Supernatural Enforcement Bureau, Book 1, The Dragon and The Vampire: Book 1 (13 page)

Chapter 13

The next few days seemed to fly past. Ronan and Starr staying locked up in the apartment, getting to know each other and spending hours and hours on the roof talking. Starr transformed once just to let Ronan retrieve some of her blood for Esther. He took only one small syringe full, refusing to take any more.

His wonder at seeing the Dragon just as breathtaking as before, Ronan wished the threat to Starr had been taken care of because he wanted nothing more than to once again ride on her back. That wasn’t something he was willing to take the chance doing though, not until the hunters had been taken care of.

Serge and his men worked tirelessly trying to track down the Vampire that had attacked them. But so far, they found nothing, not one single sign of him. Serge refused to give up and Sam told Ronan it appeared as if the Wolf was taking it as a personal affront that he couldn’t find him. Sam laughed as he relayed the information to Ronan, how Serge was angry, upset, and utterly confused as to why the Vampire continued to elude him.

Ronan wished they could catch a break, but since the attack a few days ago there had been no sign of any hunters, either close to their office or anywhere in the surrounding area. The Bonding party was that night and come Monday morning he was going to be donning his combat gear and going hunting. He vowed not to stop until the threat had been eliminated, full stop!

Ronan and Starr’s first argument had only just finished, his blood still rushing through his system alarmingly fast as he tried to damp down his anger. She had told him, not
asked
, but told him in no uncertain terms, that she was joining him in the hunt. He had used every inch of his six foot six to try to make her change her mind, even raising his voice at one point...a fact he now regretted.

He was standing ramrod straight, his forehead leaning against the window in his lounge, as he stared outside. He didn’t see a thing, his mind going over and over the fact that his mate wanted to place herself in harm’s way.
Not
something a new bonded Vampire would ever agree to. However, Starr had been more than a match for him, standing toe to toe and staring up into his face with anger flashing in her eyes. At one point it almost looked as if there were fireworks going off in those violet pools.

Ronan was now standing with only a towel wrapped around his hips as he tried to calm himself. Tonight was a big deal, it was their bonding party, everyone he cared about, apart from his Sire, would be there.  His friends, his co-workers, his mate...a mate who was now royally pissed at him.

Her words rang in his ears, as if on a loop. “Just who do you think you are? Telling me what to do? No, buster, I don’t freaking think so! I’ve been on my own for so long and managed to stay outta their grasp, I’m not about to do something stupid now.
But
I’m telling you, right here, right now...I’m going with you on Monday!”

She had turned away, stomping to the walk-in closet, grabbing her dress and other items for the evening, throwing them down on the bed then going for a shower. The distinct click of the lock engaging on the bathroom door had been like a slap to his face. For a split second he had thought of going over and ripping the entire door from its hinges, then realized that probably wouldn’t help the situation. Sighing, he made his way to the spare bedroom for his own shower.

So now he stood, his hair still dripping wet, trying to figure out how to fix things. The thought of her anger being directed at him had a profound effect, he felt as if his heart was actually aching. It felt heavy in his chest as he sighed and closed his eyes. So deep in thought was he, that he actually jerked when Starr’s hand was placed on his bare back.

“
I’m sorry.” His voice came out barely more than a whisper.

Starr’s lips kissed him gently on his back, before her arms snaked around to hold him. “Me too, I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to shout and I do understand that you’re scared for me, but, Ronan, you need to understand that I’ve been running from these fuckers for over ten years, on my own. If they’re going down, then I
need
to be there.”

Ronan turned around within her arms, placing his own around her and pulling her even closer. He didn’t speak for a few moments, not wanting the argument to flare up again. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head, noticing her hair was dry and smelling of the shampoo she had used. He’d been so deep in thought; he hadn’t even heard the hairdryer. He took a deep breath in, her scent calming his ire.

“I can understand that too, mo chroi, we’ll sort something out, maybe I’ll take a few extra elite guards with me, just to make sure you’re safe. Humor me, my mate, please just humor me.” Ronan tilted her chin up, staring into those violet pools of liquid, before kissing her gently on her lips.

“
Okay,” she murmured against his mouth and his body visibly relaxed, six elites–that could be construed as a few...couldn’t it?

Starr pulled away slightly, her eyes soft as she looked into his. “We need to get ready, it’s nearly seven.”

Ronan released her, following as she walked back to their bedroom, her clothes now lay on the bed neat and tidy. A smile appeared on his face as he saw the dark purple lingerie and stockings that were now lying atop the dress. His cock twitched at the thought of undressing his mate later that night. It was a struggle for him to regain control of his manhood as he moved to the closet to retrieve his own clothes.

The walk-in closet was large and Ronan decided to stay and dress there, knowing if he saw Starr pull those silk stockings up her long legs he would probably lose control. He pulled a pair of dress trousers from their hanger, pulling them on over his very long legs and up over his thighs. The material fitted perfectly, as they should, most of his clothes were custom made to accommodate his size and didn’t come cheap. Ronan fingered a few of his shirts, trying to decide which one to wear, when one near the back caught his eye. He had got it a while ago and never actually worn it. The reason was simple; it had been a present from Sam and definitely not a color he would usually wear.

Ronan thought tonight was the perfect time to wear it, as he pulled it from the hanger and slipped his arms into the sleeves. The material was soft against his skin, the color an almost exact match for Starr’s eyes. He shrugged it on and buttoned it up, leaving the top open. It required cufflinks so he picked out a pair and added the simple silver squares with a Claddagh engraved on them. Finally, he pulled out a pair of dress shoes, plain black lace ups that had cost him a fortune. He hated dress shoes like the plague so if he was going to be forced to wear them then they had to be comfortable. So once again they were hand made for him and fit his feet like a glove.

Straightening up, he ran his hands down his shirt, making sure it was sitting right, ran his hands through his unruly hair, then walked out. His feet stalled at the entrance to the bedroom, Starr rearranging her hair as he caught his first glimpse of her. ‘Holy shit’, he thought. ‘How are we gonna make it out of the apartment?’ All he wanted was to undress her slowly and make love to her all night long.

Starr took that moment to turn around, catching him staring at her, a cheeky smile on her face as she shook her head. “Uh uh, no touching. I’m just ready and organized and if you touch me, you know for damn sure we won’t make the party!”

Ronan chuckled. “Okay, but goddamn you are looking so hot I’m not sure how long we’ll be at this party. I guess we better get going though, or Sam will be up here dragging us down.”

Starr blushed at his compliment and his manhood once again twitched in response. They were just leaving and he couldn’t wait until they were back home. He thought tonight was going to be a long night.

As she walked in front of him down the hallway, he was worried about how he was going to react at the party. Starr was absolutely stunning, sexy as hell, and his. He wasn’t usually a jealous type, but then again, he had never felt for a woman what he felt for Starr. He was pretty darn sure if another male placed their hands on her, he would rip them apart.

Ronan took a few steadying breaths, trying to calm his already fast beating heart. This was a social situation, a bonding party and that usually meant that males knew not to get to close to the female involved. Vampires and Wolves were very uptight at the beginning of a mating. Territorial and possessive, everyone knew that and acted accordingly. He hoped everyone behaved tonight because tonight he was Starr’s mate, not their boss. If anyone was stupid enough to do anything he perceived as a threat, he knew the consequences would be dire.

As they neared the elevator Starr stopped, turning towards him he noticed the look of uncertainty on her face. He closed the gap between them and hugged her close, whispering into her hair, “Hey, it’s gonna be fun, everyone will love you and they’re all excited to meet an actual Dragon shifter. You don’t have to worry, mo chroi, if at any time you want to leave just say so, I promise I’ll get you out of there as fast as I can. Okay?”

Starr moved out of his embrace, a small smile playing on her lips. “Oh I know that, Fang, you just want to get me back here so you can take my stockings off. Which, by the way, aren’t nearly as uncomfortable as I thought they would be. Have to say, I’m finding these heels a little difficult to walk in though. Make sure I don’t trip over and make an ass of myself, will ya?”

He hissed at the mention of the stockings, then laughed at her comment about her shoes. “I’ll make sure, don’t you worry ‘bout that, Puff.”

The elevator doors opened and they got in, he pressed for the lower floor to take them to where the rec hall was. Sam had warned him to stay away until seven and he wondered what his friend had planned. He hoped it wasn’t too over the top, but knowing Sam as he did, he guessed it may just be.

Starr’s hand found his and she held on tightly as the doors opened, he could hear her heart rate speeding up as they walked out into the hallway. The music was loud and got even louder as they neared the end of the hall. The doors wide open and voices, laughter and more than a few raucous comments were heard as they neared the entrance.

Ronan moved Starr’s hand to his opposite one, holding it across his body, as his other arm wound around her waist, holding her tightly against him as they entered. A mere second after they took their first step inside everything went quiet. The music was turned down and everyone stopped to watch them, for most it was their first sight of Ronan’s mate and a Dragon shifter. He felt Starr falter but he continued on, taking her with him.

The area had been transformed, balloons and banners all over the place, with a very large banner hanging above the small stage area where the DJ was set up. ‘Congratulations Ronan and Starr’ was on the top line in huge letters with ‘Welcome to our Home, Starr’ underneath.

Ronan’s throat formed a lump at the welcome sign and he knew Starr saw it too, her body shaking underneath his touch. The smiles on everyone’s faces were large, even if a few had inquisitive looks too. Then they started clapping, each and every person in the room, clapping and then whooping and yelling, as they moved further inside.

Sam almost ran to them, stopping a couple of feet in front before turning around and waving his arms around in a ‘shooshing’ motion. It was a minute or two before there was any semblance of quiet in the large room, but finally there was enough so he could be heard.

Sam turned back around to face them, though staying in place, for which Ronan was grateful for. Sam may be his best friend but even he wasn’t going to touch his mate this night. He saw his friend take in Starr’s face, just for a second, giving her a smile, before turning to him, wearing the biggest smile Ronan ever saw on Sam’s face.

“
Congratulations, my friend! Now folks, let’s get this party staaaaarted!” Sam yelled at the end and the noise level rose dramatically as the music started once more and people started to talk, dance, laugh and generally have fun.

Sam moved to Ronan’s side, taking his arm and ushering him towards a corner of the room where there were two pretty large tables pushed together. “Jeez, you may need a bigger apartment!” was his comment as Ronan saw the presents piled high, covering both tables and spilling over onto the floor.

“What’s this?” Starr asked quietly, staring wide eyed at all the wrapped packages.

Sam’s Vampire ears caught her soft question, even with all the noise that was going on around them. “These, Starr, are your bonding presents. Looks like everyone and their granny went batshit crazy this time. This is the most presents I’ve seen at a bonding, ever!”

Ronan felt the emotions rolling off of Starr, she was overcome with them. He hugged her closer still as he stared at the piles of presents. Sam was right, looked as if folks had gone nuts.

Sam moved them away, taking them to a large table set up near the middle of the room, covered in a crisp white table cloth, as all of them were. “Here’s the top table, you can sit ‘n relax and the table will be between Starr and anyone who comes to say hi.”

Ronan was grateful for Sam’s foresight, putting a barrier between his mate and any other males in the room. As soon as they moved behind the table and sat down a queue of people formed, everyone wanting to congratulate the couple and welcome Starr.

Sam ran off, appearing back quickly, with drinks in his hands for them, both he and Starr finishing the first one almost immediately. Sam laughed heartily as he went to get them more drinks, this time bringing a bottle of wine for Starr and a bottle of the best bourbon for Ronan.