A Mate for Lance (The Program Book 5) (12 page)

“It means that we can trust you not to touch any human females.” Brant was a sadistic fuck. Trust him to use what had happened to Titan as a reason for picking him for this detail. But it also made sense. The male would have no distractions, just his directive.

“Not a fuck,” Titan swore loudly, his face morphed into something from a horror story.

“You can do this,” Zane urged. “You’ve been working to keep the humans safe. It means being near them. You’ve done an excellent job of it. There have been no mixed signals.”

Brant chuckled. “Exactly. Keep everything at a business level and you’ll be just fine. Make sure that the males sent with you understand the same and we’re good.”

The male swallowed hard. His mouth was a thin white line. Titan finally nodded. “Fine.” He sounded anything but.

“Good.” Zane huffed out a breath. “Glad that’s settled. We need to meet later to decide on your team and to discuss the operation in greater detail. Which brings me to the next item on the agenda—your replacement.”

Oh fuck.

A shit storm was about to descend.

Lazarus shot him daggers.

Zane ignored the tension that flooded the room. His gaze landed on Lance. “I want you to take over for Titan. It would be a tem—”

“I’m not reporting to him.” Elliot shook his head. The male folded his arms and leaned back on his chair, looking distinctly like a child with a bone to pick.

“Not a fuck, my lord,” Lazarus growled. “The male is unstable. He can barely keep himself together let alone a whole team.”

“It’s a small team. Lance is more than fucking capable,” Zane growled.

“Maybe a year ago. Now he’s fucked in the head,” Lazarus barked. “He killed Griffin two months ago. Killed his best friend.” Lazarus glanced at Griffin who didn’t say a thing, his expression perfectly blank. “The team might be small but their duty is important. It’s why we made it separate to the general guard in the first place. At least make him report to Gideon, like it was before.”

“Gideon has enough on his plate,” Brant chimed in. “It’s why we removed the portfolio from him in the first place.”

“I’m against this.” York put up a hand.

“I understand your feelings,” Lance said, sure to keep his voice even despite his gut twisting and churning inside him. “If you had offered this two months ago, I would’ve turned it down. Things have changed since then, I’ve changed. Killing Griffin made me take a long hard look at myself and I didn’t like what I saw. I regret what I did.”

“We have made peace. I am fine with it.” Lance gave Griffin a grateful look.

“You regret killing Griffin,” Lazarus snorted. “No shit.”

Lance ignored the male. “I’m not saying that I don’t still have a long way to go but I can do this. I’m grateful for the opportunity, my lord.” He looked Zane in the eyes.

“It’s bullshit,” Lazarus raged. He pointed at Lance. “If any other male had pulled the shit you have—”

“Don’t go there,” Zane growled.

“I realize that the two of you grew up together, played together as children. That you’ve had each other’s backs for many years but…fuck.” Lazarus looked up as though asking for patience, then leveled Lance with an ugly glare.

“I’m not doing this because of our history. This has fuck all to do with that. Brant
and
I picked Lance because we feel that he is the right male for the job.” Zane looked at them each in turn. Stopping when he reached Lance.

Lance sucked in a breath. He looked Lazarus in the eye. “I ensure you that—”

“No! I’m not reporting to a male that would go after his estranged mate, attack the father of her children.” Elliot shook his head. “And, it is rumored that you would’ve killed the babies as well if given a chance. I’m inclined to believe it.”

Lance felt his blood ignite. Everything that Elliot said was true. Only the male didn’t have a clue, not a fucking clue. Who the fuck was he anyway? “Do you have a mate?”

Elliot snorted. “I am one of the Elite Ten so it stands to reason that—”

Lance didn’t wait for the arrogant prick to finish. If Amber thought that he was bad, it was only because she hadn’t met this one yet. “I take it that you have died before, at least once.”

Elliot hesitated and shrugged. “What does dying have to do with it?”

Lance was seeing a version of himself in a way that Amber saw him, and he didn’t much like it. “I’ll take that as a no. You’re a pup. I’m surprised you’re even here although I’m guessing it’s so that I could put you in your place immediately.” Lance leaned forward. “Your balls haven’t even dropped properly yet. Do me a fucking favor and sit there and shut up. I’m fast losing my patience. I’m your superior for the foreseeable future. If you have a problem with that, I can find a replacement for you. The only reason you are in this room is to listen.” Part of him felt bad for saying what he had because the same was true for Griffin but his friend remained passive. Thank fuck!

Elliot’s mouth opened and closed a few times. Then he sucked in a breath. “I resent the comment about my balls.”

Lance glanced at Titan. “Where did you find this pussy?”

Titan shrugged.

Elliot jumped to his feet, ready to fight, or something equally stupid.

“Sit the fuck down,” Lance growled, staying right where he was, “before I hit you so hard on your mouth that your smile’s skewed for the rest of your pathetic life.”

“You’d better listen to him,” Titan snarled.

Elliot, giving Titan a look, dropped back onto his ass, his face was flushed.
Good boy.
“Excellent decision,” Lance said. “Make sure that your future decisions are just as good and we’ll get along great.”
Fucking pup
. The male had to be doing something right if he was here. Lance would try hard to remember that. He gave a nod to Griffin.

“Does anyone have anything more to say?” Zane asked, a shit-eating grin on his face.

York shook his head. Lazarus huffed out a breath. “I still think you’re making a mistake but hey, you’re the king.”

Brant gave a barely audible growl at Lazarus’ disrespectful tone.

Zane ignored him. “Yes I am. That brings us to the final item on our agenda.” He looked somber. None of the males said anything so he continued. “Dragon-shifters.”

York’s brows snapped together as he gave Zane a hard look. “
What?
”

“Are you being serious?” Gideon asked, looking between their kings with disbelief.

“Deadly serious. There has been a spotting and I know for a fact that they exist.” Zane looked at them each in turn, as he spoke.

Titan frowned. “Surely they’re just myths, my lord. Nothing but fairy tales.”

Zane shook his head. “I assure you that they are quite real.” He went on to explain the situation. Telling the group about the Canada sighting and the minimal information he had attained as a child. “We need to be extra vigilant. I don’t want this to go beyond this room for now, but know that dragon-shifters do indeed exist.”

The males nodded.

“If there are no further questions, I think that we can close this meeting,” Brant concluded.

Zane folded his arms. “Everybody out. I want a word with Lance. Titan?”

The big male turned back.

“Three o’clock. Be here.”

“Yes, my lord.” He looked nervous. Like they were sending him to hell instead of to work with a bunch of pussy humans.

Griffin gave him a slap on the back as he walked past. He didn’t deserve such friends as these.

Titan was the last to leave; he closed the door behind himself.

“Do I also have to leave,
my lord
?” Brant growled.

“Fuck you,” Zane retorted. “Just because someone calls me the king doesn’t mean they are forgetting about you. So damned dramatic. You can stay,
my lord
.” He barked out a laugh.

“I have better places to be.” Brant gave Lance a dirty look. “For the record, I was against this decision as well. I gave Zane the benefit of the doubt…not you. Don’t make me regret it.” The male put his jacket back on and fastened the buttons. He pulled his tie tighter, gave Zane a nod and left.

Zane sighed. The male ran a hand over his face.

“Forgive me but you look really fucking tired.” Lance had to smile.

Zane yawned. He yawned some more. Not something Lance ever thought he would see. After he scrubbed his face for a second time, Zane looked him head on. “Please, please…by all that is fucking red…don’t fuck this up. The human females are important. If anything goes wrong…”

“I’ve got this.” Lance meant every word.

“I would prefer it if you were on this twenty-four seven. The scent of a human is all over you but I’m assuming that if I pull you from
The Program
that you’ll be okay with it. Our Public Relations Consultant, Alex…you’ve met Lazarus’ mate?”

“Yeah, we’ve met. She did that misleading piece on me in the Sweetwater paper.”

“Yeah, her. She mentioned that you might want out. I want to pull you, is what I’m trying to say.”

“No.” It came out more harshly than he intended.

“I didn’t realize that you were seeing someone.” He narrowed his eyes. “Is it serious?”

“No, but I’m not ready to end it yet.”

Zane looked confused, his nostrils flared again. “I don’t want you fucking around with a whole lot of humans and causing shit. Part of the reason Brant and I decided on you was because you’ve been keeping your nose clean on the human front. Hell, as far as I can tell, on every front. Am I wrong now?”

“Relax. It’s only one female. We have an agreement.”

Zane grinned. “Interesting. One female. I’m shocked.”

Lance scowled. “Well don’t be. We fuck…often. End of story.”

“Did you get my invite?” His king leaned forward.

Lance nodded. The invite. It was how it had all started. Amber had brought the thing to him after he’d dropped it, trying to keep those males from fighting over her. Idiots.

“Good. Did you see that it’s plus one?” The male smirked.

Lance had to work not to roll his eyes.

Zane sighed. “It would be good if you took this human female. You have my permission to include her.”

“Are you sure? Because I don’t think your guests would like it when I hitch her skirt. We’ll try not to make too much noise but I think they would notice my dick inside her. We don’t date, neither do we make small talk. We just fuck.”

Zane smiled. “I get it. Are you sure you don’t feel something for her?”

“Yes. Very fucking sure.” Lance sighed. “What is it with you and Griff? You’re both on me about this. It’s not exclusive. It’s not a real relationship.”

Zane raised his brows. “Yet you’re not fucking anyone else?”

“There hasn’t been much of a chance.” Right now, there was no one else he wanted more but he wasn’t about to tell Zane that. As it turned out, the male was a hopeless romantic and would take it the wrong way.

“Sounds exclusive to me.” Zane shrugged.

“It’s not,” he bit out, feeling defensive. “I’ve had enough of that word for one fucking day. I don’t do exclusive.”

“Thing is…” Zane looked far too serious for his liking. Shit, the male also looked nervous. “We’ve decided, with my mate’s urgings, to invite the leaders of the other species.” His king gripped Lance’s wrist. “We need to work on relations between the other species. Like it or not the wolf alpha is leader of the shifters. I know that you can’t stand Ward. That you see him as…”

Lance waited for the rage to hit him. He tensed in anticipation for the hot flush, the surge, yet it never came. What the fuck? Maybe he had crossed some sort of line. Maybe he was recovering, after all. No, he definitely was. Though it was still a shock not to react strongly. “I don’t hate him,” he said, shocked to find that he believed it. He didn’t exactly want to sit down and have a pow wow with the motherfucker but neither did he want to beat him to death with his own limbs. Not anymore. He sucked in a deep breath, over the fucking moon that he could really breathe for the first time in a long fucking time.

Zane frowned, a little bit suspicious but gave a nod of acceptance. “Good to know. Stephany and the children will be in attendance also.” His king actually winced when he said it.

But Lance’s blood didn’t pump faster at the mention of his ex-mate. His vision remained clear and his heart didn’t clench painfully. “I’m fine with it.”

“Are you sure? Because you need to be one hundred percent fucking sure. Nothing can go wrong to interfere with species relations. If not, then—”

He clasped Zane by the arm. It wasn’t something he had done in a long while. It might land him on his ass but he’d take his chances. This was still his friend, despite everything. “I’m sure. You can count on me. I am honored that you want me to be your son’s godfather, honored that you still believe in me. I understand the need to build on relations with the other species and why you invited them. I’m good.”

Zane looked him in the eye for a long while. “Well okay then.” He shrugged. “I’m relieved.”