Page 34 of The Ruby Dragon’s Unconventional Mate (Oro Escondido #3)

All the children are safe , Lars told him. Bea has them, and so does Jason’s wife. I’m going to run home. Arthur says he’s ready for me.

Be careful, just in case this guy wasn’t acting alone.

I will. I promise.

He had to—not cut Lars off—but not let him distract him either, so Bryant tuned out. If Lars needed him, he would call. It was the same way with Lachlan. He had to ignore what was happening there and concentrate on trying to get this guy.

It seemed like they waited forever, and things were getting tense, because he could tell that the other guardians wanted to know what was going on, but they were hesitating to ask so they wouldn’t distract them. And then the sound of wings whomping overhead came to his ears.

Bryant tensed, waiting for his chance to jump.

As soon as the guy shrank down from a dull bronzy sort of dragon into a human, his clothes way too nice to be just a bodyguard or lone foot soldier, they attacked. Jake landed in front of the guy, who tried to shift, but Bryant landed behind him, teeth closing on the man’s neck.

Don’t try it. Jake threatened, eyes like stones. My compatriot, he’ll rip your fucking soul out.

“He’ll try.” There was absolutely no fear in the other dragon’s voice, no tension in the big body. There was only a casual sort of relaxation. It was unnerving and completely unexpected.

Why isn’t he scared? Something’s wrong. Why isn’t he concerned? Bryant would be worried if another dragon had his mouth around his neck, threatening to snap it off.

What is it you want here?

“I just wanted to play in the water.”

You notice the snow here. Does this make any sense to you? The ground rumbled again with Jake’s power, Jake frowning. Try again. Do it quick. I’m tired of playing with you.

“It’s quite simple, to be honest. I’ve been paid to accomplish a task. I’m just here to finish the job. I’m here to restore the balance. Never send an amateur to do a professional’s job, child. I told my employer that.”

Bryant shook his head, the motion making his teeth dig in a little harder. I don’t want to let him live. He can’t come into the wing.

No. Logan landed with a surprisingly soft touch. Then he shifted, standing naked and proud in the snow, gold scales still covering him. “Why are you here?”

“I’ve already explained to your flunkies.

I’m here to do a job. One of your wing insulted my employer’s family, impregnated his youngest omega, and then deserted them, instead of marrying him.

So now there is not only a tainted omega, but tainted child.

At least if they’ve been married off, it could have been dealt with. Now every one of them has to die.”

Bryant, I’m assuming he’s talking about Lachlan.

But you’ve met Lachlan. He never even left the house.

Really. I mean, he would have known. I would have known if he’d had a mate.

He didn’t, and even if he had, you know how he feels about children.

He would have been overjoyed. Even if it weren’t his mate, you know this.

None of it made so much as a lick of sense.

Logan tilted his head. “Let’s see, you’re talking about the platinum dragon?”

“Exactly. Markham.”

“I see.” Logan’s voice was deceptively light. “Someone had already tried to do the job, yes?”

“Yes.”

Bryant, how long has it been since your brother was hurt?

Almost three years now. His eyes went wide. And they’d been here, in the wing, for far too long for Lachlan to have gotten anyone in another wing pregnant. Lachlan couldn’t leave the wing…

And that baby?

An infant not even crawling yet.

“You’ve got the wrong family.”

“Nonsense. There’s no?—”

Logan’s hand whipped out, silencing the assassin. “Lachlan was the victim of the first job, which went poorly. That was almost three years ago. How could he then impregnate an omega well over two years ago and there be that infant?”

The copper dragon stopped, stared. “You’re lying.”

Logan’s eyebrow raised. “You should have done better research. Now, if you’d like to give up your boss, maybe—maybe I’ll let you live.” I won’t let him go, but I might let him live.

Yes, because I don’t care what that little omega did. No matter what atrocity, that child had done nothing. He deserves to die.

“Suggest you talk, man. My friend here is getting a little grumpy.”

There was worry now. Bryant could feel it vibrating underneath his teeth. Fear and tension, and he was about to do something incredibly stupid, and Bryant knew it.

Careful, Logan. Jake.

Electricity began to build inside the dragon, and he began to shake, buzzing. Bryant wasn’t going to be able to hold the dragon down. He’s going to… He’s going to hurt somebody. What do I do?

He wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to have to kill another dragon, but he would.

Suddenly, he was thrown back, expelled with a burst of energy, him and Jake both, and even Logan was thrown on him.

“Regardless of what you think happened or didn’t happen, I was hired to do a job. My job is to kill the omega, Markham, and the child. I’m a professional.”

“You’re an asshole,” Bryant snapped, trying to distract him because he could feel that the other dragon was beginning to build energy again, the very air crackling.

Bryant didn’t think the dragon could get all three of them, but whoever he hit was going to hurt.

Another whump of wings sounded, and Bryant looked up to see his mate Lars and Jake’s mate, Samuel, together.

Flying.

Almost invisible against the clouds.

The two dragons didn’t monologue or hesitate. They simply growled once, and then dual bolts of lightning landed together, right on top of the coppery dragon, incinerating him in a single, awful blast.

No one threatens my wing.

He kinda wanted to tell the assassin that no one should ever send a beta to do an omega’s job, but he didn’t. It didn’t matter; the guy was dead.

He looked at Lars, his whole body hurting to go and hold his mate, so he jumped into the sky and flew to Lars, hovering over him gently.

You ready to go home, love? Jake and Logan could deal with the body, and he knew Lachlan and Alban would be handling everything with the omega and the baby.

He could tell Lachlan what everyone had said over their mental bond rather than having to go to his house.

He didn’t want to have to add to the chaos, and honestly, he needed to be with Lars.

Lars nodded. Arthur’s waiting for us. Being a guardian is hungry work, so he said he would have something put out for us when we got home.

That sounds great. Let’s do it. He tilted his wings and signaled to Jake and Logan on the ground that they were leaving. Samuel flew with them but broke off to head toward his house to wait for his mate there.

Bryant imagined that Samuel was gonna get as hard a talking to as Lars was going to get from him.

You’re not going give me a stern talking to , Lars said. I heard you at the school, and you’re right. Being a guardian is my job .

That’s very true. It is, and I would never ask you to be less than you are. And you were careful, so I can’t be angry, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t scared.

You did really well, Bryant. I know that you didn’t want to have to kill him. I wasn’t going to make you do that.

I have a feeling Logan and Jake would have anyway, but I love you for it.

They circled down, around, and landed at their fairy-tale house. They shrank down to their human forms, and he grabbed Lars in his arms and held him tight. Bryant buried his face against Lars’s neck and sighed. “God, I hope we never have to do anything like that again.”

“Maybe not, but we are going to have to find out who sent both of these assassins. Otherwise they’re never going to leave them alone. Lachlan or the omega.”

That was also true. “Yeah, but I bet if the omega is recovering, he can tell us.”

“Oh, Bryant, how awful. It’s his family, after all. We’ll let Lachlan figure that out.”

“We will. I don’t suppose you want to take a shower before we eat?”

Lars slipped his hand into Bryan’s. “I do. Let’s do that. Arthur doesn’t even need to know we’re home until after we get clean.”

“That sounds perfect, baby.” He needed to clean the stink of this day off and also put his hands on every inch of Lars’s body to make sure that he was well and that the baby was okay.

Lars didn’t argue with him; he just let Bryant lead him inside and up the stairs so that they could go to the shower.

As soon as they were under the hot spray of water, they started touching one another, and Lars was just as desperate as Bryant was.

This had been a real threat, a real attempt to break the wards, and someone had gotten hurt.

He hated that, but they had, in the end, been victorious, and for now, they would celebrate that little win.

“Do you think Lachlan?—”

Bryant stopped the words with a kiss. He didn’t want to talk about Lachlan and the injured omega and baby. He just wanted to touch his mate, to love on him, and to know that everything was gonna be all right.

Lars twined both arms around his neck and held on tight, the rounded belly pressed against his side, and that was the most perfect thing ever. It was as if he could feel the baby’s heartbeat as well as Lars’s, and he knew everything was safe and well.

You’re a guardian too , Lars said in his head. You did exactly what you needed to do, and I’m very proud of you.

Thank you, love. So am I. Now hush and let me get you clean.

Lars chuckled, and they kissed again, each of them running slippery wet hands over the other’s body.

As it turned out, it was quite a while before they got downstairs to have food.