Captured Dragon (Water Dragons Book 2)

by Charlene Hartnady

  The air was cold. It was also fresh. They ran from the barn. The stars had never looked more beautiful. Paige looked up for all of two seconds. They couldn’t afford longer.

  “Move!” Flood shouted.

  He was already rounding a vehicle. He looked in through the window, obviously hoping to find a key. Paige ran to the next vehicle. No key in the ignition.

  “We need cover!” Flood yelled. “They’re coming!”

  Paige turned the flashlight off, sticking it into the front of her jeans. The lights were on in the main house. Someone was shouting. A dog barked. Someone yelled from inside the barn.

  “This way,” Flood growled, heading for the corn fields. “Hurry!” he yelled, slowing down so that the rest of them could catch up. Although he had been moving fast, she suspected he could go much faster.

  Paige had only just made it to the cover of the tall plants when the first shot rang out.

  Bang!

  Paige dropped to the floor, trying to see what was happening. It sounded close. Kelly was down on one knee, she held the gun with both hands. Another loud bang sounded and Kelly jerked backwards slightly, still holding her position. Paige realized with a start that it was the young woman who was firing. Men with flashlights were dropping to the ground and seeking cover. Kelly fired off a couple more rounds and then turned and ran into the corn behind them. “That should hold them for a minute or two.”

  Yet another shot rang out from somewhere behind them. “Shit!” Hayley yelled, holding her head and crouching down. “They’re shooting back.”

  “We need to stay low and keep moving,” Flood whispered loud enough for all of them to hear.

  It was hard going. The tall plants were tightly packed together. It meant weaving their way through the foliage. Flood was surprisingly agile for his size. Kelly stayed at the rear. On and on they went. Paige kept her eyes on the big shifter, working hard at keeping up. If any of them lost sight of the person in front, it might mean getting split up. It was very dark but the half-moon in the sky above them afforded them enough light to see.

  After what felt like an hour, but was probably only fifteen or twenty minutes, Flood stopped. By then her shirt clung to her back. All of them were breathing hard. “It’s time to go,” Flood said. “I can only take two of you with me.”

  “What about the other two?” Sydney asked, her eyes wide.

  “I’ll come back for you as soon as I can. It’ll be tough for them to find you out here.”

  “I heard a dog,” Paige said. “What if it’s one of those tracker hounds?”

  Flood shook his head. “I don’t think they’re giving chase. I haven’t heard anything behind us. Chances are good that they’ll clear out,” Flood mused. “I’m hoping that’s not the case but I’m sure they’ll be long gone in no time.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Hayley frowned.

  “I’ll be back within a few hours. I won’t be alone. It’s time to turn the tables on these bastards.”

  “In the meanwhile, two of us need to stay here while you send for help.” Paige locked eyes with Flood, who nodded.

  "Does that mean you're volunteering?" Sydney asked. Before Paige could respond, she went on. "Hayley, you come with Flood and me. Kelly, you're armed, so it's best if you stay with Paige, for protection."

  Paige had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. They had only just escaped and Sydney was already taking over. Arguing wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

  Kelly expertly opened up the chamber of the gun and looked inside. “One bullet left,” she announced. “That’ll get us far,” she added, sarcasm dripping from every word.

  “It’s settled then,” Sydney said as if Kelly hadn’t even spoken.

  Flood looked her way. “You sure you’re fine to stay?” he asked her.

  “We’ll be okay.” Paige nodded once

  His jaw tightened. His eyes held hers for a few more seconds before he nodded in return. “Fine. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He grabbed her hand and squeezed. “Stay hidden and stay alive.”

  She nodded. “We will. You too.” She squeezed back.

  “Let’s head out that way,” he spoke to Hayley and Sydney, letting her hand go and pointing to the right of them.

  “Why?” Sydney made a face.

  “I don’t want to shift and give away their location.” He glanced back at Paige as he spoke. “Stay close,” he instructed. And then they were gone, swallowed up by the corn.

  “Do you think they’ll be okay?” Kelly whispered.

  “Yes,” Paige said. “I think they’ll be just fine.”

  “Do you think they’ll be back in time to save us?” she asked, so softly Paige could barely hear her.

  “Without a doubt,” Paige said, meaning every word. Flood wouldn’t let her…them down.

  Chapter 17

  The waiting had been agonizing.

  The rescue, quick. Over in seconds. The sky seemed to darken with the bodies of at least a hundred dragons. Two swooped in and clasped them in their scaly claws. The one who picked her up had beautiful purple eyes and the one holding Kelly blue ones. Of Flood, there was no sign. He could have been any of the many dragons that descended on the barn and the house. Or one of the many who continued to circle the sky.

  Paige didn’t have much time to ponder because the dragons carrying them left immediately. They were brought back to the lair. It wasn’t the same one as before. This one was smaller. The dragons all had the same markings as Flood. It was the Water dragon lair. At least that was something; it meant that Flood would be there…maybe…surely? She wanted to see him. To find out what was going on. Instead, she had been escorted to a room. Inside the room was her suitcase with her belongings. There was also a tray of food.

  Paige had showered and changed. Then she’d eaten. Despite herself, she’d fallen asleep and had only woken up at lunchtime the next day. Still a bit stiff and sore but otherwise good. There was a fresh tray of food next to her bed, making her realize that she was ravenous all over again. After eating she’d taken a shower and had been pacing the room ever since.

  Still no Flood. Was he okay? He had become her friend over the last few days and it was only right that she felt concerned. Paige wasn’t sure what to do. There was no phone in her room but even if there had been one, who would she contact? It wasn’t like this was a hotel or anything. Maybe she could head out, ask the first person she came across. Paige slipped on a pair of pumps and opened the front door. She peaked outside.

  “Hello, female.” There was a shifter in the passageway next to the door.

  She clutched her chest and made a squealing noise. “You scared me half to death.” Paige hadn’t known what to expect, but this wasn’t it. She sucked in a deep breath, holding it inside, willing her heart to calm down.

  “I’m sorry.” He smiled. He had soft blue eyes and brown hair. “Didn’t mean to startle you. My name is Bay.” The shifter held out his hand and she shook it.

  “Paige. It’s good to meet you.”

  “Was there something that you needed?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Well, sort of. I was just wondering if the others were okay? I mean, I assume they are since a rescue team arrived. A big rescue team.” She was babbling and forced herself to get to the point. “Are Sydney, Hayley and Flood okay? Where is Kelly? They were taken to different rooms.”

  “Kelly is staying there, that is her door over there.” Bay pointed across the hall. Another shifter stood vigil outside that door as well. He waved and gave a nod of the head in greeting.

  Paige waved back. “Oh, I see.”

  “She is quite well,” Bay went on. “She is resting after your ordeal. The others are all safe too.”

  “That’s good to know. Um…do you know how long we are going to be expected to sit around? What do you plan on doing with us?”

  Bay smiled at her. “Firstly, I wanted to mention that I heard how you helped Flood. How the two of you worked together to get hi
m strong and then to execute the plan of escape. You are some female and you should feel very proud. I have a lot of respect for you.”

  “Thank you!” How much had Flood told them? Hopefully not everything. This was unexpected.

  “It was very brave and selfless of you. I am glad you are asking these questions because Torrent ‒ King of the Water Dragons ‒ has invited all of you to dinner this evening. He has some wonderful news to share. I would have told you soon.”

  “Will Flood be there?” she blurted. Paige found herself hoping she would see him. “I still have to thank him for…everything.”

  “I’m sure he will want to thank you as well,” Bay said. “Yes, he will be attending, along with the higher-ranking Water males.”

  “Oh, okay. What should we wear? Is it formal?”

  “Yes, you can dress for the occasion. It is not every day that you will get to have dinner with the king and queen.”

  Great! Dinner with a royal couple. This was not something she imagined would happen when she packed for this trip. As a vet’s assistant, it wasn’t like she attended many fancy functions. She only had one or two nice dresses. ‘Nice’ being the operative word. They were hardly formal attire. She pulled in a deep breath. Then again, after the last few days, she shouldn’t care. Things like that weren’t important. Not anymore. They were alive. “What happened? Back at the barn, that is. Did you catch the bad guys?”

  Bay shook his head. “The place was cleared out. They even took the body of the dead male and anything else that could be used to identify them. We have dragons staking out the area but doubt very much that they’ll be back.”

  “That’s a pity.”

  “Yes, it is.” Bay nodded, his expression grave. “Flood was exhausted by the time he made it to our lair. He still insisted on leaving immediately to lead a party back to where they had been holding all of you. He was worried about having left the two of you in hostile territory. He hoped to catch the hunters as well, but alas.”

  “You guys have no idea who these hunters are?”

  He made a noise, which told her he didn’t really want to talk about this. Maybe he wasn’t allowed to. “We have some idea of who some of the families could be but the exact slayers who orchestrated this,” Bay shook his head. “I’m afraid we have no idea.”

  She nodded.

  Then he perked up. “You have two hours to prepare. I will knock when it is time.”

  She suddenly got flutters in her stomach. Although she couldn’t say if it was because she was going to see Flood again or because she was meeting dragon royalty. Would things be weird between her and Flood? Or, would they be normal? Like nothing had happened. She hoped the latter. “Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll be ready.”

  Flood couldn’t take his eyes off the door. He had been told that all four human females would be attending this dinner.

  “You look…nervous.” Tide gave him the once-over. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you nervous before. Not in all the years I’ve known you. Not before going into battle. Not when we were called in to see Torrent after that one mission went south and we were ripped a new one. Never.” The Water prince smiled. “Out with it. What’s going on?”

  “Nothing.”

  “You do know that ‘nothing’ means something? Especially paired with the fact that you are pacing. You keep clasping and unclasping your hands, and more importantly, you keep looking over at the door.”

  “The human females will be here soon. I haven’t seen them since we made our escape. I guess I’m a little nervous.”

  “Maybe it has to do with the news we received earlier.” Tide clapped him on the back. “What do you think? You know these females. Spent time with them. I’m sure you have a very good chance—”

  “Don’t!” Flood put up a hand. “I am sure you are wrong. It is not something I wish to talk about.” In truth, he was worried because he was hoping… No! Chances were it wasn't going to happen. No use getting all excited just to have his hopes dashed. If things worked out, then they worked out, and if they didn't, well, he would be fine too.

  “Okay then.” Tide laughed. Flood wished he could be as carefree as this male. As most of the males. It wasn’t how he was wired though. “Come and get a drink. Calm your nerves. At the very least you won’t look like you’re about to kill someone. You may not have noticed but most of the males are congregating on the other side of the room.” Tide laughed some more. “You also keep clenching your fists and grinding your teeth.”

  “Oh.” Flood pushed out a breath. “I didn’t realize I was doing that.”

  “With a look of murder on your face. You’ve got everyone on edge. Torrent asked me to come and have a word. His mate is quite timid.”

  “Oh!” Fuck! Exactly the problem. “Human females are mostly afraid of me.”

  “Look, there’s a reason you are in charge of our warriors. You’re intelligent, don’t talk unless it’s necessary and you’re lethal, but I happen to think you’re a really decent male. Any human female would be lucky to have you. You need to find someone willing to get to know you. The real you. The male hiding beneath all these layers of muscle. The male beneath that death-stare you manage to get so right.” Tide gave a fake shiver and then smiled. “She’s out there, and who knows—”

  “We spoke about this. I don’t want to hear it.”

  Just then, the door opened and the females walked in. A hush fell over the guests as everyone turned to stare. Flood only had eyes for one female. Paige wore a simple black dress. It came to just above her knees. It was neither very tight nor too loose-fitting. It fell from a V-neck which showcased her cleavage to perfection. Her hair was loose about her shoulders and quite beautiful. She had something on her lips which made them shiny and…

  “Hey, Flood.” Tide gave him a nudge. “You should probably pick your jaw up off the floor. You need to play it cool.”

  Flood turned away from the females and nodded once. Tide was right.

  “I take it you have your eye on one of them. Based on our debriefing and on the scent of human female still clinging to you, I think I can guess which one.”

  “Things went down the way they did so that we could escape.” He didn’t want to have this conversation. “I doubt she feels anything for me.” He’d already said more than he had planned. “I told you…” There was a growl to his voice.

  “Yeah, yeah, you don’t want to talk about it…right.” Tide nodded. “Let’s go and get that drink.”

  “I want to go over and—”

  “No, not just yet,” Tide said. “You need to play it cool. You’re not desperate. Females are not interested in males who come on too strong.”

  Did he need to play it cool? Flood had never been one to play games. He was a straight male.

  Tide nudged him again. “I know females. I’m mated to one of the best.” His gaze moved to where his mate was standing. Meghan and Candy were talking together. The doctor was a beautiful and very kind female.

  Maybe Flood had been going about things all wrong. Maybe Tide was right. “Okay. Let’s get that drink and then I would like to go and see if Paige…if the females are doing okay.” He glanced back to the entrance and noted that they were surrounded by a multitude of males. Paige smiled at something one of them was saying. He really was stupid to think he could win a female like her.

  Thinking like that would get him nowhere though. He would play it cool, as Tide put it. Then he would check in on the females and make sure that Paige knew of his interest. At the same time, he didn’t want her to think she owed him anything. He didn’t want to come across as pushy or needy either.

  “Stop staring already,” Tide chided him. “Let’s go and grab that drink.”

  Flood followed the male to the bar.

  “What are you having?” Tide asked.

  Flood shrugged. “I don’t really drink alcohol. I sometimes sip a beer at the stag run just to blend in.”

  “Beer is boring.” Tide shook his head. “You
could use something stronger. Not that alcohol really affects us, but hey, you’ve been to hell and back.” The male gestured to the bartender. “Two tequilas. It is a celebration after all. You saved those females.”

  “Paige had a big hand in it.”

  “Absolutely. You worked together as a team.” Tide clapped him on the back.

  “I should be drinking this with her,” Flood said.

  “All in good time.” Tide grinned. “Here.” He handed one of the small glasses to Flood.

  The smell coming off the liquid was vile, it made his eyes water and his nose burn. “You mean I have to actually drink this?”

  Tide nodded. “Yes. I would say ‘to courage’ but you are the most courageous male I know, so let’s toast to happiness.”

  Flood shrugged. He could do with some happiness. “Sounds good.” They clinked glasses and Tide downed his.

  Flood had a feeling he would regret it. He followed suit anyway. He squeezed his eyes shut as the fiery liquid burned its way down his throat and into his belly. “This tastes like diesel fuel,” he finally managed to choke out.

  Tide laughed. “We should have one more for luck.”

  “Not a chance.” Flood put the small glass down. “No more!”

  “Okay, how about that beer then?”

  Flood nodded. “Fine.” He had seen a glass of wine in Paige’s hand. More than anything, he wanted to fit in. The bartender poured the beer into a glass and placed it in front of him.

  Tide held up his own tumbler, there was a small amount of amber-colored liquid inside. “Good luck!” The male smiled.

  “Am I actually permitted to approach the female now?”

  Tide nodded. “Yes, but don’t be overbearing.”

  “I’m not!” Flood growled.

  Tide snorted. “You are and you will be. Do not go up to her and tell her that you are interested and that you want—”

  “Why not?” Flood interrupted. “I prefer to be straight about things. Wouldn’t it be better to just admit to wanting more right off the bat?”