Guardian of Darkness

by Katie Reus

  Lyra snorted, the sound at odds with the female’s elegance. “He’s not too bad. Impressive, all things considered.”

  “Will you tell him I called?”

  “Of course. I miss you, baby girl.”

  “I miss you too.” Now more than ever. For so long it had been just her and her mom. Then they’d been embraced by the Stavros pack. Her family. Now to learn that she was going to have a new sibling? She didn’t doubt what she was doing with her life, but she wished she was home right now with her mom.

  Once they disconnected, she took her phone apart and removed the SIM card. She wasn’t going to bother figuring out what type of tracker Gabriel had put in her phone because she had no doubt he had. She had burners—she’d just text her mom so that Lyra had one of her numbers.

  Now, she was going to lay a false trail for Gabriel to follow.

  Resisting the urge to rub her hands together like a cartoon villain, she grinned as she formulated a plan to send him in the wrong direction.

  That sneaky wolf wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. And this is what he got for breaking into her place and being an all-around jackass.

  * * *

  As Gabriel drove down the highway in one of the pack’s Jeeps—he hated that he hadn’t brought his bike for this trip—he glanced at his caller ID when it rang. Smiling when he saw that it was Victoria, he answered, using his hands-free device. “Hey, how are you feeling?”

  “Good. No morning sickness. Of course, my mate is driving me crazy,” she grumbled.

  “Good for him.” That was how mates were supposed to act.

  She snorted. “A few years ago you would have been singing a different tune.”

  Many years ago Gabriel had wondered about Drake and Victoria—mainly if Drake was right for her. There had been no doubt that the dragon shifter cared for her, but given the circumstances of how they’d met, Gabriel had been ridiculous and overprotective of a female he considered a little sister. “True enough.” Also true, Drake was the only damn male on the planet worthy of Victoria. Those two fit in a way that was rare. In a way he wanted for himself, but was destined never to have. He thought he’d accepted that but lately… He sighed.

  “Vega texted me asking about some places I’ve been in San Francisco. She didn’t actually say she was going there, but she hinted heavily that she was headed in that direction.”

  That sneaky female. He grinned at her resourcefulness in only the last few hours, having no doubt that it was another diversionary tactic meant for him. To throw him off her trail. Her phone—which he’d added a tracking app to—was headed for San Francisco as well. Or at least her SIM card was. But he’d put a tracker in her boots. And…at this point, he wasn’t even certain he needed it. His wolf knew the direction she was going in. Not the final destination, but even without the tracker, he knew he was headed in the right direction. “Okay. Don’t tell her you talked to me.”

  “I won’t. But I am worried. What’s she up to?”

  “I’m not sure yet.” But he was going to find out very soon. He didn’t actually think she was a criminal. What she’d done with that unknown male was strange. But it turned out the house they’d robbed and the humans they’d killed had been criminals. He wasn’t certain she’d killed the humans though. The male could have been the one to do it.

  “What have Finn and Lyra said about what she’s up to?”

  “I haven’t said anything to Finn.” Normally he told his Alpha everything—and he wasn’t holding back now. But he also wasn’t checking in every hour. No, he was going to hunt Vega down and figure out what was going on before he’d bothered Finn. “He’s got a lot on his plate right now.” The only reason he’d even mentioned anything to Victoria was because of their friendship and she wasn’t part of the pack anymore. Not technically anyway. Because she would always be part of them even if she had run away to live with a bunch of dragons.

  “Hmm.”

  “Hmm, what?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What did you get your mate for Christmas?” he asked, changing the subject.

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Why?”

  “Cause it’s kind of dirty.”

  “Oh, come on!”

  She let out a peal of laughter, the sound infectious. “Man, that never gets old. And you are such a prude.”

  Not exactly true—not true at all. But this was Victoria.

  “So, what are you getting Vega for Christmas?” Victoria asked, the question taking him off guard.

  “Why would I get her anything?” The pack did a gift exchange, but there were so many of them that they just did a dirty Santa game—which usually ended up with something getting set on fire because wolves were crazy.

  “Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you’ve got the hots for her!”

  “What?” Gabriel couldn’t decide if she was messing with him or not.

  Victoria scoffed. “Don’t play games with me. Why on earth would you be chasing her across the country otherwise?”

  “Because my Alpha ordered me to.” His voice was dry.

  “Use whatever excuse you need. I don’t buy it—and I haven’t since you bailed on your assignment in New Orleans a couple years ago. But if it makes you feel better, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who knows how you feel about her.”

  “Clearly your pregnancy has done something to your thought process.”

  She let out a bark of laughter. “Whatever you’ve got to tell yourself, big bad wolf. By the way, whenever my baby shower is finally scheduled I expect you to attend.”

  “I’ll be there.” He wouldn’t miss it.

  “I also expect you to bring Vega. Hopefully you’ll have pulled your head out of your butt and mated with her by then.” Snickering to herself, she actually hung up on him.

  “Freaking wolves,” he muttered. Not that he could say much, considering he was one himself. They were certainly a nosy lot, himself included.

  Sighing, he glanced at his GPS and realized what direction he was going. He’d thought that maybe Vega would take a different course but no…she was going where he’d hoped she never would.

  Ice coated his veins. He’d run from the future all those years ago. He’d thought that if he left this territory—because it was where he’d seen Vega die—it wouldn’t happen. That he could completely avoid it, stop her from dying.

  Now he was following her straight back into it.

  Cursing to himself, he pulled up a name on his phone. A male he hadn’t talked to in years.

  “I’m close to your territory,” he said the moment the Alpha picked up. He wondered if Vega knew she was in another Alpha’s territory. As soon as he had the thought, he realized that of course she must. Vega was smart. He wasn’t going to say anything about her just yet. Not until he figured out what she was up to. Even then he wouldn’t tell anyone else about her being here.

  There was a moment of silence on the line. “It’s been a long time.”

  “It has. Am I welcome?”

  The male snorted. “I can’t believe you asked that. Of course. When will I see you?”

  “Soon.”

  A short sigh. “Very well, then.”

  Gabriel ended the call and focused on the road.

  Fuuuuuuck. Things had just gotten complicated.

  Two Years Ago

  Vega,

  When you told me that a shifter asked you out on a date today I had the urge to hunt him down and rip his throat out. And no, I do not mean that figuratively. Something’s changed between us, at least for me. I’ll never tell you this but I have to get these words out. And there’s no one else to tell, certainly no one in the pack. I’ve thought about telling Victoria about the vision but something holds me back. Part of me worries that she’ll tell me something along the lines of the future not being written in stone…and I’ll be weak and cling to that hope. And do something stupid.

  Like kiss you. Lately it’s all I think about. Obsess about. Yo
ur sweet, lush mouth pressed to mine. But it’s never to be. It rips me up inside to think about you eventually mating with someone else. When it happens, I’ll leave the pack. I don’t think I could stay and watch you with another male. But I’d rather you be happy and alive than risk…

  I can’t even put the rest into words. I refuse to even put the words on paper.

  Gabriel

  Chapter 6

  Finn looked up as Taylor strode into the pack’s kitchen, a small package in her hand.

  The redhead smiled when she saw him. “Just the wolf I was looking for. A package came for you. Priority, overnight mail.” She set it on the counter next to where he’d just finished making a sandwich.

  He didn’t recognize the company, and frowned at the name on the label. Not something he’d ordered. The package was soft and squishy. Maybe clothing? It was small though. Smelled generic enough.

  “Come on, open it!”

  Grinning, he simply tucked it under his arm. “Are you that desperate for gossip you need to see what’s in here?” He’d be opening this in his office. Because no matter what, his pack was nosy and if Taylor saw whatever was inside, the entire pack would know within ten minutes. That was simply pack life.

  “Uh yeah, always!” When he didn’t make a move to open it, she continued. “You’re mean. What, are you and Lyra expecting, dirty toys?” She practically cackled as she asked the question.

  “Seriously, I get no respect.” He shook his head, his lips kicking up slightly. There were some packmates he had more of a playful relationship with than others—and Taylor was one of them. Not a warrior, she was a little softer and sweeter than some of his hardened wolves.

  Lyra walked in at that moment, and when he saw her everything else faded away for just a moment. Practically glowing, she strode into the kitchen, looking more peaceful than he’d ever seen her. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a braid. He knew she was sad that Vega wasn’t here, but something had shifted because she looked happy now. Maybe the pregnancy had shifted something inside her.

  It certainly had for him. It was hard enough for shifters to have children, but a shifter and a vampire? It was impossibly rare. And now they were going to have their second child. He felt so lucky that his heart ached.

  “I’ll see you guys later. These pheromones are killing me,” Taylor said laughingly as she practically sprinted from the room.

  A second later he realized why she’d run out. She’d stolen his sandwich. “No respect,” he muttered, no rancor in his voice. He loved his pack with every fiber of his being.

  Lyra laughed under her breath as she eyed his empty plate. Crossing the distance to him, she said, “You’ve got to be faster than that sneaky she-wolf.”

  Pulling her into his arms, he brushed his lips over hers. The last few years around here had been calm, mostly peaceful. Sometimes they occasionally had outbursts from rogue vampires, but nothing they couldn’t handle.

  So he wasn’t sure why a little tingling at the back of his skull had been persisting the past week. He was impossibly happy and all of his security said nothing looked strange in the city—or the surrounding areas. But he felt that something might be changing. Change wasn’t always a bad thing either. Even so, he hated having that feeling and not knowing what might happen on the horizon. “How are you feeling?” he asked, pulling Lyra close and inhaling her sweet caramel and raspberries scent.

  “Fantastic. After talking to Vega I feel a thousand times better. I wish she was here, but…she’s growing up. We’ve got to let her do whatever it is she needs to do right now.”

  He nodded and pulled out the package from under his arm. “This just came,” he said tearing into it with a claw. Just as quickly he retracted it and peered inside. When he pulled out a little baby onesie, he grinned, even as he experienced a punch to his solar plexus. Not a literal one. He turned it toward his mate, who smiled. On the front were the words Alpha Baby. Then underneath it was a picture of a wolf howling at the moon. Inside there was a note.

  Mom and Dad,

  I’m so happy for you guys. And this little man is going to be sooooo spoiled. I simply couldn’t help myself. I had the order expedited so I hope it gets there before Christmas. Expect more in the days to come.

  Xoxo, Vega

  Finn swallowed hard and handed the note to his mate. He couldn’t believe he’d actually worried about Vega’s reaction to having a sibling. Wait a minute… “Did she say ‘little man’ in that letter?”

  Lyra simply nodded, her expression turning thoughtful. “Maybe she knows something we don’t.”

  His daughter did have a knack for knowing things she shouldn’t. Not in the way seers did, but he’d thought for a long time that “the knowing” she seemed to have was part of her powers. Powers she was still growing into. Like her mother, she could create an illusion to make it appear as if she wasn’t there. A camouflage. Almost as if she was a blurry mirage in the distance that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. And if you turned quickly it was gone.

  “This was incredibly sweet of her. She really is all grown up,” Lyra murmured. “Did you notice how different she’s been the last few times we visited her at school?”

  Finn nodded. “Yes. She walks with even more confidence—something she never struggled with in the first place.”

  “She also looked a little leaner. She’s always been lean, but…”

  Finn nodded, because he’d noticed the same thing. As shifters they burned so much energy and worked out through their pack runs or solo runs—or during training sessions in the pack’s gym—so they got far more exercise than most. And he knew that his daughter practiced various forms of self-defense in her human form. All the same, she had been different the past couple times he’d seen her. Almost as if she was more aware of her surroundings. And as a hybrid, that was already ingrained in her. He wasn’t sure what it could mean, however. He expected Gabriel to check in soon enough and tell him what was going on. For now he shelved the thought.

  Wrapping his arms around his mate, he pulled her close. They’d had years of peace and he hoped that it remained the same a while longer.

  Because he was old enough to know that peace never lasted. Change was inevitable. It was simply the way life was. And he had to be ready for anything.

  * * *

  Vega was quiet as she scanned over the file for one of the fake IDs August had made for her. Well, he hadn’t made the ID himself, but someone on the team had.

  Eli and Neema were also scanning over their files. Vega wanted to suggest that she just go as herself, but she was the new person on the team. There were pros and cons to being herself or using an alias.

  “What’s on your mind?” August asked without looking up from his laptop.

  They were in a warehouse right on the outskirts of Judoc McGrath’s territory. If they didn’t get an invitation, they’d straight up invade it. Quietly, of course. But it would be a hell of a lot easier to get an invite than risk pissing off a powerful Alpha.

  Vega lifted a shoulder. “Nothing.”

  Now August did look at her, his gaze sharpening. “Don’t ever lie to me. You’re on my team. If something is bothering you, you tell me. Period. If you have an idea for something, you tell me. I don’t like it, we don’t use it. But don’t ever be afraid to speak up. It’s not how we work.”

  She nodded once. “I’m simply going over the pros and cons of using my real name. With Neema and Eli I understand why they use aliases.” The other two didn’t have packs or alliances. They’d been loners when they’d been recruited. She was an anomaly in that she came from a loving pack and had a family. Not completely, of course, because she knew another male who had once worked under August and he hadn’t been a loner. “It’s not like I have any social media accounts or anything, but…this job won’t be me simply getting into a place or posing as someone for an afternoon. I’m supposed to make contact with this Alpha. If he finds out I lied, he’ll never trust me again.”
r />   “Why does that matter to you? Do you care if it affects your pack’s standing with them?”

  “I care because what if he becomes an asset? What if he becomes someone we can use in the future? If that’s a possibility, then we need to send Neema in. Not me. I have too many ties to the supernatural community. Going in as myself makes more sense. Unless I’m missing something.” She’d been going over it in her head since she’d been given this assignment. She was new to all of this, despite her training. So maybe she wasn’t seeing the whole picture.

  August nodded once and the barest hint of a smile curved his lips. A rare thing indeed. “I agree.”

  “Was this some kind of test?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “The only con is that you’ll need to tell your parents. Not everything you’re doing. But you need to let them know you’re entering Judoc’s territory. And you also need to tell them not to come after you. A text seems the smartest thing.”

  Vega noticed that he didn’t actually answer her question about this being a test. “I can text them moments before we enter the territory, if, of course, Eli and I even receive an invite. Did his wolves follow our trail?”

  August had left a trail from Hernandez’s now burned-down house to a room at a supernatural-only boutique hotel. It was right on the border of Judoc’s territory, so they weren’t breaking any rules by being there. The hotel was considered more or less neutral.

  August nodded once. “Your father will be angry. But he also won’t put you in danger.”

  Vega rubbed the back of her neck as she contemplated the consequences of her actions. “I’ll have to tell my parents what I’m doing…eventually. I won’t be able to keep this a secret after this mission.”

  “I know. I never actually planned for you to keep it a secret from them. With your pack ties, it would be impossible—”