Blaine strode toward Kent and the other two men rose from their seats and followed him over to Kent. Blaine slapped Kent on the shoulder and grinned, sticking his hand out to shake it. Kent gave it a firm pump, unable to keep the slow grin from spreading across his face as Blaine smiled broadly.
“Welcome to the team, son.”
***
The next few weeks went by in a blur as Kent shadowed Mr. Mills. He was a strong, impressive bear-shifter, and together they scoured the mountain in their bear forms looking for clues as to the whereabouts of the dragons and any potential plans they might have in the works. There were rumors of a powerful source of dragon magic hidden deep within Oak Mountain, but the mountain always has and always would be bear territory. The dragons and the bears had lived in peace for quite a while, but all of that was starting to change.
“I need to see you in action,” Mr. Mills said one day, eyeing Kent seriously. “There’s a serious threat we fear will be facing the mountain in only a few week’s time and there’s something more important than you could ever imagine that needs done. Is that clear?”
“Of course,” Kent said.
Things had been going remarkably well. Kent had a huge amount of respect for Mr. Mills, especially following him out in the field. The man was incredibly strong and had a lot of talent that Kent recognized as a martial artist. Clearly, the man knew what he was doing and Kent found it easy to follow him into a fight, knowing they both were skilled and could work flawlessly as a team, sharing a similar understanding off the art of battle. If Mr. Mills wanted to see him fight, he would be glad to oblige.
“Follow me,” Mr. Mills said, leading Kent down the mountain. Kent followed, curious about what they were going to encounter.
When Mr. Mills stopped, he turned to Kent, his eyes dark and serious.
“I need you to go in there, and whatever you find, deal with it. Follow your intuition. It’s the last test of your mettle before we give you your first real assignment.”
Kent gazed at the harrowing square opening, a deep tunnel shoddily held together by thick railroad ties that looked centuries old. His hatred of small dark spaces nearly made it impossible to move forward, but the thought of disappointing Mr. Mills broke the spell keeping his feet bound in one place.
A chill crept down his spine as Kent ducked into the small opening, following his nose down the tunnel. There was something strange here. Magical.
The pull of learning what the tunnel held in store was more compelling than Kent’s fear. He wanted to make sure he got everything done that he had to do. The one weakness he had were spaces like this; the overwhelming emptiness he felt when consumed by the memory of losing his parents. And yet as a bear, he was meant to enjoy these comfortable spaces, cozy dens and areas where he could curl up and enjoy the peace and solitude of the darkness. He crept along the winding labyrinth until he suddenly sensed movement. Whoever or whatever it was didn’t know he was there quite yet, but he had a sinking suspicion he was about to be tested in a way he never had been before.
A deep, involuntary growl began to rumble in the back of his throat when he caught the scent of a dragon. The whole tunnel ahead reeked of the foul odor and he began to shift slowly. If what he was hearing was in fact a dragon, he could only hope that there was only one. The dragons were powerful, but to his knowledge they were most powerful on their own mountain. Their magic was limited away from its source. Unless they were highly advanced, he would probably be able to handle anything they threw at him.
The further Kent got away from the entrance, the more unnerved he became. But in his bear form, he felt distant from the nervous little boy within him who couldn’t help but relive the toil and trauma of the day he had lost his parents. Now, he was more of an angry, possessive bear, sniffing out an enemy on his turf and furious to find a dragon where it didn’t belong.
A sudden heat filled the tunnel, followed closely by a furious orange light. A fireball struck the wall behind him and Kent unleashed a furious roar. The walls around him quaked as he ran through the tunnel until he came upon a huge cavern where a medium-sized dragon was standing, its golden eyes narrowed in anger.
The cavern sparkled with glimmers of quartz, and in the center of the cavern was an otherworldly statue half buried in the dirt. The dragon was clearly attempting to extricate it from its resting place, though it looked as if it had been there for centuries. All Kent knew was that the statue was a part of Oak Mountain, and if anybody wanted to get it of bear turf, they would have to go through him.
Kent lunged at the dragon-shifter and soon they were wrestling in the cavern. Kent’s teeth latched onto the scaly neck of the beast and he felt it grow tense beneath the weight of his bear. Just as he was sure he had the advantage, the dragon bucked Kent off and with a speed that left Kent breathless, escaped from the cavern, and disappeared.
Kent was left in the cave, adrenaline coursing through his body. He shifted back into his human form and walked cautiously toward the statue. It looked as if it had come from some other world, and it probably had. How it had managed to find its way on Oak Mountain was a mystery to him. However, what he knew in a flash of instinct and intuition, was that the statue was unbelievably important, and he would do whatever he had to do to make sure that the dragon-shifters left it where it belonged.
6.
“Why would I have to go back to Oak Mountain? I thought my work there was done!”
Adrian’s stepfather chuckled. “I know shifter business is rather dull, but your mother would want me to make sure I’m covering all bases. She trusted me with your life and I intend to honor that request.”
“What shifter business?” she demanded. She had been off Oak Mountain for the past month and it had been hard for her to settle back into her old routine back in Stonybrooke. She had just graduated with honors from Stonybrooke Shifter’s University. Their business school was renowned around the world and she was ready to utilize her degree. Having her father stepping in now and dictating where she lived went against everything she had worked so hard to do to create a life for herself.
“There are a lot off private matters; a political climate that is going to make it difficult for people like you… humans, to stay safe without a good level of protection. I would just feel better if you were close by. There are big things happening out in the world and we don’t want the shifters in Stonybrooke to treat you badly because they know you’re connected to a bear-shifter.”
“Why would that matter?” Adrian asked, puzzled. The wolf-shifters she had known were exceptionally open-minded, at least in most of her classes. Sure, there were many who looked down on all humans in general, and others who were wary of anybody who was an outsider to their territory, but the idea that she would be in danger just for being one of the many humans co-habiting the wolf-shifter’s sprawling city seemed ridiculous.
“As I mentioned, the issues are a bit too sensitive to communicate over the phone. What I need from you now is to come to Oak Mountain. I’ll make sure you’re provided for. I always do. But it is important to me to know that you’re safe. The bear-shifters are strong and reliable. They can keep you safer than you would be on your own.”
“I hope you realize how ridiculous this all sounds,” Adrian said with a sigh. “You can just admit that you miss me, right?”
Her stepfather chuckled. “You know what? I do miss you. It’s been lonely without you and your mother around.”
Adrian’s smile faltered. She missed her mother too. It had been about three years since she had lost her, but it felt more like an eternity.
“It would be nice to have some family around, I guess,” Adrian said with a quiet sigh. “But this isn’t forever, right? I was going to do some job hunting now that I have my degree.”
“Well you know that you won’t have to worry about that here. At least not right now.”
Adrian pursed her lips. She hated being in her stepfather’s debt. Not that he ever saw it that way, but she was an
independent person. She had learned young that the world was unkind to you if you didn’t fit into all the boxes that people expected you to fit into. It could be impossible to impress someone who was already determined to hate you based on something as petty as appearance alone.
Maybe that was why she had enjoyed being around the shifters so much. They were the least shallow people she had ever met. They sensed a person’s energy rather than fixating on their appearances. Instead of judging other people’s personalities based on what they looked like, the shifters relied on their own intuition and the behaviors of the person they were dealing with. it was a rather pure way to live, and something that as a big girl, Adrian had grown to appreciate.
“All right,” she finally agreed. “But I need to know that I’m going to be kept busy. I need to know I’m pulling my weight. I’m not just going to be a charity case. I want to earn a living and be independent, okay?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Adrian’s stepfather said, his voice sounding more cheerful than she had heard it since they had lost her mother. “I can’t wait to see you again.”
They chatted for a few more minutes before they hung up for the night and Adrian went to her bed and sank against her pillows, sighing heavily. She wasn’t very familiar with Oak Mountain, and the fact was that she couldn’t think of the place without the intrusive thought of Kent filling her mind. The man had been a horrible prick to her, despite being the best lover she had ever had. She never wanted to see him again, and had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach every time she was reminded of him.
But it was a big mountain. There was the possibility that she wouldn’t even run into him there at all. As long as she stuck to her work and kept her head down, maybe she would be able to live there without confronting him again and having to re-live the most humiliating night of her life again.
Either way, there was nothing much that she could do about it. She had already told her stepfather that she agreed to live on Oak Mountain, at least until whatever danger he was hearing about had passed. And she was going to have to deal with the consequences of that decision, whether she liked it or not.
***
“Need a hand?”
“No, thank you, I’m all right.”
Adrian smiled at her stepfather, who was standing in the doorway of the cabin he had secured for her. he had wanted to help her move into a luxurious place she would never have been able to afford on her own income, but she had insisted on living within her means. He had seemed proud of her decision to do so, and had gone above and beyond to help her make the move go as smoothly as possible.
“When do you think that you will be up to starting work?” he asked, eyeing the cozy living room.
“I could start today, if you want,” she replied, unpacking the last box for the living room with a small sigh of satisfaction.
Adrian worked fast and was proud of how quickly she had managed to make the sterile, empty little place feel like a home. Because she had been raised by a single mother, she understood at an early age the importance of making a house a home. It had been hard for her mother to support her for much of her childhood and because of it, they had had moved around a lot as her mother sought out the place where she could finally settle down and make enough income to stay put.
Every time they were forced into a new apartment, the first thing her mother always did was set up Adrian’s bedroom and the living room so they would both have somewhere comfortable to spend time as they slowly began to settle in. Adrian had carried on the tradition anywhere she moved, even with her mother being gone now.
“Today? But you just got here,” her stepfather said incredulously. “It seems unwise to over-do it. I’d feel better to give you a chance to adjust first. This is a big change.”
“It’s not the biggest change,” Adrian said with a shrug. “And besides, you’re here. I have some sense of stability, so try not to worry so much.”
Her stepfather grinned and nodded slowly. “I understand. But I would still feel better if you wait to start work until next week. It’ll give us a chance to figure out where you would be best suited while you start to get to know the mountain. It’s really a beautiful place. I think that you’re going to like it.”
Adrian smiled. “I already like it,” she admitted. “I found myself missing the smell of the trees back in Stonybrooke. I know it’s a natural place out there too, but it’s so much a city compared to Oak Mountain. Everything is so rustic here. It’s nothing like the rest of the world out there.”
“There really is nothing like it,” he agreed, his eyes sparkling. “I’m glad to know that you like it here. Give me a call Monday, then. We’ll get you set up at the office. Until then, I want you to come to dinner every night, just to catch up. That is, if it isn’t too much trouble for you.”
“It’s not,” Adrian said, her heart warming. She had missed this man so much. He had come in and raised her from the time she was nine years old. Nobody else in this world cared for her as much as he did. She felt terrible about dismissing him for so long just because it had been hard for her to be around anything that reminded her of mom.
“Great,” he said, a broad smile stretching across his face. “You know where to find me. I’ll see you there around six.”
“See you then,” Adrian agreed.
With that, her stepfather smiled and slipped out the door, getting into his car and driving down the mountain.
7.
“So you see my issue then,” Logan Mills said, his face serious as he peered into Kent’s eyes. “This is a task that means more to me than anything else ever possibly could. And it is you that I want to entrust with this work. I would do it myself, but the demands of my job require me to be off of Oak Mountain for the majority of the day and avoiding my responsibilities simply is not an option at this point.”
“No,” Kent said. “I understand. Abandoning your duties won’t be necessary. I’ve got this.”
Mr. Mills smiled, relief etched in every line of his face. He looked suddenly tired and Kent realized just how heavy the burden of this issue had been weighing upon him. It was a big issue, that much was certain, and now Logan clearly had a personal stake in it. It was up to Kent to do his job. Not only to do his duty as a morally ethical bear-shifter, but to make sure that the men he respected most in the world could count on him. He was going to be in a position of power and influence if he was able to do this job right.
“I entrust this job with you. I want you to come to my house for dinner tonight. You will get all the details then.”
“Of course.”
Kent left the lodge, which had become the unofficial meeting place where he and Mr. Mills began their shadow assignments. This was the first time they had discussed giving Kent a job on his own without having Mr. Mills there to watch over his every move, and he knew if he messed this assignment up, he would never be able to live with himself. Not only would he be letting Mr. Mills down, but he would be letting Blaine down. Blaine, who was one of the most prominent figures on Oak Mountain, and had believed in him even when he didn’t believe in himself. He had to succeed. No matter what the cost.
That evening, Kent dressed his best to attend the dinner at Mr. Mills’ home, eager to understand the full implications of his new assignment. There were some things he knew he wouldn’t be trusted with; crucial information that it seemed only Blaine and Logan were privy to. That didn’t bother him. He knew he was just hired to be muscle. His role was to be as bodyguard.
When he arrived at the address that Mr. Mills had given him, Kent hesitated. The place was huge. It was clear that Logan was wildly successful. His home was extravagant. Kent hadn’t anticipated the nervous feeling in his stomach. It wasn’t that he was intimidated, though. There was something strange going on. His senses had been acting up all day. In fact, things had felt off ever since he had fought the dragon-shifter and discovered the statue.
“Kent, you made it. Welcome.”
&n
bsp; The door opened, and Mr. Mills stepped out onto the porch. He glanced over his shoulder cautiously before he closed the door.
“Thank you. You’ve got a beautiful place here,” Kent said, unsure of what else to say. He had never been at a house like this before. But he could admire the space. He personally liked a lot of room.
“I do love it,” Mr. Mills said, shifting. “I hope you’re hungry.”
“Starved,” Kent said. The truth was, it had been years since he’d had a home-cooked meal of any kind. He had been kind of looking forward to it.
“Listen, I need to talk to you about something. I know you know the basics. You’re to be a bodyguard. But what I didn’t tell you was that you’re going to meet the person you’re going to be guarding tonight. I thought maybe it would help you to take your duty more seriously to know her on a more intimate level. You’ll have a personal connection that will inspire you to go to lengths to protect her that you may otherwise be incapable of.”
“Oh,” Kent said, startled by the revelation. Why couldn’t Mr. Mills have mentioned this before he arrived to give him some time to prepare?
But he seemed to have his reasons for everything and Kent had learned to trust him by then. At least he had mentioned it before he had gone inside and found himself surprised.
“One last thing,” Mr. Mills said. “She doesn’t know the whole story. You cannot let her know you are here to protect her. We need a believable reason for you to be hanging around in case of an attack.”
“She doesn’t know she’s in danger?” Kent asked in disbelief. They hadn’t discussed her situation much. Mr. Mills had been very secretive about the details. What Kent did know though was the girl was a target, and it was his job to see to it that she was safe. No matter what it took.
“No, and if she finds out, it could ruin everything. You can’t let her know she’s being protected. If you blow your cover then we’re going to have to find somebody else to fill your position in the company. Is that understood?”
Dragon Protector (Dragon Dreams) Page 27