Kuma (8 page)

“Don’t go flying off the handle. I thought bears were supposed to be methodical. Dad’s been talking to the board’s various members on the sly. Let’s wait and get all the information before we make any decisions. If it’s as bad as we think, I’ll help you slit their throats.” Myka stepped between his brothers.

They nodded at each other.

“Okay, now, will you get the hell out of here? I have an ego to soothe and a mate to corral.”

Rhys and Myka headed toward the door and Rhys turned to meet his brother with a look of understanding. “I don’t envy you your tasks, Boris.”

Boris nodded. “I understand what your dilemma was, Rhys.” He clasped the man’s shoulder and squeezed it.

Turning the lock on his door he thought about Nix. The woman was a damn contradiction. She would look a snake in the eye and giggle, but let someone tell her how they feel and off to the hills she runs. He rolled his shoulders. Not this time. First, he had to at least try and make Seri happy, then ship her back to her home and pray she didn’t crucify Volkshire in the process. Damn, the things he did for his pack.

***

Seri wrapped a towel around her body and walked into her bedroom. Excitement coursed through her form when she spied Kuma sitting in a wingback chair next to the window. It had been years since they’d shared a bed, and he could still incite an anxiousness within her. She tightened the material around herself and flashed a smile. He glanced up at her and turned his head to resume looking through the glass. She curbed her disappointment and cleared her throat.

“How is your arm?” He sounded as if he was inquiring about the weather.

“Good, I don’t think the little human knew what she was doing. The doctor said she missed the major arteries and tendons. I have minimal damage.” Seri raised her arm to show Boris the two stitched wounds. “Doc said these will fall out as I heal and we both know how quick that will be.”

“Don’t underestimate Nix, Seri, she knew exactly what she was doing. I daresay, I don’t think she felt like killing that day.” A brief smile ghosted his lips.

“You give too much credit to humans, Boris. You always have.” With a sigh, she took a seat across from him and let the terry fabric around her loosen. She crossed her legs and felt the sewn ends drift up her thighs. “I was wondering if you were going to come by and check on me.”

He turned his head and stared at her. “You know why I’m here, Seri.”

“I do.” She lowered her voice to a silky purr and crossed her legs, making her towel gape wider.

“What do you plan to say when you give testimony to the board?” He tapped his fingers on the tabletop.

“I promise my statement will be glowing; however, it will cost you.” She leaned forward and set her elbows on the table.

“Money is no object. Name your price.” Boris went still.

“It won’t be that easy, Kuma. I swear that you and your brothers will keep Volkshire, and I will make it so that there is never any question to the Blaidd’s leadership.”

“Exactly how can you guarantee that?”

“Simple.”

“I’m listening.”

“Marry me.”

“Sorry, come again.” He shook his head.

Seri felt an upsurge of happiness; he hadn’t shot her down and was willing to listen to her proposition. Suddenly the sun shone brighter into the room, and quite possibly in the next few days, since she wouldn’t wait months. She would be Volkshire’s Alpha’s mate.

“I said marry me. Of course, we’ll have to talk Scar into stepping down so you can assume his position.” Seri grew animated in her excitement, waving her hands as she spoke.

“You can’t be serious?”

She was taken aback by the chill in his voice and continued on. “Think about it. It’s a win-win situation. We get married and Scar steps down, allowing you to take over. That will squash any rumors about his human being in a powerful pack position as his mate, and with you as the new leader of Volkshire, Roman’s accusations will be moot. Everyone knows his issues are with Scar and not this town…” Seri beat back the fingers of desperations that were trying to take hold. “You’ll get to keep your beloved homestead.”

He scrubbed his face with his hands. “Seri, you have lost your fucking mind. I’d rather go bankrupt paying your crazy ass off than marry you.”

Her world went off-kilter for a moment and she leaned back in her seat. The towel came completely loose; she yanked the two sides together and wrapped the ends around one another. She uncrossed her legs and set her feet on the floor. Her euphoria was replaced by anguish. She fisted her hands and spoke through her teeth. “If you love this town and this pack the way you’ve spouted for years, then you’ll see the wisdom of my idea.”

“I care about Volkshire deeper than you will ever know. I don’t love you though, and I will not be made miserable through your machinations. I have no desire to be Alpha and if anything happened to Rhys, then I would gladly turn the title over to Myka. Are you sure I can’t pay you off with money?”

“Think long and hard before you refute my proposal.”

“What can you do to me, Seri?” Boris pursed his lips.

“I can make your life hell, Kuma,” she said quietly.

Boris stood and looked down at her. The coolness of his voice reached his eyes. “Careful, Seri, I make a bad enemy with a long memory. You need to get your things together, I’ll have one of our sentinels escort you out of town.”

“You’re kicking me out of Volkshire?” She shot out of her seat.

“I thought that was obvious.” He turned his back on her and stalked to the door.

“We would have been good together,” she whispered. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks and she hastily brushed them away.

“No, Seri, we wouldn’t have. You have thirty minutes.”

She watched Kuma leave. When the door clicked, indicating it had closed, she dropped to her knees and wailed. Her dreams shattered in the blink of an eye; she banged the floor with her hands. The pounding was nothing more than soft
thuds
in the carpet. It burned to breathe as she tried to take in a breath. She sat in the spot where she’d fallen, wrapped her arms around herself and rocked. Thoughts swirled around in her mind and anger finally took root. Crawling over to the nightstand, she picked up her cell.

Seri wiped the tears away with the heel of her hand and scrolled through the numbers in her phone book. Tapping the icon for the person she needed, she waited as the phone rang. She promised him hell and she would deliver. The line was finally picked up.

“Hello, Roman.”

Chapter Eight

The smell of pine was ripe in the air and made her nose twitch. Nix wiggled it and rolled up the window. The sun’s splintered rays shone through the treetops as the truck bounced along the dirt road. Nix stared out the windshield, her mind on the night before. Boris was so patient with her, allowing her to explore his body at her pace. She giggled, at least after that initial encounter. The man was too good for her. He should find a nice sow somewhere and forget her. That was her plan. She’d disappear for a while, get lost in the west, maybe travel to a country where she wasn’t wanted. Fre was okay, she snickered, her bestie was better than okay.

Nix ran over the various scenarios in her head. She came up with the idea on the fly as she left Boris’s bedroom in the early morning hours. Once she was in her room, she made one call and that was to Jamison, the school principal, asking him for a favor. She’d get Fre to drop her off at that old town sign and he would pick her up and take her to the airport. Nix understood that the less Fre knew, the better. She’d taken only what she could fit in her purse—two T-shirts and a pair of jeans. Once she got to her destination she could always find a thrift store and load up on whatever she needed. She turned her head and placed a hand on her chest as a sharp ache ripped through her. The farther she got from Boris, the more it hurt. It was psychological; it had to be. They shared no real attachment. This was exactly why she needed to leave. She was miles away from the man and she still couldn’t think.

“You know you don’t have to leave right?” The anxiousness in Fre’s voice made her turn to stare at her friend.

“Yeah, I do, I can’t stay. All I do is think about Boris. I’ve been around long enough anyway. It’s time for me to move on.” Nix smiled brightly to ease Fre’s concerns.

“At least tell me where you’re going.” Fre down shifted to slow the vehicle down.

“That’s a negatory there, ghost rider.” Nix laughed trying to ease the heaviness growing in her gut by using her old nickname for Fre.

Fre glance at her and flashed her own smile before refocusing on the road. “Promise me you won’t go back to drug running.”

“I do what I have to do. You know that. It kept us fed on many days. Now that I don’t have to worry about you I have plenty of options. I’ll call you once I’m settled.”

“You do realize that Boris will come after you.”

“Which is why you don’t know where I’m going.”

The town sign loomed ahead of them, and Nix placed her hand on Fre’s arm. “I still have that burner phone. If you need me call and I’ll be there, weapons drawn.”

Fre maneuvered the gear into neutral and swiveled in her seat. Her lips were set in a grim line before she spoke. “I thought you got rid of it.”

“Naw, it’s in my boot, in case of emergency.” The door creaked when Nix shouldered it open, grabbing her purse as she jumped out. She slammed the door and slapped the old metal. “You are the sister of my heart. No long good-byes remember? Get the hell out of here.” She turned and walked toward the Volkshire billboard.

She heard the tires spin in the pebbles, and when she looked back a cloud of dust floated where the vehicle had been. Nix exhaled, this was for the best. Hefting her purse on her shoulder, she kicked at a few small rocks as she walked toward the sign. She raised her face toward the sun and reveled in the heat on her skin. The discomfort in her chest returned. As she thought more about her idea, it wasn’t feeling as great as it had that morning. She shook her head to shake away the voice urging her to return to Boris. She reached in her purse and dug out her cell phone to check the social media sites, now she just had to wait for Jamison to pick her up.

***

Seri watched the guards traveling behind her stop and turn around as she left the town proper. She swallowed back the anger and pressed her foot on the gas. Before she left she’d checked the flights and was lucky to get one leaving in the evening. There was just enough time to get to the airport and get checked in. She never did like running for her flights. She always thought that made her look desperate. Desperation was unbecoming a wolf of her status, and Boris would pay, too, for almost making her beg. She’d be an Alpha’s mate yet and then she would crush Volkshire. So what if she didn’t have any feelings for Roman? They now shared a common goal. Relationships had been built on less and she’d already laid the groundwork with her plan.

After her call to Roman she’d wrote a damning report and made sure to e-mail it to all the members of the board. Not just Matos, he would bury it for as long as possible and she needed the counsel to panic. If the idea that the Blaidd boys were stockpiling weapons and forming unauthorized contracts with shady humans didn’t light a fire under their asses, nothing would. She took a quick glance out the window and noted the rows of trees. Who was she kidding anyway? She’d hate it in these backwoods and since this was where Kuma called home, then she’d be stuck. Maybe the stupid bear had done her a favor. Regardless, he should still have hell to pay just for turning her down.

Movement on the side of the road caught her eye as she drove by. Seri twisted her neck to see what it was that caught her attention. The bright yellow tank top wasn’t hard to miss and she smashed her foot on the brake, sending the vehicle into a skid on the loose gravel. In her rearview mirror she watched as Nix peeked around the billboard, disappeared, reappeared, then started to jog toward her automobile. Looks like someone upstairs likes her, she couldn’t help but smirk.

Reaching for the passenger side, she groped for her purse. She looked over to confirm its position and stuck her hand in the side pocket. The gun was cool in her palm and the familiar weight was reassuring. She wouldn’t make the same mistake with the little human. There was no time to play. She still had to meet Roman. A minor change in plans and she would be on her way.

Nix arrived at her driver’s side window and Seri watched as her lips dipped into a frown. Seri raised the gun for Nix to see before she could pull away and waved it back to make her move from the door. Seri tugged at the handle and exited the Hummer without taking her gaze off Nix. The woman held her hands up, palms forward, but Seri saw the anger in her eyes. It seemed to swirl in their depths and she was sure Nix was trembling. Seri’s smile widened, a happy feeling glided through her at the thought that she scared the woman. Nix crossed her arms hiding her hands, cocked a brow, and sucked her teeth.

“I guess a fair fight is out of the question?” Nix’s voice was monotone.

“You’d cheat. I thought this would even us up some.” Seri leaned on the door.

“Hmm, why don’t you put that weapon away and we can try again. Say two out of three?”

“I don’t think so. I didn’t plan on it but I believe I can work you into my plan rather nicely. Turn around and walk toward the back of the vehicle.” Seri eased to Nix’s side.

“Plan?” Nix inquired as she took tentative steps in the direction of the truck.

“Nothing you need to worry about, and stop trying to look at me.” Seri cocked the gun. “I have to say, I don’t mind shooting your ass right here and just going with my original idea.”

“Shoot me then.” Nix stopped. “Although, I thought you people like to use your hands to maim and kill. Seri, hon, I think you’re a smidge too human.”

“That statement might have hurt my feelings once, but when I think how much it will pain Kuma to know you’re being held by Roman and there is nothing he can do, I must say, I think that will cause much more agony.” Seri stood directly behind Nix.