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by Alison Aimes
The position was familiar. Too fucking familiar.
He’d vowed to protect her, and already she’d almost died twice under his watch.
“The shuttle’s ready.” Maxheim hovered at the door.
Nikolai didn’t move. Instead, he held her hand tighter. Anya had come in and helped him clean up his omega and get her into a long-sleeved, snow-colored dress his sister had assured him Dahlia would like and would be good for travel. Seeing his omega in white reminded him of the first time he’d seen her. She’d been a shimmering vision then, too.
“Are you sure about this?” His brother wasn’t happy with the plan.
“Yes. You heard Stormhart. The Brotherhood is coming. I need to give you time to get away.”
“Come with us. We’ll make it.”
“We won’t. You know as well as I that the Brotherhood has the arsenal, men, and power of all the other crime bosses at their fingertips.”
“Then at least let me come with you. We can fight together. Hold them off so that the others get away.”
“No.” Nikolai rubbed his thumb along the bruises on his omega’s knuckles. “You’re the fixer. I need you there with Damien to help take care of the others.”
“Where is that slacker, anyway? I don’t want to have to pack his go-bag for him too.”
Nikolai appreciated the attempt at humor, strained as it was. He and Maxheim had been through so many tough spots together and always managed to make it through. Not this time, though. “He’s getting Alexi and Anya ready, as well as the doc.”
Already too many lives had been lost: four loyal guards who’d been good males with families of their own.
Despite Nikolai’s best efforts, he’d failed to protect those he loved.
Someone had turned that fifth guard, one who’d worked for his family for years, into a traitor. Thankfully, Nikolai was a paranoid bastard and had installed a secret set of alarms even his guards didn’t know about in select rooms within the compound. One had tripped the moment the attacker crossed the threshold into Nikolai and Dahlia’s bedroom univited. That emergency report through his comms, coupled with the fear he could feel through the fated-mate bond, had been all the warning he’d needed.
Sprinting from the dungeons to his bedroom had been the worst three minutes of his life.
To date.
“This is going to get uglier, isn’t it?” Echoing his thoughts, Maxheim moved to stand behind him, his gaze locked on Dahlia’s sleeping form.
“Yes.” Nikolai traced the lines of her fingers with the tips of his own. “When you guys are safe and settled, tear this galaxy apart looking for proof. Any evidence, any snitches, any witnesses. Our real target has been hiding in the wings far too long.”
The guard-turned-traitor had already been dying thanks to his omega’s incredible courage, but Nikolai had confirmed the identity of their shadowy enemy before he ripped the bastard’s throat out.
Unfortunately, the final dying words of one of Nikolai’s own guards would not be enough to convince the Brotherhood. At this point, he wasn’t sure anything would.
The syndicate was prickly about members killing members.
“You’ll stall and meet up with us when you can?” Maxheim was far more hopeful than he should be.
“If I can, I will.” But the chances weren’t good. His unseen adversary had played Olan and him off each other well and made them both look guilty as hell.
“If the Brotherhood doesn’t believe the truth, I’ll come and get you.” In the end, Maxheim always had his back. They’d built an empire together. Held a family together.
Nikolai was going to miss the uptight bastard so damn much.
“No. You stay put.” There’d be nothing to get, anyway. By the time the Brotherhood was through with him, he’d be in pieces. “Make sure my omega gets to see proof her sister is alive and well the moment it’s safe. I don’t want her to suffer from that misconception a heartbeat longer than is necessary.”
“Will do.”
He squeezed his omega’s hand—and noticed a small crimson spot on the top of her knuckle. Blood.
Shit. He’d washed his hands five times before coming to her. He thought he’d washed it all away after his last conversation with the traitor guard, but someone like him never got fully clean, did they?
But his omega was different. She was goodness and light. Too fucking perfect for the likes of him.
Yet he loved her with every dark, twisted piece of his soul.
He rubbed at the spot, relieved when it disappeared without too much effort.
He turned toward his brother and clasped his shoulder. “I’m counting on you and the others to keep the family going. Keep us strong. Take care of my omega as if she were your own.”
Nikolai wasn’t a fool, and he wasn’t the kind of male to rely on one plan. He’d always known things might not go his way. He’d hidden money in secret accounts in a thousand different galaxies. Purchased untraceable IDs, transport, and homes. Maxheim, Alexi, and Damien had all the information. His family would be well taken care of.
It would hurt to lose Abzal and all they’d worked for, but they’d survive, and he had no doubt they’d thrive once more. Even his beautiful omega.
Though he was going to fucking miss her.
“I will. Without question.” Maxheim’s gaze was locked on the hand Nikolai still hadn’t been able to release. “She made you happy. I never knew that was possible. For any of us.”
Nikolai nodded. Happy was a paltry word for the way she’d made him feel. But maybe there’d been something to the doc’s quack fluff theories after all.
All he knew for sure was that those other Alpha fools had no idea what they were missing when they dismissed the fated-mate bond as a trap.
It had set him free.
The rotations he’d had with his omega were by far the best moments of his life.
Leaning down, he scooped her into his arms. “It’s time. I want her and Alexi loaded into the hovercrafts and you all on your way to the main shuttle before the Brotherhood gets any closer. Already there’s a target on her back, our enemy out to silence her visions. I need her as far away as possible.”
Maxheim followed him out into the hall and into their private elevator. “She won’t understand.” He pressed the floor for the hangar.
“She doesn’t have to.” Nikolai held her tight, memorizing the feel of her slight body molded to his. “She just needs to be safe.”
“Anya will be upset too.”
“After that, she’ll be thrilled. She always wanted an adventure.” His lips turned upward. “Same with my omega.” He pressed his lips to her temple. “I guess she’ll get her dream after all.”
He was going to cling to that like a life preserver to keep himself from going after her. He’d been selfish enough. Even a ruthless bastard like him, it would appear, had his limits.
The elevator doors opened to reveal three sleek hovercrafts, a few select servants, a handful of his best guards, as well as the rest of the family.
A grim-looking Damien stood by the second vehicle, alongside a sedated Alexi. A red-eyed Anya was already inside.
With a nod in their direction, Nikolai passed them by—he’d already spoken with them at length and said all he needed to say. He headed toward the first craft where Dahlia would ride with Maxheim, the doc, and some guards.
The doc was already waiting inside.
Nikolai tucked her in and strapped her into her safety belts, the soft, steady rise and fall of her breath soothing him and keeping the worst of his Alpha instincts at bay.
“She’s not going to go easily.” Of course, the doc was too brave to say nothing. Nikolai had always liked that about the guy. Despite his fear—and the air was sour with it—he was still speaking up. “Fated mates don’t do well without each other.”
“Won’t be an issue once I’m gone.”
The doc looked surprised. “Alpha Lord?”
Nikolai lowered his voice. “I�
��m telling you this, Doc, because you’re the only one I can. My family won’t accept it. Neither will my omega. But the Brotherhood is out for blood. They expressly said no retaliation, and now one of their own is dead. An example must be made.” A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I’m going to ensure it stops with me.”
“Your omega will feel your distress. Your pain.”
“Unless the bond is ruptured.” Nikolai had been doing his own research, reading the doc’s notes. “You theorized that in a recent report, correct? That the fated-mate bond will be neutralized once the Alpha dies.”
“In theory, yes. If you’re dead, she’ll be free.” The doc’s gaze bore into him, straight to the recesses of Nikolai’s miserable soul, a place that was ugly and dark, but for a brief, lucky period, pulsed with a presence that lit up every monstrous corner and made it beautiful.
He wasn’t sure how he’d live without having her in there. Then he remembered he wouldn’t have to.
“Then so be it. I’ll protect her to the end,” he vowed. “I’ll shield her from the pain as much as possible.”
“But you can’t shield her from losing you.”
The doc was too damn smart.
Nikolai raised his wrist comms and typed. “Do you see this?”
Doc moved to the screen, his eyes wide. “Yes, it’s ten million in universal dollars. In an account. In my name.”
“That’s right. It’s a thank you for all you’ve done. I know I wasn’t the easiest of employers, but I am grateful for your work. Without you, I would never have experienced the bond I did with my omega. There is not enough money in the worlds to thank you for that, but I hope this will be a start. I expect, too, that it will free you from the need to deal with any more asshole Alpha bosses in the future,”
The doc looked dazed. “Thank you, Alpha. This will buy me a lot of books.”
Nikolai actually smiled. He was going to miss the beta and his obsession with theories and research. “Good, but I am offering you another ten million to be delivered in a year’s time if you agree to travel with my family and monitor my omega’s health for the duration of that time. I want to ensure she makes it through the dissolution of the fated-mate bond okay.” It was harder than he’d thought to get the words out. Everything inside him rebelled against the idea.
“I see.” The doc blinked hard, the color in his eyes suddenly more gray than pink. “You don’t need to give me money for that. I will do it for nothing. I have become fond of your omega and feel somewhat responsible for her current plight.”
“The responsibility for my omega’s situation is all on me.” Nikolai closed the screen. “The money will be waiting for you.”
“Thank you, Alpha.”
He cleared his throat. “Take good care of her for me, Doc.”
Because it killed him he wouldn’t be there to do it himself.
Maxheim settled into the seat next to her. Several guards crowded into the other seats.
“Time to go.” Maxheim gave him one more nod.
Then, because he didn’t give a fuck who saw, Nikolai leaned down and pressed another kiss to his omega’s forehead before tucking the clean and polished necklace into her hand. “You keep this safe for me, baby.” He whispered the words against her ear. “Know I am always with you. Like you were for me. There is nothing, not even distance or death, that could end what I feel for you.”
Maxheim, his jaw tight, pretended not to hear. Instead, his brother stared straight ahead. “You are the best Alpha brother a male could ask for. I will do you proud and guard every single Skolov, including her, with my life.”
“I know you will.” Straightening, Nikolai allowed himself one more look, and then he shut the door and stepped back.
He waited until the line of crafts disappeared into the sky before turning back to the soldiers who’d volunteered to remain behind. “Arm yourself with everything you’ve got. We head to the mountains to make our stand. We’re not going down without a fight.”
35
Dahlia stretched and opened her eyes. The rumble of the hovercraft was soothing.
Craft?
She jackknifed upward, or tried—the safety belts securing her to the seat restricted her movement.
“It’s alright, omega. Settle down. You’re safe.”
A rumbled Alpha’s voice, but not the one she wanted.
“Where’s Nikolai?” The necklace tucked into her palm frightened her. It should have been around her neck. It should have been put there by Nikolai himself.
Maxheim’s jaw went tight. His suit was wrinkled, and a five o’clock shadow darkened his usually clean-shaven face. “He couldn’t be here.”
“Where’s here?” She looked out the darkened window and saw sparkling silver blocks of ice rushing by. Her dress too differed from the one she’d been in before. “Where are we going?”
Maxheim didn’t reply. Neither did any of the well-armed, grim-faced guards packed into the other seats.
“We’re going on a trip.” The doctor, sandwiched between two guards, spoke at last.
“What kind of trip?”
“Enough questions, omega.” Maxheim cut in. “Nikolai is busy. We’re leaving the compound at his orders and will be taking this hovercraft to a larger shuttle. Anya, Alexi, and Damien are in the craft behind us.”
A lot of useful details, and yet he’d told her nothing at all.
She tried to reach Nikolai through their bond, but something was blocking it, just like her visions. The tie muted from Nikolai’s side as if he’d gone purposely numb.
Her sense of urgency increased. “I need to speak with Nikolai.”
More silence.
She refused to be cowed. “I know he’s being framed. I know Olan Lundin is dead. Tell me where my Alpha is. I need to ask him about my sister. I need to know what’s going on.”
“He’s not fucking coming.” Maxheim’s low growl echoed through the craft, the depth of aggression causing a few of the other guards to snarl and snap.
Her protective instincts surged to the fore. She curled her finger around her necklace, wondering if she’d need to wield it once more. Maxheim had always struck her as the most controlled and civilized of the Skolov Alphas, but it was clear now he’d simply done a better job of hiding the aggressor beneath his skin.
He looked at her. Blew out a breath. “I apologize.” His expression turned rueful. “If Nikolai were here right now, I’d already be on the ground and bleeding for that display.”
“It’s all right.” Maxheim’s affection for her Alpha was undeniable. Same with his worry.
“No. It’s not. I promised him, and I will do better. His are not easy boots to fill.”
Panic crashed over her. “Fill?”
Maxheim scowled and she could hear him mumbling. “I am so much better with facts and details than omegas.” Shoulders squaring, he turned back to her. “He’s buying us time so we can get away. The Brotherhood believes he killed your father. They believe he broke the code. If we don’t leave now, they’ll kill us all.”
“But Nikolai is innocent. He didn’t kill my father. I know. The man who tried to attack me . . ..”
“He’s dead.”
“It’s my fault. I killed him and now he can’t say who he worked for.”
“Nikolai killed him, and no one is sorry. But that traitor’s confession wouldn’t have made a difference. He was once one of ours. The Brotherhood would see the traitor’s confession as nothing more than a means by us to point the finger away from our Alpha.”
Their enemy had thought of everything. Except . . . “I can still help through my visions. Those are impossible to alter. They will be believed.”
“No. It’s too late.”
“Is my sister alive?”
Maxheim didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” He took a breath. “I’m under orders to provide you with the proof the moment it’s safe for us and her to do so. Your mother’s information was incorrect.”
Relief rushed through her. T
he bleeding inside her slowed to a trickle, but it didn’t stop.
Not when she could still lose the person who mattered above all else.
“Alpha,” the pilot’s voice crackled through the comms from the front of the craft, “we will arrive at the shuttle station in five.”
“Excellent,” but the grim resignation in Maxheim’s voice was easy to hear. He didn’t want to go, either.
She turned as much as the restraints allowed. “We can’t leave Nikolai alone to face the Brotherhood and these false charges.”
Maxheim’s scowl deepened.
“You need to take me back. I can use my gift and share my visions with the heads of the Brotherhood. They’ll be able to see for themselves what happened. Irrefutable proof.”
“What if your visions fail? You have yet to see what Nikolai asked you to see. If you go back to the Brotherhood and can’t summon the vision we need, you’ll be in as much trouble as he is. We all will be.” Maxheim shook his head and turned away to stare out the window. “No. Nikolai made the right decision. We need to stand by it.”
Old doubts threatened to creep in. Was Maxheim right? Was she too weak to do what needed to be done? All her life, her family had told her that was the case.
“Plus, what if you see something you don’t want to see?” It was the doctor who spoke this time.
Maxheim shot the beta a warning look.
Her gut shrieked in greater alarm. “What are you not telling me?”
Maxheim gave the doctor another hard stare before responding. “Nothing.”
Her suspicion grew.
The brothers would do anything for each other. Their bond as deep and powerful as hers with her Alpha. Their faith in each other unbreakable. But they were also all Alphas, which meant they were also inclined to believe they were the only ones strong enough to solve problems and protect those around them.
But she’d already decided she was done being underestimated.
“If I see something I don’t want to see, I’ll survive it.”
This time it was Maxheim who studied her closely. “Even if it turns your world upside down, destroying everything you thought you knew?”
Dread slid down her spine, the knowing in his words as terrifying as the questions themselves.