An Alpha Torn (Nights Of Lust Book 1) Page 8

  Do it! Isabella snapped.

  Joséf reached for the silver ropes and ripped them from the chair. Burning pain seared his flesh, caused his hands to smoke. Uncaring, he continued to tear at the other bonds, finally freeing her feet.

  "Come on," Joséf threw her over one shoulder and started for the lake. Covering his scent would make him harder to track, but Istvan and Dave would know where to meet them.

  He kept close to the shore, stomping heavily while he forced his legs to move deeper against the current of the lake. Kissa wrapped her arms tighter around him, leaving her head bobbing on his shoulder.

  "I doubt you can hear me, but damnit I did this for you. Because I love you."

  Goddamnit. He'd said it. Hopefully she didn't hear him.

  Screams echoed behind them. The air felt cold, even in the water. Joséf smelled death, burning flesh, burning air. Metal behind him fumed, sending smoke into the air. Gunshots rang out and he hoped his comrades were all right.

  Joséf delved deeper into the lake, holding Kissa with one arm while he paddled fiercely with the other. A wind blew out of nowhere, bringing with it a cold chill. Waves became rougher, slamming into him. He'd have to shift if he wanted to remain warm, but that would take precious time off their escape.

  The sky darkened and changed from a black hue to something deep purple. Lightning struck near where the boathouse had been. In the distance, sirens rang, signaling the fire department and probably the police.

  "Fuck it.” A mere few hundred yards lay between him and the other shore. Kicking, Joséf struggled with Kissa's near dead weight, inhaling water and almost choking while trying to breathe. Finally, they reached the shore. He let the waves carry them in, coughing and panting.

  "Kissa," he spat water out, "Kissa, are you okay?"

  He felt her heart beat slowly against his shoulder. Relief eased through him. "Good girl."

  As he trudged to the shelter of the forest, he puzzled over Kissa’s capture. Somewhere out there was a powerful vampire pulling strings, but why? For what reason? What did they stand to gain? A chill raced through Joséf, and Kissa shuddered in response. Just before he ducked into the forest, he turned to see Istvan and Dave swimming the lake toward him. Four vampires flew overhead, chasing them without guns. How they caught a lucky break was beyond him, but shit.

  Leave Kissa, or help his comrades? Dave and Istvan were outnumbered and after the swim they’d be exhausted.

  She is your mate. We will be fine. Trust us, Joe. Get to safety.

  "Fuck.” He hauled Kissa over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, forcing himself to remain standing while making his retreat into the woods. They were about half way between the lake and the camp when he set her down to give himself a brief rest.

  Mostly wet, she looked like a beautiful mess until he noticed the myriad of bruises. A black eye marred her white face, and blood stained her tattered rags. Across her arms and ankles, burn marks. Hopefully she'd heal. He didn't know, wasn't well-versed in the healing process if left to its own volition. The bastard pack he fought daily never let him fully heal, and even Kissa's strength couldn't bring him to his full power.

  He wondered for a moment what Kissa's emotional scars looked like, especially the ones he'd caused.

  "This has to end soon.” He picked her up and headed deeper into the forest. Running full force, Joséf didn't stop when she stirred. Holding her tighter to him, he felt her adjust herself over his shoulder.

  "Put me down," she demanded.

  He slowed to catch his breath. "You're in no position to walk on your own. Your body is burned badly and I'm sure you're too tired.” His voice sounded harsh even to him.

  "My prince," she squirmed, her ass wriggling in his face, "put me down and examine me.” Weakly, Kissa kicked at Joséf.

  Panting, Joséf nearly tripped over a root when her knee dug into his chest.

  "Put me down.” The words floated over his ears like sweet honey.

  His groin pulled hard at the sound of her voice. He couldn't be aroused now. She was badly hurt. Her body had to ache. God knows his was on fire, just from touching the silver. It was the silver, right?

  "Please," she muttered, biting his back.

  That did it. Stopping, Joséf swung her upright and set her in his arms. Carefully, he laid her to the ground and fastened his mouth to hers. Nibbling her lower lip, sucking on her tongue, he welcomed her when she put her arms around his neck, locking their mouths together.

  Stars went off behind his eyelids. Kissa was all right.

  Alive.

  Warmth surrounded his body. He opened his eyes, realized the colors of the glow around them filled with both his and her aura. This only happened with Livía, or when he and Kissa were sharing a deep bond.

  She wasn't healing him. Couldn't be. The wounds in his mind were too strong.

  The wounds in his flesh…didn't matter compared to hers.

  "Kissa," he broke from the kiss, "you're okay."

  She reached up and slapped him hard, stinging his face. "You were not going to go back to America without me, you bastard!"

  Touching his cheek, he looked shocked at her. "What?"

  Her eyebrows rose. "You were seriously going to let those two buffoons save me? Don't I mean anything to you?"

  Relief filled him. Apparently she hadn’t heard him tell her he loved her. Good. She meant a lot to him, he knew that now. Not just because she was an innocent victim in the fight between the Syndicate and his sense of justice; she meant something more to him than just a fling, and the sense of comfort he'd finally allowed her to provide. But show her he loved her? Not really an option.

  He tried to regain his composure but could only slump over. "Of course I was. It was what you wanted, wasn't it?"

  She groaned. "How the hell does that vampire put up with you?” Kissa shook her head and clucked her tongue at him.

  "What are you talking about?"

  "You killed my brother. I'm mad.” She turned her head away from him.

  Joséf stood and started off. Here came the guilt trip. He couldn't yell at her, didn't have the energy. But her biting words rang true. "Yeah, I did.” He took one step, then another. He hadn't made it ten feet when he heard her sharp bark.

  "You can't leave me here.”

  He didn't bother looking back. "I am doing just that."

  The next sound he heard was Kissa's body falling against the ground, sobbing. "I can't walk," she whispered when he turned to look at her.

  "Then be aware of what you're asking from me. Next time you'll know."

  "What are you talking about?” More sniffles.

  "I said I'd do what I needed to in order to survive and learn to control the beast inside. I swore to protect you. At all costs, Kissa. If you want me, you're going to have to accept the danger I am. There are secrets I've held onto that someday, maybe, I'll share with you. But for now, realize I'm not going to fuck around. To protect those I care for, I will do anything. Are we clear?"

  Oh for fuck's sake Joséf, wake up.

  He narrowed his eyes. Isabella…

  Kissa sniffled again, wiped her nose. She nodded.

  Joséf walked back and knelt before her. "Things have to change, Kissa. This mess you call a pack is worthless, and should not be allowed to survive as they are. There's no cohesion, no anything. Just empty pride. If you accept me truly," he paused, stared hard at her, "you accept the rage inside, the power, the uncontrolled hatred, and all that is me. That’s the part of me that killed your brother."

  She looked away and didn't reply.

  "I didn't think you could do that. Your brother was right."

  He moved to stand, but she reached out and grabbed his hand.

  "Fuck.” He let out another exasperated breath, bent and picked her up.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she snuggled against his chest. Her hair clung against his skin. "You're hurt”.

  "It's nothing. Come on.” Joséf took a few steps before Kissa wiped
a spot of blood from his cheek. "Besides, you hate me.”

  "I'm mad, not unforgiving."

  "I didn't know there was a difference.”

  She sighed loudly. "Joséf, you are my prince. I cannot do anything but love you. But I can be upset with you. I loved Fang. He was my only family until you showed up. Not that he acted like family in the past sixteen years or so, but still."

  Tensing his shoulders, Joséf blew out a breath. "I didn't know what else to do. He left me no other choice. He hurt…” He stopped before he could let out the words what was mine.

  The realization of what he was about to say scared him. He couldn't truly bond with her; he'd killed her brother. He'd committed another sin, dirtied his soul even further.

  "You're mine, my prince. My stubborn prince."

  Goddamnit.

  Joséf averted his gaze. Her glowing stare heated his cheek. Hard as he was, he carried her deeper into the forest toward their temporary home. "I didn't do what I did out of malice."

  "I know. I just wish…"

  "Something controlled him, took him from himself. He couldn't help it, but if I didn't stop him, he'd continue. He'd have hurt everyone around after he killed me. Including you. Haven't you had enough of this crap?"

  Kissa closed her eyes, settling her head against his chest. She nuzzled him. "My brother would never have tried to kill you."

  "I know, Kissa. He wasn't himself. The blank stare…” Hell those eyes would haunt him in his sleep for months. "An outsider controlled him."

  "Yeah, you’re right.” Tears slid down her face, but she touched his cheek. “He wasn’t himself. Hadn’t been for a very long time. You did the right thing, under the circumstances, and that’s not easy to say. Do you think it was vampires controlling him?”

  He shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know what the Syndicate is capable of now. I've been out of touch since I've been here, and the few weeks I spent with Livía, I struggled. Life was rough."

  She stroked his hair and ran her fingers down his chest. "I know. Livía has been," she turned her head, "talking to me."

  He stiffened. Joséf didn't need this. Kissa wasn't Livía, or Isabella.

  "You don't know what I've been through, my prince. It's been hell being the baby of the pack. It's not been easy trying to muster the strength needed to be one of them. They've berated me, abused me, beat me, forced you to kill my brother, treated me like a little girl, and then you come along, Joséf, and save me from this mess. You've been my protector and lover, so what the hell happened?"

  "You're still so goddamn young, Kissa. The world—"

  She waved a hand dismissively. "Is a harsh place. I'm not free entirely here, Joséf. I'm still a woman, and in this pack, that means I'm second. Since I'm so young, I was even lower on the pole than you might think."

  "Kissa, this is no time for antics like this.” Joséf growled back at her.

  Glaring, Kissa shifted her head against him. "Let's go."

  Letting out another sigh, Joséf continued walking. Nothing made sense. Why did the Syndicate send hitters, and how did they control them? Was Fang one of many they had controlled, and if so, how? Did they use their drug trade?

  Probably. Most likely they used drug trafficking routes to get their people in and out of Europe. The organization's long history started in America but like all crime organizations, sought world dominance.

  Joséf needed answers. "What did you see while held captive?"

  "Nothing much. Young vampires, chattering, mostly nothing."

  "Did they discuss anything important around you?"

  "Oh God.” Kissa covered her mouth.

  Stopping, Joséf looked at her. "What did you hear, Kissa?"

  She stared at him in shock. "They're planning to take other pack mates."

  An eyebrow quirked. "There are others from this pack?"

  "Yes, but most of them reside in Budapest. Most of them hold jobs in order to help supplement the pack's income. I wonder if…the men don’t get to see their mates often.” Tears slid down her cheeks. Her face twisted painfully. “I hope they’re safe.”

  Kissing her wouldn't solve matters, but he did it anyway. Brushing his lips over hers, he pressed into her, tasted her and the blood on her mouth. Her grip around his neck tightened. He pulled back.

  "What can we do, my prince?"

  Joséf ground his teeth. He hadn't the foggiest, but telling Sapporo was only thing he could think of, which pissed him off. That damned Ancient… He sighed. "We tell Sapporo."

  "Everything?"

  He nodded. "Maybe this will make him stop fucking with me, and force everyone else to start taking being a pack seriously."

  "And get you more of what you need.” She stroked his cheek.

  "Yeah.” Questions still swarmed his mind. Sapporo the Ancient, oldest of the three remaining ones, smelled of graveyard soil and earth, a mixture of wolf and vampire. A hybrid? Richard hadn’t been a hybrid; he’d been an original Ancient. His daughter, Amalie, wasn’t, nor was she a hybrid. What the fuck was Sapporo? He’d said he wasn’t a vampire. Nothing made sense.

  John had been a Syndicate mole. That much he understood. Supposedly dead, but Joséf had his doubts. The Ancient had told him, but didn't bother to provide the proof Joséf had requested.

  Was revenge a motive? Probably. The Syndicate had needed Richard, not the other way around.

  "Listen, Kissa. I don't know what's going on, but we have to get back to the pack and warn the others.

  "Always," she murmured, sending shivers through him. His groin tightened and he mentally cursed himself at the inappropriateness of his arousal.

  "I mean it. Things are about to get really ugly and I don't know what else is going to happen. I don't know who else is going to have to die."

  Kissa shuddered against him.

  He wondered. "Can I heal you? I mean…like you do me?"

  "Of course, my prince. Just get us back to the pack first. We can talk about it soon. I'll be all right."

  Joséf nodded, approving when she closed her eyes and snuggled tighter into the warmth of his body. Joséf loved the feel of her, secure against him. So different than Livía, but so very comforting, just like Livía.

  He exhaled slowly.

  "Don't worry, my prince. Things will work out," she murmured.

  "I wish I could promise you that."

  The campfire crackled, filling the air with a spicy, smoky scent, as Joséf entered camp, Kissa in his arms. Sapporo stood on the far side of the fire pit, waiting.

  A slightly portly man with a touch of silver in his hair came forward. An angry slash marred his left cheek but his eyes still held kindness. “I am Mikhail, my prince. The pack’s doctor. If you wish, I can take a look at her.” He nodded at the burns made by the silver ropes. “I have some salve.”

  At Joséf’s obvious surprise, Mikhail flushed and shot a look at Sapporo, who remained impassive. “We shall remain in your sight. You, of course, will have her final healing.” He dipped his head in submission.

  Joséf narrowed his eyes. All the times he could have used a doctor, and he’d never known the pack had one. “Fine. Make sure she eats, too.”

  Mikhail snapped his fingers and a smaller wolf darted to him, spread out a thick blanket near the warmth of the fire. Joséf set Kissa down gently, brushed her hair from her face.

  “I won’t be far, Kissa.”

  “Szeretom,” she whispered, and closed her eyes.

  Joséf stood and glanced around. Most of the pack gave them a wide berth as they wandered, eating, talking low. No one made eye contact with Joséf. The looks they gave Kissa, laying so still on the blanket, seemed apologetic. Fuck'em. Making sure to keep Kissa and Mikhail within reach, Joséf faced Sapporo, feeling beyond annoyed.

  Sapporo stood silent, in the way older vampires tended to do, moving toward him, yet appearing not to move at all. His large black cloak dragged the ground with each step he made toward the two.

  The fire burned
high in the darkness, and the pack quieted as the two powers faced each other.

  "We have returned, despite some of you who doubted.” Joséf straightened his shoulders, his muscles tensed for action. Then, he waited. Smelled the air for any threats, but found none. Nothing out of the ordinary, except for Sapporo's odd scent of wolf and death. He focused on Sapporo, but out of the corner of his eye he saw a few others come trotting over to see what the fuss was about.

  "Indeed, Joséf," Sapporo's accented voice carried across the fire like fine port sliding down the throat. "The wolf princess will fully recover. I know Dave and Istvan are on their way back. Are we free of the foreign menace?"

  Joséf didn't like the way Sapporo emphasized foreign. "As far as I know, we still have to deal with whoever the Syndicate has left here in Hungary.” He raised an eyebrow. “You kept many things hidden, in your invitation to me to learn about my heritage.”

  "Of course. You were brought here to help us, in exchange for our assistance in your change. You knew this when you came."

  “You were not explicit in the part requiring my help. Nice of you to leave out the fact that the Syndicate had penetrated my homeland.”

  Kissa, freed from the doctor’s care, leaned in against Joséf, rested her head on his thigh. He ran a hand through Kissa's hair, fingers tangling in her drying curls. "You've yet to teach me anything of value."

  "You know how to fight now.” The Ancient nodded. "You are one with the wolf. You are one with your power, and you finally trust your animal instinct. That is a valuable lesson, is it not?"

  "Yeah, knew that before I got here. The only difference is I'd have shot you all with my police issue SIG, instead of having to use tooth and claws."

  "That's not very lupine," Sapporo tssked.

  "Fuck off.” Joséf splayed his fingers in Kissa's scalp. "Dead is dead.” He took a breath. “What do we do now?”

  Sapporo tilted his head. "The Syndicate are from your country. How did you outwit them there?"

  Joséf pulled Kissa tighter against him. "I didn't.” He looked into the bright flames dancing in the fire pit and closed his eyes. "I didn't take them down. I merely killed the Ancient, Richard, and his daughter, and took out a figurehead in the crime organization."