Raining Kisses (The Opeth Pack Saga Book 2) (4 page)

He’d done well too. Only lost it a few times and his opponents happened to be other wolves.

Well except for that one man.

He didn't kill him though.

But still, the potential for overwhelming violence to his mates had been removed by his relocating to Albuquerque.

Ultimately, he thought he was removing the threat to his lovers, but he guessed not. “What happened after Józsi took over?”

Lukina planted herself in the thick leather chair beside the couch. “After Józsi killed Kiba and returned back with Ilona and I, we put him through training. He made the choice to bring in an interim of three of our strongest to rule, but that proved a mistake. Those wolves were lecherous, traitors. He had no choice but to banish two of them.”

“The other?” Nicholaus knew where this was headed.

“He killed first.”

“Nicholaus, you look shocked. Why?”

He glanced at Katarina and saw his reflection in her eyes. Indeed he looked stunned, though he shouldn’t have. Their species wasn't all flowers and candy canes. They were wolves. Bred by the Goddess, designed to hunt, kill, eat, fuck, and repeat until death.

“We’re not monsters, Nicholaus. Those who would do harm for bad reasons are the monsters.”

He shook his head, “I know. It's just…”

“Just what?” Lukina leaned forward, crossed one leg over the other. “You can’t even face your mates with any of the shit in your head. Why are you embarrassed?”

He stiffened, clenched his teeth and glared at the little redhead. She’d grown more emboldened with age. How irritating. “You would do well to end this now, Lukina.”

“Or what? I laid into Józsi and you’re not my Alpha.”

“No but you would do well to remember you’re a guest in my house. And I can throw you out now if I so choose.”

Katarina set her glass on the table before them. She looked at Lukina, “Please save your vendetta for later. We need to catch flies, not burn bridges, sweet wolf princess.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Lukina huffed and leaned back into the plush chair. “I’ll hold my tongue out of respect for you, but your mate has his head up his ass.”

What the hell was he supposed to do now? Obviously Lukina had a grudge, not that he could blame her. There were a few other mates missing from the pack, but mostly the males had fled responsibility out of—well who knew truly? He had his reasons.

Swallowing his pride, Nicholaus leaned back, forcing himself to relax. How he felt like a prisoner in his own home was beyond him, but once the wolf princess showed up on your doorstep, regardless of time, it meant shit needed doing. “Fine, what is the minimal I can do?”

“Your gracious offering is most generous,” Lukina snorted.

“I have a life here. I live here. Outside the pack, away from all that.”

“Yeah, you ran. I get it. But we need you.”

He turned his head. “No one needs me.” The words came out more or less a low whispered growl.

Katarina slid down the length of his body, pressed her breasts into his thighs. Then, she looked up, set her hands on his legs and pulled him to her. “I’ll always need you,
szertõm
.”

Again, comforting warmth surrounded him and his skin lit up with the colors of their combined aura.

He closed his eyes, not caring to see their auras blend. It’d be one more thing to drag him back to a life he couldn't live with.

“Have you truly grown that complacent, Nicholaus?” Katarina’s thumb traced circles on his thigh.

He shook his head. Complacent wasn’t the proper phrase, more like didn’t give a damn. But his body language should have made that clear. “I told you, I washed my hands of that shit years ago.”

L
ukina blinked
, pursed her lips together in a thin line and ran a hand through her fiery red hair before lifting her chin up. “Are you going to tell me you have no interest in saving that which is yours?”

His eyebrows shot up. “What do you mean
that which is mine?
I left everything behind twenty-five years ago. I have nothing.”

Katarina’s teeth dug into his thigh, her canines puncturing flesh.

He looked down at her. “Ouch, god damn, that hurts! What did you do that for?”

Raising her head, she parted her lips but said nothing. The sadness in her beautiful eyes tore at his heart. Of course he knew why she bit him.

“You left us both behind.” Katarina reached up and moved strands of dark hair out of his face so she could see his eyes. She smoothed her palm against his cheek. Tears had started streaming down her cheeks again. She sniffled. “You threw us away.”

He shuddered against her touch, confused by how she could still offer him comfort when he was clearly doing the opposite to her.

“Why?”

He forced himself to relax against her palm, glanced out the window at passing cop cars and pedestrians. “I did what I had to do.”

Katarina sat up, took his face in hand and made him look at her. “Why did you leave us?”

“I told her not to bother with this, Nicholaus.” Lukina sipped her drink and refilled her glass. “I made her promise me that she wouldn’t start interrogating you.”

Katarina looked up from his thigh. “You know how it is, Lukina. Your lover left you too. Why?”

“Something is wrong with the males of our pack in that they all feel the need to migrate away from happiness.” Lukina crossed her legs and leaned forward. “The males are real bastards.”

Nicholaus squared his shoulders. He couldn’t disagree. “Your other lover, Józsi, agreed to come back, did he not?”

“He did, after much pleading and begging. He had to realize for himself what not playing his part in our world would mean. And now he’s our Alpha.”

“You refuse to do the same.” Katarina began sobbing again. “You promised us both when we were younger that we’d grow old together and have a life. Then you disappeared after you saved my life. Why Nicholaus? I only seek to know why.”

His throat swelled and breathing became difficult. Her tear filled words cut deep into the wounds he thought he’d closed a long time ago, exposing them to fresh agony all over again. His heart thumped against his chest but he managed to make himself feel calmness in the dim light of his apartment. “Pour another, Lukina. And ask for my good whiskey next time. I don’t give a good god damn what your status is, you're still a guest.”

“And you’re still a rude host.”

He snorted.

Katarina reached out to block the top of his glass. “You’ll come back with us?”

He nodded and Katarina retracted her hand.

Lukina poured him another round. “Really, we shouldn’t do this. If we do, we’ll spend more time trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with you stupid males and less time rescuing Krystyna.”

Her words drew a sigh from both him and Katarina.

“All right. But you,” Lukina narrowed her eyes at him, “will answer me some day. You can’t turn your back on the Opeth Pack forever. Someday your responsibilities will catch up to you, Nicholaus. Better now than later when you’re too old to be of any real use.”

He scoffed at the idea that he’d ever be too old for use. Clearing his throat, he looked back at Katarina.

Katarina lifted a hand to his bare chest. “Are you going to help rescue what is ours?”

He couldn’t resist her, not that sweet mouth or those gorgeous sea green eyes. Her mouth opened partially as if to say something else, but no words came out.

How he wanted to shove his tongue down her throat and ravish her, claim her as his once again. Her inviting mouth begged him, the rise and fall of her breasts against his thigh aroused him even more.

“Your body wants to help me,” she peered down at his crotch.

Lukina giggled. “We are very sensuous creatures,
drágám.
”

He moved his robe to cover himself more, took Katarina’s hand in his and held it. Glancing into her eyes, he nodded, though he knew he was signing his own death warrant. “I’ll come back with you to find her.”

For a moment, a flash of joy passed through Katarina’s eyes, making them sparkle. Then, she closed her eyes and yawned.

“Come to bed with me.” He held out a hand.

Pushing herself off the couch, she stood to her full height. Raising her arms above her head, she stretched her arms and legs, squatted and yawned, pushing her breasts outward against her top.

Nicholaus’s mouth watered and his cock grew painfully stiffer. He’d have to have her soon if she was going to continue to do things like that. His eyes traveled down the line of her body, roaming over every curve and crevice.

“You can share a bed with me. There’s plenty of room. Lukina,” he turned to face her, “you’ll--”

Lukina stripped down to a spaghetti strap top and panties on her way to the bed. “I’ll be waking us up in a few hours.”

Sighing heavily, he resigned himself to the fact that she wasn’t going to move from where she lay. “Okay. Fine.”

Standing to his full height of six-foot four-inches, he stretched. Out of the corner of his eye, he swore he saw Katarina lick her lips. He let his robe fall open more. Just a little more, to expose a rippled six pack and broad chest.

Katarina’s fingers brushed against his arm before she took his hand and tugged him toward the bed.

“Come on,” she yawned. “I’m anxious to get to sleep. We had a late night.”

With a nod, Nicholaus let Katarina fall into his embrace. His mouth hovered dangerously over her ear. What he wouldn't give to nibble down the line of her neck until he stopped at her pussy and plunged his tongue in. But not tonight.

Not ever. “
Igen.
”

The two crawled in beside Lukina, Katarina snuggling closer to him. He threw an arm over her ample bosom and pulled her into his body. Finally she had warmed.

He sighed. Lukina was already fast asleep. Poor girl, he thought, demanding to know why he did what he did. Becoming the messenger of the pack meant she was privy to all the secrets, all the silent chatter, everything that transpired between pack members. Prophecy dictated her place in this world, in this pack. And he had to admire her, respect her for taking it up at such a young age. She couldn’t possibly know all the crap she had and deal with it easily. Her scorn he understood, just didn’t like tolerating it. His reasons for leaving were simple. She had to already know the answer if she'd dealt with Józsi’s demons. The truth was, men in this pack were expected to move heaven and earth, and for what?

Some nonexistent place where wolves could live in peace?

The idea of peace was itself a lie.

As was this heaven.

Stupid girl.

There had to be more to life than the ideal of protecting mankind from its’ own stupidity. Hell, it seemed lately the wolves weren't much better off, what with them leaving the packs and splitting off.

But he’d go after their—Katarina's lover. He’d do this for her.

* * *

T
he plane ride
sucked ass and took most of the energy out of him. He’d slept some between Chicago O’Hare and Istanbul, but the moment they got off the plane to switch and fly to Budapest, his senses remained on alert. The Turkish packs in the land were known for having fealty to nothing.

Not even the Opeth Pack.

The Opeth Pack itself was supposed to be the revered pack directly of the Moon and Hungarian fertility goddess, but the truth had become evident about the status of the pack when shit started getting weird with Kiba.

Come to think of it, since Nicholaus had history drilled into him from birth, the Opeth Pack had been losing power since the last great World War.

Lukina had filled him in on what they'd learned about the Lunar Flower disease, which amounted to not a god damn thing. At least not anything as to why it happened. Medically, an autopsy had been done on Kiba’s body and found decay in the organs, particularly in the part of the mind where it was believed to control the animalistic urges.

Questions remained unanswered about the Flower Maiden’s purpose for infecting wolves. Such as why the fuck someone who was supposedly helping the race get into this made up Heaven would betray her own kind.

Unless, she wasn’t one of them after all, and she was a deity in disguise, one of the few who thought wolves should have never been created.

That irked Nicholaus. Don’t create something if you can't be responsible for it.

Seemed like common fucking sense.

He’d held Katarina's hand during the entire four flights, never letting her out of his sight. It seemed like he’d resumed his old duties and honestly, it felt too good.

When he’d tried to extricate himself from her grip, she held on tighter.

Once they’d landed in Budapest, all his old fears reared their heads. Nerves were shot from stress and the realization of having to come back home for the first time in ten plus years.

What would others think of his return?

Would Krystyna be glad to see him after he rescued her?

How would the new Alpha react to him returning, let alone the suggestion of him being here to help? He and Józsi weren’t exactly friends. They knew each other, but Józsi left right before Nicholaus had and disappeared into the wind.

Of course that was the inspiration for why Nicholaus did what he did. Ghosting meant no scared glares or hushed whispers of ‘stay away’.

Now that he was back, he had to ask himself how he would deal with all the rejection and fear. Surely the remaining pack members have held those memories of his killing close to the heart.

He sure had.

Once they landed, grueling traffic in Budapest made the trip take even longer but still he sat between the two women, holding both their hands on the drive toward Balatonföldár where Józsi had relocated the pack. Katarina gripped his hand tightly while Lukina was more focused on driving down the narrow dirt path toward their village. The bench seat had seen better days and made for a tight fit, but all three of them managed to squeeze in.

No one said a word while Lukina drove, which suited Nicholaus just fine. He had little to say anyway, aside from an occasional note about how the land had changed in some ways, yet overwhelmingly had stayed the same.

Shit in this part of the world mostly stayed the same.

An hour and a half later, they’d reached the end of the dirt road and stopped just before a metal fence. Lukina killed the roar of the old engine and hopped out. "Last stop for human appearing wolves. Everyone out.”

Katarina yawned. The sun had begun to set.

He'd stayed awake to watch them both on the flight, keeping a closer eye on Katarina. When she rested her head on his shoulder, he thought she’d pass out. She did fall asleep, her gentle breathing alerting him to her drifting off. But she twitched, moaned softly, clutched at his thigh, squeezing it, then pulling away.

He nuzzled her gently and woke her from what seemed like a nightmare. When he questioned her, she dodged him.

Of course he’d filed the information away in the back of his mind for later.

Nicholaus and Katarina got out of the beat up truck and stretched. Their immediate surroundings, mostly rolling fields and hillsides, smelled strong on the wind, bringing back memories Nicholaus had tried to forget.

Lukina yawned. “Time to go back. Nicholaus, don’t pull any of your macho shit with the remainder of the pack here. They are scared and somewhat hostile toward outsiders.”

He scoffed. “I’m not an outsider.”

Lukina narrowed her eyes. “To them you are. You’re a foreigner, Nicholaus. Since you left and turned your back on them, they consider you a foreigner. And Józsi's in America with Ilona so he can't help you yet. No bullshit.”

“Wait,” his jaw dropped, “What? You said nothing of the Alpha not being around.”

“I know. Now, come on.” She turned and dropped the illusion of being a human and stood on all fours as a beautiful wolf with soft gray fur, narrow killer’s eyes, and a strong sleek, muscled body.

“Fine.” He dragged his hand down his face.

Katarina did the same, her body covered in a dark gray coat, angry green eyes set in her head. She licked her lips and whimpered. Looking at Nicholaus, she whimpered louder.

“You're so beautiful,” he choked on a breath before dropping his illusion to stand between the two of them. Animal instinct plus what little of his humanity he retained in wolf form made him seek contact. He padded toward Katarina and nuzzled her ear.

She returned the favor by nipping him on the neck and trotting toward Lukina.

I get it. This is going to be hard, isn’t it?
Nicholaus took a step forward, pawing the ground.

Cocking her head, Lukina looked back and licked her muzzle.
Let’s go.

He and Katarina nodded.

Both of them followed Lukina down the dirt path through thick underbrush, running faster and faster until they were out of breath. They ran a bit further until they came upon a village. White brick and wood houses stood in rows along both sides of a dirt street. A few wolves walked the streets appearing as humans, but only the movement of a gentle wind interrupted the eerie quiet.