“Bring Krystyna to me.”
Savas. Nicholaus swallowed hard. Two guards led Krystyna and Katarina out into the street, shoving them hard enough that they tripped and fell to the ground.
“We meet again, Krys.” Savas’ eyes met Krystyna’s. He took her chin in hand and lifted it, gripping her hard enough that she strained to keep up.
Nicholaus grit his teeth. Wait a moment. Just wait. Patience, he reminded himself.
Krystyna jerked her head away and wrapped her arms around her frame. “I have nothing to say to you.”
She knew this guy? What the hell was going on?
“You ran from me after promising you'd be our pack witch. Then you made your way back to your village in the Balatonföldár. Was he there?”
Nicholaus didn't miss the burning ire in her eyes. “That is no concern of yours.”
Savas covered the distance between him and Krystyna, fisted a handful of hair and yanked her toward him. He slapped her across the face hard enough she’d have bruised if she were human. As it was, she’d have a mark.
“Leave her alone.” Before he knew it, he’d strode into the street, eyes filled with hateful menace and a craving for blood. Lots and lots of blood and guts. And violence, the more he could inflict on this army, the happier he'd be.
Savas turned his head. Beady eyes focused on him, lips curled upward in a sneer. “You must be Nicholaus, the abandoner.”
Nicholaus crouched and readied himself to attack.
“I’d think twice about that if I were you. I fear you may not know the entire story.”
The overconfident asshole's words gave Nicholaus pause. “What are you talking about?"
“Savas, it is none of his business.” She turned a sad glare at Nicholaus. “Please, leave this to me, Nicholaus.”
The panic in her voice scared him. Something the fuck was definitely up. Nicholaus shook his head. “Katarina, what is she talking about?”
Katarina rose to her feet but hung her head.
"Katarina?" Nicholaus waited for the shoe to drop. In situations like this, shit usually fell hard and fast and without remorse. His experiences had been limited to humans of course. Wolves were more passionate, so the hurt came even bigger, but was no less of a surprise when it did.
Savas clicked his tongue. “You’ve been deceived, Magyar. What was once yours is now mine because you left. She ran to me one night in an act of rage. God,” Savas turned to Krystyna, “you felt so good.”
Nicholaus balled his fists. “She would never do such a thing.”
“Indeed? Would she?” A cruel hold on her shoulders forced her to face Nicholaus. “Tell him what we’d talked about, my pretty. Tell him the things you told me about how angry you were at his leaving. Tell him—”
“No!” Krystyna cut him off and struggled against his grip before being shook into compliance. “No more. I will not.”
“Krystyna, you…” Nicholaus’ jaw dropped. “You slept with this guy?”
A smug smile crossed Savas’ face. His eyes narrowed. “Quite a few times.”
Her eyes moved from right to left, her lips parted to reply, but nothing came out.
Katarina buried her head in her hands and began crying.
Krystyna’s eyes widened. “Nicholaus you don’t know the entire story and—”
Slowly, he closed his eyes. Let out a breath and dragged in another before forcing air out. “Katarina, you knew, didn't you?”
She lifted her head, shook in the affirmative. Her eyes held remorse and her shoulders slumped. She looked down at the ground and clasped her hands together.
“And the two of you...” He turned to Savas.
The general stroked his beard and eyed Nicholaus. “She promised me a child if you never returned. She promised to take over as healer for our pack.”
“You’re lacking healers is a sign of Prophecy, Savas.”
“You’re bluffing. You’ve been absent for what,” he checked the watch on his wrist, “twenty some odd years now? You know nothing of prophecy. Shit has changed, boy. It’s a new world out here and our pack will be the ones to open the gates to paradise. Her only fault was backing the wrong team until I came into town.”
Nicholaus wanted to wipe the sneer off the man’s cocky face, but forced himself to keep his cool. There had to be some other explanation. “We’ve performed the blood rite. You have no claim to her.”
“Do you,” Savas cocked a furry brow, “think that matters? Do you feel any enhancements? Did you notice what happened when I captured your former mates?”
Nicholaus shook his head.
“I didn’t think you'd understand. All that ritual is an old magic that’s been long dead. It hasn't been done in centuries by anyone and certainly not by wolves. We mate for life, right?”
“Krystyna, you…” He reached for her but her posture stiffened. “You’d betray the pack, you'd betray us?”
She remained silent.
Nicholaus' jaw ticked. “Answer me!”
Savas laughed, a deep, rich and annoying sound.
Nicholaus stepped closer, tried to touch her again but the contact of his hand on her shoulder only made her tense even more. “Why?
Krystyna buried her face in her hands. “I took what I needed because you weren’t here. He was convenient, Nicholaus. Just—”
Savas put a hand over her mouth. “A fling. I know. And a way to strike back at Hungary’s most precious wolf pack, one way to take vengeance for losing what was once Turkish land.”
Angry slits glared at Savas. Krystyna yanked his hand from her mouth. “Are we going to do this?”
Nodding, his smile widened. “My pack comes from a long line of warriors. I am the last of that breed of fine Turkish fighters and needed a child. When you were out that one day, it was obvious what I had to do.”
The world had finally taken everything from him. And now Krystyna was severing ties too.
She angled her body away from him, her expression solemn. She jerked her head away. “Go Nicholaus. This is my fight.”
He readied his fists, frowned hard and started mentally counting the number of troops he’d be able to take out before they killed him. Meanwhile, he needed to buy time. “I can help you if—”
“Go!” She pointed in the direction of their home.
Her home, not his. He didn’t belong here.
“I don’t want this, Nicholaus. You said it yourself. This isn’t your fight, and it never has been. So leave.”
Finally, his blood began boiling and roiling hatred seethed through his veins. He set his gaze on Savas, saw the men point rifles at him. His lip curled up. “None of this shit matters. You know what, I’m done. I’m out. You want this? Fucking have it. Prophecy be damned.”
“You’d be wise to leave now.” The general lifted his head, cleared his throat and appeared to be looking down his nose at Nicholaus.
The angry violence loving beast inside Nicholaus screamed at how wrong this was, but the human wasn't stupid. This wasn't a situation Nicholaus could win. He swore he’d never interfere with free will. Krystyna was a lost cause and so was Katarina. Savas had won, had stripped him of everything. The world had shit on him finally and broke him. Turning his back on her, Nicholaus began walking down the street.
“You would not be able to stop me anyway, Magyar.” Savas crossed his arms over his chest, lifted his chin up. His gaze wasn’t quite on Nicholaus, more upwards as though he were looking through the enemy, rather than at him.
Not a single soldier stopped him. In fact, they parted for him and only gave looks of pity for the defeated Hungarian wolf.
Savas's words could be heard over the pounding silence. “Let him go, Krystyna. He has abandoned you. Again.”
Nicholaus glared over his shoulder at them. “Húzz a picsába!” Fuck off!
“Nicholaus, no!” Katarina screamed but he kept walking down the street.
“I told you we'd always win. I told you, foreigner. Go home,” Savas shout
ed, his words erupting into a sinister laughter.
The truth was, Nicholaus was outnumbered, out gunned, and even with what Les had wrongly called his ‘gift’ he still would not come out of this alive, with both mates intact.
Katarina didn’t even try to stop him, other than to yell after him. He heard the soldiers grip her, putting their dirty hands on her to drag her back with Krystyna. The thought made him even angrier and he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. Blood pooled in his ears, the sound deafening.
Considering she’d probably be shot if she tried, he couldn’t blame her. Though he wasn’t going to give the Turkish general the response he wanted. Instead, he kept walking until he’d reached the end of the Szentendré and onto the main highway.
“You fucking lied to me, Krystyna! You and that damned Kiba with his bullshit about a bullshit prophecy! Fuck you both!” He slammed his fist against the wall of a building, turning his knuckles white.
Shedding the illusion of being a man, he dropped to all fours and took off running, letting anger and pain surge through him. How could she do this to us? To me?
Bile rose in his stomach. He’d been tossed aside like a common dog and for what? For a lie?
Nicholaus kept running down the highway toward Budapest. He’d end up on a plane and make his way back to Albuquerque by midnight tomorrow. “She’ll come find you and I won’t stop her this time.” Words echoed in his head that Krystyna had said to him only two days earlier.
But still, she’d had an affair with Savas. The past two days of lovemaking and conversation flashed in his head. The lies all became a blur when he stepped on the plane and knocked back his first drink.
His breathing finally slowed when he took a third shot of vodka and matched it with Hungarian Unicum.
Nicholaus couldn’t wait to come back to Albuquerque where he had several bottles to help him forget his lovers.
Except he’d just be coming to the place he lived in, not his home.
Swiping his keycard on the plate outside the Quickel Building, Nicholaus pulled the glass door open and walked to the elevator. He swiped his card against the elevator reader and headed up to the third floor where his loft was. The scent in the air changed. Something—no, someone—was in his loft waiting for him. Hints of vanilla and earth floated over his nose. There was a woman. And perhaps a man.
He opened the door and walked cautiously down the long makeshift hallway, stopping at the corner where the thermostat controls were mounted. Looking in the glass, he saw a short redhead sitting on his couch wearing a floor length skirt. Red hair cascaded over her shoulders and breasts, hiding her figure from view. It didn’t take him but a second to realize Selene had grown up and was now sitting on his couch.
She didn’t even look up to say, “Come in, Nicholaus.”
“What do you want, Selene?” He growled and slammed a hand into the drywall before making his way down the hallway.
“To know why you left your mate in the hands of a Turkish general,” a male voice drew his attention away from Selene.
Nicholaus turned to see a tall male with long dark hair hanging over broad shoulders. Dressed in black from head to toe, the aura emanating from him seemed menacing. Weathered features showed stress, not actual appearance, as though the wolf wasn't trying to hide his stress levels through magic. He met the intruder's eyes, spotted the iciness in those cold blue irises. “What the fuck are you talking about? And who are you?”
“Ahem.” Selene crossed her legs and swirled her glass of wine.
Nicholaus stomped into the kitchen. “And why does everyone think they can invade my liquor collection?”
The male lifted his head and blinked. “You have a nice liquor collection. That’s why. I’ve yet to find your cigars. You do fit in with our pack.”
“They’re over by the bed.” Nicholaus shook his head. “Again, who the fuck is this jackoff, Selene?”
“This jackoff as you so put it, is your new Alpha. Nicholaus, meet Józsi, Opeth Pack Alpha.”
Nicholaus didn’t know whether to be pissed, feel humble, or groan. “Fine. You’re the new Alpha of the Opeth Pack. I have no pack.”
“The Opeth Pack doesn’t turn away from those who belong to it. So no, you can’t pull that I have no pack bullshit. Been there, done that shit already. Feel me?” Józsi set the port glass down on the granite counter by the sink and crossed his arms over his rather impressive chest. He was very well defined, and if Nicholaus were anyone else, he’d probably tremble in fear.
Selene smirked, appeared bored by the obvious male posturing. “He already tried that.”
“Oh,” Nicholaus groaned. “Lukina and Ilona must have corrected him.”
Józsi retrieved his glass, took a sip of wine. “Indeed. I’m not fond of it. I fucking hate being put in this position when I know so little, Nicholaus. But our coming together must be done.”
“That’s your problem, not mine.”
“You are correct. Ass. But your problem is that you left your fucking mates with a god damn murderous bastard.”
Nicholaus’s eyes widened. He so did not want to have this discussion. His jaw ticked. “So? She threw me away. She abandoned me.”
“Because you abandoned her!” Selene stood and pushed away from the couch, shoving her way past the overbearing alpha of her pack and into the open space by the patio. She turned on one heel, her shoes clicking loud against the concrete floor, and growled back at Nicholas. Flames of ire filled her piercing green eyes. “You stupid fucking males of this pack irritate the hell out of me!” She threw her hands up and tossed her glass carelessly into the air.
It landed on the concrete and shattered, then reassembled itself as though it had never been tossed in the first place before it flew back into her hand. She stalked to the counter and all but slammed it down before Józsi.
“Fill this, Józsi.”
Józsi nodded and took the glass from her. He topped it off and set it down on the counter.
Selene strode across the room, nearly running into Nicholaus.
Putting his hands up for defense, he took a step back. “Wait a minute here. I’m—“
“Just another damn moronic Opeth Pack male. So quick to disappear when things get complicated. You infuriate the women of this pack!” She knocked back her wine, wiped her mouth and glared, her brows furrowing together tightly.
Her eyes glowed red and gold. Power washed off her in smoky hues that crawled up his skin. How Józsi wasn't affected remained a mystery but Nicholaus knew better than to fuck with the pack witch. In the hierarchy, she held things together, kept the pack aligned with their goals and guided them toward a natural path.
Even though she only came up to his chest, Nicholaus still felt a large power brewing beneath the surface of her emotion. Hell, for all he knew, it was backed by her emotion.
“I did what I had to.” He closed his eyes and looked away.
Józsi narrowed his dark blue eyes. “So did I. And I was wrong, Nicholaus. I can’t expect you to understand any of this god damn prophecy shit. Really, I can’t. I think it’s bullshit.”
“You’re god damn right it is.”
Selene glared at both of them. “You left her to die, Nicholaus.”
“I did no such thing. If she wanted to be with that fucker then she should be.” Nicholaus’s shoulders tensed. He sensed a charge in power across the air, something skittering his way.
Selene took the glass from Józsi. “And what of Katarina?”
Nicholaus scoffed. “I’m sure Savas will be persuaded to spare her life.”
Józsi crossed the distance between them and before he knew it, Nicholaus ended up on his back on the hard concrete floor with the air knocked out of his lungs and a pair of hands holding him around his biceps. The icy stare he received only added to the chill currently doing the mambo over his nerves.
“Wrong answer,” Józsi snarled.
Nicholaus couldn't move. The other male didn't outweigh him p
er se, but he'd been forced into a defensive position he couldn't do much from. “God damn it!” Glancing at Selene, he saw tears falling from her eyes. “She’s no longer my responsibility. She apparently promised Savas she'd take over as their pack healer! And she told me to fuck off and leave!” He spat blood on the floor, then cursed himself for forgetting he was in his own loft.
“She’s your responsibility, Nicholaus. I smell the mark on you. They drank from you. Did you drink from them?”
“No.” He shook his head. Standing, he braced himself against the wall.
“You let them only do half the bond?” The furiousness of Selene's voice raising startled even the male pinning him against the ground.
What was he supposed to say? Oh hey, the truth was awfully convenient here. “I was forced into the bond. Of course I drank from them both. I keep telling you, I want nothing to do with this. I don’t want them, you or anyone. Just leave me alone.”
Józsi dropped his magic and appeared as a very large wolf standing before Nicholaus. Those icy eyes glowed with rage. Saliva dripped from teeth and the scent in the room quickly smelled of death and blood. Bright silver fur ruffled around the wolf's neck.
“Józsi, you don’t want to do this.”
I do. You need to respect pack law. The words spoke were steady in Nicholaus’s head.
Who the hell was this wolf to think he could boss him around? He'd left the pack, left his mates and all that shit behind for someone else to clean up. If Krys wanted to be a healer for another pack, she should have that choice and she certainly showed it when she sent him away. “Fuck pack law! I don’t give a good god damn about pack law. I am not like the rest of you!” Nicholaus ran around the wall and reached for the knife he kept on the nightstand. Raising it above his head, he stared straight at Józsi and realized he had just enough time to drop the knife.
Józsi had cleared the distance and pinned Nicholaus against the wall.
Raining Kisses (The Opeth Pack Saga Book 2) Page 14