Destiny Unchained (4 page)

Now, why did that turn him on? He was an alpha.
Dominant. His mate, Laurel, had been opposite in every way. All
feminine curves, sweet and docile.

He walked around her, his gaze glued to her round
ass. He narrowly avoided a blow to the ribs by a booted foot. No,
there was nothing sweet or docile about this Huntress.

“No metal?” she asked.

He stepped in front again and showed his teeth. “I
never make the same mistake twice.”

Unable to stop himself, he stroked his hand up her
thigh, edging toward her firm backside. She kicked at him and he
jumped back with a chuckle.

“Behave, Talia. Or I won’t help you down.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t earned the right
to call me Talia. Or any nickname for that matter. And I don’t need
your help.”

“Really?” He stepped back and crossed his arms over
his chest. “I can’t wait to see this.”

Her eyes glazed over as she stared into the trees. He
didn’t scent any of her weapons nearby. There was nothing for miles
but trees and open plains. But she had that same look in her eye as
when she’d formed a shiv out of his belt buckle and lodged it into
his spine. Unnerved, he shifted his weight then rechecked his body
for metal. There was none.

Confident again, he cleared his throat. “While you’re
working on that miracle, do you mind if I ask you a few
questions?”

Her gaze remained focused on her target, though he
had no idea what it was. “You don’t seem like the type to ask
permission for anything.”

“I’m not. So you realize the exception I’m making for
you.” He smiled and fought back the urge to touch her again.
“Especially when I have the perfect opportunity to interrogate you
in –” he raked his gaze over her body “ – other ways.”

He liked her restrained, arms over head. It made her
firm breasts jut out, almost spilling over her low cut black tank
top. If he had his way, he’d leave her tied up, strip her, throw
her legs over his shoulders and –

“An exception, is it? For me? I’m honored.” She
struggled a bit, adjusting her body under the pressure of her
weight.

“I’m beginning to think it won’t be hard to kill you
after all.”

Her gaze flew to his face and she snorted. “Figures.
That’s the thanks I get for sparing your life?”

He took a step closer, careful to stay clear of any
swinging legs. “Why did you?”

Her gaze dropped to the ground and for a fleeting
moment, she looked unguarded. “Hell if I know,” she muttered then
raised her chin and focused back on the tree. “Came back to bite me
on the ass, didn’t it?”

He grinned. “I’d love to bite you on the ass. Are you
giving me permission?”

She tossed him a bored look. “You only get one
get-out-of-jail-free card with me, wolf, and you already used it.
Touch my ass with your teeth, or any other body part, and I’ll kill
you.”

He loved that she didn’t growl or yell the threat.
She said it as dispassionately as if she’d been reading a weather
report. But still, how could he resist such an obvious loophole in
her warning? He picked up a thin stick, stepped around her, and
rapped her on the backside. Just once, and only hard enough to make
his point.

After her body jerked and a small gasp escaped her
lips, she inhaled a deep breath and looked up to the sky, as if she
were praying to the gods for patience. Any vampire or werewolf – or
woman, for that matter – would have been aghast, slinging insults,
threats, and showing fang.

But Talia merely exhaled a sigh and gave him a look
that said,
“Really?
That childish, are we?”

He laughed out loud before he could stop himself.

“Got that out of your system?”

He looked at the stick in his hand. This was too much
fun. “I don’t know.” He swung it through the air, smiling at the
whooshing
sound. “We’ll see.”

She rolled her eyes. “I amend my former statement.
Touch my ass with
anything
, and I will personally slit your throat.”
Her eyes lit up with an icy hunger.

Could it be that the only thing she was passionate
about was violence?

“But I won’t kill you,” she continued. “No, I’ll
leave you to bleed out here in the cold. It will take you a full
day to heal and by that time, your dick will have fallen off from
frostbite.”

He nodded, undisturbed by her gruesome warning. “Good
thing I wore my long underwear.”

“I’ll take them off.” She shifted her attention back
to the trees.

“So now you’re going to slit my throat, strip me, and
then leave me in the cold? Is that right?” He circled her again. He
liked the way she twisted her body to keep him away from her
back.

“Yes.” Impatience flared in her eyes. “Look, don’t
bother me with petty details. Just assume I’ll do something very
painful and violent if you touch me again.” She cut him off when he
opened his mouth to speak. “With
any
object, body part, or otherwise.”

“Well, I just want to be clear, Natalia, about what
will happen to me…when I do this.” He reared back with the stick
and she flinched.

There might’ve been a glimmer of anger under that
controlled exterior when she saw his mocking grin. “Fuck you. I’m
done with this conversation.” She flexed her arms, taking the
pressure off her joints. She had to be in pain yet not a single
ounce of strain showed on her face.

“You sure you don’t want help?”

“Shut up so I can concentrate.”

Not one to take orders by vampires hanging from
trees, he asked, “If you’re not here for the wolves’ blood, why are
you here?”

“I’m tracking the Silver Slayer.”

“The what?”

“You don’t know?” She narrowed her eyes and looked
him over. “Why is a pack of werewolves working as park rangers?
Aren’t you supposed to be in the Underworld?”

Tied up and helpless, again, and trying to
interrogate him? He bit back a smile. She had balls of steel. But
did she have the skill to back it up? He had a feeling she did.

“Not all werewolves pledged their allegiance to the
Dark King.” Cristian had never been to the Underworld – a plane
halfway between earth and hell – where most of his kind lived. In
fact, many of his pack had come bearing tales of a sorcerer turned
vampire gone mad with lust for power. Cristian stayed away from
supernatural politics. Witches, sorcerers, fae, even dragons, hid
in the shadows of the human world, unseen by the untrained eye.

Natalia glared at him. “The werewolves living Topside
work for the Sorcerers instead. It’s no better. Hired to do their
dirty work. Even dogs should have some self-respect.”

Anger flared and he dropped the stick before he truly
harmed her. He took a few deep breaths before replying. “You dare
cast stones when you look and act the part of a mercenary so
well?”

“It’s different. I kill dangerous rogues.”

Ah,
now it’s clear.
When he’d shot her with the poison arrow a
few days ago, he’d merely been protecting a fellow werewolf from a
common enemy. The werewolf, in lupus form, wasn’t part of his pack,
but when it came to life or death, he acted first and asked
questions later. Once he had Natalia tied up, he recognized her
from a photo a messenger had brought by years ago. The Huntress was
a wanted assassin, the bounty high because the Magistrate wanted
the payment of her sins in blood.

The werewolves that remained Topside lived mostly in
Europe and were governed by a Magistrate that called himself, Judge
Alpha. It was he who offered the bounty for Natalia’s capture. He
was a typical crooked politician but more lethal because, in the
supernatural world, might made right. And their government system
was less about equality and democracy, and more about teeth and
claws.

He’d considered, briefly, trading her for the bounty
– a couple new generators and another ranger jeep would’ve been
nice – but instead he’d insisted on hearing her side of the story.
Damned bleeding heart. “Who are you to decide who should live or
die? Are you God?”

She gave him a sideways glance. “There is no God.
Only the sick motherfuckers who think they are. They sit in their
heavens, making catastrophic decisions based on their fickle moods.
Playing with fate. Manipulating the tides of time.”

A cynic. How pleasant. Still, his interest piqued.
Who did she work for? Why did she hate his kind? It’d been a long
time since he had a good mystery to unravel. “You almost sound
bitter. Are you unhappy with the lot you’ve been given?”

“I’m not unhappy. And I’m not bitter. I’m not –” she
seemed to struggle with the right word “ – anything.”

“I can see that.” Too clearly. Was there no
redemption for her? He thought he’d seen a flicker of…something,
earlier. Life? Hope? Maybe he was wrong. After a sigh, he told her,
“My pack protects the gray wolf population from human hunters and
from vampires.”

“Why vampires?”

“The wolves’ blood makes them stronger. It’s
addictive, like a drug.”

Her forehead creased. “Really?”

She didn’t show any visible effects of getting high
on the wolves’ blood. No, quite the opposite. She was focused,
clear-headed. But just to be sure, he narrowed his eyes and asked,
“Now why do you look intrigued at the thought?”

“I’m not intrigued. I’m just thinking how this
changes things.”

He took a step closer. “You’re going to explain what
these things are, but first…” He wrapped an arm around her hips,
holding her tight against his body so she couldn’t kick him, then
said in a warning tone, “If I find out you have something to do
with leaking information about my wolf population, vampire, I will
beat you bloody.”

She arched a brow. “Charming. Does that work on all
the ladies?”

“You’re no ordinary lady.”

She wriggled in his arms and he held her a moment
longer before letting go. “You’re right.” Her eyes tightened, her
nostrils flared then something flew past him and through the top of
the rope. Natalia dropped to the ground, landing gracefully on her
feet. She looked at him. “I’m not an ordinary vampire either.”

Her fangs slid down and she bit through the rope,
shaking it loose from her wrists.

“What was that?” he asked, picking the rope up off
the ground and studying it. It was frayed where it had broken, like
it’d been cut.

She stooped in a low crouch, eyeing him up and down
suspiciously.

Instinct had him crouching defensively as well. “I’m
not here to hurt you.”

She arched a brow. “You don’t want to capture me for
the bounty?”

He stood to his full height and put his hands up in a
peaceful gesture. “If I wanted to do that, don’t you think I would
have by now?”

She straightened and sighed. “All right. Truce?”

He couldn’t stop a smile. Truce with a vampire? Sorin
would kill him. He nodded. “Truce.”

Natalia turned around and walked into the shadowy
forest, studying the ground as she went.

Cristian followed her. “How did you break the
rope?”

“A bullet. They’re embedded in the trees,” she
answered and squatted down, picking up leaves and sniffing them.
“Probably from hunting.” She looked at him over her shoulder. “Told
you I didn’t need any help.”

He chuckled. “Damn, woman, I like the way you
work.”

One side of her mouth lifted in what could possibly
have passed for a fleeting smile. She stood and walked to the
opposite side of the clearing.

“Tell me about this killer. What did you call him?
The Silver…”

“Slayer. I’ve been hunting him for thirteen months.
He’s smart and usually works alone. When I get too close, he hires
mercenaries to take me out. Obviously it hasn’t worked.”

“Yet.”

Hardened eyes stared at him. “Ever.”

Though she was strong and an exceptional fighter, the
idea of her chasing a dangerous criminal didn’t sit well with him.
As an alpha, it was in his nature to take care of what was his.
Now, his body and his mind were at odds about what, or who, that
included. In his head, he knew a vampire assassin was in no way
his
. But his
body… Well, let’s just say it strongly protested. The protest came
in the form of anxious knots in his stomach and what seemed to be a
permanent hard-on.

He cleared his throat. “So what does he do, this
slayer?”

“He’s a serial killer.”

His brow furrowed. “And he’s here? In Wyoming? In
my
territory?”

“Yes.”

Fury seeped into Cristian’s blood, heated it until he
almost lost control and shifted. A low growl started in his
chest.

She stopped and gazed up at him. “I haven’t even told
you the worst part. He steals children.”

Children? Fuck!
Claws extended from his fingertips,
biting into palms where he clenched his fists. Grasping control as
best as he could, he grated, “Does he kill them?”

She nodded.

With a deep breath he whispered, “Only kill
them?”

She swallowed hard then averted her gaze. But not
before he saw a flicker of sadness. She shook her head.

He closed his eyes and counted to ten, able to calm
down with promises to kill the fucker. “How do you know he’s
here?”

“Trust me. I know.” She looked up at the sky then
turned in a circle, inhaling as she moved.

Natalia’s scent was too potent for him to isolate it.
Not to mention it seemed to stick to him like static cling.

“I’ve been following him closely for more than a
year. I know his signature well.” Stepping back into the clearing,
she scanned the sky again. “That’s why he left me here hanging with
dawn approaching.” She narrowed her eyes, her fists clenched – the
only sign of anger he’d seen her display.

“So he was just here? You saw him?”

She shook her head. “Not him. A few hired idiots. It
was my own fault. The meal was far too convenient. I should’ve
known.”