In Heat: Mating Call (In Heat Shapeshifter Romance Series #2) (22 page)

“That's not your firecracker. She almost drank me under the table at the ball.” Sean's words were a comfort. “But you really believe he's kidnapped her?”

“Yes. I got a message saying that she'd gone to Denmark.”

“He's kidnapped her then,” Sean said, deadpan. “There's no way that lass would get on a plane unless it was Mr. T style.”

“Exactly! I need to know where Kristian might have taken her in Denmark. You know all about this bloodline kind of rubbish.” Erik started pacing the length of the kitchen.

Time was running out. He had to reach her before Kristian did anything to her. He couldn't let him take her from him.

“There's a castle near Copenhagen. Frederiksborg Slot or something like that. He mentioned it to me when he was at the ball.”

“Thanks,” Erik said and was running for the door. “I'll call you when I've got her back safe.”

He closed his phone and slammed the front door as he headed for his car. Reaching it, he gunned the engine into life and called the airport. It was going to be hard to get a window for take off at this short notice, but his pilot was a good one and he was certain he'd be able to wrangle him one.

He had to get to Kim before it was too late, both for them and for the mating. He could feel it drawing closer and he wasn't going to miss it again.

He didn't care what it took. He'd kill Kristian if that was how far he had to go.

Kim was his.

It was about time Kristian learned that.

* * * *

Erik stepped out of the black limousine and stared at the imposing building. He could just about make out the size of it in the snow-lit darkness and how far away it was. Between him and the house must have been a mile of open land, but he had no doubts that it would be guarded. Royalty wouldn't be left alone to fend for themselves, even if they were a shape shifter.

He moved and the snow crunched underfoot. It was freezing, so cold that his breath was almost solid white in the night air. He tried not to think about how cold it was going to be between transformations. Once he was in his panther form, he'd warm up quickly enough.

He closed the car door and walked to the front window and tapped on it. It rolled down.

“Wait here,” he said.

The reply came in Danish but it sounded positive. It wasn't one of the languages he'd felt inclined to learn.

He looked back at the house as he walked to the rear of the car. Almost every room was lit but it wouldn't make it any more difficult for him to find Kim. Right now, his senses were so honed on her that he could probably pinpoint her from this distance.

Opening the back door of the car, he stripped off until he was only wearing his underwear and put all his clothes on the seat.

He closed the door and then his eyes as he focused on changing. The click and crack of his bones made him flinch, but before the agony could make him scream, he'd shifted completely and it came out as a growl.

He stretched and then picked up his underwear with his mouth. There was no way he was about to get into a fight with Kristian while he was naked.

Sneaking back along the wall towards the gates they'd passed in the car, he eyed the guards. They were armed, but only with swords, and those would be much easier to evade than guns. He crept past them and then leapt over the iron railings of the fence, slipping silently into the grounds.

It wouldn't take him long to get to the house and the run would warm him up. The snow clung to the pads of his paws so he headed towards the trees where the ground was clear. It would be harder for them to spot him there. Against the snow, he'd stand out like a sore thumb.

When he reached the house, he searched along the outside of it, looking for a way in. There were guards by the doors. He'd have to change back and pry one of the sash windows open. Kristian was going to pay when he found him. He was already in foul mood, but all this shifting between his human and panther forms was making it worse.

A pull inside him made him look up and he sensed Kim there. He could feel her calling to him, feel the bond between them. The urge to respond to that call and mate with her tied his insides in knots and it was the sign he'd been hoping for.

Kristian hadn't taken her from him yet.

He changed back into his human form and kept his underwear clenched between his teeth as he shivered with cold. He checked the room in front of him and then used his full strength to lift one of the sashes on the window. It had been locked, but gave easily under the pressure and he slipped inside. He closed the window again and changed back into a panther. If anyone tried to stop him, he would need his panther agility and strength. He'd disable them as best he could without hurting them too much. He wasn't here to kill anyone.

Well, no one except Kristian.

G
od she couldn't take it anymore. She was either going to explode or die, or possibly both. She arched her back, delighting in each lick of her clit by the man between her legs. It was divine but hellish. Each brush or flick drove her closer to the edge, but seemingly further away at the same time. She moaned and pressed the back of her head into the pillows.

“Erik.”

There was a growl and it wasn't the one she'd expected. She was immediately up on her elbows. Kristian looked up. She stared at him and it turned to a look of horror when he changed in front of her, becoming a white tiger. He went to dip his head again and she scooted backwards. Her foot came up, catching him hard across the face.

Kim shot up but collapsed back onto the bed when her head spun and the room turned. Her brain felt three sizes too big for her head and she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the world to stop turning and lurching. She felt sick to her stomach, weak and groggy.

She opened her eyes, not wanting to see the replay of the vision. How could Kristian dare to try that with her and how had she managed to resist him like that? Even in her vision, she'd been repulsed by the idea of him pleasuring her while in animal form.

The room slowly came into focus and a sense of horror chilled her when she didn't recognise it.

Slipping from the bed, she was thankful that she was still dressed. She walked slowly but steadily towards the window, not daring to rush in case the wooziness came back. What had he done to her? One minute she'd been fine and ready to tell him exactly what she'd planned to, and the next she had passed out.

It was something to do with the champagne. When she'd had champagne there with Erik, they hadn't put anything in the glasses to make it fizz. Had Kristian drugged her? She felt as though she'd been drugged.

Where was she?

The room was grand, nothing short of beautiful, and didn't look like any in Erik's country retreat.

Her stomach turned again and a low ache settled in her belly. She frowned and rubbed it, trying to make it go away. It got worse. The ache spread downwards and she felt a little flushed as thoughts of Erik and Kristian crept into her mind. She tried to shut them out, but she was suddenly hungry for their touch. She felt as though she was on fire and only they could cool her down, only they could satisfy this growing need inside of her.

She patted her pockets to see if she had her phone.

What time was it?

Erik had said that the mating would happen tomorrow. Was it still today? Or was it now tomorrow? They couldn't have missed their chance again. She didn't know if she could wait another two years and she didn't want to risk another man turning up in the visions. Two were bad enough.

She pulled the nearest curtain aside and stared at the snowy world outside it. It was pitch black but the light was reflecting off the snow, illuminating the garden enough that she could see for sure that she wasn't at the country house.

Judging from the flag and the strange uniform the two guards stood near it were wearing, she wasn't even in England.

Denmark?

He'd drugged her and taken her to Denmark? She felt queasy. He'd taken her on a plane. Dear God, what kind of crazy man was he?

She grabbed her shoes and quickly put them on. Her only chance now was to escape. She still had her purse in her pocket but there was no sign of her phone. He'd probably taken it so she couldn't call Erik. It didn't matter. She'd get out of here and then find a payphone somewhere.

She was just about to grab the door handle when it twisted and the door opened.

She moved backwards, giving Kristian a black look as he walked in.

“Going somewhere?” he said with a sweet smile.

Her attempt to dodge past him was pathetic at best. He grabbed her but she pushed him away, evading his hands as he tried to catch her again. She breathed hard, her eyes darting about as she tried to figure out another way to get away from him.

He caught her attention by holding her phone up.

“Missing this?” he said with a grin and closed the door. “Do not worry about Erik. You broke his heart nice and nastily.”

She grabbed the phone, not daring to believe he would do such a thing until she saw it with her own eyes. She opened the message and read it. A smile curved her lips.

“What is so amusing?” Kristian stepped towards her but she edged backwards into the room.

“Denmark,” she said flatly. He didn't seem to get it. She was going to enjoy enlightening him. “Planes, you big cinnamon danish. Erik will know I didn't come here willingly. I refused to go to Scotland by plane. Denmark? So wouldn't happen.”

Her head and stomach both turned in unison and she didn't know which one to clutch. What had he done to her?

“Son of a bitch,” she grumbled.

He moved across the room and she was too weak and queasy to fight him as he took hold of her shoulders. She was surprised when he sat her down on the bed and moved away.

“It will wear off soon.” He wobbled in her vision and the sickness passed, replaced by the hungry desire again. He smiled knowingly. “As soon as it does, we can finish what Erik so kindly started.”

She stared at him, stunned and not sure what to say. He really wasn't getting it and she was beginning to wonder if he ever would.

“I'm not going to mate with you,” she said and he frowned. “Not now, not ever! I don't love you.”

She clutched her stomach when it rolled again.

A sure smile replaced his frown.

“You will, given time.” His tone was as certain and confident as his smile. “The children will help keep you occupied and bring us closer.”

She laughed at that. He was insane. It was the only answer.

Either that or all lycan males were hard headed and stubborn when it came to women. She remembered that Erik had been relentless in his pursuit of her, but that had been easy to understand when he'd revealed to her the fact that he'd been dreaming about her for almost thirty years.

She stood and shook her head. “That, right there, is seriously not happening. I'm not mating with you and I'm certainly not about to have children with you.”

“But I'm royalty. The line must be continued.” He took a step towards her, expression still serious.

She moved to the side and then away from him. “I'm not some heir machine! I'm not interested in you, and I'll never grow to love you. Personally, I think you're just a little bit insane... you practically kidnapped me!”

He went to grab her but she dodged him. He growled and then smiled as he turned to face her. She glanced at the door. It was still too far away. She wouldn't make it. He'd already proven that he was a lot faster than her.

“But I love you,” he said in a broken whisper that had her attention. How did he do that, suddenly turn from mean to sweet in the blink of an eye?

He held his hands out to her.

“I mean it, Kim. I love you. What about if Erik doesn't come for you? Could you grow to love me then?”

She shook her head. “No. You just don't get it do you? I love Erik. I know that he'll come for me. He'll find us and when he does, I wouldn't want to be you.”

He just raised a brow at her thinly veiled threat.

“Kristian, please? This has gone far enough.” Her brows furrowed as she thought about everything. She didn't want there to be a fight. She didn't want either man to get hurt. “Let me go.”

“I can't,” he said. “You're my mate.”

“It's a glitch!” Her patience snapped and frustration got the better of her. If it took getting angry to make him understand, then she was going to unleash hell on him. “Were you dreaming of me for twenty seven years like Erik did?”

He looked a little stunned. “No.”

“Exactly! If I mate with Erik like I want to, then maybe your true mate will show up. We're not destined for each other. I've never had a vision of you before now. They've only ever been of Erik. It's just a glitch and it might go away if you just let me go. I don't want to be with you and I'll never love you. I love Erik with all my heart. He's my mate.” She sighed and her shoulders slumped as she looked at him.

His expression was pensive as he stared at her. He looked as though he was seriously considering what she'd said.

“Please? With a few more manners and less insanity you could make some lucky girl a great catch... but I'm not that girl.”

He sighed heavily and looked at his boots for a moment before raising his eyes back to meet hers. “I understand. This was foolish of me. I have acted the cad while Erik has been the gentleman. I haven't behaved as I should have. I cannot stand between you and your mate, the man you love, and I only hope that you do not hate me for what I have put you through.”

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was seriously going to let her go. She'd been expecting him to put up a little more fight than he had. She looked into his eyes and felt bad when she saw all the hurt in them. He really did love her. He loved her and he was still letting her go. Whoever destiny chose as his mate, she was going to a very lucky girl to have someone like him love her. She got the feeling he'd be as attentive and protective as Erik.

She smiled and couldn't stop herself from hugging him. “You will make a girl very happy someday, Kristian.”

She kissed his cheek and froze when the door burst open.