A shiver ran down Eva’s spine, and she couldn’t decide if it was from fear or anticipation. “I don’t really know what to say to that.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” Olivia reached forward and patted her knee. “Let the information sit with you for a while first.”
“John’s a good man, Eva. He’d never push anything on you. I’m only telling you because you deserve a little heads-up, and I want you to be clear when it comes to his actions,” Katalina explained.
“Okay, thanks.” Eva forced a smile onto her face, and as the night went on, the conversation led away from John and what his actions meant, but even as Eva discussed other things, Katalina’s revelation continued to churn over in the back of her mind and followed her into sleep.
John liked her. And for the life of her, Eva couldn’t understand why.
Chapter 4
Katalina
Katalina’s screams vibrated through the room as she shot upright in bed. Staring at the phantom blood coating her hands, Katalina’s heart banged against her chest as her nightmares chased her into reality. Arne’s whine cut through the lingering echoes of Castor’s laugh, and when her dog jumped onto her bed and licked her face, Katalina wrapped her arms around him and sank into the familiar heat of her beloved best friend.
“I’m okay, boy,” she whispered, her voice hoarse as Nico barreled into the room.
His gaze scanned every inch of the bedroom before relaxing a fraction. “I’m so sorry, Kat. I was asleep.” He ran his hand down his face. “Shit, I fell asleep.”
“Of course you fell asleep. You’ve been working double shifts. Go home, Nic. Cuddle Liv. I’m fine.” She glanced briefly at him but didn’t hold his gaze. If he saw the tears shimmering in her eyes, he’d never leave, and there was enough on her shoulders without the guilt of Nico’s lack of sleep.
His steps shuffled closer. “I’m not leaving, Katalina. You’re upset.”
Waving him off, she rubbed her head with Arne’s. “I’m not alone, and it was just a dream.”
His weight dipped the bed. Nico was one of the few she trusted to guard her while she slept. He would always be her friend before anything else, but sometimes it was hard having a friend who was also best friends with your mate and often reported all he saw.
“Kat, that wasn’t just a dream. It was a nightmare, and you’ve been having them more and more since Anna had her vision. Maybe it would help to talk to someone?”
“I’m fine,” she lied, still avoiding his gaze. Arne nudged her, whining as if he too knew she didn’t speak the truth.
Nico’s hand found hers. “You know if there was something you needed to say that you didn’t want Bass to know, I would keep it from him. You’re my friend before my alpha’s mate, Katalina,” he offered softly.
With a sigh, Katalina met Nico’s eyes. “He was your friend first, Nic.” And she didn’t want to come between that friendship.
“So.” He shrugged. “Talk to me, please. I won’t breathe a word. I promise.”
Studying his face, Katalina found her fears slipping from her tongue and the weight on her shoulders lifting a little. “I’m afraid, Nico,” she whispered, a tear sliding loose. “Castor’s coming for me, not this pack. And there are so many people connected to me…. It’s just….”
“A lot of pressure,” Nico finished. “No one is getting near you, Kat.”
Shaking her head, Katalina smiled sadly. Didn’t he understand she feared for the people who stood between her and Castor? “I’m not afraid for me, Nic. Death’s no stranger to me. I’m afraid of what happens when I fall.”
Bass wouldn’t live in a world without her, and his death would devastate Nico, in turn affecting Olivia. They were a young pack with no one really ready to fill Bass’s shoes, and then there was River Run. Her father had survived the death of his mate, but would he withstand his daughter’s? Would River Run crumble without Jackson? There were so many lives interwoven and balancing on her shoulders. The enormity of it all was crippling her.
“Is that what Anna saw? Your death?”
“Not exactly, no…. I don’t want to burden you with this, Nico.”
“Hey.” He cupped her cheek and smiled. “We’re family. We shoulder things together, not alone.”
“And you promise not to tell Bass?”
“I promise whatever you say will not leave this room.”
Closing her eyes, Katalina recalled the words Anna had spoken and repeated them aloud. “Death comes. It beats its war drum, thirsty for blood. Yours will spill before this is done, crimson across the snow. For he fears you. He wants you, and when you fall, so shall those you love.”
Swallowing the bile that rose into her throat, Katalina focused on Nico. He tipped his head to the ceiling and closed his eyes as his breath left him in an audible rush. “Please tell me Anna saw when he comes for you and how to stop it,” he finally asked, meeting her gaze with shadows in his eyes.
“There’s snow on the ground. And as far as beating him, her only advice is to remember where I came from.”
“Don’t you just love cryptic bullshit from the heavens?” Nico muttered. “No wonder you’re having nightmares.”
“I’m not scared for me, Nico,” she said. He had to understand; she wasn’t afraid to face Castor, to stare death in the face. She was afraid to let everyone down, to be the catalyst for two packs’ deaths. “I don’t know how I became so integral to so many people. I’m not special. I’m just a wolf with a weak human heart.”
“Kat,” Nico replied firmly. “Your human heart is what links you to so many people. Who else could join so many people together? Before Bass met you, I worried I was losing him. He became harder
