Darkness Rising

by Katie Reus

  “Good,” she said simply. She wasn’t sure why she was here at all.

  The Alpha couple exchanged a look before turning back at her. “We need to ask something of you,” Rhea said.

  “Okay.”

  “Prima will be going with him to New Orleans, but we would like you to go as well,” she continued.

  “Why?”

  “Simply put, I trust you,” Conall said. “Something about his awakening bothers me and I don’t know what it is.” He cleared his throat once, looking slightly uncomfortable. “There’s more to the reason I’m asking you to go. You’re a calming influence on others. Always have been. And the way he looks at you… I would bet my life that male won’t hurt you. And I want to know if he is up to something. I’ve been hearing from other Alphas across the globe that more ancients are awakening and I don’t know if this is a good or bad thing. If it’s a sign of something more to come. If it is, I need to know. We all do.”

  Sighing, she moved to one of the cushy chairs near his desk and sank down into it. “I have heard from other healers the same thing, that the older dragons are awakening, all within the last month.” She wasn’t sure if it meant anything at all or if it was just the nature of these things.

  “Will you go?” Conall asked.

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “Yes.”

  “Damn it,” she muttered, half-smiling. “I could’ve been annoyed if you’d told me I didn’t have a choice.”

  “So this means you’ll go?”

  “Of course. Clan comes first.” Always. Her people mattered to her.

  “As I said, Prima will be going as well, and while I love my aunt—and I trust her to an extent—she is still a wild card. But she’ll keep you protected.”

  “I’m over fifteen hundred years old and I’m a healer.” Sometimes Greer felt members of her clan forgot that she was highly capable. She might be peaceful by nature, but she could take care of herself.

  He nodded once. “I know. But you are one of my own and we all care about you. I’m allowed to worry.”

  Greer simply nodded, smiling at her kind Alpha. His heart was so big, all he wanted to do was take care of his people. She felt the protective waves roll off him all the time and today was no different. She took a moment to gather her thoughts as she circled back to something he’d said before. “When you said the way Reaper looks at me…” She didn’t finish because she wasn’t sure she wanted to know exactly what he meant. Okay, she did, but felt strange asking Conall to clarify. Especially since she was certain she knew what he meant. Maybe her haughty dragon half simply wanted it spelled out.

  “That dragon wants to bang your brains out,” Rhea said before Conall could answer, laughter in her voice. “He’s been in Hibernation a long time and you are the only thing he wants. He would cut off his own arm before seeing harm come to you. He might be obnoxious, but he’s an honorable dragon according to Prima.”

  Conall shot his mate a sideways glance. “Multiple females from the clan have offered him sex and he’s turned every one of them down.”

  Greer straightened slightly. The past two days she’d stayed close to home and had made it a point to ignore all gossip so this was definitely news to her. And it annoyed her that some of her clanmates had gone to him for sex. Even though she shouldn’t care at all. He meant nothing to her.

  Instead of touching on that subject, Greer shook their words off. “When do we leave?”

  “Tonight.”

  * * *

  “Thank you for driving me to the airport,” Greer said to Arya. She could have easily flown, but she didn’t feel like carrying her bags in dragon form.

  “No problem. I like testing my driving skills. I believe I am getting better.” As if to reiterate, she floored it, making the SUV jerk forward.

  Greer snorted softly. Prima and Reaper had gone to the airport slightly ahead of her since she’d ended up getting a call from one of her clanmates.

  “We’ll miss you when you’re gone.”

  “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “Don’t sound so surprised. You are very loved here.”

  “I know that.” And she did. “I’m just surprised that you are going to miss me.”

  Arya grinned as they pulled into the parking lot of the private airport where the clan’s jet was waiting. “My son told me you’re being sent to keep an eye on the male, but keep an eye on Prima too. She’s not always levelheaded.”

  Greer resisted the urge to laugh aloud. The fact that Arya was saying that felt oh so ironic. “I will.” After giving hugs she grabbed her bags and headed to the jet—Arya’s tires squealing in her wake as she tore out of the lot.

  The pilot was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and immediately grabbed her bags even though she didn’t need any help. But she’d learned long ago that some of her clanmates were simply wired to help so she let him take her bags.

  When she stepped into the plush interior of the plane, her breath froze for a moment. Reaper sat in one of the leather seats, his long legs stretched out in front of him and…

  “You cut your hair,” she blurted, then inwardly chastised herself for stating the obvious.

  He ran a hand over the now buzz-cut dark hair, standing as she entered the plane. Prima was in the back stretched out, her eyes closed as she slept.

  “I will grow it out if you prefer,” he said in that deep rumble she felt all the way to her core.

  “I don’t care what you do with your hair one way or another.” Which was a big fat lie because now that he’d cut most of his hair off, it showed off those insane cheekbones even more. And she had the ridiculous urge to run her fingertips over his head to see how soft his hair was. Then she wanted to run her fingers over his cheeks, down to his soft-looking lips… Nope.

  Turning away from him, she sat in one of the seats closest to the front. To her surprise, Reaper got up and sat right across from her, looking good enough to eat. Someone had given him clothes that fit properly and he wore a fitted long-sleeved T-shirt, cargo pants and boots.

  “I’m sorry for what I said about humans when we first met,” he said even as the pilot’s voice came across the intercom and started going over the takeoff instructions. Not that it really mattered. If anything happened, they could just jump out and shift to their dragon forms. Reaper didn’t seem at all concerned about flying in a plane for the first time so she guessed Prima must have given him the rundown on it earlier.

  “Have you changed your mind about humans, then?” Somehow she didn’t believe that.

  “No. I am still better—or stronger—than them. But I am sorry I offended you. It was not my intention.”

  She wasn’t sure how to respond to that. He was being honest at least. So she tried for civility. “What do you think of this new world? It’s a lot to wake up to, I’m sure.”

  He shrugged. “Prima has been showing me some of your technology. It is interesting enough but more or less humans still seem the same. The world seems the same. Wars waged and lost. People live and die. Humans keep the weakest, greediest in power. It is very much the same as before. I had thought they might learn from their mistakes.”

  Okay, then. She pulled her earbuds out of her purse but she didn’t put them in just yet because it really would have been too rude. But she wasn’t sure how to talk to him. When he didn’t say anything more, just stared at her, she felt her cheeks heat up. “What?”

  “You are the most beautiful female I have ever seen.” He seemed surprised by his admission as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

  Oh… “Ah, thank you.”

  “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I’m… Not used to…” He cleared his throat, stopping.

  She should let it go, she really, really should. But… “Not used to what?”

  “You are not the type of female I am usually attracted to,” he blurted. “I have always preferred warriors, but I find myself drawn to you.”

  She blinked at his words a
nd then felt a lot less rude as she plugged her earbuds in. “Okay then, I’m done with this conversation.” She thought she heard Prima snicker from the back of the plane but couldn’t be sure.

  Closing her eyes, she tried to tune him out and listen to her audiobook. It was going to be a long plane ride.

  * * *

  “This is you.” Prima held out her phone as she popped a grape in her mouth.

  The airplane was stocked full of food and drinks and quite comfortable—though Reaper would have preferred to fly the entire way in dragon form to this place called New Orleans. Humans had come far in their progress. On some things at least. “Why are you showing me an image of a crying bear?”

  “It is a panda. And that’s you. A sad panda. I’ve never seen someone strike out so badly.”

  He didn’t know what a strike was, but he could guess. “It was not that bad.” No, it had been worse. He had basically insulted Greer again when that was the last thing he’d wanted to do. He wanted to compliment her, to court her, to somehow put into words what her scent was doing to him. Instead he spoke like a fool around her.

  “It was pathetic. You have no game.”

  He frowned. “What is game?”

  “I’m honestly not sure. Not completely anyway. Some of the younger clanmates talk about it. But it means that you are not good with getting women to have sex with you.”

  He growled low in his throat. For some reason he did not want just sex from Greer. Though he wasn’t sure what he wanted. Not for her to hate him, that was certain.

  He should keep his mouth shut. He was good at killing things, at waging war. But speaking to the sweet healer with the copper-colored hair and most perfect ass in the world was another matter entirely.

  And now he had other things to consider—like what would happen to Greer and her clan if the world did succumb to war and fire.

  Chapter 5

  Greer smiled as they descended the stairs onto the tarmac of the private airport. Justus was waiting for them as Conall had said he would be. She simply adored the older vampire and hoped he’d finally convinced Cynara to settle down with him. Because she adored Cynara too, and whenever she was around the vampire-demon hybrid she sensed that the female desperately wanted to mate with Justus. If only Cynara would let the male in.

  “Greer!” Justus quickly closed the distance between them as she reached the bottom of the stairs. He pulled her into a tight hug that she returned.

  Lean and muscular with skin just a bit paler than typical, he stood tall and strong and it was easy to imagine him as the Roman Empire general he’d once been.

  She was vaguely aware of Reaper growling not so subtly at the top of the stairs but she ignored him.

  “It is so good to see you. Where’s Cynara?”

  He let out a growl of his own as he stepped back. “Not something I want to talk about right now.”

  Uh oh. “Fair enough. I hope I get to see her while I’m in town though.”

  “Even if she is angry at me, I know she would love to see you.”

  “Good. Justus,” she said, stepping back as the other two joined them on the tarmac, “you know Prima, but this is Reaper. He is an ancient as well, and newly awoken. Reaper, Justus leads his own coven. He served as a general in the Imperial Roman Army before being turned.” In a situation like this it was standard to introduce people by who they were and where they came from. It gave other supernaturals a way to gauge what level of formality to use. Though she wasn’t sure that Reaper would even know what the Roman Army was, he could still understand that Justus had been a general.

  Justus nodded respectfully and held out a hand to both of them. Then he surprised her by speaking directly to Reaper. “I read about you in some ancient texts. I read of how you destroyed an army of Akkadian demons. Very impressive.” There was complete sincerity and respect in his words.

  Reaper straightened and nodded back politely. “Thank you. We will speak of battles fought later. Conall says that you know where Cynbel of Patmos is?”

  “Well, I did have a bead on him, but he’s not easy to pin down. My…friend owns a new bar not far from here and she’s heard that he might be stopping by tonight. The female he has an on-again, off-again thing with is there.”

  “Is this Cynara’s new bar?” Greer had heard through the supernatural grapevine that Cynara and Bo, her brother, had expanded and bought another bar in New Orleans. Cynara had once told Greer that real estate and bars were how they made their money.

  “It is.”

  “Then we go there,” Reaper said. He turned to Greer. “What is on-again, off-again?”

  It surprised her that he’d asked her and not Prima. For some reason she liked it. “Ah, it means they sleep together occasionally.”

  He frowned. “Sleep?”

  “They fuck occasionally,” Prima said.

  Reaper nodded once, then swiveled to look at Greer again. He opened that perfect mouth of his as if he wanted to say something to her, but then turned away. “How far is this place?”

  “Ten minutes, give or take,” Justus said.

  “We can fly there, then.”

  “Ah…” Justus looked around cautiously. “There are enough cameras here that it might just be easier to drive. I’ve got an SUV ready to go.”

  “I call shotgun,” Prima said, grinning at both Reaper and Greer.

  “I have learned about some human weapons but I do not understand why you need a shotgun.”

  Greer laughed lightly, despite her intention to keep her distance from Reaper. “It’s a silly expression one of our younger clanmates must have taught her. It means that she will be sitting in the front seat with Justus.”

  “The statement makes no sense,” he said as they started following Justus to a waiting vehicle.

  “I agree. There are many odd colloquialisms you’ll hear. It’s best not to take everything literally. If you have questions about things, you can ask me.” She shouldn’t have made the offer, but she couldn’t help it. Even if he was kind of obnoxious, he was an ancient and he’d just woken up in an entirely new world. Greer normally would have been the first to offer to help someone adjust and she was ashamed she hadn’t so far. She blamed it on her weird reaction to him.

  “Thank you,” he said as they slid into the back seat.

  Even with how spacious the vehicle was, it felt cramped considering how close they were next to each other. She hadn’t prepared for it and felt off-kilter as she strapped in. His masculine scent reminded her of a place she sometimes escaped to deep in the mountains—clean and fresh. Right now it was going straight to her head and making her want to lean closer and inhale deeply.

  “Have you been here before?” he asked her as Prima and Justus started talking in the front.

  “New Orleans? Yes. My clan is allied with a wolf pack not far from here, so I’ve been in this city for various events and just to see friends. Our Alpha female is actually from the wolf pack. And our clan owns a couple homes in New Orleans. Can I ask you something?”

  He watched her closely, only slightly unnerving her. “You may ask anything.”

  “You said that you didn’t have a clan. Or…you weren’t looking for them?” The concept was foreign to her. Even if dragons weren’t like wolves, it was so hard to imagine waking up and not wanting to find her family.

  “I’ve been a warrior for as long as I can remember. I found clan politics tiresome—my clan specifically. They could be petty. So I’m certain I do have relatives out in the world. I just don’t care to find them.”

  “Oh.” Well, maybe she wouldn’t ask him about Ian, then. Not until she’d talked to Ian anyway. And she’d been texting with Fiona—Ian’s mate—to let her know she was going to be in town. But she hadn’t mentioned Reaper and his dragon’s coloring. It was so similar to Ian’s that they had to be related somehow.

  “Have clan politics changed in the recent centuries?”

  “Some have, I’m sure. My clan has always been progres
sive. And now many clans, packs and covens are allies. For many years dragons kept their existence secret, even to other shifters. Which Prima might have already told you?”

  He nodded, truly listening even if there was a raw sexual hunger in his gaze.

  It was unnerving to be on the end of that kind of attention. She was her clan’s healer; people came to her when they needed something. And yes, she felt loved and respected, but the way he watched her was different than any other person she’d ever experienced. He wanted her for her. “With so many supernaturals interacting and allied, it gives me hope for a better future for us. I…I can’t imagine we stay hidden to humans forever. Technology prevents it. So it’s good that most of us are, if not allied, at least connected.”

  He nodded once, his expression thoughtful. “Supernaturals are already strong. If we’re united, we’ll be an unconquerable force.”

  She started to respond, then Justus spoke from the front, asking Reaper something. Sitting back, she let the others talk as she tried not to stare at Reaper’s profile, a nearly impossible task with the male sitting barely a foot from her.

  She just had to get through this trip. Then she’d be able to get some distance from him. At least that was what she tried to tell herself.

  * * *

  “This place is interesting.” Reaper glanced around the three-level building Justus had told him was a combination bar and club. Neither of those words made sense for this establishment. It was loud, crowded and there were too many smells.

  Greer made a sort of humming sound as she scanned the floor where people were gyrating against each other. There were also pillars raised up high where women and men danced, sometimes solo, others with a partner. It appeared as if they were simulating sex.

  Arousal pounded through his blood, directed at the female beside him.

  “We should probably split up if we want to find your friend,” Greer said softly, but he heard her over the din of voices and music.

  He wasn’t sure what this music was called but it was enjoyable. That was one thing he could concede—humans by far made much better music than any supernatural he had ever known. And in the couple days he had been awake he had gotten quite an education on how much music was out there now and the different ways to listen to it. Prima had given him a crash course on everything she deemed interesting or important. The topics were many.