Still, it wasn't like her. She wouldn't leave the flat when the mating was incomplete and Kristian was sniffing around, not unless something unavoidable came up.
He stopped dead when he spotted a note on the kitchen counter. Frowning, he went over to it and picked it up. His heart beat a little quicker.
“I've realised I need to sort things out with Kristian. Sorry. Kim.”
She needed to sort what out with Kristian, and why was she sorry? His chest ached and tightened as he read it over and over again, trying to make sense of it. He told himself that she had just gone to talk to him, not anything else. She'd come back soon. The voice at the back of his head whispered that she'd left him. That's why she was sorry. She'd gone to make up with Kristian.
She'd gone to be his mate.
He slumped into a stool and stared at the piece of paper. It blurred slightly, but cleared when he blinked. He wouldn't believe that she'd left him. But why hadn't she called him to tell him if she was just going to meet Kristian to tell him to leave her alone. Why go to see him at all unless she intended to leave with him? She could have told him over the phone that she wasn't interested. Clearly Kristian had been in contact. Why hadn't Kim messaged him to tell him that?
His stomach turned over when he remembered their last vision, remembered walking into it and watching Kristian make love to her.
Make love.
There was nothing carnal and base about what they had been doing. It was slow and intense, just like it had used to be between them in the visions.
He screwed up the note and tried to gather his feelings. He was blowing this out of proportion.
But then, none of it made sense. If it did, he wouldn't feel so confused; he would know what she'd meant by the note and why she'd gone to see Kristian.
Why had she left the flat to see him? She'd been safe here and that's why he'd told her to stay home from work.
Why would she go and meet him?
He pressed his palm against his forehead and leaned his elbow on the kitchen island, supporting his aching head as tears blurred his vision. She wouldn't leave him, not Kim, not after everything they'd been through together.
His phone vibrated in his pocket.
He pulled it out and slid it open. It was a message from Kim.
“I've realised my feelings for Kristian and can't be yours. I've gone to Denmark with him. Don't try to find me.”
He felt like throwing up as he read it out loud several times over until his eyes were swimming with so many tears that he couldn't see it anymore. He swallowed, trying to shift the dry sticky lump in his throat.
She'd really left him.
This couldn't be happening.
His whole world fell apart.
He blinked away his tears and cleared his throat, picking up the pieces of his shattered heart at the same time. It was over. She'd killed him.
He read the message again and then stopped.
Denmark?
He frowned at that.
Kim wouldn't go to Denmark. She loved him but she wouldn't even go to Scotland with him if he said they had to fly there. She'd never get on a plane to a country over two hours away if she couldn't stomach a thirty minute journey.
He had to find her. Something was very wrong here and he was beginning to get a terrible feeling about everything. Kim's note was mysterious, but if she'd been in a hurry when writing it then maybe she wouldn't have realised how bad it sounded. To her, it might have sounded perfectly clear and fine.
Plus, the more he thought about it, the more he remembered that she hated trying to resolve things over the phone. The only time they'd argued had been when she was in London and he was in the country. She'd refused to speak to him over the phone and had driven all the way to the house to see him face to face. She'd done something similar with her sister when her husband had given her the divorce papers.
But what could he do now? He still didn't know what she'd been up to. All he had were theories and both of them could be the truth. He had to find out what had happened. Knowing her, she would've made sure that she'd met Kristian at a public place, somewhere that she felt safe. But where in London did Kim feel safe?
He couldn't waste time by going everywhere he could think of. He had to narrow it down to two or three places at most.
He rang her office and asked the person on reception whether Kim had come in that day. No was the answer. He tried her sister next and her sister went into a blind panic so clearly she hadn't seen her either. It took a few minutes to calm Sherry down and then he was on to the next number. No one had seen either her or Kristian at the club today. They'd been closed until this evening. Finding nothing but dead ends, he tried the last place he could think of.
He called The Ivy. It was the only other place they'd been to together recently and it was the most public one on his list. With the cameras there and the staff who would remember her from his proposal, she was bound to feel safe from Kristian trying anything.
The phone rang for what seemed like hours before someone finally picked up.
“This is The Ivy. How may I be of service?”
“I was wondering if you had a reservation this afternoon for a Prince Kristian?” he said, keeping his tone calm and measured so the person on the other end of the line wouldn't know how flustered he was.
There was a pause.
“We did.” Came the reply.
“Can you please put me through to the manager,” he said and waited while he was transferred. The manager answered. “Henri? This is Erik Blackwell. I believe you had two guests this afternoon. A Danish prince and my fiancé.”
“We did,” Henri said.
Erik's heart hammered hard against his chest.
“Did Kim leave with him?”
“Yes... she apparently had too much wine and passed out. They didn't eat.”
“How much wine?” He frowned at the floor.
“Barely one or two glasses of champagne. It seemed strange at the time. She drank a lot more the other night. We just thought she'd probably not eaten anything since she had half a bread roll while drinking the champagne.”
Erik's stomach dropped. “That's not like her. She wouldn't get drunk that fast and she wouldn't pass out so easily. I've seen her drink a whole bottle of champagne without eating and she didn't pass out. Did the prince mention where he was taking her?”
“I overheard him saying something about taking her home.”
That was it. Kristian had done something to her. He'd done something to make her pass out so she wouldn't put up a fight and it would be easy to blame it on the alcohol.
“Thank you,” he said and ended the call.
He dialled Sean's number.
“Hello?”
“Sean, it's Erik. I've got a problem,” he said.
“Don't we all,” Sean said with a laugh.
“I'm serious. I think Kristian has kidnapped Kim. She went to the bloody Ivy to meet him and mysteriously passed out after only a couple of glasses of champagne.”
“That's not your firecracker. She almost drank me under the table at the ball.” Sean's words were a comfort. “But you really believe he's kidnapped her?”
“Yes. I got a message saying that she'd gone to Denmark.”
“He's kidnapped her then,” Sean said, deadpan. “There's no way that lass would get on a plane unless it was Mr. T style.”
“Exactly! I need to know where Kristian might have taken her in Denmark. You know all about this bloodline kind of rubbish.” Erik started pacing the length of the kitchen.
Time was running out. He had to reach her before Kristian did anything to her. He couldn't let him take her from him.
“There's a castle near Copenhagen. Frederiksborg Slot or something like that. He mentioned it to me when he was at the ball.”
“Thanks,” Erik said and was running for the door. “I'll call you when I've got her back safe.”
He closed his phone and slammed the front door as he headed for
his car. Reaching it, he gunned the engine into life and called the airport. It was going to be hard to get a window for take off at this short notice, but his pilot was a good one and he was certain he'd be able to wrangle him one.
He had to get to Kim before it was too late, both for them and for the mating. He could feel it drawing closer and he wasn't going to miss it again.
He didn't care what it took. He'd kill Kristian if that was how far he had to go.
Kim was his.
It was about time Kristian learned that.
* * * *
Erik stepped out of the black limousine and stared at the imposing building. He could just about make out the size of it in the snow-lit darkness and how far away it was. Between him and the house must have been a mile of open land, but he had no doubts that it would be guarded. Royalty wouldn't be left alone to fend for themselves, even if they were a shape shifter.
He moved and the snow crunched underfoot. It was freezing, so cold that his breath was almost solid white in the night air. He tried not to think about how cold it was going to be between transformations. Once he was in his panther form, he'd warm up quickly enough.
He closed the car door and walked to the front window and tapped on it. It rolled down.
“Wait here,” he said.
The reply came in Danish but it sounded positive. It wasn't one of the languages he'd felt inclined to learn.
He looked back at the house as he walked to the rear of the car. Almost every room was lit but it wouldn't make it any more difficult for him to find Kim. Right now, his senses were so honed on her that he could probably pinpoint her from this distance.
Opening the back door of the car, he stripped off until he was only wearing his underwear and put all his clothes on the seat.
He closed the door and then his eyes as he focused on changing. The click and crack of his bones made him flinch, but before the agony could make him scream, he'd shifted completely and it came out as a growl.
He stretched and then picked up his underwear with his mouth. There was no way he was about to get into a fight with Kristian while he was naked.
Sneaking back along the wall towards the gates they'd passed in the car, he eyed the guards. They were armed, but only with swords, and those would be much easier to evade than guns. He crept past them and then leapt over the iron railings of the fence, slipping silently into the grounds.
It wouldn't take him long to get to the house and the run would warm him up. The snow clung to the pads of his paws so he headed towards the trees where the ground was clear. It would be harder for them to spot him there. Against the snow, he'd stand out like a sore thumb.
When he reached the house, he searched along the outside of it, looking for a way in. There were guards by the doors. He'd have to change back and pry one of the sash windows open. Kristian was going to pay when he found him. He was already in foul mood, but all this shifting between his human and panther forms was making it worse.
A pull inside him made him look up and he sensed Kim there. He could feel her calling to him, feel the bond between them. The urge to respond to that call and mate with her tied his insides in knots and it was the sign he'd been hoping for.
Kristian hadn't taken her from him yet.
He changed back into his human form and kept his underwear clenched between his teeth as he shivered with cold. He checked the room in front of him and then used his full strength to lift one of the sashes on the window. It had been locked, but gave easily under the pressure and he slipped inside. He closed the window again and changed back into a panther. If anyone tried to stop him, he would need his panther agility and strength. He'd disable them as best he could without hurting them too much. He wasn't here to kill anyone.
Well, no one except Kristian.
CHAPTER 17
God she couldn't take it anymore. She was either going to explode or die, or possibly both. She arched her back, delighting in each lick of her clit by the man between her legs. It was divine but hellish. Each brush or flick drove her closer to the edge, but seemingly further away at the same time. She moaned and pressed the back of her head into the pillows.
“Erik.”
There was a growl and it wasn't the one she'd expected. She was immediately up on her elbows. Kristian looked up. She stared at him and it turned to a look of horror when he changed in front of her, becoming a white tiger. He went to dip his head again and she scooted backwards. Her foot came up, catching him hard across the face.
Kim shot up but collapsed back onto the bed when her head spun and the room turned. Her brain felt three sizes too big for her head and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the world to stop turning and lurching. She felt sick to her stomach, weak and groggy.
She opened her eyes, not wanting to see the replay of the vision. How could Kristian dare to try that with her and how had she managed to resist him like that? Even in her vision, she'd been repulsed by the idea of him pleasuring her while in animal form.
The room slowly came into focus and a sense of horror chilled her when she didn't recognise it.
Slipping from the bed, she was thankful that she was still dressed. She walked slowly but steadily towards the window, not daring to rush in case the wooziness came back. What had he done to her? One minute she'd been fine and ready to tell him exactly what she'd planned to, and the next she had passed out.
It was something to do with the champagne. When she'd had champagne there with Erik, they hadn't put anything in the glasses to make it fizz. Had Kristian drugged her? She felt as though she'd been drugged.
Where was she?
The room was grand, nothing short of beautiful, and didn't look like any in Erik's country retreat.
Her stomach turned again and a low ache settled in her belly. She frowned and rubbed it, trying to make it go away. It got worse. The ache spread downwards and she felt a little flushed as thoughts of Erik and Kristian crept into her mind. She tried to shut them out, but she was suddenly hungry for their touch. She felt as though she was on fire and only they could cool her down, only they could satisfy this growing need inside of her.
She patted her pockets to see if she had her phone.
What time was it?
Erik had said that the mating would happen tomorrow. Was it still today? Or was it now tomorrow? They couldn't have missed their chance again. She didn't know if she could wait another two years and she didn't want to risk another man turning up in the visions. Two were bad enough.
She pulled the nearest curtain aside and stared at the snowy world outside it. It was pitch black but the light was reflecting off the snow, illuminating the garden enough that she could see for sure that she wasn't at the country house.
Judging from the flag and the strange uniform the two guards stood near it were wearing, she wasn't even in England.
Denmark?
He'd drugged her and taken her to Denmark? She felt queasy. He'd taken her on a plane. Dear God, what kind of crazy man was he?
She grabbed her shoes and quickly put them on. Her only chance now was to escape. She still had her purse in her pocket but there was no sign of her phone. He'd probably taken it so she couldn't call Erik. It didn't matter. She'd get out of here and then find a payphone somewhere.
She was just about to grab the door handle when it twisted and the door opened.
She moved backwards, giving Kristian a black look as he walked in.
“Going somewhere?” he said with a sweet smile.
Her attempt to dodge past him was pathetic at best. He grabbed her but she pushed him away, evading his hands as he tried to catch her again. She breathed hard, her eyes darting about as she tried to figure out another way to get away from him.
He caught her attention by holding her phone up.
“Missing this?” he said with a grin and closed the door. “Do not worry about Erik. You broke his heart nice and nastily.”
She grabbed the phone, not daring to believe he would do such a thing un
til she saw it with her own eyes. She opened the message and read it. A smile curved her lips.
“What is so amusing?” Kristian stepped towards her but she edged backwards into the room.
“Denmark,” she said flatly. He didn't seem to get it. She was going to enjoy enlightening him. “Planes, you big cinnamon danish. Erik will know I didn't come here willingly. I refused to go to Scotland by plane. Denmark? So wouldn't happen.”
Her head and stomach both turned in unison and she didn't know which one to clutch. What had he done to her?
“Son of a bitch,” she grumbled.
He moved across the room and she was too weak and queasy to fight him as he took hold of her shoulders. She was surprised when he sat her down on the bed and moved away.
“It will wear off soon.” He wobbled in her vision and the sickness passed, replaced by the hungry desire again. He smiled knowingly. “As soon as it does, we can finish what Erik so kindly started.”
She stared at him, stunned and not sure what to say. He really wasn't getting it and she was beginning to wonder if he ever would.
“I'm not going to mate with you,” she said and he frowned. “Not now, not ever! I don't love you.”
She clutched her stomach when it rolled again.
A sure smile replaced his frown.
“You will, given time.” His tone was as certain and confident as his smile. “The children will help keep you occupied and bring us closer.”
She laughed at that. He was insane. It was the only answer.
Either that or all lycan males were hard headed and stubborn when it came to women. She remembered that Erik had been relentless in his pursuit of her, but that had been easy to understand when he'd revealed to her the fact that he'd been dreaming about her for almost thirty years.
She stood and shook her head. “That, right there, is seriously not happening. I'm not mating with you and I'm certainly not about to have children with you.”
“But I'm royalty. The line must be continued.” He took a step towards her, expression still serious.
She moved to the side and then away from him. “I'm not some heir machine! I'm not interested in you, and I'll never grow to love you. Personally, I think you're just a little bit insane... you practically kidnapped me!”
In Heat: Mating Call (In Heat Shapeshifter Romance Series #2) Page 17
