Dragon Protectors: Shifter Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  Wilder had always written it off as a misunderstanding. Cassia had a feeling it was much more than that.

  “Hi, Reef,” she said brightly, offering him a wary smile. “I’m glad you made it.”

  “Are you?” He smirked slightly.

  “I am!” she insisted. “I’m looking forward to meeting Penny. It’ll be nice to trade some parenting tips.”

  Reef looked at her strangely. “Penny isn’t coming,” he told her slowly. “Obviously.”

  Cassia stared at him uncomprehendingly. “Why not?”

  He smiled thinly, coldly. “Because she’s a mortal, Cassia. She would die if she tried to get through the portal.”

  Cassia instantly felt foolish, her face staining blood red with humiliation. How could she have forgotten such a thing?

  “Of course,” she mumbled, and Twila began to fuss, maybe sensing her mother’s unease.

  “I’ll see you later, okay? I’d like to freshen up before the gala,” Reef said. “Pretend I give a shit about what’s happening here and all that.” He waved dismissively, and Cassia watched him walk toward the center staircase, her mind whirling.

  Penny is still a mortal, but there must be some way to fix that. She was a sorceress, after all. If anyone could find a spell to make it happen, it was her… right?

  “What do you say, little one?” she breathed to Twila. “Should we look into making your Auntie Penny one of us?”

  Twila babbled in agreement, and Cassia smiled. If she could manage it, it would go a long way to reuniting two brothers in a feud she didn’t fully understand. It was the least she could do for Wilder.

  Being back in his old suite made Reef shudder slightly, the memories of what had happened in the palace with Penny flooding back to him. He’d be lying to himself if he said he didn’t miss it sometimes, but certainly not enough to return.

  What’s the point if I can’t come back with Penny? It’s bad enough that I’m here now and left her home alone with Jason.

  Penny had suggested that he bring the toddler with him, but Reef had flatly refused. “Jason will be raised as a mortal. He doesn’t need to see the Hollows.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Penny had protested. “Look what happened to Cassia when she was kept from her roots! Nothing good can come of it.”

  “Wh—? How did you know about Cassia?” he had demanded, his face paling. Penny had shrugged.

  “I talk to Bryn every now and then,” had been her answer.

  Reef stared at himself in the mirror of the massive bedroom, wishing that the night had come and gone already. He’d been away from home for three hours, and he already desperately missed his family.

  You better get used to that feeling—you’re going to outlive Penny, and most likely Jason, too, dragon blood or not. Hybrids with mortal blood don’t live as long as the rest of us.

  It was a morbid thought, but one he needed to remember. He’d been to several high priestesses to see what it would take to ensure Penny’s immortality, but as the priestesses tended to do, they asked a price which was impossible to pay. He was hoping for a miracle. After all, he’d already been delivered not one, but two in Penny and Jason.

  I probably shouldn’t push my luck with the gods, he thought wryly.

  Reef stared at his ruggedly handsome face. He wasn’t the same clean-cut head of the Authority he had been while living in the Hollows. Now he was Reef Parker, family man and literary agent. He spent more time on book tours, juggling the baby, and in Penny’s press conferences than he did shifting.

  Is that a good or a bad thing? a little voice in his mind asked, and he scowled at his reflection. He wouldn’t trade his life with Penny for anything, though that didn’t mean he didn’t miss the comradery he had shared for eons with his brothers.

  He had unrealistically high hopes for what the night held: the promise of a more stable tomorrow for all the dragon princes.

  Either that, Reef thought, or an all-out civil war that we will have brought upon ourselves. I guess we’ll find out in a few hours.

  At six o’clock, the five Parker princes and their respective partners—except for Penny—met in the rotunda they had agreed upon beforehand, and Wilder felt a pang of melancholic longing when he realized it might be the last time they were all together.

  The males were dashing in tuxedos, their hair slicked away from their finely sculpted faces. Once more, Wilder mused at how they could have such different coloring but still be from the loins of the same dragon.

  And we are all so different, he thought, shaking his head as he greeted each of his brothers.

  The women were equally stunning in sparkling gowns of reds and black, his own wife in a clinging dress of ivory that accented her fair skin and raven hair. Cassia took his breath away, and he realized again just how lucky he was to have found her.

  “The guests will arrive at seven,” he told them, nodding approvingly at the group. “Who wants to do the talking after cocktail hour?”

  His four brothers gaped at him in shock.

  “Uh… we just assumed you would, Wilder,” Lennox muttered. “I mean, you always do…”

  “Not this time. I’m retired, remember?” He shot Cassia a warm look and gestured for her to come closer.

  “I guess I will, then,” Owen offered, glancing at the others for their approval. “I mean, if no one minds.”

  “I don’t want to be the shot messenger,” Reef quipped. “It’s fine with me.” Bryn frowned, though she said nothing as she lowered her gaze. Kennedy, however, shook her head.

  “This is a good thing,” she insisted. “You’re doing what’s best for them.”

  “It’s hard to know if they’ll see it that way,” Reef sighed. “This could turn catastrophic.”

  “Are you backing out?” Wilder asked in amazement. “I thought you of all people would be thrilled about this.”

  “I am!” Reef countered. “More than I can even explain, actually, but that doesn’t change the fact that if things go sideways, I’m still a prince and ruler of this gods-forsaken place. I’ll be as good a target as any of you.”

  “We’ve dealt with civil unrest before,” Owen reminded him.

  “Not one that we instigated!” Reef retorted, and Wilder tensed.

  “You really do sound like you’re having second thoughts about this. Does anyone else want to back out? Because we voted on this. We agreed we were done, all of us. If one doesn’t go through with it—”

  “No one is changing his mind, Wilder,” Reef snapped, but Wilder saw his brother cast a nervous look around the room. “Right?”

  Although there was an unconvincing murmur of agreement, Wilder didn’t push it. If they were on the fence about the decision now, forcing them into another discussion would only push them over and onto the wrong side of the fence.

  “Come on,” Bryn said suddenly. “Let’s get us some liquor. I think we’re going to need it tonight.”

  There was far more enthusiasm in the agreement that time, and she led the way from the foyer toward the ballroom, where the staff was already milling about with silver platters of food and drinks.

  “Wilder,” Cassia murmured. “I’m just going to check on Twila before things get started. I’ll be right back.”

  “Castor has her, Cassia. You don’t need to run off,” he told her, accepting a goblet of champagne. “I know this is probably nerve-wracking for you, but I promise, it will be over soon. And then…” Wilder paused. “Well, then we have our lives to live any which way we please. We won’t be worried about the comings and goings of the Hollows.”

  “I think you’ll have a hard time letting it go that easily, Wilder,” she replied softly, and he arched his eyebrows in surprise.

  “Really? I don’t. It was my idea to do this.”

  “Who knows how you’re going to feel in a few years? You might get bored or—”

  “Woah! Where is this coming from, Cass? You were so excited when we discussed this before. Why the change of heart?”


  She shook her head and shifted her gaze away. “I’m just nervous about what’s going to happen.”

  “Why? This has been what they’ve wanted since the beginning of our reign. Sure, it might be shocking at first, but they’ll adjust. They always do.” Cassia’s mouth firmed as though she was trying to seal any more words from escaping. “Cass?” Wilder prompted.

  “I’ll be back soon,” she promised, dropping a kiss on his cheek, and before Wilder could argue, she was gone in a flash of ivory without a second look.

  “Women,” Owen chortled from his side. “Can’t live with ‘em, can’t kill ‘em ‘cause they’re immortal.”

  “What is going on?” Wilder demanded. “Are we making a mistake?”

  “No,” Owen immediately answered. “It was inevitable that we’d all have doubts after the novelty wore off. It’s a big step, but I think we should announce it before dinner. Get it out of our system before one of us really does change his mind.”

  Wilder wondered if Owen was most worried about himself, but he made no comment. Instead, he nodded and gestured toward the door with his chin. “They’re arriving already. Let’s mingle.”

  By eight o’clock, the ballroom was filled beyond capacity. In every corner there were Valkyries, trolls, chimeras, Lycans, vampires, fairies, imps, brownies, and sprites. Everyone in the Hollows had been invited, not one soul left out, and there was hardly any room to breathe when Owen tracked down his brothers and led them to the stage.

  The orchestra quieted as the five princes took their places, but the din was so unbearable, no one immediately noticed what was happening. There was an almost palpable confusion in the room. Never had the lower classes been invited to such an event, and while there was a slight apprehension among them, Owen could see that didn’t stop them from enjoying the succulent food. They had a begrudging trust for the dragons now, thanks to Wilder and Dr. Fritz, who had saved their home.

  The gala had cost a fortune, but no expense had been spared by the brothers to commemorate the occasion. They wanted the immortals to remember the day clearly in their minds.

  “Ladies and gentlemen!” Owen called into the microphone. “May I have your attention please?”

  Some of the guests quieted. There were so many, though, that it was impossible to capture them all at once.

  “Hello?” Owen tried again, looking helplessly at his brothers. Thankfully, Lennox knew exactly what to do to get their attention: he shifted, bounding effortlessly into the air and exhaling a stream of fire harmlessly against the six-foot ice sculpture, which melted and then evaporated.

  There was a round of shocked gasps before Owen smoothly stepped in again.

  “Ah, there you are,” he said, smiling genially. “Thank you for your attention, and thank you all for coming to the first ball of many to mark this occasion.”

  There was a rush of perplexed whispers, wondering what the occasion was and what they were doing here.

  “As you know,” Owen continued, “the Parker princes have ruled the Hollows for eons. We came here as conquerors, but over time, we planted roots here, started businesses, kickstarted the economy. You can say what you will about us or hold a grudge, but you can’t deny that without us, the Hollows would have remained a dismal cave, barren of any financial security, technology, or culture. We brought that here, even though we knew you loathed us. We fought against your civil wars, your sabotage, your desire to see us dead.”

  “I think he’s going a little off-script,” Lennox muttered from Wilder’s side. He had shifted back, but Wilder could see he was ready to spring back into action at any given moment.

  “Just let him say his peace. He’s probably been holding it for centuries,” Wilder replied. Still, he silently wished Owen had not started by alienating the audience.

  “—houses, buildings. We built this, but why?”

  The many baleful looks in the crowd made Wilder finally realize that his brother had a point to his mini-diatribe.

  “We did it for you, beings of the Hollows,” Owen said. “You thought us powerful, ruthless, and cruel, but the truth is that we have always wanted what was best for the Hollows.”

  “Not to mention the profits,” someone near the front muttered.

  “Of course we were looking to make money, Tibor,” Owen retorted. “We’re not philanthropists. We’re businessmen, and yet we are also princes. We didn’t need to set up roads and schools down here. We could have left you without electricity or internet while you continued to slave away for the mortals.”

  There was a long silence as the crowd weighed his words.

  “What is this all about?” someone yelled. “Why did you call us here?”

  “Before I explain, I just want you to understand that we have done more than you could ever realize for the Hollows over the eons.” Owen turned from the microphone to look at his brothers, and Wilder nodded, giving him a small smile of approval.

  Here was the moment of truth.

  “We’re abolishing the monarchy,” Owen blurted out. “We’re stepping down and declaring the Hollows a democracy. Today, you vote in your leader. We are leaving the Hollows in the hands of its beings.”

  The silence that followed was even longer and louder than the last. The princes stood with baited breath, waiting for the first outcry. When it came at last, it shocked them all.

  “Why?”

  Wilder had no idea who had asked it, but it wasn’t the question he had expected to hear.

  “Why what?” Owen asked slowly, equally puzzled.

  “Why would you do that?”

  Owen grunted softly. “Because that’s what you want,” he reasoned. “Because it’s time you ran your own futures.”

  “What if we don’t want to?” someone else asked. The brothers were dumbfounded.

  “What?” Owen choked. “What do you mean, you don’t want to? You’ve loathed us since the day we settled here.”

  Janina, a blonde pixie, stepped forward. “You just told us why, Mr. Parker. You have led us into the twenty-first century with you. We may not have voted you in, but if we had to vote, I’m certain that we would all choose you again.”

  A swell of agreement filled the crowd, and Wilder felt Cassia slip her hand into his.

  “Where the hell have you been?” he demanded. “Are you hearing this?”

  “I’m not surprised,” his wife murmured. “What did you think was going to happen?”

  Wilder had considered many, many scenarios. He had thought the beings of the Hollows would riot, seizing the palace and refusing them access. He had imagined they would be unable to reach a consensus on a leader. He had anticipated political rivalries starting. What he had never thought was that they would reject their offer of democracy and insist they stay.

  He looked at Cassia and did a double take when he saw who was at her side.

  “What is she doing here?” Wilder gasped, looking toward Reef, who had yet to see his wife standing nearby.

  “Oh, Penny?” Cassia replied nonchalantly.

  “Yes, Penny!” Wilder choked. “How did you get her here? Have you found the serum?” Cassia smiled slowly and shook her head.

  “I found something better.” Before Wilder could question her further, she reached out to touch Reef’s arm. “I have a surprise for you,” she whispered to him while the crowd continued to ask questions and Owen looked back at his brothers for help.

  Reef gazed back at her, his eyes widening in shock.

  “Penny!” he gasped. “What are you doing here?”

  The redhead smiled, a set of elongated teeth protruding from beneath her blood red lips.

  “Cassia brought me here,” Penny explained, throwing her arms around her husband. “I’m immortal now, too, like you and Jason.”

  “How?” Reef choked in disbelief, staring warily at Cassia. “What did you do?”

  Cassia smiled cryptically and cocked her head to the side. Wilder’s curiosity was starting to get the better of him.
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br />   “Cassia, did you cast a spell?” he demanded. “How?”

  “What the hell do I know about casting a spell?” Cassia replied, laughing. “I wasn’t born into this stuff like you. I checked a few spell books and realized I was in over my head.”

  “So what did you do?” Reef questioned, a touch of panic in his voice. Wilder certainly felt the same.

  “Nothing she didn’t consent to!” Cassia snapped, looking at Penny for help.

  “She’s right. I agreed wholeheartedly.”

  “Oh,” Reef said suddenly, his eyes widening. “You’re… you’re a vampire now…”

  And Wilder saw it, too.

  “Oh, Cassia,” he mumbled. “You’ve just committed her to an eternity of—”

  “I don’t care!” Penny interjected. “She suggested it, and I was completely okay with it. I wanted it! I would do anything to be with my husband and son forever, even if it means I am a vampire now. You can’t blame Cassia.”

  Reef’s jaw relaxed, and he exhaled, studying his wife’s face closely. “You are incredible,” he murmured.

  “Are you done over here?” Owen hissed at them, away enough from the microphone that he wouldn’t be heard by the crowd. “Are you paying any attention to what’s happening, what they’re saying?”

  “Yes,” Wilder responded. “We heard.”

  “They don’t want us to go,” Lennox added, shaking his head. “I didn’t see that coming.”

  “Well?” Owen demanded urgently, looking over his shoulder at the restless crowd. “What are we going to do?”

  Wilder shrugged and looked at the others. Reef was still enraptured by his changed wife, and Lennox seemed amused. Owen had broken a decent sweat, and Keppler shook his head.

  “This is your call, guys,” Keppler told them. “It makes no difference to me what you do.”

  “Reef?”

  “I—I don’t care,” he mumbled, and Wilder could plainly see that he was happy as long as he had Penny at his side.