Page 26

Kurt stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder, and they both stared at Nikolay Mikhailov’s home.

“No. You’re not alone,” he replied darkly.

After a long moment, Kurt walked over to a pile of weapons and began picking them up. Mack watched, wondering what he was doing.

“We’re pivoting boys.”

Mack’s brow lifted in question.

“Come on, wolf, we’re going over there.” The SLC smiled, but there was death in his eyes. “We are killing this fucker.”

Action time.

T EN MINUTES LATER, Kurt, Mack, and Ben—who’d also joined them—were standing in the Mikhailov’s living room. Oliver and Logan were outside on point.

A handful of Russian mobsters lay dead on the ground around them.

They’d done a quick search of the property and found drawers pulled open and clothes flung everywhere.

“She’s packed and fled,” Ben said.

“Why?”

“Good question.” Kurt slammed a door closed and stalked back out to the living room where they now all stood.

If they’d realized when they first arrived, they could have kept one of the humans alive to interrogate, but anyway, hindsight and all that.

“Think she left the gangster?” Mack wondered as they waited.

“Unlikely. She might be joining him in Moscow.” Ben shrugged.

They had no idea if he was coming back today or tomorrow, or ever. But hiding out here was a smart move. Nikolay would walk right into their trap.

In theory.

Incoming. Oliver’s telepath had them all stiffening and then quickly preparing their weapons.

Well, that hadn’t taken long. Why send his wife away when he was only a short time behind her?

“Over there.” Kurt pointed, and Ben moved around one of the walls. “Game time boys. We aren’t taking any prisoners. Shoot to kill.”

Mack widened his legs, both hands gripping his weapon as he stood on the other side of the room.

They waited for the doors to open and their greatest enemy to step inside.

Confirming target is in sight and through the gates.

Mack’s heart pounded. He might not have been a Moretti warrior for as long as the rest of them, but the impact Xander, BioZen, and subsequently Nikolay had had on his life was enormous.

He was a subspecies of their race because of it.

Ella might not mate him.

It was a possibility he dared not think about.

His wolf growled, waiting for the enemy to walk through the doors, then Mack counted the beats of his heart, and those of his fellow vampires.

Footsteps sounded as multiple humans approached.

Kurt clicked the safety off his weapon.

That ship had long sailed on Mack’s. He was ready to put a bullet in the head of the Bratva.

Click.

The handle lowered and door pushed open.

“ Kakogo cherta !” Nikolay yelled when he saw the bodies on the ground.

Two large Russian men pushed past while simultaneously pulling out large handguns.

“Get back!” one of them yelled.

Nikolay lifted his face and was staring right at Mack.

Hello asshole.

He moved his gun to the left, and then the right.

Pop, pop.

Mack took out the two men, and they dropped to the floor by the Pakhan’s feet.

Mikhailov’s face burned red with fury, and when he reached for his weapon, Kurt waved his.

“Uh, uh. I wouldn’t do that.”

“Why?” the large Russian asked. “You’re going to kill me, anyway.”

Kurt’s voice was full of glee when he replied. “Because, human, you’re not immortal and I can tear pieces from your body, drink your toxic fucking blood and draw out your death for as long as I like. Before you can get a bullet anywhere near me.”

Nice.

“I hear you’re not immortal either.” Nikolay smirked.

Jesus, the balls on this guy. He was moments from meeting his maker and still being an asshole.

Did he think they were going to let him go, or that there was some way out of this?

There wasn’t.

“Hey, dead guy, I don’t think you are in any position to be mouthing off.” Ben came up behind him and pointed a gun at the back of his head.

“Seems like I have nothing to lose either.”

“Oh, trust me, you do.” Mack sneered. “Don’t you have a baby on the way?”

It was a shitty threat, but he wanted the fucker to suffer before they killed him. It worked. The Russian’s smile faded and if it was possible, steam would have come out his ears.

“Don’t hurt Elizabeth. She’s innocent.”

“Is she though?” Kurt shrugged. “The child maybe, but that woman knew who she was marrying.”

“I kidnapped her.”

“Figures.” Ben snorted. “No offense, dude, but you’re hardly a catch.”

“Fuck you.”

“No, thanks.”

“Enough.” Kurt took a step closer. “What were you doing in Moscow?”

He got right up in his face, pointing the gun under his chin. Now the Russian had one on either side of his skull.

That mustn’t feel very nice.

“You’ll soon find out. Then again, maybe you won’t.”

Shit.

Kurt would likely pull the information out of him now. They didn’t have time to play games. This guy needed to be six feet under and never walk the earth again.

“That’s where you’re wrong. You see, you fucking humans thought you knew everything about vampires, but you didn’t. You only had half the information thanks to the courage of Callan, who that fucker Xander tortured for months. He never told you everything.”

Nikolay’s face paled.

“Bullshit.”

Kurt grinned and, damn, it was terrifying.

“Tell us what you were doing in Moscow. Every single thing.” Kurt demanded.

As the crime boss began talking, you could see the fear and confusion cross his eyes, not understanding why he was talking.

If the information he’d shared hadn’t been so fucking jaw dropping, Mack might have enjoyed it more.

He had been at the Kremlin.

Meeting the president.

Sharing information about the serum.

“Jesus Christ.” Ben dropped his weapon at his side and glanced at Mack. For an olive-skinned Italian, he looked really fucking pale.

Then again, Mack probably did too.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” Kurt screamed, his fangs extending, fury blasting at the guy.

Mack was still trying to work out exactly the consequences of the human meeting with the Russian president. Aside from the obvious. It would be produced and distributed by a government that was at war with much of the world.

They couldn’t stop this.

It would wipe out their race if they didn’t—

“He doesn’t have the full information and if you let me go, he never will.” Nikolay grunted. “I need to leave the country.”

Seriously?

Was he that fucking dumb?

It appeared so.

President Volkov wouldn’t just let him leave. Mack was surprised they didn’t have the Russian Guard knocking down the doors right now.

“You telling me that Volkov let you walk away without handing over the documents?” Mack demanded.

“Yes.”

“Fucking liar.” Mack growled.

“Just kill him.” Ben shook his head. “Who wants the honors?”

“Oliver. Logan. Teleport in,” Kurt said, and ten seconds later the two vampires appeared.

“Fuck.” Nikolay jumped.

“Surprise! More magic.” Ben laughed, walking around the human and coming to stand beside him.

They updated Oliver and Logan on what they’d learned.

“Motherfucker,” Logan growled. “This is going to start—”

Kurt’s phone rang.

“Boss.”

“You need to get out of there. Now!” They all heard Brayden yell.

Eyebrows shot through the roof at the powerful command which plowed through the very core of who they all were.

“We have Nikolay.”

“Kill the cunt. Now.”

“Wait. We can do a deal—” Nikolay began, but no one was listening.

Kurt turned to Mack and gave him a short nod.

“This shot belongs to you on behalf of all the wolves. Including my mate.”

Woah.

“Brayden chose you to for this mission so you could have this moment. Take it, my man.”

Mack was speechless for a second, the honor weighing heavily on his shoulders as his gaze drifted across the space to the mob boss.

Nikolay lifted his hands, but Mack sneered, his fangs making an appearance.

The asshole had killed so many people and vampires with his life of crime. He’d kidnapped the two princesses and his actions in Moscow were going to have global repercussions.

Mack had never heard the prince sound so alarmed or felt his power rush through him as he had a moment ago.

They were in danger—he felt that in his bones.

In his blood.

A bullet was too kind; he had something else in mind. Mack strode over and gripped Nikolay by the neck, lifting him into the air.

Nikolay kicked and scratched at his arms.

“You call us animals, but it is you that has caused irreversible harm to an entire peaceful race.” Two steps and he slammed the human against the wall, his head bouncing. “You deserve to suffer. To feel the kind of pain my friends have.”

“There’s no time.” Brayden yelled through the phone. “Kill him. I’m arranging a helicopter to pick you up.”

They all turned to Kurt, who was holding the phone.

Sending a chopper into Russia?

Was he fucking insane?

“Meet us in Italy,” Brayden instructed.

His eyes widened, the human in his grasp almost forgotten.

Italy? No, he had to go home to Ella!

Fury engulfed him.

Mack turned, let his wolf loose and ripped out the human’s neck. Nikolay screamed and slumped as the pain forced him unconscious.

Mack spat out a huge hunk of his flesh, wiping his mouth, then dropped him to the floor. Blood was splattered all around him as he stepped away.

“One of you can take the final kill.”

“Pleasure is all mine.” Kurt took two steps, pulled the trigger and said, “Rest in hell, motherfucker.”

Then he put his gun away and focused on the call.

“He’s dead.”

“Good. Now move. I’m sending coordinates through to your phone now.”

“You going to explain?” Kurt asked the prince, giving them all a quick glance.

“There’s about to be a global nuclear war.”