Invisible Warrior (The Protectors Series) Book #11

by Teresa Gabelman

  “He is,” Jill said proudly. “I remember some of you, but it was pretty crazy the last time we were here, and we couldn’t stay long.”

  “How are things going your way?” Dell asked. He’d been quiet until this point.

  “Same shit, different day,” Steve replied, his eyes going to Leda. “Got a day off so I thought we’d come out for a bit.”

  “It’s great to see you.” Hunter nodded, then glanced at Leda. “I guess you want to steal Leda away.”

  “If she’s done, yeah.” Steve nodded, grinning at Leda. Knowing he was getting the death stare, he glanced again at the guy named Taz and frowned. “You got a problem?”

  “Steve!” Jill hissed, then nudged him. “Chill out.”

  Leda walked up, took Steve’s hand and led him away from the group. “I’ve tried to call you a couple of times,” Leda said once they were safely away from everyone.

  “Yeah, I know.” The guilt started to overwhelm him. “It’s been a little crazy. So who’s that guy, Tax?”

  “Taz?” Leda chuckled, then shrugged her shoulders. “He’s just a new pack member. Why?”

  “Just wondering since he looked like he wanted to tear my throat out.” Steve’s brows dipped. They stopped at another clearing and Leda reached up and hugged him.

  “Jealous?” Leda smiled up at him.

  “No.” And Steve realized he really wasn’t and that said a lot. “Not really. Listen, Leda.”

  Leda stepped back, her smile fading. “What?”

  Jesus, this was harder than he thought it was going to be. It wasn’t like they saw each other every day. While theirs was a long-distance relationship, he still had feelings for her. It’s just they weren’t as strong as he thought they were.

  “Steve, just spit it out.” Leda crossed her arms over her chest.

  “I really can’t be seeing you anymore.” There, he literally spat it out. Actually, it tumbled uneasily out of his mouth, and he wanted to kick his own ass.

  “Oh, well, okay.” Leda frowned and looked away. “Is it something I’ve done? I mean, I know we haven’t really been together a lot, but if I’ve done something….”

  “No!” Steve said quickly and a little loudly. “It’s so not you. It’s me.”

  “You’ve met someone, haven’t you?” Leda’s attention snapped toward him.

  “Yes.” He sighed, then slammed his mouth closed waiting and hoping that she wouldn’t freak out because he couldn’t handle seeing her upset. “I’m sorry. I never meant to have feelings.”

  Leda sighed, walked away, and stared out into the woods.

  Steve gave her a second, all the while cursing himself for being an asshole. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, not really knowing what else to say.

  Leda turned around. “It’s okay.” Her voice was soft, her eyes not narrowed in anger. “I guess I expected this to happen with one of us. We hardly ever see each other, can barely talk on the phone and well, it’s really okay.”

  “It is?” Steve’s eyes opened wide with relief.

  She nodded with a small smile. “I really like you Steve, a lot.” She shrugged. “But I think I should be more upset than I am, and I’m not really that upset. I mean, I wish it could have worked out because you are the best, but it is what it is.”

  “Can we still be friends?” Steve asked, and yes, there was a little begging in his tone. He really wanted to remain friends. He didn’t care if he sounded like a five-year-old for asking. Her friendship meant a lot to him.

  “Of course we can.” Leda chuckled as Steve slapped his hand on his chest in relief. “I think I would be more upset if you didn’t want to be my friend.”

  Steve hoisted her close and hugged her tightly. “I really am sorry, Leda.”

  “Don’t be.” She hugged him back. “And whoever she is, she’s a very lucky girl.”

  He only nodded, not saying much. He really didn’t think Leda wanted to know about Mira, so he kept it to himself. They walked out of the woods and headed toward the feed store hand in hand.

  Leda stopped suddenly and pulled her hand away. “Listen, I’m going to head on to the house.” She looked up at him, then kissed him on the cheek as a tear slid down hers. “I wish you the best, Steve.”

  “Leda?” Steve went to grab her, but she stepped out of the way.

  “I’m fine.” She laughed and cried at the same time. “It just hit me that our midnight talks and the way you could make me laugh is going to be gone. It’s really okay, just makes me a little sad because I am losing a part of you that I can’t have, and I understand that. But I’m allowed to be sad, Steve.”

  Standing in the middle of the road, Steve looked down at Leda as she wiped her tears away. Jesus, he felt like the biggest piece of shit. He started to say something but was blindsided and knocked clear across the street on his ass.

  “What the fuck did you do to her?” The guy named Tag, Tax, Taz—or whatever in the fuck his name was—stalked toward him, his face a mask of fury.

  Getting his shit together quickly, Steve jumped up. “None of your fucking business, asshole.” Steve headed toward him, but Leda put herself between them.

  “Stop it!” Leda shouted at them both. “Steve, just go!”

  Steve glanced around to see the rest of the new pack surrounding them, their eyes not friendly. Hunter and Dell ran up. “I told Garrett they’d all be fighting over you,” Hunter said, his comment light, but his tone serious.

  “Shut up, Hunter,” Leda hissed.

  “Her crying is my business, bloodsucker,” Taz growled, his eyes narrowed in rage.

  “You’ve had a problem since I walked onto the scene, dog,” Steve threw out and didn’t give a shit a few of the others started growling at him.

  “That’s because you’re an undead freak of nature,” Devon called out from behind Taz.

  “Hey!” Jill, who had watched intently from the sidelines to back her boy up, stepped forward. “Asshole, stay out of it.”

  “It would be my pleasure if you come over here with your fine self and make me.” Devon smiled with a wink.

  Jill’s hands shot out, and Devon went flying back, skidding on his ass across the street. “Who’s next?” Jill hissed, her eyes watching them all.

  “Okay, boys and girls.” Hunter and Dell stepped between them. “We’re friends here. Everyone needs to get a grip before I start kicking ass.” Hunter’s words didn’t seem to faze Steve or Taz as they continued to glare at each other.

  Hunter grabbed them both by the throat and squeezed. “I said, we are all friends here, and everyone needs to get a grip. Do you understand me?”

  “Yeah!” Taz finally wheezed out.

  “Got it,” Steve said, then pushed Hunter’s hand away before rubbing his throat.

  “Good, now shake hands,” Hunter ordered. When they continued to just stand there, he growled with force. “I said shake fucking hands!”

  Taz and Steve reached for each other’s hands, but neither seemed to want to let go as they squeezed and squeezed. “Son of a bitch!” Hunter and Dell pulled them apart. “Jill, get him the fuck out of here.”

  Jill grabbed Steve after throwing Devon a nasty look. “Come on, Steve.”

  Steve pulled his eyes from Taz to see Leda standing alone. He really didn’t want to leave like this. But she gave him a small smile and a wave before turning and walking away.

  He let Jill lead him toward the car and climbed inside, his anger radiating off him. Jill got in and started the car, but stayed put when Hunter leaned in Steve’s window.

  “You good, man?” Hunter looked at Steve.

  “Yeah, I’m okay,” Steve grumbled, then looked over his shoulder. “What in the fuck is his problem?”

  “He’s in love with Leda,” Hunter said matter-of-factly.

  Okay, that took Steve back a bit. No wonder the asshole hated him. “Well, that explains a lot.”

  Hunter laughed. “Jesus, you sure get yourself into some shit, Steve.”

  �
��Ain’t that the fucking truth.” Steve rubbed his forehead with a sigh. “Damn, man.”

  “It’s okay. No harm done.” Hunter glanced over his shoulder to where Taz still glared at the car. “But let’s not poke the bear. You guys be careful and give me a text when you get back.”

  “Will do.” Steve nodded.

  Jill drove them out of town, both silent with their own thoughts. She stopped at a light, and they looked at each other at the same time.

  “That was… something,” Jill said, then started laughing hysterically.

  A big grin broke over Steve’s face. “Something is right. What in the fuck?”

  The light had changed, but Jill was laughing too hard to notice until the person behind them blew their horn, which made Jill laugh harder.

  “Let’s keep this between us, okay?” Jill finally said between chuckles. “If Slade or Sloan finds out, we’ll never be able to go anywhere together again.”

  “Definitely,” Steve agreed, but his smile began to fade. He really did hate leaving Leda that way and felt bad. He made a mental note to call her later to make sure she was okay. Fuck Tag or whatever his name was.

  Chapter 11

  Ronan headed around the back of the compound so he could enter the rear of the building near his room. Glancing down at the blood on his clothing, he frowned. He lost more good clothes this way. His body was ringing with energy; it always did after a good fight. It was part of the job. Sometimes he liked that part of the job and other times he didn’t. Tonight he had helped Sid and Jax with some rogue vampires who didn’t want to listen to what was good for them. They had to be shown. And he, along with Sid and Jax, were more than happy to show them. Now he needed a shower, change of clothes, and some food.

  Glancing up at the full moon, his eyes narrowed. He missed his ranch, missed riding his horse, Jackson, on nights like this. He may be a VC Warrior, but he would always be a cowboy at heart and missed that life more than he cared to admit. It was probably why he kept his ranch, so any time he had free, he could head that way for some peace. Those times were few and far between.

  Before he made his way to the rear door, he heard the clinking sound of metal. Slowly, he turned his head, his eyes searching until they fell upon a beautiful woman sitting in the middle of the yard, her head tilted back toward the moon that shone directly down on her.

  Kira sat with her legs crossed, her long raven hair draping down her back to the ground. Ronan felt the stirring of arousal as he stared at her and knew without a doubt he’d been too long without a female. None appealed to him, until now.

  “Are you going to just stand there and stare at me or you going to come over and talk, cowboy?” Her voice floated on the night air.

  Ronan cocked his eyebrow, impressed she knew not only that he stood watching, but who he was. With a casual pace, he headed her way and once in front of her, noticed she wore a half grin. She opened one eye to look up at him before closing it again.

  “Cop a squat,” she told him. “I’ll be done in a second.”

  Just because he was interested in what she had to say to him—yeah, that was the only reason—he sat on the ground, his long legs stretched out in front of him. Once settled, he watched her finish whatever the hell she was finishing.

  After a few seconds, she raised two fingers to her lips with a kiss, then pressed her fingers against her dragonfly choker. Her eyes opened then ran over him. “Looks like you had an exciting night.”

  “You could say that,” he answered with a nod.

  “Your blood.” She frowned as her eyes roamed as if looking for injuries.

  “Not a drop.” His reply was confident and sure.

  “Shoot!” Her nose wrinkled in disappointment.

  Ronan laughed loudly. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m glad it’s not yours. Kinda,” Kira replied, then grinned. “I just had a new potion I made up that I could have tried for healing.”

  “For future reference, I’ll pass on any untested potions.” Ronan shook his head, giving her a sideways look. “Plus, I doubt it would work. I don’t believe in that sort of thing, and I’m a vampire. I heal pretty much instantly.”

  “So, by you not believing in that sort of thing, it won’t work?” This time Kira cocked her eyebrow. “Well, that’s a pretty strong statement, Mr. Cowboy Vampire. Who’d have thought a vampire wouldn’t believe in magic.”

  He just shrugged, realizing he liked sparring words with her. She was quick with her wit, and he enjoyed that. “So what were you doing?”

  “Putting a curse on all vampires,” Kira said nonchalantly. “But you don’t have to worry about that since you don’t believe, right?”

  Ronan laughed again—that was twice in less than three minutes. What the fuck? Maybe there was something with this magic stuff. He never laughed. Well, maybe sarcastically at someone, but even then, that wasn’t often. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just I’ve met people who proclaim to be a sorcerer, witch or warlock, and they honestly couldn’t pull a rabbit out of a hat, even if I put the rabbit in there for them.”

  “Ah, jokes.” Kira nodded, looking up at the moon becoming more serious. “I hope to change your mind sooner rather than later because of what you’ve all fallen into because of my sister. It’s dangerous stuff. More dangerous than anyone realizes.”

  “I really didn’t mean to—” Ronan felt bad; he shouldn’t have said that to her.

  “Offend?” Kira laughed. “Please, I’ve been called a fake, phony, you name it, I’ve been called it. I don’t care if you believe me or not. No, wait. That’s not true. I do care because it could mean life or death to everyone involved.”

  “But I’ve heard, even though I don’t believe, that magic cannot touch vampires,” Ronan replied, sensing she was on edge. The more he held fast to his belief of what she was, the more on edge she became.

  “There is a power in this world that has not even been tapped into yet. The Warlock Orjyll was one of the most powerful before he was bound. He has found a way, whether through someone else or himself, to do things such as have two men kill themselves instead of being caught and interrogated by you guys. If he kills me, my sister, or Drew, he will be freed and hell will walk the earth.” Kira’s tone was blunt and to the point. “Whether you believe me or not, things are going to get wicked. And not all who live here are vampires.”

  Ronan knew all about witches, how couldn’t he. Living as long as he had, hell, he couldn’t even remember how old he was, but he’d run into a few witches, warlocks, and so-called sorcerers in his time. A few had made him rethink his position of being a nonbeliever, but then his mind would always come up with a simple explanation on how something magical was accomplished. Since witchcraft couldn’t be done on a vampire, he had never experienced anything himself, so yeah, in his mind, it was all smoke and mirrors.

  “They are well protected by their vampire mates,” Ronan reassured her, his confidence in his fellow Warriors’ ability to protect their own evident in his tone. “So what are you doing out here at this time of night, by yourself?” His eyes narrowed slightly, realizing she was alone where she could be attacked before one of the Warriors could reach her. That possibility didn’t sit well with him.

  “Why, it’s the witching hour, cowboy.” Kira grinned then looked up at the sky. “With a full moon. Perfect conditions for spells, mischief, and mayhem.”

  “Ah.” Ronan leaned his head back and stared up at the moon, but not before he rolled his eyes. “So the moon gives you more power?”

  “You really don’t know much about my kind, do you?” She sighed with a chuckle.

  Looking from the moon to her smiling face, he considered maybe she really was a witch because at the moment, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms, lay her on the damp grass, and bury himself so deep inside her that— He shook his head and sat up straighter. He noticed her mouth was moving, but he didn’t hear a word. What the fuck had jus
t happened? “What?”

  She tilted her head as if annoyed. “Did you hear anything I said?”

  Shit! No, he hadn’t, and how in the hell was he going to explain that? He had been looking right at her. “Not sure I know what you meant.” There, that was better than saying he hadn’t heard a word.

  “What part of ‘you need to keep Steve away from my sister’ didn’t you understand?” She narrowed her eyes. Yeah, she was annoyed.

  That was pretty plain, dammit. “What I don’t understand is why?” Okay, that sounded good. “And why would they be my business anyway?”

  “Do you care for him?” She eyed him sternly.

  “Yeah, I guess.” Ronan felt so fucking lost. One minute they were talking about witches, then he was thinking of lifting that long skirt and fucking her in the wet grass, before moving to whether he cared for Steve. It was by far the craziest moment in his life, and he’d had a lot of fucking crazy moments.

  “You guess?” She frowned, and he noted he really found her attractive when she tilted her head in a confused state.

  “I mean—” What in the hell did he mean?

  “Yes?” Even with her legs crossed, she was tapping the side of her foot on the ground impatiently.

  “I don’t know the kid all that well and—”

  “He’s not a kid.” She cocked her eyebrow at him. “He’s a man who is infatuated with my sister and her baby.”

  “Well, to me he’s a kid, and will you stop interrupting me?” Ronan felt like he was being interrogated. Hell, he was being interrogated. He knew what that was like, admittedly not by a beautiful woman who looked like a gypsy yet said she was a witch. “Who Steve gets involved with is not my business.”

  “Even if it means his life?” Her voice had changed from annoyed to concerned, as did her features.

  “He’s a Warrior and can handle himself,” Ronan replied, his tone confident in that fact.

  “Not against a curse,” Kira replied quickly, but her eyes held a sadness that made him want to fight the curse she spoke of, and he didn’t even believe in fucking curses. Jesus, he was losing his mind.