by Reus, Katie
Leaning down, he growled low in her ear. “Keep that up and I’m tossing you over my shoulder and heading back to the mansion.”
Why did that sound like the best idea ever?
She held on to this feeling because she knew it was fleeting. Something told her a fight was coming, that there was something on the horizon she’d need to deal with. And she had to be ready.
Reality would crash back on her head sooner than later.
* * *
Rhys glanced around the club as they entered, scanning for exits and potential threats. Technically, this place was full of threats—there were a lot of supernaturals here, including some in their animal forms.
As they ascended a set of stairs, a few familiar scents teased his senses, one in particular making him pause, then smile. He scanned again, looking for an old friend.
“What is it?” Dallas murmured next to him, her hand firmly in his.
He loved the feel of her fingers intertwined with his, loved that she was here with him tonight. That part of him that told him he needed to be out hunting was finally at ease for the moment. “I scent an old friend. And there he is,” he said as they reached the top of the stairs into what was apparently a VIP section.
A big male held back a velvet rope to allow them to enter the private area that overlooked one of the dance floors below. A rope seemed like an ineffective way to keep people out but he dismissed the strangeness.
“Rhys!” Arthur, a huge dragon much older than him shoved up from his seat, clearly having had a few drinks, before he stalked over and pulled him into a bone-crunching hug.
“It’s good to see you, brother.” They weren’t blood related but came from the same region. Arthur had taught him many things as a child. He was surprised the male was here at all. Well, he was surprised until he spotted a tall, deadly female dragon with ice gray eyes and jet-black hair striding across the floor.
“I would ask what you’re doing here, but it’s clear you’re here for this lovely lass,” Arthur boomed out as he turned to greet Dallas with a hug.
Rhys held out an arm, blocking the male from touching Dallas. He genuinely liked Arthur but the male wasn’t touching her. His dragon was too close to the surface as it was.
“Ah.” Arthur held out a polite hand and took Dallas’s much smaller one in his. It didn’t matter that he was in modern-day New Orleans, he had on a kilt and his giant red beard should probably be trimmed. Or hacked off. He looked exactly like the barbarian he was. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“You too.” Dallas stared at Arthur, clearly curious about the dragon in a kilt.
“What have we here? Another stripling has woken up.” Prima greeted him with a smile that reached her eyes. “I just saw your brothers not too long ago and that fascinating new mate of his. She’s quite talented.”
“You know I’m thousands of years old.” Which meant nothing to this female who was one of the only dragon twins in existence—and one of the few dragons to have been hatched.
“Of course you are.” She patted him once on the upper arm before smiling politely at Dallas. Power rolled off Prima in potent waves that even humans would be able to sense. “I’m Prima.”
“Dallas. Nice to meet you.”
In response, Prima sniffed her and then smiled. “You are the female with the pet dragon. I’ve heard about you.”
Rhys shot a look at Arthur, who simply shook his head.
“I am,” Dallas said, slightly laughing. “Can you smell her on me?”
“Yes. It’s a sweet, wonderful scent. Long, long ago,” she said, cutting a sideways glance at Rhys, “before this child was born, there was a group of wild dragons who allowed themselves to be tamed by humans. Those humans were aptly titled dragon riders. Your dragon has the same scent of them. I’ve missed them.”
“Oh…wow. Do you have any idea how big she’ll grow?” It was something that Dallas had been wondering.
A casual shrug. “No bigger than a dragon shifter. Oh and your pet will likely be a child for a couple decades. They age very slowly, like us, so it will take time for her to grow into her wings. So be patient with her as she will be maturing for the next…maybe ten or twenty years. It just depends.”
As if patience was going to be an issue. But Dallas was so grateful for this knowledge. “Thank you so much. I have so many questions.”
“I will happily answer them later. Right now we’re heading out to hunt down some rogue bears who are bothering some wolves out in the bayou. King just called and asked if we could head out for a quick hunt. It’s just Arthur and me going but I don’t think King would care if you two came along. Care to join us?” she asked, looking between the two of them.
“No,” Rhys said before Dallas could respond. “My female has had a long few days. We’re relaxing tonight.” Not that he thought she wanted to go hunting, regardless.
Arthur clapped him once on the shoulder, hard. “Good for you! How long are you in town? We need to share an ale at least before you leave.”
“I’m here for a while. We will definitely share a beverage.”
“And I’ll contact you about your dragon. I’d like to meet her,” Prima said to Dallas, a warm smile on her face.
“That sounds great, thank you.”
Rhys pulled Dallas into his arms the moment they were alone again. Relatively alone, since the VIP room was crowded. Lola waved them over to their table, pointing at a bunch of shots lined up.
“So they seem pretty intense,” Dallas said as they strode around the edges of the dance floor toward the group. “How long have they been mated?”
“They’re not mated.” He’d forgotten that Dallas couldn’t scent a mating link the way he could.
Her eyes widened slightly as they reached the table. “They sure act like it.”
“Eventually Arthur will wear her down.”
“Who, scary Prima?” Javier asked as he slid two shot glasses in front of them.
Dallas held the small glass up and clinked hers with his. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks she’s scary. Her eyes…”
Rhys understood what she meant. When you looked in Prima’s eyes, you saw the beast almost all the time. There were thousands of years’ worth of experiences and savagery looking back at you.
“Uh, terrifying is more like it,” Bella added.
Rhys smothered a smile as he picked up his own and toasted Dallas. Something told him that Prima would love to be called scary or terrifying. She would wear that title as a badge of honor. And as he looked at Dallas, who was relaxed as she tossed back her shot, he knew in that moment he wanted more normal nights with her.
Days, nights and everything in between.
Chapter 23
King resisted the urge to kick the door off its hinges as he strode out the front of the Bonavich vampire coven’s French Quarter home with Ari and Delphine, two of his lieutenants, on his heels. He was barely containing his rage as he strode down a long, brick walkway toward the sidewalk.
As he reached the end, his eyes widened to see Aurora waiting there, her legs crossed at her ankles as she leaned against a parked car. There were humans and supernaturals alike milling down the street, some heading home, others searching for the nightlife.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, more than surprised to see her. Don’t ask stupid questions, his wolf snarled. Just be happy she’s here.
She shrugged and flicked a quick glance at Delphine behind him.
He gritted his teeth and looked at Delphine. “Really?”
She shrugged and clapped him on the shoulder once before heading off with Ari, who simply gave a half shrug. The big male rarely talked. He just got shit done, something King appreciated.
“Delphine texted me. Said you guys hit another dead end, and I was in the area. Figured you could use someone to vent to.” Aurora fell in step with him and linked her arm with his, guiding him down the sidewalk.
His wolf immediately settled at the feel of
her touching him. “Delphine needs to—”
“She was just doing her damn job. You’re her Alpha and you’re stressed right now. So she texted me. How is that a bad thing?”
He shoved out a breath, but didn’t respond. It wasn’t a bad thing, not exactly. But the fact that his packmate knew that being around Aurora would calm him down was important. He wasn’t used to depending on someone, not on this level.
Of course he depended on his pack, but at the end of the day he was the one who made the hard decisions. They all looked to him to keep order, to make the right decisions. Right now he was hunting down witches who were killing and draining humans and vampires. And even though he’d tracked them with his best trackers, he still couldn’t find them. He might need to call Dallas again and see if she had another way to locate them.
“So what happened?” she continued.
He just grunted again.
She let out a sound of exasperation. “You’re killing me, Smalls.”
He shot her a confused look. “What?”
Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at him. “You know, from The Sandlot?”
He lifted a shoulder.
“Oh my God, you’ve never seen that movie?”
“My life has not allowed for a lot of movies.” For the most part he didn’t get the attraction to cinema. He was too busy running a pack. And now he was trying to keep the city from burning so they could actually rebuild with the hope of coming out stronger on the other side.
“Have you ever seen The Goonies?” she continued, staring at him as they headed down the sidewalk.
“I don’t even know what that is.”
She blinked at him. “What about Deadpool? That’s newer.”
He just lifted a shoulder.
Now she stared at him in mock horror. “Well you’re in luck since we can’t stream anything anymore. Because I have those DVDs with me. We’re going to have a movie night in the near future… Once these psychopaths are found and brought to justice.”
Yeah, and that better be sooner than later. He realized he had no clue where they were even going, but being with her was taking the edge off. So was this ridiculous conversation. Deadpool sounded vaguely familiar at least. “You brought DVDs with you from St. Augustine?”
She shrugged as they reached a crosswalk. “My sister packed up my entire room and she knew to bring the important things.”
Aurora had been kidnapped over a year ago, held prisoner for the magic blood in her veins. He hadn’t known her then, hadn’t known Aurora long at all, though somehow it felt as if they’d been friends for a lifetime. Her sister, Star, had launched a rescue mission, and once she’d saved her, they’d ended up in New Orleans a couple months ago after a long-planned escape. “Then I will watch these ridiculous movies with you.”
She let out a little huff. “Why do you think they’re ridiculous?”
“How is something called The Goonies not ridiculous?”
“Friend, you are going to be proven so wrong.” She shook her head as they turned onto a side street filled with bars and restaurants currently bustling with activity.
He was glad to see it, glad the city was alive tonight. It was a delicate balance, but people had to be able to go out, to see friends and feel as if the entire world hadn’t been destroyed. It was a psychological thing and it wasn’t just the humans but shifters as well. Shifters needed pack, needed contact. Needed to know life wasn’t just about survival, blood and death.
A few patrons sitting outside the first bistro they passed nodded and waved at him, but more lit up and waved at Aurora. She hadn’t even been in New Orleans long, but she was this bright, shining beacon people gravitated to. He understood because he was one of those people. After that video feed of her killing those rogue dragons with her wild phoenix fire, people were more than curious about her.
“Come on, let’s grab a drink,” she said as she dragged him into a hole-in-the-wall bar and restaurant called The Fried Alligator.
The bar was full but as soon as he stepped inside, half a dozen people slid off their barstools to make room for him.
He nodded his thanks and sat down with Aurora, who took over and ordered for him.
He shot her a sideways glance. “Tequila? Really?”
“Just do what I say,” she said as she glanced at the menu and ordered food for them as well.
No one told him what to do. Ever. Even when he’d been a pup, he’d exasperated his mother with his Alpha tendencies. But somehow he didn’t mind it with Aurora. She wasn’t challenging him, she was just being his friend. And he valued her friendship. “You’re incredibly bossy tonight,” he muttered, no heat in his tone.
“Well you’ve been making decisions nonstop and busting your ass for who knows how many days in a row. So I’m making things easy for you. So eat and drink what I say and relax for ten freaking minutes.”
The bartender, a man named Antony Carter who he’d known most of his life, simply snickered and took the menus from Aurora. “Sounds like you’ve got a smart female here,” he said as he tucked the menus away.
King wasn’t sure how she’d been right about the tequila, but as he tossed the shot back he realized, yep, this was what he’d needed. It went down smooth. So did the second shot.
“Can I help with the tracking?” Aurora asked as he pushed the two shot glasses away.
Right now his best trackers were still searching for the witches. “No, but thank you. I recently called in a favor from a friend.” Javier, brother to Cynara, who ran a huge club downtown, had just arrived. In the morning he’d be taking over for King’s other trackers if they didn’t have any luck. King planned to head back out there soon as well, because he wanted to stop by a small witch coven and see if they knew something. He’d already stopped by a week ago, but this trip was going to be a surprise.
“Good. I have an idea of what will take your mind off things. We can do it in your training area.”
He shot her a surprised look. “Do what?”
“Oh, you’ll see. Bring that big sword of yours.”
His mouth kicked up. “Is sword a euphemism?”
She blinked, her mouth falling open, then laughed, the sound deep and throaty, wrapping around him like the sweetest embrace. “Nope. Trust me, you’ll like what I have planned. So will your pack.”
“They could be your pack,” he murmured quietly enough for her ears only.
She stilled and looked at him in surprise. “I’m not a wolf.”
“So? There are plenty of other beings in my pack other than wolves. Pack is about love and loyalty. That bond is more than blood.”
She went motionless for a long moment and he wondered if he’d made a mistake asking her. There was so much about her he didn’t know, so much about her kind he didn’t know.
Finally she spoke, her words measured. “You obviously know that my kind are rare. It stands to reason that others could come after me in the future. Just like before. I am out to the world now. I can’t hide what I am and I don’t want to, regardless.”
His wolf flared to the surface so he lowered his gaze, not wanting her to see the rage in his eyes. If someone came after her again, tried to take her for her blood or any other reason, he would destroy them. Rip them apart limb by limb. And he would enjoy it. No one touched what was his. No one touched her.
He cleared his throat, feeling more in control now. “And?”
“And, I’m just saying that I might be a threat to your pack.”
Now he laughed as Antony set two small plates in front of them—fried alligator for him and fried jalapenos for her. “If someone comes after you, we’ll take them out. Just think about the offer,” he added, not wanting to pressure her. Because he didn’t want her to say no.
“I will. Thank you,” she said as Antony slid two more plates in front of them. Greek salad for her and a medium-rare burger for him—and she’d told Antony to hold the onion on his, just the way he liked it.
Something sh
ifted inside him then, something he didn’t want to acknowledge, but couldn’t deny. His wolf had claimed Aurora—and so had he.
* * *
“I’m not going to battle you,” King murmured for Aurora’s ears only. Now that they were back to his compound, she’d told him what she planned two minutes ago.
And it was nuts.
She snorted as they strode through the wide-open gates to his compound. His people owned a city block in the Quarter and most of the structures were connected. But they also owned houses on a few other blocks throughout the city, including a condo complex in the Irish Channel and a mansion in the Lower Garden District. He liked having his pack dispersed throughout the city. More eyes and ears everywhere was a good thing.
Right now they were at the Lower Garden District compound, and since it was a nice night most of his packmates were out in the yard. Just great.
“Not battling. It’s practice. I’m simply going to throw lightning bolts at you and you’re going to block them with your sword. You’re a freaking tornado. You need to let the steam off and this is the way to do it. Otherwise you’re going to lose it with one of those dumbass vampires and create an incident.”
He shot her a sideways glance. “Did you just call them dumbasses?”
“Everybody is a dumbass once in a while. Myself included.”
“Am I ever a dumbass?”
“I have never witnessed it firsthand, but I’m sure you have been. I’ll just ask Delphine or one of your packmates for examples.”
He snorted slightly as they strode up the long, curving driveway lined with thick oak trees dripping with Spanish moss—some older than him.
“You need to change or anything?” she asked, eyeing him.
He wondered what she thought when she looked at him then he shoved that thought back just as quickly. They were just friends. He wanted more but she’d never given any indication that she would offer him anything other than friendship. The truth was, her friendship was worth more than…anything.
“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” he said instead.
“Are you scared?” Then she made an actual clucking sound. Like a chicken.