“Renee I won’t let that happen to you. I can’t. I promise I will do everything in my power to keep you safe.” He paused as her beautiful hazel eyes, filled with fear and confusion, met his. “That was centuries ago and I’ve vowed that it will never happen again. The fates had chosen her to be my mate. I failed them and her. But I will protect you, I promise.” And through all the conflicting emotions inside of him, the one that just wanted to hold the beautiful human in front of him won out.
He wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head to his shoulder and running his hand in soothing circles over her back. He listened as her pulse slowed and she took deep, calming breaths. They stood like that for minutes, hours, he wasn’t sure, but eventually she turned her face up to him.
“What’s it like to be immortal?”
Coran smiled. Always his curious human, even in the mist of chaos. "It's interesting to get to see how the world changes, but it's lonely because any human you know eventually grows old and dies. Things change and shrivel; everything has its time. Before the government knew about supernatural creatures we would have to move from town to town to stay hidden. You know, a lot like the stuff you read in all your books."
"Not all like that. Tegan called herself Lucius' servant. What did she mean by that?"
"She is blood bound to Lucius, which means that she is tied to him. If one dies, the other dies." He shrugged. "Simple really. He did it to help her out years ago."
"By years you mean centuries?" She asked, drawing his arms tighter around her and looking up at him with those huge eyes.
He laughed. "Yeah, centuries."
"What was your favorite time period? Your favorite place?"
Coran licked his lips. "That's a hard choice. I would have to say Ireland. My homeland will always be my favorite place." Renee smiled at that and ran her hands up his arms to his shoulders. And before he knew what she was about, she wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled his lips down to hers. Her hot mouth and tongue explored his and he was momentarily lost.
Every move she made had his cock twitching and his knees growing weak. He ran his hands down her back and palmed her ass, pressing her against his erection. She moaned and he was lost. He picked her up and set her on the countertop in front of him as she wrapped her legs around him for balance. He moaned as he rocked into her. The friction left him aching and wanting so much more. He ran his hands under the edge of her shirt and coasted his hands up her ribs. She was so small. So delicate. So fragile. And there came an image of Trisha’s body lying bloody and dead in his arms. He broke the kiss, pushing away from the countertop and Renee. He met her eyes with something akin to terror filling him. “I can’t do this. We can’t do this.” He was trying to catch his breath and slow his pounding heart. He looked only at the floor. He could feel his wolf, who had been perfectly content just a moment ago, now pacing the surface, sniffing the air and smelling Renee’s tears.
"I'm sorry." He turned and rushed up the stairs, stomping past Orion's room and into his own. He glanced in the full-length mirror hanging on the door, and could see the shadow of his wolf howling in pain. "Fuck you fate. Fuck you."
"That bad? Really?" Orion asked from the doorway. "You came stomping up here like a teenager because of fate?"
Coran sighed. "Renee is my mate, just like we thought. My wolf knows her, but I can't be with another human. I can't watch her die."
"Are you so sure about that? Maybe this is fate giving you another chance."
"Or maybe trying to screw me over again."
Orion shook his head. "Look, everything—”
"I don't want to hear it. Go downstairs and watch her. I'll take care of Tegan’s wound. Lucius wants her back tonight." Taking a deep breath, Coran backed away from the mirror. "I'll deal with my beast soon."
"Tegan's patched up, but it's going to take some doing to get her back to Lucius. You know how he reacts when she gets hurt and if he finds out that she went up against a Hunter?" Orion whistled. "Wouldn't want to be in her shoes."
"He wants her back for a meeting, so she doesn't really have a choice in the matter. Now go. I don't want Renee trying to go take a mind clearing walk again."
Orion saluted him and marched down the stairs, muttering under his breath.
Renee looked up when Orion came down the stairs. After Coran stormed out of the kitchen Renee had sat pondering what went wrong. Had she said something? Or was it the kiss? "He sent you down here to watch me?"
"Yep, I see you used your girly wiles on him, and he freaked out. Shame he can't keep his little freak-outs under control, isn't it?" Orion asked, slouching into the recliner.
Renee glanced up the stairs. "What is he doing now?" She asked as she saw Coran go into Orion's room.
"He's going to try and convince Tegan to go back to Lucius for the night and she is going to deny him." Orion shrugged. "Why?"
Renee didn't answer right away, her imagination trying to run away with what could be going on in the bedroom. Tegan had the advantage over her, she was just as old as Coran, if not older. Jealousy raced through her as she imagined Coran trying to soothe Tegan. "Everyone is close, huh? Since you've spent centuries together."
"Yeah, Tegan's kind of like the baby sister of our family, though she's older than both of us." He laughed. "You worried that there is something more going on between them?"
She shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "He just seems more worried about her than Cody showing up.”
"Coran is..." Orion sighed. "He's difficult. He doesn't like to show his feelings for anyone. I guess what I am trying to say is that he's scared."
Renee recalled Tegan fighting in the park and being able to protect herself. "Where did Tegan learn to fight?"
"Um, well, after—aw fuck, really?" He rubbed his eyes. "After she and Trisha were tortured, Lucius decided that it was time to stop babying Tegan and had Coran and I teach her how to fight and protect herself. Tegan has the advantage of being bound so her movements are faster and she is stronger than a regular human."
Renee thought for a moment. Tegan was nearly immortal. Like Coran. And she was just a human, someone he had to protect. Someone he thought he couldn’t be with. "What can I do so that Coran stops worrying about me being in danger and will let us...be together?" She blushed. "I mean—"
"I don't know. I don't know if there is anything in the world that would help him get over his fear of a loved, fated one, getting hurt. I mean, I suppose learning to protect yourself would help, but you are still human." He shrugged.
Tegan came down the stairs followed by a pissed-off Coran.
Coran growled as he walked by, not meeting Renee’s eyes. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go explain to Lucius why Tegan won't be showing up tonight. I may or may not be back." He slammed the door behind him.
Renee raised a brow at Tegan, who took the other recliner. "And why aren't you going tonight?"
"Simple. I can't move my damn shoulder until it starts healing more." Tegan grinned. "So what are we talking about?"
"How to get Coran and Renee together. They’re fated."
Tegan shook her head. "Coran has vowed—"
"I'm well aware of what he has vowed, and I don't care. There has to be some way to get through to him." Renee said.
"We're in the middle of a war and he is close to the territory leader, there is no way he is going to risk that big of a weakness again. No offense Renee." Tegan held up her hand to keep Renee from speaking. "We have to protect you because of the stone, but if you were to mate with Coran then you would have to be protected all the time. Mates are weaknesses." She pegged Orion with a glare. "And that is why I'm not allowed to be mated, by fate or otherwise."
Renee leaned back in her chair, thinking over Tegan’s words. "Most men rush to get girlfriends during a war, someone to write letters to. But no, he decides he doesn't want one."
Tegan snorted. "Damn, I love your sense of humor. But yeah, there's really no way to convince him. I mean..." She shook h
er head.
"You mean?" Renee made a motion with her hand as Orion sneered.
"I mean that Coran has to have a change of heart and be reminded this is a different time and a different place." She shrugged. "But on the other hand, you have to remember this is a completely different world we live in and not everything has a happily ever after ending like in books."
Renee frowned as she tried to figure out what Tegan might have been hinting at, but saw nothing except an insult. "I don't think all of life has a happy ending."
"Lucius bargains, are you prepared for that? Anyone he takes into his territory, by one way or another, must be an asset. He decides who mates. For example, Kassity continues to kill for him in order to mate Jaxon. Jaxon ceased all mercenary work and now works solely for Lucius." Tegan leaned forward and pressed her lips together. "What can you offer Lucius in exchange for becoming part of his territory and mating Coran? What will Coran have to agree to? Think on that."
"Tegan, don't scare her." Orion shook his head. "Lucius isn't as scary as Tegan makes him out to be. Yes he can be cruel, and yes he does bargain, but it's not that scary. He wouldn't expect much from a human."
Renee tried to think of any talent she could offer. "I can see shadows of shifters and Orion's wings."
Both of them turned to her and went silent. Orion blinked a few times. "My wings are...ruined, how can you see them?"
"I don't know, I can just see a shadow of them behind you. Just like I can see a shadow of a wolf behind Coran and a panther behind a bartender at the club." Renee sighed. "What is with the weird looks and the silence?"
Tegan swallowed and turned to Orion and then back to Renee. "That's a rare skill and not one found in normal humans. That trait is handed down through blood lines of gypsies, witches, and the like."
"I have gypsy or witch blood somewhere in my background, but my brother doesn't have this skill." Renee shrugged. "I have just always ignored it."
Tegan laughed. "Of course you have.” She paused for a moment. “Well, that would be a great addition to Lucius' team. We have people who can smell out other shifters, but someone who can actually see between the realities...that would be fantastic." Her voice sounded far off and dreamy.
"Earth to Tegan, Coran has to want me first before I even consider throwing in with the vampire." Renee leaned back and closed her eyes. "I don't think that's ever going to happen."
Lucius’s eyes shot up when Coran stormed into the great room. The wolf visiting was starting to become a common thing. He normally avoided the mansion to the point where he didn’t know who lived there. Kassity stepped up next to Lucius. The cat had a fondness for Coran that the vampire couldn't explain. Especially since he'd made it a point for neither one of them to know the other existed, not until he believed Kassity's immortal mark would show up. Then he was willing to let the two meet. With no luck on the mark, the two made an uneasy friendship since they worked at The Corner together.
"Oh man, he's pissed." Kassity muttered and glanced at Lucius.
Lucius shrugged. Tegan should have been the one to come, not Coran. "Where is she?"
Coran's eyes slid to Kassity. "You shouldn't be here for this discussion."
"I just got my orders anyways, I'll let you two talk." Kassity shook her head and walked out. Lucius watched as the door closed behind her. She was much more willing to be his killer since she and Jaxon became a mated pair. "Where is Tegan?" Lucius asked again, this time with a snarl.
"She's not coming, she's not really in good shape to be at a meeting."
Lucius counted to ten in his head. She'd been growing braver in her independence in the last decade, but to flat out deny him was rare. "What do you mean? And do not lie to me, wolf. I am in no mood to deal with your shit with everything else going on. I have a meeting with the wolves and no human by my side."
Coran hesitated. "She was shot while protecting Renee. She's okay, but the shoulder needs to heal a little more before she can move it easily."
"Shot." Few creatures used such weapons; guns made it harder to follow the rules.
Coran nodded. "So she won't be coming tonight."
Lucius resisted the urge to reach out to Tegan through their link and make sure Coran wasn't lying about her being okay. Being his human gave her the perk of healing quicker and she'd be able to move the shoulder in a few hours, depending on how deep the bullet went. "She should have come to me."
"She knows how you react when you see her hurt. She didn't want you to lose your composure in front of the wolves."
"Then you'll be taking her place at my side. Jaxon is on the hunt for information, Kassity just left to start her mission—"
"You mean to hunt her target." Coran muttered before he could control himself.
Lucius nodded. "Tegan is wounded, so that leaves you. I need a display of power, and you are the only person I see who is available."
"I figured that was the deal, that's why I drove all the way over here." He muttered and stripped his shirt off. "These wolves are your allies already, do they really need a show of power?"
Lucius nodded. "Yes. Now shift."
"What? No, there's no need for me to be in my other form." Coran snapped.
Concentrating on the thread inside him, Lucius pulled on the ability to force Coran's shift. Coran's brow drew tight as his eyes slipped to amber.
"Lucius..." a growl trickled out of his throat in warning.
"You forget too easily who your master is and how much you owe me." Lucius snarled. "I should have killed you when I found out what you did, but I took pity on you and your grief. You will learn not to defy me, Coran." He leaned back on his throne and continued to pull the wolf out of Coran. With snapping of bones and stretching of muscles, a wolf now stood in Coran’s place. Yellow eyes stared up at Lucius in hate. "Oh yes, Coran, I know, but no one else would take you in. Not anyone you want to side with anyways."
The door to the room creaked open and Derrik walked in. Lucius stood to greet him. The wolves were great allies when they behaved themselves. Lucius had loaned Kassity to them a few months ago since several of their men died fighting over the tomb of The Father. The tomb they no longer held. The Circle had forced Lucius to pull his people back from it, but he knew about the seal on it. They did not.
"Derrik, how nice to see you again. I trust you are doing well with my cat acting as security and bartender?" With no negotiations before the meeting, Lucius didn’t know what the wolf wanted.
Derrik's eyes flickered to Coran and he shook his head. "She's fantastic at her job, when you aren't sending her off on missions that is. But that's not what I came to talk to you about. There are some young pups running around in the city, they have been sniffing around my club at all hours. I looked into them when Coran called me."
"Coran knew about them?" Lucius kept his voice steady and didn't turn his gaze to the wolf. He'd failed to mention this vital information.
"He called just to give me a heads up, he didn't know who they were working for or where they came from." Derrik shrugged. "He's not pack, I don't expect him to do much more. He didn't have to call me."
That was true, but if the territory was going to hold together he needed everyone to communicate. Whereas the wolves were his allies, not bound by other means to him, he couldn't control or punish them like Coran and the others. "And what did you find out about them?"
"They are rogues working for the Circle, sent to find a stone. Better yet, the particular member who sent them is Markus."
The name hit him like a punch in a gut. He hated dealing with Markus. The right hand to the Father, the vampire had been nothing but a thorn in Lucius' side since the night they'd met. The night he'd hidden Tegan from Markus. He locked his jaw and decided how he should react to this news. Markus having people in the territory put everyone in danger and it meant the Circle was, once again, breaking the rules. "Have you taken care of the pups?"
"By pack law they trespassed on our territory. We have taken care of them
."
He didn't need details; most likely the pups were killed and buried in the mountains. "Did they tell you if anyone else was in the area?"
"No. I know what you're thinking, but do you really believe the Circle would be so bold as to send more?"
"Markus tends to bend the rules and I would not be surprised if he came here himself. He fears me and knows I have the backing of an Original, but with them sleeping his fear might have ebbed a little."
The wolf stiffened. "You really think that he would come here?"
"I have no doubt. If he could justify it by only bending the rules, then yes. He was the right hand of the Father for a long time." And yet, many things were still hidden from Markus, but Lucius didn't need to mention that. "I would know if he was here though, so would Tegan." The woman was terrified of the vampire, for good reasons. His hands clenched at the idea of Markus being anywhere near his territory.
"There is trouble coming, it would be wise not to hide things from me or the pack. Lucius, we are here to help you, but you can't keep us in the dark."
Lucius nodded. "I believe that someone is trying to raise the Father, and if I had to guess who, I'd say the Circle under Markus' lead."
"Which is why they fought so hard for that tomb." He said, putting things together. "And the item you had Kassity hunt down, it has something to do with all this."
Lucius nodded. "It's what the pups were looking for."
"If they raise him—"
"I know, but they can't get the tomb open without blood from his line." Lucius smirked. "And I highly doubt anyone has survived from his collection of whores."
"Never doubt the ability of humans to keep their bloodlines alive. Nothing is impossible." Derrik shook his head. "But I'll make sure to keep my pack sharp."
"Good, thank you for the information." Lucius stood and looked down at Coran. The wolf raised yellow, bored eyes up to him. "You are to return to Renee and protect her."
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