Protector

by Lisa Renee Jones

  She looked at him, surprise in her eyes. “Then don’t do it anymore.”

  He laughed. He couldn’t help it. Holly was so direct. “You never hold back, do you?”

  “Not about things that matter to me.”

  Mason sobered quickly. She wasn’t making things easy on him. “Tell me about yourself, Holly Heart. What matters to you?”

  He was pleased to find her eager to talk. It was as if she let down some curtain and then him walk inside. She began talking without hesitation. About her parents, her research and even the dog she had as a child. Her voice wrapped around him like a soft caress. Watching her eyes twinkle and her expressions change kept him so spellbound he hardly remembered eating.

  Mason paid the bill and was about to suggest they get on the road when her eyes lightened. “That’s one of my favorite country songs. Come dance with me.”

  His eyes widened. “No,” he said. “We have to go.”

  “Please, Mason. Just a quick dance. For a few minutes let’s forget everything and dance.”

  “Holly—”

  She cut him off with determined measure in her gaze. “I guess a tough guy like you doesn’t dance? Or is it against some Black Knight code? If so, is there a manual I can read?”

  He stared at her. She was going to be the death of him. Before he could talk himself out of it, he pushed to his feet and held out his hand.

  Her brow inched up but she didn’t move.

  “Let’s dance,” he said, noticing the husky quality of his voice but not able to stop it.

  His reward was her brilliant smile as she moved from the booth to her feet and placed her hand in his. “Thank you,” she said sweetly.

  As she stepped closer to him, Mason trailed his finger down her cheek. He felt her tremble in response and everything male in him roared with approval. “You make it very hard to say no, Holly Heart.”

  “Good,” she whispered.

  Tucking her arm under his elbow, he led her to the bar. Dim lighting filtered through the room while the jukebox switched to another slow, country song. Covertly, Mason surveyed the room.

  There wasn’t a dance floor so Mason simply pulled Holly into a dark corner and then into his arms. He was crazy for delaying their departure. Moving was critical to keep the Arions from tracking their position.

  But here he was, dancing with Holly.

  Together they melted into the shadows, her head on his shoulder. His hands slid up and down her back, along the perfect curve of her hip, and she answered him with a soft purring sound.

  For the moments following, Mason pushed his concerns about the future aside. He was with Holly and nothing stood between them. Holding her was like coming home. He felt a peace he hadn’t felt in years, if ever.

  How long they clung to one another, swaying with the music, in perfect sync with every movement, he wasn’t sure. He could have stayed lost in their little world forever.

  Reality invaded with a crash from behind. He stiffened, scanned the room and identifyied the noise as nothing more than a broken glass. Still, he knew they had lingered too long.

  “We have to go,” he told Holly.

  She nodded but her eyes were alluring, full of desire, and he found himself regretting the loss of their time together. Pushing to her tiptoes, she cupped his face with one of her hands. “Thank you for dancing with me.”

  He covered her hand with his before bringing it to his mouth. His lips brushed her knuckles. “Anytime, anything,” he whispered.

  They stood there, not dancing, not moving for long seconds. Forcing himself, he said, “We have to go.”

  “Um,” Holly said. “I should go to the bathroom before we leave.”

  He nodded as his hand settled on the small of her back. He walked her through the bar toward the restrooms.

  “When you’re done, wait right here for me,” Mason told her before they each turned to the appropriate door.

  * * * * *

  Mason stilled, but only for an instant of confirmation.

  Holly.

  He had heard her cry his name in his head. Her fear wrapped around him, making his breathing tight, as if he had a vice on his throat, strangling him. Pure terror like he had never known made his stomach twist in knots. Forcefully, he closed his eyes and let his senses take over.

  Images came to him as clear as if he was seeing them firsthand. There were two men in the women’s restroom, one standing in front of Holly, the other behind her, holding a knife to her throat.

  He despised the Arions’ use of humans to perform their bidding. Humans were rewarded for their participation. If effective in the assigned task, in return, the human would be turned into an Arion. The Arions won in this matter either way. They had their will acted upon without bringing attention to their race and they expanded their kind with only those who would do their bidding.

  Mason closed the distance between the two bathrooms in a matter of seconds. Moving with the soundless grace of a well-trained Knight and the speed of a superhuman, he pushed open the women’s door. He grabbed the man facing Holly and broke his neck. Before the man hit the ground, Mason had removed a shiny, round blade from his belt. Quiet and effective, it was often his weapon of choice.

  In one quick motion, the blade was planted in the other man’s forehead. The knife the attacker had been holding to Holly’s throat fell to the ground, making a loud clattering noise.

  He crumpled to the floor, whimpering with pain, but very much alive. Mason kneeled in front of him, removing the knife from his flesh. Using the man’s shirt, Mason cleaned the blade.

  Looking into his eyes, Mason’s stare burned with pure fury. “When I clap, you will do to yourself what you intended for your victim.” He held the man in his hypnotic gaze and then asked, “Do you understand?” The man nodded, his eyes glazed with the trance-like state Mason had placed him under.

  Mason pushed to his feet and reached for Holly. She was trembling, her arms wrapped around her body. Framing her face with his hands he looked into her eyes, intentionally grabbing her with his power.

  “I’m here,” he said in a comforting voice as his thumbs wiped tears from her cheeks. “You’re safe. I would never let anyone hurt you.”

  Her lips quivered. “I know.”

  “We have to go,” he said, taking her hand.

  She nodded, her eyes wide, her lips trembling as if she was icy-cold.

  Mason pulled her behind him, guiding her into the hallway. He moved to release Holly’s hand but she held it tight, insistently. Understanding her need, he tucked her hand under his elbow and then clapped, setting the man in the bathroom into action.

  Taking Holly by the hand again, he pulled her behind him and toward the exit.

  Chapter Eleven

  Mason looked up at the sky with a grim expression on his face. Darkness had fallen with a thick cloud cover, eerie, like something out of a horror movie. The moon was a strange grayish color, ominous and half-covered. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

  Inwardly he cursed their bad luck. Storms would only slow them down.

  His senses told him there was no Arion presence in the direct area, but that didn’t mean they weren’t in danger. Humans were clearly at the Arions’ bidding. And he had to put distance between them and the diner before the bodies of the two men in the bathroom were discovered.

  Mason went straight to the driver’s side of his truck, pulling Holly along with him, wanting to keep her near. He helped her slide into the truck. She stayed close to his side as he slid behind the wheel, holding his arm as if it was her lifeline.

  He was glad to have her near so he could feel her alive and well. Damn, he had come too close to losing her. Once he shut the truck door, he wanted to hold her but there wasn’t time. He needed to get them the hell away from the diner.

  But he worried about her. She’d been through hell.

  She was a strong woman but seeing someone killed was a tough thing. It was also hard to face the evil of a man intent on
making a kill. She had faced two such men on this night.

  Two too many.

  He could feel her delicate little shivers. Minutes passed but her body still hadn’t calmed. As soon as he felt it was safe, he pulled to the side of the road, fearful she was going into shock. He turned to her, pulling her into his arms, stroking her back and hair.

  “I’m so sorry, Angel. I’m here for you. I swear I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  It was said true Arion mates had many abilities with their partners, including a calming effect. At this moment, Mason prayed it was true. Her heartbeat was too fast.

  He kept touching her, stroking and caressing her with gentle reassurance. “Breathe for me, nice and slow, in and out.”

  She wasn’t responding well. He leaned back, looking into her eyes. Mentally, he reached out to her, calming her. He held her gaze. “Let’s try this again but keep looking at me. Let’s breathe together, Angel. Okay?”

  She just looked at him.

  He reached for her mind, silently willing her to comply. “Breathe in,” he said, sucking in a breath, feeling relieved when she did as well. Then he blew out a breath and she followed. They did this several times.

  Gently, he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs. Her heart was beating a bit more normally now and he could see responsiveness in her gaze. “Better?”

  She nodded but a choked sob escaped her lips and she tried to turn away from him. He didn’t let her. He grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace, holding her as he whispered comforting words of love. At first she resisted, as if afraid to let go but, moments later, she clung to him, her face buried in his shirt.

  She was more like him than he’d realized. A need to be in control drove her actions and reactions far more than he initially thought. He understood what that felt like.

  The connections he felt to Holly were like nothing he had ever experienced or even imagined. She reached inside him and made him whole. Seeing the sharpened edge of a blade against her throat had been pure torture. He tightened his arms around her.

  How could he ever walk away from her? Yet how could he not?

  His mind raced a million miles an hour, taking twists and turns and settling on a major concern. What would Holly’s reaction be to him killing those men?

  Once she was over her initial shock, would she hate him for what he had done? Would she understand that he had been in soldier mode, protecting what was his?

  He was a soldier, trained to kill when needed. And Holly was important to him both as a soldier and a man. If someone threatened her, he wouldn’t hesitate to take his or her life.

  Fighting evil sometimes meant kill or be killed.

  He ran his hand down her hair, kissing her temple, her head and then her forehead. Tilting her chin up, he looked into her eyes, tears clinging to her lashes even though she had calmed.

  She made an effort to smile. “I’m sorry I lost it like that.”

  His eyes went to her soft, full lips. “Don’t be,” he said lowering his head, brushing his mouth across hers and tasting the saltiness of her tears.

  “You saved my life,” she whispered against his mouth.

  Silence filtered through the darkness, laced with their need for one another, their mouths and bodies touching, savoring the feel of just holding one another, of being alive and together.

  Headlights flashed, shaking Mason back into reality. Reluctantly, he pulled back, feeling the ache of her absence immediately. Running his hands down her arms, he said, “We have to get on the road.”

  Holly nodded but, as he started to move toward the steering wheel, she grabbed his arm. His eyes went to hers. She hesitated, not saying whatever she was going to say. His brow inched up in question.

  “Nothing,” she whispered.

  When she turned away, releasing his arm, he frowned, wondering what she had left unsaid. He pulled back onto the road as Holly snuggled up to his side and fell asleep.

  He drove.

  Thinking and thinking.

  What had she not said to him?

  * * * * *

  Darkness enveloped the road while trees and brush almost seemed to close in around them. The gas tank sat on empty. Mason was thankful he knew the area well.

  There was a self-serve gas station half a mile up the road. Holly still slept, no doubt exhausted by the trauma of the day. She didn’t so much as twitch when he pulled into the station.

  At one in the morning there wasn’t a person in sight and Mason was thankful for pay-at-the-pump service. He had a special card, compliments of the government, traceable to someone who wasn’t him but, then again, was. A little tactic needed in a world where electronic tracking was so easy.

  The instant Mason stepped from the truck the wind changed. He would know the presence, any day, anywhere, so connected was he to the visitor.

  David.

  The two of them could always track each other. For Mason it took a great deal of effort. For David, it appeared almost effortless. Unless Mason was underground.

  His eyes flew to the side of the building; dark shadows played against the wall. As he expected, David stepped forward. Mason moved toward him, closing the distance and meeting him halfway.

  They stood facing one another, their eyes locking. Mason squared his shoulders, no fear in his stare, only contempt. Even now, looking at David, it was hard to believe he had turned so evil. Arions looked like normal humans. David looked like his brother. But he wasn’t.

  It was hard to swallow.

  In appearance they had always resembled one another. There were small differences, such as height—Mason stood two inches above David’s six feet. Where Mason was taller, David was broader.

  Looking at David now, Mason wished he didn’t resemble the man he had once loved. Their blood bond was so damn evident to anyone who saw them together. Even to him, as much contempt as he felt, their similarities were a reminder of what once was. The brother he had once known was dead. All that was left was this alien creature.

  Who looked like his brother.

  “What do you want, David?”

  David’s lips twitched with amusement. “Now, is that anyway to greet your brother?”

  Mason’s lips thinned. “My brother is dead.”

  David ran a hand in front of his body. “I am alive and quite well, Mason. Don’t kid yourself. Denial won’t change who or what I am.”

  Mason’s mind shifted. He knew the instant Holly woke, a strange sensation because of its clarity. He could feel her confusion, almost hear her call his name. With an instinct and skill that was unfamiliar to him, he mentally reached out to her.

  I am fine. Stay in the truck until I tell you otherwise. Don’t argue this one, Angel. There is danger.

  He thought the words but didn’t think she actually heard them. But maybe felt them. Yes. He knew she understood. He relaxed marginally. There was too much risk to her with David present to let down his guard.

  Shifting his attention back to his brother, he said, “Say what you will but the brother I once knew is no more.” The brother he knew would never have been so evil. “We always differed in personality, but not in values.”

  Mason was disciplined and focused, where David had been wild and daring. Yet, Mason had always believed they had the same angle on life.

  Obviously, he had been wrong.

  David ignored Mason’s words as if he hadn’t spoken. “I come with one last offer, Mason. Join me. Together we will rule. One bloodline. A legacy of our own. Our children will rule after us, and then theirs.” His eyes went to the truck, a silent message that he knew Holly was there. “I know you’re attached to the woman. Bring her and I will assure her safety.”

  “Right,” Mason said. “I met your human servants back at the diner. Nice way of ensuring her safety.”

  “You have my word,” David said. “This is brother-to-brother. My word to you as blood.”

  Mason shook his head. “You never did understand the word no. Let me spell it out.
I will not join you, not now, not ever.”

  David’s black eyes seemed to darken to the depths of hell. “My patience wears thin, brother.” He emphasized the word brother. “Your stubbornness will do nothing but seal your death,” he looked toward the truck and then back to Mason, “and that of your woman by denying your spot by my side.”

  Mason laughed, taunting David with intent. “You always had a God complex, David. I knocked you on your ass many times when we were kids and I’ll do it again, now. You know I can or you wouldn’t care so much about having me on your side. I’m no fool, David. You’d best remember that.”

  The wind picked up speed, swirling the dust on the ground. David’s eyes took on a predatory gleam. “I’m not so easily defeated, Mason. Test me now and people will die. Many people.” He started to back away. One step, then two, before he stopped. “You have twenty-four hours. No more. If you don’t come to me of your own free will, I’ll consider us at war. Decide your fate.”

  Mason’s response came quickly and with complete certainty. “You can give me an hour or a year, and my decision will be the same. I will never join you.”

  David’s teeth clenched. “I sincerely hope you reconsider. Terminating you would come with regret but I will not hesitate to make it happen.”

  “There you have it. Our differences are evident. Terminating you wouldn’t cause me one bit of regret. I sincerely hope you keep that in mind.” Mason clutched his fists at his side.

  “I’ll be in contact,” David said as he backed into the shadows and simply disappeared into the wind.

  * * * * *

  The minute Holly saw Mason approaching the truck she pushed the door open and ran toward him. He opened his arms to her, pulling her into the shelter of his body.

  “I was scared to death when I woke up and you were gone,” Holly said, clinging to his shirt with her hands as she looked up at him.

  His expression was etched with worry and something else Holly couldn’t quite identify. “I know. I felt your fear.”