Charming (A Seven World Novel) (20 page)

“
Please,
Papa. Please… you can’t die. Not like this. Not on the edge of a riverbank; it’s not supposed to happen like this. I have to tell you I love you one last time.
Don’t leave me
.” Tears burned her eyes as she kept repeating the last words.

When Prince began to tire, she pushed him away and took over. Kat had never learned CPR, but she’d just taken her first crash-course lesson by watching him. She went to blow a breath and whispered, “Please, Papa. Come back.”

On her eleventh compression, he sputtered out a wet cough.

Prince pushed his eyelids up, his alpha voice becoming a fierce command. “
Shift
.”

Her father shifted into a red wolf, and once the healing magic began to take hold, Prince forced him to shift back. While he did this several times to help with the healing process, Kat fell back and covered her face with her arms. She’d never been so exhausted in her life, so overcome with emotions from opposite ends of the spectrum.

“He’s going to be all right,” Nadia whispered like a prayer.

Someone pulled Kat’s arms away, and a dark shadow loomed over her. “Are you injured?” Prince asked.

“No.”

“My apologies.”

This was too much if he thought he was going to stand there and apologize. “What are you sorry for?”

“I made you a promise I wouldn’t let Vlad get away, no matter what. I had to break that promise.”

“You saved my father; you’re off the hook. Where the hell did you learn CPR?”

He sat beside her and threaded a strand of wet hair away from her forehead. “I may be almost a thousand years old, but I know how to work a remote control, and I know how to perform CPR. Not every wolf can shift, and certainly not the children in my pack.”

Kat reached out, cupping his cheek and stroking her fingers along his contoured features. “You’re a remarkable man. I completely underestimated you.”

“In what way?”

“So stupid,” she said to herself, shaking her head. “I thought money meant you weren’t as strong—that you have people do things
for
you. But you proved me wrong. It’s not just that; it’s everything. I shouldn’t have judged you like I did, but most men with that much money and power don’t really know how to live life or fight their own battles. I thought you’d go after Vlad—I really did. All that hate you have for him goes way back… I figured revenge would be more important to you than saving a man you haven’t seen in centuries. Thank God you have long legs; you must’ve run really fast to reach him on time. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to find Nadia underwater, and for a second there, I thought I was a goner.”

He slid his hands behind her back and pulled her into a sitting position. “A woman like you is hard to kill. You’re solid as a rock.”

Kat burst out laughing. “Either you have a subtle sense of humor, or bad taste in music.” She noticed the bewilderment in his eyes and stroked his arm. “Never mind.”
Thank you
, she mouthed.

When Kat looked over her right shoulder, her father and Nadia were holding each other in a tight embrace. He’d put on his pants, and his raggedy button-up shirt was undone. He was the same man, but he appeared older because of his overgrown beard and gaunt appearance.

Damn Vlad for what he’s done
.

Her father turned toward her and she saw the spark of life in his eyes. It gave her a rush of satisfaction knowing Vlad hadn’t won. He obviously didn’t realize that he’d never be able to break Alexei Kozlov.

Her father reached out, curling his fingers inward and summoning her. “My Katarina…”

She crawled toward him and fell into his arms. Somehow her father’s arms always felt like the strongest embrace in the world.

He loudly kissed her head, whispering to her in Russian. Guilt washed over her and splintered her heart. She couldn’t bring herself to look up at him or speak a word.

He leaned back and lifted her chin with his fingers. “This is a happy night. Why the tears?”

“I… I had to choose.” Her eyes flashed up to Nadia, who was standing behind him. Decades of longing for this reunion and now it was tainted with the insurmountable guilt of having left her father to die. Her chest tightened, and she struggled to breathe.

He patted her cheek. “And you chose wisely, little princess. Nadia is your other half, and I was always meant to go before either of you. A father should never outlive his children, and I’m proud of you. My two strong girls who will always exceed my expectations.” He reached up and took Nadia’s hand, pulling her closer to them. “I am a fortunate man.”

Kat drew back when her father tried to stand. Prince watched but didn’t help. She respected that. A man should be able to rise on his own two feet without someone’s help.

He approached Prince and gripped his shoulders, giving them a hard shake before pulling him into a hug. “It’s been a long time, my friend. I never thought I would see you again.”

Prince made his hands into fists as he hugged him back, his eyes brimming with an emotion she couldn’t read.

Her father let go and stepped back. “I hope you have built a good life for yourself.”

“Why?” was all Prince managed to say. Kat knew his question held a deeper meaning—one that went back to her father giving him freedom in exchange for his own.

“Sometimes we are faced with the choice of saving ourselves or saving someone else. I did not feel my life held more value than yours at that time. I had no family. I had been hiding my fortune a long time ago, and my chances were better to financially recover if I could escape. Vlad wanted my money, but he wanted
you
dead.”

Prince’s hair had fallen from the band that held it back, and wet strands clung to his jaw. “I can never repay you.”

Her father shook with laughter, bending over and holding his knees. Then he sharply cut off his laugh and looked up at Prince, his eyes resolute. “You fished me out of a river, my friend. My daughters are safe. Consider that debt paid.”

Prince cursed under his breath. “I gave him the ring.”

Kat stood up, water still in her shoes.

“It holds less value than he’s built up in his head,” her father replied. “Vlad obsessed over it because it represented someone outwitting him, but true, it does hold power. In this modern world, I don’t think it will make him all-powerful. Anyhow, I have plans.”

Prince wiped his face and stepped close. “And what plans are those?”

Her father sniffed and straightened his back, the edges of his shirt flapping in the wind. “I have missed my old friend, Prince. I think it’s time that we go hunting together.”

An enigmatic smile crossed Prince’s expression and his eyes darkened. “You’ll need your crossbow.”

“You’re rusty, old friend,” Prince said, leaning against the rough bark of an elm tree.

Alex turned around and lowered his bow. “My wolf is not so rusty. We could always do this another way.”

A distant voice wailed in pain, twigs snapping as the footsteps of their target faded into the distance.

“That would be too easy,” Prince said, his voice menacing. “Where is the sport in that?”

Alex pulled another arrow from his quiver. “If at any time you begin to feel a scrap of pity for this man, then I will sit down and tell you about the numerous ways he tortured me and then made me shift to heal so he could torture me all over again.”

Prince stepped over a fallen branch as they headed deeper into the woods. The sunlight illuminated the green leaves above, and they danced in the breeze like flecks of glitter. Most of the ground was covered with old leaves, wild ivy, and bushes. Only in the open areas did the high grass grow, but they were far from the open.

Alex seemed to have put on weight already. He was shorter than Prince, but had always had a robust physique. He’d trimmed his overgrown beard and added a little curl to the ends of his mustache. Alex had more grey in his hair than he should have at his age, but he’d lived a difficult life.

It hadn’t taken long to capture Vlad after his escape. Reno had spoken with Greta and organized some associates of his to trace the vehicle. They’d found him at a gas station two miles outside Waco. From what Prince had been told, Vlad had used his ring. A shockwave of energy had destroyed the windows and batteries of two cars, but Vlad had been unable to escape after Reno plunged a stunner into his shoulder.

Instead of turning him in to the higher authority, Reno had discreetly given him over to Prince, who’d called Alex to help him decide what to do with him. They could collect a reward and watch him receive a death sentence.

Or… they could skip the formalities.

Prince and Alex were born in a different time, and when Alex had asked him how much property he owned, the decision became obvious. He remembered what Kat had said about her handcuffs neutralizing Breed powers—or at least those of a Mage—so he’d lifted them from her holster when she was in the shower. Prince needed them so Vlad couldn’t use his Mage ability to heal with sunlight. She’d noticed they were missing right away but was uncertain whether or not she’d lost them during her jump off the bridge.

Alex had sent her and Nadia out to spend time together and bond. Everyone had enjoyed a nice dinner the night before after Prince had invited them to stay as his guests. Plenty of food, wine, and security, so the girls felt okay about leaving their father late that afternoon to complete some errands.

Prince and Alex had gone down to the basement where Vlad was lying paralyzed in the dirt, Reno’s blade still lodged deep in his shoulder. Reno was the kind of man who didn’t ask questions, and he seemed content knowing that Prince wasn’t going to turn him over to the higher authority. All he wanted was his stunner back since they were hard for a non-Mage to come by.

Prince had placed one of the cuffs around Vlad’s wrist and clicked it shut, then pulled the stunner from his chest, waiting to see if the cuffs really worked.

And they did. Vlad foolishly attempted to blast Prince with his power, but nothing happened.

So they led Vlad deep into the woods and—much to their surprise—he chose not to plead for his life but to curse their ancestors instead. Prince clenched his teeth together when Vlad made threats about what he was going to do to Kat’s lifeless body—threats that no lover wanted to hear. And especially ones that no father was meant to hear. Alex struck him across the face with the tip of one of his arrows, leaving a bright streak of blood.

“Run.”

An hour into the hunt, they shot him with a third arrow. They took their time, allowing him to flee and tire himself out. After each hit, they sat down and Alex smoked a hand-rolled cigarette, giving Vlad enough time to pull out the arrow and attempt to bandage the wound with scraps of his own clothing.

They continued down a short hill, following behind Vlad, who was moving slower than before.

The paper crackled when Alex took another puff. “Two shots do not make you a more expert marksman. You have made more attempts than I have. I will hit him when it counts.”

“And I will strike him
where
it counts.”

Alex laughed and patted out his cigarette. “Aha. Now I know why your hits were below the belt.”

“And yours, Alex?”

The laugh died in his throat as they kept walking, the forest rustling below their feet. “I want my arrow to pierce his black heart.”

“So then why did you shoot him in the back the last time?” Prince startled a squirrel when he ducked below a crooked branch.

Alex rubbed his short beard. “You can’t remove the arrows very easily when you cannot reach them. I want Vladamir to suffer—to feel the twist of the arrow with every step, the same way he has twisted pain into my life. That coward threatened to kill my daughters, and no one who harms my children will live to tell about it.”

In a swift motion, Alex took his position. He nocked the arrow and straightened his bow arm, drawing back the bowstring and quickly releasing it. The arrow sliced through the air with a sharp sound.

“This is a nice bow,” he said admiringly. “I have always been partial to the crossbow, but these are good quality. Handmade?”

Prince swelled with pride as crafting recurve bows had been a hobby he’d enjoyed for many years. The younger Shifters were convinced that modern weaponry was better, but they didn’t know the feel of holding a handcrafted bow that had been customized.

“Yes. I made these for my personal enjoyment, but I can make one for you if you wish.”

Alex adjusted his armguard and stopped, his voice falling to a low volume. “I would very much like that.” He rubbed his black-and-grey beard, staring ahead. “Vlad hasn’t moved. It would be a shame if it was over so soon.”

Prince turned his attention to the body slumped over in the ditch below. “There’s something I wish to speak with you about.” He shifted his stance, a cold sweat touching his forehead.

Alex turned to face him. “And what is that, old friend?”

Prince scratched the corner of his eye. Someone as old as him shouldn’t have been so apprehensive about what he was about to say, and he knew his body language spoke volumes. “I’ve formed an attachment to your daughter.”

A twig snapped beneath Alex’s foot when he stepped forward. His chest moved as he silently hiccupped, and then he took a moment to light up a cigarette and pull in a few drags. “Nadia is a woman I could easily see by your side.”

It took everything for Prince not to laugh. No disrespect to Nadia, but it came to his attention that Alex hadn’t been perceptive about the way Prince and Kat had been looking at each other at the dinner table the night before.

“You should quit smoking,” Prince said. “Kat’s allergic.”

Alex nodded while taking a last inhale. He patted out the end again and tucked it in his pocket. “Yes, strange thing. She’s been that way since she was a little child. I remember once standing outside in a blizzard to have a cigarette because she made me. Didn’t cry or complain while I smoked inside, but that little girl pushed me right out the front door and into the snow. Then she threw my pipe and matches onto the ground and slammed the door.”

The thought danced in Prince’s mind and he chuckled warmly. “That’s what I love best about her.”

Alex’s eyes flashed up. “Kat? It’s
Kat
you want? No… No, that cannot be. Katarina is my princess.”

Prince lowered his eyes respectfully and bowed. “And I would like her to be mine.”

He flinched when Alex slapped him over the back of the head.

“Nonsense. She is too strong for any man. Nadia is your kind.”

His comment straightened Prince’s spine like an arrow. “And what do you mean by that, Alex?”

“I love my daughters equally, but I have always had a special relationship with Kat. She is too strong for any one man. Nadia is driven by money and material things,” he said with a wave of his arm. He swung his eyes up to a blue jay hopping on a nearby branch. “Kat makes money, but not to spend. She’s very much like me in that she lives a humble life. She was always driven by love and loyalty.”

“And that is why I’ve chosen her.” Prince stepped forward, his voice resolute. “In all the centuries I’ve been alive, I’ve had nothing else to live for of substance. No mate, and while I may have once trivialized the matter, there is nothing trivial about Kat.”

Alex had a way of dissecting a man with his stare. Prince stood his ground, never averting his eyes, and got a bone-deep fear that maybe his friend would forbid the pairing. Kat was still an adult who could choose her own destiny, but Prince respected old customs, which dictated that as long as her father was alive, Prince must win Alex’s approval for the pairing.

And Prince was dead set about becoming mated. He had yet to find out if Kat was a woman easily won, but he had a feeling she’d make the chase hard, and that pleased him immensely.

Alex kept his steely eyes centered on Prince, tugging on his beard. “You are asking my permission for Kat?”

“I’m asking for your approval. I’ll court her regardless of your answer, but I would like your blessing. As my friend, my brother, and—”

Alex burst out laughing. “And your
father
!” He patted Prince on the arm. “That would make us related in a most amusing way. For that reason, I approve. But you listen to me, old friend. If you hurt or deceive her, then
that
will be you,” he said, pointing toward Vlad. “
Nyet
. I will not watch my daughter’s heart be broken, and worse if it’s by someone I trust. You think about that before you decide how serious you want to get with my Kat. My daughters are not the only royal blood remaining, and I can put you in contact with two other families who have daughters for you to consider.”

The hell he would
. Prince would love to have children with Kat, but none of this was about the purity of her blood; it was about the way he loved her and the way he wanted to love her.

With every ounce of respect he could summon in his voice, Prince answered. “I would be honored if you gave us your blessing, and you have my solemn vow as your friend and spirit brother that I will never cause harm to you or your family. I can assure you I will not only give Katarina the protection and security she deserves, but the love. I’m not a man who has warmed up to many women in my lifetime, and you know this more than anyone. But she’s changed me… or awakened me. I have the greatest respect for the woman you’ve raised.”

“And you would not want to change her? You would be a fool to try,” he said, shaking his finger. “My Kat is a creature who cannot be reckoned with, and she would learn to hate the man who tried to shape her into a woman she is not.”

“I would only suggest she consider a local job as a private investigator. She’s an exceptional bounty hunter, but that would require too much travel and time away from her pack.”

Alex began walking and they drew closer to the body. “Good luck with that if she agrees. I quit trying to change who she was when she was twelve and decided to learn how to shoot a gun.” Alex playfully glanced at Prince over his shoulder. “She always had better aim than me.”

“Then why does she carry a knife on her instead of a gun?”

“I made that holster for her a long time ago so it wouldn’t fall off her wolf. I hid the ring inside, and that was partly the reason I made it. Kat is sentimental and I knew she would always cherish it because it was something I made special for her. But I never wanted her to be without protection. The stunner was a necessity because a Mage is hard to catch, and that left little room for a gun. She carried one, but then a man took it from her and shot her in the chest. It was hard for her to recover because the bullet was lodged inside, and that made a mess when she shifted. After that, she kept the gun in her car. I think in time she’ll change her ways, especially if she moves to a state with a concealed handgun law,” he said with a chuckle.

Prince lifted his chin. “She’ll move here. I’m certain she’ll accept my claim.”

“And what will you do to win her heart?”

Prince considered it. “I’m taking her to a place called Cracker Barrel tonight for dinner before buying her something called peanut brittle.”

Alex belted out a boisterous laugh. “There is hope for you after all, my friend. But it will take far more than food to win her devotion. You have your work cut out for you.”