Free Viktor: Heart of Her King by Julia Mills

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
    K at 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