Arctic Bound (29 page)

“You're making a huge mistake. Ask
Bödvar. He can tell you, Victor. I don't like to be told no.” Her father stated, arms relaxed at his sides.

Blue said nothing as her father pointed out the obvious. She was too late, they were already there. Her father had brought Junior and Adamo with him. She hadn't seen them at the hotel.

“We're not handing over the Bow, Roman. It stays where it is. You can either leave peacefully, or we'll just force you to leave.”

Roman Civiti let out a sinister laugh that echoed off the trees. A sliver of the moon was high above, a red ring outlining what was normally a vibrant white glow. The snow was already falling, blocking most of her visibility, but she found if she focused enough the flakes became insignificant.

How do I get them out of this? Think Nerina, think!

Thorn had guns in his store, they weren't perfect. But they would do enough damage to at least send her father regrouping. Were her brother's Hunters as well? Shit! She hadn't taken that into account. What if the bullets did nothing but piss them off more.

“Looks like we're at an impasse.” Her Uncle Oscar said, stepping in front of her father. He was also the one to try and talk a person down. He
was also the one that struck first too. If Oscar was talking, that could only mean that the order had been given to take them down. Nerina quietly made her way into Thorn's store, careful not to bump into anything. There were five men outside with Victor, one of them was Blue, the other
s were Thorn and Victor's two brothers, Colin and Theo. She couldn't tell who the other person was, until he turned facing her. Dear God! It was Teak! Why the hell was Teak standing out there with them? He was just a child for crying out loud. Victor had no right asking him to come and stand with him.

Knowing Teak, he'd probably insisted, but still. That didn't mean Victor had to let him! When this was all over, and if any of them survived she was going to smack the shit out of him on general purpose alone for allowing the young boy to be a part of this madness her father had created.

There was a shotgun behind the counter that she knew was loaded. Nerina grabbed that and made her way out of the store, taking a spot behind a copse of trees where she had the best advantage. No one was saying anything for long moments. It was as if everyone was sizing the other up. But it was Oscar who made the first move. He went for the sig at his back, and Nerina shot him dead in the shoulder. When the shot rang out, it seemed to kick-start everyone into action. Oscar took a step back from the impact of the bullet penetrating his shoulder, blood sprayed, soaking the snow-covered ground and Nerina could see the exact moment when his blood clung to the falling snowflakes. She'd almost call it art if she'd had the time to admire her handy work, but she didn't. As soon as he stumbled back, both her brothers were bearing down on her location within seconds. Victor and the others had already started attacking her father's men, each in different stages of their shift.

“I can smell you, bitch.” That came from her oldest brother, Junior. His eyes were alight with malice and glinting in the moon's light as he made his way towards her. His fangs evident as he bared them in the darkness.

That answers at least one of your questions.

Nerina got off two more shots before the gun was ripped from her hand and she was tossed out into the clearing where the fight was going strong. The ground was no longer covered in white, but soaked a mud-red as claws and fangs sank into its offending opponents. Didn't people believe in guns anymore! Not one of them had pulled a weapon, save for her uncle in the beginning. She had a feeling the gun had silver bullets. Nerina didn't stay acquainted with the ground for long. Junior had her by the ankle, crushing her bones in his strong grip. She screamed in pain. Teak came to her rescue then, or at least she thought it was Teak. The wolf in front of her was close to seven feet tall and he wasn't having any of what was happening to her. He slashed a claw down the side of Junior's face, splitting his jaw open. Her brother hit the ground with a thud, as blood poured from his wound. Her ankle was healing, and as she pulled herself into a sitting position, Teak was attacked from behind by none other than her friend, Raven. She had a silver chain she was wielding that she wrapped around the younger males throat. Nerina could see his skin burning from the contact of the silver, and before she realized what she was doing, she was throwing herself at Raven, and taking the woman down to the ground. Her claws were out, and her gums tingled as she held the woman by the throat. Nerina didn't have time to ponder all that was happening to her body. Something dark and foreign was taking over. An instinct, guiding her as every cell in her body tapped into her victim's vital sign. Strong heart, fresh blood, and the pungent odor of fear.

“Nerina….” Raven chocked out. “What, what are you doing? Wait… wait!”

But it was too late. Nerina struck without thinking. Attaching her lips to the pulse at her friend's neck and sinking her teeth in deep. At the first taste of hot blood, Nerina moaned. It was like being zapped with an electric jolt of hot energy all through her body. Her limbs began to shake and the cold that she couldn't seem to rid herself of, dissipated with each pull at Raven's throat. There was a loud roar in her ears as the beat of her friend's heart slowed to almost nothing. Nerina took another pull, before finally, finally the sound of Raven's heart beat was no more. What lay beneath her was a cold corpse of what used to be her friend.

She was going to kill Teak.

The words were on repeat in her head, she knew what she'd done was wrong. She also knew what it meant. She too, like her father was a Hunter. When she turned to check on Teak, the hair on his neck stood on end as he growled at her in warning.

“Teak, it's me, Nerina. I'm not going to hurt you?” Was that even true? Could she really say she wasn't going to hurt him? She'd just murdered her friend. It had been pure instinct. No remorse, no thought whatsoever. There was something nudging her in the back of her mind, and she knew if she allowed her thoughts to surface, she'd be devastated. She couldn't do that now.
No Time.
The wolf that was Teak backed up, still growling as the fight continued on around them. Nerina could see from her peripheral that Victor and the others were doing fine. Her father on the other hand, stood and watched as he sent his puppets to do his dirty work. Junior was lying face down in the snow, and she could tell although he was bleeding very badly, he was still alive. Adamo was facing off with Theo, and it looked as if Theo may be in a bit of trouble himself. Nerina looked over to Teak. She placed both hands out in front of her as she took a step in his direction.

“I'm going to help your Uncle Theo, I promise, I won't hurt you or anyone in your family, please Teak, believe me when I say, I'm here to help.”

That's what she'd set out to do. She wanted to help.

Teak backed away slowly. He let her pass by, and soon Nerina was standing in between Theo and Adamo. She didn't want to kill her brother, but she would if he made her.

“Adamo, no! Stop this! Don't you see this is what father wants?”

Adamo's eyes widened in surprise at her appearance. He said nothing as he tried to shove her out of the way.

“Looks like you're a hard human to kill, Sis.”

“I'm obviously no longer human.” Something she'd have to come to terms with later.

“No shit. Now move out of the way. Father wants them dead. All of them.”

“No! This isn't how it's supposed to be.”

Adamo bared his fangs at her, and she found in return instinct had her baring hers back. They were hissing like a bunch of cats. Adamo didn't have claws like hers, his nails were sharp, but they definitely weren't claws. She struck out barely catching him on the chin. He jumped back and out of the way. He lunged for her and Nerina sidestepped in time, but Adamo plowed into Theo, who clamped down on her brother's shoulder and neck. He was fully turned into a wolf and like a dog with a chew toy; Theo shook her brother's body from side to side until he stopped moving. His neck was halfway separated from his shoulder when the wolf finally dropped his lifeless body to the ground.

The rest of the men from her father's envoy were quickly retreating. Thorn had gone down, but was still breathing. It looked like Colin was injured just as bad if not worse. Blood was everywhere. The coppery smell called to her senses, and Nerina had to cover her face with the sleeve of her jacket to keep the smell from invading her nose. It was too strong. Her stomach rolled and ached. The blood was calling to her. It sang softly in her ear about the promise of warmth and life. Each note a distinct temptation goading her to taste.

She had to get out of there, before she hurt anyone else. Nerina took in the surroundings and couldn't find Teak, she wanted to apologize to him and make sure he was okay. This thing with her father wasn't over. She knew he'd be back with reinforcements as soon as he was able to regroup. Turning she ran head first into a warm, hard chest.
Victor.
She'd know his scent anywhere.

“You came back.”

“I wanted to make sure that no one got seriously hurt. Despite what your family thinks of me, I actually care.”

“I see that.”

Strong arms banded around her. Jerking back and free of his grasp she looked up into eyes that she'd come to trust. But it was those same eyes that had also taken her trust for granted, and chosen another woman. Something she still couldn't fully blame him for. That didn't stop the pain she experienced when looking at him.

“Stop trying to get away from me. I've claimed you. You're mine.”

“Really? I'm yours?”

He grunted his answers as if that was the only answer she was getting. Theo and Colin were seeing to their father, and Blue was seeing to Teak, who still hadn't calmed down enough to change back into his human form.

“You really gave my nephew a fright. He doesn't trust you. No one will now that you're a Hunter.”

“Yeah, well I don't blame them. I killed…I drained Raven dry. Didn't even give a thought to the fact that she was once my friend.”

It was starting to sink in. She was a killer, a monster. A Hunter. She killed plenty of times before, and all the ones before had died at her hand, had died a quick and painless death. It hadn't been an intimate experience like the one she'd had when she'd taken Raven's life. Her mind was crashing hard with multiple thoughts as she buried her head into Victor's chest. She wasn't going to cry. She was not going to cry. She just needed him for the support he provided. He was literally holding her up. Nerina could hear the rapid beating of his heart, and if she listened hard enough she could hear his blood, as it called to her.

“It's going to be okay, Neri, everything is going to work itself out. You're not fully Hunter. You're eyes are still the same.”

What did he mean still the same?

“What are you talking about?”

“A Hunter's eyes are silver to us. No matter what their real eye color is, we see them for what they truly are. You're eyes are still brown.” He lifted her chin up to meet his gaze with his fingers. “A beautiful brown, with a touch of something more.”

“If that were true, you would have known from the start.”

“Not necessarily, Hunters have ways to mask themselves, unless they've fed. Your eyes are something more, a beautiful brown with swirls of silver.”

Great, now he was waxing poetic, and at such a non-romantic time. Before she could stop him, Victor swooped down, crashing his lips to hers in a harsh kiss that stole her breath, and made her lips numb. His tongue darted inside the moment she gasped for air, tangling with hers in a show of dominance that she was all too aware of. She knew all the reasons why this wasn't okay. But she didn't dissuade him in any fashion. She did the exact opposite. Moaning into their kiss, Nerina took what she wanted. It was everything she knew he could never offer, but everything she hoped somehow would be hers.

 



 

Her fragrance overpowered him. A piquant flavor that laid waste to the smell of blood that tried to overrun his senses. There was carnage all around him and all he cared about was consuming Nerina in a way that would make her a permanent fixture in his life. She came back to him. She hadn't left. The note she'd left behind was burned into his memory. Everything that she'd given him and all that he'd taken
could
have been his. If only he'd chosen her over Sasha. His brother Colin and others were witness to his claim. Everyone back at the club had watched her submission to him. The woman he held in his arms was
his
. There was nothing left to do but accept that. If it meant that he'd have to step down as Alpha, then it was something he was willing to do. His brothers could carry their Pack into the next two hundred centuries. It didn't have to be him.

Her mouth was warm and pliant as he continued to devour and taste her lips. Her tongue was soft, coaxing him to take the kiss deeper. He could taste her friend's blood still fresh on her lips. The scent spicy and sharp. His hands tangled in the thick tresses of her hair to direct her head the way he wanted. Her arms tightened around his neck as she let loose a moan he felt to the pit of his gut. His animal wanted to mount and claim her right there on the blood covered ground. His reward to conquer.

“I need you, Neri,” he said against her mouth, kissing the corner, and dragging his lips into the crook of her neck. Her scent stronger there, changed. She still smelled like his Nerina, but something more. There was a hint of him, but a note of something else. Something dead. He didn't have time to wonder or speculate on what it was he held in his arms. He didn't care. She wasn't fully a Hunter and that's what mattered most.