Page 80 of Damien’s Mate

She’d protested, explaining about the magical portal residue, but he already knew about that. He had Draken warding stones that would keep anyone but her from being able to recreate the portal, and a crystal that would destroy it permanently after she came back.

It was all illegal, but she wasn’t about to rat him out. He was doing her—and Damien—a huge favor. And it would make it so much better, when she came home, knowing Damien would be right there, waiting.

She knew neither Brandon nor Damien trusted the Lion Guard. She was having a hard time with that—on the one hand, she’d been raised to have implicit trust in them, and it was ridiculously hard to let that go.

On the other hand, Lieutenant Commander Rodan’s attitude had made her… uneasy.

Brandon and Damien were with her, and Brock and Squatch were trailing them at a distance. Colt and Remy flew overwatch in their owl forms. The rest of the crew had wanted to come too, but Lila had vetoed it.

Not that she didn’t appreciate the thought, but meeting the Lion Guard with a well-armed crew of mixed shifters wouldn’t exactly give the best first impression. Even Damien and Brandon were probably too much, but they hadn’t given her a choice.

Men.

They didn’t talk much as they hiked. Damien had been quiet all morning. She knew it was hard for him to let her go.

And the closer they came to the portal site, the more mixed feelings she had.

Damien glanced over at her, then down at the artifact case she was carrying. “You’re not nervous, are you?” he asked.

She shook her head, then nodded. “I don’t know. It almost doesn’t seem real—like a story I imagined, that’s somehow coming true.” She wanted to say, “I hope they like me,” but that sounded like a third-grader going to a birthday party.

Not that she’d ever been a third-grader. Or been to a birthday party.

But she was a warrior. Why, suddenly, didn’t she feel like one? She felt like a little girl again, about to be judged in a training exercise by her father.

Which pissed her off. She’d done it, dammit. She’d found the Calebite Artifacts and she was bringing them home. She was a fucking badass.

She straightened her shoulders and gave a little snarl. Damien, next to her, shot her a grin. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about,” he murmured. “Go in there and show them who you really are.”

A few minutes later they reached the rendezvous point—a flattish open area at the top of the hill, surrounded by tumbled boulders and ending at the edge of a steep cliff.

Brock and Squatch remained in the woods, out of sight. Brandon and Damien flanked her, but at a distance. Brandon wore a machine gun slung across his chest, and a wide gold bracelet that was clearly dragon-made.

Damien was dressed in combat gear, but only carried a sidearm, a combat knife, and a backup piece in his boot. Everything was holstered.

He’d always looked dangerous, but now that he had a lion in him, there was something extra about him—a new confidence, an air of authority.

His lion was more dominant than she’d expected. Very sexy, but she had a feeling he was also going to be a challenge to handle.

Good thing Brandon was up to it. She just hoped she was—because she was damned if she was going to let a man steamroll her into submission.

Except maybe in the bedroom. Sometimes.

They waited, not talking much. Lila had activated her portal key, so that the portal would home in on her.

Damien felt an answering energy surge in the matching key he wore around his neck. He made sure it was tucked into the collar of his shirt, where the Lion Guard couldn’t see it.

There was no way anyone was taking that away from him.

Finally, the air shimmered in front of them, and the portal opened. It was a ragged circle maybe nine feet in diameter, its bottom resting on the ground. It was filled with a spiraling mist, and magic sparkled around its edges.

Six uniformed Lion Guard ran through, armed with swords and what looked like some kind of guns. They headed straight for Lila, then stopped short when they saw him and Brandon flanking her.

From their initial body language and their subsequent reaction, he got the distinct feeling they’d been about to surround her and take her into custody.

His lion growled, and Brandon shot him a warning look.

“Relax, boys,” Brandon said to the soldiers. “We’re just here to see our friend off.”