Sentinel of Darkness

by Katie Reus

  He scented the truth in her words even as he approached from behind, ready to snap this male’s neck. He scented another wolf nearby but couldn’t pinpoint exactly where. Still, there was another predator close by and it didn’t take two wolves to come talk to a small human female.

  Somehow he kept his dragon in check, kept him from shifting even though Keva’s fear was palpable.

  Worse, the wolf liked it. Dagen could smell it on him. He wanted to remove the male’s head from his body quickly and cleanly. And then his dragon wanted to snack on him. With barbeque sauce.

  “Do you or do you not know where my brother is? Don’t lie to me,” the man snapped.

  Dagen took that moment to step out of the shadows, moving lightning fast as he gently pushed Keva behind him and got up in the wolf’s face.

  The male jerked back in surprise, slamming into the car behind him. “What the fuck?”

  “I should be asking you the same thing. You’re in Petronilla territory.” A statement of truth the male would scent. “Why haven’t you contacted my Alpha?”

  “I don’t know who that is. This is no one’s territory.”

  Dagen didn’t scent a lie coming off the male so it very well might be true that he didn’t realize this was dragon territory. Not everyone knew about dragons, after all. “You might want to do a little research,” he growled, letting his dragon show in his eyes. Whether the wolf knew what he was or not, Dagen didn’t care. “Then you better follow protocol and let my Alpha know you’re here and why you’re here. And you’re also going to want to apologize to Keva for threatening her when she’s protected by my people.” He said people instead of clan, wanting to keep it very vague. This wolf could do his own research—though something told Dagen he wouldn’t be reaching out to Conall.

  “I’m simply looking for my missing brother, and this bitch—”

  Dagen’s hand shot out before he consciously thought of moving, wrapping his fingers around the wolf’s neck as he slammed him into the car. Metal crunched under the force of the blow. “You’re going to want to watch your words. And you better tell your backup to get the fuck out of here too.” He released the wolf, and to give the guy credit, he didn’t fall to the ground, just straightened and glared at Dagen, his own eyes blazing with rage, his wolf peering back at Dagen.

  “I didn’t mean anything personal by it. I simply want to find my baby brother. And she knows where he is.”

  “That’s funny, I heard her say she hasn’t seen him in years. And I didn’t scent a lie coming off her. Not only that—I can’t scent a wolf on her. Which means you can’t either. So she hasn’t seen your brother. You’re barking up the wrong tree, wolf. Get the fuck out of here and leave her alone. If I see you, or even scent you in town, I’ll hunt you down and remove your head from your body.” A promise.

  The most primal part of Dagen had the urge to kill both wolves now, to eliminate what was definitely a threat to Keva—but he didn’t want her to see him do it. It was the only thing stopping him from rampaging like his dragon wanted to.

  The male nodded once and lifted his hand, motioning to someone else, who stepped out of the shadows. Another male who was just as big as the first. They’d been here to threaten Keva, to likely hurt her.

  Dagen growled low in his throat, not taking his eyes off the two wolves as they left the parking lot on foot. Yep, they’d definitely been lying in wait for her.

  “Dagen?” Keva whispered.

  Only once he was sure they were gone did he turn to face her, forcing his dragon back in place. He looked her up and down from head to toe, scanning for any sign of injury. “Did he hurt you?” he growled, unable to completely keep his dragon out of his voice.

  She reached for him then stopped, letting her hands fall by her side. “No. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

  He blinked, not sure he’d heard right. What did she have to be sorry about? “Who are those wolves and why are they bothering you?”

  “It’s nothing,” she muttered. “I had it under control.”

  He wanted to deny that, but knew that wouldn’t win him any points and he didn’t want to insult her. Still, he said, “Those wolves are very strong and you’re human.”

  His words seemed to anger her and he wasn’t sure why. Because they were true.

  She let out this adorable little growling sound that made him want to lean forward and nibble her bottom lip. But he wasn’t insane so he remained where he was. “Did I say something to offend you?”

  She let out a long sigh. “No. He just scared me.”

  “He will not bother you again.” Of that Dagen was certain.

  “I don’t need your help with this. I’ve got it handled. He scared me, yes, but I’ll deal with it.” She pressed the fob on her key ring. “I’m just going to head home now.”

  “I’m going to follow you.” And he wasn’t asking.

  She frowned as she opened her door—thankfully not the vehicle he’d dented with that wolf’s body. “That’s unnecessary.”

  “Two unknown wolves are in my Alpha’s territory. It is necessary. I’m going to make sure they don’t bother you anymore.”

  “You said that before, territory. It sounds pretty self-explanatory, but what exactly does that mean in…” She glanced around but there was no one in the parking lot—he would have scented them. “Shifter terms?” she finished.

  “Conall is the Alpha of a specific area, including this region. That means if any supernatural crosses into his territory they have to let him know.”

  Her eyes widened slightly but she simply nodded. “Okay…do your job, then. But I’m okay and I don’t need protection.”

  He snorted though it came out as a scoff and he realized his mistake the moment he did it. She did need his protection, but maybe she didn’t want to admit it.

  She simply narrowed her gaze at him and slid into the front seat.

  He knew where she lived so he hurried back to where he’d parked his truck. He didn’t think those wolves were stupid enough to try and tail her now. Besides, if they knew where she worked, they definitely knew where she lived. They’d likely been hoping to catch her off guard and in a parking lot with crappy security cameras.

  No matter what, he was going to make sure that Keva was okay. Protected. Because she was getting his protection whether she wanted it or not.

  Chapter 6

  Keva’s fingers trembled as she disabled the alarm system for her house. Her place was small and perfect for her. She’d bought it for the work shed out back and the fact that she was on three acres. She didn’t have to worry about neighbors interrupting her and it had felt like a safe haven for the last couple years.

  Now that glorious privacy seemed like a double-edged sword. She wasn’t in the middle of nowhere exactly, but her nearest neighbors weren’t close. And while a security system would alert her to an intruder coming into the house, the doors would do nothing to stop a determined wolf. And Randall’s brother had been very angry and determined.

  She didn’t care if Richard wasn’t supposed to be in this territory. She didn’t think it would stop him from coming to see her again. At least she’d been able to answer truthfully that she didn’t know where Randall was. She didn’t know. She had no idea what had happened to his ashes when he’d been incinerated. And she had no idea where he was in the afterlife, though if she had to guess, she was going with Hell.

  But if he asked her point-blank if Randall was alive, she wouldn’t be able to lie her way out of that. To top off the end of her crappy day, she hated that Dagen had witnessed all of that. He’d looked at her as if she was completely incapable of taking care of herself.

  Even worse, she knew that him showing up hadn’t been the worst thing. She still hated that she had to depend on someone else. It had taken years to build back her self-esteem and her life. She didn’t want to depend on anyone, but realistically she realized that just might not be a possibility now.

  When she heard a knock on her fr
ont door, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “It’s me, Dagen.” His sexy, strong voice carried through her door.

  She dropped her purse on the nearby foyer table and opened the front door. “What’s wrong?” She’d assumed he was just going to follow her home.

  He stepped inside as if he had every right to. She spluttered for a second as he shut the door behind him.

  He turned to face her and gone was the awkward, sort of adorable dragon from that morning. In his place was a fierce warrior. The warrior must have been there all along.

  “If that wolf knows where you work, he knows where you live.” His gaze flicked over to the alarm system panel and he nodded once in approval before continuing. “I’m going to do a sweep of your house just to check. But I don’t scent him here. However, there is a faint scent trail of him around your property. So he has been here at one point. Probably earlier today and probably just the once because it’s very faint. When he didn’t find you here, he likely went to your work.”

  Before she could respond or absorb everything he’d just said, he stepped farther inside and simply started searching rooms. She wanted to tell him to stop, but what was the use? She knew he wasn’t going to, and okay, she liked the idea of Dagen double-checking her closets and under her bed. Because yeah, Randall’s family scared her. They were all just as psychotic as he had been. And if Dagen scented the brother on her property? Ugh.

  It only took the sexy dragon about five minutes to do a thorough search of her place, because he’d used his supernatural speed—which had been a little disconcerting to watch—so she’d let him be. When he was done he found her in the kitchen where she was opening up a bottle of wine. Because yeah, tonight was definitely a wine kind of night. “Would you like a glass?” she asked as he stepped inside.

  He blinked in surprise but shook his head. “No. Your place is secure. And I’ll be staying in the guest room.”

  She snorted loudly. “Is that right?”

  “That is right. Or I can shift forms and stay outside. I don’t mind sleeping in my dragon form. But I will be here and I won’t lie to you about it.”

  “Pretty sure the neighbors might have something to say about that.”

  “You don’t have neighbors close enough to notice me—and they wouldn’t be able to see me anyway.”

  “You’re being ridiculous. You can’t just stay at my place.”

  “I’m not being ridiculous. There’s a threat against you and I’m taking proper action. What kind of dragon would I be if I let a woman in clear danger face a threat alone? I’m not saying that because I think you’re a helpless human. I’m saying that because the wolf is dangerous and he is physically more powerful than you. That is a simple fact. Even if he believes you don’t know where his brother is—he might hurt you regardless. Because he can and because he would like it.”

  She shoved out a breath. “It’s hard to get mad at you when you’re being all logical.”

  To her surprise he let out a laugh then gave her the faintest hint of a smile. “You are under my Alpha’s protection. And even if you weren’t, I would still keep you safe.”

  Oh…hell. What did she do with that? And what did she do about the butterflies that had launched inside her at those very possessive words? Nothing, that was what. She scrubbed a hand over her face. “This whole situation is insane. But…I’m also scared and I can admit that I don’t want to be by myself tonight. So thank you for staying in my guest room. I was going to order takeout. How does Mexican food sound?”

  “Perfect. I can order if you want to take a shower or whatever. I know you had a long day at work.”

  Okay, this man was ridiculously thoughtful. And she was actually going to let him do it. Smiling, she pulled out an old takeout menu from one of her drawers. “My favorites are already circled. I’ve got cash. I can pay when they deliver.”

  “Sounds good.”

  It was so surreal to be heading upstairs while a disturbingly sexy dragon was in her kitchen ordering takeout food as if this was the most natural thing in the world. But she trusted him. And with him in her house, for the first time in years she felt completely and utterly safe. Because if Randall’s brother tried to attack her now, Dagen would step in. And she had no doubt who the winner would be.

  * * *

  Dagen frowned at the sculpture of a dragon that looked a lot like Conall on Keva’s dining room table. The entire thing was covered in various sculptures and jewelry pieces. It was completely irrational but he didn’t like the thought of her sculpting another male, whether in human or dragon form. He had no claim to Keva even if he felt like he did.

  “So what do you think?” she asked, stepping into the room and motioning to the sculpture.

  He’d heard her long before she got downstairs. Her damp hair was braided back against her head, and she had on soft-looking navy blue pants and a pullover sweater the same color.

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “Thanks.” She gave a small smile as she gazed at it. “It’s not completely finished. I’m creating a wolf who looks like Conall’s mate, then I’ll position them together on a base piece. Rhea commissioned this as a gift for him for his birthday.”

  “You know Rhea?”

  She nodded once. “Yep. And I’m pretty sure I know exactly whose baby shower you were talking about yesterday, because I’m invited to Victoria’s.”

  That surprised him. “I didn’t realize you knew members of the clan.”

  “I know some. Not all. But I have lived here for a few years. It’s weird—some of them don’t even know I know about dragons.” She let out a little laugh. “I guess Conall just tells who he wants.”

  Dagen simply nodded. He didn’t want to talk about his Alpha or anyone else. But especially not any other males. “The food arrived while you were upstairs, so if you’re hungry…”

  As if on cue her stomach rumbled and her cheeks flushed a sexy shade of pink. “I think that’s a yes.”

  He loved that he got to feed her again. It was making his dragon side ridiculously pleased.

  Chapter 7

  Keva glanced up as Dagen stepped into her shop, not surprised to see him. He’d told her that as soon as she closed up, he’d stop by and escort her back home. She wondered if she’d given in to his protection too easily yesterday, but she had to be smart. Richard was a dangerous wolf, and if he wanted to come after her, he would do it while she was alone. Obviously, Dagen escorting her around wasn’t a long-term solution, but for once she wasn’t going to worry too far into the future. Right now she was going to appreciate the protection she had.

  Even if it came in the form of a sexy dragon with dark hair, cheekbones that were an artist’s dream, and silvery-blue eyes, who was getting under her skin without even trying to.

  He’d escorted her to work this morning and told her he’d be nearby. When she pushed, wanting to know what he meant, he hadn’t exactly answered. Instead he’d just said that he’d be within shouting distance if she needed help with anything. She’d even asked if she was taking him away from his clan duties but he hadn’t been concerned—he’d said that any work he needed to do, he could do on his laptop or phone.

  “Hey,” he said, nodding once at her as the door shut behind him.

  “Hey yourself.” Seeing him again in person took her breath away, just like the first time. The man was huge—and so annoyingly sexy. She wasn’t sure which side of him she liked better: the cute, awkward side or the sexy, scary warrior who’d been in her house last night.

  Both.

  “Do you need to do anything to shut down?” he asked, glancing out the front windows, his body language alert.

  She shook her head. “It was slow the last half hour, so I did all the paperwork and reports I needed to.”

  “It seems like you had a good day. Or at least there were a lot of customers in and out.”

  Wow, he really must have been nearby to know that. “I did. And now I’m starving.”

&n
bsp; He frowned once. “It’s because you skipped lunch.”

  “How could you know that?”

  “Because there’s no food in here. If there was, I would smell it. And you never left the shop all day even though you had two employees here—and there were no food deliveries either.”

  “You’re far too observant.”

  He looked as if he was going to say something then snapped his mouth shut. “If you’re ready, I was going to stop by Ziti The Great and pick up dinner.”

  She grabbed her purse from the counter and smiled. “That’s my favorite restaurant.” It was kind of impossible to go wrong with Italian food. Cheese and pasta? Delicious.

  “I know.”

  She narrowed her gaze at him as she headed to the door. “How could you know that?”

  He lifted a shoulder, not answering as he held the door open for her.

  True to his word, they headed straight for the restaurant. After picking up the food, they headed back to her place. It was weird, mainly because it felt normal for him to be taking her home. But she wasn’t going to get used to this. Not to him or his company. She couldn’t get used to any of it.

  She might lean on him for physical strength right now but she was her own woman. She had to remind herself of that. She never wanted to devolve into that stupid fool who’d been with Randall. Ugh. She hated even thinking of who she’d been back then, of how she’d let herself be manipulated.

  “I hate to bring this up, but you need to be aware,” Dagen said as they pulled out of the restaurant parking lot. “Richard and the wolf he was with have gone to ground.”

  “What do you mean?” Rows of shops and restaurants passed by in a blur as he drove.

  “They haven’t left the area. Or I’m pretty sure they haven’t. And they never checked in with Conall. So either they left or they’re here and they’re hiding—my money’s on here. Maybe I’m wrong, but they’re waiting on a chance to get you alone.”

  More of that ice slid down her spine. “So what does this mean?”