Charming (A Seven World Novel)

by Dannika Dark

  “I won’t be able to get the chopper back for another hour,” Prince said, glancing at his naked wrist and then realizing he didn’t have on a watch. Just that nice body-hugging T-shirt that showed off his taut muscles.

  Which made Kat take another swig before humming “Bad Moon Rising.”

  Nadia offered her hand to Prince. “Let’s go.”

  He stood up and looked down at Kat. “Do you think we should leave her in this condition?”

  Well, that was embarrassing. Either Prince thought she was a lunatic or a drunk. Kat leaned back against the short wall along the edge of the building, soaking in the humiliation. Sure, she could have revealed why she’d taken down the table like a bridesmaid diving for a bouquet, but what were the odds of them believing her? Didn’t matter. As long as they went straight home, Kat was fine with being the delusional sister for the evening. Nadia’s apartment was safer than the roof of a building downtown. More than half her complex was Breed, so they usually kept an eye on things.

  Prince sent a text message and turned to Nadia. “One of my men will escort you home. Your sister’s in no condition to operate a vehicle, so I’ll bring her back safely.”

  Swell. He thinks I’m an alcoholic, Kat thought with amusement. Especially humorous since they’d drank half the bottle and she’d only taken two sips.

  Nadia shook her head and touched his arm. “You should be sainted.”

  Kat climbed onto the wall and swung her legs over the edge, listening to the hard click of high heels growing distant.

  Strong hands gripped her shoulders. “Hey, this is dangerous. You might fall.”

  She patted the spot to her left. “Live on the edge, Charming. You get a whole new perspective on life from this seat versus the one behind you.”

  Prince straddled the wall and gingerly lifted one of his long legs over the edge, leaning back at first, then peering down with curiosity at the twinkling lights below.

  “What are we looking at?” he asked.

  She handed him the bottle of Italian wine and pointed at the smaller building across from them. “Vlad was here. He must have jumped over from that rooftop and was moving in on you guys when you were about to lock lips.”

  Kat could feel the intensity of his gaze as he studied her.

  “Sorry I ruined your dinner. Again,” she said, still looking at the building in front of them. “It was either that or watch you guys take an unplanned free fall. He’s messing with my head. I don’t think he knows Nadia is related to me, or I’m positive he would have gone through with it. He probably thinks she’s just one of your floozies.” Kat snorted and then snatched the wine when she noticed he wasn’t drinking it.

  “Vlad is a man who doesn’t give empty threats. If he was here on this roof, then he meant to go through with something. Had you not intervened, he would have taken us by complete surprise. I don’t believe he was taunting you. He wouldn’t have been able to fight all three of us, and he’s just the sort of man who would rather stab someone in the back than fight with honor.”

  “I’m such an idiot,” she said under her breath. “I led him right to you.”

  A gust of wind blew from behind, and Kat leaned back to keep her balance. Prince did the same and made no attempt to get up. In fact, he tilted his head back and closed his eyes, an indefinable expression painted on his handsome face. A look that was relaxed and introspective, and she stole a private moment to admire his profile. She was drawn to his confident nature, and yet she couldn’t help but notice a hint of sadness beneath it all.

  “This is nice,” he said. “I’ve never sat on the edge of a building. People would find it foolish for someone with my responsibilities to be so impetuous.”

  His leg brushed against her knee and it gave her butterflies. Katarina Kozlov—bounty hunter—felt a flutter in her tummy over a man.

  “Being important sounds like a drag. You’re so busy trying to do the right thing that you don’t actually do the stuff that matters.”

  “Sitting inches from death matters?”

  Kat set the bottle down behind her. “Sure. Sometimes you have to get close to the edge to remind yourself what life’s about. It’s not just about rules or what’s on TV tonight. It’s about taking a second to look up and admire the universe.” They both simultaneously glanced up at the sky. “It’s about taking a deep breath and listening to the sounds of life. Maybe it sounds corny to you, but it’s how I get past all the drama with Nadia. I just sit back and remember that this won’t last and how thankful I am that she’s in my life. Sitting on the edge reminds me that someday I’m going to be nothing more than a handful of dust, so I need to make the most of every opportunity. The only way to live life is to live in the present. You can’t put things off thinking you’ll have time later. There may not be a later.”

  Right there, on the ledge of a building with stars above and city streets below, Prince leaned over and kissed her. The moment their lips touched, the entire world melted away, and it felt as if they had been lifted by the wind and embraced by the stars. His tongue met with hers—insistent and experienced. Nothing about his kiss was clumsy or hurried, and it was as if they’d been lovers for centuries.

  Kat reached up and pulled the band out of his hair so she could run her fingers through it. He moaned against her mouth, kissing her harder, and her body pulsed with need. When she peeked through her lashes at him, his brows were drawn together in a slant—an intense look that was so hot she shut her eyes and kissed him harder. She drew closer to him as he slid his hand around her lower back, and all she could think about was the stupid flannel shirt creating a barrier between his palm and her flesh.

  When she nibbled on his lip, he pulled back.

  “Wait,” he said with a throaty growl.

  She glanced down and noticed he was holding her right thigh with a forceful grip. Oops. Kat had gotten so carried away that she’d tried to straddle him.

  On the ledge of a high-rise building.

  Tripping over her feet was one thing, but plummeting to her death while making out with a Packmaster was something entirely different.

  His charismatic smile made a graceful appearance, and Kat couldn’t help but notice that Prince looked like a different man with his hair down. There wasn’t enough light to see the differences in his eye color, only to notice how they lit up when he looked at her. “You’re one of a kind.”

  Kat’s heart clenched. No one had ever said romantic words to her—not like that. One of a kind was the best kind of compliment given she was an identical twin. “Why are you so nice to me?”

  He leaned in, his warm lips against her neck, his breath heating her skin, the moon reflecting off his hair as it tangled in the wind. “I want you, Kat. My wolf sings for you whenever you’re near.”

  Breathless, she pushed him back and swallowed hard. “You barely know me. I’ve almost gotten you killed. I hunt men for a living and wear a knife strapped to my chest. I talk too much. I eat like a horse and—”

  “And if you keep talking, Katarina, I’m going to make love to you on this ledge. Everything about you I want. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just you as you are.”

  “But Nadia…”

  He pressed his index finger against her lips. “She doesn’t want me. She wants the idea of me.”

  “How do you know?”

  Prince was just a breath away from her lips. “Because she doesn’t look at me the way you do. I don’t feel her soul staring into mine like an imprint on my existence. You’re brutally honest with who you are, and I find that incredibly attractive. I have no desire to pursue your sister any further than it’s gone tonight. I don’t wish to mislead anyone.”

  “You never did tell me about your parents.”

  Prince kissed her feverishly, and Kat gave in, closing her eyes and slowing down until the kiss became demanding. Her body hummed with energy, and the next thing she knew, he was standing up and pulling her into his arms. The wind blew her hair to the side, but she didn
’t care. All she wanted were moonlight kisses.

  His dark hair twisted into tousled strands, obscuring his eyes and then revealing them once more.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” she said on a breath.

  “Like what?”

  Like you love me, she thought. Kat had seen that look plenty of times among mated Shifters. Courtships were so different than in the human world, and some believed in life mates, which was the equivalent of a soul mate. If that were true, then what about her father and mother? If they weren’t life mates, why would they have settled?

  “What are you thinking?” he asked. “I don’t like it when you’re quiet.”

  “No one’s ever said that to me before.” Kat smiled and broke into a soft laugh. “I just crashed on top of your dinner table and ruined your night, and now you’re telling me you can’t wait to see what I’ll do next? I’m like one of those TV shows, Charming. Don’t mix feelings of love with the thrill of watching a car chase.”

  His brows knitted together. “You don’t understand.”

  “Trust me, I get it. Your life has gotten a little monotonous and safe, and I’m a carnival ride. I live a crazy life, and people are attracted to that, but the novelty wears off after a while. You’re going to realize this is too much craziness for your taste, so don’t declare something you’re not ready for.”

  He encircled her waist with his strong arms, and the intense look that crossed his face frightened her. Prince had all the manners of an aristocrat, but she couldn’t forget for one second that he was an ancient alpha who might revert back to barbaric ways and toss her off the building.

  His gaze never wavered. “Trust me, I’m more than ready.”

  “You don’t want this.”

  “Shut up, Kat.”

  Her eyes widened. “Did you just tell me to shut up?”

  “Yep.”

  She hooked her right leg around his. “Ooo, I love it when you speak like the commoners.”

  She kissed his neck and relished the feel of his whiskers against her lips. “You’re vibrating,” she whispered.

  “Mmm, yes.”

  Kat stepped back. “No, your phone. It’s vibrating.”

  Prince pulled his phone out of his pocket, a look of annoyance on his face. “Yes?”

  While he answered, she lifted the fallen table and set it right, whispering to herself, “Kat, you have completely lost your mind.” She briefly eyed the small cakes and wondered if the five-second rule applied on a rooftop. Although five seconds had already elapsed into five minutes.

  When she looked over her shoulder at Prince, he was frozen beneath a shower of moonlight, his dark hair rippling in the wind. He held the phone at his side, and an emotion flickered in his eyes that sent a shiver down her spine.

  Kat pivoted around and closed the distance between them, her heart beating in double time. “What’s wrong?”

  Prince kept his eyes on the shattered plates, his voice gruff. “There was an ambush.” After what seemed like an eternity of silence, his eyes dragged up to meet hers. “Nadia was taken.”

  Emotions erupted so suddenly that she couldn’t contain the sorrow and rage swirling together like an imminent storm. Kat lifted the wine bottle and hurled it so violently that it smashed on the neighboring rooftop.

  “I’ll kill you, Vlad!” she screamed into the void. “Do you hear me? You’re dead!”

  ***

  Prince wouldn’t allow Kat to drive in her emotional state. She was livid and liable to wreck the car. They arrived at Nadia’s apartment at lightning speed, staying long enough to grab the flash drive and some other items Kat wanted.

  It wasn’t safe to remain there, so Prince left the city and drove them to his mansion. Despite the late hour, neither of them was tired. Kat was despondent, so he didn’t pressure her to talk. The guard opened the main gate, which stood almost twenty feet high. Prince parked on the right side, and they entered the house through the breezeway. Once inside, Kat stalked through the rotunda toward the back of the house without saying a word, oblivious to her lavish surroundings, her stride angry as she disappeared around the corner.

  “Sire,” Russell said, bowing respectfully. He had on a tight-fitted white shirt with dark suspenders. It was a look that had always amused Prince, but the situation was far too grim for such humorous distractions.

  “What happened?” Prince demanded.

  His Scottish packmate was still sporting fresh injuries to his face and lip. “A Mage slammed into my motor when we crossed an intersection. I thought he was hammered, but then he pulled the woman out. I had to crawl through an open window to go after him. The shitebag knocked me unconscious with a blast of energy, and when I woke up, he was gone.”

  “And Nadia? Was she injured?” Anger ripped through Prince like a streak of lightning, and it took everything in his power not to shift. Nadia didn’t deserve this.

  “Probably took a hit to her noggin, but she’s not dead.”

  Prince traced his finger across his eyebrow, trying to dissect what Vlad was up to by kidnapping Nadia. He couldn’t have known she was Kat’s twin since he had only seen her from behind on the rooftop.

  “Why didn’t you shift and heal?” Prince asked, looking at the cut on Russell’s hand.

  His beta pulled a few pieces of glass from his unruly hair. “I deserve what I got, and I’ll keep the scars as a reminder.”

  Prince respected him for taking accountability. “Did you see what the car looked like?”

  “The license plate is burned into my brain,” he gritted out.

  “Good. I want you to pay a visit to the man I think was behind this. Tell me if the car on the property matches the plates. I need to know if he was foolish enough to return home or if he’s gone into hiding.”

  Russell clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. “What’s the bastard’s name?”

  “Vladimir Romanov. I’ve looked through his file, but I want you to speak to your contacts and see what else you can find out.”

  Prince looked past Russell at Kat strutting into the room, tearing off a strip of meat from a barbecue rib with her teeth.

  “I couldn’t find a microwave,” she said unapologetically.

  Russell turned around and said, “We don’t have one.”

  Kat waved the bone at Prince, and he sensed the fire in her had returned. “Christmas wish list. So what’s the plan? I need a plan, Charming. I can’t just sit here waiting for him to call—if he calls. He’s got my sister.”

  “Your sister?” Russell asked, stepping forward. “Aye, I can see the resemblance. She’s a bonnie lass, but you don’t have her flaxen hair and comely smile.”

  Kat narrowed her eyes at him. “I don’t think we’ve been introduced.”

  Prince moved between them. “Russell, this is Katarina Kozlov, my close companion.”

  They both turned their eyes to Prince, but he didn’t retract the declaration.

  “And how close is a close companion?” Russell asked, his green eyes glittering with interest.

  “Kat, this is Russell Stover, one of my most loyal packmates and second-in-command.”

  Kat snorted and licked a dab of sauce from her hand. The sight of her wet tongue made Prince shift his stance.

  “Your name is Russell Stover?”

  “My father was half-German,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “He had a remarkable sense of humor.”

  Kat blinked and looked him over. “I don’t even get that.”

  “Course you wouldn’t, being that you’re Russian.”

  “Hey, we’re funny. My Russian roots are freaking hilarious,” Kat said, waving her rib.

  “Aye,” Russell agreed, strolling upstairs. “That cold war had me in stitches for a decade.”

  Prince covered his eyes and suppressed his laughter.

  Kat gave him a peevish glance. “Well, I’m glad someone around here has a sense of humor.” />
  He took the rib from her hand and tossed it at one of the wolves guarding the main room. “You remind me so much of your father.”

  For the first time, Kat broke down. Her knees almost buckled as she fell against Prince, her arms encircling his broad chest and her tears wetting his thin shirt. He breathed in her scent, whispering words of comfort in Russian.

  “We’ll find your father and sister. You have my promise.”

  She shook her head against his chest. “I can’t lose her. Nadia’s all I have left. She has nothing to do with this. It should have been me.”

  “Kat, look at me.” He cradled her head and forced her to look up. “I won’t allow this bastard to harm your family.”

  “Promise?”

  Prince didn’t think it was a promise he could keep, not if Vlad was on the move. He’d hunt him down for as long as it took and tear him to pieces when caught, but a promise like that could destroy her trust in him.

  “Russell!” he shouted at the ceiling.

  Within seconds, his packmate appeared halfway down the curved staircase. “I’m not done yet.”

  “Put out a bulletin to all the packs in the territory. Give them the car description and license plate. I want them alive, and no one is to harm the woman. Offer a substantial reward. Contact my allies in all directions near major highways. I want them to create diversions and slow traffic down enough to check out the vehicles. I don’t want Vlad leaving the city limits. And do me a favor… have someone drive to Nadia Kozlov’s apartment and retrieve the yellow car out front. Same address I provided you for the helicopter.”

  “Right away,” Russell said, running up the stairs.

  Kat backed away from Prince, her lashes wet. “You can do all that?”

  “I have an immeasurable amount of power. Not only in this territory, brave one, but in all the Southern states.”

  “Thank you. That’ll help a lot.”

  He reached up and wiped a dab of barbecue sauce off her chin. “Is your wolf hungry? Does she need to run?”

  Kat nodded. “Both. But… I don’t feel comfortable letting her out on your property. She doesn’t know your pack.”