Chapter 16

16

T hor stepped out in the back alley of the club and lifted his nose to the air. Satisfied there were no traces of wolf lingering about, he gestured for Nicola to follow him.

"Try not to die now!" Galen said cheerily and slammed the door shut behind them. Thor huffed out a laugh. It would take more than a pup like Kaleb to bring him down. He opened the passenger door for Nicola, and she threw him a flirty wink. He wouldn't know how to flirt or be charming like Galen, but Nicola didn't seem to mind his bluntness.

He had skills in other areas. Skills that he was growing desperate to show her. He wanted to claim her so there was no mistaking who she belonged to. Until he did, Kaleb might still think he had a chance to force a bond onto her.

Thor took a few deep breaths, pushed his beast down, and got into the car.

"Are you okay?" Nicola asked, reaching across to rest her hand on his thigh.

"My beast side is restless, that's all. I feel exposed," he replied. "It likes your scent too. It's...needy."

"Is that so?" Nicola's cheeks were going an adorable pink color. "Good to know I'm not the only one."

Thor touched the end of her braid, delighting in its softness. "If it had its way, you would be flat on your back right now with my face buried between your thighs. It's making it hard to concentrate."

"I have an idea," Nicola said, leaned across the console, and rubbed her nose against his neck. Before he could suspect her, she buried her sharp teeth into his skin. He groaned, fighting not to come in his pants.

"Why would you make it worse?" he said, hating how wrecked he sounded.

"I'm letting your beast know that I'm claiming him. We can do the rest later," Nicola replied and licked over the bite.

She went to move away, but Thor caught her in a kiss before she could. His fingers gripped her ponytail as he thrust his tongue in her mouth, needing her taste in his mouth.

"We really need to get this USB to Claudius and get home again," she whispered against his lips.

Thor had to use all his willpower to get his fingers to unclench and release her. He took a breath and then realized that his beast had gone back to sleep.

"Fuck, biting me actually worked," he said, amazed. There had been nothing that he had tried that could ever make it do that. He had never been able to tame it.

Nicola smiled. "Thought it might. It's a wolf thing. Mine has wanted to bite you since the minute she saw you."

"Tell her she can bite me again once I've buried my cock in you tonight, and I'm making you take my knot," Thor said.

Nicola's eyes glowed a hot gold, and the cab filled with the smell of her arousal.

"You like that thought, do you? Good. Because it's going to happen," he said and started the van. "If we don't move now, I'm going to get on top of you, and I don't want our first mating to be at the back of Galen Murphey's club."

Nicola let out a shaky breath. "Oh god, drive fast, would you?"

Still smiling, Thor drove them out into the street and headed toward the vampire districts. Claudius wouldn't be awake at that time of day; it was only mid-afternoon, but the sun set early in winter, so hopefully, the wait to see him wouldn't be too long. Without knowing who the mole was in the council chambers, Thor wouldn't risk handing the USB over to anyone who wasn't the chairman.

"How far away are we?" Nicola asked, looking around her.

"We have about ten minutes to get through this part of the mage district, and then we will cross into vampire territory. Why? What's wrong?" Thor replied.

Nicola rubbed at her chest. "Nothing. Anxiety probably. I just have a weird feeling."

Thor reached behind his chair and pulled out a double-bladed ax in a leather sheathe. He placed it in the footwell beside Nicola's legs. "The blades are silver. Keep it with you so you feel safe from wolves and vampires."

"Won't you get in trouble for having something like that?" she said, wrapping her hand around the hilt.

"Who is going to take it off me? The vampires have their own silver weapons. Never doubt that."

Nicola let go of the ax and let out a tight breath. "You're right. I feel silly to be worried. As I said, it's probably just anxiet?—"

A truck slammed into Thor's door, Nicola screamed, and the world flipped upside down. Thor's ears rang, but he tried to shake the darkness creeping in on him.

"Nicola! Talk to me!"

"I'm okay, just minor wounds," she said.

"We need to get out of here." His warg claws were already out. He sliced at his seat belt before cutting Nicola down. Voices were coming through the ringing in his ears. "I'll go first." Smoke was filling the cab.

"Give us the bitch and we won't kill you!" a voice shouted from outside. Thor's beast tore out of his skin.

The doors on the van were ripped off, and Thor launched himself through the opening. He tore the arm off the person closest to him and charged at the next. There was gunfire, but the berserker rage gripped him tight. He didn't know if they were humans or wolves. They were attacking his mate, and he would kill them all.

Nicola climbed from the side of the car, Thor's silver ax flashing in the sunlight. She danced out of the grip one man had on her and brought the ax down onto his shoulder.

The beast that was Thor howled and flung another screaming man away. He lost himself in the fight until all that he could hear was Nicola shouting his name. Her face appeared in front of him, splattered with blood.

"Thor! It's over! It's over!" she said and put her hands on his bloody face. "I'm okay, but we have to get out of here before more come. Okay, baby? Let's go."

The part of him that was a man suddenly realized what he had done. She had witnessed him in his truest monster form. Something he had been trying to avoid. She wasn't running away yet, so that was a good thing. The van was on fire and completely totaled.

Thor shifted again into his dire wolf form and lowered himself down to the ground. Nicola wrapped the silver ax in her jacket so its edges wouldn't cut her and climbed onto Thor's back. He rose and, making sure she was holding on, bounded down the streets, racing to get into vampire territory and keep his mate safe.