Charming (A Seven World Novel) (7 page)

Kat snorted. “You’d have to keep a whole lot of packmates in line.”

Nadia ran her finger along the glass cabinet and checked it for dust. “His mansion seems quiet enough. I didn’t get the impression he leads a rambunctious pack.”

“Mansion? Wow. He really
is
loaded. Sounds like a match made in heaven.”

“Do you think I require a man’s money? I have my own.”

Kat curled up on her right side, having heard this song and dance before. “You’re a hoarder, Nads. You make more money than most people I know, and all you do is buy pretty dresses and pricey cheese. And those figurines.”

“Money is security.”

Kat yawned, feeling the pull of sleep. “The only security in this world is family. Money comes and goes. You make such a big deal about it, but what’s it really done for you? I’m just as happy as you are.”

Nadia crossed the room and lingered by the entrance to the hall that led to her bedroom. “Don’t pretend money holds no value when you earn a sizable income. Perhaps you should learn to hold on to it.”

“Of course it’s important, but why not use it to help others? Anyhow, I’m saving up for a big house in the woods someday with a lot of land. Someplace private where I can hunt, fish, and let my wolf run all she wants without having to wake up naked in the parking lot of a Burger King. I haven’t figured out where I want to live yet, but if you want to know the truth, I don’t work for money. It comes with the job, but I love what I do. I sleep at night knowing that each asshole I lock up means one less person in the world will be hurt by them. Even if the higher authority quit offering rewards, I don’t know if I could stop.”

Nadia drifted into the hall near the edge of the wall. “Would you like to borrow some panties?”

“Negative. And I shouldn’t have to explain why,” Kat murmured against the couch pillow. God, how she hated this predicament of not having clothes or money. She preferred cash so no one could lift her wallet and discover her identity, and that wallet was sitting next to a bag of chocolate-covered almonds on her coffee table.

Nadia switched off the hall light. “Well, good night. I’d bring you a blanket to cover up with, but you’ll just kick it onto the floor.”

“Sis?”

“Yes?”

“Can you put the pizza in the fridge for tomorrow?”

Her voice grew distant. “It’s too old to enjoy.”

Kat’s eyes closed and she mumbled, “It’s perfect.”

***

As soon as Prince arrived at his mansion, he ascended the curved staircase to his study and closed the door. It was a quaint room with a mahogany desk to the right—a green banker’s lamp casting a warm glow. The entire wall in front of the door was a bookshelf filled with ancient books in six different languages. The two green chairs to the left were rarely used; Prince never invited anyone to join him in this room, and he preferred sitting at his desk where he could work on his laptop.

He took a seat in his leather chair and switched on the computer. He had direct access to a secure database only a select few Packmasters were privy to. It stored information the Council had collected on troublesome Shifters as well as criminal records.

Prince hadn’t thought of Vlad Romanov in decades. The problem with living an extended lifespan was that it was inevitable you’d run into familiar faces from the past. Humans like to use the expression that it’s a small world, but for Breed, it was infinitely smaller.

He replayed the scene in his mind several times of the Mage thrusting his energy-soaked hands at Kat. Prince should have moved faster; he should have known Vlad would create a diversion and flee the scene. Had Prince reacted a fraction of a second sooner, Kat wouldn’t have been hurt at all. A man putting his hands on a woman incited a wave of rage that rippled through him like a tide.

And for that, Vlad would pay.

Then his mind drifted back to Kat. She was so different from Nadia, whose blond locks had first captured his attention. Yet the dark and deliberate nature of Kat’s hair made his heart quicken. Whenever she took a deep breath, he noticed her collarbone. It seemed like such an odd thing to focus on, but finding traits that made her different from her twin had become a silent game. The commanding way she threw her shoulders back and cocked her hips to the side when speaking. The confident tone in her voice, her assertive gaze, the level of control. Those qualities beguiled his wolf, making him pace restlessly in her presence—something his wolf had never done for another female. Even her own wolf possessed that same inherent strength by dominating that Mage and making him submit.

Kat’s insults were thinly veiled. She judged him because of his wealth and tidy appearance. Yet she had also made references to his long hair on two occasions, once using the word “sexy” to describe it. Prince reached back and pulled the band from his hair, shaking it loose around his shoulders, wondering what Kat would think of it unbound. His long hair connected him to his past and allowed him to see his former self reflecting back at him in the mirror. In that reflection, he also caught glimpses of his father.

Prince became drunk with thoughts of Kat, and for the first time in centuries, he coveted. Wanted to taste her lips, feel her body beneath his, and run with her wolf. Prince shifted in his chair, realizing he’d become thick with arousal. These ungovernable thoughts would consume him if he didn’t get control of them. Despite Kat possessing the purity he’d long sought for in a mate, he couldn’t afford to have tender feelings for such a woman. A bounty hunter who carried a knife and lived like a nomad—she was completely wrong for him, so he steered his thoughts away.

“Vlad Romanov,” he said quietly, staring at the computer screen. “Born in 1721, emigrated from Russia, wanted for slave trafficking.”

Sadly, that sort of depravity still went on in the underworld—outside the city limits of most major cities and beyond the reach of the Councils. A sparse few ancient immortals held fast to the old world when they had once lived like kings, using Shifters to do their bidding. Vlad had made a career kidnapping and selling men, women, and children for profit. The file included his last known location and listed Kat as the assigned bounty hunter. Twenty years had passed, but it was still common knowledge that the higher authority never closed a case on an outlaw until they were captured or killed. That’s why most criminals kept a low profile and avoided reaching outlaw status.

“Where does a man like you hide?” he asked himself, leaning back in his chair, the leather creaking. “And what brings you to Austin?”

Southern states had more land, but they were regulated by the Councils, and an outlaw wouldn’t be able to claim territory unless he did so illegally. It would be easier for his crimes to go unnoticed in a populous city. If Vlad was still selling on the black market, then he might be in town for business. There wasn’t a main site like eBay to do this kind of trading, but men who purchased Shifters went through a seller or middleman who would give them private access to his site. After providing their criteria, they sat back and waited for a match.

Prince sent a quick message to an associate who worked undercover with a list of local names to research. Maybe Vlad was in town hunting his next victim.

He closed the laptop and stood up, stretching out the stiff muscles in his back before loosening his slim tie and tossing it onto his desk. As tired as he was, he still felt charged from the events of the evening. He strolled across the hallway to his bedroom while unbuttoning his shirt.

Once inside, he draped the shirt over a chair and removed his leather shoes and black socks. Prince stood before a cheval mirror, his reflection encased in an espresso frame. With his hair loose, he remembered himself as a great leader from centuries ago. Frock coat, gloves, and suspenders to hold up his trousers. Fashion divided the rich and poor in earlier times, and Shifters lived somewhere in the middle. He had always appreciated a good suit; it made him feel elevated amongst others.

Prince was born in Imereti in the thirteen hundreds, firstborn to nomadic parents who had claimed land to establish a pack. They were of the purest blood, and Shifters gravitated toward them. His father had dreams of living a peaceful existence in a farming community, so he started a family in hopes of settling down. But in those times no one could escape war. Immortals were fighting for power, and Shifters were fighting for survival.

Prince unlatched his black belt, pulled it away from his pants, and tossed it to the floor. When he grasped the tab of his zipper, he thought of Kat and a smile touched his lips. Whether it was Prince’s open zipper or stumbling over her laces, she didn’t dwell on other people’s opinions. He usually preferred sophisticated women, ones who trembled with anticipation when he unfastened their corsets, but these women were rarities in the modern world. And here he was, faced with two identical women on the opposite ends of the spectrum. One who represented the ideal woman he revered and who matched his personality, and the other who ensnared his thoughts and heated his blood in a way no woman ever had.

Prince was a man of restraint, one who only indulged in pleasures of the flesh when he needed to settle his nerves. He never chose women from his pack, but instead would couple with unmated women in the territory. It wasn’t often, but he had no other options since he didn’t believe in self-gratification. It showed a lack of control, so it was a habit he’d given up over four hundred years ago.

Yet as his pants slipped to the floor and he looked at his erection in the mirror, carnal images of Kat tangled in his thoughts. He switched off the light and stripped down the covers, lying on silken sheets. At first it began with a touch, just a simple stroke to the head when he remembered the way Kat had pressed up against him earlier that evening. He’d known she wasn’t wearing a bra beneath her shirt when her nipples hardened against his chest.

His promise to help her find Alex had filled him with a sense of purpose. A Packmaster’s life was demanding, but he often missed the days when decisions were made by actions and not words. This beguiling woman had managed to make him feel more alive in one night than he had in centuries.

An image flashed in his mind of Kat’s nude body straddling the back of the Mage and the way she swung her eyes up to Prince’s with willful determination. He arched his back as he imagined what it would feel like to be the man beneath her—to have a Shifter as dominant as she astride him, her hips rocking, her sable eyes latched on his. An insatiable craving began.

One that made him relinquish a vow he’d made four hundred years ago.

“Hey, honeypie.”

“Denver, what are you doing here?” Nadia said from a short distance away.

Kat groaned into her pillow and rubbed her face against it, squinting as she peered toward the front hallway to see what was going on.

“Look, I just wanted to stop by because I feel kind of shitty about how things went. It wasn’t your fault; you were great. I’ve just found the girl I want and—”

Nadia’s voice was smooth like honey. “No need to explain. If you want the truth, I think you can do better, but I don’t believe in competing for any man’s attention. My love life is not a game show.”

The man named Denver chuckled and leaned against the doorjamb. “Did you ever watch
The Love Connection?
”

Kat smiled, since she loved game shows.

Denver
was easy on the eyes, with blond hair and a cartoon character on his T-shirt. Although Kat was too far away to see what it said, she could have sworn it was
Fraggle Rock
. He seemed like the kind of guy Kat would normally hang out with, so naturally it came as a surprise that he and Nadia had been dating.

“Is that all you wanted to say?” Nadia asked, folding her arms.

“I’ve been thinking about what happened all week and… I don’t want you to think I’m a dick. We just weren’t peanut butter and jelly together. Anyhow, Naya respects you, and uh… I hope you don’t hold this against her.”

“So
that’s
what this visit is about. Don’t be ridiculous. Naya’s a good friend who’s connected me with a number of buyers. I’m not petty enough to punish her for a service I paid for.” A moment of awkward silence fell between the two. Nadia inspected her shoes. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind?”

Denver
hiked up his baggy jeans—shredded at the knees—and plucked a piece of candy from his pocket. It looked like a gumball or jawbreaker and caused his left cheek to puff out when he attempted to smile. “That’s one thing I’m sure of. This is a permanent deal and, no offense, but there’s no way in Hades I could do any better. Anyhow, just wanted to smooth things over and make sure I didn’t mess up your business relationship with Naya. I’ll keep my eyes open, but I don’t know what kind of men you go for.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m not looking for a mate. Give your woman my best.”

The blond-haired man inched into the hallway and waved before turning away.

Nadia slammed the door and Kat sat up, eyes alert.

Habit.

“I wasn’t sure if you were going to sleep until noon or get up with the civilized world. Am I okay to leave you here alone today?” Nadia glanced at her slim gold watch, which complemented her olive-green pencil skirt and white blouse. Her hair was beautifully combed and parted down the middle.

Kat rubbed her eyes and blew her hair out of her face. Mornings were her least favorite time of day. “Given I don’t have any pants, that kind of limits my daily agenda. I promise I won’t paint anything, if that’s what you’re concerned about.” She briefly looked at the floor and made sure her dagger was where she’d left it.

“I’m asking nicely for you to keep Prince out of our affairs. Promise me.”

“I doubt I’ll ever see him again after last night, but I’m not about to turn down help if he offers it. I have a strong lead on finding our father, and don’t roll your eyes.”

“It does no good to get your hopes up.” Nadia lifted her purse from the chair in the hall. “I’m going to work. I have several artifacts to appraise for some important clients. No parties, no rearranging anything, no borrowing my clothes, no eating my ice cream, and no dragging any Packmasters on one of your crazy chases.”

“Say
no
much?” Kat stood up and closed the distance between them, annoyed with all the orders being barked at her. She hadn’t even had her morning sugar yet. “I won’t even borrow your toothbrush, if that makes you happy. You’ll barely know I’m here.”

Satisfied, Nadia opened the door and paused. “Did you order something?”

“What is it?”

Curious, Kat shouldered past Nadia and peered into the outside hall. Someone had left a large paper bag in front of the door—not the kind you get grocery shopping, but the fancy kind with the arched handles. Kat bent down and reached inside, pulling out a pair of jeans, two blouses with spaghetti straps, a toothbrush, comb, and underwear—sexy black ones at that.

“What
is
all this?” Nadia peered down the empty hall in search of the person who’d left it.

Kat held Prince’s business card between two fingers. When she turned it over, she saw that he’d signed
Charming
on the back. “Looks like they’re from a knight in shining armor named Prince.”

Nadia huffed and straightened her skirt. “Most men buy flowers for their date, not underwear for their date’s
sister
.”

“He’s old school and probably thinks the way to impress you is by taking care of your family. If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t be trying so hard to help your needy sister. Oh look, he even bought me a razor.”

“Needy indeed. I have to go, Katarina. Call me if you need anything, and remember the rules!”

Nadia flew out in a rush, a heavy scent of perfume trailing behind her.

Kat yawned loudly and shuffled into the kitchen in search of something to eat.

“Dangit, Nads. Why didn’t you put the pizza in there like I asked you to?” she grumbled, moving aside strange fruits and cheeses. If there was one thing her sister loved, it was gourmet cheese. And the weirder the animal it came from, the better. Kat couldn’t even stand blue cheese on her salads; it made her gag. But whatever artificial goodness they sprinkled on pizza was all right with her.

Kat heaved a sigh and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She took her goodie bag with her, and once there, decided to hop in the shower. The stench of cigarettes still clung to her hair and was making her nauseous. Kat tossed her plaid shirt into the dryer with one of those scented sheets. The shirt had become a souvenir of a great night. Not the part where her suspect had gotten loose, but all the other stuff with Prince. Although keeping an item to remember time spent with her sister’s boyfriend seemed a tad inappropriate.

While she soaked beneath the spray of hot water, Kat thought about the dream she’d had the previous night. It had seemed so vivid, walking into a dark room where Prince was lying naked on a bed. He called to her, and his wolf howled in the darkness before they made love.

Kat shivered just thinking about it. After she towel-dried her hair, she examined the jeans Prince had chosen for her. They were the kind that hung low on a woman’s hips—comfy in all the right places.

“Snug!” Kat said approvingly, looking at her reflection in the mirror from all angles. What she loved was that he hadn’t bought her fancy clothes in an attempt to make her into someone she wasn’t.

She slipped into a white tank top that didn’t quite cover up her cleavage the way she would have liked. It seemed peculiar he would have bought her such a tight shirt, the kind that left nothing to the imagination if the temperature dropped. Luckily the plaid shirt was nice and warm after a tumble in the dryer, so she rolled up the sleeves to her elbows and grabbed her sneakers, wishing he had left her some good running shoes instead of all the clothes.

After tying her sneakers, she dashed to the fridge one last time. Kat twisted open a large jar of pickles and stuffed a big dill into her mouth.

“Time to head out,” she mumbled, grabbing her car keys.

The second Kat opened the door, she stumbled over a shoelace that had come undone. Prince caught her arms just as she was falling to her knees. She lifted her eyes up to his and, oh God,
the visual
. There she was, kneeling before a Packmaster with a pickle wedged so deep in her mouth that she started to gag.

Kat slowly pulled it out, and it made a juicy sound when she sucked on the tip. “I almost choked on that thing.”

His lip twitched, and wow, did he look yummy. Kat admired his fitted black shirt and dark jeans.

She wobbled as she stood up, doing a quick check to make sure his fly wasn’t open. “Are you wearing denims? I’m thoroughly impressed at your attempt to blend in with the natives.”

He folded his arms and assessed her attire. “Are the garments I provided to your satisfaction?”

“You talk like a commercial,” she said, biting off a chunk of the pickle and locking the door behind her. “They’re great. Thanks. I’m not even going to ask how you know my exact size.”

“I’m a perceptive man.”

“That I don’t doubt. You bought me lace panties. No one’s ever bought me sexy panties before.” Kat took another bite from her pickle and suddenly felt self-conscious about the way he kept staring at her mouth. “So, do you want to start brainstorming on where we should look first? My contact gave me the names of two bars. They’re not his regular hangouts, but the bartender or some of the waitresses might have information.”

Kat lost her train of thought, disappointed that Prince had tied his hair back again. She spied a short silver hair on the side of his head and quickly looked away.

“I scheduled a meeting to sell you at noon.”

Kat almost choked on her pickle for real. “Whoa,” she blurted out, holding up her hands. “I don’t know what you think we have going on here, but I’m not a two-bedroom condo. You can’t just sell me.”

They turned around and walked a few paces toward the elevator. Prince smelled so good that Kat kept falling behind so she could catch his heavenly draft.

He pushed the elevator button and folded his arms. “Vlad is in the slave trade, as you’re aware. With what little we know, my associate suggested that Vlad’s probably a middleman.”

“Yeah, that’s my thought too. Buys them from his contacts and turns around to sell them for a higher price, taking all the risk. Sellers usually want to flip them over as fast as they can so they don’t get busted, and sometimes it’s not easy to find a buyer that quickly.” She gave him a skeptical look. “Do you really think this plan will work? With the higher authority hiring more bounty hunters, a lot of the sellers are skittish about dealing with people they don’t know.”

“I have access to a list of traders across the continent who’ve made transactions within the past ten years. There aren’t as many big ones as you might think, so with the help of an associate, I was able to narrow it down to the two men we had the least information on who might be Vlad. The others were easily ruled out. An insider took a big risk and referred me to them. Our first appointment is at noon, the second at three.”

She pressed the elevator button five times and leaned on the door, rolling the pickle between her thumb and index finger. “Why did you space them so far apart?”

Prince relaxed his stance, letting his arms fall to his sides. Kat tried not to notice the ropes of taut muscle along his arms. It was a travesty how he kept such a stunning physique hidden beneath his suits, so seeing him in a T-shirt was like going to a carnival and finding out no one was standing in line for your favorite ride.

“I thought we could have lunch.”

“Sounds amazing. First we’ll sell my body and then we’ll grab some tacos.”

The elevator doors opened and Kat slipped through the opening, catching herself before slamming against the rear wall. She casually raked her fingers through her hair and yawned before nibbling on her breakfast. Prince eyed her as he got in, looking at her the way most people did—like he didn’t know what to think of her odd behavior.

When he knelt down in front of her, she sucked in a sharp breath.

Prince began lacing up her sneakers, tying them with double knots so they wouldn’t come undone. “You should try the running shoes with the sticky straps.”

“You mean Velcro?” The mere thought of her chasing down an outlaw in Velcro shoes was enough to give her the giggles. Kat unabashedly cradled his head with one hand, running her fingers over his smooth hair. “You should wear your hair loose.”

“It gets in the way,” he said, tightening her other shoe.

“Then why bother growing it? Shave it all off if you don’t care.”

He peered up at her with his blue eye, which was his left one. It was a striking shade, like a sapphire stone sparkling beneath moonlight. The other was an ordinary shade of melted chocolate, but together they were fascinating.

The elevator doors opened, and Nadia’s neighbor stood at the entrance with her little white dog in her arms. Her eyes widened at Prince on his knees and Kat holding his head.