The Water Dragons Box Set: Books 1 - 4 (Complete)

by Charlene Hartnady

  Beck shook his head. “She’s good and kind. She was misled by her people. She isn’t…” he pushed a breath out. “I thought she was evil but…” he shook his head. “She isn’t.”

  “Who?” Torrent growled

  “The slayer…Alex.”

  Torrent was on his feet in less than a second. “What the hell are you saying?”

  “She helped me escape.” Beck stood up too. “She found out what they were all about…the slayers…they’re lying to some of their people…Alex included, she…”

  “No!” Torrent pounded the table with one hand. “What are you saying? I can’t believe my ears.”

  “Please hear me out. Alex isn’t the evil bitch she comes across as, she’s…”

  “You fucked her!” Torrent yelled, his face turning red. “I can’t believe it!” He got this bewildered look. “You fucked a slayer?”

  “Yes, but…”

  “You let her play you.”

  “It isn’t like that, I’m here because I want to be with her, I need your permission to…”

  “Not a fuck! I can’t believe you would come here…to me…and ask if you can be with,” he spat, “a slayer. The same female who was going to torture Flood. The same one who had females beaten and hurt. A slayer, Beck, a fucking slayer. Can you hear yourself?”

  “It wasn’t Alex who did those things. It was her father. Alex believed she was doing all this to save the humans. She didn’t know about the mines, or the real reason the slayers want to know the whereabouts of our lairs. She only just found out. Her family has been lying to her all this time.” He spoke quickly. “She was led to believe that shifters hated humans, that we were plotting against them. She thought she was helping.” Beck could see that Torrent wasn’t buying a thing he was saying. He knew how it sounded. He knew how it looked. That’s why he had taken this long to come and see Torrent. He had reached a point where he was desperate. He had to at least try to explain, to convince his leader. Beck couldn’t just turn his back on Alex without giving it his best shot. He had to try. One last-ditch effort.

  “You fucked her…I take it this went on for some time since you were gone for two weeks. You let her get under your skin. Once again, you are thinking with your dick,” Torrent snarled.

  “No, I…”

  “You were too busy organizing a date at the hotel, you weren’t paying attention to begin with. You…” Torrent pointed a finger at Beck, “…were the reason the slayers could get close in the first place. Thinking with your goddamn dick. This female played you then and she’s playing you now. If you think I’m letting her anywhere near here, you’re mistaken. Open your eyes, dammit!”

  “This has nothing to do with my dick.”

  “Bullshit! She seduced you. She played you. This female is evil. She’s one of them! Drop this, Beck. Leave my office. Close that door behind you when you leave. Don’t speak of this to me again. Don’t breathe a word to anyone else. This is treason. I should inform Blaze. I should lock you up and throw away the fucking key. Love? Do me a fucking favor.”

  Beck clenched his jaw. He had to stop himself from talking. It didn’t matter what he said. He knew nothing would convince Torrent. Maybe he could bring it up at a later stage. The male needed to calm down first. Maybe then he would listen to all the facts in a day or two.

  “If you bring this up again, I will be forced to take action.” Torrent’s eyes blazed. “You don’t want to head down that path.”

  There went that idea. His chest tightened. Her own people had turned their back on her. Just like he had. His female had no one. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair!

  “Answer me,” Torrent said, “will you drop this now?”

  Beck nodded. What else could he say? “Yes, fine, I’ll drop it, but I swear to you, she’s good. I…”

  Torrent put his hand up. “Don’t say any more.” He walked around the desk and touched Beck on the side of the arm for a moment. “You’re a good male. I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry you were…hurt like this. If you need time off, you can have it. If you need to talk things through, I am here. I don’t want to hear her name again though. You will get over this. You will come to realize that I am right. Give it time.”

  It wasn’t going to happen.

  He wasn’t just going to get over Alex.

  Beck didn’t blame Torrent for this line of thought though. He couldn’t blame the male one bit. It was what he had expected. It was completely rational of his king. Beck nodded. “Thank you. I don’t need time off. I understand. Thank you for hearing me out.”

  Torrent nodded. “And Beck,” he said as Beck turned.

  “Yes?” he asked, looking his king in the eyes.

  “Your place is here…with us…your people.”

  Beck nodded. “I know.” He mumbled his goodbyes and left. There was a part of him that wanted to shift and to head to her. He’d be able to find her since he had her cellphone number. Torrent had more than likely sensed the growing need inside him. Maybe seen it written in Beck’s eyes. Who knew? Sometimes he wished that he and Alex had never exchanged numbers. It ate at him. The need to see her. To talk to her. To touch her.

  Torrent was right on one thing. His place was here. If only things could be different.

  Chapter 20

  Two weeks, one day and four hours later…

  Beck landed on the balcony just ahead of his formation. He heard the others shifting back as well. Bones cracking. Ligaments, muscles and sinew reforming. Scales, claws and teeth retracting. He staggered a step as he made the final transformation. It had been a long two days. He and his team had covered many miles.

  Tide walked over to him. The male gave his back a light slap. “Welcome home.”

  “Thank you, my prince.” He frowned. “Shouldn’t you be at home? The birth is any day now, right?”

  Tide beamed. He nodded. “Yes, any hour, for that matter.” He saw the male’s Adam’s apple bob.

  “Nervous?”

  “Nah…I’m…” Then his whole expression changed. “I’m crapping myself.” He scratched his head.

  Beck laughed. “It will be fine. You’ll see.”

  “It’s just that Meghan’s been on edge since…” His whole face turned stormy. “Since that day. All because of her!” the male growled.

  “I’m sorry.” Beck felt a lump grow in his throat. Felt the air seize in his lungs.

  “It’s not your fault,” Tide said. “You saved us, remember?” His prince smiled broadly. “My female will be fine. Once our son is born healthy and well, she will be able to relax again, I am sure.”

  “You should be with her,” Beck said.

  “I came to tell you to take a couple of days off. You’re overdoing it.” Tide looked concerned. “It’s like you feel you have something to prove. Like you’re trying to right a wrong. You didn’t force that slayer’s hand. You didn’t see that attack coming. You did save us in the end. I know you won’t talk about it…not all of it, but it couldn’t have been easy. You must have suffered. None of us blame you for taking some time off after your ordeal before coming home,” Tide sighed.

  Guilt welled.

  “Look, I know I’ve told you all this before, I just felt you needed to hear it again. You’ve beaten yourself up enough.”

  Beck nodded. If Tide found out, the male would be gutted. He’d also be angry. Torrent had handled it well, considering. Tide would be much less forgiving. Not at all understanding. Beck would be put in a silver cage, or worse, he’d be excommunicated. For taking the slayer…Alex…to his bed. He paused. Stopping right there. It had been more than just sex. Like he’d confessed to Torrent, he’d fallen for her. Fallen hard and, in doing so, he’d betrayed his people. That was why, despite a burning need to go to her, to find her and to do it right then, he couldn’t. He couldn’t do it to Tide. To his king. It didn’t matter how he felt. He could not betray his people.

  “I can see you are doing it right now,” Tide chided. “Stop beating yours
elf up! Take a couple of days or you’ll burn out.”

  That the male cared only made Beck feel worse. He missed Alex so damned much. Every day. Every hour. Every damned second. The yearning was eating him up. The guilt was killing him. Beck shook his head. If he wasn’t busy, he got into his own head. Got to thinking. About her. Alex. “No, I’m fine!” This whole situation was fucked up.

  “Take a couple of days,” Tide insisted. “I’m ordering it.”

  Beck nodded once.

  Two days later…

  Beck stood in the queue. The food smelled great. It was his favorite, deer steak. Both things reminded him of Alex. Who was he kidding? Everything seemed to remind him of her. He found himself wondering what she was doing right then.

  “Beck!” Someone shouted his name from across the hall. He looked over to see what the fuss was about.

  It was Reef. The male was naked, which was normal, but not for the eating hall. Reef began to jog towards him, his face animated. Come to think of it, he looked like he had just shifted. There was a dirt smear on his chest.

  Beck narrowed his eyes on the male. “What’s wrong?” Adrenaline surged.

  “Nothing is wrong,” he said, as he arrived, standing a few feet away from Beck. “I came to tell you that they got one.”

  “Got one what?” Beck shook his head.

  “A slayer. That slayer.” He widened his eyes. “The female…the one who took you. They got her…the fire dragons, that is.”

  Everything in him seized. There was a breaking noise at his feet. Beck realized he’d dropped the plate he was holding. It had smashed. He stepped onto the shards, not caring if his feet were ripped to shreds. Beck gripped Reef by the shoulders. “What do you mean? Where is she?” he snarled.

  Reef’s eyes widened. “Easy man! Easy,” he repeated.

  Beck had to force himself to let the male go. “Speak,” he managed to push out. “Tell me what happened.” His chest was heaving and yet he couldn’t get any air into his lungs.

  “Crazy bitch flew into dragon territory.”

  Beck snarled loudly. Loud enough that Reef took a step back. “I know.” His eyes were wide with shock. “Some nerve, right?”

  The male was mistaking his reaction to that of anger…towards Alex. He couldn’t know how wrong he was. “What happened?” Beck’s voice was a thick rasp.

  Reef shrugged. “He shot her down.”

  Beck fell to his knees, a cry of anguish torn from him. He could hear his heart beating. Thud, thud, thud. His ears were filled with the sound of it. His whole body broke out into a cold sweat. “No!” he shouted, covering his face with his hands.

  “What’s wrong with you?” he finally heard Reef say. “Are you okay?”

  Beck lifted his gaze. “Is she…? Is she…?” The hope that suddenly surged through him was devastating because he knew the answer.

  “The chopper is a burned-up mess. There was no body left.” Reef gave a one-shouldered shrug. Like it was nothing. Beck clenched his fists, wanting to knock the male’s teeth in. It wasn’t Reef’s fault though. He forced himself to breathe.

  “The male is sure it was her?” Beck growled the words.

  “Yeah, we circulated those photographs from the hotel CCTV camera footage. Spark said he recognized her immediately. It was only her in the chopper, so he took her out.”

  Beck shook. His whole body vibrated with adrenaline. With the need to do something. But, what? It was too late. She was gone.

  “You look upset,” Reef frowned. “Why would you be upset?” Then he smiled. “You were probably hoping to kill her yourself?”

  More adrenaline. No! This couldn’t be true. It couldn’t! “I need to go see.”

  “No,” Reef shook his head. “The area is being evacuated. There could be more hunters out there. It isn’t safe.”

  There were no more, but he couldn’t tell Reef that. What was Alex doing there? Why had she come? Looking for him? Surely not! His eyes stung. His throat felt clogged. It must be true though. She must have been looking for him on account of not being able to reach him any other way. His cellphone would only work when he was back on human territory. It had to be!

  Reef was frowning again. “The strange thing was that the chopper wasn’t armed.”

  “Why the fuck did he shoot then?”

  “Yeah,” Reef nodded. “Blaze was angry about that too. He would have liked to bring her in alive for questioning. Thing is…it’s the hunt today.”

  “Is it?” Beck knew there was one coming up. It was the first one they’d had in a long time. No wonder this place was so quiet.

  “I still can’t believe you didn’t take part. Then again, a male like you isn’t looking to settle down.” Reef grinned.

  Up until recently, Reef would’ve been right on the money. That wasn’t true now though. At least, it hadn’t been. He would have settled down for the right female. For Alex. His eyes stung more.

  “Anyway,” Reef went on, “the guards on duty had been ordered to take down any bogies. No questions. No hesitations.”

  “But she wasn’t armed!” he growled.

  “The male was a youngster…still wet behind the ears. He is shaken up about it, but at least the human females are safe. They have all been accounted for.” Then his face tightened. “They keep fucking it up for us. At this rate we won’t have another hunt. It’s just too dangerous.”

  Beck wasn’t really listening to what the male was saying. Then he was running. More than one male called his name, but he ignored them. He needed to see for himself. Needed to do something. Beck headed for the balcony and shifted in less than a second.

  It was his fault this had happened. She’d come into dragon territory because of him. He’d told her that dragons were creatures of honor. She probably thought if she came in unarmed that she wouldn’t be harmed. What had he done?

  Alex.

  Alex.

  Alex.

  Noooo!

  Beck pushed himself to fly faster.

  Chapter 21

  The elderly female shrieked and clutched her chest. Her eyes glued on his cock. Beck ignored her, his gaze trained down the hallway ahead. He was crazy. This was stupid. Why was he even there?

  Alex was gone. He’d been to the crash site and it was, indeed, a burned-out wreck, barely even recognizable as a helicopter. Even the ground was charred. There was no way she had survived. It was an impossibility.

  Then again, what if the male had seen wrong? No! That wasn’t very likely. Glossy five-by-nines had been circulated. Every dragon knew exactly what Alex looked like. Maybe though? Maybe?

  He was grasping at straws. Stupid! Beck knocked on the door. He knocked again, harder this time. Chances were good that she’d moved since he was last there. He should have gone to a safe house first. Should have called. He was…

  The door opened.

  It was her. He staggered back. Not sure if he was seeing right.

  Alex clutched her chest. “Beck?” Her eyes widened with shock. She smiled and threw herself at him.

  “Alex,” he growled. “Oh my god, it’s you.” He closed his arms around her.

  “Who else would it be?” She wiped at her eyes. “Come in!” Then she noticed that he was naked. “Quickly!” she added with a giggle, “before someone sees you. What are you doing here? Don’t misunderstand…I’m happy to see you. Thrilled!”

  He hugged her again, pulling her close, breathing her in. The male had been wrong. He had made a mistake. It wasn’t Alex. The youngster was indeed wet behind the ears. “It doesn’t matter.” His voice was gruff. Beck kissed her…hard. He pulled her against him, needing to feel her warmth. Her. Needing to feel her heartbeat. Alive! His slayer was there. Alive and well and in his arms where she belonged. “I’m so damned happy to see you.” He cupped her cheek. “I missed you so badly.”

  “I missed you, too.”

  “No, you don’t understand. I’m broken without you. I should never have left.”

  She smiled. �
��I tried to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  “I went to see my king, to try and explain. I had to give it a shot.”

  “Let me guess?” She bit down on her lip for a second. “It didn’t go well.”

  “No. You were right about us. About this. You were right about Torrent. From here on out, I’m going to listen to everything you say. I won’t…”

  “Wait a minute! Are you saying you plan on staying?”

  “Yes,” he nodded. “I love you, Alex. We belong together. I know we haven’t been together for long and that it’s probably too soon to…”

  Alex kissed him long and hard. She laughed as she pulled away. “It’s not too soon. I feel the same. I love you so much. I’ve been miserable without you. What about your people though? I don’t want to keep you away from them.” Her eyes filled with concern.

  “I couldn’t stay before because I felt like I would be betraying my people, but the truth is that I would be betraying myself even more by not being with you. I’d be betraying my heart…my soul. I know that sounds sappy, but it’s true.”

  “I know you already tried, but maybe we could talk to them? Both of us.”

  Again, she was willing to risk herself for him. “No.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about that right now. I want you.”

  “I want you, too.”

  Beck kissed her. He wasn’t sure how he’d lasted so long without her. “I thought I’d lost you,” he murmured between kisses.

  “You didn’t though. Not for one second,” she muttered. “It was dangerous, but I stayed right here in the hopes you’d come back.”