Ancient Warrior, page 12
He listened to the flowing water on the other side of the door. She was in there all alone, naked.
And it took every ounce of self-control he had not to simply incinerate the door and join her. To worship her body as he brought her to climax over and over.
But it had only been a mere day since she’d discovered he was alive and hadn’t actually tried to kill her. She’d lived with the thought that she’d killed the male she loved; that had to have broken her trust in a sharp way, no matter that she knew the truth now.
He couldn’t expect her to just jump right back into things the way they’d been before. Right?
CHAPTER TWENTY
Harlow accepted the mug of coffee Ace slid her across the huge countertop in King’s pack’s mansion—the one Aurora mostly lived at now with her mate. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” he said around a yawn.
“Late night?”
“Yeah, dealing with some vampire shit.”
She frowned before taking a sip of her coffee. “What kind of issue are we talking?”
“Don’t worry about it—because I know why you’re here. You’re taking time off for a bit?”
“Yeah. So are Axel and Brielle.”
He filled up his own mug as he nodded. “Yeah, I figured. I already started reworking the schedule around the three of you, so we’re good.”
“Thank you.” She’d woken up early this morning after only a few hours of sleep, but mostly tossing and turning, unable to rest when all she could think about was Aodh. So she’d decided to get in yet another run, then come talk to Ace. “And I don’t know if I need to talk to King about this but…I’m putting a pin in his offer.”
“Also figured that, and I’ll let him know. The offer isn’t going anywhere, so no rush anyway. The humans we rescued have been relocated to that territory and they all adore you, so…I really hope you think about the offer.”
She nodded, glad to just be able to tell Ace and not have to worry about hunting down King for that conversation. The hierarchy of the pack was smoother like that, and she knew that it freed up King to worry about bigger-picture issues. Years ago he hadn’t delegated as well as he did now, but since mating with Aurora he was much better at it. He had good people at the top and they handled a lot of the day-to-day smaller issues. “You’re the best.”
“True,” he said around a half yawn, half grin. “So, you and Aodh. He’s the reason you don’t date or hook up or anything.” Not a question.
“Good job, Sherlock.”
Ace simply grinned. “Why aren’t you currently in bed with him, then? After years apart I’m surprised—”
“It’s complicated. And not something I want to talk about.” Last night he was the reason she’d tossed and turned. His scent so close, toying with her, making her crazy. But it couldn’t be so simple as just jumping into his bed as if no time had passed. That was what she kept telling herself anyway. Though if he gave a hint that he’d open his bed to her, she was there. Goddess, she was pathetic. Ugh. Even though deep down it’d destroy her if he only wanted sex and not more, but she knew that she’d still give in to all her desires if he said the word.
“You sure? Because I’m great with advice.”
“Not looking for advice, and I’m certainly not talking about it here in the pack’s kitchen. Nosy wolves,” she muttered, knowing that just because there wasn’t anyone else in the kitchen with them didn’t mean anything. This house was full and there would be plenty of ears eavesdropping, intentionally or not.
She didn’t like the idea of her personal business spreading out to all the nosy people of New Orleans. No, thank you.
“Probably wise. So yeah, you’re good to take off. But what else do you need? It sounds like this is a nasty threat, and while I can’t take off long term, I can take off a bit of time and help you guys out. And I know a handful of others who’d love to step in as well.”
She blinked in surprise.
“Why the shock?” He took another sip of his coffee.
She did the same, mainly to give herself a moment to think. “I, ah…thank you. That’s a generous offer.”
“You’re part of the pack. All of you. And so is that arrogant dragon by extension. Maybe not for good, but once you two figure things out he’ll be pack too. And news flash, you’re very popular here.”
Not sure what to say, she drank her coffee again.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“Ugh, I don’t even know what to say to that. Stop being so nice!”
“Hey, I’m always nice.”
Yeah, but he usually gave her a hard time about anything and everything. It was their thing, a brother/sister relationship she’d come to adore. “Right now I don’t think we need anything,” she finally said. “Not that I can think of anyway. But once we track down the witch, we might need backup. And fast. So whoever helps us will need transporting abilities.”
Ace nodded. “I’ll start working on setting something up. And you know King and Aurora are going to be involved, right? She’s not just gonna let you head off into this without any help and neither is he.”
“I…” She hadn’t really thought about it.
Ace gave her a dry look then. “I don’t know if it’s just felines in general or you tigers. But you make me crazy. You’re not a freaking island, Harlow.”
“Hey, I know that!” She had a crew she loved, had worked with since she was a cub.
“Do you? Because Aurora, Lola, Bella and Marley didn’t even know about Aodh.”
She rolled her shoulders before draining the rest of the coffee. She had stuff to do and still had another stop to make—she wasn’t going to deal with all this. “I don’t have time for this, Ace.”
He just sighed and pulled her into a quick hug. “You make me crazy.”
“All wolves make me crazy,” she murmured, hugging him tight. Sometime in the last year he’d become one of her closest friends. Which was why he was often so bold in just saying what was on his mind. And damn him, he really did give great advice. She just didn’t want to hear anything right now.
Why did the people in her life insist on being all logical?
He snickered as he stepped back. “Keep me updated when you leave, and with where you’re headed. And yeah, that’s an order as well as a request from your friend. I want to be kept up to date on everything—I need to know you’re safe.”
She mock saluted him before hurrying out the back door into the expansive backyard, and wasn’t surprised to find Hunter lounging by the huge pool the pack used almost all the time.
Five house cats were draped over the dragonling’s snoozing back, but he opened his eyes, saw her and chirped softly, probably so he wouldn’t wake the tiny felines.
They all stirred anyway, one of them jumping off his back and trotting over to her. The little Abyssinian cat had a long, lean body with a burnt sienna coat Harlow loved. And she was fearless in her curiosity, something else Harlow respected.
Harlow sat on the grass, wincing at the wetness on her butt even as Angel, as she’d dubbed the cat, jumped into her lap, already begging for cuddles. “I can’t stay long today but you’re the most beautiful baby ever,” she murmured, scratching behind her ear.
Hunter made an annoyed chirping sound, making her chuckle.
“And you’re the most adorable dragonling, Hunter,” she said, looking up at him. “I wish I could stay,” she murmured into the cat’s furry head, nuzzling her gently. Next time she’d shift to her tiger form—the cats were always wary at first, but then had a good time tumbling with her. And often Brielle came too.
“I see you’re one of them now,” King said into the quiet as he stretched out next to her, seemingly not caring about the damp grass.
She hadn’t even heard him, which said a lot for how stealthy he was. “One of who?”
“Hunter’s cat posse.”
She laughed, the sound startling a couple cats nearby into popping their heads up and skittering off. “He really is a wonderful weirdo. And hell yeah, I’ll be part of his posse.”
Hunter stretched in response, slowly easing his wings out, giving the rest of the cats time to jump off him. As they scattered, he turned and shook his little tail at them before jumping into the air and flying off.
“You’ll get no argument from me. So.” King shot her a sideways look.
She blinked. “What?”
“What kind of firepower do you need for your hunt?”
“Oh…I honestly don’t know. I’d planned to meet up with Thurman after coming here.”
King nodded, looking out at the huge yard and the cats now lounging everywhere. It was a bit odd to see cats on a wolf pack’s property but…she was a cat too and didn’t feel in danger. That was the thing with animals—they all had that innate ability to sense danger.
“Good,” he finally said. “And I know you talked to Ace, but anything you need, just contact me or Aurora. You don’t need a go-between, and I’m going to dare overstepping and speak for my mate—she might be hurt if you don’t reach out to her first.”
“Of course.” Harlow nodded, understanding that this wasn’t an Alpha’s order. “I’ll let you both know before we leave. We’ll probably stop by and give her too many hugs and kisses.”
He grinned before jumping to his feet. “We’re good, then,” he said as she stood next to him, still cuddling Angel.
But the cat jumped down from her arms and ran off to join one of her playmates.
King walked her to the big open gate of their property, and then she headed to meet Thurman. As she walked, she received a text from her sister—and froze.
Mom and Dad are here early. Just arrived.
Then she snorted when she realized her twin was messing with her. They weren’t supposed to get here for almost a month. Ha freaking ha. I’ll be back soon.
Not kidding. They’re here! Then she added an attachment, a clearly covertly taken picture of her parents talking to Aodh. Her mother was patting his arm.
What. The. Hell. She sent a bunch of random emojis, then pocketed her phone and started jogging to Thurman’s.
Hmm, maybe the Magic Man had a spell for this? She sighed, doubting it.
Harlow was glad Thurman had wanted to meet at a little breakfast diner run by avian shifters, as opposed to the compound where he and his family lived—and now her friend Hyacinth since they were shacking up. It was closer to home and she was antsy to get back to Aodh. Oh yeah, and her parents and the others.
But mostly Aodh.
Thurman rose as she approached the outdoor seating area, the only person outside on this chilly morning.
“Hey,” she said, giving him a quick hug. “You sure you don’t want to sit inside?”
“I like the chill in the air,” he murmured, his smile soft as he sat back down.
“Me too.” She was a Siberian tiger, so the cold made her want to run around and play. As she sat across from him, a human male with blond hair pulled back in a bun brought out a steaming cup of coffee with a side of milk.
“I told him what you’d want when you got here.”
“Is that, like, part of your seer abilities?” she asked, not bothering to keep her words quiet when it was now common knowledge about Thurman.
He grinned. “I just remembered from your visits. And if I had to guess, you’ll be ordering sausage, with a side of bacon.”
She snickered before pouring the milk into her coffee. “You would not be wrong.”
“So, you want answers,” he said into the quiet once their server had taken their orders and disappeared back inside.
The diner was small, with four tables outside and only six inside. Normally it was packed but clearly it was too cold for most people this morning. Or maybe she’d just gotten lucky with some privacy.
“You’ll be hunting the witch,” he continued, before she could respond. “And I know that because of my seer abilities, but I’d have guessed after what we saw at Christian’s house.”
“How are you, by the way? You don’t seem affected at all by what you did.” But it had to have drained him.
“I was a bit tired afterward, but…” He lifted a shoulder, all elegance even in that simple action. He wore a cashmere sweater today the color of wheat, and dark slacks. “I’m fine now. More than, actually.”
“Good. And yes, we’ll be hunting the witch. We’re not quite sure where to start. We’d thought about returning to the cabin in Canada or starting in the Domincary realm, see if we can find anything there.” Aodh had been kept prisoner there, after all.
“The cabin will give you nothing,” he murmured, his eyes going hazy. Not fully white in that creepy way, just a faint haze over them. He was definitely seeing more than she was. “The fae realm has many possibilities. You’ll have to follow your instinct, and you’ll have to stick together. I can sense the darkness, and she’s strong. She serves no one but herself, and that makes her the most dangerous of all. Once, she took payment for her crimes, but would have been committing them regardless.”
His voice was slightly deeper as he continued, almost in a trance.
“She likes her life and will not give it up. She’ll never stop her destruction, never stop tearing lives apart. And she knows the dragon is awake, was there when he was freed. One day she plans to come for him. For you.” His gaze snapped to Harlow’s, his normally dark eyes still filmed over. “She knows he will never let her crimes lie, and she’ll come for you because of your link to him. Not for a very long time. If you leave her be, you’ll have a family, a long life, and then she’ll come, the tendrils of her magic stealing into your life as she rips everything you love apart. But if you go now…” He coughed slightly, the haze slipping away, and he gave her a clear-eyed look.
Harlow held her breath, waiting.
“I cannot see what happens after you track her down.”
Dread settled in her gut, hard. “Because I die?”
“No. The future isn’t written in stone, but often I can see which way it might go. Now, I cannot. Nothing is written in stone because the choices have not yet been made. The one thing I do know with certainty is that you and your pack must trust each other. Trust your family.”
Well this was…sort of helpful at least. Even if the heavy ball in her gut was crystalizing. “The Domincary realm is the right place?”
“It’s a good start. Once you get there, if you listen to your gut, it will not fail you.” He paused, his eyes going hazy for another moment. “A…keeper of books will help you. Or…lead you in the right direction.” Then his gaze snapped back, his eyes dark once again. He slightly shook his head, as if coming out of a dream.
She was silent as the server stepped outside with their food. Thurman’s was a loaded omelet with a side of red beans and rice, and she’d basically gotten a plate of meat. Plus another plate of beignets because, come on, they were delicious and she needed the fuel.
“So, if we do nothing, we’ll be attacked later. But if we hunt her down now, we might die,” she said to clarify.
“You could die either way.”
She already knew her decision, was fairly sure the others would agree. They were going after the witch now. Not just because of what she’d done, but because of what she would do.
She was a menace, killing anything and anyone that got in her way. Harlow intended to stop her. Kill her for taking Aodh. “Thank you. This is very helpful.”
Thurman nodded as he passed a small cloth bag over to her. “I already know your decision—these amulets will protect the four of you when you go into battle, but they won’t last forever. I’ve never sensed something like her before. She sucks everything around her dry. Or that’s not right—everything she finds useful. She doesn’t kill without purpose. She likes the power.”
Even though her stomach tightened more, Harlow nodded as she cut into one of the sausage links. “When we hunted her years ago, we gathered what little information we could. We never got her name, but I do know that she takes energy from those around her and uses it as her own. I don’t know that she’s inherently powerful, but once she’s hopped up on enough power, she can wield it for her own use.”
The witch had managed to stab Aodh, incapacitate him, and that was no easy feat. Though she’d been on her home turf, had surprised them in that small basement.
“We got so close before,” she murmured, more to herself than him.
“And you will again. I have faith in your abilities,” Thurman said quietly.
That might not be enough. He’d told her what he saw, gave her two paths, but both had the same result.
They faced off with evil no matter what.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
As Harlow hurried back home, she couldn’t get the Magic Man’s words out of her mind. He’d given her spelled amulets for the four of them, but like everything, they had a shelf life.
He’d also said, I can sense the darkness, and she’s strong. She serves no one but herself, and that makes her the most dangerous of all.
So that was awesome. An enemy with no perceivable weakness.
But as she reached her house she shelved everything about their mission, including literally tucking her amulets away so her parents wouldn’t see them, before bracing herself to see her parents.
Who she absolutely loved—but their arrival timing was just plain inconvenient.
She didn’t bother heading inside, but rounded the house and found almost everyone enjoying breakfast. The boys, Phoebe and Marley weren’t there, but everyone else was.
Her parents jumped up as she approached, both rushing at her with arms open, making her laugh.
“My sweet baby.” Her mom was faster, wrapping her up in a tight grip, lifting her off the ground before her dad took over and lifted them both.
Which just made her laugh again. “You guys!”
“We’ve missed you,” he growled, kissing her cheek, even as her mom peppered her other cheek with more kisses.
