kiss to her temple and she closed her eyes absorbing his closeness, the depth of his emotions.
She took a deep breath and tipped her chin up, daring a direct look at Traian. “And if anything should happen to me, well, what he said. I love him, too.”
The rumble in Gunnar’s chest sounded ferocious. “I won’t let anything happen to you. I don’t need a blood oath to promise that.”
“Now that all the lovey dovey sappy shit is out in the open, can we get on with the dirty work?” Mikhail jumped to his feet, brushed long black hair from his jaw. “I’m hungry.”
Bethany made a disgruntled face. “He’ll never learn, will he?”
“Nope, never.” Mikhail sucked his teeth and brushed his knuckles across his chest. “Born for indulgence. Live indulgence.”
“Let’s hope you don’t die for indulgence.” Traian paced back to his mate’s side.
“Ah, he wuvs this brother, too. I thought I’d been replaced by a Viking lackey.” Mikhail tugged his jacket down and pointed at Tray. “Take your half-breed home and do your part of the work. We gotta get this brute mated before our depraved brother gets wind of Gunnar’s little tête-à-tête in here.”
Tray rolled his eyes and tucked his mate against his side. “I’ll update you on Alek as soon as I can.” With that declaration, he bowed his head and in a flash, they vanished.
Fear twisted Nadia’s stomach as worry bloomed in her thoughts. They were in a rock and a hard place. Which was worse? She had no idea.
“Ivan, probably,” Mikhail replied on a grumble.
“Told you to get out of her head!” Gunnar punched Mikhail’s shoulder in a vicious strike, knocking the male back several paces.
Mikhail punched the same spot on his shoulder and rolled it dramatically. “Are you flirting?”
Nadia couldn’t stop the surprised noise welling in her throat. Gunnar’s mouth curved into a lopsided grin. “Ignore him, he’s a pain whore.”
All sorts of curious images bubbled up unbidden in her mind before Mikhail slipped inside with a gentle brush inside her thoughts. “None of that now, little nurse. You don’t need to think about any of that crude stuff.”
She shivered, rubbing her arm as the gooseflesh cropped up along the skin there. Okay, there was way more to Mikhail than he let on, for sure!
His bark of laughter reverberated around the room. “Let’s get this infi
ltration started.”
“Okay then,” Nadia straightened her spine and glanced around the room at everyone. “Where do we start?”
Chapter Twenty-One
By the serious look on Mikhail’s face, Gunnar recognized that the carefree playboy had vanished. Now, the Komar DNA showed in his hostile stance and through the electrical static riding the currents of the air warning of power and dominance.
“Now that my brother’s gone, we’re going to talk about Kane.” Mikhail blinked slowly, narrowing altered, glowing eyes. “Is it too much to hope that you aren’t talking about that traitorous asshole who should be dead?”
“It’s him,” Gunnar conceded. He didn’t need to ask how Mikhail knew about Kane. The male’s propensity for reading minds uninvited was a well-known fact. “Calls himself tarikat şefi.”
A low whistle followed Gunnar’s declaration. Mikhail’s nostrils flared, his entire body stilled but an aura of heat surrounded them. Something was going to catch on fire if Mikhail gave in to his anger.
“He claims he’s not in charge, just handling things for someone else. Not that he divulged any specifics. Played coy.” Gunnar took another swig of his wine but he’d rather an ice-cold glass of water. With the way the temperature continued to climb from Mikhail’s híbe, the sprinkler system would probably be triggered soon. Being doused by something cool would be a welcomed relief from the hot yoga-like environs of his apartment. Gunnar watched as Nadia peeled off her sweater, tugged her thin tank top away from her body and pulled her hair into a bun at the top of her head. Okay, now this stupid power trip of Mikhail’s had to stop. Gunnar didn’t like his female being uncomfortable. Not one bit.
“Not in charge? Right, I believe that.” Mikhail rubbed his palms together and little sparks crackled against his skin.
“Tone down the furnace, Komar. I’m a Viking remember? We prefer the cold stuff, like snow and frost.”
Mikhail glared. “What else did Kane say?”
Gunnar blew out a tense breath. “Spewed classic treasonous bullshit. They hate the kraliyet. They hate the mating rites. They especially hate Aleksi for not standing up for the peons.” He scratched his chin, braced for Mikhail’s reaction to his next declaration. “They promised retribution. No one will be spared if they go against the faction’s demands.”
Rage wafted from Mikhail. The bitter gaseous tendrils burned Gunnar’s nostrils, all but choking the air from his lungs. He coughed. Wheezed and blinked the moisture running from the corner of his eyes. Nadia rushed from the room, the loud slam of his bedroom door locked her away from the close proximity to an enraged male of the kraliyet. Gunnar fought the urge to join her.
“So we kill him.” Mikhail barely spoke. His chest rumbled, wrath bled through his tone.
Gunnar nodded succinctly. “That’s my hope. Going to need help, though.”
Mikhail cracked his knuckles in a loud snap. He kept his fingers in a tight fist. His fangs punched into his lower lip. The menacing vibe had Gunnar stepping backward. He’d known Mikhail was capable of great violence but he’d never seen the other male take on a form of aggression before.
“Hell yeah, I’m capable of being a vicious asshole, just like the rest of those damned feral Komars. Just prefer fucking and feasting from a vein over tearing out throats.” He rolled his shoulders, exhaled slowly attempting to relax.
Maybe the heat in the room diminished. By a degree. Possibly two. Gunnar swiped off the sweat beading on his brow with the back of his hand and waited for Mikhail to continue.
“We aren’t going to let this information get out. I don’t need my brother chasing after the traitor who protected the motherfucking scientist who tortured him. He’d go off half-cocked, insane with fury, and end up dead leaving that pretty little psychologist behind. We all know what type of shit widowed mates go through when they lose a male. She’s too classy to go through the burial rites and endure a slow crawl to her own demise.”
And Gunnar would hate himself for not protecting his boss—a male he called kardes. “Tray’d kick your ass for thinking he’d lose a fight with Kane.”
“They scrambled his brain in that lab, torturing him and fucking up his psyche. I’d be more worried he’d lose his shit and Kane would take advantage of the lapse. Not that my brother isn’t brutal. Just don’t want to put him in that position. Don’t want to lose him, either.” Mikhail’s tone had softened and emotion bled through the anger. “Same with Aleksi. He’d be able to take the fucker down with ease. I’m more worried he’d act the diplomat and keep Kane alive for political purposes. That male doesn’t deserve to be given any leniency.”
While Mikhail continued, Gunnar became aware of the underlying reasons behind his need to keep Kane’s existence a secret. It might have something to do with protecting Tray and stopping Aleksi from staying his hand, but it had more to do with revenge. Mikhail wanted Kane’s blood on his hands for the same reason Gunnar did. They hadn’t been able to stop the torture Tray had endured and Kane would pay for that.”
“And it won’t be quick. Or easy. Like I said earlier, I’m all about indulgence. This time, I’m indulging my desire for vengeance. So we do this alone.”
Gunnar nodded. “Agreed.” He dragged a hand through his flat top and squeezed the back of his neck. “How, exactly?” Really, how did they find the faction, have them help determine compatibility, set up a mating, and point him to Kane’s whereabouts so they could eliminate him? Seemed like impossible odds to achieve all of that in one fell swoop.
“While Tray works on getting Aleksi on our side, we start with finding where they’re holed up. Nothing will be accomplished if they’re hiding out somewhere in Los Angeles. Talk about needle in a haystack.”
True. They were in a catch twenty-two. Since the last time he’d spoken with Kane it was a wait-until-we-call-you type of goodbye. Frustration welled in his gut twisting it in a merciless fist. Every minute that passed meant he was closer to losing his female to Ivan’s matchmaking. “Easier said than done. Not like Kane gave me his contact info.”
“Who are his entourage? Does he have a second in command?”
Gunnar shrugged. “Only one I know for sure is Andros. I’m sure there are others.”
“So we find that little fucktard and get him to squeal.” Mikhail’s lips curved into a menacing grin. “It’ll be fun.”
It would also be bloody and nasty. “Think you can beat it out of him?”
He shook his head and black hair feathered all around his shoulders. “I’d love to get my hands on that twerp.” With a scowl, he continued, “This time, we use Luke so we don’t leave any traces of our intentions. Don’t want him running back to Kane and giving him any idea what’s going on.”
Good plan. Gunnar wondered if Andros was still getting his kicks at the Viper Room.
“Leave that to me. Found the male before in less than an hour. Give me thirty minutes.”
Gunnar cocked an eyebrow. “Trying to make your personal best?”
He smacked his thigh. “Absolutely.”
Anxious and needing to do something to further their success, Gunnar took up pacing, again. “And what do I do while you play cat and mouse? I can’t just sit here and watch the clock tick. I have to assure my female that we are going to do something to make sure Ivan can’t take her away from me.”
Mikhail winked. His dark eyebrows slanted down and the beast within him faded back into the charming visage of an Abercrombie model. He bit his lower lip, that dimpled chin pushed forward, as a devilish glint shone in his eyes. “I’d say, distract her for a while, but you’d punch me and I’d have to kick your ass and that’s not going to be productive. So, you get your mating shit together, like the goblet and dagger, have your damned bags packed in case you need to get the hell out of Dodge, and wait for Kane to call. We also need to LoJack you. In case shit goes sideways and you need a quick assist.”
Gunnar rolled his eyes. “Only LoJack? I don’t get to upgrade to OnStar?”
Mikhail tapped his head, an impish smile on his face. “That’s what good ole telepathy is for.”
So, they’d GPS his ass in case he was unable to reach them. In case, he was unconscious, or worse, dead.
“Just don’t be a dumbass and short it out with your híbe. Have you even used that freaking talent before? Only time I’ve seen you employ it was when you made the lights dim. Supposed to be one powerful motherfucker but so far an electrician’s got you beat.”
Gunnar hardly thought about his reaction. He opened his hand and called the electricity to him. It grew heavy, static, and buzzed across his palm. As the helix strobed with power, he narrowed his eyes and pushed the electricity at Mikhail.
“Fucking hell, that shit hurts!” Mikhail cursed, stumbled backward and doubled over, tense breaths sawing from clenched teeth. After a minute, he straightened and rubbed his midsection. “All righty then, you’re a badass. Use it if you need to, Gunnar. These boys ain’t playing in the minor leagues. They will kill you or Nadia, or both of you, and I know Kane gets off on the screams. He’ll enjoy it. Don’t let him get to that point.”
Gunnar let out a tense breath. He’d sensed the depravity swirling within Kane. Protecting his female would be the number one item on the agenda. Mating her the second. None of it mattered if they didn’t get out of there alive.
∙•∙
The phone call came in just after sunset. Nadia watched in silence as Gunnar checked the caller ID, took in a deep breath and swiped the screen.
“Nakani.” His fingers clenched the device reflexively.
Her heart beat with a loud thud, clanging against her ribs in a rapid tattoo. Right now, enhanced senses would come in handy. That way, she’d be able to hear everything the caller said, but no, she didn’t have any extrasensory abilities, so she had to listen to Gunnar’s side of the conversation and let him fill her in afterward.
“No, I can’t wait,” he growled into the phone. A rumble in his chest followed as his eyebrows slashed down, lips pursed. “I’ll get it.”
Mated in Treason Page 24