Chapter Thirteen
Malcolm narrowed his eyes as he took in the huge dark-haired man standing in the mouth of the alley. The werewolf wasn’t exactly small, and this new arrival had several inches on him.
“This Yuri?”
Irina gave a quick nod, terror in her eyes.
Malcolm was about to tell him to go fuck off when a slightly sour woodsy scent struck his nose.
“What the hell?” he muttered.
The scent wasn’t something he’d encountered all that often, but he’d run into it before, and it wasn’t the kind of thing he could forget. Irina’s terror made sense now. No wonder she feared anyone getting involved.
Yuri was a werebear.
“Yes, I am Yuri,” the man declared. His gaze slid over to Irina. “Given the way she’s shaking, I’m sure she’s told you that I’m a dangerous man, and she’s right.” He smirked. After sniffing a few times, he frowned. “No wonder you’ve not run yet despite her warnings. What were the chances of her running into one of you? Interesting.”
Malcolm shook his head. “So you’re not just a criminal. You’re a bear.” He snorted. “Long way from the forest. That’s got to be weakening you with each day. Not exactly like the desert metro area here is what anyone would call forest wilderness.”
“If I knew a wolf was involved, I would have brought my silver knife.” Yuri shook his head. “No worries though, I can just tear your head off. It’ll be more fun, yes?”
Irina’s eyes widened, and she jerked her head back and forth looking between Malcolm and Yuri as she trembled.
Malcolm put a hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be okay. I’ll protect you from this asshole.”
“Such bold words, wolf.” The Russian man took a few steps forward, the smirk remaining fixed on his face. “But I’m strong enough to handle trash like you. I don’t see any of your little friends around. Wolves are nothing without their friends.”
“Bullshit.” Malcom shot him a feral grin. “You want to see the power of a single werewolf, go ahead.”
Irina blinked several times. “Werewolf?”
Yuri pointed at Malcolm. “This is what you leave me for? Wolf trash?” He let out a low growl. “You disappoint me, Irina. I thought you had more sense. A human, maybe I could understand, but why leave such strength to go to this… creature.”
“I… werewolf? I didn’t know.” She shook her head, her breathing becoming panicked and quick.
Malcolm kept his gaze fixed on Yuri. So much about the way Irina had been behaving made sense now, but the fact that she knew about shifters also simplified a few things in terms of confronting Yuri. Unfortunately, it might also mean the overall situation had become more complex.
“Are you bear Blooded, Irina?” Malcolm asked.
He didn’t know what he’d do if she said yes. Her enticing scent didn’t strike him as unusual for someone with a nice shampoo, but shifters could only key in on other shifters or their own Blooded, which meant she very well could be bear Blooded.
Standing between a shifter and a Blooded wasn’t going to end well for Malcolm, even if that shifter was a complete asshole. He knew what wolves would do to a bear who tried to take a wolf blooded. Even Caleb would probably tell him to not get involved.
Irina gasped. “I…I…” She took a few deep breaths, obviously trying to calm herself.
“I need to know if you’re Blooded.” Malcolm grunted. “I won’t walk away either way, but I just need to know what I’m walking into.”
She shook her head and looked down. “I’m not. He explained it to me. I’m just a normal woman.”
“Then why does he want you?”
Irina looked up. “Because he’s obsessed.”
Yuri sneered. “Obsessed? No, no, no. That’s the wrong word. She’s still my property, even if she’s not Blooded. I do not think it is obsession to want to keep what is yours, no?” He shook his head. “It is simple common sense.”
Irina took a few steps away from Malcolm, fear etched on her face. “Are you like Yuri? You said you were dangerous.”
“I am dangerous, but I also meant what I said earlier. I don’t go picking fights. My pack doesn’t go picking fights. You met some of the others. Do we seem like the kind of people who do that?”
“You aren’t people, though.”
Malcolm grunted. “Do we seem like the kind of shifters who do that then?”
“I don’t know.”
Malcom shook his head. “Plus, I’m nothing like a bastard who’d terrorize an innocent woman. It doesn’t matter if someone’s a shifter or a normal human. They should understand what the hell no means.” He turned his attention to the other man. “If she’s not Blooded, you have no claim on her. Just let her go, and we don’t have to have any trouble over this.”
“What if I want trouble, wolf?” Yuri slapped his chest. “I say I have a claim on her, so I do. That’s all that I need, wolf. If this were Moscow, I would have already killed you, but I’ll give you this one chance to walk away. You were ignorant of the situation, so it would be unfair of me to kill you.”
“Why are you so obsessed with a human who isn’t a bear Blooded? It doesn’t make any sense. Don’t feed me that possession crap, either.”
Booming laughter greeted Malcolm’s question. “You say that, wolf, but you stand here ready to protect her with your life. Being Blooded isn’t everything. She’s my special carnation, and I will take her back, even if you’ve soiled her. She’ll grow back to what she should be, beautiful, graceful, perfect. And mine.”
“She’s not going back with you, bear.”
Yuri shook his finger. “What I want, I take. What I can’t take, I destroy.” He let out a low, menacing growl. “Don’t worry, my little carnation. You’ll be punished after I get you back, but I won’t do anything to mar your pretty face or body. After all, you’re mine. Your wolf must die, though.”
Irina inched behind Malcolm, trembling.
Malcolm took a deep breath. His heart thundered, and he wanted to shift and tear the smug bear’s heart out, but killing a bear in public just to bring down the dragons on the pack wasn’t a good idea. He also had no idea how Caleb was going to react to the news that this wasn’t a simple matter of a thug ex-boyfriend.
The whole situation made the battle with the True Sons seem simple in comparison. The best strategy he could come up with was to try and make Yuri see something approaching reason.
“She’s made her choice, asshole,” Malcolm growled. “You’ve no right to force a relationship with her. I’m sure a guy like you has all sorts of women anyway. There’s no point in making a ruckus that’s just gonna end poorly for everyone involved.”
Yuri shook his head. “You don’t understand. There is no relationship. Irina is my possession. I own her. She can no more decide to leave me than my clothes or my car. To think otherwise is nothing but foolishness. It makes no logical sense, yes?”
“That’s a lot of thought you put into justifying being a stalker asshole.” Malcolm stepped forward and flipped him off. “And that’s what I think of that.”
The Russian man’s face darkened. “You think I’m afraid of a wolf? You think I’ve never killed wolves?”
“Whatever. You won’t make it back to Russia in one piece if you start a fight in public, and you know it. Even if you do, I’m sure the Russian dragons will tear you up for risking the exposure of shifters, especially over a non-Blooded.” Malcolm grinned. “The dragons we’ve got in our young-ass little desert town are tough enough. What kind of monsters must control an old city like Moscow?”
Yuri’s face twitched, but he didn’t advance. The werebear might be dangerous and arrogant, but even he had concerns that kept him in check.
That didn’t stop Malcolm from wanting to take him out. Irina would never be free until Yuri was either dead or, at the minimum, had his ass thoroughly kicked. They needed to end this sooner than later. She’d suffered enough.
Malcolm pointed at Yuri. “But you’re in luck, asshole. I’m totally willing to fight you. Let’s just take this shit somewhere else where we won’t be bothered and no scaly assholes will be annoyed.”
The werebear chuckled and stared past Malcolm at Irina. “Not yet, yappy puppy. I will kill you, but first I will take the time to savor Irina’s fear. I want her to realize that even if she finds the greatest of protectors, she is still mine. When I tear out your heart, it will end her defiance once and for all, and she will never again dare leave my side.”
He spun on his heel and stormed off, chuckling the entire time.
Malcolm blew out a breath. He’d been half-convinced the fight was going to start in the alleyway. He turned to look at Irina.
She looked back at him, her face pale, her eyes wide.
“You okay?” he asked.
Irina gave him a shallow nod.
The werewolf sighed. “Let me take you back to my apartment. At least we know he’s not gonna make a move tonight.”