Ancient Protector

by Katie Reus

  He’d been running over various options in his mind, especially given the show of power she’d displayed at the airport. He couldn’t help but think maybe she was a witch. But…she didn’t smell like one. She had a distinct, underlying animal sent. He just couldn’t figure out what sort. Maybe she was a hybrid. A half-demon and half-shifter? Many of their kind controlled fire so it was possible, and it made sense, given the animal scent. “I willnae interfere in anything in your territory while I’m here. Unless someone attacks me. Then I will defend myself.”

  “How long do you plan to be here?”

  “I cannae answer that.” That was up to Star, of course.

  “You have one week.” There was no give in King’s words as his wolf remained at the forefront.

  Lachlan’s dragon rippled again, not liking the challenging tone. “Or what?” he growled out.

  “One week. If you’re still here after that, I kick you out.”

  “I’m not challenging your territory.” Surely the male could see that. Though if he wanted it, he would take it. He was a dragon after all.

  “I am aware of that. But you are an Alpha.”

  And the unspoken words were that King could not allow another Alpha who owned a huge territory like himself to remain in the territory for long. It threw off the balance of everything. Lachlan understood that. Reaper was technically an Alpha in nature. Well, no technically about it—he was an Alpha to the bone—but he wasn’t an Alpha looking to expand his territory. No, he was a general used to leading armies. Used to war.

  “Two weeks,” Lachlan said.

  King lifted an eyebrow. “I wasn’t negotiating with you.”

  “Have some pity on me. I am but a simple male chasing after his female.” He intentionally lightened his tone, knowing he sounded daft.

  King let out a startled burst of laughter, and it took years off the wolf’s hard face. “That’s a new one. I’ll give you a week and a half.”

  “Deal.” He held out his hand and shook the other male’s once to agree.

  “What happens if she doesn’t agree to go with you?” King asked.

  “Then in a week and a half, I shall kidnap her.”

  King’s eyes narrowed. “You will not,” he rasped out, his wolf pushing hard now.

  Lachlan had started to respond when Reaper loudly cleared his throat. King nodded once at Reaper, who immediately grabbed Lachlan’s arm and led him out.

  Lachlan lifted an eyebrow at his friend. “Are you babysitting me now?”

  Reaper simply grinned. “Something like that. I’ve been tasked with keeping an eye on your annoying ass while you’re in town.”

  “My annoying ass?” He scowled. “You sound like a human.”

  Reaper lifted a broad shoulder. “If you’re lucky, I will allow you to meet my mate as well.”

  “I can only assume she is far too good for you.”

  Reaper laughed loudly, and the relaxing wolves lifted their heads to look over as they strode across the courtyard. “You assume right, old friend. She is much too good for me—she’s a brilliant healer.”

  Lachlan gave him a surprised look. The Dragon of War and a healer? Times had definitely changed.

  “And guess who else is awake now?”

  He simply looked at him. Lachlan wasn’t going to guess.

  “Prima and Mira. And Arthur.”

  Lachlan snorted. “I knew Arthur was awake. He left Scotland a while ago. Not sure why.”

  “To chase down Prima.”

  Lachlan laughed now until tears nearly streamed down his face. Arthur was finally chasing down Prima? “Oh, that bloody fool.”

  “Maybe, maybe not.”

  “They’re mated?” he asked as they strode down the street, avoiding the dripping water from an above balcony. Someone must have just watered their plants because the water overflowed in abundance.

  “Of course not. Prima would not make it easy on him.”

  He simply grunted. Arthur had wanted Prima even thousands of years ago. But Lachlan didn’t think either she or her twin would ever mate. They liked their freedom too much. Those two females were more in touch with their animal side than most dragons he’d ever known.

  Of course, he’d never thought to mate either. Not after he’d lost his first love. Then six months ago he’d heard a siren’s song and he’d been hooked.

  Now he had to hook his female.

  Chapter 12

  Star inwardly cursed herself even as she stepped into the dimly lit restaurant off Chartres Street. She was pretty sure this street had been damaged—the sign to a boutique hotel was missing and some of the brick looked as if it had been stripped right off one of the walls, or burned off—but for the most part there had been a lot of rebuilding here. Rebuilding with supernatural power, if what she’d heard was any indication. So even though there was a faint charred scent that lingered in the air from all the fire damage, most of the structural stuff seemed to be taken care of. At least here. She hadn’t seen the whole city yet.

  Glancing around the L-shaped interior, she scented mostly supernaturals sitting at the square-top tables, but there were a handful of humans as well. From the looks of the place, once upon a time it had been a four- or five-star restaurant. But now it appeared as if they were serving basic burgers and fried chicken sandwiches. And the sign on the wall declared gumbo the special of the day. She could get on board with that.

  The atmosphere was relaxed, with a low murmur of voices carrying across the room. Flickering candles were set on each table, giving the place an even more intimate atmosphere.

  She wasn’t even sure how going to a restaurant worked at this point. Would they pay or…what? And what would they pay with? She still had a bunch of cash but it was basically useless at this point. Or she assumed it was. King was restructuring everything at the moment and making sure people had their necessities met in exchange for nothing. He’d told her they would restructure financially eventually but she wasn’t sure how that was going to work. Their house had been stocked up before they’d arrived so she hadn’t even thought about what they’d do if they needed to replenish stuff. She knew there were grocery stores and bodegas across the city providing but she hadn’t personally been to any of them.

  Caught up in her own thoughts, she almost didn’t see the hostess approach, a petite woman with dark curly hair and light brown skin. A wolf, if she had to guess.

  The woman smiled at her. “Are you meeting people here, or alone?”

  “I’m meeting—”

  “Me.” Sexy, indigo-eyed Lachlan appeared as if out of nowhere beside her, which of course was impossible given how huge he was. For just a moment, that strange déjà vu sensation punched through her, but she shoved it away. Again. Lachlan wasn’t the kind of male she would forget. If she’d met him before the concert in Wales, she would have remembered. Still, when she looked at him, she felt—things. Far too many things that made no sense.

  The hostess looked up at him and smiled. “I’ll let you take her to your table, then. Your server will be with you in a moment. Enjoy.” She turned from them and started organizing menus by the hostess stand.

  “Am I late?” Star asked, fighting that buzzing sensation in her middle.

  “No, I was early.” He watched her with an intensity that was unnerving, his gaze dipping to her mouth for a brief moment. Sometimes when he looked at her, she felt like he was trying to see into her soul.

  “I know this isn’t the million-dollar date you paid for,” she murmured, feeling nervous and more than out of sorts. The fact that he was in New Orleans at all was so weird.

  She knew Axel was nearby keeping an eye on the restaurant just in case things went south, but she didn’t actually think Lachlan was going to try anything dangerous. At least not in public—and she didn’t think he wanted to hurt her.

  “Getting to spend time with you is worth anything.” His tone was deadly serious as he pulled out a chair for her.

  Oh, damn. His sincerity�
��and his accent—were doing strange things to her insides. As she sat, she received a few curious looks and wondered if she’d been recognized—and hoped she hadn’t been.

  She also wasn’t sure how to respond to Lachlan, so she simply cleared her throat and said, “Thank you. I mean for the chair thing. For…pulling out my chair.” Oh sweet goddess, she was stumbling over her words like someone who’d never talked to another person before.

  Thankfully he ignored her weirdness as he sat across from her. She wasn’t sure how he sat in the chair with his huge frame. “How is your sister?”

  She stilled in her seat, her eyes narrowing.

  “What?” He paused, watching her carefully. “What did I say?”

  “How do you know about my sister?”

  “Well I know Oscar of the Rabec clan kidnapped her.” His words were quiet, for her ears only. “The lass you rescued, that was your sister, right?”

  “How do you know we’re sisters?”

  “Just an educated guess. I looked into your background and didnae see a link. But…when I saw the two of you together, it’s clear there’s a familial connection. I’d guess that you’re her older sister.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. Had he gotten all that from seeing them together once? “Have you been watching me? Are you stalking me?”

  “I dinnae ken if that’s the word I would use.”

  Her temper simmered. “Okay, are you watching me from afar without my knowledge?”

  “Maybe.”

  Despite herself, she let out a startled laugh at his tone and bluntness. “So you’re just a weirdo and have no problem admitting it.”

  He lifted a shoulder and she found her gaze following the movement, then trailing along the length of his big, covered bicep. The man was huge. Even if she hadn’t seen him in shifted form, she would have guessed he was a dragon. Somehow she forced her gaze up to his eyes.

  “I dinnae ken that I would use the word weirdo either,” he murmured.

  “Well to answer your question, yes she is my sister, and she is fine.”

  “Why did he take her?”

  “You don’t know?”

  He shook his head. “I’m not exactly on speaking terms with him after I killed three of his warriors.” There was a savage note of satisfaction in his tone.

  Oh yeah, she liked that too because she was glad those males were dead and was just sorry she hadn’t been the one to kill them. She shrugged again. “He’s a psycho, that’s why he took her.” And that was all she was going to say about that.

  “He’s currently dealing with the fallout of everything in his territory. I have my people keeping an eye on him and his land. If he makes a move to leave, I’ll let you know.”

  “Why would you do that?” And why was he looking at her as if he knew her? It was unsettling.

  He frowned at her. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Well, we’re strangers, for starters. Look, what do you want from me?” It was driving her crazy trying to guess at his motives.

  “I think that should be obvious.” His voice dropped an octave.

  She stilled again. Did he know what she was? Did he want her for her blood too? She tensed, ready to bolt.

  But he continued, his indigo eyes going all molten. Oh, damn. “I just want the chance tae get to know you.”

  There was a whole lot of truth in his words and in his expression. She forced herself to take a breath. She was used to people wanting something from her—access to parties, the notoriety of being her friend, money. And while it was pretty clear he wanted something, she kinda figured it was in the realm of the whole male-female type of want, not anything else. Not sure how to respond, she cleared her throat and glanced away. And that was when she realized they were being watched.

  “Ah, that couple over there is watching us,” she murmured quietly. It wasn’t overt but she knew when someone was spying on her. She’d gotten really good at sensing it.

  He sighed, then turned and nodded once at the tall, striking couple. Oh, he knew them.

  The female had long, copper-colored hair, bright green eyes, and wore jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt. With those cheekbones and that height—she had to be six feet tall—she could have been a supermodel. In fact, Star wondered if she should know her.

  The male was even taller than the female and had the typical, huge dragon build. His buzz cut gave him a military bearing but she guessed he hadn’t been in any contemporary military force. No, he was probably some ancient general from thousands of years ago. It was impossible to gauge supernaturals’ ages, but just looking in this guy’s eyes—he was old and deadly.

  Just like Lachlan.

  Star’s breath caught in her throat as she realized why she recognized the couple. They’d been shown in various news feeds in the aftermath of The Fall. There were videos of them in dragon form battling those who wanted to destroy the city and they’d been savage and beautiful. Afterward, there had been feeds of them shifting to human form and the big male kissing her as if he would die without her. It had been quite memorable.

  She stood as Lachlan grabbed a couple chairs for the couple. Part of her was disappointed, but having a buffer between them was probably a good thing.

  “This is Greer and Reaper,” Lachlan said immediately. “She’s a healer and runs one of the local healing centers. He is a former general and warrior currently working with King to rebuild the city. And you two already know who Star is so I willnae tell you that she’s the most talented singer in the world.”

  It was standard for supernaturals to give a rundown of someone’s history, but her cheeks flamed at his words and she fought the stupid smile that wanted to pop up at his ridiculous compliment. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said to both of them, then focused on Greer as they all sat back down. The couple murmured back similar niceties before Star asked, “Which healing center do you run?”

  She rattled off an address, then said, “It’s the one in the Irish Channel district. And I’m just going to say up front that I am a huge fan of yours. Like, incredibly huge. I’d heard rumors that you were supernatural.” The female’s expression was so open and kind, it was easy to see that she was a healer.

  Star smiled politely and found her tension easing a bit. “I’m a fan of yours too—I saw what you did on those news feeds.”

  The woman’s cheeks flushed red. “Ugh, those stupid videos,” she muttered.

  Star laughed lightly. “You were impressive. It was like watching superheroes on the big screen.”

  The female waved away her compliment.

  “Can I ask you something?” Star said as the two males murmured something to each other. Something about witches and vampires and…something.

  “Of course.”

  “I feel kind of weird asking since we just met, but since you’re a healer…” She cleared her throat. “What should supernaturals do now if they need to talk to someone. Like a therapist or…something along those lines. I’m not asking for myself, but a friend.” She wasn’t going to tell Greer that she was asking for Aurora.

  “I personally do sessions, but I work with other supernaturals who do as well. And the rules are the same as the humans have. Privacy is valued and respected. After everything that happened, the human therapists and psychologists haven’t had a break either. They’re really coming out in full force to help. Your friend can call me anytime if they need to set up an appointment. Or they can come see me. Or…you can too.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’ll pass on the information.” She turned to look at Lachlan when she realized the males had stopped talking. And Lachlan was watching her with that sexy intensity that threw her off-kilter. “So how do you guys know each other?” she asked, looking between them.

  “We’re both warriors.” Reaper answered, as if that should explain everything. “Before he was Alpha and had a fancy castle, he and I fought in a few battles together.” The other male glanced at Lachlan with respect.

  She lifted an eyebrow. “A fancy ca
stle?” Star actually knew he had one. You know, because she’d been stalking him a bit too. But she hadn’t been able to find pictures online and her super-stalker Lola had only found one grainy aerial photo that gave her nothing.

  “Technically I have two.” That wicked mouth curved up ever so slightly.

  Of course he did. She found herself laughing even as their server came up and took the order. Everyone got burgers, which made it super simple.

  After a few minutes of talking, Greer said, “So, a little birdie told me you’re going to be putting on a few shows in the city in the coming weeks.”

  “You heard right. I’m assuming that little birdie is actually a demon-vampire badass who runs a club?”

  Greer laughed as she nodded. “Yes. And I couldn’t believe Cynara knew you. I was so mad she hadn’t told me before.”

  Reaper snorted and reached across the table to take his mate’s hand in a sweet, gentle gesture so at odds with the big male. “My mate might have offered up our future firstborn for the chance to meet you.”

  “Hey! I did not. Also, play it cool, mate,” she playfully admonished him.

  Star felt her cheeks flush slightly even as something strange settled in her belly. Longing. She glanced at Lachlan and found him watching her in that not so subtle way of his. And for a moment, she swore she saw longing in his gaze too. Longing for something long gone—which made no sense.

  With herculean effort, she tore her gaze from his. “It feels weird to be performing and singing, but I’ve been assured that it’s needed right now. And my band is ready to get out there. Athena always gets antsy if she doesn’t get to play enough.”