Theo
Theo growled at the woman he had pinned to his couch. He opened his mouth to demand that she leave and never return, or he would completely destroy her. The words were halfway out, and something caught his attention: the necklace around her throat.
His mouth fell open, and he sat back in shock, staring at the small jade crystal dragon that dangled between the woman’s breasts. He had not seen that necklace in more than a hundred years. He had almost forgotten all about it.
Savannah had given him the necklace when they first met. She said it was enchanted and would protect him as long as he had it. When he was in danger and needed to be cautious about the area around him, or about a certain person, it would warm – not enough to burn him, but enough to get his attention. The inside of the dragon carving would light up, and the entire necklace would give off a faint glow.
He had stared at the gift for a long time. He kissed her gently on the lips. “Thank you. It is very beautiful. Almost as beautiful as you. But if this is enchanted, I would rather you wear it,” he had told her. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you. It would kill me if I lost you.”
She smiled at him and stroked his cheek. “I have you to protect me,” she said. “You are my enchanted charm.”
He closed his eyes, still angry at himself that he hadn’t been able to keep her safe. The one person in the world he needed to protect, and he failed at his mission. He had held her in his arms when she died. The last words she spoke were, “I will always be with you, my love.”
She had closed her eyes as tears dripped on her face. He begged her to come back to him. His grandfather had to pry her out of his arms. Theo had never been the same again. He was just a hollow shell of what he once had been.
“Where did you get that?” he asked.
Gemma looked at him suspiciously as though she wasn’t sure whether she should trust him and tell him or try to bolt out the door.
She sighed and pushed at him, so he would move away from her. “My mother gave it to me when I was ten, right before she was murdered. She told me to never take it off. She also gave an address. She said I should come here, but only if it was a last resort,” Gemma said, sitting up straight now that the huge man had moved off her.
Her hand touched the necklace.
“I’m guessing your mother got it from someone?” Theo asked.
Gemma nodded at him. “Her grandfather. He told her that she should never take the necklace off. Her father had died in a battle when Mom was very young, so Grandpa raised her. I guess he told her about the necklace, but she had never told me about it. Only that it will protect me.”
Theo didn’t say anything. His mind wandered back to that day. It wasn’t too long after Savannah had died. He was out wandering in the woods, feeling lost and lonely. He felt as though Savannah had taken his heart and soul with her when she died.
Out of nowhere, rogue dragons attacked him. He told them to back off and announced who he was. They informed him they knew exactly who he was and that he was their target.
He was powerful and strong, but there were six of them and one of him. Theo hadn’t been at full strength, or he would have won easily. He had thought he wanted to just give up and die so he could be with his beloved, but there was still something deep inside him that still wanted to survive.
Just then, a huge wolf jumped in the fray. Together, they were able to fight off the rogue dragons, although both the wolf and Theo took some hard hits.
After the battle, Theo thanked the wolf for helping him.
“Why did you do that? Most wolves would have completely ignored the scuffle and went on their way. You stopped to help,” Theo said.
“I hate to see people outnumbered. Six to one isn’t a fair fight,” the wolf had said.
“What if I had been the bad guy, and they had been trying to take me in to get justice,” Theo asked.
The old wolf laughed. “Son, you don’t get to live as long as I have and not be able to tell the difference between the good guys or the bad guys. But if you were a bad guy, I would have taken you out myself,” he said.
Theo smiled at him. Normally, there would be questions of how a match between a dragon and a wolf would come out. However, he had just seen this wolf kick two dragon shifters’ asses and was suitably impressed.
They talked for a while. Then Theo took off the necklace and handed it to the wolf. “I owe you the debt of my life. If you ever need a favor returned, or if someone in your line does, show this necklace, and I will do whatever I can to help.”
The man tried to protest, saying that his friendship was enough. However, Theo insisted the man take it, saying it was a matter of honor.
Now, after more than a hundred years, here it was, around the neck of a young woman who had dared break into his home.
