79 | GUARDED

Blue comes to my house late. So late I’m asleep when he arrives and only waking when he’s getting ready to leave for school. I stretch as I get up and start my morning routine, murmuring the usual greetings to him. He smiles softly at me, though the dark smudges under his eyes let me know he didn’t get much sleep last night.

“Everything okay?” I hesitate to ask. Really, Cole’s situation isn’t my business, but if it’s affecting Blue like this…

“Yeah. Cole’s just…coping with this.” Blue sighs, running a hand through his already mused black hair and making the ends spike even more wildly than usual. I smile and cross the room, running my fingers through the silken strands until they’re a little more controlled. Blue makes a soft noise in his throat, a rumbling sound of appreciation, and winds his arms around me. I lean into him, pretending to be engrossed in the task of straightening up his hair, when I’m really just enjoying the moment as he smirks down at me. “What would I do without you?” Blue murmurs to me rhetorically after a moment. It’s one of those questions I know he isn’t expecting an answer to, but the depressing tension in the air between us has slowly started up again, so I reply anyway in a vain attempt to lighten the mood.

“Go to school looking like you’ve just rolled out of bed.” I keep a straight face, despite the easiness of the question and the smile threatening to stretch my lips.

“Scandalous,” Blue chuckles and I grin back at him as the few words do their work and relax the heaviness that had stretched between us.

“It’s going to be okay.” I tell him, hating the sadness hovering in the darkness of his silvery-grey eyes.

“Yeah, I know, I just-” Blue sighs, leaning so his forehead presses against mine. “Cole doesn’t want anything to do with them.” He admits softly, that bone-deep sorrow still haunting his expression.

“The *draki*?” I clarify slowly, a little confused. “Why?”

“It’s complicated, but,” Blue shrugs and looks away from me. “Had this happened a couple years ago, I think he’d have reacted differently to meeting the *draki*.” I frown, wondering what could have changed in that short of a time- then it hits me.

“Cole is afraid something will happen with them like it did for me and the Reiniers.” I mutter, my mouth twisting into a guilty frown.

“We’ve always known he was different, but he’s got that whole other half of himself he keeps chained up. It’s strong, Red.” Blue breathes, a shudder rippling through my mate. “Sometimes he just…” Blue turns to look at me, our eyes locking briefly, before he releases his hold on me. “I told him he’s going to have to face them sometime. Especially if they’re aware of him now.”

“Yeah,” I agree with a frown, recalling the words of the dragon shifter from yesterday. He said he’d only recently found out about Cole. I can’t help but wonder why it’s taken so long for that kind of news to spread.

“School’s going to be starting soon.” Blue murmurs and takes a deep breath, the expressions of his face smoothing out until that mask of nothing flickers into place. I reach up and cup his jaw softly, stroking my thumb across his cheek, pushing as much warmth into the bond as I can.

“Cole’s going to be my guard today, isn’t he?” I ask my mate with a knowing smirk.

“Yeah.” Blue seems to relax a little into my touch, turning his face to press a kiss into my palm before stepping back. “He’ll be meeting you outside your last class.” I nod once and finish getting ready while he shuffles into the kitchen to make us both coffee and a quick to-go meal. All the while, I think about everything Blue’s told me about Cole and the *draki* situation, reflecting on my own experience with my relatives. When I’m ready, I meet with Blue by the front door, taking my lunch bag and thermos from him as I contemplate my next words.

“Mind if I talk to Cole about all this?” I ask, even though I already know the answer. Blue wouldn’t have told me something like this if he didn’t want me to talk to his younger cousin.

“Fine by me.” Blue grins, the smile warming his eyes a few degrees as we walk out of the house and towards school. “Just don’t tell him I put you up to it,” He warns softly and I laugh.

“I won’t.”

We get to school quickly, settling into Homeroom with the normal crowd and humming sleepiness of our classmates as background music. After the usual day of learning, studying, and mundane conversation with my friends, I wait for Cole to find me in the library as the dismissal bell rings.
Darine and the others leave long before the Wolven arrives to collect me and escort me back to my house for the day. Even though the wards are up, I really haven’t noticed much of a change in the air. The pungent smell of the spelled powder can’t be scented on the crisp breeze as we walk out of the school silently. I start to wonder if the wards both lock in the soulless in a certain area as well as keep them out. It’s probably something I should have asked Mari and Nikki about before they left yesterday. *What if the Revenant is hold-up somewhere in town? What if we’re all locked in the Azure borders with it?*

“I know Zane told you,” Cole interrupts my line of thought as we reach my house. He keeps his head ducked as I turn to face him, a little surprised by the random outburst. The kid’s not looking at me, jaw clenched and eyes glaring holes at the frosted grass beside the front door.

“Family’s complicated.” I offer the sentiment without commenting on his words. Cole gives a derisive snort and rolls his eyes as he glances at me, slate-grey eyes more chilling than I think I’ve ever seen them.

“You’d know, wouldn’t you?” He mutters, the rough edges of his words softening a bit as he looks at me behind his wide-rimmed glasses. He lets out a deep sigh and sags against the wall of the house, looking up at the overcast sky. “I never wanted to know about them, you know? Mom didn’t want me to meet them, though she told me about my father.” He tells me softly, almost too quietly for me to hear. “Dragon shifters are territorial- well, more so than us.” Cole rolls his eyes and smirks warily at me from the corner of his eyes. “It’s why my Mom kept me away from the Clan, after my dad died during a territory skirmish, she brought me here. To grow up around the calmer part of my species. The more accepting and loving, she said.” Cole closes his eyes, a look of pain flickering across his face. “It was going so well,” He mutters, more to himself than me. “And now they’ve found us.”

“What does your mom say about all this?” I ask tentatively when he doesn’t say anything else.

“She…” He lets out a long sigh, breath billowing out from his mouth in a stream of white mist. “Wants me to give them a chance.” He rolls his eyes again and looks at me warily. “You’re partly to blame for that, actually.”

“Me?” I blink in surprise, not expecting that kind of response at all. Cole shrugs again, but his shoulders are a little tense now.

“Even though some of the mess last year was due to your old family ties, in the end it kind of worked out. Gave her hope.” The way Cole mutters ‘hope’ makes it sound like a curse.

“I hope I’m not interrupting…” A different voice diverts our attention, almost making me jump at how close the sound is. Only a few feet away, a man steps out from the side of the house, his pale-blue eyes trained on Cole. It takes me a second to recognize the blonde man since the first and last time I saw him was while he was naked. He’s completely clothed now, wearing plaid flannel, of all things, and thick boots that go half-way up his calves.

Cole stares at the *draki* with wide eyes. Wide, *glowing* eyes. There’s a fiery wildness to his eyes and a smattering of silvery scales fluttering to the surface of his skin. The pupils in Cole’s eyes elongate and become slits among the suddenly glowing silver.

“Easy, cousin.” The *draki* tells Cole, never breaking eye contact with him as he speaks, and takes a small step towards him.

“I am *not* your cousin.” Cole all but spits at the man, it's a clear lie, but the words are more a denial than trying to hide the truth. The two look alike more than I would have thought possible. Not in facial structure or coloring, but in the lithe way they move and the predatory nature of their gazes. The tone that they use and power flowing from them like a faucet.

“Cole Azure, son of Patricia Azure and Hansle Morein.” The man tells Cole - who promptly stiffens. A chill runs up my spine as the man continues. “My name is Kazamir Morein. You father was my uncle. That makes us cousins.” Kazamir explains coolly. Cole growls, but the sound is different from the usual Wolven warnings- ending on a warning hiss. “We need to talk.” The man continues, ignoring the sound and glancing briefly at me. “Alone.” Cole stiffens, the scent of his fear reaching my nose and letting me know exactly what he thinks about that idea.

“No.” I snap at the man, ignoring the resounding fear in me and stepping between the *draki* and Cole. “If Cole wants to talk to you he’ll call you. You can’t just show up and expect him to talk to you when he’s made it clear he doesn’t want to.” I tip my chin down, feeling a protective snarl twist my mouth. Logically, I know this is a stupid idea. I can’t stop the *draki* from shifting and taking Cole away - or even killing me to get to him - but the Wolven side of me doesn’t care. Cole is Blue’s cousin. Part of his Pack. This man, family or no, can’t just order Cole around.

The *draki* raises a pale eyebrow at me, his chilling gaze sweeping over me in a creepily predatory way.

“You’re the Alpha’s mate.” Kazamir finally says. Not a question. I don’t say anything, just continue to glare at him as the air between us grows colder and colder. My heart’s trying to speed in my chest, the fight or flight response that comes with facing off against powerful supernaturals flickering through me, but I force the organ to remain steady. As if I’m not inwardly cowering away from this incredibly powerful shifter. “Reckless, little hybrid.” The man mutters with a shake of his head, taking one step back in acquiescence. “Brave, but reckless.”

“You can call me Scarlett. Or Luna Scarlett.” I bite out, surprising even myself by the claiming of the title - even if the bond’s not entirely solidified between me and Blue. Behind me, I hear Cole suck in a breath, but choose to ignore him.

“Very well, Luna Scarlett.” Kazamir nods once, lowering his eyes from mine to my chin. A clearly submissive action that helps me relax a little out of the defensive position I was slowly taking. “I would very much appreciate a chance to speak, Cole.” He addresses Cole, but never looks away from me. Another respectful and submissive tactic used when formally addressing Wolven. “Here is a business card,” Kazamir slowly pulls something small and rectangular from the front pocket of his flannel shirt and holds it out to me. I move just as slowly to bridge the few feet separating us and pluck the thing from his fingers, keeping my hands at my side, but ready to lunge at him if he makes any sudden moves.

“Next time you come into our territory unannounced,” I begin coldly, narrowing my eyes at the *draki* as his pale blue eyes slowly rise to meet mine. “We’ll consider it an act of aggression.” The *draki’s* eyes flicker for a second with a glow of light, the thick and dark limbal ring around the irises expanding before returning to a normal size.

“Of course, Luna,” Kazamir drops his eyes to my chin and does a slow dipping motion - like he’s bowing - before turning towards the wooded area surround my house and leaving. I don’t relax until my Wolven sight looses track of the red and black of his shirt in the woods. It’s only then I realize I never once smelled or sensed the *draki*. A sudden wave of exhaustion hits me, the adrenaline fading from my limbs and making them shake a little as I realize how close to death I was. Again.

“C’mon,” I mutter to Cole, passing him the business card as I turn back to the door to my house and tiredly unlock the door. “I need coffee.”