Hearts of Warriors Ch. 04

On the rare occasions when even the emotions of the mini-pack were too much for Liam to bear, Elina was the only person he could stand to be around apart from his parents. They would vanish into the forest together, sometimes for hours. When they came back, Liam was always so much more balanced.

Kothari was the outsider. He was one of them and yet he wasn't. Maybe it was because he was born of a Vârcolac and a member of the triumvirate, and that had set him slightly apart. There was an aloofness to Kothi that the rest of them couldn't fully breach. He mingled with them, was included in the wayward scrapes they'd gotten up to, yet he was always just that little bit apart. It didn't make them love him any less, they just respected his boundaries.

No one knew why conception was so unpredictable with the Vampire/Were mated couples. Various ideas had been tossed around and some tests done on blood samples, but there was still no rhyme or reason behind it. The truth was the matings were just too new that it could be centuries before any pattern started to develop to explain it all.

Lily closed her eyes and rested her head back against the seat. She wondered what side of the coin she and Mac would fall on. Would they have a child straight away or would she have to wait to know the joy of being a mother? It didn't cross her mind to consider that Mac may reject her.

He belonged to her and there was no escaping that fact. It might not be an easy thing getting him to accept her as his mate but he would eventually, as long as Karn wasn't taking her back to the pack. He'd said he wasn't and he'd never lied to her before. But then, he'd always believed she'd never lied to him too. Maybe Karn was paying her back; maybe he was lying to her to keep her docile while he delivered her up to her father.

She didn't even want to go down that road. If Karn was being a sneaky bastard she would not be pleased about it. Talking with Kal, feeling the strength of their mini-pack around her had hardened Lily's resolve. She was not going home. She didn't care what she had to do to stop that happening. Karn was in for a very nasty surprise if he thought differently.

* * * *

Karn was acutely aware of the woman at his side even though he wasn't looking at her. He'd learned early in life that it was wiser if he keep his mouth shut when his temper had been incited. He hadn't curbed himself earlier and had lashed out in frustration. He regretted doing it, even if he hadn't changed his opinion on the matter.

He was livid with Mackenzie. He was angry with Lily too but it was a pale imitation of the fury he felt at his friend's present course of action. He was between a rock and a hard place and he didn't know which way to jump. He was not used to dealing with uncertainty and his irritation was at an all time high as a consequence.

He'd almost passed out in shock the night before when he'd scented the true scent of a Vârcolac within the house the Praetorians used as their base. He'd just dumped Brandon on his bed and was heading out of the room when the sweet fragrance of lilacs had filled his nostrils. How none of the others had noticed was beyond him. They all knew the children's true scents.

He supposed he knew this particular scent better than most. Mac never did guard duty and it wasn't often one of the children left the pack's compound. On the rare occasions Andrei allowed his daughter to be away from the pack, he'd always demanded that the very best Praetorians be assigned to Liliana. Karn had always led the group which guarded her from a distance.

It had almost been his personal mission to guard her and he'd been doing it for a quarter of a century. The shock of finding his charge within their very midst, of discovering that the woman he thought of as Andrea Ruminskey was in fact Liliana Romanov had knocked him sideways.

He was supposed to protect her and he hadn't even known she wasn't safe at the compound! And if that wasn't bad enough, he'd been training her for weeks now. He'd tossed her on her ass on numerous occasions during that training. He'd blooded her; hell, Mac had practically ripped her fucking arm off yesterday. He was supposed to be ensuring no harm came to her and he'd been knocking seven shades of hell out of her for weeks.

It was just unconscionable. It didn't matter that he hadn't known it was her. He should have known something wasn't right about Ruminskey. He didn't form bonds with others. The only person he gave a shit about on a personal level was Mac. When he'd started looking at Ruminskey as something other than just another soldier he should have known something was wrong.

He had to have recognised Lily on some subconscious level somehow. He may not have seen her in the flesh before but something about her aura or masked scent must have registered deep within him. Maybe she'd used a scent which bordered on something he'd smelled before. He had to have known it was her on some level and that was why he'd struck up a different relationship with Ruminskey during the training.

He'd scheduled extra training sessions for her. She'd already surpassed the others in her group. He'd been surprised by her skill level, but he could understand why now that he knew who she was. The Guardian was a formidable trainer. Karn had tweaked her skills even further, teaching her how to fight a little dirtier when required.

He'd been proud of her and had grown to respect her abilities. He'd been keeping an eye on Brandon around her too. They were thick as thieves when they were together, the pair of them trouble waiting to happen. He'd known the other male was interested in more than friendship and he'd found himself making sure things didn't cross the line between them.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that his watchfulness with Brandon was yet another red warning flag which he'd blithely ignored. If he'd paid more attention to his reactions to Andrea Ruminskey, he could have nipped this in the bud and they wouldn't be in the shit they currently were.

Mac had claimed her the night before. He hadn't repeated that claim this morning when Karn had seen him, but that didn't matter. Mac had declared Andrei Romanov's daughter as his. Karn's protective instincts had immediately kicked in but he found his loyalties torn.

He would gladly lay down his life for Mac. His friend was the only vampire he could say that about. Andrei would kill Mac to keep him away from his daughter, which meant Karn would have to stand against the Ancient to protect his friend.

But his primary job was to protect Lily at all costs. He couldn't help kill her father because that would destroy her. That act would bring the wrath of the Ancients down on their heads, not to mention the triumvirate and the Armand-Hanlon pack. The Praetorians would no longer be the protectors but would become the enemy.

The only sensible solution to the problem was to take Lily back to her pack and for Mac to forget about her. It wasn't fair to his friend but it was the only way to protect the children and the Praetorians.

Mac wasn't having any of it though. When Karn had brought it up this morning, the expression on Mac's face had been chilling to witness. He'd never been on the blunt end of Mac's legendary temper before, but he'd found himself there earlier.

Looking into Mac's black eyes had been difficult. They'd been pools of darkness, devoid of all life. When he'd spoken it had been quiet, almost subdued. His tone had been deceptively soft.

"I didn't ask for your personal opinion on the matter, Karn. This is how it's going to be, so live with it. Take Lily to the apartment as instructed and stay with her until she's ready to return. Once she's safely back here you can go about your business as normal."

He should have kept his mouth shut but his warring loyalties had made him stupid.

"This is fucking insanity, Mac. You can't keep her. You're going to start a fucking war and you know it. The Praetorians follow you but their loyalty will be tested to the extremes. They can't go up against the parents of their charges, not to mention the triumvirate. You're going to get us all killed because you can't keep your cock in your pants!"

Yeah, hindsight was a great thing. He hadn't even seen Mac move. One minute he'd been across the room and the next he'd been standing in front of Karn, his talons wrapped painfully around his neck.

It hadn't even crossed Karn's mind to strike back at his leader. Mac hadn't been trying to kill him, merely warning him. He'd been out of line with what he'd said and he knew it. He took his punishment and waited for the cold fury to seep out of his friend's taut body.

"Do not ever disrespect her like that again, Karn. I don't want to have to hurt a friend just because he can't contain his hot temper. I know the issues involved. I also know that Lily needs this moment of freedom. It may not last but if it's all I can give her then she'll have it as long as I can give it to her."

Karn had backed down. He'd had no choice in the matter. He still didn't agree with Mac but he wouldn't go against him. He'd said his piece on the matter, now they just had to see how it all played out, which was why he was now driving his charge to Mac's apartment on the edge of the city's limits.

Beside him, Lily had fallen silent since he'd snapped at her. He hadn't meant to take his temper out on her even though he was annoyed with her for acting out against her father. It can't have been easy for someone with her feisty nature to be cooped up at the compound. Maybe there was even a certain amount of justification for her feeling she had to run way, but that didn't negate the fact her actions were endangering everyone.

She kept her head turned away from him. For a second earlier, he'd thought she was crying but she'd made no discernible sounds so he'd decided he'd imagined it.

The thought of her crying didn't sit well with him. He didn't have the first clue what to do with someone's wounded feelings. He'd have to try and lighten up a bit around her until he could dump her back into Mac's waiting arms. This was all his mess so he could clean it up.

He let out a long sigh the instant the thought crossed his mind. He could no more dump her ass than he could quit the Praetorians and leave Mac swinging in the wind when Andrei Romanov came after him. Who was he was trying to kid? Liliana was his charge and it was his job to protect her.

"Are you very disappointed in me, Karn?"

Lily's quiet words startled him and he glanced at her. Her expression was carefully neutral, quite expertly done but she'd failed miserably at keeping the sad note from her voice. He'd have to teach her how to completely conceal her emotions.

"I'm angrier with myself and Mac than I am with you, Lily," he finally admitted. "I've been your main protector your whole life. You've never stepped foot outside the compound without me watching your back. Not officially anyway," he added with some consternation.

She had to have been sneaking out to build up her fake persona. Just the thought of it gave him chills. How many times had she snuck out of the compound over the years? Anything could have happened to her.

"Really, Karn? I didn't know that." Lily glanced at him sideways trying to gauge his true emotions. She didn't want to open herself up to him again in case his disappointment was really intense. She'd just use her eyes and be grateful he was finally talking to her.

"I saw you in the forest with Mac," she offered tentatively. "It was just you at first, then he came and the two of you talked. I had to be very quiet as I sneaked closer to hear what you were saying. I was shadowed in wolf form at the time. That's how I found out about the Praetorians."

Surprise crossed his face for a moment before his lip twitched slightly. "Yeah, we'd heard what a handful you were growing up. How old were you at the time?"

"Eighteen."

Karn's head swivelled around and he gave her a long look before he turned back to the road. They were almost at their destination. A few more turns and then she'd be safely inside, away from any potential harm.

"You waited twelve years? That's a long time."

She smiled. "It takes a while to invent a new identity. I imagined the Praetorians would do thorough checks on all the candidates. And Pietro is one of my father's closest friends. I had to use Europe as a base because it's easier to be unknown there. I knew Mac would have Pietro do a check seeing as he's been there for more than two decades. I had to be sure I'd pass even his scrutiny."

He was proud of how intelligently she'd thought out the situation. He shouldn't be proud of her but he was. Lily had planned this meticulously; it hadn't been a spur-of-the-moment thing.

"How did you circumnavigate Pietro? I know he probably hasn't seen you in the flesh since you were a child, but he must have seen photos or at least see your resemblance to your parents?"

"I used photos of someone who looked a lot like me, enough that she satisfied Andrea's description. Because of the supposed reclusive nature of the coven Andrea belonged to, it was easy to pretend there were very few photos and they were slightly blurry. I took them myself, had a human girl pose for me. She wanted to be a model and needed a portfolio done. I fudged a few shots for myself."

"So Pietro gave Andrea the green light and you somehow managed to switch the photos under my very nose when you came for training." Karn couldn't make up his mind whether to be outraged or impressed with her ingenuity. She had fooled them all.

"Don't be cross, Karn. It's not your fault. I'm able to shadow myself and you're not an Ancient so you wouldn't be able to detect me. It could have all blown up in my face if the timing had been wrong but luck held out. I was able to switch the photos before you met Andrea in the flesh."

He felt another chill run down his spine at her words. He pulled into the underground parking garage of the apartment complex and found a spot close to the elevator. He switched off the engine and turned to look at Lily.

"You are truly terrifying the shit out of me," he admitted, concern in his voice. "The thought of you being out alone would have turned my hair grey if I was human. You have to promise me you will not shadow yourself while you're with us. We can't protect you if we can't track you, Liliana."

Lily frowned at him and bit her bottom lip. She could understand why he wanted that promise but she wasn't sure she could give it to him. She didn't want him to be angry with her again. He'd spoken more to her this morning that he had the entire time she'd known him. She liked this more communicative side to Karn.

"I can only promise that I won't shadow myself unless I'm required to protect myself in some way. It's our primary defence, Karn, the first thing we were taught as children."

He didn't like it but he had to concede she had a point. He finally nodded his agreement. "Don't make me regret this concession," he ground out before getting out of the car and waiting for her to alight. His keen gaze swept the area for any signs of people around them. They were alone.

"Where are we?" Lily asked as she too scented the area as was habit. It was another thing drilled into all of them, to always be aware of their surroundings.

Karn locked the Jeep using the remote and kept her in front of him as he ushered her to the elevator. "Mac's apartment. He swung by last night and stocked up with some human food for you." His gaze turned pensive for a moment as they entered the elevator and he hit the button for the penthouse floor.

"How long has it been since you've eaten anyway? I've seen you drink some of the others under the table but last night you revealed your identity and you can't have consumed more than half of what you normally could handle."

Lily was stunned by the news that Mac had been out buying human food. Not only that, he had a penthouse apartment and had obviously instructed Karn to bring her here so she could eat. Those didn't sound like the actions of a male who was about to send her packing. Karn had said he didn't agree with Mac's decision, and he probably still didn't but he was obeying his instructions.

Mac was taking care of her. She tried not to get too excited by the thought but it was hard. He was acting like a mate, his need to provide for his woman dictating his actions. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to convince him they were meant to be together.

"You didn't answer my question." Karn broke into her reverie as the elevator doors opened and they stepped out onto the penthouse floor. He had the door open and ushered her inside before she could blink.

"About a week," she answered, her gaze taking in the enormous great room before her. It screamed of luxury, with thick carpeting, the colour scheme lush with creams and browns accented by splashes of black and red. The sofas and chairs were brown, the cushions adding the accenting colours. The walls were cream with a real open fireplace against one wall.

To the left was a fully-equipped kitchen with shiny white cupboards and countertops made of gleaming black marble. It was modern and probably hadn't been used in a very long time, not since Mac had owned the place at least.

After the spartan finishing of her current accommodations it was sheer heaven to stand in the midst of such luxury. Lily shrugged off her jacket and let it drop onto the back of one of the sofas. She was tugging at her boots an instant later, baring her feet so she could sink into the sheer indulgence of the thick cream carpet beneath her.

Karn watched her carefully, seeing her face light up as she surveyed the room. Her delight was evident and he found himself smiling as she sighed softly when her bare feet caressed the floor covering. She was simply breathtaking and for a moment he completely forgot that he shouldn't be finding so much enjoyment out of seeing her pleasure.

He watched Liliana Romanov and realised he was seeing the real woman for the first time. She wasn't pretending to be Andrea; she wasn't hiding behind her natural defensive walls. Before him was Lily and she was pretty spectacular.

If he'd had the usual morals his kind were prone to, he might even have been tempted to make a play for her himself. Thankfully, stupidity wasn't something he suffered from too often. Was this what Mac had seen the night before? Had Lily shown her real self to him? If she had, it was no wonder his friend had succumbed to her. He was slowly beginning to understand his friend's dilemma.

"Does Mac live here?" Lily asked turning to look at him. Her face was full of curiosity, pleasure dancing in the depths of her brown eyes. He decided it probably wouldn't be best to tell her what Mac used the penthouse for.

"Not full time," he finally answered. "It's more of a retreat, a place we can use if we need to be closer to town. Mac stays at the compound most of the time."

He crossed the room and headed into the kitchen. "There should be something here you'll like to eat. Vampires are not too clued up on human food and can't cook, but I assume you're capable of doing that?"

If he'd given anything away about the penthouse and Mac, it wasn't apparent because her smile stayed in place as she walked over to pull open the door to the fridge. "He remembered," she sighed softly, her smile widening. Her face literally shone with pleasure.

"Remembered what?" Karn was confused by her sudden happiness, the almost loving note in her voice.

"That I preferred steak to blood," she answered while pulling out a plate with the largest piece of raw meat he'd ever seen on it.

He watched her move around the kitchen effortlessly, placing a frying pan on the stove before turning to chop and dice salad greens and tomatoes as the pan smoked over the hot gas flame.