by Dannika Dark
“He’s also a man of free will who happens to be sitting at this table.” Kat looked at Prince, her eyes resolute. “So what do you think? Do you want to help find my father?”
Nadia threw her white cloth napkin on the table. “That’s enough, Katarina. You’ve exceeded your wine and caloric intake.”
Kat stood up and grabbed the bottle. “I don’t think I’ve had enough, because I sure as hell need something to anesthetize me from the ignorance that lives within this house.”
“One you’re free to leave anytime.”
Prince sat back and folded his arms, amused by the quarreling between two women who looked and sounded the same but were mirror opposites.
Kat took a swig of wine, settling her eyes on Nadia. “At least I make an attempt to keep a relationship with you. Maybe you don’t like me swinging by unannounced, but how often do you call or come by where I’m staying? Never. I call you as often as I can, but you don’t answer. Before cell phones, you used to let the answering machine screen your calls, but at least you could lie and say you weren’t home. There’s no excuse for you not answering my calls now, because you carry that phone wherever you go!”
Something changed in Kat’s voice—a catch in her throat that snagged Prince’s attention. Her anger switched to something else, and her lip trembled for a fraction of a second before she took another swig of wine and stalked out of the room. His heart clenched and he felt an unexpected compulsion to go after her. There was nothing petulant about her outburst, just an underlying sadness.
Nadia gripped his left arm. “If you’d like to go, I have no complaints.”
“Not one?” he asked, placing his right hand on top of hers.
She flashed a lovely smile and tilted her head to one side. “Maybe a tiny one.”
“Your life intrigues me. I never imagined Alex would have such willful, strong daughters.”
“Alex?”
He nodded. “It’s what I called him.”
“I never did like nicknames,” she said, her voice tired. “Sometimes I wish a man would take her off my hands, then maybe she wouldn’t come around so often.”
“You don’t like your sister’s company? She’s your twin.”
The air cooled, and Nadia retracted her hand to sip her wine. “We have nothing in common. If you don’t have siblings, you wouldn’t understand. The last time she came to visit, I was entertaining a group of friends. It was an upscale party until she had everyone doing shots. Then the music changed and she infected them with her riotous behavior. No one wanted her to leave.”
“I’ve heard twins are competitive.”
Nadia shook her head, resting her narrow chin on her laced fingers. “That’s not it at all. Katarina is the dysfunctional one.”
He smiled and glanced at the open doorway. “She seems quite functional to me.”
“I think we both know what I’m talking about. There’s a certain way one should aspire to live their life. Her bounty hunter title keeps her from having the negative label of being a rogue, but that’s exactly what she is by choice.”
“You don’t consider yourself rogue?”
“I’m a businesswoman, settled in one place, and contribute to my community. It’s hardly the same.”
The soft lull of her words broke when the phone beside her plate went off. “Hello? Yes. … That’s excellent. Can you send me the information in an e-mail and—” She paused, the other person’s voice barely audible. “I’m eating at the moment. Can it wait?” She eyed Prince and held up one finger as she stood up and left the room.
Prince folded his cloth napkin and draped it over his half-eaten quail. Nadia was a skillful cook, but he’d been too anxious to eat, and that was an emotion Prince wasn’t accustomed to. He rose from his chair and entered the dim living room. Nadia had refined taste and had put thought into how she decorated her living space. A white sofa ran along the wall to his right, and across from it, a tall curio was lit up from within.
Kat was sitting on the sofa, staring at the glass shelves. The wine bottle sat on the floor to her left. “Maybe if I pretend hard enough, the figurines will move around and entertain me,” she said. “Who doesn’t own a television?”
He took a seat beside her and stared at the cabinet. Light sparkled against the glass shelves inside, giving a magical aura to the figurines of women, children, and flowers. “I only have one television in my house, but it’s for the pack.”
Her voice softened. “You’re missing out.”
He slanted his eyes toward her legs. The dark leather stood out against the white couch and complemented her figure. His fingers wanted to touch the material, to know what it felt like.
“Did you bring luggage?”
“Not this time. If Nadia’s in one of her moods and doesn’t want to lend me a gown, I guess that means I’ll be sleeping in the nude tonight.”
Prince placed his hands in his lap, hoping she hadn’t noticed the twitch in his pants. He silently cursed himself for behaving like a young wolf.
“So you’re the boyfriend? Nadia always had good taste in men. I don’t know why she won’t settle down. I mean, she’s got it all going on. Looks, grace, a career—but then maybe she’s never been able to find a guy of her caliber. That’s what people need, someone who’s on the same level.”
He lowered his voice to a rich timbre. “For someone who bickers with her sister, you speak highly of her.”
Kat scooted down, her gaze adrift. “I love Nadia; she’s all I’ve got in this world. We couldn’t be more different, though. Sometimes I think if we weren’t related by blood, she’d cut ties with me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
She threw her head back and yawned. “I would.”
Prince looked at her over his right shoulder, admiring the way the dim glow from the curio accented her lovely mouth and angled jaw. He considered how to best answer her previous question about his relationship with Nadia. “We just met. There’s no relationship to speak of.”
“Give it time. You’re like peas in a pod.” She leaned against his arm. “You even smell yummy. I probably smell like oil.”
“You mean pizza grease?” he replied, a smile touching his lips. But when he briefly dipped his nose in her hair, he smelled something indescribably wonderful.
“No,” she murmured sleepily. “My car died on the way over. I had to check the engine and got fluid all over my hands.”
When Kat shivered, Prince wrapped his arm around her and she nestled against his chest. He thought about how satisfying it was to hold a woman—an affection he didn’t indulge in very often, if at all.
“I’m going to have to cut our evening short,” Nadia announced, strolling into the room in a pair of strappy heels. “I have a client who’s in need of funds tonight, and I’ve got two hours to locate a buyer for his painting.” She tapped her fingernail against a tooth, her gaze distant. “I’m tempted to buy it myself and sell it later so I don’t have to jump through all these hoops. If you want to wait for me, I’ll be back in an hour or two. It depends on how much he wants to charge. If not, then I’ll understand,” she said, judgment clinging to the edge of her voice.
Nadia was testing him, seeing what he was willing to do for her time and affection.
Under the circumstances, he could hardly go anywhere. Kat had somehow adhered herself to his side and was drooling on his shirt. Oddly, Nadia didn’t question their cozy position.
“Perhaps I’ll find a blanket for your sister and then wait on the terrace.”
That pleased her. “If you get sleepy, feel free to lie down in my bed. Just make sure you’ve removed your clothes; I like to keep my sheets clean. I’ll be back soon.”
With a jingle of her keys, Nadia slipped out the front door. The second it slammed, Kat sat upright, eyes wide.
“Your sister left,” he said.
She released a heavy breath.
“Tell me, why doesn’t Nadia seem concerned about leaving us al
one?”
Kat yawned and rubbed her eyes. “Nadia’s men never want anything to do with me, and that goes both ways. She knows I’d never betray her trust. I’m a loyal wolf.”
Chapter 3
Kat didn’t want to impose on her sister, especially after the last visit when Nadia had kicked her out of the apartment for painting the walls pale yellow. Kat hadn’t meant any harm; she’d just thought the place needed a little cheering up. What she really wanted to do was shift and relax, but she wasn’t allowed to because the last time she did, her wolf had left a ton of black hairs all over Nadia’s white couch.
Nadia could be a real bitch, but Kat wasn’t perfect by a mile. After all, who wants to hang out with a woman who dedicates her life to tracking down thugs? When on assignment, Kat spent most of her days and nights in bars, going undercover and squeezing juicy gossip from her informants. She had to dress the part, and eventually the lines blurred on how much of it was an act and how much was really her. As long as the clothes were comfortable, she didn’t care.
Granted, leather pants had their downside. As badass and sexy as they looked, they also made her legs sweat. Kat preferred distressed jeans or a pair of khakis, but unfortunately she had nothing else to wear at the moment since she’d driven into town straight from a biker bar in Shreveport.
After waking up in Prince’s armpit, she’d slinked out of the room to retrieve two leftover slices of pizza from the dining table. Kat meandered into the living room and sat on the sofa beside Prince.
Prince. What kind of name was that? Tall, graceful like a panther, long hair—and Kat had always had a thing for long-haired men. On top of that, he smelled good… beneath all the cologne. Prince had a face that artists chiseled from marble, and don’t get her started on his eyes. The intensity of his gaze made her talk faster than usual. Up close, the contrasting colors were arresting, and they pulled her in like magnets. Men shouldn’t have eyes that sexy. Especially not with wolfish brows that sometimes slanted in a way that sent a shiver up her spine. Prince was like a knight all cleaned up and wearing a silk suit. Okay, so maybe that was a little overboard, but she definitely enjoyed the sexy image in her mind of him astride a black stallion, wielding a sword.
Nadia had picked a winner this time. Not too young, not too old, and an alpha to boot.
But Kat knew beneath all the layers of sophistication was a man like any other man. At the end of the day, he was no different than the guy selling magazines in the airport. Same basic wants and needs, even if he didn’t choose to acknowledge them.
“Have a bite,” she offered, handing him a slice of room-temperature pizza. “You didn’t eat enough at dinner. I know this isn’t exactly a four-star meal, but at least it’s more edible than my sister’s wild game.”
He eyed the pizza skeptically. “I wouldn’t go so far as to call that edible.”
That was a little high and mighty. She turned to face him and waved the pizza in front of his mouth, brushing the tip against his lower lip. “Don’t think I didn’t notice your stomach growling earlier. What do you think lulled me to sleep? We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I prefer the hard way, but it’s up to you.”
Kat was joking, but much to her surprise, he took the slice from her hand and bit into it. Now that piqued her curiosity even more. How often do you get to see someone experience their first bite of pizza?
“Well? How is it?”
The lines in his jaw moved as he chewed and swallowed. “Like you.”
She dusted off her fingers. “And how am I like a pizza? Except for the supreme part.”
“Bursting with flavor, but probably not good for me.”
Kat laughed heartily and folded up her own slice, shoving half of it into her mouth.
“I’ve never seen a woman with such a ravenous appetite,” he remarked.
“I have a screwed-up metabolism,” she said around a mouthful of pizza. “My wolf is always in starvation mode.”
“Yet you have the same figure as Nadia.”
Her eyes flashed up with interest that Prince had noticed her body. It kind of made her want to blush, except Kat hadn’t blushed since she was twelve and a boy named Danny had kissed her on a dare. Twelve was much too young for a Shifter girl to be kissing boys, and Kat hadn’t done it again until she was twenty-one.
Kat finished her last bite and licked her finger. “My job requires a lot of running and climbing over walls, so I guess I need all the calories I can cram in.”
His eyes slid down to her legs and back up again.
“Are you doing what I think you’re doing?” she asked. It was a trait Kat was familiar with because she did the same thing in her profession.
“I… I was…”
When color touched his cheeks, she couldn’t help but smirk. The stammering was even more adorable.
“I meant reading my body language, but I’ll let you have an awkward moment of silence to think of an answer.”
Prince sighed and continued eating his pizza.
“Did Nadia go out to the club?” Kat set the box on the floor and kicked it out of the way.
He finished his slice in less than four bites and then stretched out his legs. “To meet with a client.”
“See, I’m not the only workaholic around here.” She licked a few crumbs off her lips. “Thanks for trying the pizza.”
He arched a brow and studied her for a moment. Even sitting, Prince was much taller than she was. “I didn’t perceive it as a gallant act, but you’re welcome.”
He’s so charming, she thought to herself. Kat leaned forward and began unlacing her boots. “It shows you trust me. Just a little bit.”
“Perhaps I was just being polite,” he offered.
She glared at him over her shoulder. “Packmasters don’t eat food offered from complete strangers just to be polite. Not someone as old as you, who’s probably seen firsthand how effective poisons are against an enemy. Ancients aren’t polite by nature.”
“You can sense I’m an ancient?”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth and she pulled off her boots. “You have that stiff look about you. Plus, I see a few wisdom hairs in there.”
“Wisdom hairs?”
Kat reached out and plucked one of the rogue silver hairs from his head. He winced and recoiled. She held it in front of his face and tickled his nose with it. “Don’t worry, it’ll grow back. You might even get three in its place.”
He snatched the hair from her fingertips and let it fall to the floor. “That’s an old wives’ tale.”
“Aha! So you’ve done it. I didn’t take you for a man who dyed his hair; you can always spot a dye job a mile away on a guy. I would have never guessed you were a plucker.”
He leaned on the armrest and faced her. “And what of your artificial color?”
Kat laughed and flipped her hair between her fingers. “This is the real McCoy. Did you think Nadia’s hair was naturally blond? She touches up the roots before they’re noticeable. She always wanted to be a princess, and I guess she looks like one now.”
“You are from a royal bloodline,” Prince said firmly, clearly aware of her heritage.
The room was dark except for the light emanating from the curio, and it cast shadows along the contours of his face. He was easy on the eyes—a regal nose, slight widow’s peak, a strong jaw with dark whiskers just beneath the surface if you looked close enough. Features you wouldn’t see on a warrior so much as a king. Despite his age and a few silver hairs, he had a young look about him, seasoned somewhere in his late thirties.
Kat shrugged. “People don’t care about the royal bloodline now that we have Councils and the higher authority. Not all the Shifters today know about the old countries that didn’t enslave our kind. Most probably don’t have a clue that in some places, Shifters once held a lot of power and control, led by royal families. Even if it were common knowledge, I doubt most would care.”
“Yes,” he agreed, his gaze drifting toward a da
rk corner. “Years ago, when rumors of Shifter slavery began to surface, it planted a seed with some of the more power-hungry immortals. They coveted our wealth and dominion. Why allow us to flourish when most places were treating us no better than cattle? Our only true magic is shifting to animal form, so many subjugated our kind, forcing wolves to pull sleds, our horses to travel, and our panthers as recreational punishment. I left two places I called home when this insidious mentality began to spread like a plague.”
“Must have been a hard life for an alpha, always on the move and starting over.”
Boy, did Kat know all about that. She moved so much she practically lived out of a plastic bag more than a suitcase.
“I did what was required to survive. I thought Russia would hold; we had so many in positions of power there.” He rested his chin against his fist, swept up in the memories. “Your father was an intelligent man. While he made alliances with other Breeds, he also recruited Shifters into the territory to increase our numbers. We had a strong footing for many years. But times were changing; war was imminent even among the humans. Alex never spoke of me?”
Kat shook her head, remembering how reluctant her father was to discuss the details of his past. Only when he was full of spirits did he recount the glory days before it all went to hell. But when Kat would ask more questions, he’d switch to a lighter topic, saying his princess didn’t need to hear such stories of horror and bloodshed. Her father’s pain was buried deep, and as much as she’d wanted him to confide in her, it wasn’t worth taking the chance that those old memories resurfacing could destroy that man he’d become.
She curled her legs beneath her and turned on her right side to face him. Prince seemed like the kind of man she could talk to—someone who wouldn’t hold back, and she liked that about him. “Were you two close?”
“We were like brothers.” A rueful smile crossed his face, revealing the same anguished look she’d once seen from her father.
“And what happened that you haven’t seen him after all this time?”
A dark look dimmed the light in his eyes. “They imprisoned your father and banished me from my home. They threatened to execute him if I returned. I often wondered if it was an empty threat to keep me out—that perhaps they’d already murdered him long ago on that winter’s day.”
