Black Werewolves: Books 1–4

by Gaja J. Kos

  “Like that was the only reason you sought me out.” The Perelesnyk snorted, picking at his manicured nails.

  Sander shot him a cryptic smile. “I had no idea you looked as good as you do when I tracked you down, zmajček. The task was what brought me to your lair, not the pleasures of your incubus company.”

  Rorik huffed, but mirth touched the corners of his shapely lips. Rose snickered softly, gaining one of his blinding smiles in return.

  “So you’re saying you were able to embed more power into the amulets?” she asked. “Give a human an actual fighting chance against a supe?”

  “With someone who knows their way around a lab”—Rorik’s gaze drifted over to Nathaniel, who was still wearily watching the entire exchange—“I think we could do a fuckload more than that.”

  Chapter 16

  Although hiding in plain sight was a concept every supernatural—aside from vampires, who were living their lives out in the open—grew up with, Evelin still felt somewhat uneasy as she lingered on the edge of Prešeren square, every one of her fine-tuned senses on high alert. The warmth and sunshine engulfing Ljubljana had brought out even more people than usual, and the streets were packed with students killing time between classes, various workers on their breaks, and a whole lot of tourists.

  The latter actually played well into the pack’s plan, since their presence would make the group of new arrivals somewhat more inconspicuous, but still, the tension was there, burying its claws into her neck and shoulders. Far too many prying eyes.

  Briefly, she contemplated if they should make a last minute change and separate the group into several smaller ones, just one or two heads apiece, so that Sander could safely ensconce them in glamor. But that maneuver meant the operation would stretch out far longer than was necessary, creating cracks for all kinds of mistakes to slip through.

  She grunted. Either way, the risk of exposure was there.

  While her pack wasn’t small number-wise, they rarely traveled around with any additional acquaintances belonging to the supernatural community by their side. The fact that they could pass for humans never stopped them from taking a few additional precautions. One could only rely on ignorance of the masses so far.

  Today, however, they would not only have a whole lot more people around them, but humans weren’t the only ones they were hoping to hide their presence from.

  Evelin loosened a breath, then glanced sideways at Greta and Nathaniel, who were sitting on the steps beneath the statue of Prešeren, before she shifted her attention to Sander and Rorik, standing just a short distance away. The Perelesnyk caught her gaze and sauntered over, a coy smile playing on his lips.

  It kind of ruined the whole “pretty boy” effect he had going on, even when it didn’t make him any less attractive. Quite the opposite, actually.

  “You know, I can’t recall the last time so many of my kin were in one place,” he said, pushing the dark designer sunglasses higher up the bridge of his nose.

  “Enyan really came through, didn’t he?”

  “His flight is fairly large, and they all kept some of their personal connection alive throughout the ages.”

  She worried on her bottom lip, unsure whether her question would come off as inappropriate. In the end, curiosity won. “How come you didn’t?”

  Rorik shrugged. An easy gesture, yet it held the edge of something buried in the shadows long ago. “Being grounded was bad enough. I didn’t need to see any of my people to remind me of what I’ve lost.”

  Evelin inclined her head in acknowledgment. Werewolves at least had the luxury to shift in private, to roam the woods as they were born to do. And if by chance someone did notice them in their alternate forms, to an untrained eye, they were nothing but slightly larger wolves. Not an incident without consequences, but nothing damning, either.

  Perelesnyks, on the other hand, couldn’t be written off as any animal humankind knew, and their massive forms made it hard to find a secure enough place to shift, unless they had the good luck of someone blessed with exceptionally strong glamor standing by their side. Left with no other options, they were forced to suppress their inner dragon and spend centuries locked up in a human shell.

  “Sander searched for glamor stones,” Rorik said after a fashion, his eyes never leaving the busy square. “If we had those, we could take to the skies again.”

  Surprise flickered through her. “I know they can conceal a person, but would they suffice for your true form?”

  “Ah, the downside of being bigger than average.” Evelin chuckled at his sly grin. “But, to answer your question, I have no idea. It would be worth a try, though.” He glanced at his black leather wristwatch, then corrected his glasses again. “They should arrive in fifteen minutes.”

  Evelin dipped her chin and sought out the bond. Zarja, all set on your end?

  In position. No sign of vamps in the vicinity.

  Mark?

  Don’t smell anyone who shouldn’t be here. And Dragan isn’t picking up any vampiric signals, either.

  Same on our end, Jens and Jürgen replied unanimously.

  And here, Tim added.

  Evelin sent a mental equivalent of a nod down the bond. Good. Let me know if anything changes.

  It was imperative they kept the rogue vamps from learning of their actions. The bastards would undoubtedly carry the news straight to the Upirs, and that was something the pack couldn’t afford. Having the force of the Perelesnyks on their side just might prove to be the deciding factor in this war; however, the element of surprise did play a large part in that.

  More than anything, they needed the two-souled bastards to believe they still had the upper hand. That they could crush their opposition with the raw, chaotic magic in a single wave of utter obliteration.

  If the Upirs had no reason to doubt the effectiveness of their natural weapon, the Perelesnyks’ immunity would catch them unprepared—and create an opening for the dragons, as well as the rest of them, to attack. And hopefully end the madness before the loss of life piled up.

  It wasn’t the greatest of plans, but it was the best they had.

  I think their bus just rolled past me, Tim said. Yeah, it’s them. They’re headed in your direction now.

  Sending a wave of silent thanks his way, Evelin turned to meet Rorik’s shaded gaze. “Showtime.”

  “You know I hate this, right?” Rose growled, sinking deeper into the midnight blue-and-gold armchair, her arms crossed and feeling more than a little grouchy.

  Katja shot her a sympathetic look. “Xu said you haven’t regained your strength yet.”

  “And I concur.” Rose glanced at Serafina, who simply shrugged in return. “It’s been less than forty-eight hours since you regained consciousness. You need at least another day or two to raise your energy levels. And so does Veles.”

  Rose couldn’t help noticing the god seemed just as discontent to wait on the sidelines as she was. She snorted. “You know, it almost feels like punishment for going after the Vedmaks by ourselves.”

  “Could be.” Katja hid away a smile as she braced her back against the doorframe. “Although I hardly think keeping you away from the Perelesnyks is sufficient punishment for what you put us through.”

  Laughing and snarling at once, Rose threw an ornate, silken pillow straight at Katja’s head. The vampire evaded it with grace and grinned.

  “But in all honesty,” she continued as if the exchange had never happened, “with nine of them out there, I think they got it covered. Besides, you won’t be of use to anyone if you’re not at full power.”

  “And you should focus on unraveling the knowledge you gained,” Morana added as she swept into the room, her bright, floral-patterned sundress billowing around her knees.

  Rose scrunched her nose at the all-too-cheery goddess of death. “That’s more of a challenge than you think. My mother said that once the information had come to her, it simply assimilated with her mind. Mine resembles more of a shroud of foggy glimpses t
han anything else.”

  “Your body has gone through a lot of changes.” Morana paused to munch on a croissant, her gaze contemplative. She licked the crumbs off her fingers and nudged her chin at Rose. “I felt your ascension in my prison of ice and snow. I followed it, examined it… It was barely a blink of an eye compared to how long it normally takes for deities to grow into power—although perhaps not surprising, given your foothold in the mortal world, where everything moves at such a fast pace.

  “But the particulars of your rise did take a toll on your body. And with the bond of The Dark Ones snapping into place only a year or so before that, it’s only natural that the process is slightly more…complicated, when it comes to you.”

  “Go figure,” Rose grumbled, earning a soft chuckle from Katja. She shot the vamp a mock glare, but it was the sudden pensive expression on the goddess’s face that caught her attention not a second later. Rose leaned forward, going still. “You thought of something, haven’t you?”

  “Vee told me he has guided you before.”

  Rose nodded, but the god in question shifted slightly in the armchair seat next to hers, the movement elegant, if a little reserved.

  “Those were dealings with souls, Em, not the knowledge of the higher circles.”

  Morana waved her hand. “Semantics. You are consorts. You have the ability to draw on each other’s energy. I believe it is fair to assume that if you had successfully guided Rose through the process of bonding with souls, you can do no less when it comes to the information she seeks.”

  In an instant, Veles’s entire demeanor changed. A fanged smile appeared on his lips and his green eyes were aflame with some ancient understanding Rose couldn’t quite figure out. “Because the base of the knowledge is energy, not thought.”

  “Precisely.”

  “Okay, this is getting way too metaphysical for me.” Katja laughed. “I’ll be in the war room. Will you send Sebastian my way when he arrives?”

  Veles dipped his chin. “Happy hunting.”

  “I wish,” Katja murmured, but her voice was light. She turned her gaze on Rose. “And happy learning.”

  Rose snarled, causing another laugh to bubble from Katja’s lips as she strode through the door, her footsteps slowly fading the farther down the corridor she went. Sensing this just might be one of those conversations, Rose reached for the glass of Cabernet on the table, but Veles caught her hand midway. Despite the warmth spreading through her core at the touch, she flashed him a hostile look.

  Amusement danced plainly on the god’s features—a hint of mischief, as well. “We have work to do, srček. And I know just how deliciously willing a good glass of red can make you when I drag you between the sheets…” He smiled, his pearly white fangs irritatingly inviting. “However, as much as it saddens me to say it, that particular activity is not on the menu right now.”

  Morana chuckled.

  Rose snorted softly. “Don’t tell me the legendary bad boy of the underworld has grown responsible…”

  “Never. But I do always get what I want. It just so happens that in this moment, that is for you to gain what is rightfully yours. After all, the sooner we’re done with the mess we’re in, the faster I can chain you to my bed for a century or two.”

  As much as she tried to keep a serious face, Rose laughed. She leaned over and placed a light kiss on Veles’s lips, fire soaring through her body even at such small a touch. “When you put it like that, how can a were object?”

  Guiding eleven Perelesnyks—twelve, if she counted Rorik—through the streets of Ljubljana was something Evelin hadn’t envisioned doing even in her wildest dreams. Sadly, the remarkable experience was muddied by less than favorable circumstances.

  As much as the incubi dragons tried to blend in with their casual clothes, the group was still getting far more attention than she would have liked.

  Even with their sexual nature toned down, the dragons turned heads. Their height, well-defined bodies, and astonishing good looks were something the Perelesnyks couldn’t hide. Some were on the slender side, like Rorik, handsome and polished, while some possessed that sort of rugged, hard edge, but one that didn’t make them in any way less appealing. And judging from the way Greta was chatting up Casimir, a black-haired mountain of a man from Enyan’s flight, that last bit certainly held true.

  Covering a variety of tastes, it seemed, was the Perelesnyks’ motto.

  Not that she was surprised, given they fed on sex, but actually seeing it with her own eyes produced a far different effect than merely knowing about it in theory.

  Evelin shook her head. She figured she should be grateful there weren’t riots erupting all over Ljubljana. Perhaps there would be eventually, but luck, for once, was on their side.

  Pri Sojenicah was just a couple of minutes’ walk away from the Triple Bridge, and the crowd on the southeastern side of the city center was steadily thinning out. Not enough to make a large group of people stand out, but enough to minimize the ogling stares following their every move, as well as the whiffs of arousal slithering through the air and prickling at her nostrils.

  We’re almost at the bar, she said through the path, the words spread evenly among all who were listening in, yet directed at the twins, who were covering the eastern end of the perimeter.

  All clear. Jürgen’s voice flowed down the bond a moment later. You’re good to go.

  Squaring her shoulders, Evelin sped up and led the small procession down a narrow street, then turned a corner and kept on walking until the soft touch of glamor surrounding Pri Sojencah washed over her skin. The bar was still closed down from the vamp attack, so there weren’t any weres lurking on the patio—any weres aside from Frank, that was.

  He let out a low whistle as the group approached, a brown eyebrow shooting up in question. Evelin waved a hand.

  “Don’t worry, they won’t all be staying here.” She peered over her shoulder at the throng of muscle and good looks. “If you can take six of them, I’ll take the rest.”

  “Sure you will.” The werewolf grinned, awareness of her mistake slamming into her instantly.

  She rolled her eyes at the all-too-suggestive look Frank was giving her, but was unable to hold back her laugh. “Not like that, you dirty beast.” She chuckled. “Although I’m fairly certain Greta will take at least one off your hands.”

  The redheaded were shot her a victorious smile as she joined them by the door. “Gladly,” she purred. “You can set Casimir up in my room, unless you decided to kick me out in favor of these hunks.”

  When Frank shook his head, she let out a content sigh.

  “There’s nothing quite like a good time to lift up the morale before a fight. That’s him over there.” She winked at the muscular Perelesnyk, who flashed her a wide smile in return. “He said we can bunk up with Adis—the ginger one there in the back.”

  Please don’t broadcast our sister’s less than honorable intentions. Jürgen’s voice sounded through the bond, accompanied by a low, disgusted growl from Jens.

  Laughter seeped into Evelin’s mental tones. You’re just pissy the Perelesnyks are an all-male club. And the fact that Greta will beat your asses on the fuckchart.

  With that, she shut down any further protest from the twins by putting up a light barrier to tone down the chatter. Mock outrage that still seeped from the Double Js tickled her senses, but her attention was now on the pair who joined their small group by the front door.

  “Rorik and I are headed to my lab,” Nathaniel said, his gaze sweeping across the gathered Perelesnyks before coming to rest on Evelin once more. “You’ve got this covered, right?”

  She nodded. “Call if you figure anything out.”

  The human gave a curt dip of his chin in agreement then stalked across the patio, Rorik close by his side. Evelin stared after them for a while longer, hoping to the gods their experiment bore fruit. She hated the thought of Tomo relying on nothing but his human strength and weapons while he was neck deep in dealing wi
th something non-supernaturals should never be up against. But it had been his choice, in the end, and she could do no less than respect it.

  “Since I’m sure Greta will have no problem acquainting you with the group and helping you accommodate them”—she smiled at the smug redhead before meeting Frank’s eyes—“Sander and I will take the rest to Nikolai’s. The sooner we get off the streets, the better.”

  He thrust a hand in his hair, ruffling the unruly strands, indicating he must have rolled out of bed mere minutes before they all showed up here. “Come back for a beer when you’re done?”

  “I’ll need one, so, yes, you can count on it.” She spun around, skirted around the group of incubus dragons leaning against the surviving tables, and, finally, joined Sander on the far end of the patio.

  The Koldun was just finishing a discussion with Enyan when he noticed her approach. His bronze gaze turned a shade warmer as he took her in, an air of easiness wrapping around his muscular body. Evelin didn’t want to think about the implications, about how her own lips twisted up into a smile without her meaning to.

  But how could she feel anything less than affection for the Koldun who was keeping her son safe?

  She shrugged the thought away and focused on Enyan instead. “Did you decide who stays here and who comes with us?”

  “My flight agreed to split up. We wouldn’t want the others to feel threatened by our unit. I’ll remain here with Adis and Casimir, while Athanasy and Laslo will go with you.”

  “And the others?”

  It was Sander who answered. “Egon, Voyin, Anatol, and Tanis will be joining us. Lev and Kalen will stay here.”