Viktor:Heart of Her King(12)

"There you two are. We thought maybe you got lost." Grinning like a  loon, making Viktor concoct new and inventive ways to torture him, Roman  winked and added, "Viktor, there's someone in the office to see you."  Then to Katarina he said, "How about you and I get some refreshments  while the boss conducts a little business."

Viktor watched as Roman took the confused Katarina by the arm and headed  toward the bar. The King made his way to the concealed door that led to  the Manager's office and once secluded from human eyes, used his  preternatural speed to rush to his waiting saietas.                       
       
           



       

Angelique was the daughter of Roman's steward and she'd had the  privilege of providing Viktor's nourishment for almost ten years. She  was well-paid for her services. Her family, like all the other families  who'd been stewards to the Kings over the millennia, was loyal and  trustworthy.

"How are you this evening, sire?" Angelique asked. She stood, moving the  strap of her camisole from her shoulder and leaning her head to the  right.

"I am fine, dear. How are you?"

"Fine, sire."

"And your parents?"

"Vacationing in the Isles and from the postcards I've received, having a blast."

"That is good to hear."

Wanting, no, needing to get back to Katarina, Viktor asked the question  he'd been asking every month since he'd arisen from his grave. "Do you,  Angelique, agree to provide nourishment to me, a King of the Blood,  freely and of your own volition?"

"Yes, sire. I do."

"Then I shall take only what I need. Thank you for your service."

Viktor supported her with his hands on her upper arms as he leaned in.  Angelique sighed as he pierced the tender skin over her carotid and  pulled the life blood from her vein. Feeding was a sensual experience  for the saietas but not for the King. That only occurred when the keeper  of his heart took his vein or he took hers, something the supreme  commander was very much looking forward to.

Drinking quickly, Viktor took only the barest amount necessary to  maintain his health, as he'd been doing for several centuries. Removing  his teeth from her neck, he wiped the single drop of blood that had  escaped his lips with his linen handkerchief and then returned it to his  jacket pocket.

"You've ordered your meal?"

Smiling, she nodded, "I have. It's in the lounge with the others."

"Good. You received your new assignment?" Because Katarina had now come  to Viktor, whether she agreed to be his mate or not, the King no longer  needed a feeder, therefore, he'd had Angelique transferred to the  corporate office where her skills as a programmer could be utilized.

"Yes, sire. Thank you so very much and congratulations. Your custos animae is beautiful."

"Thank you, Angelique."

Viktor had just opened the door when Angelique asked, "Is that why you had us come two nights earlier than scheduled?"

Before he could correct her assumption and get his much needed answers, a  gunshot from the club below ripped the air. Swinging open the door, he  was swamped with Katarina's terror and panic. Looking through her eyes,  he saw only a misty darkness. It was as if she'd been blindfolded. Her  fright turned to anguish from one heart beat to the next as pain tore  through her stomach.

Fearing she'd been shot, needing her by his side, Viktor hit the dance floor running. Roman was at once by his side.

"Katarina's been shot!" the commander roared.

"No, Viktor. It was Sal that was shot, but Kat's been abducted and..."

Not waiting to hear what else Roman had to say, Viktor sped out the  emergency exit and into the alley, praying to reach his mate in time.  The thought of being without her for only a moment was more than the  King could bare. He knew he'd acquired some enemies over the years but  only in business, no one who would strike out at him in a personal  manner. Looking one way and then the other, he saw nothing and no one.  It was as if Katarina had vanished along with her kidnappers. The door  at the back of the building slammed against the brick wall as Bain and  Nikos flew to his side.

"Where is she? Which way did she go?" they yelled in unison.

Viktor couldn't answer. He could barely breathe. His worst nightmare had  come to life. There on the wind was the scent he'd been hunting since  the day he'd risen from his original death, but this time the bastard  had gone too far. This time there would be no officials to bribe and no  help from a vengeful goddess. No, this time there would only be death  and retribution. This time he'd threatened Viktor's mate.

This debt would be paid in blood...Bjorn's blood.





Chapter Five


Kat awoke to the smell of furniture polish and fabric softener. It  would've have been okay, maybe even pleasant, if it hadn't been combined  with stale air and whatever had been on the rag they'd shoved in her  mouth when she'd been abducted.

The good news is it's clean here. The bad news is I have no idea where the hell here is.

Squinting against the glare of the streetlights shining through bare  windows, Kat attempted to figure out what had happened while trying to  pry open her swollen lips. The bastards had been extremely rough when  they gagged her. It felt like she'd been punched in the mouth. Then  there was the world record case of cotton mouth she had. If she'd had  anything to drink she would've said it was a hangover. There had to have  been some kind of chloroform or something on that blasted rag. It was  the only explanation.                       
       
           



       

Then there were her bruised ribs. Injured when some huge man  unceremoniously threw her over his shoulder. They ached and having her  hands stretched above her head didn't help. Kat tried to move her arms  to relieve some of her discomfort only to be met with resistance and the  clank of steel against wood. Three more tugs had her shoulders burning,  her wrists aching, and her sides burning as if she'd just ran a mile.  Which she never did.

More than a little pissed, Kat yelled, "All right, enough is enough! Let  me go. This shit isn't funny anymore." Then quietly added, "Not that it  was to begin with."

Holding her breath, she listened for any sound indicating she hadn't  been left alone to die. All patience lost, she yelled again, "Somebody?  Anybody? Crazy Kidnapper? Am I supposed to be scared? I'm not sure what  you're hoping to accomplish. Seems like a waste of time to abduct me and  then leave me staring at the ceiling."

In the blink of an eye a tall, dark-haired man with piercing blue eyes  stood at the end of her bed. She had no idea where he had come from or  how he'd moved that fast but from the contained aggression pouring off  him, Kat was sure he would have no trouble snapping her neck without a  second thought. The tension in the air threatened to strangle Kat while  her captor simply stared, daring her to stare back...so she did.

Kat had to admit his intimidation technique was effective. Sweat ran  down her back and her hands slightly trembled, but she'd come from the  ‘never let ‘em see you sweat' school of hard knocks and there was no way  she was going to blink. Their test of wills seemed to go on forever.  The longer she looked into his heartless eyes, the more the sense of  déjà vu grew.

Before she could think about it any longer, the man spoke. "Hello, Katarina."

His voice was hard and heavily accented, but familiar. It fit his dark  features and olive skin. He knew her name. But so did a lot of people  because of the huge amount of publicity she and Roma Tech had received  in the last eighteen months. But that didn't feel right. This wasn't  business...it was personal.

He turned his head, glancing at their surroundings. At the sight of his  profile, bells went off in her mind. It was right at the edge of her  memory, just out of reach. A picture forming of how she knew her  kidnapper. Then he spoke. Her concentration was broken and Kat wanted to  scream.

"I understand your reticence to speak to me. If you will be patient all  will be explained. My plan is for you to be released unharmed as soon as  I have what I want."

He turned to leave and Kat lost her cool. "That's it? You have a plan? What am I supposed to do? Lay here and wait?"

Spinning on his heels and advancing toward her almost faster than her  eyes could follow, her captor leaned down until their noses almost  touched. His piercing blue eyes bore into hers as he spoke through  gritted teeth. "No, that is not it, but I was going to get you something  to eat and the key to your handcuffs so that you would be more  comfortable. However, if you prefer to lay here trussed up like a  Christmas goose, then so be it. I must admit I like the view."