The Nik of Time Read online

  When Vince and Paul rushed to pick up their sons, Jordan stopped them as Stefan called 911.

  “What the fuck?” Vince snarled, trying to push past Jordan to reach Nikolai.

  “Vince, stop! We can’t move them until I assess their injuries to see –” he was cut off as Vince and Paul shoved him aside. “Dammit, listen to me! If there is spinal damage and you move them you could make it worse, including paralysis or even death – do you want that?”

  Without waiting for an answer, Jordan grabbed his medical bag from an out-of-breath Reece and they began triage.

  Stefan faced the angry men. “Paramedics are on the way. Look, Jordan is the best neurosurgeon in the country – if he says he needs to stabilize them, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  Vince dragged his hands down his face and turned to take Andrei in his arms as Mark and Paul sought to comfort each other and their other children. Minutes later, there was a blur of activity as the paramedics arrived and departed with their small patients.

  Stefan pulled the SUV around and everyone piled in to make their way to the hospital.

  Stefan was pacing the floor and Jordan took his hand and looked into his eyes.

  “I should have fixed it sooner.” Stefan looked at Jordan. “Why didn’t I?”

  “They hardly ever played in it before….it wasn’t a high priority, Stefan.”

  “I should have fixed it!” Stefan shouted.

  “Dad…” Paul took his hand. “Stop it.”

  “I’m so sorry, Paul.” Stefan sobbed as Paul held him.

  “Don’t do this, Dad.”

  “Mr. Greystone?”

  Paul and Mark looked at the doctor. “Yes?”

  “Your son is going to be all right. We suspected he had some internal injuries, but the surgery revealed nothing alarming and his brain scans are normal. He’s bruised, of course, and we had to stitch up several deep gashes. He’s sedated now, but you can see him.”

  “Thank you.” Paul hugged Stefan to him. “See?”

  “It could have been worse,” Stefan sniffled.

  Vince had to be restrained when no one would come out and update them on Nikolai’s condition, but the doctor was finally talking to Andrei. He nodded and returned to the group.

  “Nikolai will be all right; the surgeon has set his leg and sutured his wounds. His brain scans, too, are normal. He is sleeping now.”

  “Good, can I fucking see my son now?” Vince snapped at the doctor.

  “Mr. Markov…”

  Vince lunged at him and he took off down the hallway. Andrei took Vince’s hand and they went into Nikolai’s room. Half the group went to Colin’s room and the other to Nikolai’s; they agreed to switch out every half hour.

  Jordan hugged his husband and moved toward the hallway. “I’m going to double-check those brain scans myself.” He stopped suddenly and turned around. “The world,” he called out to Stefan. “I’m the best neurosurgeon in the world.” And with a crooked grin he was off.

  Colin woke up slowly, looking at his fathers. They both had red eyes and he knew they had been crying.

  “Where’s Nikolai?” Colin sat straight up in bed and let out a cry.

  “Don’t move.” Mark eased him back down. “He’s next door.”

  “Is he OK?” Colin looked at them pleadingly. “Please tell me he’s OK.”

  “His leg is broken and he has some other minor injuries but he’s all right.” Paul smoothed back his son’s hair.

  “I want to see him right now.” Colin sat up again and winced.

  “Let me see what I can do, OK?” Paul looked at him. “You saved his life. If he had hit the ground, there’s no telling what would have happened. You broke his fall.”

  Vince and Andrei moved Nikolai’s bed into Colin’s room. They all cleared out to get food, assuring Colin that they would be back very soon. Colin climbed carefully out of his bed and into Nikolai’s, holding him tightly. He was still unconscious and Colin kissed his cheek softly.

  “Nothing can ever happen to you,” Colin whispered. “Because I love you.”

  When the guys got back, they found Nikolai nestled into Colin, and smiled at the sleeping boys. Vince held Andrei’s hand and they looked at Mark and Paul.

  “Things could have been worse.”

  “But they weren’t…” Mark smiled. “Thank God.”

  Colin improved over the next few days and spent all his time with Nikolai, playing games. When he had finally woken up, Colin had cried for an hour straight and Nikolai had cried with him, repeatedly saying how sorry he was. Paul was watching his son thread his fingers through Nikolai’s hair when he felt Mark come up beside him.

  “I think it’s safe to assume he likes him as more than a friend,” Mark smiled.

  “And we will help him along, but he has to come to us first,” Paul smiled at Mark, pulling him into a hug.

  “I agree.”

  Nikolai looked up at Colin and smiled; he kissed his cheek and held him close.

  “I love you, Colin.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Colin was caressing Nikolai’s face; he was so beautiful and Colin kissed his forehead.

  “Colin?”

  “Yes...”

  “Will you always be with me?” Nikolai spoke into Colin’s neck.

  “Whenever I can be, Nikolai, I promise you that.”

  “Really? Because you love me, huh?” Nikolai looked up at him.

  “Yes…I love you.” Colin smiled feeling Nikolai snuggle into his chest. “Now go to sleep.”

  “You go to sleep,” Nikolai giggled.

  “Nite, Nik.”

  “Nite.”

  ~*Chapter One*~

  Fort Worth, Texas

  Paul stood on the deck of his and Mark’s house and watched the sun climb for the clouds. The lake was still except for the occasional duck crossing. The air was crisp and clean this morning and he could faintly hear the traffic of Fort Worth. People were going about their lives even at six in the morning. Paul sipped his coffee and smiled as the sliding glass door whispered open, then shut. Arms snaked around his waist and he gripped Mark’s hand. “Morning, babe.”

  “Why are you up so early?” Mark leaned his head against Paul’s back and inhaled his husband’s scent.

  “I don’t know; I got a bad feeling in my gut.”

  Mark came around to face him. “That’s never good.”

  Paul looked down at his husband and tried to smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

  “Maybe we should take a trip to see the kids? Would that make you feel better? I know you hate when they go back to school.”

  “They were just here; they’ll complain that we hover,” Paul chuckled.

  “We do, and we make no excuses for our hovering.” Mark stood on his tiptoes and lightly kissed Paul. “We could always go back to bed.”

  Paul looked into Mark’s eyes and saw the mischief in them. How he survived sex with Mark was a mystery. When they’d first met, Mark had been a virgin and Paul was - well, so not. He’d been a bastard to Mark in the beginning, but Mark, unlike anyone else he’d ever known, had put him in his place. Firmly. Paul opened his mouth to respond when the phone rang inside the house.

  “I’ll get it,” Mark said, jogging inside.

  Paul leaned against the deck railing and looked around. The house was in need of repair again. He’d had it built from the ground up for Mark, who’d always wanted a log home. Over the years it had seen rough times, including an explosion that took out half the house. Mark came back out and handed him the phone. His face was pale.

  “What?” Paul took the phone.

  “It’s Stefan,” Mark whispered.

  “Stefan?”

  “Paul, look, I’m going to tell you the same thing I told Mark. We have a problem. Carmine Rizzo was poking around the orphanage in Sicily where you adopted Colin. He got possession of the blood tests that were run on Colin. You remember those?”

  “Yes, the nuns though
t Colin might have a learning disability along with other issues and ran a wide variety of tests on him.”

  “He not only got Colin’s tests, but he found the name of the woman who put Colin up for adoption. It’s one of Rizzo’s mistresses, Paul.”

  Paul took a deep breath. “Just say it, Stefan.”

  “We ran our own tests on blood we had from Rizzo from a long time ago. Colin is Carmine Rizzo’s son, Paul.”

  Paul gripped the railing. Carmine Rizzo was one of the most despicable criminals they had run across. “Where is Rizzo now?”

  “We lost him in Rome. You need to alert Colin and we need to send people to retrieve him right now.”

  “He won’t go; you know Colin.”

  “Then what do we do? Any ideas?”

  Mark could hear the whole conversation and he snapped his fingers at Paul.

  “Hang on, Mark’s got an idea.” Paul covered the mouthpiece on the phone. “What?”

  “Nikolai,” Mark said.

  Paul’s eyes widened. “You want to send Nikolai to Washington? With this kind of info?”

  Mark crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes at Paul. “Tell me one other person who cares as much about our son, is ruthless enough to not only watch his back, but to kill Carmine Rizzo in fun and unique ways.”

  Paul nodded and got back on the phone with Stefan. “What are the odds Nikolai’s available?”

  “For Colin?” Stefan smiled. “Pretty damn good.”

  Mark took the phone from Paul. “We have to play this just right. You know Colin; he’s going to bitch that he can take care of himself. He’s not going to like having a babysitter.”

  “Do we tell him who his biological father is?” Stefan asked.

  “That’s a good question.” Mark furrowed his brows. “He needs to know the danger he’s facing; if we keep this from him, he’ll be pissed off.”

  “Okay, here’s the deal then,” Stefan sat back in his chair. “We send Nikolai in as a student. It’s not a stretch, he’s been thinking of going to Washington anyway.”

  “And then what? We put Nik in the same room as Colin? He doesn’t have a roommate right now. He’s going to know we’re interfering and get pissed.” Mark sighed in frustration. Even though Colin was adopted, he took after Paul so much you’d think they were related by blood. Discovering that Rizzo was Colin’s biological father changed nothing. Colin was their son.

  Stefan laughed. “Well, I’ll have to explain it to Colin, now won’t I?”

  “I’m glad you’re doing it,” Mark cracked up.

  “Colin still carries his gun, right?” Stefan asked.

  “Yes, he’s a Greystone. He has to. It’s in his room, though, locked up.”

  “I’ll make sure he’s aware of the danger coming his way. In the meantime, I’ll get a hold of Nikolai. I think he’s in Turkey right now with Hayden and Ross.”

  “So soon? I thought he got shot on the last mission?”

  Stefan chuckled. “Since when does that slow Nikolai down? Besides, it was a nine millimeter.”

  Mark snickered. “They never learn, do they?”

  “Nope,” Stefan laughed. “I’ll give you a heads up as soon as I hear from him, but you and I both know Nikolai will jump on this.”

  “Yes, if there is one thing I know about Nikolai Markov,” Mark looked at his husband. “He would give his life for Colin.”

  ~*~

  Nikolai ducked out of the way of another hit and grinned. He, Hayden and Ross were dealing with rogue werewolves again. They’d come upon this nest on a tip from Roy, the rogue who still helped out now and then because he wanted to keep his head. Nikolai couldn’t blame him. When Wayne Maccon got angry, people scattered. Nikolai rolled over Hayden’s back and sliced through another rogue. The caves in Turkey were well protected, and it had been a bitch to infiltrate. They’d come in under the cover of darkness and ran into rogue guards almost immediately. If Nik thought he was tall, Hayden Cox made him feel short. The guy was huge, as was Ross Collins. The last rogue head rolled across the dirt floor and Nikolai wiped his forehead. Ross swung his swords in front of him.

  “Is it just me, or are they getting slower?” Nikolai grinned, flipping his swords and putting them back in their sheaths.

  “Well, that was fun.” Ross blew out a sigh.

  Hayden pulled the explosives from his pack. “Well, let’s set the charges. Drinks on me.”

  The three of them sat on top of a military Hummer sipping beers as the explosives tore through a chunk of mountain. They were a good five miles away and could still hear debris falling.

  “C4?” Nikolai raised a brow.

  “Yup,” Hayden nodded. “We special ops guys do love our explosives.”

  Ross cracked up. “Yes, we do.”

  Nikolai took a long draw of his beer and glanced at Hayden. “How are you? I mean, really?”

  Hayden sighed and ran his hands over his face. “I’m doing okay, I guess. Jude still won’t talk to me.”

  “Well, at least you get to see him every once in a while.” Ross clapped Hayden on the back.

  Nikolai sat back and regarded Hayden. He’d heard the story from Chance. Hayden and Jude had gone to school together. Hayden had had a crush on Jude from the moment he laid eyes on him, but instead of coming clean to Jude, he bullied him because he was confused by his feelings. Jude still wouldn’t speak to Hayden and Hayden was slowly going crazy. Hayden hadn’t been a werewolf back then; he’d been human until rogues had attacked his family. In an attempt to save his son, Hayden’s father had bitten him, changing him into a werewolf and giving him a fighting chance.

  “Dude,” Nikolai reclined back on the Hummer. “Just grab him and kiss him.”

  Hayden sighed with a smile. “I tried that. Look where it got me.”

  “It was entertaining when he threw you into Devin and Andrei’s wedding cake, though,” Ross snickered.

  “Chicken shit,” Nikolai sighed.

  Hayden turned to look at Nikolai with raised brows. “Oh, really? Why aren’t you with Colin?”

  Nikolai cursed under his breath. “See? This is why I never tell anyone shit.”

  Ross laughed. “Uh huh - answer the question, Markov.”

  Nikolai’s cell phone rang, rescuing him. He smirked at Hayden and Ross. “Saved by the bell.” Nikolai hit ‘talk.’ “Markov.”

  “Nikolai, it’s Stefan.”

  “What’s up?”

  “We have a problem. We just found out that Carmine Rizzo is Colin’s biological father; unfortunately the bastard found that out, too. We lost him in Rome and we think he will make a play for Colin. He knows he can get whatever he wants if he gets his hands on Paul and Mark’s son.”

  Nikolai felt his blood boiling. Son of a bitch Carmine Rizzo was Colin’s father? Nikolai took a deep breath.

  “What do you need from me?”

  “So you’re on board?”

  “Did you really just ask me that question with a straight face?”

  Stefan chuckled. “No, not really. I was smirking.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  “I need you on a plane to Washington. You’re going to college.”

  “I’m on it.” Nikolai put his phone back in his pocket and chugged his beer. “Well, I’m off to Washington. I get to go to college.”

  “Yay?” Ross and Hayden both clapped softly.

  “Carmine Rizzo is Colin’s biological father. He just found out and we’re afraid he’ll go after Colin.”

  Hayden let out a low whistle. “Ouch. That guy is a complete and utter fuckwad.”

  “Well, he’s about to get Markov’d,” Nikolai grinned.

  Ross shivered. “Dude, I’m a werewolf and Delta Force, but sometimes? You scare the shit out of me.”

  Nikolai winked.

  ~*~

  Colin sighed and read the same sentence for the fiftieth time. It was no use, he couldn’t concentrate. The whole experience with Nikolai at Camp Pride over the summer
had bothered him and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He hadn’t heard from Nikolai since. Like, at all. Their mutual friend Sebastian said that Nikolai had recovered from the injuries he got when he saved Colin’s life during an earthquake, but that was the extent of what he knew.

  Colin sighed and banged his head on his desk. The worst part was that his feelings for Nikolai had only gotten stronger since then. Knowing that Nik had slept with - well, everyone - hurt him more than he could possibly say.

  When they’d come back from camp he’d gone home for a few weeks. Talking to Phoebe and Conner about Nikolai had helped. Telling them how…betrayed he felt by Nikolai’s sleeping around and apparent amnesia about their childhood closeness was something of a relief. His sister understood, but then again she always had. Conner had been supportive as well. They’d both told him to confront Nikolai about their relationship.

  Colin threw his pencil on his book and stood up from his desk. He crossed the room to the window and looked out into the dorm parking lot. How could he possibly tell Nikolai what they had shared? He didn’t even have the vocabulary to put it into words.

  Nikolai had been his, from the minute he’d held him as a baby. What had happened to his ‘Tigger’? It didn’t bother him that Nikolai was a killer. Hell, his whole family and all his friends were, including himself, when they needed to be. What really bothered him was the fact that Nikolai was sleeping with pretty much anyone and everyone. Colin sighed and leaned his forehead against the window. He hadn’t even had sex yet. He’d been kissed plenty of times but they weren’t Earth-shattering. He only wanted one person. Colin looked at the time and sighed. He had to get down to the football field for practice. He passed by the clunky mandatory dorm-room phone and noticed the blinking red light. He had three voicemails. Colin reached for the button and then stopped. He wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone, hadn’t been for almost a week. He’d even turned off his cell.

  Twenty minutes later he was on the football field, stretching his calves with Brock Holloway’s ass in his face. Great. Another guy who had been fucked by his Nikolai. Sebastian, the quarterback, shot him a look and tilted his head. Colin waved him off and bent over to touch his toes.