Chapter 17

17

N icola gripped Thor's silver fur tight and tried to focus on holding on. Her ribs were healing from where the seat belt had broken them in the crash, and the wound on her head had already closed over. She looked down at the pavement rushing beneath them and stared at the black spot on Thor's paw. Her heart constricted in her chest, just like it had when he had shifted. Their wolf forms matched, and her heart couldn't take it.

As if seeing him in his warg form wasn't bad enough. She hadn't thought she would be afraid when she did; after all, she had seen Astrid as a warg.

Being turned on by it was a surprise. By the gods, he was magnificent.

Instead of a full wolf head like Astrid, his face had turned sharp and primal, his mouth full of fangs. Amongst his thick silver hair were two wolf ears, fine fur covering a broad chest, and fingers tipped in long claws. His eyes had been red with battle rage, fangs and claws bloody, and yet, he returned to her when she touched him. Seeing him tear through over ten heavily armed guys was a revelation.

No wonder Galen had laughed at the thought of people trying to pay him to fight against Thor. There was no fighting against someone who had been a warrior and a berserker for centuries. He could fight in all three of his forms and had lifetimes to become a killing machine.

And he's all mine . Nicola was smug about that.

There hadn't been anyone left alive to question, but she knew in her bones that Kaleb was behind it. He must have hired human mercenaries for the job. She doubted they would have been told the nature of who they were attacking. She didn't think anyone could be mentally prepared for a wolf monster tearing through them so fast he had been a blur of silver and red.

Nicola didn't relax until the grand and imposing building of the vampire council chambers came into view. The sun was setting, and she hoped Claudius was an early riser. The USB was digging awkwardly into her breast, but it hadn't been broken in the crash.

How had they even known how to track them? It was a question for another time. Thor raced up the steps and stopped before a pair of guards.

"My Lord Thor, you know we can't let you in like that," one of the guards said.

Thor snarled and then lowered down so Nicola could climb off. Thor shifted back into a man, his eyes still red in warning. The guard unclipped the black cloak from his uniform and held it out to him.

"Thank you," Thor said, his voice husky.

Nicola took one last look at his muscles and tattoos before Thor drew the cloak around himself.

The guard looked at Nicola. "You know that wolves cannot enter council premises, my lord."

"Nicola is my mate and is going to be my Bride. We have a meeting with Claudius," Thor said, taking Nicola's hand. "This isn't a fight you will win today. Let it go, and if there is to be punishment, I'll take it."

The guard's vampire senses were probably picking up something in his tone that Nicola couldn't because they moved out of the way without another word. She wanted to ask what Thor meant by 'Bride' but knew vampire hearing was sensitive and didn't want to contradict or question him on vampire ground.

Nicola hung tightly to Thor and ignored all the curious looks. To be fair, Thor in only a cloak was distracting her too. She moved closer to hold the sides of his cloak shut and glared at anyone who stared too long.

"Is my mate feeling a little possessive?" he whispered in her ear.

"Mine," she muttered. His laughter rumbled through him, making her grin.

The harassed-looking assistant in Claudius's office set them up on lounge chairs with hot blood for Thor and coffee and cookies for Nicola.

"The wait for Lord Claudius shouldn't be too long. I have been informed that the master is on his way," the assistant told them politely before going back to her desk.

"Are you hurt anywhere? I can send for a doctor or a med-mage?" Thor asked.

Nicola felt her side. "My ribs are healed, just tender. Who do you think those men were that attacked us?"

"Hired mercenaries. All human. Fucking Kaleb just let them be slaughtered."

Nicola nodded. "That was my thinking too. I don't know how he could have tracked us."

"I don't know either because neither one of us is carrying a phone, and our warehouse is completely off the books," Thor said, rubbing a fleck of blood from his silver beard.

A cold sensation swept through Nicola, and she put down her cookie. "What if he put something in me when I was imprisoned? I was drugged and beaten. I was unconscious a lot, Thor."

Thor put an arm around her. "If that's the case, we will find something to scan you with and get it out of you. It doesn't matter how he tracked you because I'm never letting you go again. I'm always going to protect you."

Nicola rested her head on his warm shoulder and inhaled his warm scent. The panicked wolf inside of her settled in the alpha power he was exuding. It was a safety she had never felt before.

"Well, don't you two look cozy," a smooth voice said.

Nicola looked up at the stately vampire that had appeared in front of them. She might not know much about the vampire's hierarchy, but everyone in Inferno knew who Claudius Pelas was.

Thor was about as impressed with the chairman as he was with everyone, which was not at all. "About time you got here."

"What happened to your clothes?"

"We were attacked getting you the information. I…lost my temper," Thor replied.

Claudius arched a perfect brow. "Should I ask how much damage you did?"

"Less than they deserved."

"It's going to be a long night. I just know it. Very well, follow me and try not to drip blood everywhere," Claudius said, waving them into his office. "Thor tells me you have been through quite the ordeal, Miss Markides. I hope it was worth it."

"If you let me use a laptop, I'll show you exactly why it was worth it," Nicola said, pulling the USB from her bra and offering it to him.

Claudius smirked as he took it and retrieved a laptop from his desk drawer. "It's password protected," he pointed out.

Nicola smiled. "Because I'm not an idiot, that's why. May I?"

Once Claudius nodded, she pulled a chair around to his side of the desk and took over.

Nicola had been careful to collate the files into a proper database because she needed a way to keep track of what she was finding. Claudius might have been as old as dirt, but he was sharp as a blade and followed everything she did. After twenty minutes, he let out a soft mutter in a language she didn't know. It sounded like a curse.

"We are going to need to send teams in to shut these operations down. They can't be vampires either." Claudius leaned back in his chair. "What a mess."

"It could have been worse. They could have started to use all of this to start a war with the vampires. He probably has stashes of these specialized bullets here in Inferno already. Anything bio is still being held in Cyprus," Nicola replied.

"If that were the case, why didn’t he arm the wolves that attacked Thor's territory?"

Thor said, "Because he thought that it wouldn't be necessary with only three wargs in residence. The next time he comes, he might be a bit smarter and arm them. Even then, they probably won't do the damage to us like it would a normal vamp."

Claudius hummed thoughtfully. "You think he's going to be stupid enough to attack you again?"

"He sent human mercenaries after us today, so I'm guessing he will be," Thor said. He glanced at Nicola. "We think he might have put a tracker in her. I don't suppose you have something to check."

"I'll message security," Claudius said, drawing a phone from his pocket and tapping away. "Vampires can easily hide weapons under their skin to pull out when they need them, so we have scanners."

Nicola was nauseous just thinking about the thought of Kaleb putting a device inside of her. Did he know that she would escape? Or was it so if she gave into being his mate that he would have always known exactly where she was? That there would have been no way to agree to mating and then flee the city as soon as she could?

There was a short rap at the door, and a guard entered with a wand as long as his arm that had a screen attached to it. Nicola was made to stand very still with her arms and legs wide as the guard moved it over her. She was holding her breath when it finally beeped.

"Something about the size of a pill has been implanted on the top of her left glute," the guard informed them. "I can call a med-mage to remove it?"

Panic dumped adrenaline down her spine. "Thor, get it out of me," she begged.

"Everyone out," Thor said and growled when Claudius didn't budge. "Chairman, she's my mate. I'm not pulling her pants down in front of you."

Claudius rose to his feet and buttoned his jacket. "Ten minutes. Don't turn it into a feeding or a fucking, Thor. I don't need to be smelling your seed in my office."

Nicola would have laughed if she wasn't so grossed out. Thor waited until they were alone and then sat down on Nicola's chair. He pulled her gently over to him.

"It's going to be okay. We can wait if you want something to numb it," he said.

Nicola growled. "Either you do it, or I'm going to start clawing at my own skin to reach it."

Thor undid her jeans and pulled them down with no further argument. He pressed over her skin, searching for the device. "It's here. There's a hard bump. I'll be quick."

"Just do it," she replied through gritted teeth. Thor's nail became a claw, and with a steady swipe, he opened her skin. She barely had time to register the pain when Thor put his mouth over the cut and sucked. He spat out the small silver object before biting his thumb and smeared his blood over the cut. He licked it clean, and there wasn't even a mark left behind. He kissed her skin and rested his forehead against the small of her back.

"Fuck, I know the wolves are weird about blood, but yours tastes incredible," he said.

"Thank you for getting it out for me. I feel so…violated. I want to murder Kaleb myself." Nicola turned and hugged him to her. "As for the blood thing, maybe we can explore that when we aren't in the chairman's office?"

Thor looked up at her. "Really?"

"You are my mate," she said simply. She placed her hands on his cheeks and leaned down to kiss him. She could taste the lingering iron of her blood in his mouth, but it didn't matter. He was still just Thor to her. He growled deeply and pulled back.

"You are perfect, but if I keep kissing you, things will get out of hand," he said and did up the zipper and button on her jeans.

Nicola picked up the small device off the floor. She wanted to crush it between her fingers, but they needed it for evidence.

"We will make him pay for everything he has done to you, Nicola," Thor promised, and she believed him. One way or another, she was going to ensure Kaleb was dead before the week ended. She nodded and placed the device on the desk beside Claudius's laptop.

Nicola put out her hand, and he took it. She squeezed his fingers. "Let's go home."