Defender Dragon (Protection, Inc 2)

Chapter One

Lucas

Tick-tock.

Usually Lucas enjoyed the ticking of the antique grandfather clock in the meeting room of Protection, Inc. So many things in America were so new that they seemed cheap and sterile. But Hal Brennan, the huge bear shifter who ran the private security company, had a taste for the old and cozy. Hence, the clock of wood and brass.

But today the ticking was driving Lucas crazy. He wished Hal had been more of a typical American and furnished the room with a silent digital clock. Then Lucas could have simply not looked at it.

It was time for the weekly meeting, when all seven members of Protection, Inc. reported on their cases, but Lucas was the only one there. He glanced at the clock again to see if he was early, but he was exactly on time.

“I said, ‘Where is everyone?’” Nick’s voice, raised and rough with annoyance, startled Lucas. He’d been so distracted, he hadn’t seen Nick come in.

Lucas covered up his inattention with an icy stare. Nick scowled, his tattooed arms folded across his chest and his wolf glaring right back at Lucas from behind the man’s green eyes.

“I don’t know,” Lucas admitted. “It’s late— they’re late.”

No. I’m late, he thought. I’m too late. Today is the last day. If I don’t find my mate today, it’s all over.

Tick-tock.

Hal threw open the door. He held a blood-soaked cloth to his head. His shirt was torn, exposing the bulletproof vest beneath.

Lucas started up from his seat. “Hal! You’re hurt.”

“It’s nothing.” Hal looked more embarrassed than pained.

His curvy mate, Ellie, followed close behind him, a first aid kit in her hand. “Hal, sit down and let me examine you.”

Hal’s rugged features softened into a smile. “Sure. I’m all yours.”

He sprawled out in the huge leather chair that had been custom-made for his larger-than-life size. Ellie, who was a paramedic, sat beside him and took his pulse.

“I appreciate you calling me,” Ellie said softly.

Hal ruffled her hair. “No one but you gets to patch me up.”

The intimacy between them made Lucas feel his ever-present loneliness even more sharply. What must it be like, to have a mate? Could that bond of love warm even the frozen places inside of him?

The rest of the members of Protection, Inc. filed into the room. From their chatter, they had run into Hal in the parking lot on their way to the meeting.

Rafa, the lion shifter, leaned over the table, his black hair falling over the anxious creases in his forehead. He and Hal had been Navy SEALs together before Hal had founded Protection, Inc.

“Hal—” Rafa broke off, shaking his head ruefully. “No, wait, you’ll say you’re fine no matter what. Ellie, is he all right?”

“Yes, he actually is. It’s a shallow cut, but any wound to the head bleeds a lot. I’ll just put in a few stitches so it doesn’t scar.” Ellie applied antiseptic to a cloth pad and began to clean the cut.

“How’d you get clocked?” Destiny asked, dumping her backpack and skateboard on the floor.

Lucas was amused to see that she and Fiona had come straight from their undercover assignment at a local high school. Fiona was primly dressed as a teacher, her blonde hair pinned into a bun and glasses she didn’t need perched on her elegant nose, while curvy Destiny was impersonating a student in cut-off shorts and light-up sneakers.

“I was fighting three guys, and number four snuck up behind me,” Hal replied.

“Careless,” Shane remarked, making Lucas jump. The quiet panther shifter had managed to sit down next to him without him noticing. At least that wasn’t due to Lucas being distracted; Shane could sneak up on anyone.

Hal shrugged, then winced as the movement pulled at the stitch Ellie was putting in. “They’re all in jail now. Job done. Okay, guys. Report.”

Normally Lucas paid close attention at team meetings. Though his country, Brandusa, had an elected parliament, the royal family still had a substantial amount of power. As the crown prince, he had been raised from childhood to sit through excruciatingly boring, six-hour conferences on taxes and treaties. And then he’d been quizzed on them. Protection, Inc. meetings were no trouble compared to that. Usually he enjoyed hearing everyone’s accounts of protection and adventure.

But despite his training and the exciting stories everyone was telling, his attention drifted. By the end of the day, unless a miracle occurred, he’d be summoned back to Brandusa. Forever.

Tick-tock.

Hal cleared his throat. “Lucas?”

Lucas blinked. Everyone else was looking at him. “Ah. Yes. My assignment is complete. The stalker made an attempt upon my client’s life. I captured him and delivered him to the police.”

“That’s it?” Destiny leaned over and punched his arm. “Give us the details! That’s where the fun is.”

She grinned at him, her warm brown eyes crinkling at the corners. To make herself look younger, she’d put her hair in tiny braids that fell across her merry face. Unlike some of the others, Destiny had accepted him from the beginning, inviting him to get-togethers and treating him as if he was no different from anyone else. At first he hadn’t liked that— after all, he was a prince and a dragon, and was not like everyone else— but he’d come to appreciate her open-hearted nature.