Raining Kisses (The Opeth Pack Saga Book 2) Page 15

  Jaws snapped at Nicholaus’ face. You’re a bastard like the rest of us but you don’t get a pass anymore!

  Sweat broke out on Nicholaus’ forehead. “Kill me.”

  And let you abandon them forever? I don’t think so. You need to learn the same fucking truth I did. There are more important issues on this planet than fucking prophecy, than our stupidity.

  “Józsi, get up off him.”

  "Like what?"

  The wolf snarled. He became a man again, still pinning Nicholaus to the wall hard enough that a little extra force would start breaking drywall.

  Nicholaus glared at Selene. “Stay out of this, witch. This doesn’t concern you.”

  Selene disappeared and reappeared in front of Nicholaus. Shoving Józsi out of the way, she raised a hand. Her palm landed across his jaw hard enough to make Nicholaus’ head slam into the wall and dent it. “You asshole!” she shouted. “This is pack business. I am the pack witch. It concerns me and my children!”

  She'd moved faster than any wolf he'd ever seen. Faster than Les, definitely stronger, at least magically, than any other wolf he'd known, he'd be right to fear her. That would explain why his heart beat double time with her standing so close he could smell her unique scent and Marco's bond.

  Pain radiated throughout his entire body, stunning him momentarily. She’d slapped him with more than just her hand that was for sure. His body still shook and admitting he wasn't afraid would be the ultimate lie he'd told himself today.

  Almost.

  Selene stomped off toward the island in the kitchen, retrieved her glass of wine and swallowed a large amount. She set the glass on the counter. “More, Józsi.”

  Józsi grumbled and padded over to the counter. “We’ve nearly finished the bottle.”

  “She loves you,” Selene pointed a finger at Nicholas. “They both love you. You’ve turned your back on them. Again! Forget the pack for a moment, Nicholaus. You’ve turned your back on your lovers. The two people in this lonely world that would die for you. Literally. And Krystyna is proving that right now while she sits with Savas, waiting in fear. Trembling with the knowledge he will rape her again, you selfish asshole.”

  “He didn’t rape her.”

  “You didn’t let her finish, did you?” Selene narrowed her eyes.

  “How do you know any of this?” He shook his head no. “If that was the case then why did she send me away? Why did she scream for me to let her handle it? And how do you know about that? You weren’t there.”

  “I’m a witch. The Opeth Pack is my family and I have shared blood with all of you. I know just about everything that goes on even though I don’t like it. As for her response to you, you fucked up with them, Nicholaus. Just as bad as this moron.” she waved a hand toward Józsi

  “She’s right.” Józsi walked past Nicholaus. He flicked his cigar cutter open and closed. “In here?”

  At least Józsi' voice returned to some semblance of calmness. Was this what they were talking about? Alpha flying off the handle… “No.” Nicholaus lowered his head and let out a breath. “In the closet.”

  “Oh.” Józsi walked into the large closet and pulled out the piano wood humidor. “La Viña. I like these a lot.”

  “Me too.” Sharing cigars with the alpha of a pack he'd all but turned his back on seemed like a good fucking idea. Especially when he'd almost been killed three times in less than twenty-four hours. His life was turning out like shit with all this prophecy bullshit.

  “Smoke?” Józsi popped his head out of the closet.

  Nicholaus sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Sure. Fire two up.”

  Selene let out an exasperated sigh. “Do you understand just what it is you have, Nicholaus? Just how precious the gift they’ve given to you is? Honestly?”

  Nicholaus watched Józsi patiently light the foot of the cigar not one, not two but three matches, slowly concentrating on the task at hand before Selene continued. Once he was satisfied, five minutes later, he handed the cigar to Nicholaus.

  He promptly cut the cap and took a puff, letting the smoke billowing around his head provide him with clarity before he answered Selene's question. He’d been so alone over the last twenty-five years. Hell, he’d have killed just to have someone to smoke cigars with once or twice a week. Or drink fine scotch. Or just to talk to. But it hadn’t happened. He hadn’t met anyone in Albuquerque, other than random people who crossed his path daily. That wasn’t true. He’d met plenty of people, but hadn’t actually followed up with any of them. One of the project developers for the lofts was a cigar smoker. And a scotch drinker. And a wolf.

  “And do you understand this thing inside me, Selene?” He waved a hand in front of his body, “This thing inside me is a tool used to murder and devour. It doesn’t stop. It doesn’t get satisfied with just one life or a few. It—”

  “Serves a purpose. You keep forgetting all the ones you’ve killed—”

  “Are you fucking serious?” He set a hand on the counter, gripped it hard. “I hear them screaming loud every time I close my god damn eyes, Selene. They don't stop.” He set the cigar in a nearby ashtray.

  “The voices of the guilty always try to make amends when they know they’re wrong. They will always scream because they know they are wrong. You simply learn to tune it out.”

  Nicholaus rubbed his face, pressed his fingers into his temples in an attempt to ease mounting pressure. “How?”

  “Your lovers will guide you, Nicholaus.” Her voice had softened. “Trust me.”

  Oh sure, trust the pack witch who…well she’d abandoned the pack and then came back. Just like Józsi. They weren’t dead, weren’t worse for wear but neither of them looked happy.

  Józsi surely looked the part of regal Alpha, albeit the confident expression he wore betrayed his aura. The intensity in his gaze held true, but the worn look on his face showed just how tired he was.

  “You can’t be alone forever.” Józsi took a long puff on the cigar and let smoke curl around his head.

  Nicholaus picked up his stick, took a drag, exhaled the smooth cocoa tasting smoke and looked at the ground. “I’ve been alone for so long.” He drew another puff, inhaling the cigar, he tasted the coffee flavors of the tobacco. The cloud of smoke circled his head and dissipated.

  “You never had to be.” A female voice called from the door.

  Jerking his head toward the door, Nicholaus stood, cigar in hand. “Katarina?”

  The sound of heels clicking against the concrete floor echoed throughout the loft. Nicholaus took a few steps around the corner and nearly fell down when the tiny redhead smashed into him.

  “Where have you been? You fucking asshole!” She buried her head into the crook of his shoulder before wrapping her arms around him.

  “Are you okay?” Nicholaus ran a free hand over her upper body and down her legs. Stopping to squeeze an ass cheek, he snickered. “You feel fine.” Smelling her, he searched for the unclean scent of forced sex.

  He found none and breathed a sigh of relief. Holding her back at arm’s length, he handed his cigar toward Józsi. “Here, take this.”

  The other male complied.

  Tears slid in a steady stream down Katarina's perfect face, igniting the pain in his heart all over again. He wrapped both arms around her and pulled her to him.

  “Selene wasn’t kidding, was she?”

  The curious look on her face said all he needed to know. Katarina stopped sobbing and pushed away from him. Looking into his eyes, she wiped away a few more tears.

  “How did you escape?”

  She wiped her nose and sniffled before brushing strands of hair from her face. “I didn't. Krystyna insisted to the general that I needed to deliver a message to you.”

  Which meant they were bringing the fight to America. Great. He inhaled slowly, let the breath out just as fast “What?”

  “Savas is coming for you. He says you’ve tainted her and made her even less desirable.” She barely managed to get th
e words out between sniffles.

  Gritting his teeth, he began trembling with anger. Hate filled his veins for the man he had become, hatred for the man who would do awful things to Krystyna. “Did that son of a bitch hurt her?”

  “No. He didn’t. He said she wasn’t worth wasting his time on any further if she had been with you. He wants your blood, says he needs it to open up the gateway to Paradise.”

  Nicholaus gasped.

  “Figures.” Selene retrieved another glass and poured port into it. “Your liquor cabinet is well stocked, Nicholaus.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You don’t say.”

  Selene handed the glass of port to Katarina. “Here, child.”

  Katarina took the glass and drank the entire contents. “Thank God.” she wiped her mouth.

  Nicholaus would have loved to lick the port from her mouth. He hated himself for the fact that he’d turned his back on his lovers and still desired them.

  Pointing at Nicholaus with his cigar, Józsi took a puff. “I see the look on your face, Nicholaus. Get over it. We’re wolves. What we are is confusion to me as much as it is to you. But we still feel, even if we lose our way sometimes.”

  “Sounds like the boy is learning,” Selene poured another glass of port for all of them. “What’s the deal with Savas? When is he coming for Nicholaus?”

  Katarina swallowed another large sip and rushed to Selene. Throwing her hands around the older woman, she hugged her tightly. “Why,” she whispered, “does all of this have to happen?”

  Selene wrapped an arm around Katarina and smoothed her hair against her shoulders.

  “Why, indeed,” Nicholaus repeated.

  Kissing Katarina’s forehead, Selene began to glow. “I don’t know, child. Just survive. You’re not alone. Things must occur for the prophecy to properly be adhered to. I’m still going through my great grandmother’s books trying to discern the entirety of this damned thing. All I know is that Nicholaus is not a gateway for anything outside of the Opeth Pack. If he takes his place beside our somewhat unsteady alpha, it will give us a show of strength in the eyes of those who would have you thrown out of Heaven.”

  “Why do we want this Heaven?” Nicholaus took his cigar from Józsi and puffed on it. He tapped the ash into the tray beside him and strolled out to the balcony.

  Ashing his cigar, Józsi followed him. The door closed behind him.

  “Look at all the people.” Józsi exhaled and blew smoke into the air.

  “Yeah. I know.” Nicholaus looked down at the sidewalk below them. His glance roamed over a couple, a wolf couple that walked past a streetlight toward The Library bar and grille.

  For a few minutes they leaned over the railing, scanning, observing, watching the humans and occasional wolf pass by.

  “I didn’t want to need Lukina. Or Ilona,” Józsi broke the silence, taking another long puff on his cigar before letting the steady stream of smoke escape into the air.

  Nicholaus turned to face him. “Then why did you?”

  “I couldn’t stop myself from caring any longer. I had nobody. Living in Houston was fine. But living alone isn’t really living, Nicholaus. I don't know if we need bother with the idea of Heaven, nor do I give a damn. Right now, we exist on this plane. Know one thing. That woman in there loves you. She loves the wolf, the illusion of man, everything about you. Hell, she even loves the loneliness about you, as it’s something to focus on as a way of giving you a cure for it. So does Krystyna. If they’re anything like Lukina and Ilona…”

  Nicholaus looked back through the glass at Katarina and Selene. Both women appeared to be chatting and hugging. It hit him that he needed that type of relationship in order to survive. Right now he was just living, if one could call it that…

  “Will Krystyna forgive me for leaving her to Savas?”

  “I can’t answer that question. Neither can Selene. Selene knows a lot about this pack, knows things I’ve yet to understand but that’s her duty as pack witch. How she knew any of this is beyond my understanding, but her magic is pretty powerful. The ties she has to all of us have made it difficult for us to move without her knowing, which is good. Ultimately." He sighed. "She’s sort of a historian. I’m only now learning the hierarchy. But Selene can only hope as much as I can.”

  “Fuck.” Nicholaus slumped his shoulders.

  “Just be prepared to give her your all, Nicholaus.” Józsi turned and leaned against the railing.

  The door opened and Katarina stepped outside.

  “You’ll catch a cold out here.” Nicholaus smiled weakly at Kristina.

  “I’ll leave you two alone.” Józsi took a puff on his cigar and blew smoke out over Central Avenue. Then he walked inside and poured another glass of port for himself and Selene.

  “I…” Katarina stopped.

  Nicholaus turned and looked at her. Dark circles under her eyes showed just how tired she'd been, but not from just the flight. Her mouth hung open, her disheveled hair hung around her face. “You still look so terribly distraught, kedvesm. What can I do to ease your pain?”

  Katarina stopped short of putting her arms around Nicholaus. “You can stop being this person who hates who he is. Stop being the loner when you're loved. Stop giving us only half of you. That would go a long way to erasing the sadness in our hearts.”

  “Katarina, I—” Nicholaus shrugged. He didn’t know what to say. Never had he given fully of himself. No one had been worth it and the lies he'd told himself about Krys and Katarina had been just that, lies. Krystyna’s betrayal, even that attempt at…what the hell was she doing lying for him?

  His world had been built upon trust in only himself and the house came crashing down in a matter of hours.

  “Just embrace us. Tell me, promise me that you’ll fight for Krystyna.”

  “I don't know how…”

  She pressed two fingers to his lips, “None of us do.”

  He swallowed hard, the lump in his throat making breathing difficult. Looking past Katarina at Selene and Józsi through the glass door, he saw something he hadn’t noticed before. Józsi's eyes held a sort of kindness. Hidden away, yes. But it was still present. Nicholaus didn't remember the pup from their childhood; only that Kiba kicked him around and made him this angry child who only seemed to find comfort in his two mates.

  Nicholaus had committed murder and sworn he’d never become his father, then left the pack shortly after. His body was painfully lonely without the two of them at night. He definitely needed them for sexual release. No other women were capable of giving him what they could.

  She clasped his hands and bowed slightly toward him. “Then you’ll conquer Savas?”

  How could he do anything less? For Goddess' sake, Krystyna stayed behind and sacrificed herself for him. He wasn't sure how he'd do it, the general moved fast. Maybe Selene moved faster

  He hadn't sensed the witch’s power in full, so had no idea.

  But this was his fight, above pack issue.

  “And you’ll defeat him and thwart off any further advances by the Turkish packs?”

  “Yeah.” Nevermind the fact that he had no idea how he'd accomplish this, but he'd stop running. He'd man up and fight for what he loved, because that's what Katarina had done for him by coming here. She'd fought against her fears, boarded a plane without Lukina, trekked from the airport to here and stood before him to ask him this simple request.

  Her expression softened, she'd cocked her head and took his hands in hers. Warmth, compassion, that fucking white light, surrounded him, dug into his skin and coated him with the sensation of tranquility that provided him the opportunity to see clearly now. “I believe you can. And you must.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Prophecy?”

  She nodded. “And a need for solidity amongst the remaining members of our pack. And a sign to show the others like you that we are regaining our greatness.”

  “Fuck.”

  "More importantly, a sign to us that you're here forever. No more s
truggles without asking for help. No more love from a distance, Nicholaus." Katarina threw her hands around Nicholaus’ neck, pulling him to her. “I need you to feel with me what Krystyna is feeling. I need you to understand that Savas is not only upset that she belongs to us, that she is Hungarian, but that she is a healer his pack desperately needs and that she's complying out of terror.”

  He swallowed hard. Screams of agony filled his ears, the tortured souls of those in the Turkish pack who died of sickness, died of overworking, of stress. He tried to shake it off but found it impossible.

  Then he honed in on a familiar sound. The woman in question…he suddenly saw through her eyes. Felt her actions.

  The fear creeping up her spine, anguish prickling her skin. Savas lorded himself around the room she’d been forced into, stopping, stroking that ungodly beard, then looking at her with lust in his eyes. He'd lifted his hands, balled his fists and then shoved them back into his pockets with jerky movements while pacing back and forth.

  But he refused to take action, thank the goddess.

  That didn’t mean Krystyna knew that.

  He started for her then, stalking across the room to grab her tattered shirt. “Why won’t you have me?”

  “Because I don’t love you. I did what I did because I made a mistake in coming to you for help. I fucked up, and now I'm fixing my mess.” By now she'd begun yelling.

  “You came to me with the understanding I would help you. I would ease your pain from the loss and spend nights with you while you suffered in your loneliness. And I did. I gave you my word I’d keep your mate alive in hopes of him coming back, but I fell for you. And to top that off, I kept him alive for you in the hopes you’d stop pining over him when you realized just how much of a deserter he was. And in return you promised to one day become my pack's healer. I'm only asking you to pay up.”

  She could only sigh, the pressure in her chest growing almost too tight for Nicholaus. She’d done all that for…what?

  “You have to see the importance of being our pack healer. We’re dying off by the day, each wolf gets sicker and those who have strength work harder, burning themselves out.”