Free Winter's Kiss by Felicity Heaton Page B

with many tall rectangular sash windows. The gardens were expansive and beautiful. Night blooming jasmine and roses adorned the intricate mazes of box hedge and the alcoves and arch-covered walkways. His lord had always ensured that the mansion maintained its regal appearance, one suitable for such as their bloodline.
    Winter took a deep breath and asked himself if he was really going to do this. To take Nika into the Validus mansion was insane. It would be a miracle if they managed to make it to his apartment without being noticed, and then they would have to make it back out again. He could leave her out in the woods near one of the gates, somewhere that no one would notice her. If he did that, he would be able to walk through the gates
    and explain to those on duty that werewolves had attacked him and that Midnight was dead.
    Nika shifted against him, her scent filling his nostrils— blood mixed with werewolf.
    There was an undeniable flaw in his plan. If he strode back into the mansion grounds claiming that werewolves had attacked him, the Watchmen would smell Nika’s scent all over him. Since he was their commander, they would see any attack on him as a personal affront. There was a chance that while he was inside gathering weapons and other necessities they would search for the werewolf responsible by using the scent. They could track Nika and kill her before he could return.
    Or Willem could find her.
    Willem, as Nika’s father had called him, would know from his uniform that he was a Validus and would return to the mansion. Winter looked around them at the woods skirting the mansion walls. What if Willem was already here waiting? Right now, the werewolf could be watching and waiting for him to part company with Nika. He couldn’t risk her by leaving her out here.
    But the alternative?
    If he took her into the mansion grounds and someone caught them, he would have to fight his kin or let them take her from him. He growled on instinct at the thought of anyone else touching her and gritted his teeth. His fangs elongated and his claws grew, ready for a fight even when there was none. Winter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It filled his lungs with the scent of Nika and the intoxicating smell of her rich blood. She had fully turned. It had to be the reason behind the change in its scent. It was no longer tainted.
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    Now it called to him stronger than ever, a siren song that was becoming irresistible. He couldn’t leave her out here to fend for herself. He couldn’t take her into the mansion either. The thought of having to fight his own kin—men he knew—for the sake of a werewolf made his stomach turn and chest tighten. He was a commander, a man they all respected. He respected himself because of the esteem he received from his fellow Watchmen. Duty and honour were the banners flying in his heart. Loyalty to the Validus bloodline and his lord were his reasons for living.
    But Nika was in his heart too, had carved a niche out for herself that grew with every passing minute spent in her company. He feared that soon his heart would be irrevocably hers and his resolve would weaken to the extent that he surrendered to his feelings. It was pointless though. Sense and feeling waged war inside him, his heart split in two, torn between his bloodline and Nika. It pained him to think that he would go against the lord who had saved him, a man who he owed a great debt to, but also pained him to think that he would leave Nika and never see her again.
    He needed to take her somewhere that she would be safe and to do so, he needed weapons and time to think without the threat of attack. He would take Nika into the mansion and then leave with her. If anyone stood in their way, he would deal with them.
    His jaw clenched. What was he thinking?
    To take a werewolf into the mansion was despicable enough. To consider defending her should he meet another Validus was beyond contemptible. If caught, he would willingly surrender her