Moonlit Guardian

by Crystal-Rain Love

  “We’ll deal with Kim when we have to,” she advised. “One thing at a time.”

  “If this Kim is Kim Montoya, you need to deal with her now,” Samel said from the doorway. “I traced that tracking device to her, and I found more bad stuff than that.” He jerked his head in the direction of his room, indicating they should follow.

  11

  When Draven said Samel had a bed squeezed into his Tech Cave, he wasn’t exaggerating. The room was filled with computers and other electronic gizmos, bulletin boards, and spreadsheets.

  Jammed against one wall was a bed with a built in dresser underneath. There simply wasn’t room for a full dresser anywhere else.

  “What is all this?” she asked, carefully squeezing through the small space between the bed and his long desk which housed multiple monitors. Most were computer monitors, but a few showed the streets around their building.

  “The Tech Cave,” Samel answered with a proud smile. “I could hack into the Pentagon from here. Just don’t tell them that. They generally frown on things like that, or so I hear.”

  “It’ll be our secret.”

  Samel sat in the chair tightly squeezed in the narrow space between the bed and desk area and pointed to a series of numbers on one of the computer screens. “I traced the tracking device back to your manager so I decided I’d just take a look through her phone records while you two were having your little chat time. Draven told me his suspects are Rex Ziering and Britney Starr. Kim Montoya has had several conversations with both of them over the last few months.”

  Kimiko looked closer at the screen as if it would hold answers to the questions suddenly racing through her mind.

  “Ziering makes sense,” Draven commented behind her. “She’s been trying to get the two of you together and discussing this movie with him. Why would she have any reason to talk to Britney Starr?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know. Which of these numbers belongs to Britney?” she asked, pointing to the screen.

  Samel pushed a key and the same number highlighted in pink in several places on the screen.

  “That’s all her number?”

  “Yes, and you can see the date, time, and length of each call.” He pointed out those details on the screen.

  Kimiko peered closer, paying attention to the time each call was made. “All of these are outgoing?”

  “No. The arrows next to the number show outgoing versus ingoing.” He pointed to the arrows. “Most of Starr’s calls were inbound, but Montoya has returned her fair share so this isn’t what I’d call a one-sided relationship.”

  “What about Rex?”

  Samel pushed another key and another set of numbers highlighted in yellow. “Pretty even on the ingoing versus outgoing. Some calls were made pretty close together. Any of these dates mean anything to you?”

  Kimiko took control of the mouse and scrolled down to the most recent dates, then went back to the older ones. “There are so many, and they’ve picked up these last few months.”

  “They’ve really picked up this week,” Draven said. “The calls have escalated as the threat has escalated.”

  “Well, that’s not suspicious at all,” Samel said sarcastically. “Draven, you said you overheard Starr and Ziering having it out right before the concert?”

  “Yeah.”

  Kimiko turned toward him. “What? You didn’t tell me.”

  “It was right before you went on and I didn’t think it was directly related to your safety.”

  Samel rapidly pressed keys on the keyboard and another screen popped up next to the numbers already showing.

  “What’s that?” Kimiko asked as she looked at the side by side windows.

  “Calls between Ziering and Starr.”

  “Wow, you’re good.”

  “Not bad for a newb.”

  “Huh? You’re not like, specially trained for this type of stuff?”

  “Oh, I was trained for it. It was just pretty recent. Where I come from, we didn’t have all this stuff. It’s kind of cool.”

  She looked at Draven and he shrugged, clearly not ready to explain. “Let’s focus on getting you out of harm’s way first, shall we?”

  “What time were you shot at outside the restaurant?”

  “Two days ago, around five.”

  Samel pointed to the first window, then the second. “Montoya called Starr about half an hour before. Starr called Ziering shortly after it happened, and so did Montoya. It could mean nothing, or it could mean everything. The one thing I do know is Starr is calling Ziering, but not getting many return calls.”

  “That goes with what I overheard before the concert,” Draven said. “He was telling her to leave him alone, more or less.”

  “Aww, the poptart’s love is unrequited,” Samel said. “Could make her go after the woman he does want.”

  Kimiko shook her head. “No, just no. Britney Starr is not crazy enough to drench my dressing room in animal blood.”

  “She loathes you, Kimiko.”

  She turned toward Draven. “Really? Don’t believe everything you read in the tabloids.”

  He arched a sardonic eyebrow.

  “Right. You don’t read tabloids.” She sighed. “That little girl did say she heard her basically wishing me dead.”

  “Well, that sounds guilty enough to me,” Samel said, peering closer at one of the monitors. “You guys better move quick.”

  Draven tensed, his head cocked to the side. “They’re here.”

  Fear sparked instantly in Kimiko’s chest. “Who’s here?”

  Samel pointed to one of the monitors and she looked closer to see a group of men climbing the stairs inside the building. Another monitor showed more men surrounding the building.

  “Britney Starr may hate you but Kim Montoya’s tracking device is the only way these men would know about you.”

  “What are we going to do? The men at the concert shot at me. These guys are probably armed too.”

  “Oh they’re definitely armed,” Samel said, rising from his seat, “which is why you two are leaving the same way you came in.”

  “They’ll keep following that tracking device,” Draven said to his roommate.

  “Not once I disarm it. I’ll handle these guys. You just get your woman to the safehouse. The pack has those cabins nearby. Heavily guarded. They won’t find her there.”

  “Will the pack allow it?”

  “I’ll give them a heads up, explain everything. Until we know exactly what’s going on here and why Kimiko is wanted dead, it’s the safest place for the two of you.”

  The men were close enough they could hear their footsteps in the hall.

  “Go. Now.” Samel ushered them out the room and to the living room before turning to face the front door.

  “I’m going to have to shift again and fly us out of here,” Draven warned as he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the balcony.

  “What about Samel? We can’t leave him here against that many men.”

  “They don’t want him. They want you.”

  “They’ll know I was here,” she said as they reached the balcony. “They’ll hurt him to get information.”

  “They’ll regret it.” He grinned. “It’s time for us to go.”

  The sound of the front door crashing open reached them. Kimiko turned toward the sound and heard scuffling followed by a sound one would never expect to hear coming from an apartment in the city.

  “Was that a roar?” she asked, turning toward Draven. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw him in his other form, a black-skinned demon with eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. His clawed feet gripped the railing as he squatted there on his haunches, looking at her. His bat-like wings unfolded. She gulped.

  Before she could think of anything to say, his arms wrapped around her and he propelled them into the night where they fled the men sent to kill her.

  Draven landed gently on the ground outside a cabin near the outer limits of the pack’s
land. He lowered Kimiko to the ground and quickly shifted shape, noticing the relief in her eyes as he did.

  “Am I that grotesque?”

  She looked away. “Sorry. It’s just not the easiest thing to wrap my head around.”

  “Yeah.” He sniffed the air, making sure the cabin was empty before opening the door. “We’ll stay here until Samel contacts us. By now he’s told the agency what’s going on and has a team working with him. No offense to your human police force but the agency has them beat.”

  “You’re sure Samel’s alright?” Kimiko looked around the cabin as they stepped inside. The living area, kitchen area and bed occupied the spacious room. There were only two doors other than the one they’d entered. Those belonged to the closet and the bathroom. “We left him alone against all those men.”

  “All those men never stood a chance. Samel may be what your realm calls a tech-geek but he’s the scariest one you’ll ever know. Don’t let his jovial charm fool you.”

  “That was him roaring, wasn’t it?”

  He turned to find her standing in the middle of the cabin, fists planted on her curvy hips. The pose made her breasts jut out, as if he needed her to look any more delectable.

  “There should be clothes in the closet and that dresser over there. You can take a warm bath while I put together some dinner.” He walked over to the kitchen space and opened the refrigerator. The pack generally kept the cabins well-stocked in case anyone needed their use and this one was no exception. He took out two steaks and checked the vegetable bin for onions.

  “Nice avoidance.”

  Sighing, Draven closed the refrigerator and placed his discovered items on the long kitchen island that bisected the kitchen space from the living area. “It was him. He’s a werelion. How do you like your steak?”

  After a moment of silence he looked up to see her standing in the same spot but her fisted hands were now loose at her sides and her mouth hung open.

  “What? At least a lion is common to your realm.”

  “Not when it turns into a person.” She raked a hand through her hair. “What other kinds of animals are you?”

  Draven slammed the slabs of meat onto the counter. “We’re not animals. We’re people that take on animal forms.”

  Kimiko took a step back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insult you. I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  “A monster? I’m not one of those either.” He unwrapped the steaks and set them in the sink. “I may not be great to look at when I shift shape but I’m still me. I’m still the man who’d take a bullet for you.”

  “You’re still a bodyguard, you mean?”

  “No. That’s not what I meant. I meant I’d take a bullet for you, like I said.” He grabbed a knife from the knife block and turned back toward the onions he’d left on the kitchen island. He waved the blade toward the bathroom door before using it to slice into the first onion. “It’s been a long night. A hot bath will relax you and I’ll have dinner ready by the time you get out.”

  “I don’t think a hot bath is going to be enough to relax me after this night.”

  “Well, take one anyway. At the very least, get out of that catsuit.”

  She looked down at her body-hugging clothing and grinned. “You like it, don’t you?”

  “I may turn into a gargoyle but in this form I’m not made of stone. Now go take a bath and put on something loose.”

  Still grinning, she walked over to the dresser and started searching the drawers. “Wait a minute.” She looked over her shoulder. “Can you turn into stone too?”

  “If needed.” He chopped the onions harder than necessary.

  “Did I say something wrong?”

  “No.” He stopped chopping and offered her a small smile. “I was just remembering something, something I’d really like to forget. Go on now and quit distracting me. If I look at you in that outfit much longer I may give up on dinner and try for dessert.”

  She blushed, looking away shyly, but when her gaze returned to him it was full of heat. His breath stilled as the urge to claim her swelled inside him. His black cargoes suddenly grew tight.

  “I like it well done.”

  He choked on his own saliva. “What?”

  “The steak.” She pointed to the sink. “I like it well done.”

  “Oh!” He laughed. “Yeah, the steak. I’ll, uh, I’ll make sure it’s done right.”

  “What did you think I was talking about?” Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

  He fumbled for a response but gave up as her full lips spread into a mischievous smile. “Quit distracting me, woman. I have work to do.”

  Chuckling, she took the clothes she’d found into the bathroom.

  Draven blew out a breath and continued prepping the steaks. Once he had them in the oven he retrieved the cell phone from his pants and dialed Samel.

  “Arrived safely I assume?” the lion shifter said upon answering.

  “Yes.”

  “Get nekkid yet?”

  “Really, Samel?”

  His friend laughed. “I’m fine, by the way. Nice of you to ask.”

  “If I had any doubt you couldn’t handle those men, I wouldn’t have left.”

  “I know. The Moonlight Agency has been updated on the situation. They’ve assigned a team to me. Thanks for the work. I was getting bored.”

  “Yes, well, I wish you’d found a job under better circumstances.”

  “No worries. The men sent after her were just humans. Highly skilled, sure, but still just humans. We’ll find out who’s behind it all.”

  “Are they dead?”

  “No. I didn’t kill them. I just slapped them around a little bit and delivered them to Moonlight for questioning. They were actually pretty easy to take down once I shifted shape. They just stood there, flabbergasted.”

  “They saw what you are. The agency won’t let them live.”

  “Of course not, and they don’t deserve to. They would have killed Kimiko and for what? Money? Evil bastards.”

  Draven nodded despite there being no one to see. He knew what Samel said made perfect sense, but he hated the taking of lives.

  “This isn’t like your guard dog job in Imortia, Draven. Kimiko is an innocent woman.”

  “You know me too well, Samel.”

  “We are the same, yet different.”

  Draven heard the bathwater stop in the bathroom and pictured Kimiko relaxing in the tub, naked and glistening. He forced his mind back to the immediate problem at hand. “I imagine I’ll be seeing Addix and Zaira soon.”

  “They know you’re there for sure. They know you brought an insider, but I told the agency everything. They’ll understand.”

  “And if they don’t? What will they do to Kimiko? She didn’t ask to be brought here. She didn’t ask for any of this.”

  “No she didn’t, and you’re just doing your job as you were hired to do. Tell them why you did it. They’ll have to respect that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Tell them how you feel about her, and don’t act like you don’t care about that woman. I saw it with my own eyes, the way you look at her. They’ll respect that. They’ll understand. Hell, the leader of their strongest pack was a human not that long ago. Zaira herself used her magic to bring him and Ming together so he could be the leader the pack needed.”

  A knock sounded at the door. Draven knew who it was without having to look. “I hope you’re right. I’ll call you back if I’m allowed to live.”

  12

  Draven crossed over to the door and allowed entrance to the werewolf couple standing outside it.

  “I expected Addix and Zaira.”

  “They’re still honeymooning,” the Asian beauty said as she stepped inside the cabin, followed by her husband. “Not to be disturbed except for dire situations.”

  “Yeah, nothing short of a full-on war between Weres and Hunters will stop those two from making Uniwolf babies.” Jason, the tall, blond, former-human pack
leader chuckled at his own comment as he sniffed the air. “She’s in the bathroom?”

  “Taking a bath while I prepare dinner. It’s been a long night.”

  “We saw that.” Ming walked over to the stove and checked out the broccoli he’d set to steam. “The whole world saw that. Fortunately, you moved so fast nobody saw you grab her off the stage. Unfortunately, she was there one second, gone the next in what looked like a blur of black smoke and her management team is freaking out, trying to locate her.”

  “I can’t return her to them.” Draven folded his arms. “She’s in danger and her manager might be behind it all.”

  “Felicia filled us in. You don’t have to return her.” Ming smiled. “We have our people on it. Until we definitely know who is involved and take care of the problem your job is to continue guarding Kimiko Lee. Just keep her in this cabin. No outsiders can breach this land without us knowing and without the tracking device on her, there’s no way anyone would even suspect her presence here. Our people know how to keep secrets hidden.”

  “You’re not mad?” Draven looked between the two, confused by the easy demeanors. “I brought a human on to pack land. I thought you would be furious.”

  “Samel told us the details of the situation. You know, not all humans are out to harm us. I think someone like Kimiko Lee, someone whose life is constantly being broadcast to the world, would understand our wish for privacy and respect it. And if humans never knew of us we wouldn’t have the wonderful pack leader we have now.” Ming accentuated her words with a light kiss on her husband’s grinning lips. “We just have to make sure the humans who know about us are the good ones.”

  “Just be careful,” the pack leader warned. “Had you came here first without Samel removing that tracking device we would have all been exposed. If that hit team had entered our land whoever had sent them would have known our location.”

  “They came to the apartment.” Draven’s belly took a dip. “More could come for Samel.”

  “He’s already being moved.” Ming placed her hand on his forearm. “He wasn’t happy moving all his tech stuff but we sent a big moving team to help out. Those men are being interrogated at a secure location as we speak.”