Ancient Protector

by Katie Reus

  “She’s killer on the guitar,” Greer said. “And you’re right about the performing. King has things under control right now, but things are definitely tense in the city.” Greer shared a look with Reaper that left a whole lot unsaid.

  Star had questions but didn’t know the couple well enough to ask—and she didn’t think they’d tell her anyway. Still… “Is there anything I should be worried about?”

  Greer cleared her throat. Then she glanced around the restaurant and shrugged slightly. “I’m not sure. I just know that the vampires won’t fully accept King as Alpha. Not right now anyway. If he mates with one of their own that would change, but…” She shrugged. “It’s just a feeling in the air, a sort of tension, I guess. That’s on top of everything else as we rebuild. People are scared about the future, worried how things will take shape.”

  Star nodded, not exactly surprised. It was her understanding that King ran the city with the help of a handful of others—different species other than wolves, including vampires—but vamps and shifters were notorious for butting heads. Or more specifically, getting into full-on brawls or wars.

  They’d actually had an awful war centuries ago—and probably millennia before as well. She was too young to know everything, but her aunt Cliona had told her stories. That was way before her time, however. She was a fairly modern girl, especially compared to these three, she was pretty sure. At forty-two, she was practically a baby—and most humans assumed she was in her twenties.

  “Does your clan miss you?” Star asked Lachlan, wanting to know more about him, even as she told herself to keep her mouth shut. She had this rabid curiosity about him that was growing every day.

  “My clan is a well-oiled machine. For now, they are doing fine.” That delicious voice wrapped around her.

  “How long are you in town?” she asked, pushing. She knew she shouldn’t but she couldn’t help it. She needed to know when this madness inside her would end—when he would be gone and she could put thoughts of him behind her.

  He gave her a long, dark look, the kind of look that made her toes curl in her boots. A look he shouldn’t be giving her in public with others sitting mere feet away. “I’ll stay here as long as it takes.”

  She wanted to ask what he meant by that but bit back the question. Because she wasn’t sure she wanted the answer. Or maybe she did. Her mind was kind of screwed up right now.

  Their server chose that moment to arrive to refill drinks and deliver an appetizer that Greer and Reaper must have ordered before.

  Dinner ended up being incredibly pleasant, nothing like the awkward date she’d been imagining. Lachlan was quite charming and good at deflecting any sort of compliment Reaper tossed his way. It was kind of weird—Reaper seemed to be trying to talk Lachlan up. And even though Reaper was rough around the edges she could tell he was completely smitten by his mate, and she was such a sucker to see couples in love.

  Deep down she was a romantic. Even though she knew the chances of her ever finding a mate were slim. It was such a narrow margin for her kind in general. Her kind were nearly extinct anyway, something she really didn’t want to think about.

  As dinner wrapped up, she found out that they didn’t pay with money right now, but both Reaper and Lachlan promised the owner of the place they’d come back and help out with some things of the handyman variety.

  After saying goodbye to the others, she and Lachlan set out on foot since he wanted to walk her home. A cool breeze rolled over her, and in that moment, she wanted to pretend she was just a woman out on a date with a sexy man. But underneath the surface, a strange sensation buzzed, making her edgy. She never got like this, not really. But Lachlan was bringing out a different side to her.

  There was a decent amount of people on the streets as Lachlan and Star slowly strolled along the uneven sidewalk. When they turned onto St. Peters Street—which appeared to have either missed the destruction completely, or was already rebuilt—she said, “I think your friends are following us. Am I off base?” she said quietly.

  Lachlan sighed. “It’s because Reaper has been tasked with keeping an eye on me.”

  She blinked in surprise. “Wait, like he’s your babysitter?”

  Lachlan shot her a dry look now. “No. But I’m an Alpha in another Alpha’s territory.”

  “So them being at the restaurant wasn’t a coincidence?”

  “No. I only invited them over because Greer is such a fan of yours, and it’s hard to say no to a lass as sweet as that.” He seemed a little sheepish as he said the last part.

  Star smiled at his words, realizing he might be a bit of a marshmallow inside after all. Which…was far too hot. Damn it. She needed to be keeping her distance from this dragon.

  It was interesting that King was allowing the male to stay in his territory. And something told Star that if it came down to King versus Lachlan, it would be a very savage battle. She knew King was strong and had heard the rumors of him killing dragons. But Lachlan was ancient and she could feel the raw power rolling off him, caressing her skin in waves, as if he couldn’t contain the power completely. Maybe he wasn’t even aware of it.

  “We lost our tail,” he murmured. “Reaper must trust me enough to walk you home.”

  She knew that they likely had another tail—Axel was her backup tonight but he was doing a good job blending in because she hadn’t seen him once. “Look, what do you want from me?” she asked quietly as they turned left onto a quiet street away from the people out walking or jogging.

  “You.” Such a simple word but with too much meaning injected into it.

  She sucked in a breath. “Lachlan, my home is here, and you live in Scotland. I’m not going to Scotland.” Even though some part of her she couldn’t even admit existed wanted to go there. Had always wanted to. It was this strange, driving need she’d felt for decades, and if she was honest, it scared her. There was no reason for the driving force, nothing she could figure out anyway.

  He was quiet for a long moment. She could hear jazz music playing up ahead, streaming out from a little hole-in-the-wall bar. A few tables were outside and various groups of people sat, drinking and smiling. All human, from what she could tell as they passed by.

  “I would like the chance tae court you while I am in New Orleans,” he said once they’d passed the humans.

  There was something more in his tone. His words were simple enough but the word court meant something else entirely, especially for a dragon his age.

  She didn’t want to say yes or no, because the thought of telling him no ripped open something inside her. And she wasn’t sure why. “I don’t know what to say to that,” she finally settled on. That felt honest enough.

  “Why did you choose New Orleans to run to?” he asked. “I know you had a home in New York before.”

  “That place was never home.” Her words had more passion than she’d intended.

  He nodded, as if he understood everything she didn’t say. And maybe he did.

  She cleared her throat, driven to tell him more even if she didn’t understand why. “New York was a base of operations for us. It took a long time to find my sister. And that’s where we lived while we figured out how to get to her.”

  “If I’d known you then, I would have ripped apart his territory to get your sister back.”

  She blinked at the savagery of his words because they were essentially strangers—even if it didn’t feel like it—but she completely believed that he would have done exactly that. That he would have gone to war with this other dragon for her. That was disturbing on a couple levels. Mainly because she liked it so very much.

  “Lachlan,” she murmured, the feel of his name on her tongue familiar.

  “I like it when you say my name.” His Scottish accent got just a little bit deeper, and a whole lot sexier.

  She fought off a shudder as something echoed inside her. Damn it, she needed to shut this down now. “Look, tonight was pleasant—”

  “Pleasant? Already giving
me the brush-off, lass?”

  “Not the brush-off. Lachlan—”

  He groaned. “I told you I love it when you say my name. Are you just trying to drive me mad now?”

  His Scottish brogue was so crazy sexy and damn did she feel that all the way to her toes. “Fine, I won’t say your name again.”

  “Oh, I want you to say my name. Particularly while my head is between your legs—”

  “Lachlan!” She turned to stare at him. No one ever talked to her like that. People usually kissed up to her, and on the occasion a man or male worked up the courage to ask her out, they were usually douchey frat bro types. Or mega-rich assholes who assumed she would say yes. This… She had not expected this boldness.

  He shrugged his broad shoulders, looking more delicious than she could handle. “I believe in honesty.”

  “I don’t care,” she spluttered. “You can’t just say stuff like that.”

  “Why not? I know you want me.”

  “You’re a very maddening, arrogant dragon,” she muttered. “What?” she asked when he gave her a strange look and stopped. “That can’t be the first time someone’s said that to you. I feel like you probably drive people crazy all the time with your ‘honesty.’”

  “No…it’s not the first time.” Still, the look he gave her was almost guarded.

  She looked away for a moment as they stood in the alley that ran behind shops and restaurants. It was quiet, though she could hear people in the distance—laughter, little strings of music coming from somewhere. But here in this moonlit alleyway, there was only the two of them. The knowledge that it was just the two of them here heated her blood.

  She wanted to say his name but didn’t want him to drop another sensual statement on her. Instead she pressed her palm to his chest, intending to… She wasn’t sure what her intentions were. But the instant her fingers curled against his shirt, he let out another groan and dipped his head toward hers. He didn’t pause, didn’t wait as he brushed his lips over hers.

  As if he had every right to.

  She was the one who deepened the kiss, grabbing onto his shirt and tugging him closer. As she did, it felt like a dance they’d done a thousand times before, like coming home. Something inside her broke free as she sank into this teasing, the sweep of his tongue against hers.

  Immediately he took over, a low rumble emanating from his chest as he hoisted her up, as if he couldn’t get close enough to her. She wrapped her legs around him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. She had the feeling he wanted to pin her to the brick wall, but instead he simply wrapped his arms around her, cupping her ass and pulling her tight to him as he delved his tongue into her mouth.

  Teasing, tasting, tantalizing. Triple Ts, and the man was making her crazy.

  Heat flooded between her legs as he kneaded her ass, again in a way that felt so damn familiar. She didn’t question it but grinded up against him instead, rolling her hips against him as they made out like teenagers. Even as they kissed, she hated that there were clothes in the way. Her nipples tightened against her bra cups, the friction sending another rush of heat through her. God, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d simply made out with someone and it was invigorating and—

  “Holy shit,” she heard someone mutter from nearby and pulled back.

  That was when she realized she was glowing. Well, her purple fire was flickering all across her body and her hair. And her skin had a soft, violet glow to it. Oh goddess, no. No, she hadn’t felt the change come on at all.

  “Get the fuck out of here,” Lachlan snarled to the male staring at them.

  She had no idea if the guy was human or not but he turned and ran like hellhounds were after him. At least he hadn’t been carrying a cell phone and recording them.

  She unwound her legs from Lachlan and dropped as ice flooded her veins. The fire died as panic punched through her and that soft glow dimmed as well. This time when she pressed her hand to the middle of his chest and pushed, she put distance between them before dropping her hand.

  “Are you a dragon hybrid?” he asked her carefully as he looked at her dying fire.

  “What I am is none of your business,” she snapped out. She hadn’t meant to be so harsh but… This had never happened before. She’d never lost control like this. Fire was always underneath the surface since it was a part of her, part of her soul. When she performed, when thousands of screaming fans fed her natural energy, her fire wanted to burst free but she always managed to keep it under control. Always.

  Now, however, when the sexiest man she’d ever met had his tongue in her mouth, she decided to lose control? Just great.

  “I’ve gotta go. I…” Nope. She couldn’t stay here another moment. So she turned and ran.

  Yep, actually bolted down the alleyway to get away from him because she was not dealing with this right now. Nope, nope, nope.

  “Shite, Star! Hold on!”

  Her boots pounded against the pavement and she put distance between them. Without looking behind her, she made a sharp left onto a main street and wove her way in and out of the walking humans and supernaturals. She didn’t care if she was acting crazy or like a coward, she had to get away from him.

  And fast. Before she did something crazy or stupid. Or both.

  Chapter 13

  Lachlan took off after Star, wondering what the hell had happened. For a moment he’d thought that might have been her mating manifestation, that she was a hybrid dragon—there were enough hybrids in existence that he knew it was possible. But she’d been so horrified by the sight of her flames. If it was her mating manifestation and she was disgusted by them—by him—she might as well have reached into his chest and ripped out his heart.

  As he rounded the corner, a big male jumped down from a balcony right in front of him. The lion, Axel. Lachlan thought he’d scented the cat lurking around.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” the lion asked.

  He simply growled at the male. He’d better move or get his head lopped off.

  Axel stepped to the side when Lachlan would have gone around him. Sure he could have gotten into a brawl with him and beaten the hell out of the lion—and probably taken a few licks of his own—but he forced himself to think rationally. He wouldn’t earn any points for attacking one of Star’s people.

  Calling on a diplomacy he didn’t know he had, he gritted his teeth. “Move or I’ll cut aff yer heid, ya bawbag.” Okay, so maybe he wasn’t very diplomatic after all.

  “When a female runs from you, I don’t suggest chasing after her.”

  “I always heard lions were lazy,” he snarled, keeping his gaze on Star who was still sprinting down the street. When he saw a shadow peel off a wall in a dark alleyway and start after her, he stiffened.

  “Lazy? You motherf—”

  “Someone else is following Star.”

  The male turned, and as one unit they ran down the street.

  “I’m not lazy,” Axel muttered. “Lions always get a bad rap because we like to nap.”

  “I’ve met male lions.” Seriously, why was he having this conversation at all?

  He watched as Star made a left about fifty feet ahead onto another street.

  The male in the hoodie followed suit, his movements clipped and determined. He was definitely following her.

  Even while sprinting, Lachlan easily dodged humans walking along the sidewalk. Any supernaturals simply moved out of the way. Axel was right with him, keeping pace.

  Though he’d lost sight of her, all he had to do was follow Star’s scent. But he hated not having her within eyesight. He’d lost a female before. Lost a woman who smelled so damn similar to Star. They even kissed the same. And when Star told him he was maddening and arrogant, she’d said it with the same tone of exasperation.

  They weren’t the same though; it was impossible. He knew that in his heart, but when he’d tasted Star tonight, it had been like coming home. It had been like kissing his long-dead mate. A human
female he’d never gotten to mate because the fates had taken her from him far too soon.

  Panic punched into him and all he could focus on was getting to Star, stopping whoever that male was. As they rounded another corner, he followed her scent trail to the exterior wall of a cemetery. Finally slowing, Lachlan tapped his nose and pointed at the wall.

  Axel nodded in agreement.

  He gave hand motions that he was going over the wall. Without pause, the agile lion jumped onto a nearby oak tree and crawled up it.

  Lachlan jumped up in one swift move and grabbed the top of the wall before propelling himself over.

  His boots landed with a thud on the gravel below. There! He spotted the shadowy figure ducking behind an oversized gravestone. It looked as if this cemetery had seen battle recently as rubble was strewn everywhere and crypts were busted open and toppled over.

  Not bothering to cover up his scent, he followed Star instead of the male. She was in here somewhere. Hiding.

  Hurrying in between the fallen statues and crypts and jumping over any that got in his way, Lachlan paused when he heard a male voice snarl out, “Got you, you little bitch.”

  Lachlan went full dragon, his clothes shredding as he shifted in one sharp burst of pain and bright, sparking magic. He launched into the air so his wings wouldn’t get trapped between the row of crypts.

  As he rose higher, he immediately spotted the male running away and Star sprawled on the ground. No! He let out a raging stream of fire, fueled by years of pain and agony.

  The male screamed as the flames enveloped him but the screams died as quickly as they’d come. The male must be human or vampire since he burst into flames in moments before quickly disintegrating before Lachlan’s eyes.

  Dismissing the waste of space, he quickly shifted back to human in seconds, turning to find Star standing there, her pale violet eyes that were so hauntingly familiar wide with…not fear exactly.

  “Are you okay?” He scanned her from head to toe, looking for any injuries. His dragon settled when he didn’t scent any blood.