“Just a taste. A little taste.”
“Calm down, Vlad. Listen to my voice. Come back. You were doing well, friend.”
“What is it about her? What is
that scent? I need more of it,” he says.
“I know,” Sebastian says as his eyes pan back to mine. “I know how it feels.”
I watch as Sebastian gets Vlad to calm down. It’s like watching Jekyll and Hyde. One minute, Vlad is sincerely sorry for what he did, and the next his appetite is insatiable. Is this what Sebastian is always fighting when he’s around me? This constant urge to mate me and sink his teeth into my skin.
The realization hits me with a brute force as my awe of Sebastian skyrockets.
“Get out of my way,” Vlad growls.
“If you hurt her, I will kill you. Even though I know the kind of state you’re in. I will kill you if you touch her while you’re like this,” Sebastian says.
“I’m not yours,” I say.
That statement seems to get Vlad’s attention. I step out from behind Theo and posture myself, bucking up to the Wolf with the hazy eyes. I can see him fighting. Trying to stuff down the primal urge that is ingrained into his DNA. I rise onto my tiptoes as my eyes lock with his, and I can smell his scent slowly changing.
Morphing from lust to confusion.
“I will never be yours,” I say with a growl.
And just like that, Vlad’s eyes snap back. He holds up his hands in surrender as his cocky countenance returns. I fall back to my feet and gaze over at Sebastian, but his eyes are fully trained on the Wolf.
“He’s never had to restrain himself before. Stay close, Clarissa.”
“If you want to find Kyle, you must return to Russia,” Vlad says.
“Why?” Theo asks.
“Because Kyle’s being caged up in a secret chamber in one of Igo’s offices.”
“He’s what?” I ask. “They have him as a prisoner?”
“You don’t have time for any more questions if you want to find him alive,” Vlad says. “So are you coming, or not?”
THE MOMENT WE STEP foot onto Russian soil, the Council is after us. The plane ride was long, and we were all tired, but they had been waiting for us. Waiting to kill us. To kill me. I can hear their footsteps on our tail as all of us run for the hills. Trekking through the snow and puffing air through our noses and shaking off the cold to lose the Councilmen on our heels.
“Get her!” someone exclaims.
“Cover their left side!” another one shouts.
It’s easy for Toshi and I to maneuver but having two wolves and a bear is slowing us down. Sebastian and Vlad are fighting them off when they get too close, but we can’t seek out shelter until we lose them. Theo is trying to shield Toshi and I as we run, and I know there’s talk of me branching off and finding a place to stay until they can shake the Councilmen.
“Go, Clarissa. While you still can. We’ll find you.”
“I’ll have to cover my scent, Sebastian. How will you find me?”
“Really? With how we’re talking, you’re asking that question?”
I giggle and shake my head as I dart away from Toshi’s side. I can feel his want to go with me, but Theo steers him in another direction. I’m heading deeper into the woods. Deeper into the thick of Russian trees and snow. The brush overhead is so dense that light is no longer penetrating. My eyes are adjusting the best I can, and I’m covering up my scented trail, but I can still hear someone behind me. A raging growl pierces the air. I hear Primals doing battle behind me, and every part of me wants to look back and see what’s going on.
But I resist the urge and keep running.
I don’t know how long I’ve been running and have no idea where I am, but smoke alerts me to someone in the area. I follow the smoke as it gets thicker and thicker. So thick it’s almost hard to breathe. I stumble upon a wooded area that’s been cleared out, and in front of me stands a house.