Guardian of Darkness

by Katie Reus

  He broke off even as Vega scented him.

  Gabriel.

  Panic swelled inside her like a tsunami. “Don’t attack him,” she snapped out even as she looked upward.

  Part of the shadows himself, Gabriel appeared as if from nowhere, dropping down from the rafters, his boots barely making a sound against the concrete floor.

  He spared her an angry glance before his rage-filled gaze turned on August. Striding toward the other male with determined steps, she was surprised when neither Eli nor Neema moved. That was when she saw August had raised his hand slightly, telling them to stay back.

  “You must have a fucking death wish. You recruited Finn Stavros and Lyra Marius’s daughter? How stupid are you?” Gabriel growled.

  Now pure anger poured through her veins as she crossed the distance to the two men. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not here. He might have recruited me, but I made the choice. My parents don’t get a say in that. And neither do you. My life. My choices. So back the fuck off.”

  Gabriel turned to face her, apparently not caring that August hadn’t answered him. His clenched jaw ticked as he stared down at her.

  She lifted an eyebrow and stared right back. He couldn’t intimidate her. Maybe he realized that, or maybe he simply couldn’t look at her anymore, because he swiveled to face August again. “You know who I am?”

  August nodded once. “And you clearly know who I am. Something I find interesting.”

  “I know that Bran used to work for you. I also know that you did an incredible job with the Potter case.”

  Vega had no idea what Gabriel meant, but it was clear enough that August did. It was subtle, but the male straightened slightly as tension rolled off him. Something Vega had never seen before from August.

  “I looked into you. You don’t have a record with the government,” August said.

  Gabriel gave him a dark smile. “Maybe your clearance isn’t high enough.”

  August snorted at that. Then something that looked a lot like understanding dawned in his eyes. “Huh…why are you here?”

  “Why the hell do you think? I’m Guardian of her pack.”

  “Does Finn know she’s here?”

  “Not yet.”

  “You’re certainly not going to tell him,” Vega snapped before August could respond. “This is my life. You have no say in it.”

  “Read me in to whatever operation this is, and I’ll decide how to move from there,” Gabriel said to August, ignoring her.

  The way he said “read me in” and his reference before to whatever that had been made it clear he must have worked for a government agency at one time or another. It made Vega realize how much about Gabriel she didn’t know. For some reason that made her sad.

  August was silent for a long moment as he looked at Gabriel speculatively. Then he looked at Vega. Then the others. Finally he nodded once, as if to himself. “A male who used to work for me has stolen something. He’s hiding in Judoc McGrath’s territory. Vega and Eli took out a bothersome human in his territory in order to get noticed by Judoc. And hopefully get an invite to his estate. From there…” August shrugged but it was clear what was unsaid: from there, Vega and Eli would get the information they needed by any means necessary. Or she assumed it was clear.

  “Why not call Judoc?” Gabriel asked.

  “The Alpha is protecting the male with the stolen information. I don’t think he knows what the traitorous wolf has, and from what I understand of Judoc, the Alpha is loyal. I decided that the best option was infiltrating his territory. The male he’s hiding doesn’t know who either Vega or Eli are—or that they work for me, specifically. So he won’t be suspicious of their presence.”

  “What kind of information are we talking about?” Gabriel asked.

  “Names and locations of supernatural agents all over the world. He wants to sell them to the highest bidder.”

  Gabriel’s lips curled up in disgust. “What’s the name of this male willing to sell out his own kind?”

  “Carson Murphy.”

  Gabriel went still, clearly recognizing the name. Then he cursed. “Judoc has a soft spot for Carson.”

  Wait…what? How the hell did Gabriel know all of this?

  “I know,” August said, frowning slightly. “I didn’t know you were still in contact with Judoc.”

  Gabriel didn’t respond for a long moment. And Vega was confused. She hadn’t even realized Gabriel knew Judoc.

  Vega glanced over at Neema. Her expression remained impassive, but when she locked gazes with Vega, the other female shrugged.

  Silence reigned in the warehouse for a few long moments. Finally Gabriel spoke. “You didn’t need to go to all the trouble of killing that drug dealer. I called my cousin and I’m entering his territory. I’ll get you what you need.”

  “Cousin?” Vega asked before she could stop herself. Wait…Gabriel and Judoc were cousins? What the ever loving hell?

  He didn’t look at her, instead continued staring at August. “I’ll get what you need if you leave her out of this.”

  Raw fire crackled inside her and for a moment she swore actual flames danced along her fingertips. When she blinked they were gone. No one else seemed to notice anything, so she shook it off. Before she could respond, August shook his head.

  “You don’t tell me what to do. Vega is in this. She’s earned the right. Besides, you show up after however many years to see your cousin right around the same time Carson needs protection? Carson will be suspicious.”

  “Not if I have a reason to be in the territory.” Gabriel jerked a thumb behind him toward Neema’s direction. “I can just say I’m chasing a female into his territory. It’s believable by any shifter standard.”

  Vega had to keep her claws in check. Even the thought of Gabriel chasing after another female, whether as a cover or not, made her wolf cranky. For that matter, it made her vampire side cranky too. Her fangs ached with the need to hurt…something.

  Neema simply snorted. “August makes the decisions around here, but no way in hell will your cousin believe you’re chasing after me. Not when you’ve clearly got a thing for Vega.”

  Uh…what? Vega frowned and Gabriel didn’t respond. Didn’t even look at her.

  “I like your plan. Just replace Neema with Vega and it’s a go,” August said.

  It was clear Gabriel wanted to argue, but he finally nodded. Then he looked at her, his green eyes sparking with far too many emotions for her to sift through. “I’m in charge of this.”

  Yeah they’d just see about that. He didn’t give her orders. She turned to August. “So I’m using my real name, not an alias?”

  He nodded even as he said, “One of you will need to talk to Finn.”

  “I’ll handle it.” Gabriel pulled his cell phone out and was stalking away from them before Vega could respond.

  A small part of her wanted to insist that she be the one to call, but hell, if he wanted to take the heat, she was going to let him. She did not feel like dealing with her parents’ wrath right now. Because no matter what they said, she was doing this.

  “You’re ready for this,” August said quietly, so low she figured only she could hear.

  “I know.” She didn’t care that the details of the op had changed, she truly was ready. She needed to do this. For herself and for all the people who were now in danger of having their lives destroyed. Or worse, getting killed.

  A gentle hand came down on her shoulder and she turned to find Neema looking at her. “We’ve got your back.”

  Eli nodded as well.

  “Thanks.” She needed the boost of confidence right now. Neema had warned her so many times that the op could change on the turn of a dime. Her friend was right. Vega had never expected Gabriel to be part of this, however.

  “Vega, head to the hotel room,” August said. “Order room service, strawberries, champagne, stuff like that. Make it clear you’re waiting on a lover. From this point on, you act as if you’re always being watched
.”

  Oh…fuck. Right. Because her cover was now that of Gabriel’s lover, not someone who’d killed that drug lord. It wouldn’t be hard to play the part of being attracted to Gabriel. Nope. Not at all. “Should I bring a burner phone?”

  “Yeah. Bring it but don’t depend on it. You’re not on your own though. If you need an extract…” He nodded at the necklace she wore. It had a panic button, one she hoped to never use. Because it would mean she hadn’t been able to handle things herself.

  “Okay. Anything else I need to know?”

  “Nope. Nothing else has changed except the mode of entry into Judoc’s territory. Try to get what we need. If you can’t, don’t die for it. Sometimes making the choice to run and fight another day is the smartest one. Remember that.” Something he’d told her more than once during her training.

  Yeah, well, her parents were also going to know that she’d be in another Alpha’s territory soon and they were going to have a lot of questions. Ugh. She shoved that thought aside. At least Gabriel got to handle telling them. And he could get away with being evasive in a way she couldn’t. Hopefully Gabriel would be able to handle her dad and the op would still be on. Because if Gabriel betrayed her—if he screwed this up so she couldn’t take part—she’d never forgive him.

  Chapter 7

  Gabriel stepped outside the warehouse right as Finn answered the phone. A bite of icy wind rippled over him but he barely felt it.

  “Have you found her?” Finn asked. “And more importantly, is she okay?”

  Gabriel waited a beat before answering. “Yes, I’ve found her. She’s near my cousin Judoc’s territory.” Finn was one of the only wolves of the Stavros pack who knew where Gabriel came from.

  He’d left his old pack behind and ruthlessly cut out all mentions of his past to his packmates. He’d done it long before he’d met Vega. Because he’d seen her death and it had been in Judoc’s territory. Something he was going to tell her tonight. But first he’d needed to call Finn. Because if Finn got a call from another Alpha first, that Vega was in his territory, it would be bad.

  That was the kind of shit that started wars. “I’m going to tell you something and I need you to listen to the end. Right now we’re both in Judoc’s territory. And it’s going to appear as if I am chasing Vega—as if we’re lovers. As if I hope to mate with her.” He’d seen the future and she supposedly became his mate.

  But he would never let that come to pass. Because if they never mated, she would never die.

  “Are you?” A neutral-enough question but Finn’s tone was hard.

  “Am I what?”

  “Are you lovers?” A sharp, brutal question.

  “No!”

  “Then why will you be pretending as if you are?”

  “I can’t say.”

  There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line. “Does this have anything to do with why you joined my pack all those years ago?”

  That was a complicated question. “Maybe.”

  Finn let out a harsh-sounding laugh with no humor in it. “You’re not giving me much to go on. What’s she up to?”

  Gabriel stared off into the distance at a neighboring abandoned warehouse. August had picked this location well. Still on the outskirts of another Alpha’s territory. And Gabriel couldn’t even hear the others inside, which told him it had serious insulation. “I can’t tell you.”

  “Is Vega in danger?”

  “Potentially.”

  “Fuck. You’re not making me feel better about any of this.”

  “There’s only so much I can tell you. Will she be in danger? Yes. Will I be here to protect her? Yes. But I cannot betray what she is doing right now. So don’t ask it of me.” Because the truth was, if he had to choose loyalty between Finn and Vega…she’d win.

  Something he hadn’t even been totally sure about until this very moment. As Guardian his loyalty to Finn ran deep. His job was literally to protect his Alpha at all cost, to lay down his life for him. But Vega…she owned him.

  Finn was silent for so long that Gabriel looked at his phone screen. His Alpha hadn’t hung up. Finally the other male spoke. “I’m putting all of my trust in you. I know you won’t betray me.”

  A weight Gabriel hadn’t even realized had been sitting on his chest lifted at his Alpha’s words.

  Finn’s next words could have knocked him over. “Vega is a grown woman. Something I need to face. If you two do end up mated, she’d be lucky to have you.”

  Gabriel made a strangled sound because he had no idea how to respond to that. No idea at all. Instead he said, “I’m going to go dark for a while. I’ll have my phone on me, but it’ll be off. I don’t want anyone to potentially track my device.”

  “Yeah, you’re really not making me feel good about this,” Finn growled.

  “I do have another option. I could tie her up and haul her home. Keep her safe.” And ensure Vega’s hatred of him forever.

  “No. Without knowing any of the details, absolutely not. I can’t clip her wings before she’s even learned to fly. But you better watch out for my daughter.”

  “I will. I’ll be in touch.”

  After turning off his phone and taking out the battery, Gabriel shoved the pieces into his pocket.

  Well if that hadn’t been the most awkward conversation ever, he wasn’t sure what was. What the heck had Finn been thinking by saying it would be okay if they mated? That was beyond insane. Okay, maybe not quite so insane, but it wasn’t happening. He’d kept his distance for a reason. And not just because she was too young. Though she was. It didn’t matter if she was grown up now. He’d seen that vision of her dying in his arms, in his cousin’s territory. She’d had his mating mark. He had to tell her what he’d seen, had to make sure she understood what might happen to her. As long as they never mated, that future threat should never come to pass. But he still had to give her all of this information.

  There was no way around it.

  Fuck. He wanted to slam his head into a brick wall right about now. Because that sounded a lot more fun than the conversation he was soon going to have with her.

  When he strode back inside the warehouse he knew immediately that Vega was gone.

  “She’s on her way to the hotel,” August said, leaning against the lone table in the warehouse. “Also, nice work on bypassing my security here.”

  Gabriel glanced around, not seeing or scenting the other two as he stalked toward August. “Did you recruit her because of who her parents are?”

  “No. That was actually a strike against her.”

  “Why did you recruit her?”

  August watched Gabriel for a long moment. “Tell me who you used to work for first.”

  “Dinah.” No need to give a last name. August would know who the woman was. Scary, competent, and loyal to her team.

  August simply lifted an eyebrow, but answered Gabriel’s earlier question. “I was looking at someone else. Another shifter in one of her classes. Then I got a peek at some of her test scores—and when I met her in person I could feel the power rolling off her. It’s untapped. Raw. I couldn’t walk away then.”

  His words sounded true enough and Gabriel couldn’t scent a lie. But for a man like August, he would have learned to cover his lies by now. The man was in covert intelligence and black ops, after all. He was right about one thing though. Vega had a lot of untapped power. And Gabriel was pretty sure even she didn’t realize the extent of it. He was over a hundred and still growing into his.

  “What did your Alpha say?” August asked before Gabriel could respond.

  “He trusts me. And he knows I would never put his daughter in danger.” And that was all Gabriel was going to say to August.

  Apparently it was enough because the other male nodded. “I guess you don’t need files on Carson or your cousin.”

  “I’ll take a look at what you’ve got.” Because it had been many years since he’d seen either one of them.

  August pushed up
from the table and nodded down at a couple of the files. “Burn them when you’re through. She’s waiting for you at the hotel.”

  “What exactly do you want from Carson?”

  “I want his head on a fucking pike, but since that’s not practical for my purposes, I’d settle for getting him off Judoc’s land. I need him in neutral territory where he’s not protected.”

  “You said he’s got information he wants to sell. How do you know he hasn’t already?”

  August snorted. “I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere. He’s put out a few feelers regarding putting the information up on the auction block, but he hasn’t lined up anything solid yet. He won’t, either. He’ll take his time because he thinks he’s safe where he is. He would never expect me or anyone to try and infiltrate Judoc’s territory.”

  Gabriel nodded once because it was true. His cousin was a powerful Alpha, older than even Finn. Not that age always played a part in one’s strength. But in Judoc’s case, the male would simply get more powerful with age.

  “What’s your relationship with your cousin?”

  “Friendly. I left on good terms.” He was surprised August didn’t know that. “Don’t you have a file on me?”

  August simply gave Gabriel a look that said “come on.” Of course he did.

  Without another word, Gabriel flipped open the first file and began reading.

  “Here’s the info for where Vega is staying. Make the relationship look real. Judoc won’t buy anything else otherwise. And that shit Carson wants to sell…it’ll get a lot of good people killed. People who have given their life for the betterment of supernaturals. People who are trying to make sure that when the time comes where we’re either outed or come out on our own to the world—that we’re prepared.” There was a hell of a lot of heat in the other male’s words.

  Gabriel could respect that. This shit was personal for August. And it mattered. Gabriel was loyal to his pack but he wasn’t naive enough to think that they’d be living in the shadows forever. And being able to help out the people on the front lines, risking their lives for his ass? Yeah. He was all over this. “It’ll look real.” Not that he’d have a problem with that. His attraction to her was far too intense. “And if it comes down to it, I’ll kill Carson myself.”