“I get the feeling that you’re not projecting as much as I’m receiving,” I continued, narrowing my eyes and pursing my lips. “But if we're going to work together, I have to trust you. And that trust won’t happen if you keep trying to win arguments by manipulating me.”

  Lucan had the grace to look ashamed.

  “Lucan, I don’t know what they taught you. But using your magic on me in that way, it’s a violation. Not everyone would see it that way, but I had an unusual childhood. Taking away my free emotional will, will always rub me the wrong way.”

  No matter how softly I said it, I wasn’t surprised by the visceral reaction Lucan had. He was a protector. The thought of hurting someone like that was abhorrent to him.

  Lucan stiffened. “What can I do?”

  “I’ll take your word that, for this assignment, you won’t try and manipulate me unless it’s necessary.” I smiled at the surprised look on his face.

  “You would trust my word?” I got the feeling not many people took him at face value.

  “Not right away, but it’s a start. If you keep your word, then we can work forward.” I shrugged. “I can block your powers, and I can tell when you’re projecting. I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.” I could tell my honesty surprised him.

  Lucan took some time to process what I’d told him. I appreciated that. If he’d answered too quickly, I would have assumed he was lying. He may still be lying, but at least he was putting on a good show about it. It gave me the impression that, for whatever reason, he wanted this to work.

  Lucan thought it over some more and then turned to me with a determined expression. “Agreed. But this trust has to go both ways. Will you answer some questions in return?”

  I mulled it over. Could I open up to Lucan? “Yes. But it will depend on the questions. There are things you may want to know that would put others at risk.” I looked up at him. “But I will try to be more open.” That was all I could give him.

  “I’ll have to be very careful about what I ask then, won’t I?” Lucan brought his face closer to mine. “Make no mistake, Green. I will dig out your secrets.” I snorted, and Lucan smirked. “You can’t hide yourself forever.”

  We’ll see about that!

  “I’d say good luck with that, but I don’t want to encourage you.” The pushy dragon just smiled, continuing to stare at me.

  I shifted uncomfortably. “So, are we going or not?”

  I caught a small smile on his face as he turned forward and stepped on the accelerator.

  I still had a gut feeling this assignment wasn’t going to go as planned. But maybe, just maybe, something good would come out of it as well.

  Chapter 8

  The heat radiating off the dragon in front of me made me want to curl into him and take that warmth for myself. I was a total leech. But no matter how cozy that would be, I refrained myself.

  As we got deeper into a busier part of the Working District, the streets became more crowded and anxiety clawed at me. I usually steered clear of crowds when I was on my bicycle, avoiding attention. The fact that I was not only riding on a high-class piece of machinery but almost hugging the Dragon Protector brought far too much unwanted attention my way.

  I wished the helmet’s visor was tinted. Then I’d have a semblance of anonymity. Instead, I clenched my fists in Lucan’s jacket and continued to bury my face in his back.

  Lucan must have sensed my panic because he turned off the main path and slowed to a stop. “You alright? Am I going too fast?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m good.” I leaned away from his heat.

  “No, you’re not.” Lucan narrowed his eyes. “I can’t read much off you, but I am getting whiffs of anxiety. You promised to be open with me.”

  I grumbled at the order, then inhaled a deep breath.

  “I’m not good with crowds. Or, I should say, I’m not good with people staring. I don’t like people taking an interest in me.” I couldn’t look at Lucan. I couldn’t tell him that if people looked too hard, someone might recognize the monster I once was. Then my carefully hoarded freedom would disappear.

  Lucan looked at me for a minute, then with a tight nod, he took off again. When I got the nerve to take in the scenery, I was shocked. He had veered off the main path and was now jetting down the less used side streets. Warmth surged through me. I was certain Lucan didn’t show this caring side to many people. It was a side I’d only glimpsed before.

  ***

  Lucan pulled over at a Mom and Pop deli in the Southside Market. It was my type of place—quaint with delicious smells lingering outside. He hopped off the bike and offered me a hand to dismount. I briefly entertained the thought of refusing, but Lucan wasn’t even looking at me. I realized it wasn’t a dig. For a moment, he’d forgotten I was the hired help and was treating me as a woman. He wasn’t dismissing my strength. He simply had manners.

  Well, what do you know. A gentleman dragon. Go figure. The fluttering heat in my core flared.

  I ignored his surprised look as he helped me off. I may have accepted it, but there was no way I would use some dainty grip. Then his eyes narrowed and his lips curled. Message received.

  The smell of meat, cheese, and freshly baked bread assaulted my nose as I entered the store, and I was quickly overcome by the ambiance of the place. It was homely—a place you came to for tasty food and good gossip. I loved it instantly.

  A counter rested along one side, various sandwich goodies displayed below it. You ordered at one end and paid at the other. Tables and chairs were scattered along the opposite wall, most of them empty. It was early afternoon, the lunch rush having just passed, and it was still too early for the dinner one.

  Ordering our food was an experience in itself. Pouring over the board with all the options available, my mouth watered. It would be hard deciding what to have. Everything sounded delicious. Lucan seemed to be more familiar with the place and went right up to the counter.

  “I’ll have two steak sandwiches on long buns with my usual toppings, a glass of iced tea, and two bags of chips.” He turned to me, his blue eyes sparkling. “What do you want? It’s on me.” I bristled at his tone.

  “That’s okay. I can get my own.” I tallied my money in my head. I had enough for a basic sandwich and a drink.

  Lucan waved his hand. His eyes were warm. “No. We’re having a work lunch. I hired you. It’s my responsibility. Accept it.”

  I put my hands on my hips. “Yes, Master,” I said sarcastically. “Really, Lucan, you don’t have to treat me.”

  The dragon sighed. “I don’t have to, but I would like to. Please let me buy you lunch.”

  I could’ve fought harder, but it would’ve just been petty. I nodded. I heard him mutter “stubborn mage” under his breath. At least I assumed it was mage. I only caught the first couple of syllables.

  Turning to the deli clerk, I placed my order. “I’ll take a ham and Swiss on rye, with cucumbers and garlic mayo. An iced tea and chips as well, please.”

  The young woman behind the counter looked at me funny. I wasn’t sure if it was because I had argued with the Dragon Protector or the fact that I had said “please”.

  Ticket in hand, we moved over to one of the empty tables. I made sure to put my back to a wall and have a clear view of the front door. Lucan gave me an amused look but refrained from commenting. Then, we sat in awkward silence until our food arrived.

  If she was fifty years younger, the little old lady who brought our food would be a carbon copy of the young woman behind the counter. There was no question they were family.

  “Hello, Maisy,” Lucan said with a warmth that startled me. I wasn’t used to seeing him so open. The old lady set his meal down. I reached over to steady her second tray as she pinched his cheek between her fingers.

  “Boy, look at you. You get more handsome every time I see you.” She placed my tray down. “And look at this lovely young lady you brought in.” She reached out and pinched my cheek as well. I was charmed.

  “Hello, Maisy, is it? What a lovely place you have here.”

  The older woman blushed at my comment. “And so sweet.” She smiled at me. “She’s a keeper, Lucan. She’s got a good aura.”

  That caused me to turn red too, and Lucan to look smug. I kicked him under the table.

  “This is work-related, Maisy,” Lucan chided gently.

  Maisy squinted and pursed her lips. “If you say so.” The disbelief in her tone was apparent. “It was lovely meeting you, young lady. Lucan’s never brought someone in to eat with him before. It’s nice to see him socializing.”

  Maisy winked and wandered back to the counter to fetch the next order. Lucan and I shared a smile, then dug into our food.

  The sandwich melted in my mouth. The chips were homemade with just the right balance of grease and salt. The homebrewed iced tea had a touch of honey. It was bliss. I slaughtered my food, then turned to watch Lucan.

  His food had seemed like a mountain compared to mine. The unbidden image of a middle-aged, potbellied Lucan forced its way into my brain. I started choking on my drink. Lucan looked up from demolishing his meal and raised an eyebrow. I waved a hand at him, the coughs already subsiding. Life wasn’t fair. His shifter metabolism would keep him fit until he died.

  “You all good?” His voice had a touch of humor as if he could guess where my thoughts had gone.

  “I imagined a potbellied shifter. Not that you bastards get fat,” I teased, and Lucan shot me a smug grin. I shook my head. “Have the shifters figured out an approximate life span yet?”

  Lucan took a big bite of his sandwich and gave my question some thought. “No. The ones who changed at the time of the Resurgence have experienced an age reversal.” He took a sip of his drink. “Only five percent of the shifters over the age of fifty survived the initial change. The oldest person to survive the change was seventy. She’d passed on a few years ago. However, the sphinx shifters who researched it said there was a pre-existing condition the transition couldn’t fix.”

  I mulled over that information. “The current estimate,” Lucan continued. “Is that Mythos shifters will experience a life span that is about fifty years longer than humans.”

  Wow. I hadn’t realized it would be so much.

  Lucan took another bite. At the rate he was packing it back, we’d finish our meals at the same time.

  I was surprised and a little pleased that Lucan had taken the time away from his meal to answer my question. Shifters could be single-minded when it came to food.

  Lucan slowed. He watched me for a moment. I could see a puzzled look cross his face as he watched me eat my food in quick, precise bites.

  “You eat like a shifter. Slow and deliberate, but with intensity.” It wasn’t a question, but it was something I could share.

  “Growing up, there were many times we had no food. You learned early on that you had to eat all you could when you could. Another early lesson was to eat slowly. Food doesn’t taste as good on the way back up.” I said it in a neutral voice. My family hadn’t gone hungry since I’d started working at Catch and Release, but you never forgot the hard lessons.

  Lucan blinked. His sandwich was halfway to his mouth. I’d rendered the Protector speechless. Huh. I wasn’t sure how Lucan’s childhood had played out. His brother, Kris, had told me that the Protectors and Enforcers were taken from their families as children and encouraged to cut ties with loved ones. Even so, he probably had never undergone the hardships I had.

  “You went without food as a child?” Lucan found his voice.

  “Yes, more so than the others. If we didn’t have enough for everyone, I always chose to go without.” I racked my brain for a topic change. It was definitely getting too personal. It also scared me how easy it was to confide in Lucan, especially when he acted caring and interested.

  I cleared my throat. “Anyway, now that we have some food in us, what’s so important that you need me,” I pointed at myself, “a lowly merc, to watch your back?” I was feeling vulnerable, so my words came out sharper than I’d meant them. I wanted to apologize, but my pride wouldn’t let me.

  Lucan’s ability for empathy was huge. I’d seen it in the way he interacted with his people and with how he treated little old ladies. But I had a unique talent for pissing people off, and, as always, our triggers seemed shorter with one another than with the rest of the world. In a blink, Lucan had closed himself off.

  I expected the rest of our meal to be tense, but after a moment, he frowned and relaxed again. His eyes seemed to bore right through me. Had he seen through the wall I threw up between us? Whatever he was thinking, he wasn’t dwelling on the poor child I’d been.

  I felt like I was mucking this assignment up left, right, and center. New promise. From now on, I will keep things professional.

  “You may not have heard, but since you took down that nest a few months ago, the Vampire Council has reached out to us. They have a dilemma. There is a faction of vampires who’ve acquired a taste for shifter blood.”

  Lucan was referring to the case where he and I had first met. Master Dagmar, a member of the Vampire Council, had hired me to find a rogue vamp. Long story short, the vamp, Fang, had gotten some buddies together, kidnapped three teenage Dracos shifters, then held them for days as unwilling blood donors. I’d stopped that group, but it had opened up a whole can of worms the vampires had been unaware of—or worse, ignoring.

  What made keeping illegal shifters as donors tempting? Why, the narcotic-like boost it gave the vampire who fed. The enhancement was relatively short-lived, gone in a few hours, but while under the influence, the vampire would be stronger, faster, and more aggressive.

  “Makes sense, considering the boost it gives vampires. It’s way more potent than human blood, even if it doesn’t last as long.” Lucan didn’t seem surprised by my knowledge.

  “The Council is having trouble tracing the line back to the original Master. They keep hitting dead ends. While they’ve been chasing their tails, more rogue nests have cropped up. We’ve raided five now, with a total of twenty vampires charged with illegal feeding practices.” The law required vampires to get the consent of their food before feeding. Holding people against their will carried severe penalties. “No shifter in their right mind would consent, and the captives we’ve found all wore the shift suppressing cuffs.”

  Rage filled me. I hated it when someone took away the free will of others. Not only was it generally a shitty thing to do, but it also hit close to home.

  “This is a breach of the Voluntary Donor Treaty, but what does it have to do with you?” I asked.

  Vampires had safe places to feed—restaurants if you would. Sometimes nests would take in street people and give them the necessities in return for their donation. I’d considered it myself before joining Catch and Release.

  Lucan frowned. I could only imagine how horrible it must be for him as the Protector. These assholes wouldn’t target the strong. No, they would go after the weakest members of the Tribe. The ones who depended on Lucan the most.

  “The Triad has been aware of them since the start. The ones you caught were morons in the grand scheme of things. Even with the five nests we’ve raided, we’re barely scratching the surface.” Lucan’s eyes hardened.

  “So, you want me to track some of the nests? Try and find out who the Master is?” I’d do my best, but it wasn’t my forte. Not to mention, Curtis had said this was a bodyguard gig.

  Lucan shook his head. “No, I need you for something else. The Council approached us last month and proposed a treaty. It’s stronger than our current one and will allow us greater resources in tracking our missing people.” Wow, this was huge.

  “Nothing’s in stone, but the Vampire Council and the Mythos Triad are gathering together to hammer out the final details. The Protectors and Enforcers will be protecting our Heads. The Summit is in a few days, and I need a date.”

  I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. Oh, by the Old God, this is too good. Lucan growled at me. A deep rumbling emanated from his chest and caused the other patrons to stare at us. I tried to stop, but it only got worse.

  “It’s not like that!” Lucan’s annoyance came through loud and clear, but I detected a touch of amusement as well. “I’ve gotten intel that someone is going to disrupt the talks. I don’t think the planned security is going to be enough.”

  That got my attention, and I was finally able to control my laughter.

  “Sorry, it’s not you. It’s me.” I gestured to myself. “You pay for arm candy, and you get this.” Lucan looked at me like I’d grown a second head. “Sorry.”

  Lucan shook his head and went on. “I expressed my concerns to the Triad and was shot down. Since we’re mighty shifters, we have nothing to fear from a few bloodsuckers.” Sarcasm sat heavily in his words, and I had to agree with him. Hubris would get people killed. It was telling that Lucan wasn’t backing down.

  I shook my head. The Triads were fools if they didn’t take the concerns of their Protector seriously. I made a mental note to gather as much background information on the critical players before the event as possible.

  “They’re making this Summit a chance for the nobles to party. It will be the event of the season.” Lucan sounded like a man asked to hold his wife’s purse while she shopped. “We are required to bring a plus one. I decided if I had to bring someone, they might as well help me with security.”

  A part of me was flattered. Out of everyone, Lucan had come to me. Of course, I would never admit it, hence the dribble that spewed from my mouth next.

  “So, let me get this straight. Your boss is throwing a snazzy party disguised as a treaty Summit, and your first thought for backup is to hire the mercenary that not only told you ‘no’, but also sent your niece into hiding without telling you where and nearly got you smooshed by a building.” It was my turn to lift an eyebrow. “Thanks for saving my life, by the way. I’m not sure I said that the first time around.” I smiled at him as I said it.

  “But again, aren’t there plenty of other Mythos shifters who would give a vital organ to be your deadly arm candy for the night?” I continued. Lucan had given me a bullshit answer before, and Quinn must have been rubbing off on me. Never had I wanted the truth so much. Or dreaded it so much.

 

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