Chapter Twenty
Ivan
Her taste was the drug I craved, and my wolf howled from deep within. Her hand found my hair giving a hard tug as our mouths remained locked—sipping, learning, connecting. There was nothing kind about the kiss. I wasn’t feeling at all kind at the moment. I wanted her in a way I hadn’t felt since Alba.
Fuck.
Alba.
My mate.
I jerked back and released her. Horror filled me again. I’d known within seconds of touching her, as the electrical spark ignited within my body. This cat. My enemy. Was my mate. I would have killed her at that instant if I were capable.
Sirens sounded in the distance. I was betting a clerk called the cops. We’d been here for at least ten minutes. So many things were going through my mind, but we needed to get away before I sorted them out.
“Can you drive that thing?” I nodded to the red car.
The stunned look she had from the kiss faded as she glanced at the car and back at me.
“Can. You. Drive?” I ground out.
“Yes.” She breathed with a quick puff of air as she said it.
“Follow the van.” I turned and stalked away. My wolf whined in my head. He didn’t want distance between us, he wanted to claim her. No fucking chance.
“I don’t have the keys.”
Fuck, could this get any worse? “Mase, get the keys from the old woman.”
The crazy old bat started yelling immediately. “Who you calling old, you no-good-for-nothing toad.”
“Ma’am, stop please,” said the kid, and then the baby started crying again.
Mase tossed me the keys and I tossed them to Talya. “I don’t think you want the cops involved and I’ve got your friends. Get your ass in gear and follow us.”
I jumped into the driver’s seat and took off before Mase managed to close his door all the way. Unfortunately, I was having no luck at all because he didn’t fall out.
From the corner of my eye, I saw him turn after shutting the door. “What…”
I held up my hand and cut him off. I had to think. I had to somehow get myself out of this mess. That cat could not be my mate. I had a mate. They say the bond ended with death, but that wasn’t true. My bond to Alba was just as strong if not stronger than it was when she lived. Fuck me, but I couldn’t take it. I’d die before accepting a cat as mate.
I glanced in the rearview mirror. The red car stayed on my ass. I pushed open the small glass window separating the cab from the heavy-duty steel cage. “How much gas is in that car?”
“If that question is for me, you may kiss my wrinkled ass.”
And what the hell would I do with two humans?
“A full tank,” said the boy.
I pushed the window closed and rolled down the side window because the smell of cat was overwhelming. My wolf expected to kill cats. Wanted to taste their blood and rip out their guts. “Fuck,” I said as my fist slammed against the steering wheel. Mase slid down farther in his seat and didn’t look my way again.
I was barely calmed two hours later when insistent pounding against the inside cage had my shoulders tightening up again. I slid the small window open.
“I need to use the facilities and we haven’t eaten. There is a code of ethics for kidnapping, and forcing your hostages to hold their bladders and starve is against the rules.”
Was the old bat out of her fucking mind?
I slammed the window shut. Ten minutes later, I pulled over at a truck stop, got out, and walked around to the back.
“You will go inside one at a time. Mase will purchase food and you will all do your best not to irritate me or I’ll drive straight through the rest of the way and you can piss on the floor.” I handed a wad of cash to Mase. “Get some sub sandwiches and water.”
I didn’t wait to see that everyone followed directions; Talya was stepping out of the red car. I stormed over to her and saw her legs brace into a fighting stance.
“Everyone’s using the restroom one at a time and you will wait your turn,” I said as soon as I was close enough to grab her if I needed to. I’d be damned if she was getting anywhere near her human friends right now. “You have two choices. You can stand here and stretch your legs while keeping your mouth shut or you can get back in the car and keep your mouth shut.”
I felt the rush of power coming from her. It was hot and sent electrical sparks running across my skin. The energy called to my wolf and I was so fucked. When word came out that Talya was missing, nothing was said about her being alpha. Sometimes it developed from birth. If not, it usually didn’t come out until much later. But that was for wolves, not cats. I had no fucking clue there was such a thing as a female alpha cat. And at her age, she shouldn’t be able to hide it. I waited to see what she’d do.
I almost laughed when she turned her back to me. Dangerous move, kitty. My wolf wanted to accept the challenge. Hell, my wolf wanted her. But, the man wanted her dead and the man controlled the beast. At least that was my intention. My beast liked her smell and he wanted her closer. The mating scent attracted him. Up until now, we both agreed cat smelled worse than two-week death.
By turning her back she was giving the signal loud and clear that she didn’t fear me. Stupid, stupid kitty. I glanced over my shoulder and watched the old bat return to the van. Mase’s female went next while the teenage male held the child.
Male cats did not cuddle babies. Even the male children were in danger. Male cats were vicious and only the strong survived. Mothers sometimes killed their female children at birth so they wouldn’t need to care for them. Cats were savages. I hated everything about them and then these came along and confused me.
I turned back to Talya. She’d survived.
The curve of her neck drew my eyes. I would mark her right there as mine.
Fuck.
I took a few steps away so her scent didn’t have my wolf taking over again. She had no idea what was happening between us and I planned to keep it that way. She worried about her human friends and I would use them to keep her in line. There was room for only one alpha in the new pack. If I got lucky she would challenge me and I’d snap her neck.
My wolf scratched painfully at my gut. I knew it would be nearly impossible to kill your mate, but accidents happened.
Chapter Twenty-One
Talya
I felt Ivan back away. It killed me not to keep an eye on him, but turning and refusing to face him was an insult. In the middle of the parking lot there was little else I could do. I used what I had. My cat behaved oddly and I didn’t like it. I’d never felt my alpha this close to the surface and I tried with everything I had to hold it back. Rondy and Cecily were in so much danger. There were other beastkind in the back of the van too. What the hell was going on?
I had one possible out, but I didn’t know if it would end any differently for my friends. I could still communicate with Nicolas if I needed to. I’d tried to destroy our pack along with the bear clan by going after Dmitri. Would Nicolas even help me? So many thoughts scrambled my brain, but at the same time the scent of wolf had an entirely unwanted affect.
I’d grown accustomed to their scent while living with Nicolas and Zenya. It no longer repelled me, but for some strange reason, Ivan’s actually attracted me. I’d been here before and knew better than to listen to my cat. She’d wanted Dmitri too. It hadn’t ended well and neither would this. Killing Ivan was the only solution and chances were good that I wouldn’t survive the attempt which meant none of us would.
Disgust dripped from his voice when he said, “Do you need to use the restroom?”
I turned and tried to walk around him. His huge hand clenched my upper arm and pulled me up short. I slowly lifted my eyes to his. Goddess, why did he smell so damn good?
He couldn’t hide his hatred, and his hard, unforgiving gaze drilled mine. “Have you contacted Nicolas?”
I thought about remaining silent, but that punished me too. “No. Nicolas won’t help me. If yo
u harm my friends, I will kill you, though.”
He didn’t blink. “It won’t be up to me, but take your best shot. Don’t think because you have one arm I’ll hold back.”
The bastard. My power poured out. I couldn’t hold it back. He lifted his free hand to the nape of my neck threading his fingers into my hair. Hot skin pressed against mine. I wanted to lean in, breathe him in, touch him. A purr almost escaped my throat.
“You have quite a few kitten tricks up your sleeve.” The husky words had me trembling until he continued, “You challenge me, you die. And your friends die. One less cat and two humans means nothing to me.”
Even his threat was sexy as hell. “Do you plan to let me pee inside the bathroom or would you like me to mark your leg?”
He released me and I’d swear I saw the corner of his lip tilt up. “Hurry,” he grumbled.
I fought not to run away. I walked slowly knowing my hips swayed. What he didn’t know was I’d played this game before. It kept me alive. I would trade my body for the lives of my friends. If Ivan wasn’t in charge of what happened to them, chances were a vampire was. Blood sucker, wolf, or both… I would use my body to save the people I loved. It was no longer about my survival. I no longer mattered. My pack did.
I returned to the car a few minutes later. Ivan was at the van and his glaring eyes kept me from speaking to my friends. Mase brought me a sandwich and water. I stared at him and expected a fight at my challenge. Mase looked down.
What the hell?
He was gone before I could say a word. I placed the sandwich in the seat beside me, took a healthy swallow of water, and followed the van out of the parking lot. The sandwich was heavy on meat, but it barely satisfied my hunger. I used the nub of my arm to hold the steering wheel as I felt around behind the seat for my bag of goodies. The bastard thought I was less because of my missing arm. It would only take one arm to snap his dick off. I didn’t stop eating until everything in the bag was gone. If I had a chance of killing Ivan, I needed my strength.
I worried about Cecily and Rondy in the back of that van even though I knew I shouldn’t. They adapted and I saw Cecily climb in and out no worse for wear. Whoever was in the back with them wasn’t a threat.
We drove four more hours before stopping again. Cecily made an unlady-like scramble from the van and practically ran inside the gas station. That had me smiling. I’m sure Ivan would rather not stop, but I knew Cecily gave him a piece of her mind. Guilt swamped me. I’d brought them into the center of this mess. I knew Florida was a bad idea, but I hadn’t listened to my cat. Someday soon the two of us would have a heart to heart and I would kick her ass. Her instincts were better than my human ones and she needed to show a little power when needed.
I opened my door and got out. I didn’t see Ivan and there was a chance he went inside. If Cecily came out first I could speak with her.
Three minutes later, I got lucky.
“Are you okay?”
She shrieked and placed her hand over her heart. The sun was shining, but I’d leaned against the outside wall by the door and she didn’t realize I was there until I spoke.
Her arms went around me before I could say anything else. “Oh dear, we’ve found ourselves in a mess. Those people are scared to death of that bully Ivan. It’s sad. They have a baby and she is the cutest thing. I will not put up with that grumpy man being mean to them. He doesn’t want to mess with me.”
I loved her. And if I lived hundreds of years I would never forget her. My heart ached with the thought that even with the slim possibility we would get out of this mess, she was old. Her life was a blink compared to mine.
I held back tears. “Do what he says and leave the worry of him to me.”
She gave me a gentle smile. “If I die tomorrow, I die happy. This adventure is more than I ever expected of life. I won’t allow him to harm you either. I may be old, but he won’t see me coming.”
I gave her a squeeze before stepping away. Nothing I said would change her mind. To Ivan, she was a gnat and nothing more. One swat ended her life. “How is Rondy holding up?”
She actually laughed. “He’s giving them his tough gang-banger persona, but I don’t think he’s fooled anyone. I noticed the tough-boy routine the first time I saw him. He doesn’t really have a mean bone in his body; he just wants a family. Convincing him a gang isn’t family was never going to work. You were the best thing for him. He needed an out and you provided it.”
An out that would most likely get him killed.
Her smile faltered and concern took over. “Don’t beat yourself up about this. That man is a bully, but if he planned to hurt us I think he would have.”
There was no way I could tell her that her life most likely rested in the hands of a blood sucker. I gave an internal sigh. Cecily was a heart attack waiting to happen.
“Others need to use the restroom or would you rather them all piss on the closest leg?”
I hadn’t heard him approach, which was unlike me. Now I smelled him and he smelled better than the most delicious grilled steak. Maybe after I killed him, I would have just a nibble.
Cecily didn’t say a word, just gave him her death-ray stare.
He growled and she growled back. It was a fairly good attempt for a human. Ivan actually rolled his eyes before stomping off. If someone told me the story about a human challenging Ivan and walking away unscathed, I wouldn’t believe it. Cecily wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest and for some reason, I wanted to laugh. I couldn’t take the chance he’d hear me, so I gave Cecily a gentle pat on the back and walked her toward the van.
Nervous eyes peered out at me from the shadowed interior. A fussy baby noise came from inside too. Rondy jumped out first and assisted Cecily up. “You can go next, Marisol. I promise Talya won’t bite.”
He thought he was so funny. He helped a woman out. She was maybe twenty-five. She gave me a tentative smile. For some reason, I wanted to flash my teeth, but it wouldn’t help our situation. The best I could do was a slight up-tilt with my lips and a nod.
Ivan stayed at the cab of the van, but gave me burning, I’ll-remove-your-other-arm looks while we waited for everyone to use the restroom. I was curious about the others.
“Are they all like you?” Rondy whispered in my ear.
He had no idea they could hear him. Hell, Ivan heard him. I looked Ivan’s way and his eyes narrowed even more. “Yes, Rondy, and they can hear you even when you whisper.”
“Oh, well, sorry,” he said into the interior of the van.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah, good. Tired of riding in a square box, but I’ll survive.”
He thought he would. “I’ll be right back.” I walked closer to Ivan refusing to let him intimidate me. “How much farther are we going today?” I waited and started thinking he’d ignore me.
“We’ll be there in another two hours.”
Before I could say anything, Mase walked up and handed a plastic bag to me. It had water and junk food inside. I peered back at Ivan. “We have our own money if you can’t afford to give us a proper meal. We’ll even spring for your friends.” I baited him, unable to help myself. Mase’s fear washed over me. He was afraid of Ivan. That was funny because I wasn’t. Afraid of what he might do to my friends, yes, but of him personally, no. “Cat got your tongue?”
I wasn’t ready for him to move that fast, but suddenly my back was pressed against the side of the van. He growled into my ear. “A tongueless cat isn’t a bad idea. Keep it up and you’ll find out from a personal perspective.”
His body pushed so hard against mine I couldn’t move. I was surprised the van didn’t cave in. I turned my head as fast as I could and snapped my teeth. He moved back before he lost part of his ear. It was broad daylight and we were in the human world. I couldn’t make a fuss, but I wanted to. “My aren’t we testy. Herding cats doesn’t give you a very good disposition does it?” More than anything I wanted to let my power explode, but I settled for
pulling his tail. This was not the place to kill him.
“Put gas in your car, kitten.” He backed off and I noticed Rondy, a few feet away, clenching his fingers into fists ready to attack.
“It’s all good, Rondy. We’ll be there in two hours. Can you go inside and pay the clerk for the gas?”
Rondy looked undecided for a moment before spinning on his heel and walking off. I didn’t look at Ivan. My cat was performing a dance inside my stomach and I was doing everything I could to turn a waltz into a voodoo death ceremony. The man had fuck-me pheromones pouring off him. He must bathe in the stuff. Where was a skunk when you needed one?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ivan
How old was she anyway? Not old enough to mate and too damn young for me. If I got lucky, The Moor would kill her and the humans immediately.
My wolf growled and Mase gave me a nervous look. How the hell did I get myself into this mess? Kill a couple of cats, bring the females and child back, and ruin my life all over again. Goddess, I missed Alba. She had a way of combing through the shit and doing whatever needed to be done. My wolf whined again wanting to be closer to Talya.
It pissed me off that he could swap Alba out so easily. She was forever part of me and my wolf be damned. I would never take a cat as mate.
An hour and a half later, I opened my communication with The Moor. He’d prodded earlier. When I told him I was on my way, he began questioning me about the lone female cat and I snapped a mental barrier into place. I hadn’t opened it until now.
“We’re thirty minutes away—tired and hungry.”
“Cranky too,” he chided.
My grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Only you would call an alpha cranky. I’m pissed off and homicidal.”
“Then Becca and I should enjoy an interesting story.”
My growls were getting louder in my head. “You sent me to pick up my sworn enemy, you bloodsucker. What the hell did you expect?”
Fang Chronicles: Ivan Page 10