Bureau Under Siege (8 page)

“Yeah, it’s kinda awesome, ain’t it?”
Starr’s voice was in his head, almost unseating him as he jumped with shock.

“What the fuck was that?”
he thought as he shook his head from side to side, wondering if he had imagined hearing his mate.

“Oh! Hi, Fang! I guess it’s started!”

Once again he heard his mate’s words clearly inside his head. To say he was stunned would be the understatement of the century.
“What the hell! Starr, what’s going on?”

Ronan couldn’t quite believe he had just asked her something without talking. He waited, his heart hammering in his chest, to see if she answered. She did.

“We’ve got the true bond. It usually happens at the time of the magical ceremony but I guess we’re a little late. Maybe it’s because I’m pregnant that it’s kicked in. It’s a means for a mate to make sure their child is safe at all times.”

Ronan squirmed on her back,
“So you can read my mind?”

The large body beneath him shook as her Dragon laughed.
“Hell no! That would be too weird! But if we actually talk to each other in our minds we will hear it and we’ll have a keener sense of the others moods.”

“That’s a relief! My mind can get pretty scary at times.”
Ronan laughed out loud as Starr hovered above the still burning bodies below.

“Tell me ‘bout it, Fang! I don’t want you knowing what I think every time I see that ass of yours!”

“Look, there’s the Wolves.” He said out loud as the Pack left the cover of the trees, seeing the burning bodies and swerving around to miss them.

The great beast moved forward, flying just ahead of the running Pack, both of them trying to spot any further trouble. As they carried on both relaxed slightly,
“There shouldn’t be any more this far out, they would have no reason to be here.”

Starr’s voice once more in his head and he had to agree.
“I would think you’re right, I hope you’re right.”

The great wings either side of him beat faster, taking them further ahead to check out the area. Ronan could sense no danger and Starr’s Dragon lowered, skimming the ground as her neck moved right and left.
“I can’t smell anything, well, anything that shouldn’t be here anyway.”

Ronan concentrated, sending his senses outwards to the farthest reach he could manage. Nothing. Apart from small animals that scurried away as the Dragon approached. He guessed if he was down there he would get out of the way too.

He held on tight as the beast twisted then flew upwards, turning and heading back to the Wolves who still ran in Pack formation. Ronan could see the child on Creed’s back laughing as they flew along at breakneck speed. Young Wolves didn’t have the fear that most children of that age had and it showed in the way the boy gloried in their race. In fact he would bet the boy was shouting in Creed’s ear to go fast. At least that’s what it looked like.

As they carried on, the Wolves slowed their pace slightly, obviously going at the pace of the less able within the Pack. On and on they ran as Ronan kept his senses on alert and his eyes peeled for any danger. More than two hours later Ronan could spy vehicles parked on a dirt track and he let out a long sigh.
“Thank fuck! We’ve got them here safe, Puff.”

“Yes, we have,”
she replied as she hovered overhead.

What happened next had Ronan’s heart aching within his chest.

As the Wolves slowed to a standstill none of them transformed immediately. Instead, Jason, the Alpha stood in the middle as the rest circled around. When all of the Wolves were in place Jason’s beast raised its head and howled loud and long before the rest joined in.

The hairs on Ronan’s arms stood up at the sound, only having heard it a few times previous; the Wolves were mourning their dead.

The howls were full of pain and suffering as each and every one of them grieved for the fallen Wolves. The sound so haunting it almost brought tears to Ronan’s eyes. As the sound died down Starr dived, flying over the gathered Wolves, and letting out her own roar of anguish.
That
sound did force a tear to escape from Ronan’s left eye and he was grateful the force of the wind caused it to vanish quickly.

Leaning forward he placed his head along the base of her neck, moving a hand to gently stroke her black scales. When her bellow ended she flew straight up, causing him to hang on with a death grip to keep from plummeting to the ground that was now so very far below.

By the time the Dragon stopped her upward flight Ronan felt so cold he wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold on much longer. Finally the beast turned over in mid-air, a maneuver the massive body should not have been able to do, then dived down.

“Cac! Are you trying to kill me, Puff?”

“You’ll be fine, stop being a baby!”
she retorted in his mind.

As the ground came up to meet them he saw the Wolves now being wrapped in sheets and blankets that had obviously been in the vehicles awaiting them. As the area below emptied Ronan shouted down, “Creed, we’ll cover you on the way back, just in case.”

Creed didn’t answer, only nodding his head before the Vampires about turned and took off back towards the city. No longer hampered by the pace set by the Wolves, the Vampires used all of their enhanced speed, taking off like rockets on their return journey. They sped along so fast it was almost impossible to keep them within sight but Starr’s Dragon kept pace with them easily, Ronan’s eyes and senses looking for any threat.

The return journey took less than half the time and Ronan was glad when he saw the lights of the city drawing nearer. Hoping all was still as he had left it and no more attacks had occurred. As Starr hovered over the roof, the Vampires on duty scurried to get out of her way before she landed gently.

“You go in, I’m going to fly for a bit more.”
Her words in his head again and he shook it, still finding it strange.

“Okay, don’t be too long though,” he replied out loud as he jumped down from her back.

As soon as he was out of harms way her wings flapped, lifting her straight up into the night sky, a soft rumble from her throat as she flew away.

Ronan shouted over his shoulder as he made his way to the stairwell, “She’ll be back soon, just don’t get blown off the roof when she does.”

He took the stairs as quickly as he could, on his way to find out the latest regarding the threat they were facing. Feeling anger as he moved downwards at the way this Vampire, Mikhail, had his people under lockdown. Ronan snarled as he pushed the door open to enter his floor,
“I need to take this fucker out!”
he thought as he strode to Sam’s office.

*****

Kyra paced back and forth, her mate’s pain like a physical blow deep down inside her. His anger and sorrow fighting for supremacy within him. “Serge, please, come to bed and rest,” she pleaded as he almost roared, turning to punch the wall.

His large first disappeared inside the wall, plaster and dust falling around him as he leaned forward to place his head on the wall. “I can’t, Kyra, I can’t. How can I rest when the person responsible for killing my best friend is still out there?”

Walking slowly towards him, she reached out, her hand gently rubbing the base of his back. “I know, my Wolf, I can feel your pain, but not resting won’t help you or anyone else. It certainly won’t help you to find the men who did this.”

Serge pulled his hand from the wall, turning quickly and pulling her into his arms. “I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t here, Kyra, I think I’d go insane.”

“Serge, honey, please come to bed, please.”

Kyra backed away, taking hold of one of his hands and pulled him gently towards their room. “Rest, even if just for a few hours, then you can hunt for the people responsible.”

“Okay, just for a short while. I hope they find these bastards quick ‘cause my beast wants to rip them apart.”

“Yes, Serge, I know, come on, baby, come to bed.”

Kyra finally managed to get him to their room where she stripped him down and led him to their bed. As she suspected, as soon as his head hit the pillow he dropped off into sleep, holding her tight within his arms.

Chapter 8

Sam was on his own talking on the phone when Ronan got there. He stood just inside as his friend finished up the call.

“I know, baby, I’ll be home soon. Just stay inside and you’ll be safe. Don’t worry. Okay, bye.”

Ronan smiled. “That Charmaine? How are things with you two anyway? Sorry, I’ve not had the chance to catch up.”

Sam’s cheeky grin spoke volumes. “We’re good, better than good, we’re fucking fantastic! Things have
progressed
and fuck, Ronan, why didn’t you tell me what a mate’s blood tastes like?”

As Sam grinned like the proverbial Cheshire Cat, Ronan sank down into a chair. “You wouldn’t have believed me. So, have you fully bonded?”

Ronan saw Sam’s scowl just before his friend spoke, “No! Of course not. I wouldn’t do that until you were here to organize our bonding party. But, now there’s all this shit going on and it better be over soon ‘cause I sure as hell don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to hold off.”

“Hopefully we’ll sort this out soon and we’ll get you and Charmaine’s party organized. Now, I’ve not had a chance to ask you ‘bout
Na Cúnant Dorcha
and Quintas Crane.”

Sam leaned back in his chair, rolling it back then placing his feet on the desk. “Crane was moved to our long term facility and he’s not doing too well. His followers have mostly been rounded up, though Esther had to pop to Australia to deal with a Witch there that was pretty strong in that freaking dark magic. There were one or two that got away but so far we’ve not heard of them causing any trouble so we’re hoping they were at the bottom of the food chain. Other than that all other offices report they took out the ones in their area. Hope it’s the last we hear of them and I even spoke with your boss.”

Ronan’s eyebrow rose. “You did?”

Sam laughed. “Yeah, I didn’t want to but couldn’t get outta it. So I did the next best thing and answered Yes or No to everything he asked. He did say to pass on his thanks for dealing with the ‘Threat to National Security!’ though.”

“I see,” Ronan stood up, “well, that’s good he’s happy. It keeps him off my back.”

Sam grinned. “Hey, happy to help and I’ve got some more good news. The Voodoo guy that Esther brought back here, well, he’s done some sort of spell and says that we’ll definitely be alerted if anyone comes within two blocks of us. Said it was Voodoo magic that ‘masked’ that Vampire earlier and he’s sorted it now. He’s sticking around for a while to make sure and Esther says she’ll put him up at her place. Gotta say, Ronan, that guy creeps me out!”

“I know and he’s a bit of a charmer with the ladies too. Almost had me grabbing him by his throat the way he was with Starr.”

His friend’s face hardened, his eyes darkening. “He fucking better not try any of that crap with Char or I’ll rip his heart out.”

Ronan smirked. “Hey, calm down, lover boy.”

Sam snarled, showing Ronan what he thought of his comment. Ronan smirked again, seeing his once
straip
of a friend so taken with the Witch they’d rescued and his willingness to settle down and take on a Voodoo master for being too friendly with his soon-to-be mate. “I’m going to check in on IT, see if they’ve seen anything from the cameras they’re monitoring. You coming?”

Sam took a steadying breath before answering. “Sure, then I’m going home. Not sure if you’ve noticed but it’s the middle of the night and I think we’re all gonna need some rest before we get started on this Mikhail guy.”

Ronan walked out of the office, along the corridor and into the stairwell, going down one flight to reach the third floor. Sam at his back, “Did you hear me?”

Yes, he had but couldn’t respond right away; so great was his anger. “I heard you, Sam, just trying not to think ‘bout it too much right now. I want to check in with Matthew and then I’m going home to rest and make sure Starr’s okay. Tomorrow is another day, or rather later today, but I’m thinking we may have to take this fight to him and that’s not something I’m looking forward to.”

Sam caught up with him as they entered the large open area that housed their IT section, far more desks occupied than should’ve been for the time. “I know and I’m upset about our losses too but we can’t let someone like this win. He deserves everything we can throw at him.”

Ronan stopped, spinning his head and locking eyes with his friend. “Oh, I intend to make him pay but I want to make sure we don’t lose any more good men, or women, in the process.”

Turning back around Ronan spied Matthew, heading straight for the young Wolf. “Anything new to report?”

Matthew looked up, blinking his eyes a few times before answering. “Nothing as yet, we have men on the ground keeping watch too and they say there’s at least twenty inside. Nobody has gone in or out since the car returned there earlier today, or yesterday, yes, yesterday. Sorry, I’m a little tired.”

Ronan patted the young man on the shoulder. “It’s late, leave a skeleton crew to keep watch then tell everyone to go and get some rest. That includes you, I’ll need you alert later this morning so you need to rest too.”

Creed joined them, the Elite Guard not even appearing out of breath. “I’ll send teams to relieve the ones there.”

“Good idea,” Ronan stated and took a good look at him, “you okay?”

Ronan saw the man clenching his jaw, taking a deep breath before answering, “Okay isn’t the word I’d use but I’ll be able to do my job.”

Sam cut in, “I’m going home, I’ll see you in a few hours.”

“Fine, I’ll be back at my desk at nine.” Ronan turned back to Creed, “You need rest too, no arguments, I’ll see you in my office at nine fifteen.”

Creed didn’t argue, or answer, about turning and leaving as quietly as he had arrived.

Ronan waited a few more minutes to make sure Matthew did as he had instructed before leaving too. Heading up the stairs he wondered if Starr was back yet.
“Hey, Puff, you home?”
He used their new power with a grin as he reached their apartment door.

“Just landing now, be there soon.”

Her reply in his head causing him to laugh out loud.
“This is gonna take some getting used to!”
he replied as he heard the noise of beating wings then silence.

Going straight to their bedroom he went into the bathroom, turning the shower on before starting to strip his clothes off. Stepping into the steamy water he let out a long sigh, placing his hands on the wall in front of him and letting the water cascade over his bowed head. Every single muscle in his body was taut with tension and he hoped the almost scalding hot water would help ease it somewhat.

His mind filled with a vision of Drake. The man more than an employee of the bureau, he was a friend and his loss was affecting him more than he would like. He had to keep a clear head and focus on the job at hand, not have his thoughts clouded by images of his dead friend. Shaking his head, water spattering all around from his soaking wet hair, he gritted his teeth. Anger now infusing him as he clearly saw the blood soaked face of Drake lying in the rubble.

Soft hands on his back caused him to jump, “Fang, what’s wrong? I can feel your anger, your despair.”

Starr’s voice was in his ears, not his head, as her hands caressed up his back. “Just thinking ‘bout Drake. I keep seeing him lying there in Sam’s arms and it’s making me mad as hell.”

Her fingers caressed him, running all over his back before sliding around the front to roam over his stomach. A long sigh escaped him as he stood still, savoring his mate’s touch while the water fell over them both. As her hands dipped lower he whirled around, picking her up and kissing his deeply. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he turned to place her back against the wall.

Ronan stared into her violet eyes, seeing the pupils dilate until they were almost black. Pressing his lips against hers and kissing her with passion as he entered her slowly. The soft moan that escaped her swallowed up in his mouth. Slowly pulling out and entering her again with gentleness, afraid he would hurt her or their child.

The thought of her pregnancy halting his usual hard thrusts as her feet dug into his ass, urging him on. “I don’t want to hurt you or the baby,” he mumbled into her mouth as she gasped against him.

“You won’t,” she said as she pushed her hips forward.

“Really?” he asked, pulling his head back to look questioningly at her.

A feisty look appeared on her face as she raised an eyebrow at him, cocking her head to the side. “Really, Fang, trust me, our baby is just fine. Its mother, however, needs some loving!”

“Well, I’ll need to see what I can do ‘bout that,” he replied as he plunged into her warm, wet folds, burying himself to the hilt as Starr gasped before grinning at him.

“Now,
that’s
what I need,” she spoke breathlessly as their passion grew, taking on a life of its own as they brought each other nearer and nearer to that high.

His fangs erupted quickly and he saw Starr’s smile when she saw them; knowing what was coming.

Leaning forward he licked that soft skin over her vein before his fangs pierced her skin, drawing his very own lifesblood deep inside his mouth. As her ambrosia engulfed his senses he felt her spasm around him causing his own release to break free. Pulling back he shouted her name as she quivered in his arms.

It was several moments before either one of them had their breathing back under control. Ronan leaning his head forward so their foreheads touched. Starr’s hands gripped his hair, giving it a tug. “That was amazing! No more of this ‘I don’t want to hurt you’ crap. I’m pretty sure even human women have sex when they’re pregnant and I’m not human. Not even close.”

Grinning as he placed her back onto her feet he started to wash her. “Okay, Puff, anything you say. Now, let’s get cleaned up and try and rest. I’ve a feeling the next day or two is gonna be very tiring indeed.”

Starr’s face was serious as she turned her head to look up into his. “You make sure you don’t take any chances. I mean it, Ronan, no heroics and no putting yourself in unnecessary danger. You’re a family man now and you need to remember we need you here and in one piece.”

“Noted.” He smiled, still not quite believing he was going to be a father. “Same goes for you. You absolutely do not put yourself or our child in danger. Okay?”

She nodded and smiled as his hands rested on her belly, gently rubbing it before taking her hand to leave the cubicle. “I won’t, I’ve learned my lesson and now I’m carrying our child I’ll be doubly careful.”

“Good,” Ronan stated and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist then got one to dry her off, “‘cause I don’t want to have to ground you, or your Dragon, but I will if I have to.”

He almost laughed at the outraged look on her face, her mouth pouting as she grabbed a smaller towel for her hair. “I’d like to see ya try, Fang!”

Swatting her backside before pulling her into his strong arms, his own face serious as he locked eyes with hers. “If I need to I will. You can’t take any chances, Starr. You are the last of your kind and if something happens to our child, I’ll never forgive myself. So, I’ll do whatever’s required to keep you both safe and if that makes you mad at me, well, I’ll just have to put up with that.”

Her scowl was fierce as she pushed him away. “I would
never
endanger our child and you should know that.”

Ronan stepped back, giving her some space as she furiously towel dried her hair. “I know that you wouldn’t do it normally, but, if you are in the position that you see me or our men in danger, I know you, Starr. You would react without thinking. You would find it almost impossible
not
to try and help.”

Her hands stilled, her eyes seeking his, “Well, that’s not fair, of course I would help, but...”

Stepping forward he placed a finger against her lips. “Shush, at this time, with a baby growing inside you there can be
no
buts.”

He saw her eyes flashing, with anger, as she pulled away. Her next words in his head,
“I’m kinda angry just now so I’ll carry on this conversation like this ‘cause I don’t want to shout.”

She puffed out a long breath,
“I’m a Dragon, Ronan, not some damsel in distress. I’m strong and capable and I can be damn vicious when the need arises. So, you do not need to baby me. You do not need to treat me like some fragile china. You do not need to make me feel as if I’m powerless and you sure as hell don’t need to make me feel like that.”

He stood very still, listening to her words and glad they were in his head and not roared at him with the obvious anger she was feeling. Stepping forward he ran a finger down the side of her face. “I’m sorry if I was making you feel like that,
mo chroi
, but I love you so fucking much that the thought of you getting hurt again is almost crippling me. When you were hurt before I thought I would die right there next to you and I don’t ever want to feel like that again. I know you’re strong, I know your Dragon is a formidable beast but since you told me about the baby I’ve been trying my damndest not to wrap you up in cotton wool. Please, for my sanity, let me treat you like the precious thing you are. My mate, the mother of my child.”

Her eyes glistened with tears as she moved her head into his touch. “Ronan, I know what my being hurt did to you and I’m sorry. But, you can’t wrap me in cotton wool. If you do then I wouldn’t be me. I’m not that person, we both know that.”