by Kimber White
Dammit!
They’d latch on to her in a second, just like I had. I charged through the brush and nearly tackled her.
She was looking straight at the cabin. I followed her gaze. The Alpha of this group stood in the doorway. A few minutes ago, he’d smashed through a window. Nova’s scent nearly overpowered me, though now it was mixed with this asshole’s. My fingers trembled. I damn near shifted myself as I leaped over the stream to try to get to her.
I had one hope. Get to Nova and cover her scent with mine before they tracked her. Then it would be a mad dash to get her the hell out of here before we had at least eight wolf shifters crashing down on our heads.
The Alpha in the doorway called to two big, dumb wolves at the side of the house. I saw the hairs stand up on the back of Nova’s neck. She knew. She understood. That wasn’t just some ordinary Alpha. He was a Tyrannous. He wrangled his pack with mind control. Total domination. Depending on how long they’d been under his influence, they might be too far gone to ever be saved.
I didn’t have time to stop and let the horror of that sink too far in. But, that was some messed up shit. To be controlled like that. Those poor bastards couldn’t eat, sleep, mate, or even shift of their own free will. For a while, I knew they would have been fully aware and fighting it on the inside. Trapped.
The Alpha turned, letting his nose sniff the shifting wind.
I grabbed Nova and pulled her back down, keeping her hidden behind a thick tree trunk. You might have just as well hooked me up to jumper cables as her skin touched mine. Little shocks jumped up and down my spine. My heart raced. My wolf strained to get out.
“Don’t move,” I whispered against her ear. Her skin was smooth, deeply tanned. She wore a white t-shirt stretched taut across her ample breasts. I could see the outline of her bra beneath the fabric. Pink lace. Mercy. What the hell was wrong with me?
Nova turned in my grasp. The slits of her eyes narrowed and went black. Oh, she had cat-eyes, all right. Luminous green near the pupils, then fading out to gold near the edges.
Her claws were out. They dug into the flesh of my upper arms. Pain blossomed into pleasure that spread through me.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” I said. “I’m here to save your ass. Those wolves pick up your scent, we’re both done for. Do you get that? There’s at least eight of them.”
She hissed at me, struggling to keep her cat contained. Part of me wanted her to let her out. I’d like to see that. And that was a sure sign I was losing my damn mind.
“Let me go,” she said, her voice surprisingly calm. The tone was low, threatening. Oh, she was strong. Deep inside, the primal part of me relished the idea of squaring off with her. I could never hurt her, but it might be fun to see how she fought.
“They can’t smell you if you stick close,” I said.
She moved so quickly I didn’t see it. I stupidly loosened my grip on her arm. She drew it back and raked her claws across my chest, opening my shirt in three jagged stripes.
I didn’t have time for that. I pushed her behind me as two pack wolves closed in, one from each direction. Their eyes were blood red. Their Alpha was in control.
I sprang into action, letting my wolf out. These two were strong, but they were only betas. They were no match for me. I took the first one out with a quick strike to the neck. I threw him against a tree. He fell to the ground, broken. It gave me some small comfort to see the red fade from his eyes right before he left this world.
The other one was on my back. His fangs sank deep into my shoulder. I threw him off, rounding on him. His movements were clumsy, sluggish. Connected telepathically, his pack was still reacting to the death of one of their members.
I didn’t want to kill him. In the back of my mind I knew this wasn’t his fault. But, there could be no question, the command his Alpha gave was to kill. Against me, some small part of this poor beta had to know it was suicide.
I had no choice. He dodged at the last second, lunging straight for Nova. If he would have been strong enough to kill her, I would never know. I didn’t let him get there.
I caught him in midair, opening his belly with one powerful swipe of my paw. He was dead before he hit the ground.
I turned and shifted. Nova had scrambled backward, putting her back against a tree. She was ready to fight.
“No time,” I said. “We’ve got about a minute before the pack regroups. Less.”
I held my hand out to her. I saw the doubt fill her eyes. Nova’s breasts heaved as she drew in air. Run. Shift. Trust?
“You just watched me kill two of them,” I said. “You think I could do that if I was part of that pack? I’m here to look after you. Let me get you out of this then you can tell me to go to hell.”
Nova clenched her jaw. Her eyes settled back to their more human amber. She pushed off the tree and took my hand.
The wolves gathered behind us. I tore off with her down the hill, going hand in hand. They were sent here to track her. My scent and the death of two of their number should throw them just enough. I hoped.
“This way!” Nova yelled as I tried to turn south.
She didn’t let go of me, but led me in the opposite direction. Here, the stream widened, becoming a river. Further down, the current picked up some power. Nodding, I understood her mind.
We dove into the water together, letting the current sweep us down the hill. She matched me stroke for stroke as the river widened again. I felt a powerful rumble beneath the waves and sensed the source.
Ten seconds later, we spilled down a ten-foot waterfall. I popped up first and searched for Nova. She’d emerged downstream a few feet away from me. She was already scrambling up the shore.
I put my nose in the wind. We’d surfaced just a few hundred yards from the road.
“Follow me,” I said. I held out my hand to Nova again. Dripping wet, her shirt clung to her like a second skin. I forced my eyes away from her breasts.
She hesitated. Then, far upriver, the wolves’ howls reached us.
“Dammit,” she muttered.
“Yeah,” I said. Then, she followed me up to the road.
Chapter Three
Erik
“I am not getting in that thing!”
Nova was still dripping wet as we stood by the side of the road. I reached into the back of the Suburban and pulled out a fresh pair of jeans. I slid them on and turned to her.
“If I wanted to hurt you, lady, I already would have.”
She stared at me with those fierce, amber eyes, hands on hips, her dark brows furrowed. I could feel her predatory nature coming off her in waves. Pulsing heat. A ready stance.
She was different than the shifters I was used to. Bears will come straight at a thing, all barreling bluster and brute strength. Not much finesse. They’re either in their animals or they’re not.
Wolves are a cunning, menacing threat. We’re used to living with our animals just below the surface. It’s that push-pull that humans sense. Will we or won’t we?
But, Nova… Her cat was there. I could feel her. Cold, calculating. She had a calm sleekness to her power. I’d never been this close to any jag before, let alone a woman.
I wanted to taste her. The second the thought popped into my head it almost overwhelmed me.
“Who are you?” she asked. “And why the hell should I believe you’re not with that pack?”
“Because you watched me kill two of them,” I said, tossing her a clean towel from the back of the car. She caught it one-handed and rubbed her arms dry.
“And,” I said, slamming the hatch down, “You saw the same thing I did. Their eyes.”
I stepped closer to her. I let my wolf out just enough that I knew my eyes flashed sapphire blue for her. Her lips parted and she straight up purred. It sent a shiver of pleasure through me. I shook my head to clear it.
I had no time to get my head turned by a tight-assed little wildcat like her. My job was clear. Get her safe. Let Payne know. Be done with it.
“Fine,” she said, tossing the towel back to me. I caught it against my chest.
“Thanks for your help,” she continued then turned to leave.
I acted on instinct, catching her arm. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Home,” she said.
I couldn’t help it. That got a laugh out of me. “Honey, that ain’t your home anymore. Sorry.”
Her eyes flickered. The heat coming off her damn near singed my skin. I wanted a hell of a lot more of it. I let her go.
“Nova,” I said. “That’s your name? I’m sorry. I don’t know what it is you’re hiding from, but it found you. You head back up that hill, you’re gonna have the rest of that pack to deal with. I don’t like this situation any more than you do, but you need to trust me for a second. Get in. I’ll take you somewhere safe then we can both figure out our next move.”
I was ready for a fight. I mean, why wouldn’t she? Yeah. The objective fact was that I’d probably just saved her life. But, she knew what I was if not who I was. She’d be smart to try and get as far away from me as possible.
She didn’t.
She set her mouth into a hard line and gave me a quick, resigned nod. I opened the passenger door for her. She brushed past me and got inside.
I climbed in and started the engine. “You okay with Sunfield?” I asked. It was two towns over. “There’s a place there you can stay. A friend of mine.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” she said as I pulled onto the highway and picked up speed.
“Erik,” I said. There was no reason to keep the basic facts about myself from her. The hard part was over. I’d gotten her out. The client could figure out what to do with her.
“Erik Kalenkov,” I said. “I was sent here to check up on you. Someone’s worried about you. You’re family, I guess.”
She let out a hard noise I couldn't quite comprehend. “I don’t have a family, Kalenkov. It’s just me.”
“Huh,” I answered. “Well, somebody gives enough of a shit about you to send me after you. You have any idea how vulnerable you were out there all by yourself? I’m surprised that’s the first time a pack like that tried to mess with you.”
She looked at me. “What makes you think that was the first?”
I damn near slammed on the brakes. Protective rage thundered through me. She’d been alone. Unprotected. If anyone had ever hurt her…
“Kalenkov,” she said. “Why do I know that name? Was it you asking around about me in town?”
“Yeah,” I said. “That’s the other thing. Too many loose lips in that hole-in-the-wall town. All it would have taken is me flashing some money around to find out more. Those wolves, you didn’t notice anything odd about them?”
“I know what a Tyrannous Alpha is,” she said. “Your eyes, remember?”
“I don’t mean that,” I said. “I mean either jags have the worst damn sense of smell in general, or it’s just you.”
That got her attention. “I didn’t…”
“Uh-huh,” I said. “Those assholes borrowed some magic. They masked their scent from you. That’s how they got in.”
“But you smelled them,” she said.
“Yeah,” I said, turning off the exit. I took her down an old dirt road past Riebeling. We had a safehouse just a mile from the highway. It was next to a cattle ranch and owned by the rancher, Jeremiah Tate. He had an empty bunkhouse at the north end of his property and rented it out to Wolfguard. Jeremiah was a bear shifter and his brother did some bounty hunting for us.
I called ahead so Tate knew we were coming and would leave the gate open. I pulled up alongside the house, told Nova to wait, then went out and locked the gate.
She was waiting for me by the car when I got back. The wind had dried her hair and it flowed behind her, dark and luscious. I took my time walking up to her.
Damn. She was a stunner. Long, sinewy arms and legs, a small waist and full breasts molded tight under that thin shirt.
I wanted her.
The truth of it slammed into me. Hard.
Her scent drove me almost out of my mind back at her cabin. Sweet, exotic. She’d be something I’d never tasted before. Forbidden fruit.
There was no rule about getting mixed up with a mark like her. Hell, three of my family members had mated with women they met on the job. But, they weren’t me.
Nova turned to me. Those sultry cat-eyes of hers flashed and I was fairly certain she didn’t even realize.
I imagined what it might feel like to wrap my arms around her and pull her against me. I liked the way her lips turned up at the corner. It gave her a sort of permanent smirk. She had an almost hard beauty about her. Her brows cut a dark, straight slash across her smooth skin.
Mine.
That was my wolf talking. I couldn’t afford to listen. I more than anyone knew what it was to let lust rule in favor of common sense.
The wind picked up and I swore I could hear Irina’s laughter in it. That stopped me cold.
Irina.
I didn’t let myself think of her often. Or ever. When I did, tiny knives of pain cut through my heart.
“I know you won’t let anything happen, Erik,” she’d said.
Though she’d spoken it in Russian, I remembered it in English now. I’d been here so long.
I’d let Irina down. I’d been too young. Too cocksure. I was a Kalenkov, after all. Nothing could touch me. But, it touched her and I hadn’t been strong enough to stop it.
“Erik?” Nova said, snapping me back to the present. She lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the setting sun.
“Let’s get inside,” I said. “You’ll be safe enough here for now.”
She hesitated, as if she meant to ask me another question. I should have told her to run. Stay the hell away from me. If I stayed too long she’d get hurt, just like Irina.
I found the hidden key beneath the windowsill of the small, two-bedroom house and let Nova inside.
Her shoulder brushed mine as she walked past me. I clenched my fists and tried to control my breathing.
“There’s some bottled water, some food in the fridge,” I said. “Nothing fancy, but if…”
“I’m not hungry,” she said.
The place was sparsely furnished with just a couch and loveseat in the front room. No pictures on the walls. I’d find clean sheets on the bed and all the amenities we needed. I didn’t plan to stay long. What happened with Nova after that wasn’t supposed to be my concern.
Nova sat on the arm of the couch, regarding me with those cold eyes of hers. What the hell must she be thinking?
“I’m sorry for what happened,” I found myself saying. “I mean, not about getting you out safely, but you know you can never go back. Not with that pack on the loose.”
Only the slight lifting of her brow belied her thoughts. She took the news in an almost matter-of-fact way. I wondered how long she’d been in hiding. And from what?
“What makes you think that pack was after me?” she asked. “Things were pretty peaceful until you came along.”
I barked out a laugh. “Trust me, those wolves weren’t expecting me. If they had been, they’d have paid extra for better magic. It was you they were trying to sneak up on. So what I want to know is, why?”
“Who do you work for?” she asked.
“Wolfguard Security,” I said.
She seemed surprised I’d answered so quickly.
“You heard of it?” I asked.
She brushed a hair from her face. “Of course I have. So I rate an elite shifter bodyguard, huh? I think you better tell me who’s paying your bill.”
“That,” I said, “I really don’t know. Whoever it is, they’re worried about you being off on your own. You should be under the protection of your clan.”
“If you think I’m going to let you drag me back, you’ve underestimated your quarry, Mr. Kalenkov,” she said. She was on me lightning quick. So fast, in fact, I barely saw her move.
&nbs
p; She bared her teeth and let her fangs drop. Instinct drove me to do the same. We squared off, face to face, though I was a full head taller.
Her heat. Her intoxicating scent. My mouth watered with the urge to nip her ear. I kept my fists curled to my sides. From the corner of my eye, I saw she’d let her claws come out. I still felt the delicious burn it gave me when she raked those across my chest.
I put firm hands on her upper arms and gently pushed her down on the couch.
“Relax,” I said. “I’m not here to take you anywhere. I’m just here to make sure you’re safe. You are. As soon as I call that in, you’ll be someone else’s problem. I don’t care.”
She glared at me. Sweat beaded her upper lip. Whatever was happening to me, something similar was burning through her.
“Good,” she hissed. “The sooner I can have you out of my sight, the better.”
I wanted to tell her nothing would make me happier. My wolf had other ideas. I felt him rise. The word echoed through me with the force of a thunderclap.
Mine!
I turned, shielding my wolf eyes from her. Then, I burst through the door and went out to the car to grab my phone.
Chapter Four
Nova
He was lying. Or being lied to. I had no family to be concerned about my safety. If I did, they’d bring me more danger than anything alive.
Maybe I should have told him that. Maybe I shouldn’t have come with Erik Kalenkov at all.
The simple truth was, I believed him. Though it pained me to need him, I’d be dead or worse right now if he hadn’t shown up when he did.
That wolf pack hadn’t wanted to kill me. They wanted something else from me. The same thing that had been taken from my twin sister.
I heard Erik’s low, gravelly voice as he picked up his cell from inside the car. For the first time in four years, I regretted not having one of my own. I’d managed to stay almost completely off the grid and it had kept me safe until now.
I went to the window. Though Erik had his back turned I could make out enough of the words he spoke to follow the gist of his conversation.
