Protective: Legatum - Book 1

by Sylvian, LuLu M

  Because of his love for her, Mars turned Rhea Silvia into a wolf so she could fight and hunt for her survival. She cared for her children as both human woman and as wolf, until they were found by an Etruscan farmer who took them in. He married Rhea Silvia, who now went by the name Acca Laren’tia, and raised Remus and Romulus as his own.

  Remus and Romulus grew, and when they reached puberty, they also had the ability to change into wolf form. They became fierce warriors and battled to take the city of Alba Longa back. Successful in reclaiming the city, they released their grandfather from prison. Numitor wanted to grant them rule over Alba Longa, but they refused. They wanted to start their own city.

  Honey pictured isolated hills with temples on top. She did not picture the city of Rome at all, a city she had visited more than once during her days as a model.

  Remi’s deep voice continue. “Remus wanted them to build on the Aventine Hill, Romulus, the Palatine Hill. History calls it an argument. It really was a bloody battle over the location of their city. Romulus won, defeating Remus in a fight of wolf dominance.”

  “So Romulus killed Remus?” Honey asked for clarification.

  “Yes, Romulus killed Remus. Rome is named for the former. The family is named for our origins at the base of the Palatine Hill,” Remi explained.

  “The other hill—you said Aventine. Didn’t I meet someone with that name yesterday?”

  “You’re talking about Roman Aventine. Yes, he was here. His family goes back as far. They are the descendants of Remus. The current generation is attempting to forge a peace accord and work together. I’m not sure how well it will work. If their alpha begins to pay attention again, it might fail.”

  “So —” Honey paused, thinking. “—you’re descended from the god Mars? I thought Morgan told me the wolf thing was genetic.”

  “Isn’t your lineage genetic?” Remi asked.

  “Oh, right. Good point. Wow.” She slowly shook her head from side to side. “If the Palatines and Aventines can trace their history this far back, how many other wolf families are there? Or are you the only wolf families?”

  “Not at all. What we have been able to find out is every culture that has a wolf-to-human shifting myth has, or had, a family line with the trait. Palatines and Aventines moved throughout Europe. Unfortunately, the family didn’t always keep track of offspring. Most families, clans, or packs, whatever they refer to themselves as, tend to not advertise. We are aware there are groups all over the world, but we don’t have much interaction with them. I think Julia is working to build some information network among the different alphas. That involves a lot of work. Locating the families. Gaining their trust enough to confirm they are wolves.” Remi folded his hands in his lap. “I admit, I like the old ways. We kept to ourselves.”

  Honey thought about this for a minute. Wolves in hiding, not letting the outside world in. This was a family that if they gave you their trust, you must have done something to earn it.

  “But you know about the Aventines.”

  “We’ve known about them since the very beginning, just as they have about us. It’s not exactly the same as going into a different country and asking where their wolves are.”

  Honey chuckled. “Yeah, talk about being in the closet. I guess that explains why you’re such a tight family and the school.”

  “Exactly. Children don’t start turning until they hit puberty. That’s when you find out if you have the talent or not. Not all of us turn, but we all keep the secret. Teen years can be difficult enough as it is. Add on top of that the competitiveness and fight for position within a large extended family. Our children develop increased speed and strength as they come into their wolf. This can lead to problems with the general population. Our children frequently get into trouble in school and in general. We found that by providing a learning environment that knows how to deal with their gifts, we can keep them in school where they need to be and provide them with proper training. Our children are well educated. When we started the school, we set up a foundation so that all the students who complete high school level work with us can go on to the college of their choice. In the school, we are able to focus their energy and competitive nature on knowledge and learning. We’ve had the school for almost forty years. Since its inception, our graduates have all gone on to complete their educations and have successful careers. I’m teaching the children of children I taught when we started.”

  “What grades do you teach? You said high school. When do they start here?” Honey asked.

  “They start when they need it. Our first official grade is the sixth grade. Up until that point, younger students are individually tutored on an as-needed basis.”

  Remi’s phone buzzed. He picked it up, looking at the display. “Speaking of the school, there seems to be an issue I need to go handle. I can leave you here to commune with the rest of our collection? Shall I message Morgan to come find you in the gallery?” Remi began tapping into his phone before Honey replied.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. I think I need some time to really absorb everything you told me anyway. This is as good as any place to be alone with my thoughts.”

  Remi nodded, and wheeled out the way they had come in.

  Honey sat and stared at the wolf. She couldn’t think much past the fact that she looked at something made thousands of years ago. It was the same feeling she got when she viewed Egyptian artifacts. There was an artist who made something they wanted to share with the world, to create a tiny part of themselves to live forever in a work of art, and it worked. No one knew who the artist was. Had he been happy? Was being an artist fulfilling? Here was part of him in front of her. If she was bold, she could even touch it. Was this really a tangible connection to Morgan’s family history?

  No wonder he said he was familiar with the Capitoline Hill. Here she sat face to face with the Capitoline Wolf. Wolf. The mark on her pendant was fitting. It was almost too much to take in.Honey tried to look around at the other works, mostly paintings. She couldn’t focus on anything beyond the wolf. Her eyes kept returning to it. Her mind kept thinking about it. Mars, the god of war. Wolves. Remus and Romulus, Rome. Genealogy was something this family had clearly tracked for centuries. Clearly, they knew how far back. Were there emperors and Caesars in their history? She wondered how far and wide were their connections.

  Hell, Morgan wasn’t a rich tycoon; he was some kind of wolf prince. Honey looked around. Her head started to pound. Her stitches throbbed. She felt lost, drowning in thoughts about history, lost in the house again. She needed Morgan. This was too much to handle on her own.She fished for the map he had drawn out. It didn’t include this part of the house. Overwhelmed, tears slid down her face. She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth, purposefully focusing on her breathing in an attempt to not let panic take over. She shoved the paper back into her pocket and wrapped her fingers around the pendant. A gift from Morgan, a talisman of strength.

  She slowly walked out of the gallery. She remembered turning to see Finney’s large painting. She reversed her steps. She focused on in through her nose, out through her mouth. The hall looked familiar. She turned around to look at it from the perspective she had first walked down it. Yes, this looked like the right direction. Another turn, another set of double doors. Finally, Honey found herself next to the dining room Morgan had disappeared into. She let out a sigh of relief.

  A large couch was in front of her. She decided to sit and wait. Just knowing she was closer to Morgan, she felt better.

  The door to the dining room opened, and Honey heard the mutterings of different conversations winding down. She turned when she heard the click of heels walk quickly past behind her to see Julia.

  Dante and another man left the room next.

  Honey recognized Shane’s gruff voice. She didn’t see who he talked to immediately. “There haven’t been any incidents since you were abducted. I think it might be a null threat at this point, but we are still following up with that daywa
lker intel.”

  Honey’s eyes widened. Someone had been abducted? Who?

  Morgan stepped out of the room following Shane.

  “What does he mean abducted?” Honey blurted out.

  “Oh, man,” Shane muttered. He clapped Morgan on the back. “I’ll leave this one to you. Sorry about that, brother.”

  “Honey,” Morgan approached Honey, his arms out to her. “That’s not really what—.”

  “No,” she cut him off. “Shane said abducted. What did he mean? When?”

  Morgan cupped his hands around the backs of her arms. “I don’t really have that information.”

  Honey shrugged out his grasp. “Morgan, remember no secrets. And you damn sure have information if you were the one abducted. I need to know now, or I think I need to leave now.”

  *

  Honey paced back and forth in front of the leather couch. Morgan sat in the middle, slowly explaining his disappearance weeks earlier.

  “So you didn’t go camping?”

  “Not on purpose anyway. As far as we have been able to ascertain, there have been no other threats. It appears to have been an isolated incident.

  Security on everyone in the family increased as soon as they realized I was missing. No one knew about you, so you have been safe. I’ve been guarding you personally since I got back.”

  “I’m in danger?”

  “No, I don’t think you are. I’ve had heightened awareness since my incident. I don’t want anything to happen to you, so I’ve been watching out.”

  “Are you saying that what’s going on between us is just bodyguarding to the extreme?”

  Morgan stood. Placing himself in the path of Honey’s nervous walking. “Not at all.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. “I’m in love with you. What grew between us has nothing to do with me being abducted. If anything, that made me take decisive action and stop acting like a stupid kid with a crush.”

  “Then what’s going on?” Honey pleaded.

  “I’m going to kiss you,” Morgan announced.

  Honey let him claim her lips. She relaxed against their softness.

  She sighed. “That’s not what I meant. I meant with that other thing Shane mentioned.”

  “That’s still all being investigated. One of the men who abducted me was what we call a ‘daywalker.’ We followed up to see if there are any rumors circulating in their ranks.”

  Honey nodded in understanding. “Wait. What’s a daywalker?”

  “They’re related to vampires.”

  “Are you kidding me? Vampires are real?”

  Morgan nodded slowly. “Maplecourt’s involved.”

  “Bryce knows you’re a werewolf?”

  “I doubt it. He doesn’t seem to have much of an imagination. He was oblivious to clues right in front of him. I think he thinks it’s all about money and control and the mafia. He’s put himself into a dangerous position. I’m very serious when I say I don’t want you near him.”

  Pain pierced Honey’s skull. She pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to squeeze her skull back together without touching her stitches. “I’m getting a headache. This is too much. You’re a werewolf, descended from fucking Mars. You were kidnapped and shot. Bryce is somehow in the middle of all of this. And now vampires. I think my brain might be done. I need to eat something. I need a drink. I need…” Honey’s eyes rolled up and she slumped against Morgan.

  “Honey!” He patted her face. She was non-responsive. “Honey?” He felt her pulse. It beat steady, and she was breathing. Morgan scooped her up and carried her to his bed.

  Honey’s eyes flickered open. “What?”

  “You passed out. You need to rest.”

  Honey slept. For the first hour, Morgan sat and watched over her. When he realized she would sleep for a while, he headed to the kitchen to make arrangements for an early dinner to be served in his rooms. Honey was still asleep when he returned.

  There was a knock on his door.

  Julia stormed in. “Okay, this is the information I found.” She dropped a stack of printouts on the low coffee table.

  Morgan glanced to check on Honey.

  “Am I interrupting?” Julia didn’t sound the least bit sorry if she was.

  “No. Honey’s taking a nap, that’s all.”

  “Well, the board has my hands tied on this one. They won’t do anything until you give approval. It’s frustrating Morgan. I’m doing the work. I’m making the recommendations. And they won’t wipe their own noses unless you tell them it’s okay.”

  “What do you want me to do to change that?”

  “Put me in charge. Let me run the damn company. I already am anyway.” From the tone of her voice, Morgan knew it wasn’t a suggestion.

  Morgan knew Julia was right. His focus was on the construction company, not the parent corporation. He knew he was thinking small since his area of interest was just a small part of the whole enterprise, but he also knew where his heart truly lay.

  “You got it. Let’s draw up the paperwork. I’ll step down. Make me a consultant, so I’m not completely out of the picture.”

  “Smart decision.” She nodded sharply.

  “Of course, that’s what I do—make smart decisions. You have been running the company. I’ve been a figurehead. I’m in the way, so let’s put you in a position to really do what you do best. Now tell me what’s in those papers I’m not going to read.”

  Julia laughed. “A list of potential labs for purchasing. Aventine has almost closed the buy-out on SeaQuence. We’re going to need access to more than one lab, and we are going to need to be able to conduct genetic research outside of a commercial lab. It’s easier to purchase an existing lab and staff than to build one from scratch. I thought you might want to look at the prospects.” She glanced up to Honey’s sleeping form. “Mate, huh?”

  Morgan cocked his eyebrows and nodded.

  “Well, try not to be distracted for too long. We do need your focus back here.” Julia pointed to the papers on the table. “Shane is digging up something that sounds like it could be nasty. I hope your mate is tough. She’s jumping on board in time for a bumpy ride.”

  “She hasn’t agreed to come along for the ride yet. That’s why I’m moving to Monterey for a while.”

  “Morgan, we’re really going to need you up here with all this going on. Is moving now such a good idea?” Julia asked, concerned.

  “It’s where she is. I have to be where she is.”

  “Bring her up here.”

  “I don’t think it will be that easy. I don’t know if she would give up her job and her life down there to live with me.”

  “Morgan, your brain has turned to rocks. Marry her and bring her home.”

  Morgan kissed Julia on the cheek. “You’re brilliant.”

  “Of course, I am.” Julia picked up the papers she dropped earlier. “You don’t need these, so I’ll keep them. When do you head back?”

  “Tomorrow. I have to wrap up a few things at the site before I hand it over.”

  “I’ll have the papers drawn up this week. I’ll overnight them for signing.”

  “Sounds good.”

  *

  Honey rolled over and opened her eyes. Morgan sat across the room looking at her. She pushed into a sitting position. She smiled at his intense gaze, shapeshifters were definitely sexy.

  “I had the weirdest dream,” she announced. She had dreamed of temples and togas, and Mars, the god.

  “Let me guess. Werewolves, Rome, and vampires?”

  “Shit, it wasn’t a dream, was it? What happened?”

  “You passed out, sweetheart. When was the last time you ate? You simply checked out for a bit then fell asleep.” Morgan sat next to her. “Are you going to be okay?”

  Honey nodded. Her reality had taken a sudden shift, but she would be safe with Morgan and all of his various talents.

  “Are we going to be okay?”

  Honey put her hand on Morgan’s arm.
“Of course, we are. Why wouldn’t we be?”

  “You had said it was too much.”

  “Too much all at once, but I think I can adjust. I accepted that you can do the wolf thing with great calmness. I think I was owed that little freak-out over the rest. Did you say Bryce was a vampire?”

  24

  Honey leaned against the counter at work. The scent of coffee filled her senses. She could taste it in the air. Since returning to Monterey, life had returned to normal. She toyed with her pendant, daydreaming of vineyards and mansions. She could almost believe the past weekend hadn’t happened. Almost. Thinking back on it made it seem a bit too glamorous, a bit too fantastical.

  Like in a lovely dream, her working-class, construction worker boyfriend turned out to be more than he appeared. Perfect pecs, perfect abs, and, of course, insanely wealthy. And a werewolf. But not just any werewolf. An alpha.

  It had to be a dream, an extension of some delusion left over from the head injury. They had not left her apartment in a rust bucket of a truck that magically turned into a sleek luxury car. They didn’t arrive at a beautiful expansive mansion. But for the life of her, Honey could not picture anything else. The wedding with the crazy bridesmaids and having to share a bathroom with them—that made perfect sense. Was completely logical. So did the family frowning upon unmarried couples sleeping together. Maybe that disapproving butler person had really been Morgan’s mother, and she didn’t like Honey.

  No, that couldn’t have been Morgan’s home. It had to have been a resort in wine country. She had gotten lost in the hotel. That’s what it was.

  There were real parts though. They had spent an extra day strolling around in the country, just she and Morgan. They had sneaked off into some vineyards and walked for hours. If it had been a real fairytale, there would have been horses. A horseback ride between rows of grape vines. Honey decided she should see if she could add that little tidbit into her mixed-up memories.

  And then, of course, there had been the passing out from mental overload. Clearly, she had been hurt worse than they realized when she was mugged. Everything with Morgan had been so normal up until that point. It was only after she hit her head that things got weird. Maybe she hit her head again, giving her a real concussion. Maybe there had been horses and she had fallen off. A second head injury would explain the crazy dreams of wolves and vampires and Roman gods. But would that explain Morgan saying he loved her? She didn’t want that part to be a dream.