Ancient Protector

by Katie Reus

  But when Star sang…he didn’t think about flying or the politics of his people. He simply was. It was a refreshing change.

  Lachlan shrugged as they stepped outside into the fresh air, realizing he’d never responded. “I suppose,” he said as they made their way through the lush garden. Bright pops of color and wild scents surrounded them.

  “You suppose? All those women are incredible. I would worship at the altar of their bodies for ages.”

  “Whatever. You’re chatty tonight.” He didn’t want to talk about some other female, or females. Not when Star was all he could seem to think about—how it would feel to thread his fingers through her long hair as he raked his teeth over her neck. As he brought her pleasure. After his loss, he’d never thought he’d want another female again. He’d gone into Protective Hibernation while still grieving—and had woken still missing his love. It disturbed him to want another female so badly. Knowing he was letting his mind wander, he shut down that thought as much as he could.

  But he was still consumed with the image of her—it was seared into his brain. She wasn’t overly tall, but not petite like her manager either. Compared to him, she was fairly short at maybe five feet five, but her legs seemed to go on for days, giving her a taller appearance. Maybe it was because she was so lean…or maybe because she seemed to have a larger-than-life presence. Her big, expressive eyes and megawatt smile drew him, making it impossible to look away. Now, she was a bonnie lass.

  Using the VIP pass that Oscar had given him and all the other Alphas in attendance, he flashed it at one of the security people where a roped-off section was near the stage.

  About fifty feet away he could see all of the night’s bands gathering, including Star’s. He was aware of his brother saying something, but he ignored Cody, his gaze drawn to Star and her bandmates. They were on the edge of their roped-off area, all talking animatedly together.

  He watched in curiosity as the two tiger females on her security team spoke quietly to her, then basically disappeared into the background. He frowned. They should be with her at all times. She was famous. And from what he’d learned about this new era, she would need protection. Even if she was a shifter. Because people could be unhinged.

  He scanned the other three bands as well as the individual singers. They each had a team of security. Humans and shifters alike.

  His frown deepened. No, he didn’t like Star being unprotected at all. If he’d noticed that she had no security, surely someone else would as well. “Her security has left her,” he said, interrupting whatever it was Cody had said.

  Cody raised his eyebrows. “Aye?”

  “Teague, Cian, keep an eye on her,” he murmured to his two clanmates who were hovering on his periphery. He didn’t need to specify who he was referring to.

  Without a word, the two males broke off, heading into the throng of people as they made their way to where the bands were. His presence would stand out too much if Oscar had anyone watching him—and after that million-dollar bid, he’d already gained enough attention—but his people should be okay.

  He wished he knew what kind of shifter Star was, and it bothered him that he couldn’t place her scent. He’d heard gossip among his clan, and other packs and clans across the globe. Everyone assumed she was a snow leopard, but when he’d been close enough to scent her, his instinct had rejected the idea.

  He wasn’t sure what she was. The only thing he knew for certain was that her scent reminded him of the Highlands, crisp and wild and free.

  And that his dragon wanted her with an intensity he’d only ever felt for one other woman.

  Chapter 4

  “You got this—as always,” Brielle said pointedly to Star. She knew her Alpha was worried about not being part of this side of the operation but Star couldn’t be. No way could Star blend in for a rescue mission when she was part of the pending show. Not to mention she was Star. She’d just been part of a huge auction and had worldwide recognition.

  “Thanks.” It looked as if Star wanted to say more but Brielle knew why she held back. Right now, it was all about appearances. “And…thank you.”

  Brielle only nodded, but come on. Like she needed any thanks for this. Aurora was her girl, part of their misfit pack of supernaturals who’d never fit in anywhere but together. Brielle loved her. They all did. Aurora was like a baby sister to all of them.

  And no matter what happened, they were getting her out tonight. Still, she understood that Star would sacrifice anything for Aurora. They weren’t twins like Brielle and Harlow, but they might as well have been for how bonded they were. And Star had practically raised Aurora from the time she was five, so it was more of a mother-daughter bond than anything. As two of the last remaining of their kind in the world, Star and Aurora had always been careful about not revealing what they were to strangers. But somehow Oscar had discovered what Aurora was.

  Before leaving the stage area, Brielle subtly placed a tiny earpiece in Star’s hand and nodded once as Star and Bella turned, meeting up with the rest of the band. Marley and Athena—drummer and guitarist—and Taya and Kartini, backup vocalists. The band had ten minutes until the first part of the show started. Which meant Brielle, Harlow, Lola and Axel had ten minutes to infiltrate where they thought Aurora was being held. So while the band was performing, they’d be getting Aurora the hell out of the compound.

  “All right, guys, let’s do this.” Lola’s voice came over the line. “You know the deal. Head to the kitchen. Currently it’s skeleton staff.”

  Harlow nodded once as she looked at Brielle and jumped into action. They were Star’s security now but for eight years they’d been in the Marines. They knew how to be stealthy on ops and now was no different.

  It didn’t take long to make it back to the mansion—which was thankfully starting to clear out since the show was about to start.

  Once they were in the industrial-sized kitchen, Brielle flashed her security badge to one of the caterers who was carefully stacking dirty champagne flutes into a bin. Brielle and Harlow needed to bypass the human and sneak into one of the staff-only corridors. Sure, they could just knock the human out, but someone would find the unconscious woman and send up an alert.

  “Is there a staff bathroom nearby?” Brielle murmured to the human female, knowing full well there was one right through a nearby door. The one they needed to get through. “Don’t feel like battling through the throng in the main ones.”

  The blonde flicked a glance at Brielle’s badge that said she was part of Star’s personal security and Brielle saw a flash of interest in her eyes.

  Before the woman could answer, Brielle said, “Here, take this,” as she pulled out an autographed picture of Star. She always kept half a dozen on her for random situations and she’d found that people were much more accommodating when she gave them one. “And if you’re here after the show, I can introduce you to Star.” A lie, but for a good cause.

  The woman blinked. “Ah, thanks.”

  “Come on,” Lola murmured through the comm line, her impatience clear. “Wrap this up.”

  The human glanced around first and then pointed at a side door that looked more like paneling. “Just go through there. You should be fine. Third door on the left before you hit the stairs. If you make it to the stairs, you’ve gone too far.”

  “Thanks, appreciate it.”

  “No problem… Listen, my name’s Erin. I get off around midnight if you want to meet up later tonight. Ah, not to meet Star. I mean, if you want to meet up with me and grab a drink or something.” She blushed as she said the words.

  “Oh my God,” Lola groaned through the comm line.

  “Yeah, we’ll set something up,” Brielle said, already striding away from the pretty blonde toward the door. Another lie, but it didn’t matter. “And thanks for this.”

  Once they ducked into the corridor, Harlow snorted. “How is it you get hit on everywhere we go?” her twin muttered. “I mean, we’re twins and no one ever hits on me.”r />
  “Yeah, but I actually talk to people. You just stare at them as if you’re deciding whether to kill them or not.”

  “Fair enough,” Harlow murmured as they hurried down the hall—bypassing the bathroom and heading straight for the stairs.

  “I’m officially into the mainframe,” Lola said over the secure frequency. “You’ve got eight minutes. Maybe ten. Security is chaotic because of the show starting and they’re going to assume this is due to interference from the pyrotechnics and other stuff. But your time is limited. The stairwell door is open…now.”

  “Copy,” Brielle murmured even as the keypad by the door lit up and she heard a soft snicking sound. She eased open the door, Harlow right behind her, and stepped into the stairwell.

  Unlike the lushly decorated and adorned hallways in the main part of the house, this one was narrower and utilitarian. And instead of going up, they headed down to where there were supposed to be two sets of elevators.

  “Okay, I’ve got eyes on the security cameras and there are two guards four floors below. I can’t find any other feeds connected to the underground area so there might not be any there.”

  Two guards? They could deal with that. It had cost a whole lot of money and some bloody knuckles, but they’d gotten the architectural plans to Oscar’s place. The real ones. Oscar had added on to this place years ago, and while they didn’t know with absolute certainty that Aurora was here, he’d developed what equated to a dungeon below his estate. Completely insulated, with prison cells. Considering the other info they’d dug up on the dragon Alpha, this had to be the place.

  And if Aurora wasn’t here, their pack was done trying to play nice. Star was barely holding on to her control. Brielle had no doubt they would go after him and his clan directly and beat him to death if he didn’t tell them where Aurora was. Tonight, probably.

  On instinct she shoved back the violent impulse, her tiger wanting to come out to fight as she and Harlow hurried down the stairs on quiet feet.

  As they silently neared the landing above the final floor, she scented two individuals just as Lola had said.

  She looked at her twin and gave the signal.

  Harlow nodded and started to unleash her claws, but Brielle shook her head and began taking off her clothes quietly so as not to utter a sound.

  Harlow frowned at her but Brielle continued to strip down until she was completely naked and motioned for Harlow to stay back. They’d done this move many times before in an op and it always worked. Men were so predictably stupid sometimes—and she was grateful for it.

  Hurrying down the rest of the stairs on her bare feet, her tiger lurking right below the surface, she smiled at the two armed men in plain black suits standing in front of the set of elevators. Given their size and scent, she was guessing these security guys were dragons.

  “Hello, gentlemen.” She gave her most winning smile even though both their gazes dropped to her breasts. “I’m hoping you can help me as I’m lost,” she said in a slightly pouty voice.

  The dark-haired male on the left blinked once, still staring at her breasts while the other one stepped forward, his gaze right on her crotch.

  Okay, so they deserved what was about to happen. They should be ashamed of themselves for getting distracted by a naked female. Maybe because they were dragons and used to being the apex predator in any room, they weren’t being as smart as they should be. Either way, she was going to use this to her full advantage. Giggling lightly, she took another step forward, all feline grace and sensuality.

  The one on the left finally dragged his eyes from her breasts to her face. Suddenly he shook his head. “Wait…what are you doing down here? How did you even get down here?”

  “Someone sent me as a present for all your hard work.”

  That stopped them in their tracks, the scent of their lust sharp and cloying.

  She dropped her voice an octave. “If you’re really good, I’ll let you have me at the same time.”

  Just underneath the aroma of lust, Brielle scented her twin even closer now and knew Harlow would have her back. She released her claws in milliseconds as she lunged at the male who hadn’t gone for his weapon or even his radio—he hadn’t done a damn thing to protect himself. Just stared at her breasts like a fool.

  As she went straight for his jugular the other male reacted, but it was too late. She cut deep across his throat, the slicing arc hitting its mark perfectly.

  Next to her, Harlow’s blades sang through the air, embedding themselves right in the second male’s throat.

  The male Brielle had sliced up stumbled back, eyes wide, but he didn’t fall.

  Brielle was vaguely aware of her sister and the other impaled male fighting. She knew her twin could take care of herself so she focused on her prey.

  She wrapped her legs around him tight so he couldn’t pull away from her. He clutched at his throat with one hand to stop the blood flow even as he sliced at her with his other hand. He opened his mouth and she could scent and feel the heat of his dragon fire about to unleash. She had only seconds now.

  Ignoring the clawing pain in her side, she shoved her claws straight through his chest and grabbed his heart. Killing a dragon was damn near impossible, especially if they shifted or blasted fire at you.

  Which was why they’d had to take these warriors off guard. It was such a delicate balance, knowing the weakness of your enemy.

  Grasping his beating heart, Brielle ripped it from his chest in a hard yank even as her sister finished off the other male. For good measure her twin not only ripped the other male’s heart out, Harlow beheaded both of them with her blades in two quick strokes before the males had even hit the ground.

  Ugh. There was so much damn blood.

  “Use one of their palms on the scanner. I’m still trying to break through the encryption but it’s taking too long.” Lola’s crisp voice came through their earpieces. She’d been watching them battle over the security cameras she’d hacked into, but ever the professional, Lola never interrupted when they were fighting someone. She understood that any sort of distraction could cost them their lives.

  “Will do.” Brielle grabbed the nearest dead body and flattened his palm against the bio scanner.

  The elevator doors swished open and she shoved out a breath of relief. She tried to wipe off some of the blood on the guy’s pants but it was pretty pointless.

  “We might lose you now.” Once they went deeper underground it was highly possible they’d lose their connection, but they’d prepared for that.

  “I’ve got your back, ladies.” Axel’s voice came over the comm line. “If you’re not up in six minutes, I’m coming down after you. As of now the coast is clear in the kitchen and hallway.”

  Axel was acting as their backup for this op, in case anyone realized what had happened and tried to come down after them. He would make sure no one got through those elevators. Because according to the architectural plans, there was only one way in and out of this dungeon. Which was good and bad.

  She hated not having another escape route and knew her twin felt the same way.

  “What a freaking mess,” Lola muttered over the earpiece as they stepped into the elevators.

  Yeah it was, and thankfully Lola had taken over the security cameras for now so no one would see the dead bodies and the growing pool of blood—that was turning into a lake.

  Harlow silently handed Brielle her bundle of clothing.

  She quickly pulled her clothes on even though she knew she might have to shift and fight down here. They weren’t sure what kind of security they’d be facing on this subfloor. It could be anything or anyone.

  Well get ready, motherfuckers. This dragon clan had taken one of their own.

  She would have no mercy for anyone involved in taking Aurora. And neither would Harlow.

  Chapter 5

  Buzzing with anticipation, Star stepped out onto the stage, her heart rate skyrocketing. Normally she would have savored the huge crowd chant
ing her name, would have reveled in it and let it feed her energy for the show.

  Not tonight.

  The chants, the pulsing lights, the noise and smells…it was all too overwhelming. All she could think about was Aurora, about her crew. If anything happened to them—

  “We’ve got her!” Brielle’s excited voice came over the comm line. “Limited body count so the extraction was smooth. Heading for the extraction point. Do the song,” she said before silencing communication.

  Oh God. They had Aurora. And in the five minutes it would take Star and her band to perform this opening song, the others should be able to get Aurora fully out of the compound. Then Star and the others would leave instead of hanging out backstage and waiting for their next song. Her throat tightened as she tried to compartmentalize her emotions but they were shoving up hard and fast. Aurora had been saved. Now they just had to make sure she got out of here.

  She straightened, forcing herself to stay calm. It was showtime. All her crew depended on her now.

  The way tonight was set up, each band or individual singer performed one song at a time. By the time it cycled back to her crew, they would be long gone, hopefully on a plane over the ocean.

  Wearing a skintight sheer purple bodysuit that basically looked like a sparkly monokini, she strode out onto the stage in her five-inch heels, a huge train of feathers trailing behind her. The outfit tonight was ridiculous but it went with her Star persona. And whatever, she liked it even if it was flamboyant.

  The crowd went wild as she held up a hand, waving at everyone. She wasn’t sure how she was doing this, how she was keeping her shit together.

  Athena started on the guitar, one of the spotlights highlighting her, then Marley started on the drums, a soft tempo for now. Star focused on the lyrics as Athena hit the next note.

  This was it. She grabbed the microphone off the stand and belted out the first words as a multitude of lights illuminated her. She danced across the stage, her energy upbeat as mini fireworks exploded behind the stage, bright purple starbursts.