Nikolai’s Wolf: Chapter Five

Nikolai Taranosky prowled the darkened rooms of his castle-like home like a caged tiger. This restless pacing was out of character. After all, he’d had over two hundred years in which to learn the art of contentment, yet tonight he was on edge.

It wasn’t hunger driving him. Nikolai had sated his thirst upon rising this evening. The satisfaction was temporary, as the blood lust could never be fully quenched.

Perhaps it was boredom. Life had been become rather bland these last twenty years. He rose, he fed, he whiled the hours of moonrise away, and then he slept. That’s the problem with being a vampire, Nikolai mused. After a while time no longer held any meaning.

In the last two centuries he’d seen countless wars. Had even participated in a few, more to amuse himself than anything else. Humans and their petty squabbles had little bearing on his life.

Nikolai had experienced the technological revolution and mastered every gadget known to man. He spoke ten languages fluently, had enough money to last several lifetimes, and had traveled the world many times over.

Looking back, he couldn’t say when or why he’d made the decision to settle on top of this mountain, in this town. Of all the places he’d been to in the world, it was Refuge which spoke to him. Though he shared the space with shifters, humans, and psychics, Nikolai considered this area his domain.

Feeling the walls beginning to close in on him, Nikolai climbed the stairs to the highest level of his house and strode out onto the balcony. A gentle breeze stirred the hair on his nape and molded the loose white linen shirt he wore to his chest. He lifted his face to the cool, night air.

The strong scent of shifter blood hit Nikolai Taranosky’s nostrils. Normally he kept to himself, but something about the smell called to him, and his beast rose in response. Giving in to impulse, he shape-shifted into a raven and went to investigate the source.

After circling the area, he found the injured shifter on the ridge overlooking the river. He landed out of sight a few feet away and shifted back into his natural form. Before stepping into the clearing and revealing himself, he disguised his appearance and scent to that of a wolf-shifter male, just in case any of the wolf’s brethren were close. Surely the wolf wasn’t out here alone.

Nikolai approached carefully. Though it appeared to be half-dead, he knew appearances could be deceiving. As he drew closer, he tried scanning the creature’s mind but was blocked. That was unusual. This shifter was strong and possessed a natural barrier, making it difficult for him to connect with it, even in wolf form.

When he was close enough to touch it, Nikolai slowly lowered to the ground to see how badly it was injured. As soon as his knee touched down, the wolf launched itself at him, aiming for his throat. Caught off guard, he reflexively threw up an arm to protect his face.

The enraged wolf locked down on his arm, its bite savage as it attempted to snap the bone in two. Nikolai cursed in his native language. In this moment it was obvious to him he’d become too complacent over the years, too dependent on his telepathic gift to warn him of impending trouble.

The two battled silently. The wolf was determined to severe Nikolai’s forearm from his body. Nikolai fought not to do further injury to the wolf. He sensed the moment the wolf swallowed some of his blood. The strange protective barrier vanished and Nikolai instantly seized control.

“Be at peace! Sleep!” Nikolai buried every ounce of compulsion he could within the commands.

The wolf immediately lost consciousness. Nikolai gently pried its mouth open and carefully removed his arm, examining it to see the extent of the damage. Though nasty looking and painful, the wound would heal quickly.

He turned his attention to the sleeping wolf, their minds still firmly linked. The wolf was female and bled profusely from several wounds, which appeared to be fairly recent. She should be healing or at least shape-shifting back into her normal state to speed the process. That she hadn’t revealed the seriousness of her condition.

Knowing he couldn’t just leave her, Nikolai picked her up and flew with her to the one place where he knew she would receive the medical attention she needed. Alex Wolfe lived nearby. Not only was Alex the Raven pack’s alpha, he was the doctor all local shape-shifters used.

Nikolai wouldn’t say he and Alex were friends. They shared the natural wariness and respect of two apex predators residing within the same territory. They each recognized the other’s power and maintained a wary truce.

He landed in the yard and walked slowly, in a nonthreatening manner, to the door. From the look of things, Alex was entertaining. No telling how many shifters were inside. They should be alerted to his presence any minute now.