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

by Charlene Hartnady

  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 him 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?”

  “No!” Tide widened his eyes. “That would be terrible. Best way to scare off a human female. Go over and say hi. Check in with her, but don’t be pushy, that’s all. There is no rush.”

  “What if—?”

  “You heard Torrent. He’ll make his announcement. You have time to try to win her. The only thing I’m concerned about is that you might get into a fight and then—”

  “I won’t fight!” Flood clenched his fists. “I will keep it together.”

  “Okay, I can see you are serious about this female. There’s no rush ‒ that’s the last thought I’m leaving you with.”

  “Thank you for the advice.” Flood nodded once, feeling his nerves take hold. He turned and strode towards the group.

  There were twelve males including himself. The females were walled in. Completely surrounded. Flood narrowed his eyes, feeling his scales rubbing. No fighting. He kept on walking, making a growling noise low in his throat as he neared the group. It would be too low for the females to hear.

  The males, on the other hand, parted. It was grudging but they moved to the side at the sound of the low growl.

  “Oh, hi!” One of the females smiled broadly. Sydney walked straight up to him and hugged him.

  He felt his brow crease in surprise. Flood was too astounded to react. He just stood there, while the female continued to hug him. Her face plastered to his chest.

  “It’s so good to see you,” she said as she finally released him, a smile on her face.

  “You too.” It seemed like the right thing to say.

  He looked up, catching Paige’s eye for just a second before she looked away. She was still talking with one of the other males.

  Flood had to work not to growl.

  “How nice of your king to throw this party,” Sydney said, drawing his attention back to her.

  “Yes.” He nodded, not sure what to say.

  “That’s him over there, right?” she asked.

  Flood nodded. “Yes, he is in conversation with Storm, one of the princes.”

  “Oh, that’s interesting.” The female went on to ask him a multitude of questions. If she wasn’t asking him something, she was talking about herself. On and on. How did he extract himself without coming across as rude?

  Paige was still in deep conversation with that fucker, Beck. He might be Flood’s second in command, and good at his job, but where females were concerned, the male was no good. He often disappeared with more than one female on a stag run. He liked to warm the she-dragons’ beds as often as they would allow. Beck was considered good-looking, charming, and yet he was an asshole. What did a female like Paige see in a male like that?

  “I heard that you are the most senior-ranked person after the royals, is that true?” Sydney asked, pulling his attention back to her.

  “Um…yes, of the Water Dragons.”

  He had to force himself to concentrate as Sydney clapped her hands and smiled. “You need to tell me all about what it is you do.”

  Chapter 18

  Paige spotted Flood almost as soon as she walked in. She tried not to zone in on him immediately. Her stomach did flutter a little as she caught sight of him. This was the first time she had seen him since their escape. Would it be awkward and weird between them? Or would they be able to just move on like all that sex had never happened? Her stomach fluttered again…or maybe it was other parts of her anatomy reacting when she remembered the sex.

  One thing she could say was that Flood looked good. He had cleaned up really well. His hair was trimmed short and his facial hair had been shaven clean. He looked fantastic. As in, healthy ‒ there were barely even scars on his chest. You wouldn’t know they had been there if you didn’t know.

  He wore a pair of those cotton pants. All the shifters did and in varying colors. Flood’s pair was black. Plain and simple. Her eyes were drawn to him as he headed for the bar with another guy. Was he avoiding her? It was possible. Back to the part about things being weird and awkward.

  “He is so hot!” Sydney gushed. Paige looked at the other woman, who was also staring at Flood. His back was broad. His muscles were toned and his skin was a gorgeous, healthy bronze. He seemed to dominate the room but that was probably because he was just so darned big.

  Paige wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she simply nodded.

  “Look at how he fills those pants.” Sydney giggled, giving her a nudge. The others still didn’t know what had gone down in the cell. At least, the women didn’t know; she wasn’t sure about the shifters. Her cheeks felt hot at the thought of everyone knowing. She hoped to god Flood hadn’t said anything to anyone. What had happened in there was between them. Something private and intimate.

  “Then again, they’re all pretty hot,” Sydney whispered, winking at Paige. “I wonder if we’ll redo the hunt or if…if we still get to date them?” She smoothed down her dress, which was beautiful. An elegant cocktail number in a gorgeous shade of blue that complemented her skin tone.

  “I don’t know.” It hadn’t even crossed her mind. She was so glad to be safe. Too thrilled that all of them had made it to even consider moving on in that way. What? Would she just start dating one of these guys? No, it felt wrong somehow.

  Flood and that other shifter downed a shot. She smiled for real when she caught the disgusted look on Flood’s face.

  “Hi.” One of the shifters sidled up to her, looking down at her. She realized that Sydney had moved off without her realizing it. She was glad. She didn’t particularly feel like making small talk with her. “My name is Beck,” the guy said, smiling. “You must be Paige.” He was a really good-looking guy, in a chiseled, movie star kind of a way.

  She nodded, shaking his hand. “Yes, you would be right.”

  “It’s good to meet you. I heard what a big hand you
played in the escape. How you distracted the human male long enough for Flood to take him out. That was very brave of you.”

  “Hardly. Just doing what needed to be done to escape.” She hoped he would move on to another topic.

  “I was at the debriefing this morning. I’m Flood’s second in command.” He winked at her. “I have to say, you are some female.”

  She didn’t like where this was going. “Not really, like I said, we did what it took to survive.” Paige took a sip of her champagne.

  “You asked to be put in a cage with a male like Flood.” He widened his eyes. “That took some guts. He’s somewhat of a monster.” He laughed at his own joke. Paige couldn’t bring herself to smile even though he didn’t seem like he was trying to be nasty.

  “Hardly.” Flood might be tough on the outside but she’d come to realize that he was a softy on the inside. A monster though? No way. “The only reason he was injured to begin with was because he was trying to save us, despite the odds stacked against him. And then, I have some medical background, so it seemed like the right thing to do.”

  “I believe you work with animals…sick ones.” Beck laughed. “Flood is an animal alright. He doesn’t have much of a sense of danger. Balls the size of…” he gestured crudely with his hands. “They’re big.”

  She nodded once, trying to force a smile. It didn’t work.

  “Don’t get me wrong, Flood is a great male. We like to rag on one another.” Beck shrugged. “There’s the big lug now, not wasting any time, I see.”

  Paige looked up to see Sydney with her arms around Flood. She was pressing herself firmly against him.

  “I’m glad for him,” Beck said. “Are you okay with the whole thing? I know human females can be quite…emotional about things sometimes.”

  “What do you mean by emotional?” she asked, frowning.

  “You know.” He touched the side of her arm. “You let Flood fuck you in order to heal him. Like I said, I was at the debriefing.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. Thankfully he wasn’t grinning or leering at her.

  Her blood turned chilly though and she broke out in a cold sweat. It was as she had suspected. Flood had blabbed about very personal stuff. Sex was a private matter at the best of times, let alone when it took place in a situation like that. It was already embarrassing enough. Now others knew about it as well. She went from feeling cold to feeling really hot all over. She wanted to leave, run away, but she stood her ground. It would be rude of her to up and leave, all because Flood couldn’t keep his mouth shut.