Ancient Enforcer

by Reus, Katie

  “And I can’t believe you thought we wouldn’t,” Anthony said, pulling her into a tight embrace.

  “No one said anything this morning.”

  “We had to be really sneaky about getting the cake back here,” Riel said, a grin on his handsome face.

  She looked at the two-tiered confection. “How did you even get this?” She wasn’t even sure if there were any bakeries open right now. For the most part they’d been getting their food from a local grocery store that had been turned into the equivalent of a food pantry. King’s pack ran it and people took what they needed, but no one was allowed to hoard.

  “A friend of mine made it,” Ivyn said, and it looked like he was actually blushing. Wasn’t that interesting.

  She pulled both her brothers into a big hug, squeezing until they laughed and gently pushed back.

  “Thank you guys for remembering.” Then she kissed both of them on their cheeks.

  After, she hugged the others, saving Mikael for last. And…she might have held him just a little bit longer than necessary. And maybe sniffed him a little. God, the man smelled like heaven. All spicy masculine goodness she wanted to bury her face in.

  “You’re seriously the best big sister,” Anthony said as she stepped back. “We’d never forget. And I say we have cake before dinner.” His grin was adorable and infectious.

  She grinned back at him, the weirdness she’d felt before coming down the stairs gone for now. This was her birthday and she was going to enjoy it. “That sounds like a really good plan to me.”

  “How about you relax on the back porch?” Mikael said, watching her with a barely concealed intensity. “I will serve you cake.”

  The way he said that somehow sounded super dirty. And she wasn’t sure why. But a shiver of delight rolled through her. She managed to get out an, “Okay.”

  He handed her a glass of…champagne? She eyed it and then him, eyebrows raised.

  “I got this from a friend. I remember you liked the bubbly stuff,” he murmured. “I got another bottle for you to save for something special. Happy birthday, Avery.”

  She felt her cheeks heat up. “Thank you.”

  Mikael simply nodded, watching her carefully.

  “Come on, let’s go kick our feet up,” Anthony said, linking his arm through hers.

  She laughed lightly and let her brother take her outside, her heart full even if she was still confused about what happened upstairs with Mikael.

  Moments later Mikael brought her out a giant piece of cake and topped off her champagne, a wicked glint in his eyes.

  Anthony shot her a pointed look but she ignored it. She was so not talking about…whatever had happened. With anyone. But especially not her brother.

  This moment was absolutely wonderful and she was going to savor it forever.

  * * *

  “So you enjoyed your birthday?” Mikael’s deep voice rumbled behind her as she set her empty glass in the sink.

  Startled, she turned and got the full force of him. He’d shoved up the sleeves of his T-shirt, showing off ropes of muscled forearms. His eyes seemed brighter tonight even in the dimly lit kitchen. Three pendant lamps were the only lights. And now, they were alone. “I did, thank you.”

  “I have a present for you,” he murmured.

  “Pretty sure you already gave me a present,” she murmured before she could stop herself. She blamed it on the champagne.

  His eyes flared wider for a moment before a wicked grin fell into place. “That was just an appetizer.”

  She blinked. She had no idea how to respond to that.

  Even though she’d started with the flirty comment, she really couldn’t wrap her mind around anything. But they definitely needed to talk.

  Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and dragged him out the back door. His brothers and hers had gone upstairs not too long ago. “What the heck is going on with you?” she demanded as they stepped out onto the back patio. “With us? You give me an incredible orgasm and then—”

  She froze at the sound of someone clearing their throat.

  She glanced over her shoulder to find Anthony on the back porch, his phone in hand. He looked between the two of them, eyes wide, but didn’t say a word as he hurried past them. The door shut behind him with a soft snick.

  Ah hell. Riel would know about this in seconds. Gah. She covered her face with her hands for a long moment.

  “We can go upstairs and I can give you an even better orgasm,” Mikael said simply. Wickedly.

  She let out a frustrated growl and glared at him, which for some reason made him smile.

  “It’s sexy when you growl.”

  She reached out and covered his mouth, shaking her head. “You can’t say stuff like that. I’m the birthday girl. And whatever is happening between us, it has to stop.”

  He gently bit one of her fingers, the action erotic and sensual. It sent a wild pulse of heat between her legs. “I will not agree to this,” he murmured.

  She let out a frustrated growl, yanking her hand back when the door opened. It was Ivyn. He glanced between the two of them curiously. “Sorry to interrupt but Arthur and Prima are at the door. They wanted to talk to you, Mikael. They said it’s important, but I can tell them to come back?”

  Even though she hadn’t wanted the interruption, a small part of her was glad for it. Mikael’s jaw tightened but she nudged him gently. “See what they want. We’ll talk later.”

  Avery headed back inside with him but stayed in the kitchen with Ivyn. She heard the front door open, and instead of inviting the others in, Mikael must’ve gone outside because she didn’t hear them talking.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked, grabbing a fork and digging right into the cake. It wasn’t like she needed more sugar but who cared. Her thoughts were in disarray and she needed cake. It was her birthday, after all.

  Ivyn lifted a shoulder, watching her in amusement. “They might be offering him a job.”

  She frowned. “He has a job.”

  “No, I mean like doing patrols and tracking.”

  She set her fork down. “Why would they offer him that?”

  “He’s one of the best trackers I’ve ever known. He used to lead a special group many thousands of years ago. They were all trackers. Hunters, really,” he tacked on. “I think that’s the way humans might describe it. If someone needed…ah…” He cleared his throat. “He was known as an enforcer. And he’s very good at what he does.”

  She blinked. Avery had so many questions but she wasn’t going to ask Mikael’s brother. No, she would ask him herself. She blindly stuck her fork into the cake again, making Ivyn grin.

  “Would you like to be alone with your cake?”

  “I’m about to show this cake a good time.” The chocolate buttercream icing melted on her tongue.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “I will tell my friend you enjoyed it.”

  “Good. Please thank your friend for me… And feel free to invite your friend over any time.”

  To her surprise, he quickly backtracked out of the kitchen, mumbling something she couldn’t understand. Interesting indeed.

  Chapter 17

  At the knock on her bedroom door, Avery jumped up far too quickly from her chair by the window. She might have been periodically peeking outside, waiting to see when Prima and Arthur finally left.

  Something fluttered in her chest as she pulled the door open and it only got worse to find Mikael standing on the other side, looking good enough to eat. “Hey,” she said, feeling suddenly awkward.

  “Hi.” He took a step forward as if he would come inside, then placed his hands on the frame above the door instead. She wondered if he knew how delicious he looked, how the way his muscles flexed in that position made her think…lots of dirty things. How it made her wonder what it would be like for him to hold on to a headboard as she rode him. Oh, he had to know what he was doing!

  “Money for your thoughts?”

  She giggled slightly. �
�It’s ‘penny for your thoughts.’”

  He frowned slightly. “I’m sorry for leaving to speak to them.”

  “It’s fine.” She’d needed the mental break anyway. “Is everything okay?”

  He nodded once, and when it became clear he wasn’t going to expand or come inside, she realized she was too curious to let this go. “Did they offer you a job or something?”

  “Or something.”

  Was he being intentionally vague? “Look, if you’re not happy doing construction, I’m sure if you talk to King, he’ll find you something else.”

  His lips curved up slightly in definite amusement. “King has already offered multiple times to give me a position in…security, as he puts it.”

  She blinked. “Oh.”

  He leaned down slightly, the rich, masculine scent of him wrapping around her. His eyes had gone that smoky gray again. “I am more than happy right where I am.”

  Yeah, but for how long? The thought popped into her head, dousing some of the desire she’d felt before. Not all of it, of course, because she was standing here staring at him and thinking about dragging him into her room and jumping him.

  “Would you like to take a walk tonight?” he asked, his gaze searching hers.

  She wanted to say yes. But if they spent more time together tonight, and on her birthday when she was a tiny bit tipsy on champagne and feeling good from the cake—and the orgasm—no good would come of that.

  “Well?” he rumbled.

  “I’m confused right now,” she whispered. She hadn’t meant to confess it, but there it was.

  He dropped his arms, and though he didn’t reach for her, she was under the impression that he wanted to. “Why are you confused?”

  She gestured with her hands because she didn’t know how to say what was on her mind. He was acting as if nothing had changed after he’d given her such an intense orgasm. It was like the very fabric of her reality had been ripped in two. And that was saying something, considering that the whole world had wildly changed months ago.

  She wanted him. But she was so afraid of being hurt. Of thinking she could get her happily-ever-after and then getting her heart broken. If anyone could break it, it would definitely be Mikael. “I can’t talk about this right now. I’m going to try to get some sleep. Thank you for…a good birthday,” she said lamely.

  Mikael watched her carefully and then nodded, stepping back as she shut the door.

  She covered her face in her hands. She was such a coward.

  * * *

  Mikael rubbed his hands over his face. That had not gone like he’d wanted. He’d wanted to give her a birthday kiss, a real one. Then to make her climax again, on his tongue this time. Then—

  “You gonna stand there all night?”

  He turned as Anthony strode down the hallway toward his own bedroom. He shook his head, and cleared his throat. “Look—”

  “Hey, your business with my sister is your business. She’s a grown woman who knows her own mind. I feel like I should give that perfunctory ‘if you hurt my sister, I’ll hurt you’ talk, but let’s be real, I don’t think I could hurt you, and second…I don’t think you’ll hurt her. Ever.”

  Mikael nodded, his throat tight as he headed to his own bedroom. No, he would never hurt Avery, but she had the capacity to destroy him. That was the way with dragon mates.

  And she was his mate, he had no doubt about it. He’d known even before that first kiss, before he’d brought her to orgasm.

  But when he’d been kissing her, he’d felt the very subtle shift of tectonic plates beneath the earth.

  Some dragons glowed or were covered in flames when the mating manifestation kicked in. For his clan, his people, they made the earth shake.

  And it was only going to get worse.

  Chapter 18

  Avery walked the length of the long-abandoned plot of land while her two “escorts” talked in the parking lot. She’d come here today with two shifters. Sergei, a bear, and another who might be a feline. But she couldn’t tell what Olga was, and Avery wasn’t going to ask because that was rude.

  Mikael was off working on something for her, and part of her thought he’d jumped too quickly at the option to leave the jobsite. She couldn’t tell if he was avoiding her. Yesterday—the day after her birthday—he’d been gone when she’d woken up. She’d decided to go visit friends, including Dallas, her sweet dragonling Willow, and Dallas’s new mate, Rhys. After stopping there, she’d visited half a dozen places, catching up with people she hadn’t seen in far too long.

  It had been a much-needed break and a reminder that the world as she knew it still had a lot of good in it. It was so easy to get wrapped up in working, working, working. She was so busy trying to make sure people had housing that she forgot to simply stop and take a breath. Because no one was homeless right now, thanks to King. Still, she wanted to get everyone settled. Having a safe place to lay your head at night, a place to call home, meant something. Everyone deserved that. But not seeing Mikael yesterday, and him being gone now, had her off-kilter.

  As she reached the end of the lot, she turned right and stopped. After making a note of the length from her walking wheel measuring tape, she clicked it again and started measuring the width as she walked. This was a good piece of property, with commercial buildings across the street—unused for now—but she wasn’t sure about the soil. She knew there had been a few houses built here that had been destroyed a few hurricanes ago. Well, more than a few. Since then, the property had been sitting and collecting old air conditioners and other junk.

  She paused midstride and looked around at the sound of… What was that? It sounded like a cat crying. Or a baby crying.

  Mildly alarmed, she glanced over at the parking lot and didn’t see Sergei or Olga.

  Shaking her head, she kept walking, then heard it again. Lifting her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, even though she had on aviators, she glanced around again.

  The crying was getting louder. And it was kind of creepy. She realized it was coming from the other side of the dilapidated fence.

  After setting her measuring wheel against the fence, she tried some of the boards and wasn’t surprised when two gave way. They weren’t even nailed in. She slid them to the side and squeezed through to be faced with another overgrown lot.

  This entire area needed to be rebuilt, something King was already aware of. Still, she hated seeing the disrepair and wished she had ten more crews. She hated that so many areas of the city were run-down, when once upon a time federal funding and better management could have helped out. Of course, that was a moot point now. She glanced around, looking for what she imagined were stray cats, even if their cries were sending shivers down her spine.

  As she walked through the calf-high underbrush, Avery was as loud as possible in case there were snakes. She was glad she’d worn her work boots today. Still, she didn’t fancy stepping on any snakes, regardless.

  “Finally,” a familiar voice said from her left, startling her. Lindsey stood twenty feet away, appearing as if out of nowhere—likely using her vampire speed. She glared daggers at Avery, her dark eyes slits of rage.

  Avery’s heart rate kicked up. “How are you out in sunlight?” she blurted. She might not know everything about supernaturals, but she knew that vampires not being able to walk around in sunlight was not a myth. She’d heard that there were a select few that could, but they were rare. At least that was her understanding. Not that it really mattered right now as she was staring into the very angry eyes of a pissed-off vampire who hated her.

  Lindsey hissed at her and rubbed her wrist absently. “I can’t believe that male wants you,” she spat as she strode forward, determination in each step. “I can’t believe any male wants you when he could have me.”

  Avery glanced around even though she didn’t want to take her eyes off Lindsey. Taking your eyes off any predator was stupid, especially one she knew wished her harm. And Lindsey was here for a reason. “What ar
e you even doing here?” she asked loudly as she took a step back. Where the hell were Sergei and Olga?

  Lindsey made the creepiest crying sound, and it sounded just like a cat cry-screeching. Her mouth opened and the horrid sound was all twisted and broken.

  Avery stared in horror. Something was seriously wrong with Lindsey. Avery wanted to run but knew it would be pointless. She couldn’t outrun a vampire. She could, however, stab one right in the heart.

  But first she needed a weapon.

  Covertly she glanced around, unable to stop the wild beat of her heart. There were discarded pipes, old bikes and boards falling off the rotting fence. Maybe a pipe would work?

  Lindsey circled her, her eyes filled with loathing as she eyed Avery up and down, watching her like a lion would a gazelle.

  “If you hurt me, you know there will be repercussions.” Avery was desperate at this point, sweat pooling down her spine. She spoke loudly again, knowing that Sergei and Olga had supernatural hearing. They wouldn’t have left her so she had to believe they were nearby.

  Lindsey laughed as she started to circle her again. “I’m not worried about that. And I won’t get caught.”

  Avery screamed, the noise her only defense at this point. She couldn’t even get to a pipe in time.

  Lindsey blinked, then sprinted at her so fast that Avery froze, barely able to track the movement until—

  Smash!

  Lindsey flew back through the air as if…she’d run into a wall.

  Looking dazed as she shoved to her feet, Lindsey shook her head and let out a low growl as she raced straight at Avery again.

  Smash! The same thing happened.

  Avery stared in astonishment, then realized something.

  Oh God, the necklace. The Magic Man had given her a necklace as an early birthday present. He’d told her it would keep her from harm. He said he’d seen something, a vision… That he’d wanted to keep her out of danger. She’d thought he was just being silly but hadn’t wanted to hurt his feelings.