Iris's Guardian (White Tigers of Brigantia Book 2)

by Lisa Daniels

  Pulling open a small drawer in the chest, the young woman decided on a simple set of underclothing that would be more comfortable for traveling. Pulling the dress on over her head, the red head moved toward the door without a backward look at the mess she had made that morning.

  She missed the little head shake her neighbor gave before leaning over to see if she was still moving about naked. Soon after he called in a servant to clean up the broken cup and get him a change of clothes as his current outfit was covered in tea.

  Not entirely unaware of what she had done, the young woman bounced down three flights of stairs, her arms swinging and a beautiful melody resonating from her chest as she hummed. Her long fingers curled, and her arm stretched to rap on the door marked 204. She continued to hum as she turned the handle and barged into the room.

  Her body stopped as the sight that met her eyes was not the childhood friend that she expected but a young couple clearly intent on something that did not require her presence. The sound of the door closing behind her did not register as the woman’s eyes moved between the two figures on the bed. Instead of turning and leaving, the young woman put her hands on her slim hips, “And just what do you two think you are doing here? And I don’t mean the obvious.”

  The man immediately got off of a very dainty looking woman. Hurriedly pulling the sheet over himself and the blanket over his companion, he rose from the bed. Extending a hand, the scantily clad man introduced himself, “I am Phelan, and my charming companion is Taja. You must be the friend that we were told would stop by to visit.”

  An eyebrow rose as a smirk spread across the red head’s mouth, “Oh, I see. She did a runner last night. Good gods, but that woman…” With a shake of her brilliantly lively hair, the woman looked between the couple. The woman’s face was very striking, and she looked far less composed than the man. Holding out her hand, the red head took the proffered hand as she sized up the male. He was just slightly taller than her, though his build was clearly a lot more muscular. Despite his apparent composure, his cheeks were nearly as red as her hair. “It is very nice to meet you Phelan. I’m Bree, Annora’s friend, as you already know.” There was a slight gasp from him as she gave his hand a very firm shake. Letting it go, the young woman turned to a chair. “I do hope you don’t mind a bit of interrogation. It is rather unfortunate, but I am somewhat busy and need to head out soon, and since I did not hear that my friend was going to depart, I need a few details to make sure she hasn’t done anything stupid. You will be allowed to return to your previous activities shortly.”

  Phelan looked back at the woman on the bed. Taja smiled as she looked at the red-haired woman, “Well, Ms. Bounty Hunter did say that we should expect a bubbly woman in the morning. Since she was kind enough to give us her room, we may as well consider this payment for such luxurious accommodations.”

  Phelan moved to sit on the bed as Bree clicked her tongue. Taja moved next to her companion and put her arm through his, almost like she couldn’t stand to be without physical contact. Bree noticed, but her mind was a bit too preoccupied with their words to make fun of the woman for her clinginess. “So, Annora said that she was a bounty hunter and she told you that she acquired the rooms, huh?” Her eyebrows were raised.

  The couple looked at each other, their nervousness clear. Phelan responded, “Well, no. We assumed from the fact that she was…um, running out at night into a dangerous forest dressed as a man – we figured she must be a bounty hunter. And she never said otherwise.”

  Bree raised an eyebrow.

  The petite woman responded, her nearly platinum blond hair tumbling around her doll-like face, “Actually, she kind of did, didn’t she?”

  “I don’t remember her saying anything against it.” The way the pair talked made Bree wonder if they forgot she was there.

  “No, remember when we said something about her coming after you, she said, ‘I’m not going to track any creature that has aided me.’ She never said she was hunting people.”

  The man laughed and kissed the woman’s forehead, “I wish I had your memory. Of course, you are right. We didn’t pick up on it at the time, did we?”

  The doll-like woman’s head shook, causing her hair to sway against her face. It was a cute style that really suited her little features.

  As interesting as it was to watch these two, Bree was in a hurry. Clearing her throat, she reminded them that she was there before saying, “That does sound like Annora. Before moving on to the second lie, what exactly are you not telling me about her appearance when you bumped into her?”

  Both pairs of eyes immediately moved to the clothes on the floor before shifting around the room. It was obvious that they were going to lie.

  “Never mind. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough, so don’t bother lying. I’ll bet it was something stupid like a broken bone or bloody injury.” The pair exchanged a look, and Bree said triumphantly, “So obviously she was bloodied. Well, I hope she didn’t leave too much on your clothes as I do not plan to have them cleaned on her behalf.”

  Bree’s hand slapped the arm of the chair causing the couple to jump. They both pulled their sheets and blanks to cover themselves as Bree stood. “As for the second lie, she didn’t procure this room. I did that. You’ll probably say that she simply told you to use this room or some such nonsense to defend her. But honestly, someone could have told me something.”

  “Actually ma’am,” Taja looked concerned as she appeared to be getting angry at her friend, “She left you a letter. I had tried to slip it under your door, but there were….was a problem.”

  The way he reworded his sentence made Bree laugh. “Ah yes, there was no way for you to get up to the floor to leave it. So where is the letter?” As the young man rose, Bree waved him off, “Oh please, just point to it. I would hate for your clothing to fall off while I am in the room.” The way she looked at him suggested Bree would not be at all upset, but that just made Phelan blush harder. Taja leaned over him and pointed at something on the desk. Bree’s eyes followed the direction and there on the table was a familiar handwriting that could only be Annora’s.

  Shaking her head, Bree moved over and picked up the letter, “Do you have any idea how difficult it was to get her to learn her letters. I am at least glad she has kept up with it.” Her eyes flitted over the note before creasing it and slipping it into an unseen pocket in her dress. “Well, I would love to go after her to reprimand her for this, but by now she’s gods know where facing down a monster. And I have quite enough work of my own.”

  Taja tilted her head to the side, “So she hunts beasts for a living.”

  Bree took in a deep breath and gave the pair a knowing look, “Yes, she does, but as she said, there would have to be a good reason for her to go after either of you.”

  Both heads swiveled to look at each other, a look of concern painting their lovely features. Phelan bit his lip and turned to say something to her, his embarrassment from earlier clearly worn off. There was a gentle smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he looked at the authoritative woman who had interrupted their love making, “She is more than human isn’t she?”

  Bree gave him an incredulous look before answering, “She’s 100% human, unlike the three of us.”

  Again, they exchanged a look that they were ill at ease the longer Bree was in the room, a reaction that the woman was rather accustomed to. Then the man began to laugh, “Ah well, I suppose I should have known that people up here are a little bit more knowledgeable about humanoids than the people in cities. I was certain last night that there was something about your friend that suggested she wasn’t human, but it was late and we were-”

  “Tired.” Taja cut in trying to keep him from saying what had actually happened once they had arrived.

  Bree shook her head, “You didn’t look tired to me, and I know that second generation pixie’s have enough stamina to best a griffin.

  And-”

  Phelan couldn’t help but cut in, “Second gen
eration?” His eyes went back to his companion. “I thought you were third generation.”

  Taja shrugged, “I didn’t know I was any Pixie amount of pixie before you, so don’t look at me.”

  A sad smile spread across Bree’s face as she watched them. It was hardly the first time she had encountered something like this, but at least the pair had found each other. With any luck they would be enough. Interrupting their dialogue, Bree tried to wrap up their discussion so that she could move on to her own work. “She is definitely second generation, which means that her grandmother on her father’s side was full pixie. That should be enough if you are looking to locate her family.”

  Taja shook her head and hugged Phelan’s arm tighter, “I have all the family I need right here.”

  Bree could guess the girl’s story. Humans always loved the humanoids until the pressure from other humans turned the love to hate. With a knowing sigh, the young woman gave them a strange look, “Well, I have no doubt you will be singing a different tune the next time I see you.”

  They both frowned at her not understanding what Bree was hinting at. Brushing the stomach of her dress, Bree continued, “As I was saying, I have known enough shifters to know that it is nearly impossible to tire one.” Her eyes caught and held Phelan’s eyes.

  The color drained from his face.

  Bree gave them one of her winning smiles and a wink, “Do you really think that I’m in a position to say anything?” She laughed, “Of course, I am, but I’m not going to. Clearly you’re not one of the dangerous ones, otherwise you wouldn’t be traveling with a Pixie.” Her eyes travelled his body taking in the way it was built, “Your stature is a bit small, but from the musculature, I’m going to say something big.” A huge smile spread across her face, “Don’t tell me you are a griffin! That would be-”

  Phelan was shaking his head, his lips pressed together for a moment, “Definitely not.”

  “Hmm, then….maybe a … bear?” Bree moved closer, her mind totally taken with the challenge in front of her. Her eyes flicked to the dragon on the man’s upper arm. “I’ve never heard of any dragon shifters. You wouldn’t make it that obvious any way. I don’t think that it would even be possible to make shift without destroying the human form.” Her eyes were so intent on the puzzle that she missed the flash in the man’s eyes.

  He merely smiled, “You seem to be enjoying it too much for me to tell you.”

  Bree wrinkled her nose at him, “You wouldn’t tell me even if I begged. You shifters are so secretive.”

  Taja frowned as Phelan shook his head again, “Not all of us. It really depends on what our people think of humans.”

  “Oh please,” she rolled her eyes, “I’ve never known a shifter who actually liked humans. And I dare say you are no exception. I’m not about to force you to tell me and I really must be going.” The young woman abruptly turned to leave, her curiosity nearly forgotten. If the young man did not have such an attractive female companion, things probably would have turned out differently. Bree had certainly found the man very attractive, but it was clear from the way the pair interacted that there would be no point in trying to toy with him.

  Her hand was on the door when Taja called out, “Ms. Bree?”

  The young woman spun around. Her eyes the size of saucers at the way the young woman addressed her. “I am not a Ms. anybody,” she responded regaining her cheerful disposition.

  Taja cast her eyes down shyly, “I’m sorry. I just have one question.”

  “It’s quite alright since I know you didn’t mean any offense by it.”

  “You said you aren’t human either.”

  Bree moved her head a little to the side waiting for Taja to finish. She knew exactly what the girl was going to ask, and she wasn’t about to make it any easier.

  When Taja realized that Bree didn’t know the question, she stumbled over her words, “May I ask, um, exactly what – I mean not that it matters, but…um…” Her voice faltered. Phelan looked worried as his eyes turned to Bree wondering how she would respond.

  Bree simply laughed. “I am one of a kind. However, I can say that I am pleased that it is difficult to tell that I am not human. Bree looked at Phelan’s eyes as they looked at her a little differently. “And what do you see Mr. Shifter?”

  If it had come from anyone else, Phelan may have taken offense, but the way Bree said it was clear there was no malice or accusation behind it – just a statement of who they were. It was a sign of respect within the humanoid world to be recognized as part of your people. He bit his lip and furrowed his brow, “I am not entirely certain. There’s definitely a magic aura, but it is not at all similar to a witch or wizard. It’s too strong to be any of the most common humanoids, and judging by the way you talk about shifters, I dare say you aren’t one.” Finally, his eyes met Bree, “I have to say that I cannot honestly tell. You do hide it well.” There was a sincere smile on his lips as he gave her his assessment.

  Bree gave them a deep curtsey, “I thank you both for the morning entertainment and kind words. As a parting gift, I will tell you that whatever you are seeking, you should stop now.”

  Taja looked at Phelan as he looked out of a window, “I cannot. I am acquiring things that are important to my people.”

  “There is no treasure more important than what you have and fail to see.” Bree’s face was more serious than they had yet seen as she offered her warning.

  Phelan turned to face her, “Taja supports me, and I will not let her come to harm. But I must do this. Those things that were lost are too important to remain gone. The power in them is too dangerous to remain up for anyone to find or for humans to use.” There was bitterness in his words.

  Bree gave him a gentle smile, “I fully understand the sentiment, but you have more pressing matters. And I have no doubt that if you were to stop and consider your situation, you would agree. There are others to do what you should not.”

  “How can I give up now? Even if I cannot…” he looked out the window again, a troubled expression creasing his handsome face.

  His head snapped to Bree as she let out a loud laugh, “Oh, the how is easy.” She leaned forward and in a mock whisper she informed them, “Mr. Shifter, you’ve knocked your companion up.”

  The look on the pair of faces was priceless. Giving her head a small satisfied nod, Bree turned, “Have a lovely few days. You are welcome to stay here for the next year. I will make sure it is all taken care of before I go. But do find a place of your own before the baby starts to call this home.” Bree gave them a wink as she left the room.

  Her steps were light as she returned to her rooms to finish packing.

  Within 10 minutes she had everything packed up and ready to go. With a sigh, Bree left the inn as she pulled out the letter her friend had left and her eyes scanned the contents again.

  Suddenly, Bree tripped, pitching forward. A strong pair of arms stopped her from hitting the ground. The letter floated to the ground as Bree looked up into a pair of reddish eyes. Her breath caught as she took in the chiseled face of someone who was obviously another shifter, but all her mind saw was a breathtaking man with luxurious brown hair that framed an impossibly handsome face.

  “Ye gods, I didn’t think that your type was possible,” she muttered, her heart fluttering in a way that was unnerving. For the first time in forever, she felt like a young girl developing her first crush.

  The man’s face went from a wary expression to one that would strike fear into the hearts of anyone less courageous than Bree. “With that sentiment, I would be forgiven for dropping you, you fouled mouthed-”

  Bree covered his mouth with a finger and pressed her body against his. There was a look of fright on his face for a moment, but he recovered so quickly it would have been impossible to notice had she not been in his arms. “I didn’t mean that in an offensive way. I merely meant that you look like a perfect statue come to life or an angel returned from extinction. You are….” Bree’s checks flushed pink a
s she caught herself from saying any more. It was such a ridiculous mistake to make with someone she didn’t know. With a laugh and a wave of her hand, she tried to brush off what she had been saying, “Like the hero of a story rushing in to save a foolish woman from herself. You seem too good to be true.”

  The man raised an eyebrow at her before realizing he was still holding on to her. “You are welcome,” was all he said before turning and walking away from her. Several men followed him, all of them looking back at her as they left. All except the one who had caught her. Bree could hear them talking about her as they entered the Palace Paradise.

  Bree closed her eyes and put her hand on her chest, “That was truly terrifying. I’m supposed to be beyond that.” A shiver ran down her spine as her eyes immediately went back to the door where she had last seen the man. “Oh, I have a bad feeling about this.” Her heart was still beating a little too fast as the young woman finally turned and tried to put her mind back on her current task.

  Wishing she had time to check up on Annora, Bree took a deep breath and told herself that Annora was both smart and strong enough to be able to handle herself. Any more delays and Bree would be putting a whole lot of lives in danger. “Life really is unfair,” she muttered as the images of her friend and an impossible handsome man floated before her eyes. Tilting her head back, Bree forced a smile on her lips. Feeling more like herself, the young woman began to make her way to the gates of Defiance.

  Removing a small badge from her bag, Bree fashioned the medical indicator on her arm. The woman channeled her focus on what was really important as she stepped onto the road. While it would have guaranteed her safety if Bree displayed what she actually was, she preferred not to advertise. It meant she got to be very selective about which jobs she chose, as well as ensuring that she was far more effective in her passion – spying. Having people think that she was a medic was the next best thing. Apart for people like her, there was no group as well travelled and respected as medics. If anyone messed with medics, the perpetrators soon found themselves doomed to natural. Medics were kind hearted and giving, but they were anything but forgiving. Anyone who harmed a medic would never receive medical help again. Bree knew just enough about human medicines and medicines to be able to fool most people. It also added to her appeal as men tended to love the woman who nursed them back to health. Loose lips made her real job that much easier.