by Dannika Dark
“And that is why I’ve chosen her.” Prince stepped forward, his voice resolute. “In all the centuries I’ve been alive, I’ve had nothing else to live for of substance. No mate, and while I may have once trivialized the matter, there is nothing trivial about Kat.”
Alex had a way of dissecting a man with his stare. Prince stood his ground, never averting his eyes, and got a bone-deep fear that maybe his friend would forbid the pairing. Kat was still an adult who could choose her own destiny, but Prince respected old customs, which dictated that as long as her father was alive, Prince must win Alex’s approval for the pairing.
And Prince was dead set about becoming mated. He had yet to find out if Kat was a woman easily won, but he had a feeling she’d make the chase hard, and that pleased him immensely.
Alex kept his steely eyes centered on Prince, tugging on his beard. “You are asking my permission for Kat?”
“I’m asking for your approval. I’ll court her regardless of your answer, but I would like your blessing. As my friend, my brother, and—”
Alex burst out laughing. “And your father!” He patted Prince on the arm. “That would make us related in a most amusing way. For that reason, I approve. But you listen to me, old friend. If you hurt or deceive her, then that will be you,” he said, pointing toward Vlad. “Nyet. I will not watch my daughter’s heart be broken, and worse if it’s by someone I trust. You think about that before you decide how serious you want to get with my Kat. My daughters are not the only royal blood remaining, and I can put you in contact with two other families who have daughters for you to consider.”
The hell he would. Prince would love to have children with Kat, but none of this was about the purity of her blood; it was about the way he loved her and the way he wanted to love her.
With every ounce of respect he could summon in his voice, Prince answered. “I would be honored if you gave us your blessing, and you have my solemn vow as your friend and spirit brother that I will never cause harm to you or your family. I can assure you I will not only give Katarina the protection and security she deserves, but the love. I’m not a man who has warmed up to many women in my lifetime, and you know this more than anyone. But she’s changed me… or awakened me. I have the greatest respect for the woman you’ve raised.”
“And you would not want to change her? You would be a fool to try,” he said, shaking his finger. “My Kat is a creature who cannot be reckoned with, and she would learn to hate the man who tried to shape her into a woman she is not.”
“I would only suggest she consider a local job as a private investigator. She’s an exceptional bounty hunter, but that would require too much travel and time away from her pack.”
Alex began walking and they drew closer to the body. “Good luck with that if she agrees. I quit trying to change who she was when she was twelve and decided to learn how to shoot a gun.” Alex playfully glanced at Prince over his shoulder. “She always had better aim than me.”
“Then why does she carry a knife on her instead of a gun?”
“I made that holster for her a long time ago so it wouldn’t fall off her wolf. I hid the ring inside, and that was partly the reason I made it. Kat is sentimental and I knew she would always cherish it because it was something I made special for her. But I never wanted her to be without protection. The stunner was a necessity because a Mage is hard to catch, and that left little room for a gun. She carried one, but then a man took it from her and shot her in the chest. It was hard for her to recover because the bullet was lodged inside, and that made a mess when she shifted. After that, she kept the gun in her car. I think in time she’ll change her ways, especially if she moves to a state with a concealed handgun law,” he said with a chuckle.
Prince lifted his chin. “She’ll move here. I’m certain she’ll accept my claim.”
“And what will you do to win her heart?”
Prince considered it. “I’m taking her to a place called Cracker Barrel tonight for dinner before buying her something called peanut brittle.”
Alex belted out a boisterous laugh. “There is hope for you after all, my friend. But it will take far more than food to win her devotion. You have your work cut out for you.”
They stood next to Vlad’s limp body, and Prince sighed, reflecting upon how many lives this man had destroyed in his lifetime. And for what? Power. Greed. Money. A stupid ring.
“Well, what do you want to do with him?” Prince asked.
Alex looked at the stretch of woods surrounding them. “Seems wrong to bury him on your land. There’s evil in his blood, and it will taint the soil.”
Leaves rustled, and Vlad exploded into action as he rose up and drove an arrow into Alex’s leg. Prince kicked him in the chin, and the force caused him to fly back, blood spattering on his shirt from the open gash.
“No, no!” Alex yelled, holding out his left hand. “Leave him to me.”
Alex pulled out an arrow and drew back his bow. He wore a black glove that covered his thumb and three fingers to protect them. The muscles in his arm tensed as he held position, lowering the tip of his arrow toward Vlad’s heart.
Accepting his death, Vlad leaned back and laughed. “Go on and do it. No matter how hard you try to elevate yourselves, you’ll never be more than sled dogs to us.”
The arrow whistled as it sliced through the air and into Vlad’s heart. He fell back, mouth agape.
Alex leaned forward and broke the arrow that had penetrated his leg. Blood flowed freely, saturating his pants as he pulled it free. He tore a strip of fabric from the bottom of his shirt and tied it over the wound. “I’ll shift later—if I do it now, my wolf is liable to feast on his remains.”
Prince fished the ruby ring from his pocket and it caught a flicker of sunlight. “What should we do with this?”
“Toss it into the river. Nadia would love an artifact such as that, and it would fetch a handsome price. But old magic like that should sink to the bottom where it belongs. Those trinkets weren’t created to protect but to destroy. Someone will suffer because of that ring, so get rid of it.”
“I’ll have my men dispose of the body. Do you want me to finish him off?”
Alex pulled out his hunting knife and inspected each side. A Mage didn’t die easily, and there was no guarantee Vlad wouldn’t draw healing energy from the sunlight and rejuvenate, so the custom was to remove the head from the body.
Alex squatted next to Vlad’s lifeless body and looked up at Prince. “This is personal. He took my freedom more than once and tried to take my sanity. Then he took my child. Now I will take his head.”
Prince dropped the ring back in his pocket and turned away. “And if Kat calls, where do you want me to tell her you are?”
A low chuckle rose from behind. “If my Kat calls, you tell her I’m taking the head of my enemy. If Nadia asks, tell her… tell her I’m fishing.”
Chapter 16
“You’re an exceptional snuggler, Charming,” Kat said. “Anyone ever tell you that?”
She melted when Prince shifted his body behind her to press himself even closer. She loved the way they fit together, the way his hands memorized every curve, the way he smelled, the feel of his strong heart beating against her back and picking up tempo whenever she did something as simple as stroking his hand.
His breath heated her ear, his words playful. “This is the most unusual date I’ve been on.”
She stuck her right toe into her left sock and pulled it off. “Casual is always the way to go. Pizza, fresh brownies, and Die Hard movies wrapped up with a Three’s Company marathon? You’ve been missing out.”
“I have to admit, I’m intrigued by Chrissy Snow.”
Kat peered over her shoulder. “Maybe it’s because of her big tits.”
She shivered when he covered her mouth and scolded her with his mismatched eyes. “I think it’s how she always gets the wrong idea. It reminds me of someone.”
She licked the palm of his hand until he pulled it
away. “Oh, really? Who? Because I don’t remember ever—”
“On the rooftop with your sister. I still believe you would have crashed onto our table, regardless if Vlad was there or not.”
She turned on her back, her knees bent. Kat wasn’t sure where her father would end up moving and whether or not she would follow, but she knew she had to make a career choice soon, and that fork in the road was a lot more frightening close up. “So… where are we going with this? I’ve been staying with Nadia for a week and dividing my time between you and my father.”
Prince traced his finger over one of her eyebrows. “Has he decided if he wants to settle here and start a pack or move elsewhere?”
“He’s been out of the loop for a while. You can imagine how hard it’ll be for him to get a good second-in-command to help build a pack. That takes time, and he sure doesn’t want someone’s leftovers. He won’t go rogue either, but it’s a lot to figure out for a man who’s starting over again. He’s been living in basements for the past twenty years, so maybe he deserves a short vacation before immersing himself in pack politics.”
“I spoke to your father about us.”
Kat’s throat instantly dried up and her heart skipped a beat. She suddenly had visions of her father hunting Prince in the woods.
He stroked her cheek and then rested his hand beside her, twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers. “He balked about it for a few seconds, but Alex is a fair man. He won’t deny you something if it’s what you desire.”
“So what does this mean? You’re a dapper guy, but you’re not making any big moves, and I have to get back to my job.”
“I’m courting you, Kat. That means you’re the only woman in my sights, and I have intentions for this to end with a mating ceremony. We’ve been casual for the past week because of how fast things were moving, and I wanted to slow down and let you focus on your family. But now that we’ve watched a sitcom together, this needs to move to the next level.”
Hearing those words from his lips was like a clap of thunder. What they had was more than attraction, unbelievable sex, or wishful thinking; his claim was a declaration of intent. Wolves mated for life, and Prince was openly inviting her into his pack to live their lives together.
Earlier that week, he’d formally introduced her to his wolf—a handsome black-and-grey animal with mismatched eyes. The moment he shifted, one of his packmates reactively pulled Kat away, and Prince’s wolf lunged at him. Prince had protected her in both human and wolf form, and she knew he was a man she could trust completely. But Kat wasn’t raised to be easy prey for any man, and she wanted the courtship to be long so she could be certain she wasn’t just caught up in the moment.
“Do you love me?” she asked. Wondered. Hoped. Feared. Never had a single word roused so many emotions.
His lips brushed against hers and she straightened her legs, a flame of desire heating her body. “If I’ve not said the words aloud in the right way, then let it be known, Katarina Kozlov, that you have ensnared my heart. I’ve never given those words to a woman. My love is steadfast, and I vow to never smother the proud alpha that you are. You’ll help me lead my pack, and I’ll pluck the moon from the heavens if it pleases you.”
Kat’s heart warmed, and as much as she wanted to tease him for waxing poetic, she couldn’t. That was who Prince was, and that was exactly what she admired about him. Even the fact that he was snuggled behind her in a tie gave her goose bumps because it just meant more of him to undress.
“And do you, Katarina, love me?”
“Yep.”
He tapped her nose. “Just yep?”
She curled her hands behind his neck, and he rolled halfway onto her in response. “I like you, Charming. I really do. But I’m not going to lie. The love you give to me feels so… undeserved. You love me so perfectly, but I don’t know how to love you the way you deserve to be loved. You should be seduced by an oiled-up woman wearing a bustier and a thong, not lying on a sofa watching sexual innuendos from the seventies.”
His eyes glittered when she laughed softly. “You’ve already found the way to my heart, Kat. Just keep doing what you’re doing and we’ll meet somewhere in the middle.” He eased up on his elbows. “Will your sister have trouble accepting my intentions with you? I don’t want to be the cause of a rift.”
With that lovely thought, Kat scooted to a sitting position.
Prince had converted one of the rooms in his mansion just for her. He must have tired of her complaining about his pristine sofas, so he’d purchased a plush one from a discount store and had it thoroughly steam cleaned. Kat didn’t feel like she had to spot-check her clothes before sitting, and she wanted to feel completely at home when she was around him. That was hard to do when sitting on a snow-white sofa. He had taken the time to decorate the room with furnishings he thought she’d enjoy, such as a popcorn machine in the corner and posters of television shows she’d mentioned were her favorites. Kat didn’t even know TV shows made posters, but when he’d revealed the room to her, she’d laughed so hard that she nearly peed her pants.
Not to mock him, but because she was so floored by how much thought he put into everything he did for her. He’d even bought her a pair of running shoes with short laces. Just thinking about those thoughtful gestures, she realized she could love a man like him forever.
Kat curved her hand around his arm and held on. “Nadia’s going to be fine. You were right. We had a long talk, and she’s not interested in you.”
His brows popped up and it made her chuckle.
“I don’t mean that in a bad way, only that she was more swept up with the idea of you than whether or not there was a connection. I think her friend Naya is setting her up on another date this weekend, so you’re in the clear.” Kat turned her attention to the television and laughed at a scene before looking back. “Why didn’t my father try to contact you after he escaped from Russia? I tried to ask him about it, but he doesn’t want to talk about that part of his life.”
Prince began rolling up the sleeves of his dark blue shirt. “We spoke privately about this after Vlad’s capture. I don’t think I’ll ever understand his decision; I wasn’t raised to make selfless choices, and he was only a good friend, not family. Not by blood nor by pack.”
“Sometimes people put their lives at risk for strangers, Charming. It’s just the right thing to do, and for him, I’m sure he saw no other choice.”
Prince nodded, reaching around and removing the band from his ponytail. Kat’s toes curled when he shook loose his dark hair and let it fall over his shoulders.
“When I asked why he didn’t search for me after his escape, he admitted he’d been living in hiding for decades, and he was ashamed. While he’d found his freedom, he knew Vlad would search for him because of that ring. The world was much bigger then, Kat. We couldn’t look up someone on the Internet or in a phone directory. When he moved to America, Cognito was a city Breed naturally gravitated to. He heard my name in certain circles but decided there was a reason our lives had diverged in the same way that they had once intersected. He said if fate meant for us to rekindle our friendship, then it would make plans.”
“Huh,” Kat remarked. “It makes you wonder about all the coincidences in life. I met you because I followed my father’s old nemesis to town, but how did you meet Nadia?”
When his face turned scarlet, she scooted toward him excitedly. This looked too juicy to ignore.
He cleared his throat and attempted to focus on the TV. “There was a woman I foolishly made an offer to because she would have been an ideal match.”
“You mean the whole pureblood thing, right?” Kat straightened his tie, itching to run her fingers through his wonderful hair.
He lifted his chin as if he didn’t deserve her affection. “She denied me for another man. When I went to extend my congratulations while tending to other business matters, Nadia was there. We were introduced, and I couldn’t help but ask about her surname. It was then that
she mentioned a name I hadn’t heard in over two hundred years. So I offered her a ride home.”
“I like the sound of that. Let’s steal that story and make it ours.”
“And why would I do that?” he asked, pulling her onto his lap so that she was straddling him.
Kat offered him a sultry smile and shrugged. “People might ask how we met, and you’ll get embarrassed telling them that I crashed your date with my twin, shared cold pizza with you on the sofa, dragged you to a rundown bar where I zipped up your pants, and got you into a bar fight with a Mage.”
His ardent kisses trailed along her neck and she rocked her hips, dark hunger gnawing her from within. “On the contrary, that’s the best story I can think of. Except you left out the part where you got naked on top of another man.”
“You smell nice,” she whispered, licking her lips. She slid her hand around to the nape of his neck and gave his hair a gentle tug.
“And what do I smell like?”
“Yummy.”
When he broke the kiss, she pouted and gave him a disapproving look.
It was hard to stay mad for long when she looked into his brown and blue eyes, perfectly framed by his dark brows and lashes.
“I have some news. Do you remember Reno?”
She nodded and tried to catch her breath, wondering how anyone could be in the midst of a passionate moment and just pull away to start discussing other men.
Prince placed his hands on her thighs and gave them a light squeeze. “It looks like Reno’s going to need some help. The higher authority reviewed the files you sent from Vlad’s computer, and they’ve officially declared several men outlaws they were previously unable to identify. Two left the state, but a couple are still living in the area. They also passed along information regarding local trading rings and offered Reno a substantial amount of money to investigate and break them up. But he can’t do it alone, and I suggested you might be interested. I think it will be good for you to establish strong connections in our territory and complete a big case to build your reputation.”
