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

by Charlene Hartnady

  It all just pissed her off a whole lot more that she wanted him so much, even after he admitted to using her. “I know exactly what you need.”

  “I’ll bet you do.” His eyes brightened. He sat on his ass, legs splayed. Abs taut, shoulders wide. His smile taunting and beautiful. Her eyeballs didn’t seem to care that he was a using bastard. Neither did the rest of her body.

  There was only one ‘cure’ she could think of. Ceri shouldn’t help him. He didn’t deserve it. Thing was, she knew what it felt like to feel like half a person. To have a part of you stripped away. She would never be a mother. Chances were good she’d never find love because if it. What species’ male wanted a female incapable of bearing young?

  None.

  None she knew of anyway. Bay included. He wanted to be cured and he wanted to be on his way. Ceri straddled him, sinking down on his cock.

  Bay’s eyes narrowed onto hers. They brightened up with intense heat as she ground down. He groaned as she got down to the hilt, completely joined. Then she began to work his cock, up and down. His jaw tensed and he gripped her hips. Bay leaned forward and tried to kiss her, but she turned her head away. This wasn’t about enjoyment, about drawing out the moment. This was a means to an end. It was fucking. She sank her fangs into his neck and sucked his blood. Bay immediately tensed, she heard his heart stop for a second. Heard the air stick in his lungs. Then he snarled and she felt heat deep inside as he ejaculated. She sucked again and his snarl turned into a hard groan, his body shuddering beneath her. Heat flooded her body, her pussy tightened but she held off her own release, continuing to ride him. The third pull was almost too much to bear, but this time she managed a fourth before her insides felt like they were burning up. She let him go, even though she was loath to do so.

  Next, she bit into her own wrist, still grinding on his cock shamelessly. “You drink from me,” she moaned each word, absurdly close to coming.

  His eyes narrowed. “What?” he growled. “Why?”

  “You want a cure, then drink,” she urged. “Before I heal.” It wouldn’t take long for that to happen. “Drink!” she demanded. “Now!”

  Bay kept his eyes locked with hers as he closed his mouth over the wound she had made on her arm and sucked.

  A keening noise left her as pleasure flooded her system. Her pussy spasmed so hard she was sure she might hurt him.

  Instead, he growled, his eyes rolling back. He gripped her arm with both his hands and sucked again, harder this time. Her back bowed and she yelled his name. He sucked again and she saw stars. Then he was gripping her hips and jerking into her, grunting loudly as he came again.

  She’d never had frantic out of control sex like this before. It was as beautiful as it was ugly. This was how she always imagined it to be between lovers. Between mates. Something special and rare. Only it wasn’t that. Not at all. It felt like a slap in the face. Like a cold bucket of water.

  Ceri pulled away. She’d never felt lonelier. She stood up and took a few stumbling steps in the opposite direction, picking up her discarded dress and purse. “Here.” She tossed a bottle of the gel at him. It landed on the ground next to him. “No-one must know.” Ceri turned to walk away.

  “Wait,” he growled.

  Ceri paused, not turning back.

  “Is that it?” he asked. “Am I cured?”

  A single tear tracked down her cheek. She ignored it, ignored him and walked away.

  Chapter 14

  The next day…

  “And?” Drago sniffed the air as soon as he opened the door. “Somebody got some.” He grinned as he stepped to the side to let her in. “You smell weird again, like you were smoking or something.” He sniffed again. “Cigars rather than cigarettes.” He wrinkled his nose and then widened his eyes. “You weren’t smoking, were you? You did actually get laid again?” Then he grinned because he knew the answer to his own question.

  Ceri didn’t want to talk about it but Drago would be like a dog after a bone if she didn’t give him something. “Yes, we rutted again. I definitely wasn’t smoking anything. He leaves in a couple of hours, so that’s the end of that.” Hopefully Drago would drop the whole thing.

  She should have known better than to think he would. He scrutinized her. “You aren’t glowing, or on a high, or happy or anything. You seem…down.” He cocked his head slightly, really giving her the once-over. “Why are you down? What happened?”

  “Not at all.” She waved her hand and walked further into his apartment. “Oh good, you have coffee brewing.”

  “Don’t try to change the subject.” She turned to Drago, who folded his arms. “Why aren’t you on a sex high? Was the rutting not up to scratch?” He made a face. “Was the dragon crap? I thought he was good? Why else would you go back for seconds?”

  “The sex was good. More than good actually.”

  “Why are you so down then?”

  She helped herself to a coffee cup and sighed softly. “I don’t want to talk about it.” Ceri knew it was the worst thing she could say because Drago wouldn’t let it go now.

  “You’ll feel better if you talk about it. I guarantee it. Are you sad he’s leaving?” His eyes lit up. “Are you in love with this male?”

  “No!” she replied. “Not at all. Don’t be crazy.” Ceri poured herself some of the steaming brew. “Why does that make you happy, at any rate? It would be terrible if I had fallen in love with a dragon.”

  He shrugged. “It would be interesting.”

  “Me, being in love with someone I could never have, is not interesting, that would be awful.”

  “I suppose. You say it isn’t that, what is it then? I’ll have a cup too.” He pointed at her coffee and leaned against the counter, his eyes on her.

  “He was using me,” she blurted.

  Drago burst out laughing. "Of course he was, just like you were using him. Wait a minute! Why would you care about a thing like that? You must have feelings for this dragon. Otherwise, you wouldn't be so upset about this."

  “I don’t have feelings for him, it’s just…” She pushed out a heavy breath. Drago already knew so much, what did it matter if she told him all of it. She reached into the cupboard and pulled out another cup.

  “Just what?”

  She huffed out a breath. “I didn’t meet Bay yesterday.”

  Drago’s frown deepened. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know when I went to Beachhaven on vacation?”

  “Yes.” Drago nodded once, a grin beginning to spread across his handsome face. “Don’t tell me you guys… Did you…?”

  She rolled her eyes and nodded once. “Yes, we spent the night together then as well. Just one night. I checked out before morning. We didn’t talk much.”

  “I’ll bet.”

  “I didn’t think I’d ever see him again and…” She raised her brows.

  “And then he shows up here.” Drago laughed. “That’s bizarre. So yesterday was the second time you saw him and last night the third.”

  She nodded. “He brought the shifter in and then came back to talk to me, only…” Ceri told him what had happened. Keeping it brief and sticking to the facts. “So you’ll excuse me for feeling a little down about the whole thing. I guess I don’t feel good enough.” She felt her lip wobble and chewed down on it. “I don’t think I’ll ever find someone willing to give me a chance. Willing to be with me even though I can’t have kids.” She swallowed down a lump of emotion clogging her throat.

  “Hey, that’s bullshit.” Drago went over to her and folded her up in a hug. “You have me. You’ll always have me.”

  “You know I love you a crazy amount, but I’m kind of looking for more than friendship.” She gave him a squeeze. “I appreciate what we have. Don’t misunderstand me.”

  “You want more.” He pulled away, pretending to be hurt. “You have my heart and soul, which is more than any other female ever had, what more could you possibly want?” She could tell he was teasing.

  �
��Someone to wake up to every morning and, um, I don’t know, sex, regular, really hot sex.” Like the kind she’d had with Bay.

  “Now that can be arranged. You know I would be willing to— Ouch!” He yelped when she hit him on the arm. “I’m only kidding. Sex would ruin things between us.” He chuckled, his big body vibrated.

  “Sex with you would be lousy.”

  “What?” He sucked in a breath, clutching a hand to his chest. “How can you say such a thing? Talk about bruising a male’s ego.”

  “Because we have zero chemistry. Less than zero.” She shook her head.

  “Yeah, I’ve never understood that. You are quite literally the only female who has never shown any attraction to me. I don’t understand it.”

  It was her turn to scrutinize him. Her turn to laugh. “I watched you eat your boogers in first grade. There is no going back from that.”

  Drago chuckled, his face turning pink. “I was six years old. It was a phase and it didn’t last.”

  “The mental picture is still up here.” She pointed at her skull.

  “Okay,” he took her hand, turning serious, “so you’re not in love with this male. I get why you’re upset. You need to know that one day, a male will come along and he will love you no matter what. He will fall for you because you are amazing, and so worth it, and if it weren’t for those boogers I ate in first grade we’d probably be mated right now.” He grinned.

  She choked out a laugh and shook her head.

  “In all seriousness, it will happen and when it does, you’ll know it’s true love. It won’t just be some asshole male settling because you are fertile. It will be real love. The deep and meaningful kind you crave, and until then, I am here for you.”

  “Only until then?” She smiled.

  Drago rolled his eyes. “No, dufus, for always. We are friends for forever.”

  “Good and with that in mind, please feed me.” She actually felt a little queasy at the thought of drinking from him. Ceri had to though. There was no other choice. It had been a long, restless night. She wasn’t feeling herself. Things would improve. All would be well. She’d get over whatever this was with Bay and move on. The sooner that happened the better.

  “So,” Brant said, smoothing his jacket. “Things to look out for. The hunters may disguise themselves as military personnel. They own a fleet of ex-army helicopters.” He went on to describe makes and models. In truth, Bay struggled to concentrate on what was being said.

  They were leaving straight after this final wrap-up. It didn’t feel like much had been achieved. He’d tried to go back to see Ceri but had almost been caught by Torrent. He’d lied and said he was out for a walk.

  All he wanted to do was fix things between them. He didn’t like that they had walked away from each other as enemies. Ceri didn’t feel like an enemy. Not even close.

  The male hadn’t completely believed him and it might be his imagination but it seemed like Torrent had been keeping an eye on him ever since.

  That he had been diverted was probably for the best anyway. He’d almost made a fool of himself. It was clear the vampire wanted nothing more to do with him.

  He wasn’t sure if drinking her blood had cured him. He didn’t think so ‒ not that he’d tried to disprove it yet. Yesterday had been jam-packed and had included a dinner which ended late. Team-building had started at seven this morning. They were leaving in a few minutes.

  “The actual hunters themselves,” Brant said, while looking directly at him, probably sensing his mind had wandered, “come from old money. At least ninety-nine percent of them. The other one percent used to come from money but lost their fortunes somewhere along the line.”

  “Fortunes that were never theirs,” Torrent mumbled.

  “What was that?” Brant looked at his king. “Did you want to add something?”

  Torrent shook his head. “No. Just that these hunters steal from those they assassinate. We’re talking mass genocide here, followed by mass pillaging.”

  “They are without honor. Your females and children would be murdered just as readily as your males,” Blaze said. “I do not believe that they will be satisfied with slaughtering our species. They live for death and destruction. None of you are safe.”

  “Be on the look-out for anyone with a tattoo on their left hand. The top.” He pointed at that part on his own hand. “It would be a plain, black ink of the all-seeing eye.” Brant pushed a device in his hand and a picture appeared on the white screen of the tattoo in question. “We have each other’s contact details. Let’s report any sightings. Any strange happenings. Let’s work together to eradicate this scourge.”

  “We plan on taking a much harsher approach. Any helicopters found to be in our territory, where we can prove without a doubt are hunters,” A difficult task. “will be taken out,” Blaze announced. “Each of our tribes has a Head of Defense. Going forward, this individual will be given a new title.” Blaze turned to him. “From now on you will be known as Head of War. We are no longer going to sit by. We are fighting back.” He pounded the table. The wood creaked.

  Bay nodded once, feeling the weight of what would be expected of him. In truth, he had never been much of a fighter. Sure, he could fight. He’d always had a knack for combat, but he didn’t revel in it like many of the others. Like Flood. The male was much better suited to the role. Even Beck would be a better candidate. He swallowed hard.

  Chapter 15

  Two months and three weeks later…

  “I’m thirsty all the time. My breasts have grown. At least,” Lily unbuttoned her blouse and opened it, exposing her chest, “I think they have.”

  Ceri’s eyes were drawn to the female’s boobs. “I’m sorry.” She made a face. “I’ve never seen your breasts before, so I have no idea if they are bigger or not.” She shrugged. “Your nipples are dark though. That could be a sign.”

  “They feel achy and tender at times, tingly at others.” Lily cupped her breasts, giving them a squeeze.

  “It is very early days yet.” Ceri smiled. New life was to be celebrated. She hoped with all her might that Lily was indeed with child, seeing that this female was one of the few with a pelvis wide enough to birth an infant. “We will know soon enough. You will be able to take a pregnancy test at about six weeks.”

  “Those aren’t always accurate when it comes to vampire pregnancies though?”

  “I’m afraid not. You get false negatives but never false positives. You might be lucky enough to get a positive early on. Then you’ll know for sure.”

  Lily frowned. “I hope so. Otherwise, I will have to wait three months before a heartbeat can be detected.”

  “Yes, that’s the other surefire way to know. I’m sorry,” Ceri added when she saw Lily’s frown. She felt sympathy for the other female. “Vampire young grow very slowly for those first few months and then very rapidly for the last few. You will have to wait between twelve and fifteen weeks before a heartbeat can be detected. Females have reported nausea, heightened appetite, strange cravings. You may have spotting at around five to six weeks. That is the fetus nestling into your womb lining. Then there’s fatigue, mood swings and possible headaches. The biggest giveaway is that you won’t have your menstruation, but—”

  Lily moaned. “Not another ‘but’.”

  Ceri nodded. “Unfortunately, this isn’t an exact science. Symptoms can vary from female to female. Some females continue to have their menstruation throughout the pregnancy. Mostly though, your menstruation will stop or become very light.” She pulled in a deep breath, suddenly realizing she hadn’t had her own menstruation in a while. The last one was much less than normal. How long had it been? Too long? It was a pain in the ass that she still got her monthly bleeds even though she couldn’t actually become pregnant. All of the hassle and none of the rewards.

  “Did you hear what I said?” Lily asked.

  Pull it together, Ceri. “No, sorry, please repeat the question.” She forced herself to smile.

&nbs
p; “I said what about instinct? Stuart and I have been trying for almost a year and this is the first time I actually feel pregnant. I can’t explain it, I just do.” She put a hand to her belly.

  “Some females have reported having this instinct you talk of, where others have been completely clueless.” She reached forward and squeezed Lily’s arm. “I really hope you are with child. I couldn’t think of nicer people. You and Stuart love each other so much. You’re going to make fantastic parents.”

  Lily beamed. She nodded.

  “Try not to feel too disappointed if you’re not with child though. You guys can keep trying. Vampire females don’t become pregnant easily, but it will happen. You need to stay positive.”

  “I will.” Lily smiled. The female stood up. “Thank you for listening and for being so supportive. It’s such a pity you can’t have young, you would’ve made a wonderful mom.”

  Ceri felt that familiar squeezing inside her chest. She smiled at Lily. “Let me know as soon as you hear anything either way.” She didn’t want to be pessimistic, but she also didn’t want the female getting her hopes up just to be dashed.

  “I will.” They said their goodbyes and Lily left.

  Ceri glanced at the clock on the wall. Best she hurry, she was meeting Drago for lunch. Ceri straightened up her desk and hung her lab coat on the hook at her door before heading out. She was meeting him in the gardens. They often had a picnic-style lunch on one of the benches overlooking the lake.

  It was nice to get outdoors. She didn’t get out enough, always stuck between the four walls of her office. Drago was already there, already waiting for her.

  His eyes lit up as soon as he saw her. He was holding a paper bag on his lap. Her mouth watered at what she hoped was inside. “Did you make me one?” she asked, eyeing the bag.