Józsi nodded. “I said I would.”
She smiled weakly. “Thank you.”
Józsi didn't reply. He couldn't keep them safe unless he brought them back to America and left this godforsaken pack to its own misery. But neither of them would go back, would they?
It wasn't his concern. His only goal now was to find Lukina before he boarded that flight back to the States.
“You plan to leave us again, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Why?”
He didn't miss the longing in her voice though it made his heart ache. “Because I don’t belong here.”
She stiffened. “You belong with us, Józsi.”
“Do I?” He stared intently at her, his eyes narrowed. He saw his reflection in her eyes and would have cried if he could have. The angry scowl he wore matched the intense coldness in his eyes. Did he look like this all the time?
“If you would embrace your wolf like the rest of us—“
“I’d get killed. Just like the villagers who were slaughtered last night, wouldn’t I?” He tried to stop the rising of his voice but he had grown tired of fighting with himself over being calm with his former lovers. He'd almost lost his control earlier but wouldn't make that same mistake again. If he showed her unkindness, she'd eventually get it.
She sniffled, wiped her nose on the back of her hand. “How do you survive in the big city, away from our home, nature?”
“I’m too busy working. People in the cities are too busy doing nothing and feeling productive to notice what’s right in front of them. I get by the way I have to. I couldn’t do that here. Someone would always want something from me.”
She winced.
“Ilona, I’m sorry. I—”
“Skip it. And my name is Meredith now. I mentioned that and you refused to honor it, you ass.”
He snorted. "It's not that. It's just that I'm not the man you think I am."
"You've never let yourself see who you truly are, have you?"
"I see myself just fine, thank you. I'm not cut out for responsibility."
"You came back for me. You are going out for Lukina. Love us or not, you've still chosen to take the responsibility as a gift."
She had him there. "Yes I did come back but only because you two aren't capable of dealing with stressful situations."
"If that were truly how you felt, why the hell did you come back?" She'd moved but refused to cover herself.
"Because…fuck I don't know, Ilona. I have no idea what I'm doing here or why I bothered to come back other than…"
"Say it, drága. Please?"
Only her begging would bring the hardest of men to his knees.
Thankfully Józsi was harder than that. Or more stubborn. He no longer knew which by now. The truth of him returning was because some part of him loved his triad, desperately wanted to reconnect with them but on his terms. He didn't want the prophecy, had no interest in ruling an ailing pack.
Of course destiny seemed to have other plans.
Instead of responding, he let silence be his answer.
She snorted, sniffled, and wiped her nose again.
He caught sight of more tears falling down her face and wanted to wipe them away. Instead, he decided to stir the conversation in a different, somewhat safer direction. "Why Meredith? And aren't you doing the same thing you accused me of?"
“I like the name.” She turned her nose up and looked away from him.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Your name is beautiful.”
“I’m not. I’m acting just like you. A being with no regard for what was given to them and no honor toward their heritage.”
She had him there. He wasn’t going to push things any further with her by asking why. The less he understood about her, the easier it would be to focus on leaving again.
Józsi started walking toward the forest. At least the rain had let up.
“Wait,” Ilona called after him. “I’ll come with you.”
“Don’t bother. How is your foot? Can you make it to Tihany?”
She looked at her foot. An angry slash showed where the cut was but in a few hours more, the skin would heal. She'd probably have to be careful walking on it though. “It feels better.”
“Good. Then stay here until I return.”
“But—”
He jerked around to face her. “Stay here. God damn it, I can’t protect you if you’re in the way.”
She gasped. “All right.”
Damn it all!
Turning into his wolf form, Józsi took off toward the villa. Running as fast as he could toward the smell of smoke and blood cleared his head. He hadn’t really done much running around in Texas. There was plenty of land, but he never found the time to be out in the open like this. He wasn’t the only wolf in Houston, but he didn’t bother looking for others, either.
Józsi came upon the villa and stopped. Some of the houses were smoldering, others had been burned completely to the ground. There were bodies scattered loosely about the street, some human, others lupine. The area smelled of smoke and ash. The putrid scent of death hung heavily in the air, making Józsi cough.
The stench made his stomach turn. He padded up the street toward Ilona’s home and found a few windows had been broken and the door was shattered. Stepping inside the house, he looked around. Everything was still as it was last night. A fire burned in the fireplace as though someone was home.
Something crashed behind him. His ears perked up and he moved to one side of the doorframe and waited patiently. Nothing happened. No other sounds followed.
Józsi continued searching the house, looking for signs of Lukina or anything he could find to help him figure out what the hell was going on.
Standing on human legs, he rummaged through the kitchen and the living area and eventually picked up the paper he’d spotted last night. It looked as though Ilona had started a letter to him.
Scanning the page, he read in detail about Kiba’s madness, her missing him and even her suggestion that he lead the pack after Kiba had been dealt with.
That was a funny thought. He didn’t want to ever be a leader. It was too much responsibility to care for more than just himself. He wasn’t good in dealing with others. Hell, he’d run out on the two women who loved him more than life itself! He couldn’t lead a pack. Still, he took the paper and slipped it into his pocket.
Making his way back to the bedroom where they slipped out the window last night, he looked around for any sign of Lukina. He sniffed the air for her scent, found it, and followed it to just outside the house.
Her scent led him down a path toward the forest again, but not in the direction they’d gone last night.
Stepping carefully through the leaves, he continued to follow the scent. Bullet holes in a nearby tree caught his attention. He looked down at the ground and found a garment of clothing that looked like the top Lukina had worn last night.
Something in a nearby bush moved and leaves rustled, catching Józsi’s attention. He turned his head to see a tail wagging slowly.
“Lukina?”
The tail began waving faster, beating the ground rhythmically.
Cautiously, Józsi took a step closer toward the bush.
A gray coated hind leg appeared, covered in blood and dirt. She whimpered.
Józsi didn’t reply. Moving the foliage aside, he saw Lukina lying on the ground, her fur a rumpled mess. “What happened?”
I passed out. The last gunshot above the tree over there is all I remember. I must have slammed into something and tripped.
He set his hands on his hips. “You’re lucky not to have been discovered.”
She whimpered again.
“Jesus Christ, you two are a pain in the ass.” His lip curled up in mock disgust.
Lukina looked up at him and barked.
“Ilona’s back at the church with a hurt foot. Can you move?”
Lukina struggled to stand but managed to get up on all four legs. The next t
hing Józsi knew, she stood naked as a human before him.
"You didn't make it out with clothes, did you?
She shook her head. "I wanted to make sure Ilona was safe so I shoved her out with you. Gunshots broke the glass in our room so I took cover, waited and jumped out the other window wearing only my negligee. It ripped so I tossed it.
Her lush body was still covered in dirt, but she looked as gorgeous as Ilona did, with a fairer complexion. Her breasts were also a tad bit smaller, but ever so round. He traced a line down from her curvaceous ass and hips to long, slender legs with his eyes. She wasn’t as rubenesque as Ilona, but she was still a beauty by any standard.
“Get dressed.”
She pouted. “I don’t have any clothes.”
“Your house was untouched. Who lit the fire?”
“I don’t know. But I'll grab clothes.” She sighed heavily.
He nodded. “Let’s go, then.”
After getting dressed and returning with clothes for Ilona, the two made their way toward the church. The gray sky gave way to some sunlight but large storm clouds threatened the light.
Józsi turned to Lukina, set a hand on her shoulder. "How do you feel about coming back with me to America?”
Lukina glanced at him, moving tendrils of hair back from her face. “I would go wherever you and Ilona wanted me to.”
“You are not bound to me.”
“No, but I would love that very much. She and I already are bound through blood ritual. Why do you ask?”
Great. The blood bond ensured they would always know where each wolf was. Sharing of blood was an old ritual in many cultures for a reason but for wolves it was particularly powerful because it linked the parties so deep that the death of one caused all else who partook to become almost fatally ill. “Because I think the smartest thing to do is for us to get the hell out of Hungary before things go from bad to worse.”
“We can’t leave Hungary. Ilona is the pack healer, responsible for dealing with our ailing while training our youth. You know that. I am…”
Prophecy had a way of making things work that didn't always appeal to Józsi but clues started to sink in. It was too easy to rescue Ilona earlier. That part fit with where his mind went but the hunters coming? No. That didn't make sense. Not unless you put in how many of them spoke almost perfect English. Józsi stopped, turned to face her. He cut his hand across his body, leaned into Lukina. “What is it with you two? You first told me you wanted me to bring you back to America and now you can't go because you're the pack healers? What game are you playing at?”
Ilona set a hand on Lukina's shoulder. “What do you mean?”
Oh, no. This was so not happening. His upper lip curled in a snarl. “Are you two the only healers the pack has? And was this your idea of getting me back here? Lie to me?"
Lukina strolled up, swung her fist at his jaw.
He caught it just millimeters from his skin, inhaled the scent of her raw anger.
"How dare you accuse me of such trickery! You know better! Damn it, Józsi." Her blue eyes burned bright with rage.
"Do I? Seriously Lukina? Because it seems awfully convenient that I'm here and there is no leader other than Les. And it seems rather odd that—” He lost his train of thought by staring at Lukina.
"Incredulous, you'd even think that of us, Józsi. None of us have a hand in our fate, not if it's left up to prophecy. Even as we guide ourselves into what we think is our path, it's not always clear the outcome. The only thing you can be certain of is what you do know and that's," she poked him in the chest, "how we'd never betray you."
Truly, he had no idea anymore. He'd been with them this long and already started finding how much he had missed the lush vegetation and scents in the air around him. It wouldn't be long before extricating himself became too difficult, because his heart had forever belonged to Lukina and Ilona. And this place. He clenched his teeth. "Fine. Can the pack not survive without you?”
She shrugged. “It could, but why mess with history?”
Józsi looked straight ahead, tossed her hand aside. “Because history will get you killed.” He'd kept up with the papers, watched the wars in various parts of the world and saw the repeated mistakes made by leadership all in the name of trying to keep peace. Józsi wanted no part in that decision making process. He started walking again.
Lukina caught up and kept pace with him.
They came to the back of the field by the church and stopped.
Drawing in a deep breath, he pointed to where Ilona had been when he left her. “She’s over there.”
Lukina put her hands on her oh so sensual hips. “You know, it’s not so healthy to feel alone amongst your own kind.”
Józsi waved a hand absentmindedly. “What would you know about loneliness?”
Chapter 4
“I know enough about loneliness from watching Ilona. She’s missed you more than I could imagine. Have you even seen her smile recently?”
There was nothing he could say to that, so he kept quiet. But Lukina wasn’t done.
“Next time, just look at her. Just look at how empty her smile is, Józsi. And think about what you could do to fill that emptiness.”
Her words punched him in the gut. “Nothing I can do will fill that space. I am only responsible for myself.”
“Be that way.” Abruptly, Lukina turned and strolled off through the field, her ponytail swinging just below her shoulders.
He'd have to leave this all behind shortly. Of course he could stick around just to make sure the two of them were safe enough for the time being. That wasn't something he wanted to sign on for. Maybe...he shook his head at the thought of dragging them back to America. Instead, Józsi followed her until he came upon her and Ilona. Embracing, Ilona held Lukina tightly. The sight of them together, pack sisters and lovers for eternity, so openly tugged mercilessly at his heart.
“Well, what are we doing next?” Ilona looked at Józsi.
“We are doing nothing. I am going back home tonight.” He pursed his lips.
“But you promised me you would help us. You promised us both that you’d never throw us out to the sharks.”
“That’s right.” Ilona stepped closer to Józsi, torment in her eyes. Putting her hands on her hips, she looked angrily at him. “You promised us you’d never leave. And now you’re going to leave us. Again. Why are you such a damn liar, Józsi?”
“Hey.” He put his hands up. “I’m not a liar.” I would rather you both come with me. “You can both either come with or remain here. But this is not my battle.”
“Yes, it is.” Lukina strode forward, pointing her finger into his chest. “This is your battle the same as it is ours. Kiba was your Alpha and the Opeth pack is your pack, whether you like it or not. Accept it, Józsi, and be a fucking man.”
His eyes widened. Nobody challenged him the way Lukina always did. He took a step back and kept his hands up.
Ilona followed him. “You’re here. You might as well help us.”
“I don’t have to do anything.” He turned and began walking away. The truck they used to drive into Budapest was only a few miles away, and Budapest could be reached on foot in a day.
“That’s right.” Ilona turned her back on him. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Run away again, you fucking asshole.”
“She’s right. You’re a coward.” Lukina spat out.
Seething, Józsi spun around and stared at them, his pulse racing. Fists clenched, eyes burning with rage while his nostrils flared He was tired of being accused of leaving everyone behind. Didn't they realize this was for the best? "I'm not a God damn leader!"
His gaze settled on Ilona's heaving chest, hardened nipples poking against the fabric of her top. She still hadn't changed from earlier and the sight of bared skin ramped up his already charged emotions, but it redirected it toward his now throbbing cock, rather than anger.
Without thought, he crossed the distance between Ilona and hims
elf. Capturing her by the shoulder, he yanked her mouth to his, plundering her with his tongue. Her sweet scent assaulted his senses, setting his nerves on fire.
She sucked in a breath, eyes open wide. Her shoulders tensed beneath his fingers and then relaxed as her body went limp in his arms.
He pulled back from the kiss, his body hard as a rock, and bit at her lower lip, nipping her until he drew blood.
Ilona whimpered beneath him. His tongue slid past her lips and she captured it, nibbling on it.
Loving the sound of her whimpers, Józsi thrust his tongue deeper, caressing her velvety mouth organ. His fingers tangled in her brown curls, tugging her head back to expose her neck. He broke form the kiss and flicked his tongue over a plump lower lip. Licking a trail down her jaw and neck, his tongue circled her collarbone.
He felt her skin burn. Her breasts pressed against his chest and she molded her body to his. Moaning beneath his mouth, she stepped closer.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers coiling around strands of his long hair. His cock ached painfully.
He brought a hand went to her breast, kneading her soft flesh into a hardened peak beneath her top.
She arched her body into his, sighing pleasurably.
Lukina coughed, distracting them both.
Józsi tore his mouth from the feverish kiss and looked at Ilona. Strands of hair stuck to her damp forehead; the rest of her was disheveled.
She looked delicious.
“Finally.” Lukina took a deep breath. She placed a hand on Ilona’s cheek and brought her mouth to hers, opening for a kiss.
Ilona took control of the kiss and seized Lukina’s tongue.
A hand snaked around Ilona’s waist and Lukina pulled their bodies together.
Józsi couldn’t believe what he was about to do.
Lukina and Ilona broke from the kiss and stared at him, two pairs of eyes with flames of lust dancing in them. “Strip,” Ilona commanded.
“Whoa.” He put his hands up and took a step backward. “Nobody—” he stopped short.
Both women took another step toward him, wicked mischief dancing in their eyes.
His eyebrow shot up. “Out here in the open?”
His Reign (The Opeth Pack Saga Book 1) Page 6