From Russia With Claws Read online

  His free hand, the one not wrapped in her hair, skated down the front of her black pencil skirt. It slipped beneath the hem of it, dragging the fabric upward as his hand moved back up, his fingers fluttering over the tops of her thighs. “I don’t care about art.”

  His finger breached her suddenly, making her cry out. She felt his lips curve into a smile against her neck. He removed his finger, only to return with two. When he pushed inside her, Galina put her other hand against the door, gritting her teeth. She was so close to orgasm that it was going to be embarrassing. Her hips began to move, circling and rubbing against his palm.

  She wasn’t going to last long at this rate. Her breasts felt heavy and full and they ached for his mouth and tongue’s attention. But she didn’t want him to stop what he was doing.

  “What was Federov doing here?” he asked, his lips moving against her throat.

  Galina went still. “How did you know he was here?” She yanked his hand away from her. “Were you following me?” Because that wasn’t creepy at all.

  He stepped back, giving her room to move past him. “No,” he began, slowly licking the taste of her from his finger. His gaze scorched her. “My offices are near here and I was out for a walk. I saw you and Federov at Pike Place.”

  “And then you decided to follow me.” She adjusted her clothing until she was set to rights. It took all of her willpower not to yank him back, especially when he smelled so delicious to her.

  Andrey shrugged. “It amused me to see you with him.” His expression darkened. “And I would never have let you walk back to your building unprotected like that young idiot.”

  A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead, and Galina itched to brush it aside. Instead, she stepped over to an empty stack of pallets and leaned against it. “You wouldn’t have had anything to do with the flying tuna to the back of Maksim’s head, would you?” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

  He grinned. “I got the idea after watching you with the salmon.”

  They stared at each other for a moment, then both laughed. “I didn’t even see you there!”

  Andrey’s laugh tapered to a chuckle. “I’m good at not being seen when I don’t want to be.” He waved it away like it was no big deal.

  Galina frowned. That was a Rom trick, a way to get the eyes to slide right off them. It made it easier for them to steal, to con, to escape.

  He paced, his presence filling the small space nearly to the bursting point. It would be impossible for anyone to ignore him; he drew eyes to him as easily as breathing. How had she missed him at Pike Place, Rom or not? Galina allowed herself a short moment to appreciate the sight of him before getting back to the business at hand. “Why?”

  “What do you want me to say, Galina?” He stopped his pacing and looked at her, his generous mouth quirked upward at one corner in a wry smile. “That I’ve thought about you while waking and sleeping since that night at the club? That I wanted to see you again?”

  “Pretty words,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “But that doesn’t explain what you thought to gain by coming here.”

  “Do I have to have something to gain?” He frowned, turning serious.

  She smiled bitterly. Everyone had something to gain. It was the way their world worked. Galina had gotten that lesson through her mother’s milk. “Most people usually do,” she noted absently, tucking stray hairs behind her ear. “At least that’s how it is in my family.” She shrugged.

  “So should I be asking what you hope to gain in all of this?” There was darkness in his eyes now. She’d put it there.

  “You’d be a fool not to.” She tapped her fingernails against the wood of the pallet.

  Andrey crossed his arms across his chest. “Well then. What do I have to offer?”

  Galina pushed off from the pallets and walked over to him. “You want to know what you offer—besides the obvious?” She waited for her compliment to sink in, smiling at him when he raised his brows in surprise.

  “Nothing. I just want to be Galina. Not my father’s daughter or my brother’s sister. Just me.” She’d said it. And meant every word. When he’d approached her in the kitchen they’d just been a man and a woman. Two wolves. Names and families and plots hadn’t mattered.

  She wanted that. Even if just for a little while.

  She wasn’t stupid. She knew what she’d been born for: an alliance, power, a marriage contract. The fact that she was a rare female werewolf only made her more valuable to her family. They’d tried to run her life from the moment she emerged from her mother’s womb. She knew her choice of mate would not be left up to her. They didn’t see her as a person, just a piece to be moved around the board as they wished. And her father was already brokering a deal for her marriage with Maksim. She felt it in her bones.

  So she would choose to be Galina now. While she could.

  Andrey was looking at her like he didn’t know what to do with her. He was doing an admirable impression of someone who’d been hit upside the head with a flying tuna. Walking past him, she whispered, “And now you know.”

  She unlocked the door and disappeared through it. It had been fun while it lasted.

  Galina walked to her car, eyes scanning the garage for signs of trouble. Sergei’s shooting had rattled her. She didn’t want to believe it was the first salvo in a turf war, but she wasn’t going to stick her head in the sand. If someone was gunning for her family, she’d be a target. It was why she was carrying a loaded gun, its hollow point bullets packed with silver.

  As she unlocked her car, she had the strange feeling that other eyes were on her. Unfriendly eyes. Galina had lived in large cities all her life and she knew to listen to the voice in the back of her head that warned of danger. Something was most definitely not right.

  Turning the key in the ignition, Galina put the car in reverse and backed out of her space. In the rearview mirror, she thought she saw someone walk between the two buildings behind her, but then a car rounded the corner, its lights momentarily blinding her. She blinked away the glare, and when she could see again whoever had been there was gone.

  She pulled out of the parking lot, the black sedan of her security detail pulling behind her as she drove up First. Her mind worked on the problem of Sergei’s shooter, whatever he’d stolen from Andrey Lupesco, and how Alexei was involved in any of it. She was missing pieces. Maybe Irina would find a clue when she was going through Sergei’s things. She made a mental note to ask her sister to keep an eye out.

  Galina pulled into her garage, feeling the weight of the past two days crash into her. Her work at the museum had kept her busy all morning, she’d visited with Irina in the afternoon, and she’d stayed late to finish up some research in the SAM library. All she wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep for the next ten hours. Her eyes felt gritty and she stifled another yawn. She wasn’t even sure if she could make it to her apartment. The backseat of her car looked awfully tempting.

  With a tired sigh, she slammed the door and circled behind the car to open the passenger side. Galina pulled her leather satchel from the floor of the front seat and slung it over her shoulder. She caught the barest whiff of a strange scent before someone grabbed the back of her head and slammed it into the roof of the car.

  Galina cried out, stunned. Her bag thudded to the concrete. There was a hand at the back of her neck and she stiffened her muscles, fighting with all of her strength against the force that wanted to smash her face against the metal once again. Fire rushed through her limbs, energizing her, giving her access to her were-strength. She lashed out with an elbow, feeling something give as she connected. She scented blood.

  The hand holding her neck dropped and Galina whirled, her arm snapping out. The back of her fist connected with nothing. She saw a figure running away, heading toward the garage’s exit, his gait uneven. Kicking off her shoes, Galina took off after him, feeling the change rising inside her. But the garage swam in her vision and she stopped to try to clear her sight.<
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  She wasn’t in any shape to chase her attacker. Her heart thundered in her chest, and her sight was darkening around the edges. She needed to get somewhere safe.

  Unsteadily, she made her way back to the car, staggering a little when she scooped up her shoes and bag. There was no sign of her security detail, but Galina would worry about that once she was behind the door of her apartment with the alarm set. She made her way to the elevator, hitting the up button on her second try. She fell inside gratefully when the doors slid open.

  Bracing herself against the wall with one hand, she pressed the button for her floor. The lurch as the elevator began its slow climb caused her stomach to churn. She fumbled her phone from her bag, intending to call Nikolai to find out where her damn detail had got to, but it rang before she could do so.

  “What?” she answered. She was clearly not at her best; usually she waited to find out who was on the other end before being so rude.

  “Galina?” Andrey’s voice echoed strangely over the line.

  She swallowed, feeling bile rise in the back of her throat. She should have finished her change; now her body was in revolt from the shock of it. “Yes?” she asked, trying to pull it together. She breathed deeply in through her nose, hoping she wouldn’t hurl all over the elevator.

  “What’s wrong? You sound strange.”

  Galina laughed, and then had to stop when it made her head ache. She could imagine the angry flare of his nostrils, his dark brows drawing down in a scowl. It was ridiculous how much she wished she could see him right now. “I’m fine.” She staggered as the elevator lurched to a stop.

  The doors opened to let in a few people. Taking one look at her, a young woman said, “Oh my God, are you okay?”

  “I’m on my way,” Andrey said, hanging up before she could stop him.

  Closing the phone, Galina put a hand to her head. A lump was already rising on her forehead where it had connected with the top of her car. “Just a little accident,” she assured them, trying to look like she wasn’t dead on her feet. “I’m fine.”

  “Do you need us to call the police?” the woman’s date asked. “Or the hospital?” He looked into her eyes. “No offense, but you don’t look fine.”

  Which was a very diplomatic way of saying she looked like hot buttered crap on toast. Galina groped for a smart ass response, but then decided to save her energy. “It’s okay. I just want to get home.” The next floor was hers and it felt like the elevator was taking a decade to traverse the distance. The walls of the compartment were moving in and out, like the breathing of a great beast.

  This was not good at all. She should probably look into lying down.

  The doors opened, allowing Galina to stumble out into the hallway. Putting her key in the lock was nearly beyond her, but eventually she managed to get the key into the correct one. The door swung inward, taking her with it. She managed to get it closed before dropping onto the couch in a graceless heap.

  She drifted—she didn’t know for how long. Her head ached and all she wanted to do was sleep, but she knew it was better if she didn’t. Her were-healing would kick in soon, but until she felt better, she needed to stay awake.

  The muscles in her neck screamed when Galina tried to turn her head. Instead, she stared at the ceiling and tried not to whimper. Once again, she wondered where her security detail had gone. And who it was who’d attacked her.

  The insistent ringing of her doorbell brought her back to her surroundings. When she didn’t move fast enough, whoever was on the other side began to pound a fist against the door. Galina pushed herself up with a groan just as Andrey began to shout, “If you don’t open this door right now, I’m kicking it in!”

  Galina managed to lurch over to the door, opening it just as Andrey was prepared to bang on it again. “Not so loud,” she admonished, wincing.

  “Galya,” he whispered, and then swept into her apartment, closing the door behind him and locking it. Then he picked her up as if she weighed no more than a pup.

  “I’ll be fine,” she protested sourly.

  He cut her off. “No. Not another word out of your mouth.”

  Galina closed her eyes, feeling exhaustion pull at her. The scent of him washed over her and her tense muscles began to relax against the warmth of his chest. He was a wall of muscle beneath an Armani suit. She rested her head against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. It should be illegal for anyone to look and smell this good.

  Andrey set her gently down on her bed. “Stay there,” he ordered when she moved to get up. He disappeared back into the living room of her apartment.

  Galina unbuttoned her jacket and slid it off, then did the same with her skirt. She stripped down and pulled on her old Clash T-shirt that sat at the foot of her bed before crawling under the covers.

  “I thought I told you not to move,” Andrey said, his voice a dark rumble from the doorway. She barely heard his footsteps as he crossed the room to help her lie down.

  “I’ve always been shit at listening.” Galina lay back against the pillows with a tired sigh.

  “Shocking.” He held a towel filled with ice up to her forehead. When she put her hand up to hold it, Andrey swatted it away lightly. “Still.”

  “You are a very bossy person.”

  “That’s why I’m Alpha.”

  “You’re not my Alpha,” she countered, but she subsided into the bed.

  One side of his mouth lifted in a small smile. “Will you please be quiet?”

  Galina heard the laughter in his voice. “You’re making fun of me.”

  He shook his head, making minute adjustments to the homemade ice pack. “Never,” he said, his voice a soft sound in the darkness. “I couldn’t possibly make fun of you.”

  She turned her head and hissed out a breath of pain. “I find that highly doubtful.” Her voice sounded strained as she tried to find a comfortable spot for her neck.

  Strong hands pushed lightly at her shoulder. “Let me see.”

  Galina rolled over onto her stomach. Andrey set the ice pack on her nightstand and laid cool hands against her neck. He began to lightly knead at the knotted muscles. “You want to tell me what happened?”

  She sighed, cracking open one green eye to look at him. “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” she warned him.

  “Of that I have no doubt,” Andrey answered, his voice soft. “Still, I would like very much to know what happened.” His hands stroked the sides of her neck and the tops of her shoulders, fingers only barely digging into the painful collection of tension gathered there.

  “I was getting some stuff out of my car and someone came up behind me and slammed my head into it. Hard. So I elbowed them somewhere soft and chased after them.” She luxuriated in the feel of his hands on her. “You could do that forever, you know.”

  Andrey laughed, a quiet puff of breath. Galina felt him gather her long hair in one hand and push it aside, giving him better access to her back. She heard him moving and turned enough to watch him remove his jacket. He undid the buttons on his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves, before returning to the place beside her on the bed.

  “And?” he prompted, going back to massaging her shoulders.

  “And, that’s it. I was a little dazed, understandably,” she added, finding she was too tired to be more than slightly defensive, “so he got away.”

  “Did you recognize him?” There was something dark in Andrey’s voice, the threat of violence lying just beneath the pleasant sounding surface.

  “I really only got an excellent up close and personal look at the roof of my car—you know, when my forehead was being introduced to it—so I didn’t get a good look.”

  Andrey lay down next to her, his fingers tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “You are entirely too sarcastic, has anyone ever told you that?”

  “No,” she answered, voice deadpan. “I have never heard that before in my life.”

  He chuckled. “Did he smell familiar?”


  Galina tried to nod, thinking better of it when her neck muscles rebelled. Andrey began to knead them again. “That was one of the strange things.” She bit back a yawn, not wanting to do it in his face. Because nothing said sexy times like yawning into a blazingly, mind numbingly hot man’s face. “I didn’t smell him at all until he was right there. And even then, his scent was faint, like he’d masked it somehow.” She had wolfsbane perfume that operated in much the same way.

  “Didn’t your father assign a bodyguard to you?” He smiled at her indrawn breath when he hit a particularly sensitive spot. “You’re carrying quite a bit of tension.”

  “I can’t imagine why.” She smirked when she said it. She was beginning to feel a bit better, although whether it was because her were-healing was finally kicking in or Andrey’s presence she wasn’t able to say. “And yes, he did.”

  “So where were they?” He traced a finger down her jawline.

  “That’s an excellent question. And one I intend to ask my father tomorrow.” She paused. “I don’t think I’m carrying tension there,” Galina observed, feeling a rush of heat to her face.

  His blue eyes sparked with his impish grin. “Just trying to be thorough.”

  “Hmm,” she hummed. Her eyes drifted closed. She needed to sleep. And with Andrey here, she felt it safe to do just that. But she fought it to try to think more about the attack. Too much about it didn’t add up. Was it related to Sergei’s shooting? It didn’t feel that way.

  A light touch on her brow at the spot between her eyes snapped her out of her sluggish thoughts. “You get a wrinkle right here,” Andrey said, before dipping his mouth to place a soft kiss to the spot. “It means you’re thinking.” He brushed his fingertips down her cheek. “Rest now. Whatever you’re thinking about can wait until you wake up.”

  “Will you?” She hadn’t meant to ask, but it slipped out. Galina blamed the head injury.

  A slow smile spread across his face and Galina shut her eyes, mortified. Stupid attack.

  He leaned in closer. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”