Page 6 of Royal Protector

His eyes flash red for a moment, and he smiles weakly. “It’s really hard to get used to that name. It feels like it still belongs to Pa.”

“I’m sorry about your father,” I say carefully. His father, the previous Alpha, was a wonderful man. Strong, silent, and an incredible leader, but also a good father to Jack and his younger brother Will.

“I miss him,” says Jack, looking out into the trees. I know how he feels, having lost my own parents. It’s an ache that dulls but never really goes away. “I wasn’t ready for this at all. I’m still not, if you must know. But at least I’ve got Anna, and the pack, and a very reluctant Second-in-Command.”

I sigh, my shoulders slumping a little. “I agreed to this. I’m not going to bail.”

There is an unspokenyetthat hangs over us, but for now, I’m ready to help the Rougarou pack get on its feet again. What happens after that? I have absolutely no idea, but already I’m itching to get back on the road. This place makes me claustrophobic as hell.

“I know you won’t bail, Antoine. But we do need to talk about something other than the pack itself.” He scratches at the back of his neck. “There’s going to be a conference. All the ‘higher ups’ want to renegotiate the peace treaty, to make sure something like this is prevented in the future.” Jack shakes his head. “I’m not sure how you can prevent crazy, but that’s what they want. Next week, delegates from all over the country will be here to discuss the situation. The Untouchables, too.”

“The Untouchables?” I roll my eyes at the thought of those stuck-up faux princesses. “That’s all archaic nonsense. Like some sort of faux royalty setup. They don’t really have any power, they’re just someone you hear about while other people do the dirty work. A pretty fairy tale.”

“They’re not quite that useless,” says Jack with a grimace. “If things go south, at least the Untouchables know how to fight. They’re trained by the best fighters in the world.”

“Sure, along with how to take a pretty picture and elocution lessons, like werewolf life is a scene fromthe Princess Diaries,” I scoff.

“Oh yes,” nods Jack. “I forgot that was your favorite movie.”

I slug Jack playfully on his arm. “So you need security set up for the conference? Is that what I’m in charge of? It shouldn’t be too hard. If you get me the vampire head of security’s phone number, I can start planning right away.”

Jack is silent for a moment, stroking his jaw. “Well, no, not exactly that.”

“Then what? I’m not talking in those meetings if that’s what you’re thinking.” I’m not a person made for delegation. Give me weapons or my own teeth or claws. Someone else can do all the politicking just fine without me.

“I need you to be the head of security for the werewolf Untouchable. Isabella.”

I throw back my head and groan into the cypress trees. “You’re serious? I’m going to play Secret Service? Jack, you know I’m better than a babysitting job.”

“Antoine,” he says, and there’s the tiniest bit of Alpha growl in his voice that makes me want to submit to him as my leader and show him my neck in submission. “If there’s one thing that would set off another war for sure, it would be if anything happened to either Untouchable, vampire, or werewolf. I know you can prevent at least that from happening. I trust you with her life. Hell, I trust you with Anna’s life, and she’s the most precious person in the world to me.”

He’s right, and I’ll swallow my pride to prevent another war. I was young during the war before the current peace treaty, but I remember it well enough. We were always scared, always hiding.

Our friends had mothers and fathers who disappeared one day and never came back. Proper trade was nearly impossible, and we counted every penny. (And if you know your Rougarou legends, counting pennies is not a thing we enjoy.) I don’t want that life for me, or my pack.

“Fine,” I mutter under my breath, kicking at the dirt. “I’ll be her bodyguard or whatever. When will she be here in New Orleans?” Hopefully, I have enough time to draw up some preliminary plans, interview and choose my team, and get some security systems in place.

Jack rubs the back of his neck again and gives me a sheepish look. “Tonight? You’ll have to leave for the airport in a few hours.”

“What?” I sputter. “Are you serious? Jack, even if I had months to plan this, I still wouldn’t feel ready. I can’t do anything in a few hours!” I’m already feeling the beginning of an ulcer, and I haven’t been back a half hour yet.

I glower at him with teeth bared, and he claps me on the back, nearly knocking me over. “Welcome home, Antoine.”

Forget being Second-in-Command. I may be Alpha by the end of today, because I am going to murder Jack for this.

ANTOINE

Louis Armstrong International Airport is insanely busy, even at nine PM at night. The werewolf Untouchable is flying in first class from sunny Madrid, landing in approximately forty-five minutes.

I had a little less than three hours from when Jack sprung this assignment on me to pick a security team, make some preliminary plans, and study the blueprints for the airport for alternate escape routes before we had to leave to make the drive into the city on time.

My security team is taking two different cars. I’m in my Jeep because I know how my Jeep handles in unexpected situations. There’s no way I’m taking some ramshackle pick-up into New Orleans with an assignment of this importance.

Of the three people I brought with me, one is with me here in the vehicle—Bastien, an eager young man barely out of college with deep red hair and freckles painted over his nose.

He’s a little lean, but you don’t necessarily need muscle to be a good bodyguard. Besides, he can run like hell, having done track all four years at Louisiana State University. Speed is just as important as strength in my line of business.

And even though he is currently humming Taylor Swift songs to himself while tapping out a drumbeat with his fingers on the seat, Bastien is brilliant, answering correctly to any test scenarios I throw at him while we drive into the city.

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