by Katie Reus
Arya threw back her head and laughed and Mira knew tonight would be good for all of them. Arya needed to get her angst about the baby out and Mira had too much sexual frustration to deal with. And Prima simply loved a good fight. Always had.
Dragon females were the deadliest warriors, after all.
Chapter 6
Bran kept his fingers linked through his mate Keelin’s as they strode up to Ziti the Great.
“What the hell is happening?” Keelin murmured to him, though she knew he had no idea either.
They’d just arrived on a private jet an hour ago. It was close to Christmas and Victoria would be giving birth soon. Well, hopefully. The healer had been pregnant for too long. No way would Keelin miss the birth of her first nephew—and since there was no way in hell Bran would let his mate out of his sight, he was here too.
A few dragons grinned and waved at Keelin with shouted promises of catching up with her later as they poured out the front door. Only when Rhea came outside, strapped down in weapons with an amused expression on her face, did they get answers.
“Keelin!” The wolf shifter and Keelin’s sister-in-law lit up when Rhea saw her and pulled her into a big hug. Surprising Bran, Rhea hugged him too, but followed it up with a punch to the shoulder and a smile. “You guys are early!”
“Yeah, managed to sneak away… What’s going on? Is the bar being cleared out? It’s only nine,” Keelin said. “That seems pretty early, especially for shifters.”
“Ah…I don’t want to tell you why.”
Bran knew that tone even before Keelin groaned. “It’s my mom, right? What’s she done?”
“Well, it’s your mom…and two aunts. They decided to battle each other first in dragon form, then in human form. Once word spread someone started taking bets so…I decided to get in on the action.”
Keelin snorted but grabbed Bran’s hand and fell in step with Rhea as they hurried across the street. Bran had a good idea where they were headed and there was a shortcut to the field if they cut through the alley between the candy shop and real estate office.
“Who’d you bet on?” he asked as they hurried through the alley. When they reached a giant puddle, he scooped Keelin into his arms and jumped over it.
She thumped him on the chest once—because yeah, she could have jumped it herself. She was a dragon too. But he used any excuse to hold his mate close. She’d changed his life in every single way and now he had the most perfect mate in the world.
“This time, Arya. Because she’s fired up,” Rhea said, her boots thumping against the pavement as they reached the other block.
They cut left on Kingston Street, headed for the giant field the Petronilla clan used to spar and play games in. This whole area was part of the compound and shifter-only so no one had to worry about any prying human eyes. Bran also knew that one of their hackers had made sure that no satellites had views of this area. Just what one had to do if you were a shifter trying to keep your dual nature secret.
“Wait…this time?” Keelin asked, frowning at Rhea.
“The three of those females give a whole new meaning to sparring. And for the record, I nearly pinned Mira last time we fought.”
Bran let out a low whistle. He was more than secure in his abilities, but Mira and Prima? They were ancients. Rhea was a fierce fighter though—a wolf who’d taken down a dragon well before she’d mated one. He respected her skills even more now.
“Nearly?” Keelin asked as they approached the back of the crowd surrounding the field covered in a dusting of snow. Shifters were definitely a bloodthirsty group.
“Those females are sneaky! But it’s all good. I’m learning new moves every day.”
“Where’s Conall, anyway?” Keelin asked as Rhea carved a path through the crowd.
“Clan business,” she said, raising her voice. “Had some conference calls to deal with.”
As the three of them pushed to the front of the group, Bran winced as Prima yanked an arrow from her upper thigh.
“I cede!” Prima tossed it to the ground and Arya threw her hands in the air, taking her victory.
Until Mira tackled her.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m more mature than all three of them put together,” Keelin muttered, leaning her head against his shoulder.
“Oh, no doubt you are,” Rhea said, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the two females battle.
They hadn’t released any fire so they must have some rules in place.
“I love watching them battle,” Rhea continued.
Bran nodded in agreement even as his own softhearted mate covered her eyes when they started pummeling each other. “Gah, they’re lunatics,” Keelin muttered. “I can’t watch this.”
The lunatic part was true enough, but watching two skilled warriors battle with nothing held back? To him, it was a beautiful thing—art, even.
“I cede!” Mira finally shouted.
Arya jumped off Mira, her mouth a little bloody and most of her clothes shredded to ribbons. But her smile was brilliant as she pumped both fists in the air, much to the crowd’s delight. Bran saw a few new faces, new mates likely, but he recognized the majority of the dragons and other shifters. Most were cheering, but there were a few groans, definitely from those who’d lost bets.
When Arya spotted Keelin, her grin grew even wider. “My baby!” Arya ran at Keelin and pulled her daughter into a giant hug, not caring that she was getting blood all over Keelin. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you too.” Keelin laughed as her mother spun her around once before setting her on her feet.
“When did you get in? Have you eaten yet? Is your mate taking care of you?” She shot him a side-eyed glance that promised pain if he wasn’t taking care of Keelin, before focusing all her attention on her daughter.
“Not long ago. No. And of course.” Keelin went to reach for Bran’s hand, but Arya wrapped her up in another giant hug and closed her eyes.
The expression was one Bran had never seen on Arya’s face and it humbled him a little. Arya might be wild sometimes but there was no doubt she loved her children.
“I need to talk to Conall about something,” he said abruptly. A complete lie but it was clear Arya needed time with her daughter. “Why don’t you guys go on ahead of me and I’ll find you later?” he said to Keelin.
“We’ll be at our place,” Arya said, wrapping her arm around Keelin’s shoulders, basically dismissing him. “Take your time.”
Keelin blew him a kiss before she strode away with her mother. The most primal part of him hated being separated from her, ever, but he understood how important family bonds were.
And now he actually could talk to Conall about Alpha business if the other Alpha was free. He wanted to check in on Victoria and Drake too. It sounded as if the couple had had a scare and he wanted to make sure she was truly okay.
Chapter 7
“Dayum,” Vega said, shaking her head as Arya jumped up, all bloody and victorious. “I thought for sure Mira would win.”
Gabriel simply smirked because he’d bet on Arya. Vega should have done the same, though she cared little for the outcome of the bet. She and Gabriel had come to Montana to see Victoria and Drake before their baby was born. Or they were hoping the baby would be born soon. Poor Victoria. And now she was on bed rest until further notice. The whole thirteen-month pregnancy alone was enough to put Vega off getting pregnant for a long time. Like…a hundred years or so. Hell, she had a baby brother now, she didn’t need a pup of her own. At least Victoria was okay as long as she stayed in bed. Talk about a scare though.
Vega was close to both Victoria and Drake, having escaped an actual prison cell with Drake, and then spending the last part of her teenage years under Drake’s protection. Victoria had become a dear friend to Vega and Gabriel already viewed her as a younger sister. To say they were all close would be an understatement. Though since they were here to see their friends, Vega wanted to take care of something else. Un
fortunately, her sexy mate disagreed.
“We should just ask one of them,” Vega said, hands on her hips.
“I don’t think he’s been off the radar long enough to start to worry,” Gabriel said, already shaking his head. “This isn’t a disappearance.”
“I don’t know. Neema says he never goes dark this long. He should have checked in by now.” Maybe Vega was worrying too much? But August was her mentor, the male who’d recruited her out of college into black ops.
“Who are you two talking about?” Mira asked, the ancient female appearing out of nowhere. Her inky black hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, her silvery-gray eyes bright with mischief. Somehow in the last few minutes she’d wiped off some of the blood covering her and found clothing—jeans and a white T-shirt with a picture of a pug wearing a Santa hat.
If it hadn’t been for all of her training, Vega might’ve jumped at the way Mira had just appeared out of thin air. The woman was seriously stealth personified. Though the pug T-shirt took out some of the scariness. “August,” she said before Gabriel could give a non-response.
“The big bear shifter?” Now her eyes gleamed with something else entirely. “He has disappeared?”
“We don’t know that,” Gabriel said.
The epic fight between Mira, Prima and Arya had quickly disbanded, and now just Vega, Gabriel and a few others were standing around. Right now, Vega’s instinct was telling her something was wrong and she wasn’t going to ignore it. “He headed to South America on a mission he said was a one-person job. But other than that, he was tight-lipped about what it entailed. And…before you ask, he asked me about you. I don’t know for sure but I was under the impression that he planned to come find you after his mission. His mission that was supposed to be over weeks ago. So, I thought you might know something about his whereabouts.” Clearly not though. Gah.
It had been a little strange that August had asked Vega about Mira since he was her boss and Mira was…well, she wasn’t sure what Mira was to her. Mira’s twin sister had saved her life—literally, she’d brought Vega back from the dead. And she was the aunt of some of Vega’s dearest friends.
Mira tapped a finger against her lips. “Do you think he is in danger?”
“I do,” Vega said as Gabriel answered, “We don’t know.” Vega shot her mate a sideways glance.
He lifted a shoulder. “August is a capable, trained male. He’s where he is because he’s hard to kill.”
“True.” Vega could concede that. “But he also taught me that we always look out for each other. That we are each other’s backup. I’m going with my instinct on this. Something is wrong. I’ve felt it more and more since we arrived here.”
Gabriel sobered then. “Okay. If you truly feel that way we’ll head out now.”
She nodded. “I need to see my parents and little brother once more before we leave, but Neema is already on standby waiting. She’s in Arizona and it won’t take long to reach her.” Luckily her parents were staying here too so she and Gabriel should be able to leave soon enough.
Vega looked at Mira. “This goes without saying but please keep this conversation between us private.” Vega and Gabriel worked for the paranormal black ops division for the US government but their allegiance would always be to the supernatural community. She liked humans a lot but she didn’t trust all of them. Well, she didn’t trust most of them. Their instincts were garbage and they were quick to fear that which they didn’t know or understand. And the only reason Mira was aware of what she and Gabriel did was because of the circumstances of Vega’s very first op.
“Of course. You have my discretion.” She walked away without another word, as was her way.
Okay, then. Vega shook her head once before focusing on her mate.
“We should talk to Bran too,” Gabriel said as they started heading across the field, back toward where the clan members’ homes were.
“Perfect. Maybe he’ll know something we don’t.” Bran had worked for August many years ago and had been one of her references when August had done his standard background check before officially recruiting her.
She really hoped the older dragon would have some insight into August’s whereabouts. Vega slipped her hand into Gabriel’s, glad they were finally on the same page.
She hated leaving right before Christmas, but something told her that her boss—her friend—was in trouble.
* * *
Bran nodded politely as he stepped inside Conall’s foyer.
The other Alpha shut the door behind him. “It’s good to see you,” he said going in for a short hug.
Bran thumped the other male on the back once before stepping back. “Likewise. The house looks good,” he said glancing around, somehow keeping a straight face. It was a little bit like Christmas had thrown up inside.
Conall snorted as a grin tugged at his mouth. “It was Rhea’s first time decorating.”
“You guys have been together for a few years,” he said.
“Usually one of the members from my clan goes around and decorates the majority of the houses, but Rhea really wanted to do it herself this year. Pretty sure it will be the first and last year she does.”
Bran laughed out loud, but simply nodded. He knew exactly shit about decorating but even he could tell their house had no theme. There were greens, reds, blues, silver, a mishmash of various Christmas themes. One area in the living room had Santa’s workshop and another was themed The Nightmare before Christmas. And yet another was…what looked like a Christmas circus. It wasn’t ugly, but it was interesting.
He shook himself and said, “I could go for a drink right about now.”
“My man,” Conall said, clapping him once on the shoulder. “I’ve missed you.” They headed into the kitchen as the other Alpha continued, “Where is my sister anyway?”
“Your mother basically kidnapped her after the big fight.”
“Fight?” Then he shook his head. “You know what, never mind. I don’t want to know.”
Yeah, Bran understood that. There were some things Alphas just had to let go. “Anything new with clan matters I should be aware of?” Bran asked as he stepped inside the sleek, modern kitchen that was all stainless steel, white cabinets and marble.
“I’ve been making a few alliances. The ones I’ve told you about, nothing new except…I was contacted by two wolf Alphas I know in passing in the past week. Both of them seemed eager to make alliances with my clan. They were subtle about it but I know the two packs are allies themselves.”
“Which packs?” Bran nodded after Conall named both packs. “I recognize the names. They’ve both been around for a few centuries. Solid packs. Strong wolves for sure. I’ve never heard anything negative about them and that’s saying something.”
“Agreed. I just thought it was odd they both contacted me separately right around the same time. And there was an odd sense of urgency about them wanting to meet with me.”
Bran frowned slightly. “I’ll reach out to some of my contacts. See if there’s something more to the requests than simple alliances.”
“Thanks. How is your clan? Are they okay with you and Keelin missing Christmas?”
“Everyone will miss us. Her more than me,” he said, snorting. “They understand Keelin wants to be with her family. And we all had a big celebration last week.”
“I swear it never gets any easier. Never slows down, does it?”
He gave his brother-in-law a dry look. “Doing black ops work was easier than running a clan and dealing with a hundred-plus different personalities.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Conall said handing him a tumbler of whiskey.
Bran clinked his glass with Conall’s.
Chapter 8
Drake paced around his kitchen like a caged dragon. He was ready to crawl out of his skin and shift into his animal form. His mate was uncomfortable upstairs so he’d come down to get her chicken broth like she’d asked. Now he was just waiting on it to finish warming up�
�and resisting the urge to just blast the damn microwave with his fire. Because that would do no one any good. And Victoria would have to wait even longer for her broth if he did.
“Everything will be okay,” his father said from the doorway of the kitchen, his presence normally steady and reassuring. But at the moment nothing mattered but getting back upstairs to his mate.
Victoria had been restless all night—hell, the last couple months. At least she and the baby were fine.
“I know,” he said tiredly. He couldn’t ever remember being this tired but his brain hurt right now. He’d been working on a surprise for Victoria and trying to keep it a secret. And because he couldn’t do anything to ease his perfect mate’s pain, the closer she got to giving birth, the more he let his fear creep inside. He’d spent fifteen hundred years in Hell, first as a scared little boy then as a savage beast. He was only ever truly afraid when it came to his mate. Now, deep down, he was worried he’d lose her. Lose their child. Lose everything that mattered.
He felt her pain even before he heard her cry out.
“Drake!”
He didn’t remember moving, didn’t remember anything until he was crouched next to their bed, holding her hand as she cried out in pain.
“Contractions!” she rasped out.
“But—”
“No buts! He’s—” She let out another cry of pain and then Greer was there, taking over.
“Oh, this little guy is coming now,” Greer said, in straight healer mode. “I think you’re skipping the full labor experience. I can’t sense any distress. I just sense that he is coming out right now.”
She continued talking, but Drake tuned everything out as he held his mate’s hand. Greer was saying something as she got between Victoria’s legs, her tone soothing. He heard random words about how the baby had decided to come so quickly, and how this was good since Victoria had been pregnant so long.
Then for some reason Drake couldn’t hear anything. All his focus was on his mate’s face as it scrunched in pain.