"It's okay, Kissa. This will be over soon. I'm going to send a small team out this way tonight, to see what they can discover, before we proceed tomorrow.”
But Kissa turned her head away.
Catching her face in both of his hands, he turned her to him. He saw the pain in her bright blue eyes. "What else is going through your mind?"
Sniffling louder, she held onto him, her grip tightening. "I want to go back to America with you when you leave."
Looking across the shore, Joséf remained quiet while they floated, Kissa's legs wrapped around his waist. Instinctively, he cuddled her, not sure how to answer her, or what to do next.
Yeah, the sex had been great. He'd healed his lover…well, of course. That's what she was, his lover.
He released a breath he hadn't realized he'd held in, looked at Kissa and frowned.
Her big eyes pleaded with him. "You're not leaving without me?” He heard the tremble in her voice that she tried to hide.
He wanted to take her with him, damnit. He wanted nothing more than to hide her away in the safety of Livía’s mansion. But The Syndicate would find him, and make him their target once he returned to the States, which meant she would be in the line of fire. He refused to put that added weight on a little girl.
She's not a little girl, wolf.
Isabella's earlier words rang true, especially after what he'd seen her go through. How he'd helped her grow was beyond him.
Even Livía had made Kissa a welcomed addition to their home.
Joséf snorted.
Kissa held his face in her hands. “You can’t leave me here. You can’t.”
Straightening as best he could, he positioned her so her legs remained wrapped tightly around his hips and gave them some semblance of equilibrium while they floated. She clung to him, her gaze steady.
How Isabella could know any of this remained a mystery to him, but he saw her discontented scowl in his mind. He blinked, but it still remained. Only when he sighed his reluctant acceptance, and they moved with the water, did her frown disappear.
"It'll be fine, little princess, one way or another. Despite the fact that things have changed, I promise."
6
The next morning, Joséf stood before the pack. He scanned the fifteen mostly uninjured men for signs of fear, and smelled it in full force.
Kissa stuck close to his side but every time he glanced at her, he saw sadness buried in the hopeful glint of her eyes. He knew what that sadness meant.
He’d killed her brother.
He had no choice. She understood that. She told him so, forgave him.
But that didn’t mean either of them had to like it. Kissa, standing by his side despite everything, only strengthened his resolve to make things right.
“Here’s what I know. We don’t know what, exactly, is headed our way. The Syndicate is ruthless, and they don’t play nice. Especially with wolves.” He took in their startled glances.
“I can tell you that they dealt an economic blow in America. It took time, and it didn’t jolt the stock market for more than a few days, but it happened. And when they do it here, the blow will fall harder, crushing the Hungarian economy and culture. The wolves will suffer just as much, if not more, than the humans.”
“What can we do?” Mikhail stirred restlessly. “There must be something we can do.”
Joséf spread his hands. “My concern at the moment rests in protecting this pathetic excuse for a pack. We need to get organized, which means we need a hierarchy. Istvan, Dave. Come here.” The two stepped forward and stood beside Joséf.
"Kissa," he extended his hand to her. She took it, smiled and sidled up beside him. He hesitated, then nodded. “Mikhail, you too.” He eyed the others as, surprised, Mikhail joined them. "This is my ruling council. If I'm to be Alpha of this pack, you shall respect the authority of a ruling council."
"What if we don't?” Someone in the back had to be a smartass.
Joséf narrowed his eyes. "Then you can leave."
Shock rippled through the crowd. "What about my mate?” The smartass stepped forward.
"If you don't care enough to listen to someone who has experience dealing with this criminal organization, then you don't deserve to be mated.” Hard truth.
The man stepped back in line with the others.
“Look. It’s true, I don’t care too much if you live or die. But neither do you all deserve to have the Syndicate ruin your lives any more than they already are. You’ve needed an Alpha, not a goddamned Ancient vampire running things here.”
They shifted. Murmured to themselves.
Joséf stood tall and called up the power that ran through him. Time to test what he’d learned the night before. He searched for the broadband of the pack, and found it.
I’m not letting the fucking Syndicate get more of a foothold than they already have.
He circled the clearing with his power, felt Kissa’s approval, caught Istvan and Dave’s looks of surprise before calling the power back. “So you all are going to have to step up. I’m not going to lie to you and say this will be easy, because it won’t. They don’t know who you are, nor do they care. They just want to hook you on their drugs, and own you, and have you help them rule the world. Got that?”
He looked out into their faces, saw their uncertainty, their fear, and knew this would be like sending Boy Scouts to take on the U.S. Military. He suppressed a sigh. "We need a recon mission. But first, how many of you know where your mates are?"
Eight out of the fifteen shot their hands up.
"Right. You, you, and you, are seconds under Dave, Istvan, and Mikhail. Those who will be taking the second wave to check on your mates are excused from this sortie. Mikhail, unless things change, your job will be to pick two men, then hang back here and help the wounded. Dave and Istvan, you’ll pick your teams.” The men nodded, a look of grim determination on their faces.
“Kissa,” he turned to her. “Can you show us where they took you before we found you? I still don't know the land as well as you do.”
Kissa's arm snaked around his waist. "Yeah, I can show you."
Finally, a sense of comfort settled his nerves about this whole ordeal. Except the arousal she inspired was so not needed right now. With her standing so close, it was impossible to deny the desire he possessed for her.
"Kissa," he murmured against her ear.
Kissa looked at him longingly, batting the lashes of her beautifully round eyes at him. "What?"
Stop flirting with me and concentrate. Joséf cleared his throat. "Can you remember anything?"
She smirked, but shook her head. "No. They surrounded me while you were fighting Fang.” Kissa paled but continued. “I fought like crazy. I got cut and scraped while they were trying to subdue me. One of them hit me in the head and they blindfolded me then. When I awoke, I was blindfolded. When I awoke, that rag was stuffed in my mouth and I felt dizzy. The cuts and scrapes I'd earned in trying to defend myself, because they surrounded me."
"Fuck."
She went on. "It's not really a heavily-forested area. We're near the M7 and that road leads straight to Budapest. There are a few smaller towns and any one of them could be a place these thugs could hide. The outlying towns have a healthy tourist reach, so they would make perfect places for strangers to hide."
Joséf thought back to the cab ride here, and remembered the small towns they’d passed.
"Yeah, that makes sense.” Dave snapped his fingers. "I'd bet anything if they ambushed Kissa, then they're probably nearby, keeping an eye on things."
“Which means, they infiltrate enough that we don’t notice when they do?” Joséf put a hand to his throbbing temple, then felt warmth flowing through him. He looked at Kissa. Thank you. The pain eased. Looking back at the pack, he realized the next best plan would be to send a few men out and scout the area. "With John having been an integral part of the pack like he was, it would make sense to keep tabs on us."
"So, what now?” André, sitting by th
e group, kicked at the ground. Dressed like the others in ragged clothes, he shoved his hands in his pockets.
"We wait. How many of you are fully healed?” Joséf eyed André first, since he asked the question.
Almost all the hands went up.
"Good. Istvan, take three of them. What's the closest town to us?"
"Either Kéthely or Balatonkeresztúr. The latter is closer to the lake's south side, and Kéthely a little further out. Though they're really villages, perfect hiding places for vampires, no?"
"Yeah. Dave, take a team and head up to Kéthely. Istvan, take your team and go to Balatonkeresztúr. Mikhail, you’re in charge while we’re gone. Teach your team basic triage. The rest of you, go now while we still have light, and the vampires are asleep. You'll know what to look for, knowing the land, not the creatures. Those of you who need to finish healing, do so. "
Both men nodded and broke off from him. Each man picked out three able bodies and took them back into the woods. Mikhail picked two men and they gathered around him.
"The smart play," Joséf rubbed his chin and closed his eyes, "would be to wait and see what they find. If we do this right, we can minimize risk and danger to ourselves."
"Can we do this?” Mikhail interrupted his thoughts.
Joséf eyed the doctor. "Yeah, we can. Covertly."
"Why covertly?"
"If you're going to force me to lead, then I'm going to force you to think things through, rather than act on pure animalistic instinct."
Mikhail bristled. "Are you denying your heritage?"
"Fuck off. I just discovered my goddamn heritage—" Kissa tugged his hand. He turned to her. "What?"
She led him away from the group a couple of steps. "You'll win them over with a softer tone, drágám."
Her fingers stroking the small of his back helped steady him. All the interruptions, all the doubt, all the fear, he could deal with, but now was not the time. He shook out his hands, inhaled, and exhaled slowly.
She touched his chest. "Listen to the beat of my heart, drágám. Concentrate on it. Feel it slow, and steady, and strong."
He exhaled again, and found focus through her touch. "Thank you.” He squeezed her hand before turning back to the men still remaining.
Joséf focused on Mikhail, knowing the others would tend to follow whichever way the doctor was going. "Covert action means we come back without forcing you, Mikhail, to work past the point of exhaustion in healing our sorry asses. I'm not denying my heritage; I have just discovered it.” His tone remained cool and even. "But heritage only matters if you're alive and breathing. I want what's best for you all, okay?”
That elicited a better response than he'd expected.
"We'll communicate on the pack's mental pathway when we’re in the field. I wish we had guns, but we'll make do with teeth and claws if things get that bad. Otherwise, we get in, rescue, and get out.
Mikhail nodded. "What do you know about this criminal organization?"
"That they're very brutal. In America, they are worse than any mafia or gang. They've pretty much overrun San Francisco, chasing out anyone who didn't care to follow their rules."
Ha. I'm still here.
Joséf called the power inside, felt it spread throughout his body, and reached for Isabella. You have to watch my every move?
I do indeed. Remember, your Livía is weak and cannot move about as she once could. And I am your link to the old and new, wolf. Despite Livía's illness—
He swallowed. No one in the pack seemed to notice his agitation.
Do not worry. She is not leaving this world. We are not afraid of this organization. They cannot take us down so easily. We have survived famine, wars, our home country being overtaken by numerous other peoples and tribes. In the long run, they are just a minor annoyance.
He wished he could say that was true. He'd seen too many bad things from the victims the Syndicate captured. Many had gone off the rails, robbing and killing people just for drug money. Worse things had happened because the victims who became junkie vampires needed their fix. All the bloodshed he'd witnessed, just because he'd tried to do right and save innocent people, served no purpose.
Wrong. It prepared you for this fight. Before he could respond, the link disappeared.
Mikhail paced by the fire pit. “How bad is bad? Are we talking the Russians, or the Mongol Horde?”
Joséf shrugged. "My take? More on the Mongol side. But currently, they don't seem to have anything more than the barest foothold in this country. I didn't see anything indicating they were entrenched, either at the airport or in the taxi on the way here. I doubt they have done much in the few weeks I’ve been out here, but without a trip back to Budapest, I cannot tell how deep they are in this country."
"It could be chaotic hell," a voice called out.
"Yeah. So expect it,” he shot back. “Now, those of you who need to see the good doctor, go see him. Otherwise, get out of here and get some rest.”
Joséf watched the rest of the men leave, more subdued than when they had first shown up. He rubbed the back of his neck. He hoped like hell Sapporo's faith in him wasn't misplaced. It was his doing that brought him here.
Sapporo is not wrong. You're a good man, my prince.
"Kissa…"
She smiled at him as though he were the only one standing before the fire pit.
The vote of confidence can never hurt.
He nodded. He took the actions needed, but were they the right ones? He wasn’t sure. Until they received word where the Syndicate was, and if and where they held the missing mates, they could do nothing.
“Kissa.” She took a step into him and slid her arms around his waist, locking them around him.
He narrowed his eyes. "You're holding back information."
She nodded. "Let's go for a walk, drágám. I do have other things to tell you. Plus, you did promise…"
The words trailed off, hardening his body again. She pulled back, keeping one hand in his while tugging him to the path that led toward the lake. He'd never get enough of the lake. It held tranquility, unlike the current body of water he called home. The Bay Area had fallen to crime and chaos, while Lake Balaton remained a symbol of beauty and peace. It seemed a pity to not have the woman he loved here, who was actually born here, and her mate with him also.
He let out another sigh but followed Kissa into the woods. Once they crossed a bigger path and got closer to the lake, Kissa looked around then faced Joséf, fluttering her eyelids. "Beg me, prince."
"Kissa," Joséf ground his teeth together, "we don't have time."
You said we did last night.
"I lied. What do you remember?"
Kissa frowned. "They didn't sound like Hungarians, didn't even sound European. The accents were more…the draw seemed to come from the back of the mouth."
“Probably American. The Syndicate is based out of San Francisco."
She nodded. "They talked about getting rid of the wolves, and ruling the world with the vampires’ help. They admitted they were just pawns in the grand scheme, but they never clarified who was in power. They also talked about drug shipments, and how wolves couldn't handle the drugs in their system."
"The drugs are fueled by man's natural addictive behavior."
"Making it dangerous for you to ever get injected.” Her concern radiated from her.
She couldn't know about his issues with addiction, they weren't her business. His reasons, while no longer as personal, still served to remind him of who he'd always be. It wasn’t on purpose, but it would definitely affect his relationship with Kissa because of an inability to kick the addiction.
Joséf stayed away from the personal. "The heroin-based drug takes one, maybe two uses at most before it hooks users. They become lifelong customers, and to get a fix, they'll do anything.” He swallowed hard. “Absolutely anything.”
He'd rather have forgotten about his earlier experience with drugs, even though he’d worked as an undercover cop to ge
t the information his department had needed. The drugs had cost him part of his humanity.
Of course, his violent streak took the rest of his humanity with it.
Still your mind, Farkas. It's okay, as long as you keep focus.
Livía's voice rang in his head, speeding his pulse. But I don't know how, Livía. I never have.
I know different. You just refuse to listen, Wolf.
Go away, Isabella.
I’m taking care of our Livía.
Despite the harshness with which Izzy’s words grated over his mind, Joséf smiled. Isabella wasn't his beloved, but she loved Livía as much as he did. More, probably, because they’d spent centuries together. He cared deeply for Isabella, like he did Kissa.
Don't write off those who surround you so easily, my pet wolf. They will all come in handy someday.
Livía. Joséf swallowed hard. But what if that day never comes?
Kissa pulled him tighter, her curls brushing against his lower back. Her warmth reminded him he had not one, but apparently two women to worry about him.
I don't like this.
Don't fight it, Farkas. It is a beautiful thing, even if it isn't normal for you.
Damnit Livía…
Good luck, Farkas. Isabella and I will be waiting for you when you return. Please come back to us.
The connection was gone immediately. Joséf felt the loss, but Kissa's hold on him lessened the pain.
Looking into her eyes gave him hope. He didn't possess the strength he needed, but he did have people who placed faith in him. For some reason, that gave him more faith in himself.
"I'll be right at your side when we face them.” Kissa's breath over his skin made his body tighten.
"No. You'll be back here with the others, protected and safe."
She glowered. "Bullshit, Joséf.”
She rarely used his name. Surely she had doubt in his abilities. He wouldn't bother fighting her; it'd be a pointless battle anyway. "You won't let me protect you?"
"I will. You already have. But I'm an adult. And as you already stated, your queen—"
"I never said—"
"You didn't have to. Unless you're gay," and she palmed his erection, "the pack recognizes you and me as mates. I'm queen to your alpha."
An Alpha Torn (Nights Of Lust Book 1) Page 11