6. Nikolai
There was only one vampire I trusted to look into Kiron’s blood claim. But that didn't mean I was happy with my decision to seek out Elias’ help. The thought of seeing him frayed at the edges of my control.
Unbuckling my seatbelt, I glanced up at the dark windows of the familiar warehouse, unease settling in my chest. I didn’t want to be here, but I had no other choice.
Elias had a particular set of computer skills that let him access things the public couldn’t. If anyone could dig up everything about this girl, it was him. If I knew Elias at all, he was already aware of my presence and was watching me right now. Waiting for me.
I removed my glasses and rubbed at my eyes, frustration building under my skin.
Fate had a twisted sense of humor.
Of all the bars in the city, Kiron’s brother had hired the one girl who might fracture everything I’d spent decades holding together. I exhaled slowly, staring at the darkened warehouse windows, bracing myself to go inside.
My wolf perked up at the thought of seeing Elias again.
My grip tightened around the steering wheel. He wasn’t mine anymore, and I wasn’t here for him.
I was here for my hive.
‘A hive that once included him,’ my wolf reminded me.
I ignored him. I couldn’t allow myself to think about that loss. It hurt too fucking much.
All I needed to know was if this waitress was a good fit for my hive.
Plus, she could potentially be in danger.
It was only a matter of time before another hive—or worse, a rogue—caught her scent.
If they hadn’t already. And I was willing to bet she had no idea the power her blood had over my kind .
I adjusted my tie and forced my breathing to even out.
Who would have thought some waitress would force my hand and drag me back to my ex’s door?
Just being here pushed at the edges of the control I had spent decades rebuilding.
One moment of instability fifty years ago had cost me everything.
It was why Elias left my hive. Left me. He’d rather be a rogue than be tied to my hive.
But that hadn’t kept me away from him. Over the years I’d slipped up and came crawling back to him.
My hands tightened around the steering wheel again. The last time was ten years ago.
I didn’t deserve him.
I had been a shitty mate and an even worse alpha. I carried my failures like a brand.
I unbuttoned my cufflinks and rolled up my sleeves, forcing myself into the calm discipline that had kept the hive together all these years. I wouldn’t lose control again. And I wouldn’t take a blood mate. Not without Elias.
If this girl was Kiron’s blood claim, and my brother and Rafe accepted her as well, I would make do. I would treat her the same way I treated every other risk.
At arm’s length.
I pushed open the car door and stepped out, slamming it harder than necessary. We had bigger problems than my love life. I suppressed the tension in my shoulders before pushing through the warehouse doors. Just like I suspected, it was unlocked.
My wolf stirred the moment Elias’ scent hit me.
Summer rain and earth. Fuck . I hated how much I missed him.
My hands curled into fists at my sides as I took the stairs.
I straightened my tie again to give my hands something to do and then knocked once on his office door.
I didn’t wait for an answer before pushing it open .
Elias looked up from the wall of monitors lining the far wall.
His scent hit me harder this close to him, stealing my breath and lengthening my fangs.
He was just as gorgeous as I remembered.
Wild black curls I used to thread my fingers through fell into hazel eyes that lifted to mine with sharp, knowing intrigue.
Damn him. He was already affecting me and he hadn’t even spoken yet.
“Niko. To what do I owe the pleasure ?” he purred.
My wolf pushed forward automatically, eager to answer him.
“I need you to look into someone for me. A waitress at Jack’s Bar downtown. You know it?”
He leaned back in his chair, mouth twitching into a slow smile. “Hello to you too, love.”
My gaze dropped to his lips before I could stop it. A mouth carved from sin. When he smiled like that his dimples dragged me in. His raven flickered close to the surface, his already dark eyes turning nearly black, but the infuriating smirk never left his lips.
“Don’t start with the teasing, Eli,” I warned.
With him, dominance was far too easy to slip into. Eli had always enjoyed pushing boundaries with me until I snapped and made him submit.
He leaned back further in his chair, the hem of his shirt riding up just enough to reveal a strip of tan skin and the sharp line of muscle dipping into the V at his hips.
“ Me? What about you ? Coming in here with your shirt sleeves rolled up, your blond hair a mess. You look good, alpha. ”
Elias had always known exactly how to get under my skin, and what that word did to me. Being called alpha or sir had always been a kink of mine. My body was already responding to him, my cock pressing painfully against my slacks. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.
“I’m not here for pleasantries. ”
“That's too bad.” He smothered another smirk with his hand.
Fucker .
He knew exactly how much he was affecting me.
Instinctively I had the urge to make him fall to his knees, just to show him who was in control here.
I pictured that sinful mouth wrapped around my cock, my hands fisting his dark hair.
I unfurled my hands. Focus . I forced my expression back into calm indifference and met his stare.
“Can you help me or not?”
“What’s in it for me?”
“ Eli, ” I snapped. The warning in my voice roughened into a growl. “I have a dragon on the verge of going feral, and he’s blood claimed this girl. A waitress. I need to know if she’s truly a potential blood mate for my hive.”
Elias reclined further, studying me. He could see straight through the careful control I’d built around myself. He always had. He dipped his chin, dark curls slipping across his forehead as his eyes narrowed slightly. Silence stretched between us.
“What do you need me for then?” he asked at last.
My jaw ticked, but I didn’t dignify the question with a response.
“You should just meet the girl yourself, Niko. See if she’s a fit for your hive.”
“You know why I can’t do that. Please . Just help me.”
“Of course, Niko.” His voice softened slightly. He watched me for another moment before turning back to his monitors. “Sit. Let’s see what I can pull up on your waitress.”
I took the chair opposite him while his fingers flew across the keyboard, screens shifting and flickering as files populated. Lines of code scrolled faster than I could follow, windows stacking and disappearing again as Elias moved through them with practiced ease .
The quiet hum of the equipment filled the room while my wolf paced beneath my skin, restless and alert with Elias only a few feet away.
It didn’t take Eli long.
“She’s careful,” he murmured without looking away from the screen. “Almost no digital footprint. Her name’s Sina Voss. Thirty-five years old. Widow.”
Another window opened on the central monitor. Sina stood inside a small apartment, drying her hair in front of a mirror. She was smaller than I expected, dark hair falling in damp strands around her shoulders as she leaned toward the glass.
The moment I saw her something inside my chest shifted, my wolf pushing forward with a low pulse of recognition that settled deep beneath my ribs.
‘Mine.’
Absolutely not.
I shoved the instinct down hard, but the reaction lingered. Elias noticed the change even if he didn’t comment on it. His shoulder brushed mine as he leaned across the desk to open another file.
“The only official records I found were medical. Emergency intake. Two files. One from four years ago, another from last year.”
My jaw clenched as I read the file.
The older record was bad enough—fractured ribs, internal bruising, multiple contusions that read like someone had taken their time hurting her.
“What the actual fuck, Elias?” I hissed.
“I know.”
Something cold settled in my chest as I stared at the report.
Someone hadn’t just hurt her. Someone had tried to fucking kill her.
My hands balled into fists as I shot to my feet, pacing back and forth in Eli’s small office.
I suddenly felt caged and I fought the need to shift.
To run. The need to let this pent up energy out was almost overwhelming.
“Was it the dead husband?” I asked between pacing. “Did that incident alter her blood?”
“Maybe.”
My wolf surged forward with a low snarl. I stopped behind his chair.
“The second file, Eli. What happened last year?”
His mouse clicked a few times before he spoke. “Severe blood loss. Self-inflicted lacerations. Suicide attempt.” Elias rubbed the back of his neck. “She was dead for almost two minutes.”
Touched by death. She was a blood mate. Kiron was right. Her blood carried something that could anchor creatures like us. Even a beast as powerful as Ki’s.
My heart seized. “Jesus Christ. Her blood was altered from trying to kill herself?”
Elias nodded.
My skin hummed and stretched with the need to hunt down whoever made her feel like giving up. Because if it was the dead husband who tried to kill her four years ago, why would she try to end it all years later? That didn’t make any sense. Unless… the reason was something else.
Or someone else?
He opened another window, pulling up phone logs.
“Three numbers in her phone log,” he said. “Her boss. A therapist, Doctor Bloom.”
“And the third?”
“Burner.”
I flopped back into the chair beside him, scrubbing a hand down my face as irritation and something darker coiled in my chest. Whoever the number belonged to, my wolf didn’t like it .
Elias didn’t speak. He simply watched me for a moment, reading the tension I couldn’t quite hide.
“She needs protection,” I said finally, the words rougher than I intended. And for some fucking reason I knew I wouldnt let this go.
Elias glanced at me. His expression was grim. “Whatever you say, Niko.”
I checked the timestamp on the therapy messages on the computer screen. Her old therapist recommended a group session today at 10:30 a.m. I checked the time.
Thirty minutes from now.
A bad idea formed instantly. Impulsive and reckless.
But I didn’t fucking care.
The thought of her walking the streets of Ash Harbor alone and unprotected made my wolf snarl. Predators would scent her eventually. Another hive. Or rogues.
I couldn’t allow it.
Damn it. I hadn’t met her yet and I felt my control snapping.
“Pull up her number,” I said through clenched teeth.
He hesitated. “Nikolai, think about this—”
“ Now , Eli.” The command cracked through the room, wolf bleeding into my voice.
His raven flared in response, but he pulled it up on the monitor. I slipped my phone from my slacks and began dialing it, my heart racing.
“This is a bad idea,” he warned quietly.
“I know.”
But I was too far gone to give a fuck.
The phone rang once. Twice.
Elias watched me across the desk, tension coiling between us. “Don’t say anything you can’t undo,” he murmured.
The call connected .
Too fucking late.
She was under my protection now whether I claimed her as mine or not.