Ancient Protector

by Katie Reus

  “You look gorgeous.” A familiar male voice made her turn and smile.

  “Jaxtyn.” Star had no idea if that was his real name or a stage name but it suited the human. Tonight he had on a slim-fitting suit jacket—a clearly custom-cut dark blue and gold sequin jacket, which should have looked ridiculous. But with a buff body like his, Jaxtyn pulled it off. The television personality always had a smile on his handsome face and there was a genuineness to him that couldn’t be faked. Something she found to be rare in the industry. “You look incredible yourself. Do you just live in the gym now?” she asked.

  Jaxtyn laughed lightly, revealing perfect white teeth. “I’ve been going a little overboard with the running lately. It seems to be the only peace I get. I wish someone had told me that fame came with such a price.”

  Star understood that. Where she was in her career now, she’d lost the right to privacy. As soon as she rescued her sister, however, she was done with all of this. No more touring. Nothing. She would do anything to keep her sister safe. And disappearing was the only way to do that. It would be hard, but supernaturals had been doing it for ages. “No kidding. So did I see that you’re going to be on some sort of ballroom dancing show?”

  “Yep. My manager just made the announcement—”

  He stopped as a well-dressed man spoke into the microphone, smiling broadly at the crowd. “If everyone will please quiet down, it’s time for the celebrity auction!”

  “I hear you’re up first,” Jaxtyn murmured, whisper-quiet.

  “Yep.” Yay her.

  “I saw some delicious-looking men in the audience. I just hope someone bids on me. Can you imagine if no one bids?” He shuddered and she scented a faint trickle of real worry from him, so she nudged him with her hip.

  “You’re going to have multiple bids. Like…a dozen at least. Come on, you’re gorgeous.”

  He smiled and shrugged but she could still smell the fear. And considering she didn’t have the scent capabilities of most shifters, the fact that she could scent it at all told her he was truly nervous about tonight. Which seemed crazy to her. The man was stunning and talented.

  “…Star, step up on stage!”

  She blinked and realized that she’d been announced. Jaxtyn gave her a winning smile, as did the other singers and celebrities she passed as she stepped up the stairs onto the dais. Flashes went off as she strode across the platform and she focused on a random spot near the back so she wouldn’t get distracted. It made it easier to keep her smile in place as she did what she thought of as her “Miss Universe wave” to the audience.

  There were a few wolf whistles and cheers as she stepped up to the announcer.

  “I don’t need to introduce this rising star!” He laughed at his own pun and she hid a wince. “Star is a first-timer at this auction so let’s start tonight off right! The bidding usually starts at ten thousand but I think we should start at fifteen—”

  “Fifteen!” A male voice shouted somewhere from her left before he’d even finished.

  “Twenty!” a woman called out.

  “Twenty-five!”

  “Thirty-five!”

  “I like the enthusiasm! Let’s see if we can get it to—”

  “One million dollars,” a deep male voice called out from…somewhere.

  Star blinked as a hush spilled over the crowd, men and women turning around, then turning to look at each other. Her heart rate kicked up as she digested the bid. A million dollars?

  What. The. Hell.

  Chapter 2

  Star realized she was staring into the crowd with a shocked expression at the million-dollar bid. She quickly jerked back to reality and smiled as she leaned toward the microphone. “I think we’re going to call it,” she said, laughing. “Unless someone else wants to pony up another million?”

  That earned a laugh from the crowd even as her heart raced out of control. She couldn’t imagine anyone bidding that much on a date. For anyone. Seriously, it was just dinner and the screening of some movie, like two weeks before it was released. That was it. And it was going to be chaperoned. Bella had confirmed it with the other PR people in charge of this whole charity thing.

  If the person who’d bid on her thought they were getting anything else from her, they were out of their damn mind. But she’d learned over the years that some people had more money than sense, and thought that entitled them to whatever they wanted.

  The announcer closed the bidding even as she started walking off the stage on the opposite side. Just as quickly, he announced Jaxtyn’s name as the next victim. As Star descended the stairs, she looked over her shoulder to see Jaxtyn sashaying onto the stage and waving at the crowd.

  Someone shouted out a bid even before the announcer had started the first offer. Good for him.

  Before she’d taken one step off the stairs, Brielle and Harlow surrounded her as Bella stepped up in front of her.

  “A Scottish man named Lachlan bid on you,” Bella said, her voice subvocal so that only Star could hear among this crowd filled with supernaturals.

  “And?”

  “And he’s a reclusive billionaire. That’s literally all I know. I already talked to Lola and she said she needs more time to dig.” Lola was the reason they knew Aurora was here at all. Bella continued. “His name and a brief description are literally all I got from the organizer.”

  “I hope he doesn’t think he’s getting—”

  A huge, broad-shouldered man stepped into her path and the twins moved lightning fast in front of her, their body language defensive.

  He lifted a dark eyebrow as he glanced between the two of them before briefly dismissing them and focusing on Star, who stood behind them. There was more than enough room between Brielle and Harlow for her to get a good view of the man.

  She blinked, startled at the arc of electricity she experienced as their gazes collided. She felt that dark, smoldering look all the way to her core. Smoldering? That was a thing, right? Because he had it in spades. His eyes were a dark, almost indigo blue and she wondered if in the right light they’d have a violet glint. Not that she cared. Good God, stop staring, she ordered herself. But she found herself mesmerized by those eyes as everything else around them fell away. The crowd. The annoying announcer. Even her packmates. There was a strange scent in the air…and it made her lightheaded. For some strange reason, she felt as if they’d met before—which made no sense. But deep in her core, she felt like she knew this man.

  Until he gave her a slow, wicked smile. The smugness broke her free of whatever was going on in her head right now. She had no time for a smug male. Ever. But definitely not right now.

  “My name is Lachlan,” the male rumbled, his Scottish accent fainter than she’d heard from other Scotsmen. It was lovely all the same. And the male was most definitely a shifter of some kind.

  He was too big not to be, and he had a very distinctive masculine—animalistic—scent that said he wasn’t human. It reminded her of wide-open skies and springtime.

  “Of course.” Bella gently nudged the twins out of the way and held out a hand for him. “I’m Bella, Star’s manager. The organizer let me know you were the winning bidder. Congratulations Mr., ah…”

  “Lachlan is fine.” He simply nodded, not taking his gaze off Star. “I saw you sing live last month. You were incredible.” His complimentary words were blunt.

  She wasn’t great at scenting truth or lies, not like other shifters. Technically she was a shifter but she was…different from the others. Still, she didn’t scent any lies rolling off him. And really, what would be the point of lying to her about that? Smiling politely at the compliment even as it warmed her from the inside out, she said, “Thank you. Where did you see me?”

  “Denmark.”

  She nodded. She’d done a couple shows there before heading to London. “I’m glad you enjoyed the show.”

  “You have a real gift.” Sincerity and a hint of something else laced his beautifully accented words. Damn, that voice. />
  And for the briefest moment she saw a flash of his animal in his eyes. It was so damn fast that if she hadn’t been staring, or if she hadn’t known about the existence of shifters, she’d have probably convinced herself it was a trick of the light. But she knew what she’d seen. This tall, sexy man was a dragon.

  Haaaaaard pass.

  Oh God, did he know what she was? No, she was so careful to keep her identity a secret. And she still wasn’t sure how Oscar had discovered what Aurora was. And yeah, intellectually she knew that “not all dragons are bad,” but damn. No, no, no.

  “I would love to talk with you—”

  “I’m so sorry Mr., ah, Lachlan,” Bella said, cutting him off in that efficient way of hers. Petite she might be, but she was a force of nature. A tiny tornado, Brielle called her. She gently grasped Star’s arm and started moving even as she continued. “We have a show to get ready for and less than an hour to do it. I’ll be in contact with your assistant for—”

  “Contact me personally. Any time of day or night. The organizer has all my information on file.” He might have responded to Bella, but his penetrating gaze was still on Star.

  Unnerved by that look, unnerved by his very presence, she managed to rip her gaze from his and fall in step with Bella. What…had that been? She felt… She wasn’t even sure what she felt, but a worm of guilt wiggled its way inside her. She shouldn’t be thinking about anything or anyone other than her sister right now.

  “That man wants more than a date,” Brielle murmured as they stepped out into a quiet hallway that would take them directly to where the rest of the band was getting set up. It was one of the employees-only hallways they’d been informed about and was blocked off for the majority of the guests.

  “No kidding,” Harlow murmured. “Did you smell those pheromones?” She made a gagging sound.

  Star glanced between her friends who were on either side of her. “Seriously?” She hadn’t been able to scent anything, but no surprise there.

  “Oh yeah.” Harlow tapped her nose as they maneuvered around one of the catering staff rolling a cart filled with little appetizers down the hallway. “He wants a very happy ending to your date.”

  “We need to find out more about him,” Bella said quietly.

  “I think he was a dragon,” Star said, quiet enough for their ears only. And for some reason, that thought wasn’t as revolting as it should be. Or not revolting at all.

  The other two shifters sobered suddenly.

  “I believe it,” Brielle said. “I noticed three other males with him. They blended into the background but they had the same coloring and facial similarities. Definitely clanmates if they’re dragons.”

  “And he’s not with Oscar’s clan. That much I know,” Harlow added subvocally. “But that male was an Alpha so I’m surprised Oscar would even allow him here.”

  They’d researched the hell out of Oscar’s clan once they’d discovered he’d taken Aurora. They knew most of the names and faces of the clan. Besides, Lachlan was Alpha to the bone. Whoever he was, he would have his own clan. Star would bet money on it.

  Rolling her shoulders, Star let thoughts of the sexy Scottish dragon drop from her mind. She would worry about who the male was another time. Because Bella hadn’t been lying. She had to get ready for the show.

  The most important show of her life.

  She was the opening act and it was going to be a huge production with fireworks. While she was singing, her team would make their move.

  Energy hummed through her. Energy mixed with anxiety. But she squashed the fear down tight into a little box and threw away the key. She couldn’t focus on it and do her job. And right now, her job was to make sure that everyone’s eyes were on her, so her team could do their job and rescue Aurora.

  Then they were getting the hell out of the country.

  Chapter 3

  “A million dollars? That’s like eight hundred thousand pounds. Give or take.” Cody, Lachlan’s younger brother, came to stand next to him, hands shoved into his pants pockets. Without waiting for a response, he continued. “That seems reaaaally smart. Just throw a bunch of pounds away. On one date. Better yet, why not set it on fire, ya bawbag?”

  “You are the one who told me to bid on her.” Lachlan hadn’t even known about the auction until an hour ago. His brother had told him that he should bid on Star.

  And it had sounded like a grand idea.

  “I was joking.”

  Lachlan simply grunted. “It’s for charity.”

  This earned him a laugh not only from Cody, but from two of his clanmates standing a few feet behind them.

  “Aye, right.” His brother snorted. “Okay, then. What the hell were you thinking?” Cody muttered.

  “Last time I checked I dinnae answer to you, lad.” Lachlan cut a dark glance at his brother, who immediately straightened. Now was not the time to have a conversation about finances or his decision tonight. First of all, they were wealthy as fuck. Their finances were fine. More than.

  His dragon clan had hoards stashed all over the world, as they were ancient. And in the thousands of years he’d been in Protective Hibernation, his people had done well for themselves, made investments. His younger brother was talking to him not as Alpha Laird, however, but as a sibling. He wasn’t sure why Cody even cared.

  Lachlan had only come tonight because one of his… Not exactly allies, but an ancient dragon he’d known thousands of years ago had invited him. As the Alpha Laird of a neighboring clan, it would have been rude not to attend Oscar’s soiree. But the truth was, Lachlan had only made the final decision to actually attend when he’d been informed that the female Star was singing.

  He’d discovered her half a year ago when one of his younger clanmates had been blasting her radio in their oversized castle kitchen. He’d been about to tell her to turn it down when Star’s voice had punched through right to the heart of him, her sweet siren song playing out of the radio. A year after rising, he was still adjusting to this new world and all the technology, but once he’d heard her voice, he’d asked his cousin to download all of her music for him.

  She sounded like nothing he’d ever heard before, as if she was singing only for him. Which he knew was daft. But it didn’t alter the fact that her music spoke to him in a way nothing ever had. It made him think of a different time, of the only female he’d loved—and lost. Now to meet her in person? Fuck. He’d had to actually keep his dragon at bay because both halves of him wanted to know everything about the lass. He couldn’t ever remember having to leash his dragon back like that. Not since he was a dragon bairn and that had been…too many thousands of years ago to count.

  Her long hair was a dark indigo that looked natural to him, but he knew that humans and shifters could dye their hair. He assumed she’d dyed it, as indigo wasn’t a natural hair color, but it looked good on her. Mainly because it matched the color of his dragon scales. Though in truth, everything looked good on her, including that tiny scrap of a dress, a dark purple that matched her eyes. And something told him that those weren’t contacts either. They were too bright, too vivid, too…expressive. When she’d looked at him, she’d felt attraction. That much he was sure of. But it had disappeared so quickly, to be replaced by…he wasn’t certain. But it hadn’t been good, whatever it had been.

  “I’m done here.” Abruptly Lachlan turned away from the continuing auction. He had no interest in bidding on anything or anyone else. The only reason he’d come was to hear Star sing in person again. This growing obsession he had with her had to stop. At least that was what he’d tried to tell himself. But now that he’d met her in person, had scented her… His dragon clawed his insides, telling him they would not be walking away tonight. He would speak to her again at least.

  “You know you’re going to get hell from Rhona later,” Cody grumbled as they walked away together.

  Rhona was the clan’s accountant and damn good at her job, but he didn’t think she’d give him any grief. Not that
he cared. He was Alpha Laird. “Aye. I’m sure once I remind her it’s a tax write-off, it’ll soothe her ruffled feathers.” Things like taxes were something new he had also adjusted to in this era. There were so many things he was still learning.

  Cody simply grunted then grabbed two flutes of champagne from a passing waiter, downing one after the other.

  “Classy,” Lachlan murmured as they moved through the crowd.

  Grinning, Cody grabbed two more after setting his other two down on an empty high-top table. “That’s my middle name. Now when can we get the hell out of here?” he asked so quietly that only Lachlan could hear him. It wouldn’t do to offend any of Oscar’s dragons milling about.

  And they were everywhere on this compound. The place itself was so ostentatious, but apparently Oscar had been throwing parties like this for the last decade.

  It was good to see that some things never changed. Even thousands of years ago, Oscar had been obnoxious and had always loved throwing a wild ceilidh—though back then his parties had been far more hedonistic. The other thing that had changed was that shifters were now interacting with humans and other supernatural beings. Even if humans had no idea that supernaturals even existed.

  “Her PR manager Bella is quite bonnie,” Cody continued, sipping his drink now as they stepped outside the ballroom into a much quieter hallway. “And so were her security lasses. She’s simply surrounded by beauties.”

  His dragon breathed out a sigh, glad to be away from the crush of humans and supernaturals alike. Deep down, he was far more in touch with his wildness and wished he was in the skies right now. Flying high above everyone and everything.

  Something inside him shifted in that moment as he realized what it was about Star’s voice that affected him. When he heard her voice, everything faded away. He and his dragon were at peace, not worried about the future or wars he knew would eventually come. Because how could they not? He was not a fool and it was easy to see that humans would one day discover the existence of his kind. And when they did, the weaker species would lose their collective minds.