by D. R. Rosier
I didn’t really know, except dragons could monitor their area. Something else I needed to learn how to do with water magic, but not all that urgently, because I could already monitor my immediate area with my siren ability to hear the songs of life around me. In fact, it had been what saved me.
I hoped she hadn’t felt me with her magic, but hope wasn’t a good plan, ever.
Lisa said, “We’ll try another place.”
The rest of the night went smoothly. We wound up going to another steak house, and it was delicious. I’d like to blame my inner dragon for that, but I’ve always loved steak. Then we headed back to the hotel for an early night. Lisa gave me an hour or two to truly decompress, and then I took over when she went to bed. I kept an ear out for songs, and any sounds out of the ordinary, but spent the night reading on the couch.
I also had to keep my urges repressed, because it was tempting to join Lisa, and then perhaps both of us could join Harold. At least Harold knew not to hit on us while we were on the job, so there’d been no awkwardness at least…
I understood Harold’s complaints about city hall immediately after seeing it. It was not square, or rectangular at all. It wasn’t even uniform, the second floor didn’t match the first floor at all, it was a mess of a complex for someone trying to put down wards. It was pretty, but it looked like the architect hadn’t wanted any straight lines at all, or ninety-degree angles. Which meant Harold had to place a ward boundary at every strange angle in the structure.
There were no misunderstandings this time either, maybe Austin had their shit together, or maybe Brent had taken the time to verify things this time, because it went almost smoothly as the security guard escorted us from site to site for Harold. It was… boring, which pretty much summed up the job of being a bodyguard. Mostly boredom, with a tiny bit of terror mixed in when things went to hell.
It was a bit nerve wracking as well, because as I’d suspected, we got reports that the assassins in the white vans hadn’t stuck around for the police to arrest them. They were somewhere, and I didn’t think they were going to give up. The only question was if they’d hit us here at city hall sometime during the day and evening, or if they were setting up another road side attack for our drive home.
It got to the point where I wished they’d just attack and get it over with. Of course, they didn’t comply with my wishes. It was closer to eight PM when we finally left, due to the difficulty of the wards for city hall, which meant we wouldn’t get back in Dallas until just after eleven.
I was mentally exhausted, if not physically, when we got on I-35 and headed north…
Chapter Seventeen
This was a horrible idea.
The interstate was dark, outside of our own headlights and the few other cars on the road as we headed north towards Dallas. Night vision could help, but the oncoming cars would blind us if we tried it. It didn’t stop me from hearing songs, but the range on that was limited, by the time I felt anything they’d be in the position to launch against us.
I had no illusions an ambusher would have similar problems, they could easily look through a scope, and search for our lighted license plates to identify us. The question was only if they would hit us, and with what?
When the answer came, I felt chagrined, because I never even considered it. I’d expected another RPG, or a sniper. Which was ironic, because I’d just done it to them less than two days ago.
I felt the song on the side of the road, a shifter, but at ninety miles an hour that only gave us a few seconds of warning.
“Shifter on the road.”
Before I even got to the second word, the car swerved violently toward the left lane, as Lisa said, “Spike strip.”
Pop, pop!
Her swerve had avoided the strip on our left side tires, but the two on the right exploded and went flat. She didn’t stop, but had to slow to about sixty as she fought the wheel to keep us on the road. We went at least a half of a mile, and then we were hit with two RPGs in our ass. It tossed us off the road, and we went down into the large ditch separating the road. The car was intact, but dead.
Lisa said, “Stay inside Harold,” and we both went outside.
Lisa fired a flare gun, four times in quick succession, her hands a blur as she reloaded it. It lit up the area, and I took aim and fired at the shifter. I’d already known his general whereabouts from his song as he chased after the wounded car with enough weapons to start world war three.
I was a very good shot, but he was still out of the effective aiming range of my nine millimeter hand gun. I shot forward after missing once and grazing him once. I dove to the ground when he raised a rifle and fired, but he hadn’t fired at me. There was a small explosion behind us, explosive rounds? I squeezed off two more rounds now that I was fifty feet closer, but he was still over a hundred yards out, which was double the effective aiming range of a nine-millimeter hand gun. I couldn’t afford the distraction of looking back to see what happened.
The shifter screamed and went down to his knees, and lifted another rifle to send three round bursts in our direction. I rolled to avoid the shots, and shot twice more, then heard the sharp retort of a gun from the side of us, Lisa must have finished circling around, while I was taking him head on, because the shifter fell backwards and to the side.
I saw Lisa sprint in his direction, and then turned my head. I sighed in relief, he must have had some kind of explosive bullet, because outside of the two flat tires, the car looked just fine.
Of course, that’s when I heard six more songs come into range, from ahead of us. Worse, the car was between us and them. I started to run in that direction.
“Six more to the north, five shifters and a human mage,” I whispered, she’d hear it on her communication earring.
Lisa started to run too, I couldn’t see her, but I could hear her song as she moved to flank the six new targets. Someone really wanted Harold dead. I still had four in the magazine, but I reloaded on the run anyway.
She said, “Nice shot, you got him in the forehead right before I got him through the neck.”
I smirked, “Yeah, but I was aiming for his chest.”
In my defense, he was at twice the effective range at the time. Not the bullet’s, the bullet could kill at a distance of two thousand yards, but the aim was for shit after fifty or so.
She giggled, and that’s all the time we had for banter.
I stopped at the trunk and popped it, and pulled out a rifle, we’d gotten lucky, I wasn’t going to be outranged again. They were already within three hundred yards, and the rifle I had was accurate out to at least that far. I verified the load was silver rounds, and propped my arm on top of the car and aimed north. They were only two hundred yards off or so, but they were low to the ground.
Several bullets sprayed the car, but so far, the wards were still holding.
I returned fire, and took two shifters out of the fight, for now. I wasn’t sure if they were kill shots or not, even with silver if I missed their hearts they could heal and come back from it. I hit the mage too, but he had some kind of shield over him.
“Fuck,” I cursed as my arm stung and turned numb, I’d been hit by a bullet, but the enchantments on my armor, and the armor itself, had held. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like a son of a bitch though, and my heart was beating fast from the adrenaline and excitement.
I took a deep breath to calm myself, and took out another shifter. It’d been several seconds, and Lisa fired from their flank and took out the last two shifters, and then emptied the clip at the mage.
I dropped the rifle in the trunk, drew my sword, and rushed the mage, I could feel Lisa doing the same. I dove as a blast of fire came in my direction, fucking mages. My clothes were mostly ashes, but the enchanted full bodysuit armor took the attack and held. The enchantments on them weren’t that powerful, nothing like a ward was capable of, and I wondered if a second shot would be held off.
I rolled back to my feet and rushed him, just in time to see Lisa’s s
word bounce off some kind of protection shield, and then she went flying back in an explosion of fire.
Then I heard the car door open. Fuck, our charge, and sort of friend with benefits, was going to try to be a hero.
The mage raised his hands at me and sent more fire. Fuck it, I let my magic out and my suit was coated in ice, filled with my magic. Not only was ice good against fire, but my dragon magic made me extremely resistant.
The mage looked panicked as I ran through his fire as if it weren’t there, and I coated my sword with ice and magic as I ran the fucker through. Then just because, I beheaded the asshole. No one would be telling tales about what I’d just done.
The ice around me and my sword broke into thousands of little shards and fell to the ground, and my magic withdrew back into my body. Lisa in the meantime, had managed to finish off the last shifter, the only one who had lived through our bullet assault.
I turned, “Harold, get the fuck back in the car.”
His eyes widened, and he grunted, “Very well.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, that probably could have been said in a gentler manner, but I was pissed, and scared. He should have stayed in the car, we were his guards right now, not fucking damsels in distress.
We were still an hour outside of Dallas, which meant it would be after midnight now before we got home.
I pulled out my phone, and called Brent.
“Boss, we need a new car and a tow truck, or two new tires.”
Brent grunted, and I heard typing on the computer.
“An hour, I’ll send a new car. I’ll also call the police.”
Lisa smirked, “Long day?”
“How could you tell?”
Lisa laughed, “Because even you don’t usually curse at the clients.”
I nodded, “Right, makes sense. I did drop the F-bomb when telling him to get back in the car, didn’t I.”
She giggled, “Yes, but only because you beat me to it.”
I sighed, “This doesn’t look good considering what we’re being investigated for.”
Although, the rules of engagement for being a bodyguard weren’t the same as pulling in someone they wanted alive. Deadly force to protect ourselves and our client was fully acceptable. Still, I’d been considering taking down the mage without killing him, at least, until I’d heard Harold putting himself in danger.
She shrugged, seemingly unconcerned with what the FBI might think of this. She reached down and pulled out the mage’s wallet.
“Carlos Antony, you go apologize, I’ll set out road flares for the authorities.”
Right, I turned and headed for the car.
I opened the door and slipped inside.
“Sorry about that, I didn’t mean to snap, but the area wasn’t secure yet.”
He frowned, “Just the mage was left, I could’ve helped.”
I nodded, “You could have, but that’s our job. You’re the client, we keep you safe, not the other way around, unless the situation becomes untenable.”
He sighed, “Your dragon magic is scary, it cut through his protections like they weren’t there.”
I smiled, “You afraid of me?”
He shook his head, “Nope, and the outfit helps, you look hot in skin tight leather,” he said half joking, and half serious.
I smirked, my clothes were kind of burned off, and the tight leather outfit covered everything, but left nothing to the imagination. It was probably wrong how much I loved the fact he wanted me for my body and looks, as opposed to my magic. I was sure personality came into it too, I know he liked our company. It wasn’t a shallow thing, not really.
“If you’re good, I’ll wear it next time Lisa and I come over. Do you know a Carlos Antony?”
He looked at me sharply, “Yes, he’s the contractor that used to do the wards in Austin.”
I nodded, “Now he’s dead, he was in charge of this attack on you. I imagine he hired the seven shifter mercenaries. We believe it’s finished, and we’re secure, but let’s stay in the car while Lisa handles the cops and waits for our new ride.”
It was also a relief, sort of. At least I knew for sure that it hadn’t been the vampires taking another crack at us, under the guise of attacking our client to throw off the trail.
Harold said, “Sounds like a plan. Though the wards are exhausted right now, almost worthless. Enough to stand off bullets perhaps, but another RPG would have taken it out.”
Good to know, sort of. The car had taken three of them total, plus some kind of explosive bullet, so Brent did a good job on the protective wards.
The cops showed up shortly after, and secured the crime scene. They were respectful, and a bit wary of both Lisa and me. Sometimes, I thought it was a miracle the humans hadn’t turned on us yet. Then again, we probably scared the hell out of them too, they’d win a war against us, of that I had no doubt, but the body count of such a war would be insanely high.
Of course, in my case, they were scared and wanted to fuck me, but I didn’t read into that too much, it was just the usual male reaction to a siren, I ignored it as I always did. The scents were still new to me, which made it stand out in my mind more than it usually did, but I’d get used to it soon enough.
It was just over two hours later, when we dropped Harold off at home, and then headed for ours. Brent had sent another VIP vehicle along with our mechanic and two tires. The new car was so we’d have a warded vehicle for the drive home, the mechanic would drive the other one back after swapping the tires.
I relaxed a tiny bit on the drive home from Harold’s mansion, while staying a little alert. I didn’t need to be as sharp as when we had a client to protect, but I couldn’t forget the vampires could still be after us.
Fortunately, there was no more violence that night. I got to truly relax as the rush and adrenaline of all the violence wore off, and it led to intense sex between Lisa and I as soon as we got inside the door. There were toys, touches, multiple orgasms, love, and satisfaction. There was also a deep tenderness and profound vulnerability that made my heart ache, and a gentle sweetness in my wild violent vampire that took my breath away.
I felt extremely sated, relaxed, and content, as my Lisa fell asleep beside me that night.
Chapter Eighteen
I could scent breakfast as I got out of the shower. Lisa was going to spoil me with her attempts to flavor my blood to her liking. I wasn’t going to object of course. I pulled on the armor, and a casual pair of blue jeans with a red blouse. Technically, we were still suspended, but we needed to go in this morning, file our completed reports, and debrief if Brent had any questions. It also seemed prudent to wear armor as much as possible until the vampire thing panned out.
“That smells amazing.”
Lisa said, “Thanks, get in here and eat.”
I chuckled, as I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a coffee before I sat down. She’d even brewed a pot. My sexy little vampire was perfect.
Lisa sighed, “I wanted to thank you for the vampire drama. You didn’t have to come with me the other day.”
I frowned, and took a sip.
“We’re a team. You wouldn’t leave me to face a dragon alone, would you? Next to that the vampires are puppies and kittens.”
She snorted, and plated a bacon, onion, and cheese omelet.
I sighed in pleasure when she put the plate in front of me, and the scent of the food wafted up to my nose.
“I love you Lisa.”
She giggled, “I love you too.”
I took a bite.
“Delicious, can I ask you something?”
She nodded.
“Was Annaliese your real name?”
She shook her head, “No, I started using it in the thirteenth century. Are you asking me how old I am?”
I sighed, “I am curious, but no. I guess I wanted to know your real name, or your birth name.”
She frowned, “I suppose I could tell you, but I’m not that person anymore, and I’m not Annaliese either. I�
�m your Lisa.”
I nodded in agreement, “You’re damned right your sweet little ass is mine?”
She narrowed her eyes, “Little?”
I giggled, and she smiled and shook her head, “Fine. You know only you can get away with that, be careful though, or I’ll start calling you skank. Hannah was the name I was born with, that became Anna over time, and when I moved to Europe it became Annaliese.”
I was terribly curious about her age, all I knew was she was old and powerful three hundred years ago, I was guessing she was at least over a thousand, but less than two thousand since she wasn’t around in the time of emperors or kings. That was a hell of a year gap to work with.
She also had a point, skank was a major pet peeve of mine, and I shouldn’t be calling her little or tiny, even if she was rather petite.
“So, what will we do if the vampires attack again?”
I really had a feeling they would.
Lisa shrugged, “I’m not sure exactly what yet, but if it happens, and Gene is there, don’t kill him.”
“Anyone else?”
She shook her head, “No, he’s the only one I need alive. Will you be okay if we have to disappear? I know Dallas has been your life.”
I shook my head, “You’re my life now.”
I finished my plate, the omelet was really good, and then I put a thin layer of water in the dish. The edge of the plate wasn’t very high, but it was high enough.
She asked, “What are you up to.”
“I want to try something.”
I thought about Gene’s scent, his face, and his voice, and pictured it all in my mind. Then I willed my magic to show him, and the water in the plate seemed to shimmer. I could see him, and the council. I could feel the water vapor in the air in the council room, as if they were tiny microscopic cameras. Somehow, my magic had connected the water in my dish, to the water vapor near Gene.
“Cool, scrying.”
Lisa grunted, and looked for a minute. We could even hear their voices, though they weren’t talking about anything important, at least not important to us. I wondered if I could control the water vapor on the other side that I felt. I didn’t try, I was afraid that was how the communication worked that Harold mentioned. I’d try another time.
