ANCIENT RETRIBUTION

  ANCIENTS RISING SERIES

  KATIE REUS

  Ancient Retribution

  Ancients Rising Series

  Copyright © 2022 Katie Reus

  * * *

  Cover art by Sweet ‘N Spicy Designs

  Editor: Julia Ganis

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author.

  Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book. This purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal reading enjoyment on your personal computer or device. You do not have the right to resell, distribute, print or transfer this book, in whole or in part, to anyone, in any format, via methods either currently known or yet to be invented, or upload this book to a file sharing program. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  RETURN TO THE ACTION-PACKED ANCIENTS RISING SERIES…

  A dragon princess once lost…

  Juniper hunts down the most dangerous criminals on her black ops missions—and she’s good at it. A dragon shifter who was raised by wolves, she doesn’t know her birth clan and gave up trying to find them a hundred years ago. Since The Fall, when rogue dragons razed half the planet, she’s spent her days hunting down supernaturals who think they can escape justice, delivering her own. During a dangerous mission, she falls into the claws of a sexy warrior dragon adjusting to the modern world—and from the start she knows she’s in trouble.

  Is now found…

  Dragon shifter warrior Zephyr doesn’t fit into this new world. He doesn’t feel like he fits in anywhere—until he meets Juniper and her crew. He knows from the moment he sees the sexy and brave female dragon that they’re destined to be together. Unfortunately, life just got a whole lot more complicated. Not only are they in the fight of their lives against an overwhelming enemy force, but she’s royalty and her long-lost clan has come to bring her home. Even as they fight side by side to save hundreds of humans, he knows that winning her heart will be the hardest and most pivotal battle he’s ever waged. Juniper doesn’t want to get mated, doesn’t trust anyone with her heart—but this is one battle Zephyr will never stop fighting.

  For my mom and sister, the two strongest women I know.

  CONTENTS

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Epilogue

  Dear Readers

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Complete Booklist

  PROLOGUE

  125 years ago

  Juniper crept along the tree branch, careful to balance her weight so that it didn’t move. Her natural camouflage as a dragon shifter came in handy—like now when she was spying. She wasn’t even sure why she was bothering.

  She already knew what she’d hear. The Alpha of the wolf pack she’d been pseudo adopted into wanted her gone. And her “parents” were going to agree. She couldn’t even be angry at them. The kind healers had taken her in out of the freezing cold a year ago and they tried so hard with her.

  But…she knew she’d pushed them to their limits after this morning. It wasn’t her fault though. Some stupid wolf had thought he could pick on a younger, weaker wolf.

  So, she’d set his tail on fire. And she wasn’t sorry. The big bastard had tried to come after her then, thinking that just because she was fourteen she was easy pickings. He found out fast that she fought back.

  Now she was about to get kicked out of her pack. Which wasn’t great. This place was freezing, with mountains and snow surrounding them in every direction. She wasn’t sure where she’d go now. Something in the back of her brain told her that the cold weather was similar to where she was from but she didn’t know for sure.

  She couldn’t remember her true home. And every time she tried, it was like blades pierced her skull, only to be followed by nosebleeds that wouldn’t stop for hours. So she’d stopped trying to remember where she came from, or anything else about her past. If she had actual family, they sure hadn’t cared enough to come after her, to find her.

  From her perch, she had a decent view of the Alpha and her adopted parents in a clearing where sometimes the pack had a big bonfire and gatherings. Right now the pit they stood next to was unlit and no one was around for at least a mile. She’d be able to hear or scent them if they were.

  “She is too wild for the two of you,” Valentin said, frustration in his voice as he stood in front of Milana and Andre, the two gentle healers who’d shown her nothing but love and understanding.

  “Respectfully, Alpha, we disagree.” Milana spoke softly, her gentle voice perfect for her petite frame. Her dark hair was pulled into a long braid that fell down her back, over the thick coat she wore.

  Juniper was already taller than her by a few inches.

  “She set Stephan on fire!” Valentin snarled. “Attacked him like a feral animal. She’s not like us. I’m not saying I’ll kick her out, but she needs to be with a stronger family. Someone who can rein in her impulses.”

  Andre growled low in his throat, the first aggression Juniper had ever heard from him. She blinked in surprise. “If you try to remove her from our home, we will leave the territory with her. I respect you as my Alpha, but I will not respect this decision. Juniper doesn’t need to be toughened up. She needs care and understanding.”

  “She doesn’t remember where she comes from,” Milana continued right when Andre paused. “If you place her somewhere else, she’ll run. Of that I have no doubt. And make no mistake, we will follow her. So don’t even think about separating us. We love that girl and won’t abandon her.”

  Juniper blinked again, taken so off guard by the heat in Milana’s voice, and the fact that she wasn’t just going to…abandon her. Her throat tightened as unwanted emotions bubbled up. So she ruthlessly squashed them.

  “We know our worth to the pack,” Andre continued. “We’re two of the best healers. We receive offers annually to leave your pack. Something we’ve never considered.”

  “Until now.” Ice coated Milana’s words.

  Valentin was silent as he looked between the two of them. “If she sets anyone else on fire—”

  “Did you ask why she set Stephan on fire?” Milana asked quietly, a diminutive figure who stood as solid as a mighty oak in front of the overly tall and broad Alpha.

  He blinked. “What?”

  “It is a simple question. Why did she set Stephan on fire? Because I guarantee she had a reason.”

  There was a slight rustling below Juniper and she froze, thinking she’d been caught. She’d rolled around in ferns for an hour, covering her body in the smell, and had soaked her hair in native berries so she knew no one would catch her natural scent. No one should know she was here.

  She looked down and spotted Ren and Griffin, two members of Valentin’s pack, hurrying through the snow, just as their earthy scents reached her. They were the same age as her. Ren was a jaguar shifter and Griffin was a wolf, like the majority of the pack. He was small for his age, but he was a scrapper. And he was a good tracker.

  “What are the two of you doing here? This is a private meeting.” Valentin stepped forward, frowning at the two youths.

  “If you’re going to kick Juniper out, that’s garbage!” Ren snarled, taking Juniper by surprise. He was always so easygoing, so relaxed that she often heard some of the wolves call him a lazy feline. But he wasn’t. He just…didn’t get riled up by anything. Ever.

  Valentin started to respond, then Griffin stepped forward, hands on his hips. Griffin’s father was huge, a “small mountain” she’d heard him called before. She’d also heard his father assure him that he’d grow into himself, and even if he didn’t grow as big as him, that it did not matter. “Your worth is not in your size,” his father had said more than once. The older wolf was a gentle giant, one of the few wolves in the pack that Juniper liked, other than her adoptive parents. He’d taken Ren in as well and was raising him.

  “Juniper stood up for me when Stephan was attacking me,” Griffin said.

  The Alpha scoffed slightly. “I’m sure he was just toughening you up.”

  “No. He is a grown wolf w
ho thought it was okay to attack me, a thirteen-year-old.” Griffin’s tone was all pragmatic. “He made sure to do it when no one else was around and it’s not the first time he’s done it. Juniper was just defending me.”

  “Does your father know about this?” the Alpha asked.

  “He does now.” There was no pragmatism in his tone. Just satisfaction in those three words.

  Oh, no. Juniper had no doubt that Griffin’s father was now currently having a “talk” with Stephan. Good. The wolf got away with everything, simply because he was Valentin’s cousin.

  The Alpha simply looked between the two youths for a long moment. “Thank you for coming to me. Now leave us.”

  The two boys ran off, but for a moment Ren looked up at the snow-covered branches and she could almost swear he saw her. Mainly because he winked once. Such a weird shifter.

  Juniper stayed immobile, almost afraid to breathe.

  “Just make sure she does not set anyone else on fire,” Valentin murmured as soon as the boys were far enough away that they couldn’t hear. “But I’ve got my eye on her. If she causes trouble, she’s gone. Don’t think to threaten me with your healer status.” He growled low for a long moment.

  Fire tingled at the back of her throat, ready to lash out and blast the Alpha for daring to use that tone with her…with Milana and Andre. But she held on to her control, reined in the impulse because she knew that attacking an Alpha was just plain stupid. She might be a dragon, but she could sense how powerful Valentin was.

  “She will not cause any more trouble,” Milana said quietly, with Andre nodding his agreement.

  The Alpha stalked off, his steps agitated, his whole body vibrating with rage as he headed back toward their village.

  Once Valentin was well out of earshot, Juniper started to move, to jump down and tell them she was there, when they turned to each other. She froze as Milana continued.

  “We need to make plans to leave soon. Before the next full moon,” she said quietly. “I don’t think she’ll be safe here much longer and I won’t let anyone hurt her or take her from us.”

  Andre nodded. “We’ll say we’re planning a trip to see your parents’ pack.”

  “Then we’ll head southeast instead. They’ll take all of us in, and be happy to have new packmates and healers. It’ll be a fresh start for all of us.”

  “Griffin Senior and Griffin Junior will want to come too,” Andre said.

  Which meant Ren would come too, Juniper knew. The jaguar shifter lived with the two of them.

  Milana nodded. “Then it’s settled. I’ll speak with Griffin later tonight.”

  Juniper wasn’t sure where they would be going, but she was glad they’d be leaving. She didn’t like the way some of the wolves in this pack looked at her, as if she was less than them. And others looked at her with something…uglier. But she couldn’t believe her adoptive parents would make such a big move for her. Sure, they’d told her they loved her. But people said stuff they didn’t mean all the time. Milana and Andre, however, showed her how they felt more than anything.

  Those unwanted emotions shoved up to the surface again, threatening stupid tears. She refused to cry. Couldn’t. Didn’t want to let the floodgates open for reasons she wasn’t quite sure of. She knew she’d lost something important, something she couldn’t remember. And she couldn’t even cry about it because she didn’t know what it was.

  She waited until Milana and Andre were long gone before finally dropping down into the snow. She made a vow then and there that she wouldn’t do anything to shame Milana and Andre. She knew that she had impulse control issues, but no matter what, she would be the best daughter for them. They were willing to leave their pack and move to a new territory to keep her safe.

  And she would never let them down.

  She would also never forget the way Ren and Griffin had stood up for her.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Present day

  Juniper dove toward the demon-covered roof of a parking garage, her dragon wings beating in quick, sharp bursts as she arrowed directly at the hellish sight before her—pun intended.

  Because some dumbass had clearly decided to open a Hell gate nearby. It was bad enough that a year ago a bunch of loony dragons had attempted to take over the world. Yeah. Take. Over. The world.

  Instead, they’d destroyed half of it.

  They’d failed in what was now known as The Fall, but they’d altered the direction of the world forever. Supernaturals no longer lived in the shadows.

  Which, she had complex feelings about.

  She wished she could be surprised that someone had decided to allow demons free roam in somewhere…Tennessee? She wasn’t actually sure where they were right now.

  Didn’t matter anyway.

  She and her crew had to stop this.

  A couple dozen demons were all huddled around something, screaming and moaning like banshees. Whatever they were doing, it wasn’t good.

  Letting out a wild stream of fire, she incinerated five full-blooded demons with razor-sharp teeth, red skin, mostly humanoid bodies, and black, depthless eyes. At least these weren’t the gray-skinned Akkadian demons—those things stank worse than anything.

  Half the demons turned at her blast of fire, baring rows of teeth as they rushed at her, their claws clicking across the concrete.

  As she neared the rooftop she shifted forms, let her human body overtake her as her feet slammed into concrete. Unlike most dragon shifters, she could shift with her clothing so she wasn’t butt-ass naked right now fighting a bunch of demons. She had no idea how it worked—she didn’t know a lot about her dragon heritage—but she liked not having to constantly change clothes like her shifter friends.

  Releasing two long, glowing chains born of magic deep inside her—also an oddity for any being—from her hands, she whipped them around, slicing off the heads of the nearest demons in a whirlwind of movement.

  One of the creatures broke away from its pack, drooling and snarling as he raced at her on his hands and feet, running like a crab. He ducked, rolled, missed her magical chains and sprang off the pavement right at her face.

  Fire burned the back of her throat, ready to blast him, when a glowing arrow bolted straight through his head.

  The demon screeched right before it turned to ash. The arrow clattered to the concrete.

  “Thanks, Ren!” she shouted above the cacophony of snarls and screams. She wasn’t quite sure where he was, but she knew that had been his save for sure. The jaguar shifter loved his magical arrows.

  Suddenly a roar rent the air and fire blasted outward from the huddled demons. Ash coated the air as they incinerated and…a naked male stood, panting hard, blood running down his arms as he held his bloody open palm against a Hell gate opening.

  Oh goddess, the Hell gate opening was right here. No wonder there had been so many demons huddled together. A glowing slash that cut right through the fabric of reality spilled out red light as this guy did his best to close the gate. He had to be magical—or a dragon shifter if he was going to successfully close the gate.

  She had to help him.

  “Guys, cover me!” she shouted as she called on her chains, ordering them to disappear. She’d been working with Ren, Hyacinth and Griffin in black ops for a long time and knew they’d have her back.

  Juniper raced up to the male as demons exploded to ash one by one all around her thanks to her crew.