Chapter 27
TWENTY-SEVEN
Mina glanced at the clock as she waited for the coffee to brew.
Only three more minutes had passed. Three measly, excruciating minutes. It was still an hour before three o’clock. An hour before Sevik was due to pick her up.
Why can’t time just go faster?
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and Mina and Sevik had made plans to spend the holiday at his cabin. He’d only been back there once since they’d returned to town after the big storm, just to grab clothing and essentials. He’d been living with her this whole time. Working with her, spending time with her.
And Mina loved every second of it.
Even knowing that their time apart today would be temporary, Sevik had been reluctant to leave this morning. She knew his protective instincts must’ve been railing at the thought of her being alone. But he’d needed to buy groceries so his kitchen would be stocked with something more than meat for her stay, and he’d said he wanted to clean the place up—not that she recalled it being messy when they’d left.
She was excited for their little getaway, excited to be secluded from the rest of the world. To spend Christmas with…her husband.
Grinning, Mina picked up the decanter and filled a paper cup with fresh coffee. The strong aroma permeated the air as steam rose from the hot liquid.
“That’s quite a smile,” Chief Harrigan said from the front counter. “Thinking about your man?”
Heat flooded Mina’s cheeks as she glanced at him, expecting a judgmental stare, but thankfully there was only good humor in his teasing grin.
“I am.” She plucked up a lid and pressed it onto the cup, making sure it was secure.
The bell over the door tinkled. Mina turned her head to see two men enter. Both were big and broad-shouldered, standing around Sevik’s height. They were dressed in dark winter coats and sunglasses. One wore a knitted hat, while the other had his long black hair pulled back into a ponytail.
They were definitely new to the area. At least, Mina thought they were. She’d never seen them, and word usually traveled fast when someone new moved to town. Maybe they were visiting family for the holidays?
“Hello! I’ll be with you in a moment,” she said to them with a smile.
“He treating you good?” Harrigan asked as he eyed the newcomers.
It took Mina a moment to recall their conversation. When she did, the thought of Sevik filled her chest with something fuzzy and warm, widening her smile.
“He does. He really, really does.” Slipping a coffee sleeve onto the cup, she turned and offered it to him. “One large medium roast.”
Harrigan accepted it with a gruff thanks. “So, you’re closing early today?”
“Yep.”
“Got plans then?”
“Viktor and I are spending the holiday at his cabin.”
Harrigan chuckled. “Well, forecast isn’t showing any storms, so you shouldn’t get stuck out there this time.”
Mina blushed, but her grin endured. She could think of many, many reasons to get stuck at Sevik’s cabin that had nothing to do with the weather…
Did she and Sevik even need a reason if they wanted to stay?
Nope. They could spend as much time as they wanted doing whatever they wanted—like having wild, freaky sex—and it was no one else’s business.
The chief sipped his drink and let out a satisfied sigh. “Good coffee as always, Mina.”
He raised the cup in a mock salute, turned, and walked over to the newcomers, eyeing them up and down. “Don’t often see new faces in our little paradise. What brings you boys to town?”
The black-haired stranger said something to his companion in a low, deep voice, speaking a language Mina didn’t recognize.
After a brief reply in the same language, the man in the hat smiled at the chief. Something about that smile seemed a bit too wide. There was a hint of an unidentifiable accent on his words when he said, “We’re just passing through. Touring the Alaskan wilderness with my friend.”
He tipped his head toward his companion.
Though the long-haired man’s eyes were hidden behind the dark lenses of his sunglasses, Mina could feel his gaze upon her.
“Where you from?” Harrigan asked before taking another sip of his coffee.
Mina couldn’t help but wince at his line of questioning. It wasn’t surprising though.
“Seattle,” the man in the hat replied.
“Huh. Didn’t realize Washingtonians had accents like that.”
“We have many accents in Seattle”—the man lowered his glasses briefly to glance at the chief’s chest—“Chief Harrigan. But our scenery is lacking in comparison.”
Nodding, Harrigan turned his attention to the black-haired stranger. “Where you two staying?”
“We have a camper,” the man in the hat said. “Our other friends are with it now, outside town.”
“Other friends? And how many of you are there?”
The man in the hat chuckled. “Do you suspect us of a crime, or do you ask the same questions to everyone who comes through this town?”
Chief Harrigan offered a smile of his own that was devoid of warmth and humor. “I’m just a naturally curious person is all. Love meeting new people and learning all about them. You two have names?”
“I’m Laszlo, and he is?—”
“I heard him talk before,” Harrigan said, gesturing to the silent man. “Can’t he speak for himself?”
“I am called Ivan,” the dark-haired man replied, his accent much thicker than his companion’s. There was something familiar about that accent, and that familiarity niggled at the back of her mind, but a few words wasn’t enough to identify it.
The chief stared at the man. Mina understood the tension in the air; Harrigan seemed to have that effect on a lot of people, especially when he treated them like they were criminals simply because he didn’t know them.
“Well, Laszlo and Ivan, I hope you enjoy our little town while you pass through.” He lifted his cup and nodded to them. “And it should go without saying, but don’t cause any trouble while you’re here.”
He strode to the door, pushed it open, and turned back toward the newcomers. “Mina’s got great coffee and pastries. Just don’t let her talk you into buying any of those smutty books of hers.”
Mina wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips as Harrigan stepped outside.
He just had to go there.
The men looked at her, and she offered them another smile. “To answer your question, yes, the Chief does interrogate everyone new that comes into town. Don’t take it too personally.”
“We know his type,” Laszlo said with a dismissive wave. “He thinks himself…what’s the saying? A big fish in a little pond? But we aren’t concerned with him.”
The two men moved to the counter. Only as they neared did Mina get a true sense of their size; they definitely rivaled Sevik in height and build. It was…a bit intimidating.
“Well, welcome to Sullford!” she said. “It’s really a lovely area, especially if you like the outdoors. Though this time of year, daylight is pretty scarce. Enjoy it while it lasts.”
Laszlo’s lips stretched into an unsettling grin. “Oh, we don’t shy away from the dark, Mina.”
Mina’s skin prickled with unease.
Okay… That isn’t a creepy thing to say.
“So, what can I get you?” she asked, keeping her smile in place.
Ivan braced a hand on the counter and leaned closer to her, nostrils flaring as he inhaled. A growl rumbled from his chest. “She reeks of him.”
Reeks of…him?
Of…Sevik?
Mina’s brow creased, and she took a step back. “What?”
“Fucking police,” Laszlo muttered as he walked to the front door. He peered out the window, casually turning the hanging sign to CLOSED and locking the deadbolt.
Terror crashed through Mina as her eyes flicked between the two men. Their strange mannerisms, their size, their accents…. She knew with chilling certainty that these men weren’t human, and that they were after Sevik.
And they knew she was his mate.
She needed to go. Now.
Mina spun and ran down the hallway toward the back door.
Heavy, rapid steps followed her. When she reached the door, she wrapped her fingers around the knob and tugged it open.
A hand struck the door above her head, slamming it shut.
No. No! No, no, no!
Ivan’s thick, powerful arm banded around her middle and pulled her against him. She shrieked, kicking her legs and swinging her arms, striking him with feet, hands, and nails anywhere she could reach.
With a growl, he clamped his other hand under her jaw, forcing her head back against his chest. “So lively. I will enjoy breaking you in front of Sevik.”
Her already cold blood turned to ice. She breathed, “Brekker.”
He snarled and spun around. “I see he spoke of me.”
Mina’s eyes widened; Laszlo strode toward her with a small gun in his hand. Brekker jerked her head aside, exposing her neck, and Laszlo pressed the tip of the gun to her skin. It clicked and hissed. She felt a prick, and a new cold flowed into her body, spreading outward from her neck. Her limbs grew heavy, and black spots clouded her vision.
“No…” she rasped, trying to fight the sensation, to fight Brekker. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop what was happening.
Her body sagged in Brekker’s hold.
“Sleep, female,” he said. “It is the final peace you will ever have.”
Those words were the last thing she heard before darkness enveloped her.