Arctic Bound (19 page)

Damn. Suck it up girl.

Pulling in a deep breath she stripped, hit the knob all the way to the right and waited for the spray to heat before stepping in. The water was a balm to her skin, but a knife to her soul. It was a horrid kind of therapy but it worked. Muscles sore, Nerina washed from head to toe, wishing she could scrub the images and sounds out of her mind of that horrid event. Everything was vivid, raw. If she closed her eyes she could smell her burnt flesh as it peeled from her body in strips exposing muscle and nerve. Instinctively she touched her lower back. Smooth skin greeted her fingertips as suds sluiced down her body. Gone. The scars were gone. No sign that she was ever burned at all. Nothing to physically remind her of all she lost. A month ago she would have given anything to rid herself of the painful reminder. Now she wasn't so sure. Was it even a fair trade that she had heightened senses? Could what happened to her even be called a blessing or was she supposed to die. She wasn't religious by any means, but Nerina truly believed everyone's time was set to expire at a certain time.

You're over thinking again. Relax. Regroup and make some choices.

That's what it all came down to. Making a choice. Did she stay or did she go. Victor wanted her story, but she wasn't ready to give it. There was nothing pretty about her upbringing. Her life was a mixture of deaths and celebrations. And some of those celebrations commenced because of someone's death. She'd fully participated in most all of them. She knew she was going to hell when her time came. Everything that led up to events that were taking place now, could in part be put on her shoulders. Her mother was happy being the other woman, and she should have accepted that. But Nerina wanted her recognition, her rightful place as the daughter of Roman Civiti. Not just some hired hand sent out on jobs. It was a known fact that she was Roman's daughter. The title alone wasn't enough. She wanted the respect that came with it, and because she wasn't given it, she'd pressed her mother. Made sure to let her mother know she didn't appreciate her father was only allowed to visit in secret under watchful eye of his bodyguards.

It was her own Uncle Oscar who explained the way of their world to her. That she wasn't full-blooded Italian was only at the top of a very long list of what disqualified her from being treated as a decent human being in her father's world. If she hadn't pressed the issue her mother and father would still be alive. The room was warm when she stepped out of the shower. Inside the bathroom were lotions and all sorts of smell goods that would smooth out the skin. Applying liberally, she absently rubbed the lotion into her skin. She was on autopilot. One moment she was rubbing lotion into her skin and the next minute she was wrapped in a silk kimono robe and sitting on the edge of the bed. There were no windows in her room or a clock. Nerina had no idea what time it was. Only that Blue had been in her room earlier. There was noise above her. A chair being pulled out, a broom sweeping across the floor, and the low sensual beat of Sade playing in the background. Someone was upstairs cleaning. Quietly, Nerina made her way up the stairs, noticing the different paintings on the wall. An exotic mixture of old and new with some pieces that she was sure no one had ever seen before. There were images of women and men in half beast, half human form in different poses. Some were bound. Others were in sexual positions that were a testament to the artist's talent. The artist made something humans were meant to fear look beautiful and approachable.

“I smell tainted human.” A voice at the top of the stairs growled.

“You smell Vic's mistress.” Another voice said.

Vic's mistress huh?
Not in this life or the next. She was no one's closeted whore.

“She can hear you dumbass.” This seemed to be the only smart person in the entire bunch of misfits, Nerina thought as she made it to the top of the stairs.

“Yeah, I can hear you.”

The woman from the other night that was stroking off Blue approached her. A smile on her face, her eyes alight with wonder. She had a bubbly disposition that was very off putting to Nerina.

“I'm Cherry, and that's Tino and Nino, the bopsy twins.”

The two large men nodded in her direction. Both were bald with brown eyes, brown skin, and very big physiques. One was behind the bar wiping down the counter. The other was sweeping up the floor. They were both obviously werewolves. Now that her senses were heightened there were subtle differences she would have never picked up before. Heartbeats accelerated, the pupil in their eyes upon closer look, were in fact different. Their pupils weren't as defined or as round as a humans. The whites of their eyes barely noticeable. They were built stronger. Their gait fluid and graceful. Compared to the average man on the street, they were just more.

“I'm Nerina.”

“We know. Blue filled us in. Those two are to keep an eye on you until all this stuff with the mafia and your friends die down.”

Her friends? They were still here?

Now it all made sense. Raven had ratted her out.

Bitch!

Apparently she couldn't trust anyone.

“Have they been back since?”

“Nah,” Cherry said. “But even if they did come, the boys have been advised they're no longer welcomed. Not that I blame them. Those girls are a nasty piece of work. Showing up at the club in all that silver. Tino thinks their Hunters, I think they're claw cunts.”

“Claw cunts?”

“Yeah, humans who have a thing for claws.”

To demonstrate, Cherry let her claws extend and held them up for Nerina to see before retracting them back again.

“Neat trick.”

Cherry shrugged but said nothing else.

“Boss says you belong to Vic.” This came from Nino.

“I belong to no one.”

Nerina made her way over to a barstool, and nodded towards a bottle of whiskey.

“Can I get two fingers of that?”

“Sure, as long as I can put two fingers in you.”

“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” Nerina asked. Normally she'd say something a bit nastier, but these guys and the lone female were all werewolves. She was stronger, but she wasn't dumb enough to think she was stronger than them.

“No, but if you ain't Vic's, you may want to attach yourself to someone while you're here. If anyone figures out you're not Vic's well,” Nino smirked, looking Nerina up and down from head to toe. Clearly he was undressing her with his eyes. “Someone will tempt to claim you for their own, or worse, their mistress.”

“Good thing she's here with me then.” Came the surly voice of Blue. It was more growl than words.

“Boss.” Nino nodded in his direction.

Turning, she took in her host. His shirt was unopened. The top button of his jeans undone, and his feet were bare. She had to admit even to herself, Blue was definitely a good-looking specimen of a male. She didn't care for the fairer types. She tended to sway for tall, dark, and taken.

“Nerina, I'm sorry I scared you earlier. My deepest apologies.”

“No problem. I wasn't scared Blue. You just caught me off my game.”

His voice was deep, velvet smooth. Almost a whisper, and the hint of the Nordic accent was there but barely noticeable now. She wondered if he was older than he actually looked.

“Yeah, I'm a lot older Caterpillar.”

Fuck. She was talking out loud again.

He must have read the look on her face, because he offered the smallest of smiles before turning to the twins and speaking.

“See to it that she gets whatever she needs. Stick close to her. Victor doesn't want anything bad happening to her. Should some guys come asking after Miss Simpson, direct them to me.”

“Sure thing Blue, we got it covered.”

This came from Nino.

Blue cautiously approached until he stood but a foot away.

“Nothing will happen to you while you're here. Should any of my guests or any of the patrons make you uncomfortable you come directly to me. Is that understood?”

Of course it was, she was surrounded by werewolves for crying out loud. That wasn't something you could handle with a field knife or AK47.

“Yeah, loud and clear on that. But what do I do while I'm here?”

“Can you tend bar?”

“Sure, I can mix drinks.”

“Then that's what you'll do. Don't question the guests, and anything and everything you see here is club business. You're going to see things that will upset you. It's—” he paused for a moment before smiling, “the nature of the beast. Pun intended.”

“Can I ask what kind of things I may or may not see?”

She was used to keeping secrets, but there was a line. If they were sacrificing women and children or some other freaky shit like eating their young she would not go gentle. She'd wreak havoc on their asses and take down as many dogs as she could.

“You can ask all you like. It doesn't mean that I'll tell you, but just this once, I'll satisfy your curiosity.”

Curiosity killed the cat. But she was dealing with canine's not felines so maybe her life was safe.

“I run a profitable club, and I know about everything that happens in my establishment. Everything.”

The last word held meaning and threat.

“Well, I'm not a threat to your club, if that's what you mean.”

He grunted. His eyes going from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet.

“On the contrary, you're the biggest threat to Pack Canidae, and Victor is too blind to see it. I'm sure Thorn's figured it out, even if his son hasn't. But I'll let you in on a little secret.”

Blue leaned all in her personal space before he spoke again.

“In order to take what only Victor can offer you, you need a lot of training and guidance. Otherwise, he will tire of you quickly and turn you lose to a fate worse than death.”

Blue was really starting to piss her off.

“First off, Vic is going to be mated to another female. Second off, I can be anything that any man needs if I choose it so. Don't try and go old school on me Blue, you have no idea who you're messing with. It sounds like you have your time periods ass backwards. In my world, I make all the decisions. I take care of myself. No one trains me or guides me anywhere. So back that thought right out of your mind. I see what you've done to your girls here at the club, making them stroke you off in public. Who does that! In what world is that even remotely okay?”

The club owner scratched his chin as if in thought before answering her question.

“My world, and the world Victor lives in, offers all of that and more Nerina. Guess I had you pegged wrong from the beginning. You're just here on holiday. There's no way you plan on making your stay here any longer than need be. In fact, I predict that once this thing blows over with your uncle and his goons, you'll be looking for the door faster than I can phase.”

Right.

He was right about one thing. If this thing with her uncle ever did blow over, she was going back home. Where the sun rose and set at specific times and for more than four hours in a day. She was going to go where she couldn't see the stars. Where it didn't look like she could reach out and grab them. Yup, s
he was going back to her tall buildings and noisy trains.

 



 

There had been no sign of Nerina's uncle the next day, or the day after that. It was bothering Victor that Oscar had not come back to question the towns people. Had he found her at Blue's?
No, Blue would have called you.

But what if they were all dead? Nonsense. He was worried for nothing. For now they just needed to wait it out. He would call and check on her later today. Now he needed to have a conversation with his father. There were things they needed to discuss. As usual Thorn was in the store ringing up a customer when he walked in.

“Father, we need to talk.”

Thorn nodded his greying head of hair and stepped from behind the counter. His father was by no means old in his age. Many would say he'd just reached a point in his life when he was at his strongest. In their culture once a wolf hit two centuries it was time to step down, let the younger, fresher generation revitalize the Pack in a way that signified change. In another two hundred years after his reign. Victor's first born would step up and guide the Pack into the latest era. It was how it had been done for centuries.

“What does the town think about Nerina?”

He knew there were some that felt she needed to leave. Other's thought it was safe for her to stay. There were a few that felt death was the only option. He knew that the matter would be taken to the council later on that night. She'd knowingly put the town in danger as far as anyone else was concerned. But he'd brought his own brand of danger as well. He still hadn't figured out how the two were connected. Victor knew she had to know that her time was running out. What he couldn't prove was that she had no intention of it all falling on the Pack.

“You know how they feel, son. The look on your face says it all. As does the nervous energy I sense coming from you. Why does this human have you tied up in knots, Victor? Don't blame the bedding rights either. You could have chosen not to lay with her. You did anyway and gave her your blood, knowing it would only complicate the matter entirely.”

He knew that, but if he hadn't she would have died.

“So, what, one less human for us to worry about? Is that it Dad?”

Thorn eyed him with with a fixed glared then walked towards the back of the store. He opened a box labeled frozen, and began putting meat into the stores only freezer.

“That's not what I'm saying son. I've grown fond of Nerina as well. You saved her. The both of you have put us in a predicament. One that could very well end up with her being sentenced to death by the council.”

“Override the council dad, you're the only one who can.”