by Anna Lowe
Remo, no. But Ariana would. One look in the older woman’s eyes assured Lena of that.
“Oh, you’ll explain, all right,” Remo spat. His voice was pure threat, and it dropped on his next order. “Guards — take him away.”
Chapter Thirteen
Sergio paced the length of the tiny room he and Marco had been escorted to in the Guardians’ compound in Rome. It had taken everything he had not to maul the guards and fight his way back to Lena’s side.
Where were the Guardians keeping her? Was she all right? Had she had a chance to explain?
Deep inside, he sensed she was all right. He would have felt it if Lena were in danger. But until he confirmed that with his own eyes…
His wolf howled. Kill Remo. Find Lena. Take her far, far away.
He was so, so close to executing that crazy plan. Make that, a suicidal plan, because it was just what Remo wanted.
“What exactly is going on?” Marco growled quietly enough that the guards outside the door couldn’t hear.
They’d both been escorted to this cell-like room and given clothes, bread, and water, but not one scrap of information. Were they prisoners? And if so, what was their crime?
Sergio grimaced. “My uncle Salvatore — Vicente’s father — murdered Remo’s brother. You can say he has a sore spot when it comes to my family.”
“You’re not your family,” Marco insisted. “You’re not a criminal.”
Sergio threw up his hands. He knew that, but Remo didn’t.
In the past, he would have listened to his animal side and fought it all out. But Lena was right. Fighting would only make things worse.
His only hope was Ariana. Hers had always been the voice of reason among the Guardians.
Trust me, Ariana’s eyes had promised. Trust destiny.
He nearly put a fist through the door. Destiny had messed with him his entire life. Why trust it now?
On the other hand, he trusted Ariana. And if she couldn’t sway the other Guardians…
Then we kill Remo. Find Lena. Run away, his wolf snarled, eager to act on its plan.
“I can’t believe this,” Marco muttered, slamming a wall. “We just repulsed the single biggest threat to the Guardians, and yet, we’ve become suspects.” His voice rose in anger, then dropped to a throaty whisper. “We could break out of here in no time, you know.”
Sergio nodded wearily. “We could, but they have Lena.”
A long silence ensued, telling him what Marco thought of that. Still, his friend stepped closer and gripped his shoulder. “Fine. We’ll get her on the way out. We’ll head to Portugal. Let these goddamned Guardians try to stop us.”
Sergio tilted his head. “What happened to ‘She’s not worth it’? ‘A mistake’?”
Marco rolled his eyes. “Love is always a mistake, but there’s no way I’m letting them treat you this way.”
A tiny smile broke through Sergio’s frown. He knew he could count on Marco in the end. They were practically brothers.
Real brothers, his wolf snarled, thinking of Vicente. Biology could never bind two men as closely as combat could.
He clapped Marco on the shoulder, then looked wearily at the door.
“Grazie, but no. We have to sit this out.”
This was a test, he knew. Yet another one — the most critical test of all. Destiny was checking if he was worthy of a Fire Maiden’s love.
“I still don’t understand why this is necessary,” Marco huffed.
Sergio stuck out his jaw. “My family was banished from Rome for all eternity. They only allowed me in to shadow Vicente.”
“Now they accuse you of plotting against them?” Marco snorted. “Are they insane?”
Sergio sighed. “Remo, possibly. As for the rest of them…” He trailed off. He’d been so certain he’d finally won over the Guardians’ trust. Now, he wasn’t so sure.
He leaned against the wall, bone-tired. Somehow, he didn’t really care about that any more. All that mattered was Lena. Where was she?
Footsteps sounded outside, and he and Marco snapped to attention. Without a word, they stepped to either side of the door, ready for anything.
But the guard who opened the door wasn’t armed, nor was he brusque. All he did was wave them out.
“The Guardians will see you now.”
Sergio glanced at Marco. It was all so surreal. Were they neck-deep in trouble or would they walk free?
The Guardians’ compound covered a huge area, and the walk to the council chamber took an eternity. Sergio’s legs were leaden, and his shoulder ached from one of the many deep slashes Vicente had landed. But when the faint scent of jasmine and oleander wafted from ahead, the pain disappeared. He broke into a speed-walk, then a jog. By the time he reached the council chamber’s door, he was sprinting.
Marco sighed from behind him. I hope she’s worth it.
Seven heads turned when he burst through the chamber doors, and a couple of guards hurried forward, but all Sergio registered was one face. Lena’s. Worried yet relieved, tired yet happy at the same time. All mixed-up, a lot like him.
“Sergio,” she whispered.
Or did she shout it? He couldn’t really tell, not with Lena running toward him, him running toward her, and his inner wolf jumping with joy.
Within three steps, they crashed into a hug. One of those brute force, Nothing will ever tear us apart hugs that lasted an eternity. Whoever else was in the room disappeared until it was only her, him, and his pulse hammering in his ears.
Home, his wolf murmured. Feels like home.
His arms wrapped so far around her they overlapped, and he breathed her in.
“So good to see you,” she whispered, again and again.
So good to hold you, he would have replied, had he been able to speak.
“Are you okay?” she asked, pressing her cheek against his.
Honestly, he wasn’t sure. He’d never been so happy — or so worried about what might happen next. That was a new feeling, because guys like him didn’t spend a lot of time contemplating the future. They just lived — survived — one day at a time.
But having a mate changed everything, and suddenly, the future was full of bright, beautiful possibilities he absolutely, positively did not want to miss.
“Are you all right?” he finally managed. “Where did they keep you?”
She held him tighter. “I’m fine. Really. Ariana made sure of it.”
Sergio exhaled slowly. Ariana. He owed the wise she-wolf so much already, but doubly for taking care of his mate.
“It will be okay,” Lena whispered. “You’ll see.”
Still, Sergio kept his guard up. When a shoe scuffed behind them, he whirled, ready to battle his way out of the Guardian compound.
But it was Ariana, and her expression was soft, even understanding.
“Signore Monserratti, Signorina Castamolino. Allow me to apologize for this morning’s…delay.” The silver-haired she-wolf threw a sharp look at Remo.
The grizzled old wolf sat at the massive oak table, arms crossed, face creased in a grimace.
Sergio growled under his breath but stopped when Lena squeezed his hand.
“I’m sure you can appreciate that the events of this morning didn’t allow for us to properly convene or consider the evidence,” Ariana went on. “Now that we have, we wish to commend you for your quick action. One enemy — Vicente — has been eliminated, and an even greater foe has been repelled.”
“The Lombardis,” Marco muttered. “And that she-dragon — Jacqueline. Where are they now?”
Dante, the ancient dragon, motioned to the west. “My son pursued them over the Tyrrhenian Sea as far as Stromboli.”
Sergio pictured that distant island with its steaming volcanic vents. “Then what?”
Dante shook his head. “Alas, he had to turn back there, but we’ve contacted the Guardians of Sardinia to follow up.”
“If you had let me follow them, there would have been no following up t
o do,” Marco growled.
Everyone looked at Remo wordlessly, then turned away again.
“I did what I deemed best for the city,” Remo growled in his own defense. “The evidence pointed to a double cross.”
Ariana spoke in that soothing tone of hers. “Your concern is admirable, Remo. However, it was also misplaced. Signore Monserratti rescued our Fire Maiden.”
Sergio snorted. “She rescued herself.”
Lena shook her head. “Only thanks to what you told me. Without you stopping Vicente — and Marco holding the others at bay…” She shivered. “Call it a team effort.”
Ariana smiled. “Spoken like a true Fire Maiden.”
Sergio’s heart twinged. No one could be prouder of Lena than he, but there was one hitch. The Guardians would never approve of a Fire Maiden mating with a Monserratti. Never.
“I’m still not all that clear on what that entails,” Lena admitted.
Ariana nodded slowly. “My apologies. We forget how new this is to you. You’re a Fire Maiden — a descendant of the great queen Liviana, who assigned each of her daughters one of the great cities of Europe to watch over.”
Lena’s throated bobbed, and Sergio squeezed her hand. She was born for the job. She just didn’t know it yet.
“Liviana commissioned the most powerful witches of her time to cast a spell of protection for her daughters, granddaughters, and all female descendants of her family line. That spell still lingers over the city, but its power waxes and wanes. When a Fire Maiden is in residence, the spell revives, and the protection it affords extends to the entire city.”
“So, what exactly do you need me to do?” Lena asked.
“To settle in Rome. To love the city as we do. To become part of it. And someday, ideally, to have children.” Ariana’s eyes sparkled. “The spell is at its strongest when the Fire Maiden has children, because her instinct to protect them evokes the spell’s power to protect the city.”
Sergio caught Lena shooting him a loaded look. Children? her eyes asked. Are you up for that?
His wolf hummed happily. When you’re ready, I’ll be ready, my mate.
Then she blushed and looked down, and Sergio could relate. That was a topic for the two of them to discuss in private, not with all those grumpy Guardians around.
“With a Fire Maiden in residence, the city experiences its greatest periods of peace and stability.” Ariana continued. “But without a Fire Maiden, that power slumbers, and our work as Guardians becomes more difficult.”
Silence settled over the council room, and all the Guardians studied Lena.
“What do you think, my dear?” Ariana asked kindly. “Will you stay in Rome as our Fire Maiden, with all that entails?”
“Yes, what do you think?” Gaius demanded.
Sergio nearly stepped forward to give Lena a little space, but she lifted her chin and gazed steadily back at those formidable elders.
“I suppose I wouldn’t mind staying,” she finally replied.
She remained cool and calm, but Sergio could sense her jump with joy inside. His wolf wagged its tail wildly, and he nearly grinned instead of keeping up a fierce glare of warning.
She’s the boss, he made sure his expression said.
Myopic old Dante, however, immediately piped up as if the deal were sealed.
“We should also discuss a suitable mate for our Fire Maiden. For example, my son. Who better to mate with a Fire Maiden than a dragon of noble blood?”
Sergio growled, and Lena stuck up her hand. “Excuse me?”
Marco rolled his eyes. “Why anyone would want a mate is beyond me — but surely, that is best left to destiny.”
Sergio thought of the first moment he’d seen Lena. Destiny. He’d never curse that force of nature again.
Gaius stroked his chin. “Or an eagle shifter. Just think of the possibilities.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Ernesto Orsini countered, and for a moment, Lena looked like she might hug him. But then the bear shifter went on. “A dragon makes sense. And it goes without saying that her mate must come from the noble classes.”
Everyone spoke at the same time, sharing their own visions of Lena’s future. Sergio balled his fists, ready to silence them with a vicious growl.
But Lena beat him to it, clearing her throat so loudly, everyone turned around. “Actually, I already found my mate. So, I’m all set, thanks.” She hooked her elbow through Sergio’s and patted him on the chest.
Sergio swelled with pride.
See? She loves me. She chooses me, his wolf rumbled.
“But…” Dante started.
“But…” Ernesto rumbled.
“But, what?” Lena all but growled.
Sergio pinned them all with a vicious glare.
“My dear…” Dante tried another tack. “You’re so young. So new to the shifter world. How could you possibly know what’s best for you?”
Ariana raised a hand. “She has the eyes of a Seer. Of course, she knows what’s best.” Ariana leaned closer to Dante. “Did you not notice?”
“A Seer…” Dante’s jaw went slack.
Even Ernesto looked dumbstruck.
Sergio glanced at Lena in awe.
But Lena looked around, blinking like a deer in headlights.
“What’s a Seer?” she whispered in his ear.
Chapter Fourteen
Sergio’s lips moved, but he couldn’t get a word out. That Lena was amazing, he already knew. But she was a Seer, as well as a Fire Maiden?
Ariana nodded sagely. “A Seer has the gift of looking into the very soul of a man — or woman. A rare gift, indeed. Tell me, what did you think of Vicente?”
Lena frowned. “Evil. Pure evil.”
“And Jacqueline?”
Lena waved a hand dismissively. “All I saw was greed.”
Ariana pointed to Remo. “What do you see in him?”
Sergio nearly growled. He knew what he saw in Remo.
The wolf shifter sat straighter, bristling. “What do you mean, me?”
But Ariana didn’t give an inch. “What do you see?”
Lena hesitated, then looked reluctantly at Remo. Their eyes locked, and for a moment, they both went still, as if paused in time.
Finally, Lena gave herself a little shake and replied softly. “I see duty. Honor. Pain, too.” Then she paused. “Above all, I see a man committed to his cause.”
Remo exhaled slowly, then tensed when Lena went on.
“A man who can be a little rash sometimes.”
“Rash?” Remo barked.
Ariana laughed. “Oh, that’s Remo, all right.”
Lena nodded slowly, turning from Remo to Sergio. “You remind me of Sergio, in a way. Any relation — or is that a wolf thing?”
Sergio frowned deeply. He was nothing like Remo. Remo, meanwhile, looked just as insulted. But the others all laughed heartily.
“Definitely a wolf thing.” Marco grinned.
Hey, Sergio growled into his friend’s mind. Whose side are you on?
Yours, Marco assured him. But she’s right, you know.
Sergio raised an eyebrow in challenge. Should I ask her what she sees in you?
Quick as lightning, Marco threw up his hands. Maybe not today.
Ariana waved away the flurry of suggestions as to whom Lena should study next.
“A Seer’s gifts are not something to call upon lightly. I believe my point has been made.”
“I still don’t think he’s a suitable mate,” Dante grumbled at Sergio.
Too bad, he nearly growled.
“It hardly matters what you think,” Ariana said cheerfully. “We are in a new era, my friend, where lovers find each other rather than being assigned.”
“In my day—” Dante started, still sour.
Ariana cut him off. “Our Fire Maiden is more capable of judging a good man than any of us.”
“Are you aware of his family background?” Dante demanded.
Sergio gnashed his teeth.
Would he ever be free of that curse?
Lena’s hand tightened around his, and she practically bristled.
“I’m well aware of his courage. His honesty. His devotion to you. You.” She pointed at every shifter in the room until they went silent, one by one. “Sergio was ready to lay his life down to protect Rome — and me.” She let a beat go by, then went on. “No one can control the family they are born into, but we can control the course we choose in life. And, look.” She pointed to Sergio. “Really look. Can you find any fault in anything Sergio has done?”
Her eyes bored into Remo. Sergio expected another protest, but the vengeful old wolf lowered his head.
“No,” Remo admitted. “I cannot.”
Sergio narrowed his eyes. Could he trust Remo’s change of heart?
Ariana, as always, seemed to read his mind. “I’d like to thank the witness who helped clear up this misunderstanding.” She motioned to a figure in a far corner of the room. “Tolino, please step forward.”
Sergio went on red alert.
“Tolino,” he growled as the barrel-chested wolf shifter came forward. “What the hell is he doing here? He works for Vicente.”
“No, he works for us.” Ariana smiled. “Do you really think we only sent one man to infiltrate Vicente’s organization?”
Tolino flashed an apologetic smile. And suddenly, it all made sense — the way Tolino had hung back at the fight. The way he’d stepped in front of Lena when the gem flashed on Vicente’s yacht, blocking his boss’s view.
Tolino extended a hand, and slowly, incredulously, Sergio shook it.
“I told them about Vicente’s offer and about your response,” Tolino said in that quiet rasp of his. Then he turned to Remo. “This man is no more a traitor than you or me.”
Remo pinched his lips. “Point made.”
Ariana shot the wolf shifter an exasperated look, but Sergio understood. He would have just as hard a time swallowing his pride. Another wolf trait.
Marco, however, thumped on the table. “That’s it? You treat a man like dirt, and suddenly, everything is all right?”
Sergio let out a slow breath. Once upon a time, he would have been just as worked up as Marco. But now, he had Lena, who smoothed out some emotions while bringing others to life. Anger and frustration didn’t hit him with quite the same ferocity, while joy swirled through him more effortlessly than ever before.
