Ancient Warrior, page 5
“I’ve never made this bet with another female before.”
She narrowed her gaze at him. “I meant, does this sad attempt at flirting ever work with other females?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I am not…what’s the word humans use? A whore? Or a player?”
Harlow glanced around, but knew no one was paying attention to them. The majority of the bargoers were watching some sports game on the televisions and the others were gathered around Brielle, Axel and the humans at the bar, cheering them on. “You’re older than dirt. I know you’re not a virgin,” she finally said.
He grinned, a slow, wicked smile. “No, but it has been a very long time since I have been with anyone.”
“I’m not asking and I don’t care about your love life.” Liar, liar, her tiger purred in satisfaction. She didn’t like the idea of another female touching him.
He leaned in close, the dark, delicious scent of him intoxicating. “Well I’m telling you anyway. I haven’t had a lover in decades. And I haven’t wanted anyone the way I want you in…ever.”
Oh. No. He was being honest, she could scent it rolling off him sharp and true. Turning away from him, she tossed the dart at the machine.
It lit up and made an annoying sound as she hit one of the outer rings.
Aodh frowned at it, then looked at her in surprise.
She’d never missed before, normally kicked everyone’s ass. But…she wanted him drinking out of her belly button. Okay, she wanted his head between her legs while they were both naked.
He tossed his dart, hit the middle.
She tossed again, missed the board completely.
He sucked in a breath, threw his darts down on the table, his eyes molten. “Want to get out of here?”
“Yep.” Because she was not going another day or night without experiencing all of Aodh. She was obsessed, might as well admit it.
Even if it ended in her heartbreak, he would be worth it. She had no doubt.
Harlow opened her eyes, hating the stupid tears streaming down her face as she remembered the rest of that night. He had broken her heart, but not until months later, and she still didn’t know why.
Didn’t understand why he’d tried to kill her.
And she’d never get her answers either. After everything had gone to hell on that fateful mission, they’d all left the Marine Corps. Honorably discharged, but they’d all been done in more ways than one.
He’d broken all of their hearts with his betrayal, and she’d tried to forget the past. Just erase it from her memory. Forget that she’d been forced to kill the male she loved.
“Get over it,” she ordered herself, as if that would make it easier.
Annoyed and angry, she finished showering, determined to hang out with everyone tonight, have a good time and stay out as late as possible so that she passed out from exhaustion.
After braiding her damp hair, she headed to Brielle’s room—because her twin had stolen her favorite pair of jeans.
When she couldn’t find them in the drawers, she opened the trunk at the end of Brielle’s bed, frowned as she opened a shoe box. “What the hell?” She pulled out a T-shirt that had belonged to him.
Aodh.
It was faded, didn’t carry his scent anymore, but the green shade was familiar, as was the logo and words on it. The four of them had all had the same T-shirts made, much like human divisions in the Corps had. But this wasn’t Brielle’s or even Axel’s. It was far too large.
“Hey…” Brielle stood in the doorway, her eyes wide. “Whatcha doing in there?”
“Why do you have his T-shirt? I told you to burn all of his shit!” Harlow slammed the trunk shut but clutched the shirt to her chest, then held it to her face and inhaled even though it just had a musty scent mixed with the pine of the trunk.
Brielle shut her door behind her with a click. “I figured you might regret that one day so I saved it. And some of his other things.” And her twin didn’t look sorry about it. At all.
“Are you kidding me? You had no right!”
“I had every right! He was my friend too! I didn’t love him like you did, but I still loved him all the same. He was like a brother to me and Axel. And…I don’t know what happened to make him turn on us but I still couldn’t find it in my heart to simply cut him out of my memories!”
“Oh, like I did?” She wished she could have just sliced him out of her memories forever. It would have saved her so much pain and sadness. But that was a lie, she realized even as she thought it. Because then she’d have cut out someone who was a part of her, even if he’d betrayed her.
“I’m not saying that.” Brielle stepped closer, her twin’s eyes flashing tiger bright.
“You kind of are.”
“What the hell is going on?” Axel moved into the room. “I could hear you both shouting from the kitchen.”
“She kept some of Aodh’s belongings and didn’t tell me.” Harlow held out the T-shirt as proof, shook it slightly, though she wasn’t sure what the hell she expected Axel to do or say.
“Oh.” Axel glanced between the two of them, looking like a lion caught in the headlights.
“Oh? That’s all you have to say?” Harlow didn’t know why she was pushing right now.
Okay, lies. She wanted to fight someone, had an energy buzzing inside her that she couldn’t seem to extinguish.
“We all loved him, Harlow,” Axel said, his tone cautious. “It’s not like…she’s betraying you by keeping it. She thought maybe one day you might want some of his things.”
“Oh yeah, like I’d want the shit of the male who tried to kill me. The male I gave my heart to who tried to kill me!” She was full-on screaming now, knowing she’d lost it and unable to reel it back in. See, this was what happened when you tried to suppress your emotions. “Fuck you two and fuck all of this.”
She tossed the shirt on the bed and raced out of the room, feeling possessed with the need to be anywhere but here.
Harlow yelped in surprise as she was tackled to the hard floor. “Son of a— Get off me!”
But her sister held her in a headlock as she pinned her to the ground. “You’re not running out of here without talking, you big baby.”
“Pretty sure that’s exactly what I’m doing,” she wheezed, half-ass punching Brielle in the ribs.
Her sister grunted, then she felt Axel wrapping his arms around her legs in a tight grip.
“Oh my goddess, you two, this is stupid! Let me go right this instant,” Harlow demanded.
“Nope. You’re both acting like assholes.” Axel with his even tone again. Since when had he become the rational one of them?
“Hey!” Brielle was indignant and Harlow thought she might have an opening, but Brielle just tightened the grip on her neck and sat on her back.
If she wanted, she could get out of their hold. But she didn’t want to hurt her family. “I promise to stay and talk if you let me go.”
“You’re such a liar,” Axel grumbled. “And I’m not letting you up until you listen.”
“Fine,” she snarled, already plotting her revenge on Brielle. She was so gonna pay for this.
“And don’t even think about trying to get back at your sister,” Axel said, as if he’d read her mind.
“We’ll see.”
Brielle tightened her grip.
“Fine, fine, I won’t. Jerk,” she wheezed, reaching back and stabbing a claw into Brielle’s thigh.
Her sister cried out, then laughed maniacally. “These are your jeans, dumbass.”
Damn it.
“Children,” Axel snapped. “We are going out tonight, the three of us, to get shit-faced.”
Wait… “What?”
“Yeah, what?” Brielle asked, her grip loosening.
Axel loosened his grip on Harlow’s legs too and Brielle slid off her.
Harlow turned over, sucked in a breath as she sat up, crossed her legs and stared at the two of them. “What good will that do?”
“We never dealt with…anything. And I know your grief was worse than ours but…I loved the guy too. And for the record, I saved some of his things too. I just couldn’t bear to erase him from that part of our lives. It was a good chapter. Except the end.”
Harlow hadn’t gotten rid of all his stuff either. She had a box she’d kept hidden from everyone, even her twin.
“So let’s go out tonight and allow ourselves to talk about everything, to grieve.”
“Are you…in therapy or something?” Brielle asked cautiously.
“What?” Axel’s voice took on an odd pitch, then he shrugged. “Yeah, maybe, so what.”
“Oh.” Harlow stared in surprise.
“Good for you, man.” Brielle shoved to her feet, held out her hand for Harlow.
Grudgingly, she took it and resisted the urge to tackle her sister to the ground. Because she wasn’t mad at either of them, not truly. “Yeah, good for you…and I could go for some drinks. Or whatever.”
“Not whatever. We’re going to actually express our emotions. And not try to kill each other. Or anyone else. Because we were there the last time…” Axel cleared his throat, looked at her pointedly.
Harlow was glad he didn’t finish the sentence. Because she’d gone on a weeklong bender after she’d killed Aodh in self-defense, nearly gotten herself killed in a supernatural bar fight.
She hadn’t cared about anything, and after that lapse in judgment she’d simply locked up everything tight and hadn’t had an incident since.
Until recently when she’d felt herself starting to crack. “Okay, fine, let’s go out tonight.”
“I’ve gotta change now, jackass,” Brielle grumbled, looking at her ripped, bloody jeans.
“That’s what you get. So what else did you keep of his?” she asked after a moment, her curiosity clawing her up.
Brielle lifted a shoulder, nodded in the direction of her room. “Come see for yourself.”
CHAPTER NINE
As Harlow tied the old Pearl Jam shirt at her waist right above her jeans, she eyed herself in the mirror. The shirt was too large but she didn’t care. It had been one of Aodh’s things she’d saved and never ever let herself think about.
But maybe Axel was right. Maybe they needed to just let all this crap out and talk about it.
Because they never had.
She’d been too broken back then, had been worried that if she talked about things, she’d break down. Especially after she’d acted like a total psycho in that bar, nearly getting herself and others killed. She never wanted to feel so out of control again, never wanted to give in to bloodlust like that.
It had terrified her, knowing she could have killed someone innocent in her rage.
And Axel and Brielle had never brought him up again so it had made compartmentalizing so much easier.
Her phone buzzed as she started unbraiding her hair, the compulsion to leave it down tonight strong. She didn’t want to talk to anyone, but when she saw Star’s name, she answered the video call.
“Hey!” Star was glowing—actually glowing a soft violet—as she smiled at her. “I’ve missed seeing your face. How was your last operation? Every time I called they said you were still gone.”
Something settled in Harlow’s chest as she looked at her original Alpha, the female she’d grown up following. “I’ve missed seeing your face too. And it went really well. We killed some vamps and saved some humans. All in a week’s work.” She grinned cheekily, shoving down the lingering sadness.
“Nice. So…I have news.”
“You’re pregnant,” she breathed.
“What, no! Or I don’t think so,” she said on a laugh. “Kartini is officially mated and she hasn’t told anyone because she’s off on a mating frenzy for a while.”
Harlow stared in pure shock. “Kartini got mated? That’s like saying…goddess, I can’t even think of a good analogy.” Their lifelong friend had flitted about from relationship to relationship, not taking the many, many proposals she received seriously.
“Yep.” Star’s tone was dry, but her expression amused. “To two dragons and a wolf shifter. It’s all anyone is talking about and I wanted to wait until you were all together to tell you. But no one else is answering their phone so I thought I’d take a chance with you.”
Harlow laughed in delight, despite her own turmoil. “I’m so happy for her.”
“I am too, and now you have the scoop before everyone else.” Star cleared her voice. “And, I’m not trying to be nosy, but how’s Aurora doing? I’ve been trying my best not to be an obsessive big sister and check in with her every day.”
“Just every other day, right?”
“Ha ha.”
“She’s doing great. The territory has had some ups and downs but for the most part everything is steady and she’s been handling things like a boss. Goddess, I love seeing her in this role, truly stepping into her power,” Harlow said with pride in her voice. Aurora had been like a little sister to all of them, but she’d always had a wide Alpha streak, just like Star.
“You’re making my heart sing. It helps me rest easier knowing she’s so settled and happy. So. How’s my Marley?”
Harlow wasn’t surprised by the questions. Star had been their Alpha for a long time and Harlow figured part of her always would be. “So much better. It took a while but she’s like her normal self again. Moving to New Orleans was the right decision.”
“Thank the goddess,” Star murmured. “I was so worried about her.”
They talked for a few minutes more but Harlow paused at a knock on her door. “Hold on… Yeah?”
Axel popped his head in, looking as handsome as always. “You ready?”
“Yeah, give me a sec…I’ve got good gossip.”
He grinned and shut the door behind him.
“Are you guys going out?”
“Yeah, just me, Axel and Brielle.” She thought about telling Star what she’d been dealing with, but held back. Star was running an actual territory. She didn’t need any extra crap heaped on her.
“If something was wrong, you’d tell me, right?” Star watched her with those bright violet eyes.
“Yep,” she said with a grin, hoping Star believed her.
Star half smiled but Harlow wasn’t so sure she’d been convincing.
After they disconnected, she found Axel and Brielle waiting in the hallway, all wearing something of Aodh’s, which made her throat constrict.
Axel had his hair pulled back in one of Aodh’s ridiculous neon green and pink scrunchies. Aodh had once insisted that he could pull off any fashion and she’d told him he couldn’t pull off wearing scrunchies. He’d accepted the challenge and bought an array of them.
Brielle had a thin leather strap around her wrist she recognized as being another of his hair ties. He used to pull his hair back in all sorts of random things to keep it out of his face.
“You want to say hi to Willow before we head out?” Brielle asked.
“Oh yeah.” She wanted to get some hugs and kisses in with the little dragonling before the three of them left.
Humans had therapy animals, so why couldn’t she have a therapy dragon?
CHAPTER TEN
The Before
Aodh watched as Harlow held up the mini tequila bottle, drizzled a line down the middle of her chest and over her stomach.
In a hotel room off base, they had hours before their flight out in the morning. This wasn’t how he’d seen his night going, but he was always hopeful when it came to a certain fierce redheaded tiger. His Red.
Every muscle in his body was pulled taut, his cock rock-hard against his jeans as he watched the confident, kick-ass female he knew was his mate.
Aodh crawled up her body, unable to stop his obsession with her. Not like he’d tried, not like he wanted to. From the moment he’d met her, he’d been ensnared by her smartass mouth. She was obviously gorgeous, but her twin did nothing for him.
Nope, it was Harlow for him all the way. Tall, strong, deadly.
All his.
She grabbed his hair and he groaned, until he realized she was ripping out the dumbass scrunchie he’d worn.
“You’re ridiculous,” she murmured as she tossed it off the side of the bed, her luscious mouth curving up in a smile.
“You like it.”
She shrugged, lifted her hips and started to shove her panties down. The only thing she had left on.
But he took over, bending down and grabbing the thin red scrap of nothing with his teeth. For some reason the fact that she was wearing a sexy, lacy thong had surprised the hell out of him. He’d assumed she either wore nothing at all or something utilitarian. Because his female was practical.
But apparently he didn’t know everything about her.
And he was glad for it, because he was sure they had a lifetime in front of them.
She wiggled her hips impatiently as he accidentally snapped the fabric with his teeth. Then she laughed, the sound deep and throaty as he cursed.
He was like an untried youth right now.
She slid her fingers through his hair, her touch surprisingly gentle. “You make me so damn crazy,” she murmured, the words coming out like a confession.
He kissed her stomach, tasted the tequila. Moved higher, until he hovered over one full breast. “You’ve made me mad since the moment we met.” And he was glad for it because he couldn’t imagine his life now without her in it.
She arched up into him, and he didn’t pause but took what she was offering, sucked one of her hard, brown nipples into his mouth.
The sound she made when he flicked his tongue over the hard bud, gently pressed it between his teeth, woke something deep and primal inside him.
