Chapter 6
SIX
NIK
“You should’ve let me drive,” Dimitri says with a scoff from the passenger seat, his voice almost a whisper when at war with the roaring engine of this luxury SUV. A gift from the pack members sent to kill me. “I hate the way you drive.”
The tires squeal as I bank another corner, never letting off the gas.
I agree with the big one, my wolf interjects.
We can’t save your mate if we don’t survive the trip there.
I don’t respond to either. No, I tighten my fists on the steering wheel and power forward.
Truth is, as much as I’d love to slam this vehicle through the front gates and rip the throat out of any wolf stupid enough to get in my way, the Vostik compound isn’t our first stop.
There’s no way to know just how many additions he made to the pack in my absence.
If I’m not careful, if I rush into the compound like my father expects me to, well, Natalia and I won’t survive to see the red moon.
I drag my hand over the scars decorating my torso, fingertips grazing each fleshy ridge beneath the shirt I took from the wolves sent to kill me.
“Don’t worry, moy brat,” I say with a slight smirk, staring at the winding road ahead. “I’ll get us there in one piece.
We continue through the city and into the surrounding wilderness until Samara is just a small dot in the rearview.
The city served as the pack hunting grounds until the Russian government caught wind that the storied beasts weren’t just some myth.
It’s been decades since the agreement was made.
Long enough for all of them to forget the fear they once felt during a full moon.
Trees line both sides of the single-lane road leading out of the city.
Before long, the brush and decaying tree limbs filling the forest floor will be hidden beneath layers of fresh snow.
The usual white palette I imagine when my mind wanders back home, not that it does often.
And never when I was with her. I can still see her eyes in my head.
A gorgeous brown nearly the same color as the freckles dusting her nose and cheeks.
Natalia. Every time I close my eyes, she taunts me.
The long, silky hair I couldn’t help but run my fingers through whenever she was close enough.
The way her delicate plump lips spread so perfectly into a smile I couldn’t turn away from.
How when our bodies connected, it wasn’t just heat I felt anymore.
No, it was an inferno incinerating me from the inside out.
We will get her back, my wolf assures, and I repeat the sentiment in my head. We will get her back.
It takes nearly an hour for us to reach the place I’ve kept from my family, even redirected transports to avoid the chance of the pack stumbling across it.
The height of the trees on this mountain provide camouflage even when only a few miles away from the compound outskirts.
It certainly helps that the gravel road is overgrown and appears to be the path to a small, abandoned factory.
What my father doesn’t know is that the Russian military set up shop here years ago to keep tabs on us.
To make sure the wolves fell in line. Once they were certain we were no longer a threat to their civilians, they left, too. All except one.
“Are you sure he’s still here?” Dimitri asks.
I open the SUV door and step outside. “We’ll have to knock and find out.”
Dimitri opens his door and follows suit although his expression shifts from curious to a noticeable amount of concern.
He takes careful steps behind me, each footfall not bearing his full weight.
There aren’t any landmines. I would’ve smelled them the second I opened the door, even a foot beneath the soil.
There is something else I do take notice of, though.
The entrance creaks open, it’s hinges screaming for mercy.
Then, the bolt of a rifle slides into place.
“I wouldn’t take another step if I were you.” A gruff voice echoes down the incline.
“And what would you do if you were me, Sarkov?” I ask, an edge in my tone.
Alexey Sarkov inches out from the doorway, rifle drawn and aimed in my direction.
He moves forward with caution, one eye keen to the sight while the other remains shut.
Each of his heartbeats rattle the dog tags dangling around his neck.
Surprisingly enough, he still hasn’t taken them off, even after a discharge from the Russian army long before I left for LA.
“I would’ve stayed in the States.” He shifts the rifle safety with his thumb, and a hollow click sets it in place to fire.
There we stand. I’m too far to stop him, even with my speed.
His finger glides along the trigger, almost taunting me to try something.
I can’t. Not when my wounds will heal and Dimitri’s won’t.
Alexey lifts his eye from the sight, staring at me long enough to gain a snarl from the wolf churning inside me.
I try to block him out but it’s impossible to ignore the rage swirling in my stomach.
Small cracks appear on my forearms, splitting the tattoos emerging from each sleeve.
I force in a soothing breath to keep the transformation at bay. Not yet, I chant. Not yet.
A grin emerges on Alexey’s weathered face, and before I can draw another breath, the man standing a few yards away in faded military fatigues shoulders his rifle and laughs. He laughs until he’s on the verge of puking.
Dimitri sighs incredulously, and I too ease my stance. The splits on my forearms fuse together, leaving my skin intact. My heart rate steadies, and the acid in my stomach settles to its usual simmer. I don’t find our life being threatened humorous, my wolf finally huffs.
Relax, I say in my head, hoping my other half will listen. We need him.
How badly does he need both arms?
“Nice to know you haven’t changed, Sarkov.
Still the sadistic prick I remember.” I smirk and move toward him.
He’s aged considerably since the last time I visited.
Stiff wrinkles are now displayed prominently at the corner of each eye, and even his facial hair has begun to gray.
When I reach the small man and extend my palm, he grabs it without hesitation and laughs once more.
“Nikolai fucking Vostik. Werewolf prince. It is good to see you my friend.”
I shake my head. “I wish it were for a better reason. This is Dimitri,” I say and gesture behind me.
Alexey studies him for a moment, first Dimitri’s eyes, then his boots, and finally the way he walks forward cautiously. “There are no trip mines here. Unless you always walk like you have a stick shoved up your—”
“We need your help, Alexey,” I cut him off. “May we come inside?”
He peers up at me, even tilting his head to do so. “Da.” Without looking away, he points at Dimitri’s feet. “Make sure he wipes those big things on the mat.” With that, he retreats to the entrance and out of sight.
I look back at Dimitri, his face losing slack. “Did you know there weren’t trip mines?”
“Of course not.”
We sit at a small makeshift table, the overwhelming smell of dust and mold building in the ceiling tiles impossible to ignore.
The rusty machinery throughout the structure only adds to the stench, giving a coppery taste in the air.
There’s a cot in the corner closest to us, the mattress motheaten and uncomfortable at best. At the far side of the room sits five computer monitors, one of which is showing a camera feed fixed on the SUV parked outside.
“Love what you’ve done with the place,” I say leaning back and crossing my arms. I’m not sure why I kept this little bunker away from my father when I found it, but now—all things considered—I have little remorse in doing so.
Like the rest of the pack, I had no idea the Russian government was not only keeping tabs on us with their periodic visits but also had a twenty-four-hour surveillance on the property as well.
Alexey was the last soldier here when I first stumbled in, seeking shelter from the heavy rains.
It wasn’t until he saw the gashes on my chest that he lowered his rifle and offered aid.
And in return, I guess I kept his whereabouts secret so no other wolves would come sniffing him out.
Alexey lights a cigarette and scoffs out a cloud of smoke.
A subtle grin tugs at one side of his face.
“You haven’t even seen my pleasure room yet.
” He chuckles and hacks phlegm from his lungs.
When his eyes return to mine, there’s a seriousness to them, like all his years in service come flooding back in an instant.
His posture stiffens. “Why are you here, Nikolai?”
I point to the cigarettes sitting in front of him, and he hands me one along with the lighter. I scorch the end and lean back again, letting the smoke burn the back of my throat before blowing it upward to circle around us. “My brother has taken someone important from me.”
The wrinkles at Alexey’s forehead deepen and practically reach his receding hairline. “So, let me get this straight. Your brother. Dat big bastard.” He points his cigarette at me like an accusatory finger. “Took something from you, and now you want my help to get it back?”
“Ms. Nat is not a thing,” Dimitri corrects him and leans forward.
Alexey chuckles again. “Easy big man. Let’s not—”
I wave my hand and cut him off. “Dimitri is right. Natalia is everything. And I will kill my brother. My father. The entire fucking bloodline if it means getting her back.” The cracks on my forearms reappear despite the mental blocks I put in place the second I stepped inside.
Alexey takes notice, his gaze flicking to the small bits of fur breaking free. That doesn’t seem to frighten him, though. It’s when he looks me in the eye that his face drains of color. He lifts his hands in surrender and shakes his head. “I meant no disrespect, Nikolai.”
I cup my face in my palms and take another breath, praying to whatever god will listen I can find some ounce of control. I never had to worry about shifting unless there was a full moon before. Now, it’s almost impossible to keep this wolf from clawing out of me.
Sorry to be such a burden, the wolf says sarcastically.
Taking another drag, I exhale and lean as far as the chair will let me. “Izvini.” Sorry.
“You were about to change … weren’t you?” Alexey asks and checks his watch. “That’s not possible? The next full moon isn’t for another—”
“I don’t need it anymore,” I say matter of factly.
Alexey glances from me to Dimitri and back to me. “Need what anymore? The moon?”
I nod, holding the cigarette between my lips.
“Can I … can I see it?”
The wolf inside me growls, and although I can’t see him, he’s undoubtedly smiling a horrible row of sharpened teeth. I like this idea.
“Will you help us or not?” I leave no room in my voice for a rebuttal.
A simple yes or no will do. If he agrees, then we might have an actual shot at getting my little wolf back without dying in the process.
If not, there’s one last option which could result in a much longer and more painful death than my pack has planned for me.
I’ve seen the humanity Alexey has, even to someone that could only be considered half-human on his best day.
He stands from the chair abruptly, our gazes evenly matched. “You want me to go against your family? To start a war with the Vostik pack?”
I nod again.
Alexey turns away from me. “I wasn’t kidding when I said I had a pleasure room.
” Walking to a closet door, he retrieves a key from his front pocket and fidgets with the padlock.
When the door swings open and the overhead lights flicker on, a certain unease builds in my stomach.
The same sensation I get when I’m around …
silver. Inside the closet lining both sides of the room are guns.
Grenades. Axes. Even knives. From wall to wall there are weapons containing the one thing the lore ever got right about us.
The one thing that can stop my kind. “Ever since you wandered in here, I had to make sure I was ready in case you weren’t the only one to find me. ”
I stand and ignore the pit twisting my stomach, taking stock of his impressive arsenal.
Alexey snorts and raises an eyebrow. “Let’s kill some fucking werewolves.”