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

by Charlene Hartnady

  The slayer had doubled crossed him…betrayed him…no…she’d done exactly as he expected. He didn’t know how she’d done it, but she had. The only thing that puzzled him was how she’d gotten it right. Her people had seemed dead set on taking him down and seemingly without much thought of her. Would she really have put herself in the line of fire like that? She probably hadn’t expected them to come in guns blazing. The little hellion would be pissed.

  His nose twitched as he caught her scent. Speak of the devil. She was probably coming to gloat. They had him. Beck felt resolve build inside him. If she thought for even a second that he was going to talk, she was delusional. They could all go and fuck themselves.

  The slayer rounded the corner. She wore jeans and a sweater. Her face was pale. Her left cheek marred with the start of a bruise. Her heart raced. She clenched and unclenched her fists. Her eyes quickly filled with concern as they took in his wounds. Beck knew it looked worse than it really was, since his skin was covered in blood and grime. Some of those injuries were almost healed while others were well on their way. By the amount of congealed blood, she would never know that though, just by looking at him. She frowned heavily. “They didn’t send the doctor. They should have.” She pulled in a breath.

  “What, you can’t start torturing me until I’m healthy enough to take it?”

  Her eyes flashed to his. “Tell us what we need to know, and you can be spared all that.”

  He laughed. “You’re funny, slayer. Even in this dire situation, you have the ability to tickle me pink.”

  “This isn’t a joke.”

  “No, it isn’t. Know that I will never talk. You might as well kill me now.”

  “That’s the thing, they won’t kill you,” she whispered, her eyes lifting in thought. She looked like she didn’t like the idea of what was coming. Like maybe she cared about him but that wasn’t right. Was it?

  “How did they find us? How did you get word to them?” His voice was gruff.

  “That’s not how this works. You don’t get to ask the questions. Tell them the coordinates to your lair and of your evil plans. They won’t attack your people. You have us all wrong.”

  “Evil plans.” He laughed again, this time it was so hard it hurt. He grimaced through his chuckle. Did she really think he’d buy it? What shocked him was how sincere she looked. He was almost tempted to think that she believed what she was sprouting. “Of course they will. You’re either a really good liar or you have no idea, sweetheart.”

  “Don’t call me that,” she snapped.

  “The moment the slayers know where to find my people, they will attack. They will bring their guns and their bombs and they’ll destroy us, leaving a few to use for information. They’ll threaten individuals to get the information they need.”

  She frowned heavily. “No, you don’t know what you’re talking about. We need to know, so that we can keep better tabs on you. Our ancestors persecuted your people. It’s left your kind bitter. You hate humans.”

  “No! We hate you…the slayers. Why would we hate a whole species for the actions of a few?”

  Confusion appeared in her eyes, which she scrunched shut for a few moments before refocusing on him. “No, you’re trying to…no!” More resolve. “I don’t believe you. Your kind are planning a retaliation. A full-scale war against the humans.” She spoke like she didn’t quite believe herself anymore.

  “No, that’s not it at all. The slayers have one goal and it has nothing to do with protecting the human race.” Did she really believe this bullshit? “It has everything to do with greed.”

  “Greed? What does greed have to do with it?” Shock laced every word. He could see she was thinking it over.

  “Everything. The answer to your question is every damn thing. I swear to you, Alex, my people would never harm the humans. We are a species of honor.”

  She lifted her brows. “Alex? So we’re on a first name basis now? I suppose you’re going to tell me your name and we’ll be the best of friends from here on out?”

  “Since you asked, it’s Beck. If you want proof of our integrity as a species, ask yourself why I saved your life. If I was such an evil monster, I would have let you die. Your own people clearly didn’t give a shit.”

  A look of hurt crossed her face but was gone almost as soon as it appeared. “I think you saved my life, shifter, in the hopes of using me so that you could escape. Just so you know, I don’t plan on using your name…ever.”

  “I didn’t think about saving you, slayer, I just did it. It was a natural reaction. In fact, there was a small chance I might have escaped if I had dropped you as soon as I realized I was being shot at.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “I told you why. Who knows, maybe you did grow on me while we were together.” He winked at her.

  The slayer rolled her eyes. “You can drop the act. You knew you would be captured, and you hoped I’d save your ass if you kept me alive. Now you’re lying to me, trying to confuse me.”

  “You’re being lied to but I’m not the one doing it.” He shook his head. Beck wasn’t sure he believed her either. This whole innocent act was quite convincing, but at this point, he wasn’t sure what she stood to gain since he was solidly on the back foot.

  “I came to warn you. You need to tell them what they want to know. You have my word that your people won’t be harmed.” She looked at the ground, pushed out a breath, then looked back up at him. “Look, we have been through a lot and I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  “That’s sweet, slayer. It’s not going to happen though.”

  She sighed. “I had a feeling you would say that.”

  Beck watched as she turned to leave. He wondered if it would be the last time he would see her.

  There was a whole lot he wanted to say. How did he make her believe him? In the end, he didn’t say anything. Beck bowed his head, yanking one last time against the manacles. Frustration eating at him. He’d done nothing, since meeting the female, but prove the slayers right. He’d acted like a savage. He’d allowed hate to take over. He couldn’t blame her for not believing him. Then again, she had deserved it. She was a slayer, after all. The voice in his own head didn’t ring so true anymore either. Had they both been wrong? It didn’t matter anymore. There was no way he was betraying his people. He’d bide his time. He’d take what these bastards dealt. Betrayal was not an option, and never would be.

  Chapter 14

  The shifter was trying to get into her head. He was trying to confuse her. To use her, just like he had back at the cave.

  He was evil and barbaric and cruel. He had to be or…or…everything she’d ever believed was a lie. Everything she’d ever been taught. It was true that her people had once strove to kill the dragons. To wipe their existence from the planet but that was no longer the case. What could a bunch of shifters have that could possibly be of interest to them?

  Nothing.

  Greed, a motivator. Hardly! They came from old money. All of the founding families did. They were all rich. All powerful and influential. No, his theories made no sense and yet…he had saved her. He had also seemed so sincere.

  No! She wasn’t falling for it. The shifter had saved her in order to save himself. It was the only explanation. Doubt still ate at her. Something gnawed at her gut. That she couldn’t trust the shifter was one thing but that she couldn’t trust her own father, made her pause.

  She could have died earlier and, if the shifter hadn’t saved her, she would have. All on her father. He had put a tracker in her ring. Had lied to her to get her to wear it. Her eyes stung and she blinked back tears. He’d told her the piece of jewelry had belonged to her mother. She could still remember how happy she had been when he’d given it to her. All a cruel lie. What else had he lied about? What else was he still lying to her about? She needed to find out.

  It was almost six. Her father would be meeting Harry soon. Mind made up, she walked to her closet and took out a suit, stockings and a pair o
f heels. It didn’t take her long to get dressed and to apply her make-up, though it took her an extra few minutes to conceal the bruise on her cheek. Alex added pearl earrings. After a quick once-over, she headed towards her father’s office. It was on the next floor, at the end of the hallway. Alex ignored the elevator, taking the stairs instead. It was already ten minutes past six. She slipped her heels off her feet, clasping them in one hand, and headed for his office.

  Their staff would be on the ground floor preparing for supper. It would be over an hour before their beds would be turned down. The risk of being discovered was small. She could hear their voices but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

  Alex walked slowly and softly. She’d been upset when her father had pulled up the beautiful wooden floors in favor of Italian marble. Right then, she was infinitely glad he had done it.

  “I’ll get the shifter to talk.” Harry sounded smug.

  “What if it doesn’t work?”

  “We have time,” Harry said. “Even if it takes months. That’s the beauty of working on a creature that heals quickly. You can apply maximum pressure over and over and over again.” He laughed.

  “I’m not a patient man.”

  “Who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky. Maybe he’s weaker than he looks.” As if! The shifter wasn’t going to break. Harry was wrong on that note.

  “I’ve got pressure on me from the other houses. We’ve all been throwing huge resources at this whole little project. It’s like a bottomless pit. It’s been two years of astronomical monthly accounts. The well is running dry. How much do you think it costs to run an estate like this? Then there’s the lake house, not to mention the apartment in Paris. A view of the Eiffel Tower doesn’t come cheap. We’re all in the same boat. Your family is just as affected.”

  What?

  Alex all but held her breath as she listened.

  “My father would have told me if we were in financial trouble.”

  “Why do you think it’s the Bell house that’s running this thing? Do you really think your father would take a back seat on a project like this if he had the resources?”

  “He’s getting on in years but…” Harry suddenly didn’t sound so sure. In fact, he sounded like he was deep in thought.

  “Not a chance. Stefan would sooner lose a kidney than sit out on an expedition of this nature. No, it’s the Bell house that’s supplying the bulk of the capital. Like any other investment we need to see returns, and soon.”

  Returns?

  What returns?

  She took a step closer, hanging on to their every word. Her apprehension growing every step of the way.

  “So, in answer to your question, son, we don’t have as much time as we would like. You need to tackle it hard. You know these things can die and be brought back?”

  “I had read that somewhere, in one of the house journals, but isn’t that risky?”

  “Yes, it is. I’ll give you a couple of days to try and break it using the conventional methods. In that time, I’ll find us a doctor with an iron clad stomach. One who doesn’t take the whole Hippocratic Oath too seriously and then we can really go to town on the creature. I would even like to experiment a little. Use a truth serum and silver concoction. All I know is that time isn’t on our side. I need results and soon.”

  “Understood.” Harry sounded excited and it turned her stomach.

  “How sure are you about the mines?”

  What mines? Alex swallowed thickly, her throat suddenly dry.

  “I’m one hundred percent sure. Where do you think all the gold and the jewels came from in the first place? My source was in one of the lairs. She said it was a sight to behold. Riches like nothing you’ve seen before. The place was dripping with gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, you name it and it was there. They drink out of solid gold chalices. Their door knobs and light fittings are made from gold encrusted with jewels. Need I even go on?”

  “You’re sure of your source?”

  “Absolutely! Our forefathers did a number of things wrong. The first was never learning where the source of the dragon wealth came from and the second was not eradicating that scourge from the earth when they had the chance.”

  Harry went on to say something else, but she didn’t hear what it was. The shifter hadn’t been lying. It felt like her world had just upended. Alex took a deep breath and backtracked her steps. She took a second to breathe before squaring her shoulders. Then she put her heels down and slipped into them. Taking confident strides, she walked to her father’s office. With the click, click of her heels they were sure to hear her coming.

  Angelo frowned heavily as he caught sight of her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m sure the two of you have had plenty of time to strategize.” She lifted her brows.

  “That’s not the point.” Harry looked like he’d just sucked on a lemon. “You weren’t invited.”

  “I invited myself.”

  “Clearly.” He cocked his head.

  “You may as well take a seat, Alex.” Her father gestured to a chair on the other side of the table. He still looked disapproving.

  She worked on staying calm. Normal. It was difficult when her heart was racing at several miles a minute. She sat down, folded her legs and looked at them both, hoping she had an air of cool about her, but sure that she was a dead giveaway. That they would be able to see right through her. That they would know she had been eavesdropping.

  “I’m going to assume you have something to report.” Her father picked up his tumbler of whiskey, taking a small sip of the dark liquid.

  “Yes,” she nodded. “I spent some time with…the beast this afternoon and I can conclude that I won’t be able to get any information out of it.”

  “What did I tell you?” Harry smirked. “I told you that earlier, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  “It was an avenue worth exploring,” she retorted, staying perfectly calm.

  Her father clenched his jaw for a second. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s a disappointment but not wholly unexpected.” He took another sip of his drink. His comments—for once—didn’t affect her in the least.

  Alex shrugged. “It had to be tried. I know that the next course of action, according to my training, would be to systematically break it down using torture as outlined in the manuals.” She felt sick.

  “Yes, I don’t want you involved.” Her father looked at her like she was lacking. “You would be useless to me in this phase. I would suggest you take a vacation…you enjoyed that skiing trip, didn’t you?”

  “I don’t want to go skiing. I have a better plan.”

  “You did your part—not that it was much—leave it alone.” Harry made a face, picking up his own whiskey glass and drinking half the contents.

  “I must agree with Harry. I—”

  “Hear me out. I wasn’t able to get him to talk. I don’t think torture will be a viable option…”

  “You wouldn’t,” Harry snorted. “I’ll bet you were thrilled when that shifter escaped just before you had to start in on the—”

  Alex slapped a hand on the table. “You will never get it to talk. My way will be far more effective…I’ll get him to lead us to the lair.”

  “Christ!” Harry snarled. “You expect us to believe you can get that”—he pointed at the ground, which was pertinent since the dragon was in the basement— “shifter to lead us to its lair?”

  “Yes. I have a plan and I’m sure it’ll work.” She kept her chin tilted up and her eyes locked with Harry’s.

  “I’m listening.” Her father swirled the liquid in his glass.

  Alex outlined the plan.

  “He’ll know it’s a trap. Your escape will be too easy. No guards, no alarms. You unlock his restraints followed by the cage door and walk out of here?”

  She nodded. “Yes, why not? It’s not like the shifter can escape by himself.”

  “That beast is not as stupid as it looks,” Harry spat. “Why would it assume you’
ve changed your mind?”

  “He tried to convince me that our organization is dead-set on killing all the dragons. That our main objective is greed.” She tried to think back on their earlier conversation. She knew for a fact that the cell was bugged. There would be a recording of their conversation. “I think a word he used in the past was pillage,” she smiled. “He thinks we plan on stealing from them…” she began to laugh. “…from the dragons. What next? Us steal from them?” She laughed harder, bile rising in her throat.

  At first her father’s expression was that of shock, but he soon joined in her laughter, followed by a less-enthusiastic Harry.

  “I’ll simply tell the shifter that I overheard a conversation confirming his theory…I don’t know, I’ll think of something believable so that he thinks I’ve bought into his crap. I’ll offer him a chance to escape. I’ll beg him to take me with him, that way you’ll be able to track us.” She touched the ring, twisting it on her finger.

  “It is an interesting plan.” Harry lifted his eyes in thought. “It just might work. It would save us a lot of time and effort. I mean, the sooner we find the lairs, the better it will be for mankind.”

  She thought she might be sick in her mouth. Alex nodded. “Exactly.”

  “I don’t know.” Her father sounded almost bored. “I’m not so sure. It’s too risky. We will lose him if he doesn’t agree to take you with him.”

  “I have a way around that. I’ll get him to agree to that one condition up front. I’ll tell him I can’t stand the thought of staying here for even a minute and that once my family discover I’ve betrayed them, that I’ll be in deep trouble. He will need to agree before I even open the cage.”

  Harry rolled his eyes. “You’re so gullible. He’d agree to just about anything to get you to turn that key. Then he’ll be out of there…I know I would.”

  Alex ignored Harry. He was a prick. His response was typical. “I will get him to agree and I know, once he does, that he will take me. Dragons never break their word. It’s just how they are. I was holed up in the cave with the shifter for days. I learned a thing or two about them as a species.”