“Zephyr, you will go to the east and keep Victor occupied. Raiden, you take on the large group of young vampires. I will take on the elder.”
“Yes, sir,” they both said, hurrying off to their posts.
Hanish hurried to the south side of his compound and landed inside the barrier. With all of the tests and upgrades Cato had performed before their arrival, the Storms’ security was impeccable. But every time the dragons upgraded their technology, the vampires did the same with their magic.
The elder vampire and three others stood and smiled at him maniacally on the other side of the barrier. Hanish dropped into his half-shift form. His wings protruded from his back, and his humanoid legs stood on solid ground.
“Well, if it isn’t Captain Hanish, the prince of the House of Storms. It is so good to make your acquaintance. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Byron, elder of this region. My long slumber has filled me with strength. I was overjoyed to find the dragons here on earth when I was awoken. What a treat to feast on pure dragon blood, when all we’ve had to drink all this time was the blood of your sweet little Dragon Souls. I believe you have one in the house with you now.”
The thought of this disgusting beast touching his beautiful JoJo made Hanish furious. He jumped into full-dragon form and burst through the barrier, blowing sparks of lightning and rain from his mouth.
Electricity surged through the vampires, who were caught off guard by Hanish’s quick and relentless attack. But as soon as Byron fell, he was up again, dancing away as a wisp of smoke. The elder was strong—stronger than the other two. They fell and burned under the onslaught of Hanish’s lightning strike.
Byron flitted back, materializing again right out of striking range. “Nice try, dragon. We had come to strike a bargain, but I see that the dragons of the House of Storms are too impulsive to make treaties.”
Hanish shrank back into his half-shift form, which would allow him to speak. “What sort of treaty?”
“Oh,” Byron said, inspecting his nails, “it’s too late for that.” He lunged forward with his teeth bared. He dematerialized then materialized again only inches from Hanish’s neck. Hanish sidestepped the monster and produced his laser sword, swinging fiercely at the vampire.
Byron jumped away but not fast enough to avoid the swing of Hanish’s sword. It sliced across the vampire’s arm, nicking the skin. The sword was imbued with the antibodies of a mated Dragon Soul, which was poison to vampires. Byron screamed and gripped his arm then disappeared in a puff of smoke.
“The vampires are retreating,” Zephyr said through the mental link.
Hanish stepped to the barrier and retracted his sword, feeling as if he had failed somehow. Had the vampires really wanted to ask for a treaty? From what he knew about vampires, it was unlikely. The dragons of the House of Flames had told them the vampires had proposed treaties multiple times, but each meeting had only ever been cover for a surprise attack.
The vampires didn’t want peace. They wanted blood—dragon blood, Dragon Soul blood, and human blood. They wanted anything but the blood of creatures who were not a highly intelligent, sophisticated, civilized species, such as wild animals or domesticated livestock. No, the vampires wanted to feed on the most advanced creatures they could find. Not through blood banks, but through murder and coercion. They always had. They loved nothing more than feasting on a dragon. Hanish had seen more than a few of his men taken down during the endless battles they’d fought against the vampires in his home sector.
Now that they were all on Earth, Hanish had no hope that things would ever be any different. The vampires lacked a desire for peace. They had no such thing as family. Vampires were created through bites, not reproduction. They had nothing to protect peace for—no children of their own. They could create more of their numbers by offering eternal life to whatever species they decided to feed upon. Back on Dragonia, the vampires had looked slightly different, as they’d been made up of the native species from his home quadrant. But over time, they had become more and more humanlike. This caused their magic to change as well. Their attacks were far weaker than they once were, but their speed was much greater. That was why the dragons needed the magic of Aria’s song. Without it, they couldn’t even make contact with the weakest vampire among them.
Raiden and Zephyr met him on the back lawn. They had disposed of the creatures on their sides of the barrier. Raiden had killed at least a dozen on his own, and Zephyr had shot at Victor but had failed to make contact. However, he had taken down several of Victor’s companions.
“They seem to be testing our defenses, Captain,” Zephyr said.
“I would agree with that,” Hanish said. “The elder, Byron, suggested they had come for a treaty meeting, but I’m sure that was a lie.”
“None of the others mentioned anything of the sort,” Zephyr said.
“I must retrieve JoJo from the safe room and let her know she can go back to bed now that our drills are over.”
“Sir,” Zephyr said. “It is critical that JoJo be mated soon. She remains vulnerable to the vampires until her blood is changed through the mating bite.”
“I intend to make her mine as soon as possible.”
Chapter 8
Hanish shut the door behind JoJo and left her in the basement with Tor. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes went wide with astonishment. She had known many wealthy people who had safe rooms in their houses, but she had never been ushered into one so rudely and abruptly in all of her years as a nanny. She held Tor on her hip and paced back and forth across the large room. A big, open space served as a living room, dining room, and kitchen. Then there were additional rooms off to the side that served as bedrooms. She checked the kitchen and found a well-stocked pantry with everything the family would need to survive for months.
“At least Hanish is taking his survival and security seriously,” she muttered.
She rolled her eyes and took Tor to the bedroom that was furnished with a crib. Instead of letting him get off his schedule, she went ahead and put him down. After she sang him a lullaby, Tor burbled and drifted off to sleep.
Seeing that the child was well situated, JoJo left the room and closed the door behind her. There was a small library in the living room, so she chose a book, sat down on an armchair, and began to read. Being locked in a basement was not high on her list of acceptable practices and treatments from an employer. She considered again whether or not she should leave. Hanish’s behavior was troubling. Then she thought of Tor, the sweet little boy who truly deserved someone competent to take care of him. At that moment, she didn’t believe his father was capable of doing it.
She let out a deep sigh. Hanish was irritating, and in many regards, she did not like him at all. However, as much as she tried, she couldn’t reverse the growing attraction she felt for the infuriating man. It only deepened every time they interacted, no matter how much they disagreed. JoJo had never felt that way about any man before and had no idea how to handle it. Her every instinct was screaming for her to pack her bags and leave. Her feelings were unprofessional and unacceptable. The situation could not end well. But she just couldn’t bring herself to leave Tor… or Hanish.
Part of her felt as though the Storm house was where she truly belonged, and after several hours of sitting in the basement, she finally had her answer. She’d come to a decision. She was going to stay, no matter how exasperating Hanish might be. She also decided that she was going to deal with her feelings for the man, whatever it took. She just wasn’t sure yet if that would involve admitting them or ultimately succeeding in suppressing them.
“It’s all clear,” Hanish said, opening the door.
JoJo stood and nodded at him then closed her book, brushing past him into the hallway. She was irritated he had left her in the safe room, and she was even more irritated with herself for staying. “I am going to let Tor sleep in the basement tonight. I have a baby monitor to keep track of him.”
“I’m sorry about the safety drill. It could
n’t be helped.”
She turned to him and frowned, walking closer until she was standing inside his personal space. She placed the closed book under her arm and pursed her lips. “In all my years as a nanny, I have never, and I mean never, been treated that way. Next time you have a safety drill, I would prefer you treat me with the respect I deserve. And I also noticed that neither you or any of your brothers were in the safe room. So I don’t know how effective the safety drill possibly could have been.”
“We were practicing our combat preparation.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Do you believe we are going to be invaded by enemy combatants?” She was beginning to think that maybe Hanish had post-traumatic stress from his years in the military, and it was causing him to act erratically.
“You have to be prepared for everything,” he said. “Especially as a father.”
“There’s being prepared, and there’s being over prepared,” she said pointedly.
“I understand why you’re concerned. You must think I’m insane, and I completely understand why. The truth is, I haven’t been one hundred percent honest with you. But I really would like to be. Now that I know what I know, I can be.”
She took a step back. “What are you getting at?” The conversation was making her more and more uncomfortable. They were standing in the hallway of his basement between the safe room and the basement bowling alley. She could hear balls rolling down the lanes and cracking when someone got a strike. A whooping sound came from beyond the open door. She glanced inside to find Raiden grinning at himself and pumping his fist.
Hanish closed the door and frowned. “I would like to ask you to meet with me in private. Tomorrow. We can discuss our arrangements.”
“Have you decided against keeping me on?”
“No. But I know it’s still a question for you. There are some things that need to be said before we can proceed with our professional relationship.”
“Such as?”
“We’ll discuss it tomorrow. I’ve arranged for Everly to watch Tor. We’ll drop him off at the Flame house in the morning.”
“And then what?”
Hanish sighed. “Then we will have the time and space to discuss the situation.”
“What situation?”
“This situation,” Hanish said, growing more irritated.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” JoJo actually did know what he meant. It was obvious that they were both attracted to each other, and they did not get along. It was a horrific combination to have in a professional relationship. But she wanted to hear him say it.
“We need to discuss our working relationship. Now that I have decided to keep you on, I need to know your decision.”
“I can tell you now,” she said with a sigh.
“I would prefer you wait until tomorrow. I have some things that I must share with you.”
“Very well.” She gripped her book under her arm and the baby monitor in her other hand. “I will speak with you in the morning, then.” She turned on her heel and hurried up the stairs. On the first floor, she found Zephyr in the living room with his nose deep in a book. He glanced up when he saw her and nodded, his serious expression not changing in the least.
“Good night,” he said.
“Good night to you,” she said as she turned to go to her room.
“Hanish is a good man,” Zephyr said to her back.
Turning to him, she raised her eyebrows. She leaned in, interested to hear what he had to say.
“Oh?” she asked, more defensively than she meant to.
“Hanish is my… brother, but he is also my best friend and greatest ally. We trust each other implicitly.”
“I understand why he listens to you. But I’m afraid I don’t understand what you get out of the relationship.”
“On the surface, Hanish may seem mercurial and demanding. But in many ways, that has made him an extremely successful captain. He makes decisions on the fly, and nine times out of ten, they prove to be successful. He is unendingly loyal to those he loves, and he gets the same loyalty in return. He has never failed a single member of his family and crew in all of the years we’ve served in the military together. We’ve had great successes, and he has willingly and enthusiastically shared the praise and glory with the rest of us.”
And he’s extremely handsome. JoJo gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes closed in disapproval of her inner thoughts.
“He is a good man to work for,” Zephyr continued. “And I daresay whatever woman finally wins his heart will be immensely happy.”
“Oh? What about Tor’s mother?”
“Tor’s mother was a surrogate. There was never a romantic relationship. But he loved her and had nothing but the deepest respect for her, as we all did.”
“Why are you talking about romantic relationships with me? I am the nanny. It’s none of my business.”
“I just thought I would share. There’s no reason.”
“Uh-huh,” JoJo said.
Zephyr went back to his book and stopped communicating.
JoJo frowned and turned away. Is my attraction to Captain Hanish so obvious that even Zephyr can see it?
She hated to think that she was being so transparent. She’d done everything in her power to disguise her feelings and to be professional. In her room, she laid her head on her pillow, and Zephyr’s words played through her mind. Any woman who wins his heart will be immensely happy. She’d been butting heads with Hanish Storm from day one. But Zephyr’s words rang true. Maybe if they stopped competing with each other and began to work together, things would be different.
She groaned and turned off her bedside lamp. What was she thinking? Hanish was her boss and nothing more. All this talk of relationships was ridiculous. She needed to get those thoughts out of her head immediately before they got her into trouble.
Since she wasn’t going to leave Tor and Hanish, she had to accept the fact that she would be staying. And she had to accept the fact that she was attracted to her boss. The only solution was to get her hormones under control and put it all out of her mind. If Hanish was attracted to her, she could never let it develop. Getting involved with an employer would blacklist her for the rest of her career. No mother would ever hire her again. And the chances of Hanish and her living happily ever after were slim to none. It was only lust that had drawn them together. It couldn’t be counted on to last.
Chapter 9
Hanish had dressed in a casual suit in the festive shade of burgundy with exquisite tailoring and immaculate finishes. He’d told JoJo to dress for a daytime party, as he planned to take her out to lunch in a well-regarded restaurant at a winery. They would spend the rest of the afternoon sampling wine across the countryside.
“Will you be leaving soon, Captain?” Zephyr asked, walking through the door.
“As soon as I figure out how to put on these cuff links.” He fiddled with the little pieces of gold jewelry.
“If I may.” Zephyr held out his hand.
Hanish let his friend attach the cuff links. Then he examined himself in the mirror and straightened his tie.
“That is a very interesting color choice,” Zephyr observed.
“I like to make a statement,” Hanish said.
Zephyr raised an eyebrow. “Indeed.”
“I asked JoJo to meet me downstairs with Tor ready for an overnight stay with Everly,” Hanish said.
“Are you sure this is wise?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you believe it is wise to tell her the truth of who we are?” Zephyr asked. “JoJo is an intelligent and well-educated woman. However, her reaction to the truth is indeterminable.”
“You studied her personality. You know her background. How do you think she would react?” Hanish asked his friend.
“Even after running the variables through our systems, there is no real way of knowing. Believe it or not, much of a person’s personality and belief systems are not available on the Internet. There cou
ld be many things about JoJo that we don’t know or understand. Some of those could be the determining factors that influence her ultimate reaction. This could even come down to how she’s feeling in that moment. Humans are unpredictable creatures. And I would hate for you to lose your opportunity at finding your mate because you moved too soon.”
“What do you suggest I do?”
Zephyr tapped a finger on his chin. “I think the most reasonable course of action would be to tell her about your feelings for her. Then at least one big secret would be out in the open. If she admits her feelings for you, you can proceed with the relationship from there. But opening with ‘I’m a dragon from an alien planet’ may be a bit too much for her to accept.”
“You’re right. She already thinks I’m insane after the supposed security drill last night.” Hanish examined himself one last time and ran his hands over his suit jacket to smooth out the nonexistent wrinkles. “Well, I’m ready.” He winked at himself in the mirror before turning on his heel and leaving the room. He thought about Zephyr’s advice as he walked down the hall and descended the stairs. Hanish couldn’t tell JoJo the truth about his origins, but he could tell her the truth about his feelings. Unfortunately, that part was much harder.
The truth about his origins was just a story about his crew and his home, not his own personal feelings. And he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to open up. He wished he could just tell her that he was a dragon and she was his mate. Straightforward. Simple. Just a matter of logic. But now his feelings were involved, and he would have to think about how to express exactly what he felt in human terms.
Hanish was not a man who was easily at a loss for words. He had been told he had quite a bit of charisma and an innate ability to inspire others. But he had never been in love before, and that was completely new territory for him. He had never met another woman or even another man who could match him as JoJo could. She definitely knew her own mind and was a leader in her own right. She might even have been a stronger leader than he was. Keeping tiny humans in line took a tremendous amount of personal will.
Hanish: House of Storms (Dragon Guardians Book 6) Page 5