by Riley Storm
Gunnar chimed in. “I’m glad you’re thinking about this so smartly Kal. I’d expect nothing less of my number two.”
It took a moment for the words to sink in. “Your number two?”
Gunnar rolled his eyes. “I need a few new captains. And one I can count on in any situation. You want it?”
Kal didn’t have to think. “I’m your dragon until I’m dead or you find someone better.”
“Good,” Gunnar said, sticking out his hand.
Kal took it.
“We’ll be expanding the Guard,” Logan said. “Quietly. Revamping it from top to bottom. The Gate is active now, people. Everything is changing. It’s time the Guard was once more a force to be reckoned with.”
Kal’s lip peeled back in a silent snarl.
“We’ll be ready for anything,” he promised.
Chapter Forty
Anne
“Is this our new home?” Liam exclaimed, jumping out of the truck before either of them could answer.
Kal just laughed and put the truck in park. Anne looked around, taking it all in. She’d been up to the Clan Aterna home a couple of times now, and so she’d known what to expect, but her son’s words had put it all into a new perspective for her.
Home.
It wasn’t a word she’d truly felt comfortable applying to any place in a long, long time. Even now, it didn’t feel like home. But it was, she knew, and in time she would come to think of it that way without hesitation.
For now though, I’m going to enjoy the wonder of it all as well.
Kal had first approached her about moving in a week before. She was nervous about the prospect, but when Kal had said that she and Liam would get a set of rooms adjoining his, until she was comfortable to stay with him, it had made the idea palatable. Liam, it seemed, was having no issues adjusting.
Which was good.
“Um,” she said as Liam went running by, chasing after a big brown ball of fur. “You have a dog.”
“Oh right, I forgot you probably didn’t come across Barton on your other visits, did you?” Kal said, getting out of the truck as well.
She followed, listening to the happy barks and the shrieks of her child as he bounced around with the pup.
“No, no I did not. Though I’m curious how a dog gets along so well with, you know, with all the dragons about.”
Two small, human shaped figures went racing by, somehow running at full speed and yet fighting with one another as they chased after Barton. Anne watched as the duo—twins, she realized when they slowed enough for her to see their features—came to a halt near her son.
She bit her lip, wondering how it would go. Liam hadn’t made a lot of friends lately. Too much switching of schools, and with everything going on he’d begun lashing out at everyone but her.
“They’re good kids,” Kal said quietly from next to her. “Logan and Clarice’s two. Kard and Lin. Don’t ask me which is which, I have no idea.”
Anne laughed, but the sound turned into a choked off cry as she watched the trio of them suddenly begin talking excitedly and all at once they went barreling off somewhere else.
“Will they be—”
“They’ll be fine,” Kal said, laying a hand on top of hers as she reached out after her son. “Trust me.”
With a bark Barton realized that his playmates had disappeared and he went zooming across the courtyard at full speed and around the corner. A moment later there were shrieks of laughter and the trio came back into view, being chased by the happy dog who lazily ran circles around them.
It was the most adorable thing she’d ever seen.
A moment later Liam came running up. “You live here?” he asked Kal incredulously, breathing hard after he finished talking.
“Yup. This is where my family lives,” Kal said. “You’re welcome to stay here too if you want.”
Liam turned to her, eyes shining with hope. “Can we mom? Can we? I want to go play with Kard and Lin!”
“If you want to, we can stay,” she said.
“Okay!” Liam turned and started to run off, but he paused and turned back, walking up to Kal.
Anne hung back, watching her son, curious what this was all about.
“I heard of a new game,” he said. “Will you teach it to me?”
Kal blinked, and then crouched down to look Liam in the eye. “I can try. What game is it?”
“Dunkins and Dragons!” Liam exclaimed. “You have to know it. Cause you’re a dragon, right?”
Kal’s mouth was working overtime to stay serious. “Yes, I can probably teach you that game.”
“Good. Now you go kiss my mom.” Liam pointed. “She really likes you. A lot-a lot. But don’t tell her I said that.”
Kal chuckled. “I will do that,” he promised solemnly.
“Okay.” Liam turned and ran off again, then stopped abruptly again as Kal was halfway to her. “But only once! I’m watching you two!”
Anne couldn’t hold it in anymore, she burst into laughter, glad that Liam was distracted by the others, so he wouldn’t know she was laughing at him.
“Your son is adorable,” Kal said, reaching her side.
“That he is.”
“He sent me over here with orders, by the way. Orders I aim to carry out.” Kal appeared ultra-serious.
“Oh. Well. We wouldn’t want you to disobey orders, now would we?” she said.
“No, we wouldn’t,” Kal agreed, cupping the back of her head. “I am to give you one kiss.”
“Just one?” she said, pouting.
“Just one, yes.” Kal grinned mischievously. “But he didn’t specify how long it should be.”
Anne broke out into a broad smile. “Well then. You had just better do a thorough job so you don’t get in trouble, shouldn’t you?”
“You read my thoughts,” Kal growled.
Then he did as he was ordered, and he kissed her.
Chapter Forty-One
Anne
Today was the big day, and Kal was well aware of it.
“That feels wonderful,” she half-purred as dragon-strong fingers dug into her shoulders, massaging the tight muscles, forcing her to relax.
“I know,” he teased, though he didn’t stop with his ministrations.
“So cocky these days,” she murmured. “Just because I’ve started sleeping in your bed on the regular, you think you can get all sassy with me.”
Kal chuckled. “It’s more the non-sleeping parts of you being in my bed that have me feeling this way.”
She bit her lip, blushing just slightly. Now that they spent so much time together, they’d had a chance to explore regular intimacy. Anne had to admit, it was, well, good didn’t come close to explaining it.
“But I’m also trying to distract you. You’re getting so very worked up over this,” he said, speaking softly into her ear.
Anne tensed as his warm breath sent a shiver down her spine. “Stop that,” she protested.
“Stop what?” he teased, pausing his hands.
“No, not that,” she said, shrugging her shoulders to get him to start again. “And you know why I’m nervous Kal.”
“I do,” he agreed. “But you don’t have any reason to be. It’s going to be fine.”
“How do you know? It’s not like business was booming before. You put a ton of money into this. What if it flops?”
She could feel him shrug.
“It’s not about the money, Anne. It’s about you being happy. You enjoy being here. I could see that from the start. That’s what I want. If this place makes you happy and gives you a job you enjoy doing, then that’s all I could ever ask for.”
“Have I ever told you that you’re amazing?” she asked, leaning back against him, basking in his warmth and solid strength for several moments. “Thank you.”
“It’s going to be fine my darling, my love.”
“You’re only saying that because I’m your mate and you have to,” she mock-pouted.
“I m
ean, you’re not wrong on any account,” he said with a laugh, her head bouncing slightly as his chest rose and fell. “But that doesn’t mean I’m lying.”
“Maybe,” she conceded, looking at the clock. It was only a few minutes to two.
They had decided that opening at eleven wouldn’t be the best. An afternoon celebration would attract the most people, so she’d agreed that they would unlock the doors at two. On a Saturday. It should give her the best chance at success. She’d ordered in some food to give to the customers for free to celebrate, and a food truck waited outside.
Anne hadn’t looked outside at all. The line was set to run along to the left, meaning the brand new window that had finally been installed to replace the old stained-glass one wasn’t a help to her when it came to seeing how many people were waiting.
“I’m nervous,” she repeated, looking at the window and the lettering on it. “What if people don’t like that?”
Kal followed her eyes. “You’re joking, right? I think it’s great! And appropriate in a sly sort of way.”
Anne sighed. “You’re just the best. Thank you Kal. For everything.”
He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. You deserve it. Now, let’s go let everyone in.”
“You really think a lot of people will show up?” she asked, watching the door warily.
“Well, I’m going to find out.”
“I’m going to stay here,” she said, chickening out as he walked around her. “You let them in.”
Kal looked like he was about to protest, but then just shrugged instead. “Sure thing my love. I got it.”
She was biting her lip the entire time he walked over to the door and opened it, disappearing outside.
How many people would show up? Would they appreciate the changes she’d made? What about the new name? Would it help business, or hinder it? She simply didn’t know.
Then the door opened back up and Kal held it.
A couple of people walked in. She recognized them vaguely. Not quite regulars, but faces that had come by several times before she’d been forced to close it up.
“Holy. Talk about changes!” one of them exclaimed.
“It needed some loving,” she said as they wandered around, admiring everything.
“Yeah, we heard about the fight, and then the fire,” the other one said.
At the door a few more people were entering. Not bad, up to seven. She was hoping to get into double digits.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Anne smiled to herself, wondering how much higher it would go.
But then Kal came back inside and shrugged at her helplessly.
That was it then. Ten. Just ten people had come to the grand re-opening of her bar. Anne tried to keep a smile on her face despite the gut-punch that knowledge gave her. Maybe this was a terrible idea after all.
She looked to Kal for support. Only to find him grinning like a maniac. Anne frowned at him, trying to understand what he was about. Why did he look like he’d had the best day ever?
Then her mate pulled open the door and someone entered.
It was Logan, and behind him was his mate Clarice. She smiled and waved at them.
Then another pair entered, a hulking figure dwarfing the woman at his side.
And another.
Then four more.
Anne stared, slack-jawed as they kept coming. In singles and in pairs, a veritable stream of bodies working to enter her bar. Orders started flying and she leapt to fulfill them, looking up every now and then to see more people still coming through the door.
The bar was rapidly filling up, and she knew they would soon be at capacity.
In the corner someone put a quarter in the old jukebox and it came to life abruptly, filling the bar with music.
The crowd cheered and some began to dance to the tune. Anne swiped at a tear as Kal winked at her from next to the music player.
God she loved that man.
She filled order after order of beer as the song played out. When it ended she slapped the bar and raised her hands, stopping a dragon shifter from playing the next song.
“Everyone, everyone,” she said, gathering their attention. “I just wanted to say, from the very bottom of my heart, thank you.”
The crowd cheered.
“Welcome to Dragon’s Eye Pub!” she cried.
The shifters—and the locals, belatedly—cheered even louder.
***
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Thank you for reading A Mate to Protect. If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a review so that others might enjoy the adventure as well.
Next Book: A Mate to Embrace ( Early May 2020)
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Other Books by Riley Storm
Thanks for checking out my other books!
Below you can find all my novels, divided up by series. The brackets indicate which of my worlds the series is written in. So dig in!
Dragons of Mount Aterna (Five Peaks)
A Mate to Treasure
A Mate to Believe In
A Mate to Protect
Storm Dragons (Winterspell Academy)
Stolen by the Dragon
Trapped by the Dragon
Dragon’s Chosen Mate
High House Ursa (Plymouth Falls)
Get the Five Book Bundle (Click Here)
Includes:
Bearing Secrets
Furever Loyal
Mated to the Enemy
Shifting Alliances
Blood Bearon
High House Canis (Plymouth Falls)
Get the Five Book Bundle (Click Here)
Includes:
Savage Love
Blood Mate
Moonlight Bride
Shadow’s Howl
Royal Alpha
High House Draconis (Plymouth Falls)
Get the Five Book Bundle (Click Here)
Includes:
Fire Dragons Bride
Mated to the Water Dragon
Ice Dragon’s Caress
Earth Dragon’s Kiss
Claimed by the Dragon King
About the Author
Riley Storm
Riley is one of those early-morning people you love to hate, because she swears she doesn’t need caffeine, even though the coffee-maker is connected to her smartphone. She lives in a three-story townhouse by the good graces of a tabby-cat who rules the house, the couch, the table, well, basically everywhere. When she’s not groveling for forgiveness for neglecting to pet her kitty enough, Riley is strapped in to her writing chair coming up with crazy worlds where she can make her own decisions of when feeding time is and how much coffee can be drank without her friends—of which she has three—holding yet another intervention that they threaten to post on the internet.
Find her on:
Riley Storm’s Amazon Page
Riley Storm’s Facebook Page
Riley Storm’s Website