Glenn, Stormy - Mating Heat (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Неизвестный

  "Evidence of what, Nixona?"

  Nix almost rolled her eyes. The respect she had for the position her father held was the only thing keeping her in line at the moment. "Haven't you been listening to me? Vasile has been draining Others of their life force, killing them so he can gain their powers."

  "That’s impossible."

  "Is it?" Nix asked. "Or does Vasile have you convinced it's impossible? Do you know anything about what he has been doing up in his tower? Have you ever even been there?" Nix clenched her fists. "Because I have. I've seen what Vasile has up in that tower, and I'm telling you, he's killing Others."

  "Don't be ridiculous. Why would Vasile need to kill Others to gain power? He's the King's advisor."

  "And maybe he wants to be King."

  King Ahlstrom sputtered for a moment before pressing his lips firmly together. "Fine then," he said as he pressed his hands together, "let's see this evidence you say you have."

  Nix started up the steps to give the flash drive to her father when it suddenly flew out of her hand, across the room, and smashed into the wall. It fell to the floor, breaking into several different pieces.

  Nix turned toward the tsking noise she heard, knowing who she would see before she even turned fully around. Vasile stood at the edge of the dais her father's throne sat on, his signature white and purple robes flowing in the breeze around him.

  "Nixona," he chided, "why would you make these wild accusations against me? I've only ever wanted your happiness."

  "You lying sack of shit," Nix snapped. Those probably were not the right words to use considering the dark red flush that filled Vasile's face, but Nix was beyond caring. The man had killed so many people, and he wanted to hide it. Nix wasn't about to let that happen. "I was just telling my father about your little endeavor at the research facility, about all of the Others you've killed and stolen power from."

  "Nixona, we will have to discuss this disrespectful attitude of yours." Vasile shook his head as he made that tsking noise again. He took several steps closer to Nix. "It will not be allowed once you are my wife."

  Nix gaped. "You're not serious. You actually think I'm going to marry you?"

  "Your father has given me your hand in marriage. It is a promise made by your King."

  "That’s because my father doesn't know what a dirtbag you are." Nix saw Vasile raise his hand to hit her, but before the blow could land, a large, dark figure leapt past her and attacked Vasile.

  Nix tried to run forward, but two strong arms wrapped around her from behind, holding her back. Nix just had to stand there and watch Cort fight Vasile, and she knew it was Cort. Boone was the one holding her.

  The fight seemed to end almost as quickly as it started. One minute Cort was biting into Vasile's arm. The next moment he flew across the room and hit the wall, sliding down to the floor to lie in an unconscious heap.

  Nix cried out and pulled away from Boone to race across the room to Cort. She dropped to her knees and started feeling over his larger and hairier body for injuries. Nothing felt broken, and the only blood she could see came from around Cort's muzzle.

  "Cort?" Nix whispered. When he didn't move, she looked over at Boone, stricken by the thought that Cort could be mortally wounded. He was breathing. Nix could feel his chest moving up and down under her hands. She just didn't know how long that would last.

  "Boone, wha—" Nix's eyes widened and she let out a scream as Boone suddenly flew across the room and landed in a heap on the floor, looking a lot like Cort. Nix jumped to her feet and started to run to Boone when she heard a horrible cackle.

  Total terror filled Nix as she turned to look at Vasile. Her heart pounded frantically, her hands clenching in the soft fabric of her skirts. Vasile was mad, a total lunatic. The evil sounds of laughter fell from his lips so easily that Nix knew one of them was going to die.

  Nix cast one last look at Boone, then Cort, wishing she had more time to tell them how much they meant to her, how much she loved them both. She hoped that they would be able to stay together and love each other if she died because as strong as she might be, she didn't know if she could win against Vasile.

  Turning toward Vasile, Nix let the full strength of her powers flow through her body. She could see the surprise and shock in Vasile's eyes, the hesitancy, as if he suddenly figured out he might have bitten off more than he could chew.

  A sudden gust of wind blew through the large room, Nix's hair blowing around her face and shoulders. She shivered a little, the hairs on her arms standing up. There seemed to be an electrical pulse in the room, maybe brought in on the cold breeze, maybe not.

  "You have harmed those that deserve our protection," Nix said, surprised at the steadiness of her voice considering she felt like she shook in her shoes. "You have harmed my mates."

  "Mates?" her father shouted.

  Nix didn’t bother giving her father a glance as she started advancing on Vasile. She didn't even acknowledge that he had spoken. Her eyes remained on Vasile. He was the cause of all of this misery.

  "You will pay for the harm you have done."

  "And you think you're the one to do it, little girl?" Vasile sneered. Despite the disdain in Vasile's voice, Nix could see the fear in his eyes. "You're a pampered little Princess. I am the King's advisor. You don't have a chance of winning against me."

  "Maybe not, maybe I'll die, but I'll take you to hell with me." Nix raised her hands and sent a gust of wind spiraling toward Vasile. She really didn't have any idea how strong she was or even what she could do. She could only hope for the best.

  Just as the strong wind started swirling around Vasile, he held up his hand. The silence in the room was almost deafening in effect. Nix swore she could hear the breath leaving her body as the wind stopped just as suddenly as it started.

  "Anything else, Princess?" Vasile smirked.

  Rage poured through Nix, spurring her on. She raised her hands again and sent more wind toward Vasile. She started sending objects flying at the man, chairs, vases, cups from the low-set tables around the room.

  Tears began to stream down Nix's face as she wondered if she did indeed have it in her to win against Vasile. A slight movement to one side of her caught Nix's attention. She turned her head just enough to see Cort sit up.

  Elation filled Nix, almost overpowering her anger, until she remembered that Boone still lay in an unconscious heap on the other side of the room. Pushing her need to go to her mates aside, Nix concentrated on fighting Vasile. It might be the only way to save both of her mates.

  "I will not let you continue to harm our people," Nix shouted. "You've fooled my father and my people long enough. I know what you are, what you've done. I will stop you."

  Vasile laughed sadistically. "You and what army, Princess?"

  Nix had just about had enough of people calling her “Princess” in such a disdainful manner. First Dane, now Vasile saw her as a pampered Princess. She might be a Princess, but she was a pissed-off Princess with some power in her. She wasn't useless.

  "I am Nixona Lissësúl, Princess of Dorthon," Nix said loudly as she started tossing more and more objects at Vasile, letting her full power flow through her body. "I am the heir to the throne of Dorthon. I will protect my people from any and all who dare to harm them, including you."

  The wind started whipping wildly around Nix as she took measured steps toward Vasile. She dimly noted that he stopped holding his hands up to stop the wind and started dodging the objects she tossed at him.

  When one of Vasile's guards stepped forward and pointed his gun at her, Nix waved her hand and sent him flying across the room until he hit the wall, much as Cort and Boone had, and slid to the floor.

  Her momentary lapse in attention allowed Vasile to attack her. Nix cried out as a large piece of wood smacked into her. Nix dropped to her knee and reached up to wipe the blood from her forehead. She looked down at the wood, absently realizing that it was the leg from a broken chair.

  Before she could react, she
heard a loud roar behind her. Nix fell on her ass as two large, hairy figures rushed past her. She watched, feeling stunned and joyous at the same time, as Boone and Cort attacked Vasile in their werewolf forms.

  Cort and Boone bit at Vasile and ripped at him with their claws. The man's loud cries of pain and terror filled the room. Nix's heart caught in her throat when Vasile got in a good punch to Cort, then turned toward Boone. Cort seemed to shake off the blow and renewed his fight, keeping Vasile from turning his full wrath on Boone.

  The remaining guard started to jump in on the fight, heading for Cort. Nix raised her hand and sent the chair leg flying through the air. She didn't even blink as it impaled the guard right in the chest and he fell to the floor in a pool of blood.

  Nix jumped to her feet and raced up the steps toward the fight. She wasn't about to let Cort and Boone fight by themselves, not when she could help. A sudden ear-splitting scream filled the air, followed by a thunderous boom.

  Nix cried out as a sudden gust of wind hit her so hard she flew back down the steps, hitting the marbled floor with a resounding thud. She ached, her bones feeling like they were broken from her fall. She knew they weren't because she could move them. She just didn't want to move them.

  But the sudden silence in the great room drew her curiosity. Nix pushed herself up into a sitting position, leaning on her arms as she glanced around the room. What she saw shocked Nix to the very core of her being.

  Cort and Boone lay on the floor not far from her, both men slowly sitting up and looking around with as much confusion as Nix felt. The guard she impaled with the wooden chair leg still lay on the floor in a pool of blood. Nix's father sat on the floor next to his throne chair, looking a bit disheveled.

  The room itself looked like a war zone. Shattered bits of pottery littered the floor in between broken pieces of furniture. Nix was briefly reminded of the mess she had made in the research facility, except she didn't think she did this.

  Quickly glancing around the room, Nix searched for Vasile, but she didn't see him anywhere in sight. She crawled to her hands and knees, then to her feet. Except for Cort and Boone, who had shifted back to their human form, King Ahlstrom, and herself, the room was empty.

  "Where is he?" she asked frantically as she searched the room. "Where's Vasile? Did he get away?"

  "Nix."

  Nix turned to look at Boone, confused when he held up a piece of material in his hands. It took her a moment to realize that the fabric was purple and white and dripping with blood. Nix pressed one hand against her chest as she pointed to the bloody material with the other.

  "Wha-What is that?"

  Boone waved his hand around to the nearly empty room. "I think this is all that is left of Vasile, Nix."

  Nix's forehead wrinkled as she frowned in confusion. "But…how?"

  "This is your world, Princess, not mine." Boone shrugged as he tossed the material down on the floor. "You tell me."

  Nix walked across the room and started to reach for what was left of the fabric when it suddenly started to smoke, then burst into flames. Nix cried out in fear and jumped back, right into Boone's arms. A moment later, another set of arms encircled them both.

  For the first time since she had driven into the valley, Nix felt safe, wrapped in the arms of the men who fought for her and the Others who were threatened by Vasile. The three of them just stood there staring at the fabric as it slowly burned away into a pile of black ash.

  There didn't seem to be anything to say at that point. Nix had no idea what happened to Vasile, but she didn't think he would ever be a problem again. Well, she could always hope, anyway. But that still left her father to deal with.

  Nix pushed away from the comforting arms of her mates and turned to face her father. She was shocked to find him sitting on the marble floor in front of his throne. There were little puffs of black smoke spiraling up from his royal robes and grey hair.

  "Father?" she asked as she took a step toward him.

  "Nixona?" He seemed very confused and slightly disturbed.

  Nix started to kneel down in front of him when someone grabbed her from behind. "No, baby, don't touch him."

  "Why?" Nix asked. "He's my father. Obviously he's—"

  "I think that whatever evil tainted Vasile is still on your father," Boone said as he wrapped an arm around Nix's waist and pulled her back. He pointed to the small spirals of smoke coming off King Ahlstrom. "Look at the smoke, honey. It's the same as the smoke on Vasile's clothes."

  Boone was right, and that sent a chill of foreboding down Nix's spine. She took a step back, leaning into Boone's arms. It gave her a measure of comfort as well as made her feel safe from whatever evil might still be on her father.

  "What can we do, Boone?" she whispered.

  "I don't know, honey," Boone whispered back. "I've never seen anything like this before."

  "I can't just let him sit there and…and…"—Nix shrugged—"smolder. I mean, what if what happened to Vasile happens to him? No matter what, he's still my father, Boone."

  Nix's heart ached as all the different possibilities of what could happen to her father filtered through her head. Granted, Nix and her father weren't that close. They never had been, but he was still her father.

  "I know, Nix, but Boone is right," Cort said as he walked up to stand beside them. "Until we understand what is going on here, I think it's better to be safe rather than sorry."

  Nix nodded. She knew both Boone and Cort were right. It didn't make her feel any better. Basically, she had to stand there and wait to see what happened with her father, hoping that he would be okay.

  "Nixona, what's going on here?" King Ahlstrom asked as he looked around the room in confusion, his eyebrows drawn together in a deep frown. "Who are these people? Where are my guards? Where's Vasile?"

  "With any luck," Nix snapped, sudden anger filling her again at her father's words, "he's rotting in hell."

  King Ahlstrom shook his head. "Nixona, you have got to put this animosity you have for Vasile aside and—"

  "And what?" Nix shouted. "Vasile is evil, Father. He kills Others to gain their power. Who knows how many he's killed by now?"

  "Don't be ridiculous, Nixona. You—"

  "How much proof do you need?" Cort asked, stepping forward. He waved his hand around the destruction in the room. "He tried to kill us. He tried to kill Nix. What does Vasile have to do to convince you that he's a fucking bastard?"

  "Who are you?"

  Nix rolled her eyes. "What part of all of this did you miss? These are my mates, Cort and Boone."

  "Mates!"

  "Yes, mates, which means there will be no marriage to Vasile for me."

  "I forbid it!" King Ahlstrom said as he struggled to his feet. "I am your King and your father, and I forbid you to mate with these…these humans. You will marry Vasile."

  "You sanctimonious piece of shit!" Nix shouted, planting her hands on her hips as she glared at her father. "You don't have the right to forbid anything. You're a disgrace to your people, to me."

  "Guards! Guards!"

  Nix rolled her eyes again. There was some part of this whole situation that her father wasn't getting, but Nix was starting to. She never had strong loving feelings for her father, but she respected his position. The respect she had was quickly fading. Nix no longer believed her father innocent in Vasile’s schemes, not with his attitude.

  The doors slammed open, and three guards ran into the room. Nix saw Cort and Boone instantly shift out of the corner of her eye as she turned to face the new threat. Before they could attack, Nix waved her hand, and the guards flew back out of the room. Nix didn't even wait for the door to slam behind them before she turned back to her father.

  "Vasile was an evil man," Nix said as she started to advance on her father. She saw a flicker of fear in his eyes just as she had in Vasile's. "You are an evil man. You blindly accepted what he did to our people, to me. You did nothing to stop it."

  "How dare you!" her father s
houted.

  "I dare a lot, Father. Father!" Nix snickered. "You don't even deserve that title. You were never a father to me. You don't even deserve the title of King. You are supposed to protect our people, not give them up on a platter to a man like Vasile."

  "I will have you executed for this."

  Nix waved her hand again and raised her father several feet off the floor. "And just how are you going to do that? Vasile is gone. Your guards can't save you. I won't even save you."

  "I'm your father!"

  "No," Nix said sadly, her heart aching with a loss she knew happened many years ago, "you were never my father. My father, my true father, died the day I was born. You're just a sad, evil man."

  The sinister laughter that fell from her father's lips chilled Nix to her bones. She was shocked to see her father float back down to the ground despite her best efforts to keep him in the air. She could feel her strength quickly fading.

  "Oh, how right you are, my little Nixona," King Ahlstrom said as his feet touched the ground. He seemed unfazed by the fact that Nix was using all of her strength to keep him in the air. King Ahlstrom settled on his feet and brushed off some singed fabric on his shoulder.

  Nix's eyes widened, dawning horror filling her as she watched her father's features change, morphing into a face she had hoped she would never to see again. "Vasile," she murmured.

  "The one and the same, Princess." Vasile chuckled as he waved his hand down his outfit. The burnt and dirty clothing changed to the clean and pristine white-and-purple robe Vasile always wore.

  "How long has my father been dead?"

  "You were correct, Nixona," Vasile replied as he moved around to sit in the King's throne. "Your father died on the day of your birth along with your mother and every other member of your family that might inherit the throne. I wasn't about to let anyone take the throne away from me."

  Nix's heart pounded when Vasile's eyes flickered to Cort and Boone. She knew if she didn't do something that her mates were going to die and Vasile would win. "If my father is dead, then how have I seen you and him in the same room on so many occasions?"