Page 23 of Luna Rising

Shockingly, he didn’t argue. He did, however, jab a finger in Ewan’s face. “Touch a hair on her head, and you’ll beg for death.”

Joke’s on you, asshole, I thought.

Ewan stepped towards Lucca’s finger, letting it poke into his chest. “We just want to chat, nothing more.” He leaned forward, purposely invading the other man’s space. “Tish will be fine, you have my word.”

Lucca’s lip curled, and it looked like he was going to say something more. Ewan unleashed the full force of his alpha nature, and Lucca’s hand fell to his side. He stepped back as if inviting us to pass.

“Ten minutes.” He whipped out his phone. “I’m setting a timer right now.”

Several patrons had watched the scuffle, and their eyes followed us as we wove a path to the door. The cool breeze felt wonderful after the warm, stuffy air in the bar. We rounded the side of the building and turned down an alleyway behind Tails.

Normally, this would’ve been a questionable choice, but Ewan provided a sense of unwavering safety. It was like nothing terrible could happen as long as he was near. And, well, I had fangs now, so dark, deserted alleys didn’t really have the same risks.

Tish stood in the shadows, leaning against the backdoor. She chewed her cuticles as we approached, nerves making her jump.

“He doesn’t know,” she admitted without prompting. “Lucca doesn’t have dreams. He doesn’t know what we are.”

Her use of “we” surprised me, though I finally understood why Ewan had called him Nickelous. Colleen and Walter hadn’t mentioned a second eternal protector in Arizona. Did they not know about Lucca, or was there another reason they’d kept it to themselves?

“Do you know who we are?” Ewan arched an eyebrow.

She twisted her hands, resisting the urge to bring them back to her mouth. “Not exactly. Nearly all my dreams are of Lucca. The only one that wasn’t had you in it.” She nodded to me. “You came to me asking for help. I assume that’s why you’re here now.”

“No, we’re here to warn you.” I wrinkled my nose. “Do you know what you are?”

Tish swallowed hard. “An eternal protector. Now ask me what that means.” She laughed humorlessly. “I don’t have a clue.”

It was going to take longer than ten minutes to explain everything, which Ewan clearly realized, too. “When did the dreams start?” he asked.

She hesitated, voice much softer when she said, “When I got pregnant with our daughter.”

And the surprises just kept coming. “You have kids?” I asked, unable to stop myself.

Having children had been a forgone conclusion before I turned. Just as I had always known the pack would choose my husband, I had always known that I would birth that man’s babies. That was no longer possible and left me mourning the loss of something that I wasn’t sure I wanted.

“Just the one. I got pregnant with her not long after Lucca and I met,” Tish said.

“Have you told him anything about the dreams or your past lives?” Ewan asked.

Tish kicked at the ground and shook her head. “A little. Not much. He knows we’re true mates, but he has no idea how many times we’ve fallen in love. I know I need to tell him. It’s just… complicated.”

I tried to imagine myself in her position and considered myself lucky that Ewan and I had both been drinking vampire blood and started having the dreams around the same time so neither of us had to explain anything to the other. At least not yet anyway. Before this nightmare was over, I was going to have to explain why I rejected him.

“His father is Tommy Guerra, right? Head of the Guerra family?” Ewan placed his hand between my shoulders, warning me not to say anything.

He need not have worried, since I knew nothing about the supernatural crime families.

Tish nodded. “Yeah. Lucca is next in line.”

“Get more bodyguards. Keep your daughter hidden.” Ewan pulled out his phone. “What’s your number?”

Tish rattled off the digits, and Ewan dialed her cell so she’d have his, too. “If you, Lucca, and your child ever need help—call me. If the Guerras can’t or won’t protect you, the Taurus wolves will.”

“From whom?” she whispered, her expression suggesting she didn’t want to know the answer.

“Anyone who means you harm,” Ewan said.

“How scared should I be?” Tish looked between Ewan and me. “On a scale of 1-10.”

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