Ancient Protector

by Katie Reus

  Chapter 27

  Star knew she was back in that dream world, where nothing made sense. All around her were green fields—a lush color so incredibly beautiful and bright it felt fake, but she knew it was real. A blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds—and impending storm clouds on the horizon—were high above her, but she felt as if she could reach out and touch them if she strained enough.

  “I’m going to marry him,” she said, standing up to her father for the first time in her life. Fear slid through her as she defied the man who’d raised her, but she was a woman now. She made her own choices about her future. A low rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, making her shiver.

  His eyes blazed with fury as he stared at her. “You are a fool,” he snapped. “He is just using you. He will not marry you. I just hope you haven’t spread your legs for him yet!”

  She gritted her teeth, even as her cheeks flushed.

  “You’re a stupid little girl,” he snarled again. “What happens when he becomes displeased with you? Do you not think he won’t take it out on your people? On our village? You have put us all in danger! You have shamed us all!”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know anything about him!” she yelled back. She’d never raised her voice to her father before in her life and saw the surprise in his red, mottled face. She had always thought of him as the tallest, strongest man she knew. But as she looked at him now she saw fear in his weather-lined eyes, in eyes the same color as hers. “And I’m done with this conversation. My decision is made.”

  “Fine, just don’t come crawling back to us once he’s discarded you like the common whore that you are.” Disgust dripped from his every word. “If your mother was still alive—”

  “I wouldn’t finish that thought if I were you,” she said so quietly she wasn’t sure he would even hear her. But whatever he saw on her face made him snap his mouth shut. Her mother had loved her, would have wanted the best for her. Would have wanted her to be happy.

  Feeling her own disgust rise at her father, she turned away from him. There was no use having this conversation any longer. She wouldn’t change his mind and she had made her choice. Her future was with her dragon. Even if she only lived a few decades compared to his many, at least she would have that time. At least they would have those years together. And maybe, once her father had time to cool down, he would see reason, see the truth of her relationship with her dragon.

  As she stalked through the grass, pain exploded in her skull. Crying out, she fell onto her hands and knees, trying to push up, but another burst of pain fractured inside her and darkness completely engulfed her.

  Star jerked awake at the feel of a gentle touch on her shoulder and looked up into Bella’s concerned, dark eyes. Aannnnd that was when Star realized her entire body was engulfed in purple flames. Her heart rate was an erratic tattoo in her chest but when she looked at her friend, she felt more grounded in reality.

  “Are you okay?” Bella frowned down at her, her expression pinched. “I think you were having a nightmare.”

  Taking a deep breath, Star mentally shook herself and shoved up from the lounge chair, the flames immediately dying. She must have dozed off. Inwardly she cursed herself—now was not the time to sleep. They had a show to put on in less than an hour. But her mind was all over the place, a hotbed of chaos she couldn’t control. Hell, she was barely able to keep her fire in check at this point and it seemed in sleep she couldn’t lock it down.

  “I didn’t sleep well last night.” It didn’t seem to matter that she’d slept in Lachlan’s arms—after toe-curling orgasms. That’s right, orgasms, as in multiple. She’d lost count after six. She should have been able to sleep like the dead. But she’d tossed and turned, her mind in overdrive about today.

  It had been two days since they’d made the plan to bring Oscar out into the open, and today was the day. She glanced around the quiet room where the band was all getting ready. The show mattered more than anything for their plan to work and Cynara had allowed them to use what was basically a private bedroom with an en suite to get ready. It was the equivalent of some kind of penthouse room in a hotel, given how gorgeous it was. All whites, grays and sparkling, shiny surfaces.

  “I just need some water and I’ll be fine,” she added.

  Bella nodded and hurried away as Star stood and stretched. She couldn’t believe she’d actually fallen asleep, much less had that nightmare. And she knew it hadn’t been a simple nightmare, but a memory. Deep in her bones she knew what it meant even if she wasn’t going to voice it aloud just yet. She would after the show, however. She needed to talk to Lachlan immediately about it. Far too many emotions punched through her as she realized what that memory meant—or what she thought it meant. It was…a whole lot to digest and she could admit she was rattled by it. Right now she didn’t have time to focus on the past. Not when her future depended on today. Because killing Oscar was her first priority.

  Marley strode up to her, dressed in jeans so shredded that Star could tell Marley wasn’t wearing anything underneath them, a sparkly green top, matching stilettos—and her drumsticks were tucked into the back pockets of her jeans. “You ready to rock this thing?”

  Star nodded and forced a big smile on her face. “We’ve got this.” She set the tone for everything and that meant she had to be upbeat about not only the show, but about destroying Oscar. And they would do it. She refused to accept any other possibility. “We’ve got a bunch of dragons on our side and we’re all badass bitches—except for Axel. What could go wrong?”

  “Speaking of,” Axel said, approaching dressed in full-on tactical gear—and his gorgeous hair pulled back in a man-bun. “Your big dragon is waiting outside for you. And you can call me a badass bitch too,” he said, grinning.

  Feeling a little lighter, she broke away from Marley and headed to the door. She could actually scent Lachlan on the other side before she pulled it open, as if she was more attuned to him now. She smiled the moment she saw his face, the tightness easing inside her now that she could lay eyes on him. It had only been like maybe an hour since she’d seen him and they’d spent the last two days making love over and over in their limited downtime. But she was pulled to him like a magnet. She wanted to tell him what she suspected about her dreams, but now definitely wasn’t the time. After this show, however, she would.

  He cupped both of her cheeks with his hands and brushed his mouth over hers once. “I have something for you.

  “I don’t think we have time,” she murmured.

  He blinked then laughed, full and throaty, as he shook his head. “Not that. Here.” He gave her a rectangular box.

  Surprised by the gift, she opened it—and then frowned some more. It was a thin bracelet made out of…huh. As she looked at it, she wasn’t even sure what material it was. A strong type of metal with intricate carvings in it. Definitely not store bought. And the symbols reminded her of something—it was on the edges of her consciousness.

  “It’s made from my fire,” he said, securing it around her wrist. “It took a while to create or I would have given it to you earlier. It will give you the ability to see any dragons that attempt to attack you even if they have on their natural camouflage—you can see dragons with this anytime, anywhere, regardless if they’re attacking you or not. This is very valuable for anyone who wants to stand against dragons.”

  Her eyes widened as the gravity of his gift settled in. “Are you serious?”

  He nodded. “This is yours forever. Not just until Oscar is dead. I want you to always wear this—whether we mate or not. I always want you safe.”

  Oh damn. Tears wanted to spring up but she blinked them back. The reality of what he’d just given her touched her deep inside. And he’d given it with no strings attached. They hadn’t officially talked about mating and she knew why. They needed to get through today. She needed to make sure that her sister was safe and able to live her life before anything else. And Lachlan seemed to un
derstand this. Hell, the man seemed to get everything about her. “When we went to my aunt’s house, I was searching for something there. A knife made from dragon fire. It does the same thing. She took it from… Well, it doesn’t matter. I cannot believe you made this for me.” She understood the significance of it, understood that he’d made himself vulnerable in this as well. Because if she lost this, if this fell into the wrong hands, it could give an enemy an edge over him or any other dragon. “Thank you so much for this gift,” she rasped out.

  “I would do anything to keep you safe.” Strong, quiet words.

  That was something she was coming to understand. “I have a question you might not be able to answer. I know dragons have their secrets. If you made this for me, why not make something like this for yourself too?” Maybe he had and she just couldn’t see it.

  “Ah…it goes against dragon survival instinct to do that. If I’m attacked by dragon fire, I’ll survive the blast. And once I blast back at an attacking dragon, their camouflage usually falls. We dinnae make things from dragon fire often in case they fall into the wrong hands. I willnae risk losing it when shifting. It’s one of those ingrained things. But I want you to have this.”

  Because she was worth the risk were his unspoken words. She swallowed hard as she looked into his eyes. “When this is over…I want a life with you,” she whispered. “I want a future—I want to mate with you.” Because without him, her future would be stark and lonely. And they’d come too far to walk away from a future.

  He stared at her in stunned silence for a moment before he kissed her swiftly and with a toe-curling possessiveness, stealing her breath away. “As soon as he’s dead, we’re returning home, love.”

  She nodded because she couldn’t find her voice. Her home was wherever Lachlan was.

  The door opened behind her and her bandmates spilled out even as Lachlan lifted her wrist and kissed it and the bracelet. “I’ll be there the entire time. I’m ready for him. I willnae let anything happen to you or your sister. Or your crew.”

  “I know. We’ve got this. And look, I need to tell you something.” She’d been holding off telling him what she was, but she was going to mate with this male. She loved him, even if she hadn’t said the exact words. And she knew he loved her too, even if he hadn’t said it either. They were meant to be together.

  “Save it for after the show. I can see it’s stressing you out, but I’m not pushing. We’ll talk about what you are after.”

  “How’d you know that’s what I wanted to talk about?”

  “Because it’s the only thing still between us.” He kissed her again in that possessive way she felt to her core. “And I dinnae care what you are. You’re mine, love. That’s all that matters.”

  “Star!” Marley called from the end of the hallway, standing halfway in between the open doors that led outside.

  Lachlan was right. They belonged to each other and that was all that mattered. She didn’t want to just toss this information at him before the show. “We’ll talk as soon as this is over. I’ve really got to go.” She slid her robe off and handed it to him.

  His eyes widened with a whole mess of emotions as he took in her costume, one of them raw heat. Though she hated to leave him even for a few minutes while they set up, she knew it was necessary as she hurried after her bandmates. They had a show to do. The most important show of their entire lives.

  Chapter 28

  As Star and her band stepped outside onto the roof, Star could hear what she hadn’t been able to inside the upper floor of Cynara’s building. There were thousands of people in the streets, their voices and laughter reaching up to her. Not to mention all the supernaturals spread out on the rooftop. Though they were all here as security and part of their backup, in case Oscar showed his face today.

  Star prayed he did. She was amped up and ready for this fight. Ready to destroy him with her fire.

  Considering the hard work Bella and Lola had put into spreading the word about the show—and considering how many people were in the streets for this afternoon concert—she figured he’d heard about the show by now. She didn’t think he would be able to resist. Not after what she’d taken from him. Especially now, since Aurora was with her, right out in the open. Her sister was wearing a bright red dress with red feathers in her hair. She was a shining beacon, practically taunting him.

  Star’s costume wasn’t any different really; she had on her signature purple, of course. A lycra bodysuit Bella had found God knew where, sparkly purple tights, and the ensemble was completed with kickass purple boots. The bodysuit had been chosen with her shifter form in mind—because when the time came, she might have to shift. That was the only part of the plan she was nervous about.

  “I hope you guys are ready for the show of a lifetime!” Her sister’s excited voice came over the microphone as she introduced the band on stage.

  Okay, it was showtime. Star and the others raced up the set of stairs on the side of the stage to the sound of thousands of clapping and cheering fans down below. It was like the entire damn city had come. Someone had set up a huge screen across the street on a different building and tilted it downward so that everyone had a great view of the rooftop show.

  Star waved with both hands, smiling broadly, and another cheer went up. She could see Lachlan out of the corner of her eye edging toward the stage. The sight of him eased some of her tension. She also saw King blending into the background on the other side of the rooftop, keeping an eye out on the streets below. He hadn’t been thrilled about this plan but once the witches had agreed to spell the streets below from any fallout, he’d agreed. Plus, Star didn’t think he’d been able to say no to Aurora, but that was a whole other thing she wasn’t worrying about right now.

  Her heart was in her throat as she strode up to her sister and took the outstretched microphone. A moment later Marley started tapping on the drums, jumping straight into their first song.

  Star sang her heart out, dancing around on stage as if this was her last show—and it very well might be. The cheers from the crowd were constant, the energy feeding her, and she was tempted to release her fire now, to give them the best show ever. But she held back the flames, and tried to smother the tension inside her.

  They’d already performed three songs and she’d expected Oscar’s presence by now. As they started performing the fourth song, she glanced over at Aurora. Lachlan was right next to her, his big arms crossed over his chest, protecting her sister. Damn, she really loved that male.

  As she belted out the chorus, she caught a glimpse of gold in the distance, a flash of something against the white-cloud backdrop. Star kept singing and looked to her right again. She saw the flash again, the brightness glinting under the sunlight. She looked over at Lachlan but he didn’t appear to see anything as he scanned the skies.

  When their eyes made contact, she jerked her head to the right, not caring what she looked like. She just wanted him to understand her meaning.

  He straightened, and glared into the distance but it was clear he didn’t see what she did.

  So Oscar was camouflaged.

  At that moment she spotted four, five, six more spots of gold and purple in the distance. They were only a few blocks away now and there could be more coming. Stepping back, she dropped the microphone and all pretense of singing.

  “Get ready!” she shouted to her crew. Calling on all her inner fire, she created a giant flaming ball of purple and hurled it in the direction of Oscar—the huge obsidian patch across his left wing giving his identity away. Her fire arrowed straight for Oscar and his clanmates, but they dodged them, splitting up in all directions. One dragon dove low in between buildings and slammed into the invisible barrier below. She would have smiled at the sight but all her focus was on the incoming dragons. “To the west, right above the brewery building!” she shouted to Lachlan and his clanmates.

  He raced for the edge of the building, shifting midair, his clothing shredding as he transformed into his go
rgeous dragon form.

  She was vaguely aware of screams and shouts below, but ignored it all as she hauled back and tossed another ball of flames at the incoming dragons.

  She struck one dragon, her fire ricocheting off and hitting another. The firepower that fell beneath them dispersed against the invisible barrier, being absorbed and causing no threat to the humans directly below.

  She realized the moment the dragons’ camouflage dropped because they became clearer to her.

  On a scream of rage at the clear sight of Oscar coming for her sister, Star let her fire take over, let her energy burst through her as her flaming wings emerged from her back.

  She was aware of a whole lot of gasps going through the crowd but ignored them as she dove off the building, wings extended.

  Aurora was right behind her, her dress in tatters as her own wings burst out behind her.

  Two dragons dive-bombed straight for Star but she was ready. Flapping hard, she shot upward like a bullet, drawing the attacking dragons. As they raced after her, she twisted in midair and threw a ball of fire at one of them. Then the other.

  Her aim was true, smashing both of them in the face.

  One screeched in agony, spiraling downward under the onslaught, but the other shook it off and let out a roar.

  She flew harder and faster, banking to the left as he shot fire at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Lachlan battling with two dragons even as her sister threw wild fireballs at Oscar.

  Below her, the humans stood stock-still, staring up at the battle, and she was pretty sure the witches had done something to everyone so they didn’t stampede and get hurt. Because no one had moved.

  She wanted to get to Aurora, to Lachlan, but had to take care of the dragon flying at her first.

  Something pierced her shoulder—a dart. She pulled it out, but didn’t feel any effects of what had to be poison. Lachlan had told her the poison was dragon specific and he hadn’t been kidding. And that was when she saw the rider on the back of the dragon’s back crouching low and nearly blending with the gold scales because of his clothing.