“What are you doing here, Reese? Can’t find anything or anyone else to entertain you today?” Ravyn asked after giving Reese a hug.
Reese clutched his chest. “You wound me with the assumption that I wouldn’t be interested in helping out around here.”
“Oh please, there aren’t enough women here that’ll be flattered by your corny pickup lines and rugged good looks to keep you enthralled.” She moved behind the front desk to gather up a stack of brochures and put them neatly into the holder.
Reese shrugged. “You might be partially right, but I’m here to report for work,” he said and looked over to Steele.
Ravyn looked at him too, a brow lifted in question. “Reese is working here now?”
“Sort of. Magnum’s usually in charge of personal security but he’s traveling back to the Far Realm and then to Mobo with Theo and Shola. So, Reese is our point guy at Legion Security,” he announced.
“Right. Since you’ve got my boy here working as your partner in this new shelter and rehabilitation venture, he’s barely around at the Office anymore. But I know he’s hooked you up with a supreme security system. I’m here to assess what type of needs you’ll have for onsite guards. We can also offer travel guards for whenever your clients come up from below and want to go out for job interviews, doctor’s visits, etc.”
Reese was now in work mode, his thoughts going to the needs of the client just as they’d all been trained. Steele listened and watched Ravyn to see what her reaction was going to be.
When he’d suggested they add a formal entrance to Safeside on the streets of Burgess for others who might need assistance getting on their feet and remaining there, free of intimidation or prejudice, she’d been a little skeptical. Steele hadn’t felt the least bit disrespectful by using Cree to tag-team her into agreeing to the idea.
“We could use a few live security guards. I saw two enforcer cars riding by yesterday. They haven’t ventured in here yet, but I’m sure they will soon,” she said.
“And we’ll be waiting when they do,” Steele told her. “The extortion and intimidation stop here. Before he left, Theo and I discussed developing a designated team of agents to investigate reports of interference from enforcers or politicians in the city. After Robles’s death uncovered an extortion ring that reached all the way up to the governor’s aides, there’ve been more reports.”
“People aren’t afraid to come forward now,” Reese said with a nod. “We can start with two armed guards at the entrance. Two more down below at that secret entrance. Twenty-four hours, seven days a week. Cameras and wired windows and doors will help too, but I’m thinking those private guards will be needed, as well. Just in case.”
Steele agreed. During the construction of this part of the facility, which contained twenty-five guest rooms in addition to the newly renovated twenty rooms below, he’d been by her side every second of the day. They both realized that wasn’t going to be possible forever and even though she was coming into her powers as a witch, he still wanted her protected at all times. He wasn’t totally sure the Reaper would leave them alone, much less whatever other evil entities might be swarming around out there. He had too much to protect now, too much to lose to let his guard down. But this time, they were doing this together. And for Steele that was all that mattered.
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He’s sworn to protect the very entity she was born to kill...
Keep reading for an excerpt of Awaken the Dragon, from A.C. Arthur.
About the Author
A.C. Arthur was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where she currently resides with her husband, three children, grandson and an English bulldog named Vader. An active imagination and a love for reading encouraged her to begin writing in high school and she hasn’t stopped since.
Working in the legal field for over twenty-five years, A.C. has seen lots of horrific things and longs for the safe haven of a romance novel. To date, she has written in several genres: YA paranormal (w/a Artist Arthur), small town romance as Lacey Baker, and sexy contemporary and paranormal romance. With intriguing plots and sexy love scenes, A.C. brings a new edge to romance!
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Awaken the Dragon
by A.C. Arthur
Chapter One
The glass doors to the building ten feet away slid open slowly. That feeling, like a breeze lifting fall leaves off the ground, swirled in the pit of his stomach. Theo Masters eased off his bike and held the helmet between his arm and his hip as he continued to stare at that door. He considered removing his sunglasses since the sun had set hours ago, but decided against it.
Seconds later, three women stepped out. His gaze fell quickly over each one, noting bare feet, long legs and deep green material swaddling their bodies before stopping inches above the knees. Red-and-gold stripes slashed across their forehead and cheeks coupled with long gold spears held tightly in hand announced their warrior status while his wish for a quick pickup and drop-off dwindled.
The Odò Guard.
Or, the river guards. They were foot soldiers from the River Tribe that lived in a village located along a portion of the Niger River, which flowed through western Nigeria. Theo had visited the area close to one hundred years ago.
Three more women exited the building approximately two feet behind the first trio. And then three more, until nine in total were now in a triple-file line in front of him. At some other time,
