Hearts of Warriors Ch. 03

A loud "Fuck you," followed by a rude hand gesture was all the answer she got. The rest of the room burst out laughing.

Vampires were a strange bunch. When they weren't beating the crap out of each other or someone else, they were either having sex or getting drunk and partying, which usually required an enormous amount of alcohol because their metabolism burned it off so quickly. For some reason Lily had thought the Praetorians would be different what with their 'holy' mission to protect the Vârcolac. It would appear they were just like everyone else.

Mac stayed away as long as he could but eventually the noise drew him downstairs. About the only time his people had a social night off was when they welcomed new recruits. It had been a long time since they'd increased their numbers and it sounded as if his team was making up for lost time.

He stood in the doorway, his eyes searching for Andrea. She was dancing with one of her team, the dark-haired one he'd watched her laughing with outside from his bedroom window. They had seemed close then and appeared even closer now. Brandon's arm was snaked around her slender waist, his lower body grinding against hers suggestively.

Both were laughing and clearly under the influence of alcohol. Considering the party had been in full swing for a number of hours he wasn't surprised to see a few of the younger ones had already succumbed to a more drunken state. His longer-serving team members were obviously pacing themselves, ensuring some in the compound were still alert, just in case. He made a mental note of who they were so he could commend them later on.

The closeness between Lily and Brandon was setting his teeth on edge. He had to fight the urge to cross the room and rip her out of the other man's arms. The intensity of his proprietary and territorial reaction surprised him.

He didn't even know her, let alone want her for himself. He'd tried to make that abundantly clear this morning in his study. So he'd almost kissed her. She was beautiful; sexy with all the right curves in the right places. Most males would want a taste of her. Didn't mean they wanted to keep her.

Karn appeared beside them, slapping Brandon hard to the back of his head. His slap was powerful enough to snap the male's head forward at just the moment Andrea grabbed her wine glass and put it to her mouth to take a sip. It was an accident waiting to happen.

Even as Mac was moving to intercede, Brandon's head banged forward, shattering glass against Andrea's face. The scent of her blood filled the air as did her unladylike curse. He reached the trio just as Brandon slumped to the floor with a groan and Andrea landed a punch on Karn's nose.

"Asshole," she yelled at his number two, blood running from the open cut on her cheek. A large shard of glass was imbedded in the wound, keeping it open.

Karn grunted, wiped the blood from his nose and then flipped her the finger. "No fornication!"

"I'm surprised you know what the word means. Can't imagine why anyone would want to fornicate with a miserable old bastard like you."

Brandon groaned and pulled himself to his feet, using Andrea to steady himself. He was well out of it, grinning madly. "I've heard of glassy-eyed stares, Andi, but glassy cheeks? That's a new one, girl. Is this a new craze 'cos man, if it isn't you're gonna be a trendsetter!"

"Crap! You cut me?" Lily didn't know who to glare at in outrage. Okay, so it was Brandon's thick skull that had broken the glass, but if Karn hadn't hit him in the first place his head wouldn't have connected with the glass.

She had to think this one through—slowly. She'd had a few too many. She'd been smart enough to hand over control of her safeguards to her wolf before she'd decided to get plastered. Her animal was keeping her scent masked for her and ensuring she didn't try to shift into wolf form accidentally. She'd been known to do that before when drunk.

Pain in her cheek washed over her and she tried to concentrate on what she was doing a moment ago. Oh yeah, that was it, she was working out who she was going to punch for cutting her face. She glared at Karn and he glared back with four eyes.

"That is so fucking unfair, Karn. Four eyes are just so not allowed. You're a complete freak of nature." She squinted at him, leaning forward slightly. "Is that blood on your nose?"

"You should know you punched me, Ruminskey," he growled back at her trying to keep a straight face. Four eyes? She was totally wasted.

"I did?" she echoed, looking very pleased with herself. Her fist struck out and she caught Brandon on the side of the head. He groaned and went down again. "Guess it was his turn then," she smiled and then hiccupped loudly.

The sudden movement made her cheek sting and she raised her hand to find the offending piece of glass that was seriously killing her alcohol buzz. A hand wrapped around her wrist instantly, large and so warm she uttered a startled gasp. Lily turned around slowly and found herself staring up into Mac's dreamy black eyes.

Mac wasn't sure whether to laugh or scoop her up in his arms and take her somewhere where he could shake the living daylights out of her. Andrea's blood was flowing openly from her cut face, sliding down her neck and seeping under her red tank top. She was clearly so drunk she could barely stand and yet she'd managed to successfully punch out two of her contemporaries.

"I'll take it from here, Karn. Make sure Brandon gets to his room okay."

"You came to the party," Lily breathed. She leaned into him at such an acute angle he had to wrap his remaining arm around her to keep her upright.

A shudder went through her body and she uttered a small moan under her breath. His arms felt so good around her, well his one arm did. His other hand had a tight grip on her wrist for some strange reason.

"Come on," Mac said through what sounded like clenched teeth.

She squinted up at his face but his expression appeared totally bland. She said the first thing that came to her mind. "At least you don't have four eyes. There's something really dodgy about your friend Karn. I'd watch him if I were you."

Mac's lips twitched. He didn't want to find this amusing but her earnest expression was so adorable it was hard not to smile. "I'll bear that in mind, Andrea. Now come and let me get you cleaned up and ready for bed."

"But..."

"No buts, sugar," he sighed, lowering his mouth close to her ear. "You don't want to piss me off again do you?"

Lily gulped audibly and trembled. "No sir, Mackenzie," she whispered fervently. "The last time you ripped my shoulder to shreds and that hurt like a bitch. It hurt so much I even cried. I fucking hate crying. It's such a wimpy thing to do."

His body tensed at her words, his arm tightening around her. He raised his head and looked into her face again. Her eyes were huge in her head, liquid chocolate with golden swirls. He'd hurt her so much she'd cried? Just the thought of it made him feel like a bastard. He knew she would never have admitted that if she'd been sober.

"Then let me fix your face for you so I can make amends for past actions," he answered carefully, keeping his emotions well hidden.

She smiled and then winced as her cheek stretched. "I'd like that very much, Mac, 'cos it hurts like a bitch trying to smile with half a wine glass imbedded in your cheek." She allowed him to escort her up a flight of stairs.

"Which room is yours?" he asked when they reached the second floor.

"Guess."

Mac closed his eyes and counted to ten. The scent of her blood was slowly driving him out of his mind. He didn't have time to waste playing guessing games with her, but he could tell she was enjoying herself and wouldn't divulge the information voluntarily.

He looked at the doors ahead of them, trying to work out if she would choose the room with direct access to the exit. Some vampires were superstitious that way, always wanting a way out. Something told him Andrea wasn't so inclined.

She'd been looking for a way into the Praetorians. His brain whirled and he headed down the hallway towards the stairs that led to his rooms. She'd been interested in him right from the moment she'd arrived. He stopped at the door directly in front of the stairs leading upwards.

The pleased smile on her face told him he'd guessed correctly. Turning the doorknob, he escorted her into her room. He flipped the light on and glanced around the gloomy interior. He never been in these rooms, had never paid much attention to them.

No wonder she'd mentioned finding wood unattractive. It seemed almost sacrilegious to ask someone as vibrant as Andrea to bed down in such an austere setting. Christ, even Annie had commented earlier on his décor. Maybe he should think about tarting the place up a bit, making it a bit homier.

He brought his wandering thoughts to a halt and shepherded his charge into her bathroom. "How's your balance?" he asked, turning on the sink taps and running warm water into the bowl.

"I am not drink...I mean drunk," she denied with a frown marring her bloodstained face.

Mac cursed under his breath and lifted her onto the counter top beside the sink. "I didn't ask you if you were drunk, Andrea. I asked you how your balance was," he said patiently. "I don't want you to fall from the counter when I turn my back on you."

"Oh, right. I understand," she sighed and leaned against the wall. "Lily," she muttered as she closed her eyes.

Mac frowned, soaking a cloth in the warm water. "Lily?" He had no idea what she meant by that.

"Call me Lily, not Andrea," she mumbled, frowning with her eyes closed when he helped her to sit up.

He very carefully removed the main shard of glass from her cheek, his intent gaze searching for any smaller shards that may have become imbedded in the wound. He didn't see any. "Why would you want me to call you Lily?" he asked gently, washing the blood from her face and neck.

Her eyes tried to open but she was clearly too far gone. She'd had an exhausting day, had lost blood twice now, and probably needed to drink some to replenish her loss.

"My name, Mac," she answered so quietly he almost missed her response as he rinsed out the bloody cloth in the water.

He kept his touch light, his voice low and soothing as he followed the trail of blood underneath the neckline of her top, taking care to touch her bare skin with just the cloth. A feeling of unease was settling over him. "Your name is Lily?" he coaxed gently. "That's a beautiful name. Is your last name as beautiful, sugar?"

She giggled and leaned forward, pressing her face into the side of his neck. "I'm two flowers, Mac. A lily and a rose. Is that pretty too? My dad calls my mom Rose. I don't know why 'cos her name's Loretta. Rose isn't a nickname for Loretta is it?"

Ice-cold chills travelled down Mac's spine, his arms reaching around her to hold her close. "I don't think it is, sugar," he managed to say in a gentle tone. "You're right; your name is pretty, Lily. I bet your scent is really pretty too."

She stiffened slightly and then relaxed with another giggle. "Hold on, I've got to convince her to let go."

"Convince who, sugar?" Mac didn't really need any further information from her. His gut was clenched hard, his brain screaming his denial. He knew her scent would confirm his suspicions. Lily Rose with a mother named Loretta? What were the odds of there being more than one in the surrounding area?

"My wolf. She's in charge of masking our scent tonight 'cos I was having too many drinks," Lily sighed forlornly. "She doesn't want to let go no matter how much I try and make her." She pulled back and stared down at her body.

"Stop it, girl!" she said sternly. "It's okay to let Mac know the truth. You heard Annie earlier. She said it's bad to keep secrets from our mate. If you don't let him scent us then you're denying he belongs to us."

Mac's body went rigid with shock. He stared at Andrea... no, at Lily, her words seeping into his stunned mind. He'd just opened his mouth to speak when the wonderful scent of lilac suddenly filled the bathroom. His head spun, his gut clenched, and he was forced to grip the sink hard on either side of her legs.

He'd scented her true scent many years ago when she was a young child. It had been a pleasing scent then, a delicate aroma which had brought a smile to his face with its freshness and innocence. Now she was a woman and though her scent brought up those same emotions, having attained puberty had brought a new element to it. The maturity of a woman was subtly woven through the lilacs changing it just enough to punch him hard in the gut.

He cursed himself for having stopped doing guard duty all those years ago. It had been close onto twenty years since he'd escorted one of the Vârcolac when they'd left the pack compound.

He'd left Karn in charge of Liliana's protection. If he hadn't then he would have been aware of...aware of what? He didn't know what the hell he was thinking at the moment. All he did know was he had to hide her scent before the other Praetorians came running upstairs.

"Lily, can you ask your wolf to mask your scent again?" he said through clenched teeth. "It's very powerful and we don't want the rest of the Praetorians tearing upstairs to find the Vârcolac among us, do we?"

Her scent changed instantly, going back to the warm nutmeg it had been before. He gazed intently into her face as she raised her head to look at him. Her big brown eyes were swimming with moisture, her bottom lip starting to tremble.

"You're pissed at me, aren't you?" she whispered. "Because I kept a secret from you. Are you going to send me back? Please, Mac, don't make me go home. Daddy will be so angry with me for running away to join the Praetorians. He won't let me see you again and I'll just die if I can't see you. Or go Rogue... maybe."

Her impassioned plea cut off and she frowned in confusion even as tears trickled silently down her face. "Do you think Vârcolac go Rogue if their animal half can't be with their mates, Mac? I guess there aren't enough of us to know if we would. No one else has found their mate either. I don't think we would. I was eighteen when I first saw you and knew you were mine. That was twelve years ago and I didn't go Rogue in all that time so I guess that must answer my question."

The more she talked the more tense he became. His brain was whirling, trying to take everything in. She was a hybrid, daughter to Andrei Romanov who would rip his head off without blinking when he found out he had his daughter here. She'd obviously run away and Annie had protected her identity, lying to him when she was here earlier.

He was furious at Lily for her deception. She was under the mistaken impression that he was her mate, which was just utterly ridiculous. She'd developed some kind of crush on him and behaved stupidly. Her actions could endanger everyone in the Praetorians as well as her family and friends.

Just what did she think she was playing at? And what the fuck had Annie been thinking leaving her here with him when she knew who she was? His queen must have known what a fucked up mess this was when she waltzed off and left it in his lap. He would be having words with her in the morning. But first he had to deal with Liliana Rose Romanov.

He wanted to groan out loud just thinking her name. Her silent tears were still falling, her big eyes swimming with fresh tears as she bit her bottom lip. He could feel his fury ebbing in the face of her misery, his heart twisting hard in his chest, and he was astounded by his reaction.

No one manipulated him. No one climbed into his head and made him second guess himself, or forced him to do anything other than what he knew was right. The correct course of action was to throw Lily's tempting backside into one of the Jeeps in the garage and take her straight back to her pack.

But there was just something so very wrong about seeing tears on her face. The sight did something to him, made him want to hit something hard. He should be taking her home and yet he was holding her close, running a hand down her spine in soothing strokes, comforting her.

"Shhhh, don't cry, Lily," he said softly reaching out to brush at her wet cheeks. "We'll figure something out in the morning. For the moment this is our secret, yours and mine. You can't tell anyone else, okay sugar?" Mac had no idea what he was promising her, he just wanted her tears to stop.

She threw her arms around his neck and buried her face against him. He hugged her close, his lips brushing the top of her head as he lifted her from the counter and carried her back into the bedroom.

"Get ready for bed and I'll be back in a minute," he ordered, turning to stride away before pausing. "Can you drink blood? You'll need some after the amount you've lost today."

"It's not as nice as a steak but I can survive on it," she muttered with a scowl on her face, heading over to her chest of drawers.

Mac made a quick exit before she decided to take her clothes off in front of him and make him do something he shouldn't. Part of him was slowly starting to cease to care. The shit he was in at the moment was astronomical. Bedding Andrei Romanov's daughter wouldn't make the situation much worse than it already was. It was such a tempting prospect. His body was screaming at him to give into his baser urges.

Jaw clenched painfully, he headed downstairs to give her time to change and give himself time to find a way out of the hole Lily had just dug for him. She'd been planning this for twelve years, convinced he was her mate. He'd scoffed at the very notion, ridiculing her claim in his mind. And yet the moment she'd unmasked her adult true scent something had stirred deep within him.

He'd been unaccountably attracted to her from the first moment he'd seen her. When he'd hurt her when sparring it had almost crippled him with pain and guilt. He'd wanted to rip Brandon to pieces when he'd been rubbing his body against hers. Now her tears were melting his fury in an instant and her scent was driving him crazy. And Annie had encouraged him to be with her.

Fuck, if Lily was right, if he was her mate, then he had no idea what they were going to do.

Because the moment he crossed that line, the moment he accepted that she belonged to him, no one would ever take her from him. He wouldn't give a fuck who it was, he'd fight to the death to keep her. And that meant he may have to kill her father.

Strangling down a groan, Mac closed the fridge door, a bottle of blood gripped tightly in his hand. He'd work out some way to get normal food for her until they figured out what they were going to do. For now she had to survive on what he could provide, and he'd have to work out a way to keep her identity secret while she was with him.

He hurried back upstairs, relieved that no one else had noticed Lily's true scent in the house. He was back in her room and closing the door quietly less than five minutes after he'd left her alone.

His breath locked in his throat and he froze as he stared at the bed. Lily was lying across it, a cream satin and lace chemise slithering all over her womanly curves.

Way too much of her sun-kissed skin was on display. Her toned thighs stretched on endlessly beyond the short hem of her nightwear. He could just make out a scrap of lace against one hip which was way too exposed for his comfort.

Mac's body slammed hard with need. His breath whistled out on a harsh groan as he tried to drag his eyes away from the temptation before him. The noise made Lily open her eyes and she raised her upper body up on bent elbows.

He groaned again, quieter this time, his gaze riveted to the silky masses of thick brown hair which flowed around her and over the bed. She'd taken her hair down and it was the most glorious thing he'd ever seen in his life. She'd always had it tied back until now. He'd never imagined hair could be so fucking erotic he was ready to rip his clothes off and join her on the bed.